Chapter Sixty-Seven: Crushing Victory

"Oh? Not only do they refuse to flee, but they even dare to fight back against us!?" Seeing the villagers from the small fishing village readying themselves for a desperate struggle, Scarred Biao sneered inwardly. They were nothing but a handful of farmers—how could they possibly match up to ruthless bandits like them, men who licked blood from the blade’s edge?

He was about to give the order when a sudden flurry of arrows whistled through the air. Agonized screams erupted as the bandits in the front row were struck down in droves, arrows embedding themselves in their faces. The villagers, hardened by battles with coastal pirates, held their repeating crossbows steady without a hint of trembling, each shot more accurate than the last.

They did not aim for the head or chest, but targeted the knees with ruthless precision. After several volleys, the bandits hadn’t even reached the convoy before many fell writhing to the ground, clutching their knees—not dead, but thoroughly incapacitated.

Before the bandits could recover from the shock of the coordinated crossbow fire, Qin Zhen had already drawn his saber and charged forward at the head of his men. Led by Chen Shu, the twenty most elite members of the village defense squad transformed into fierce warriors, wielding Japanese swords in their right hands and wooden shields in their left. In merely a single clash, they shattered the bandits’ vanguard completely.

Unlike those behind them firing arrows, Chen Shu’s group didn’t aim merely to cripple—their blades fell to kill. Close-quarters combat was always the most brutal, the most dangerous, and the truest test of a unit’s strength. The sight of blades piercing flesh and blood spraying through the air sent these bullies, who preyed on the weak, flying in every direction.

Chen Shu himself was a former scout, his training nearly identical to that of the elite Flying Fish Battalion of the Grand Shang, further refined by the modern methods of the veteran Qin Zhen. The village defense squad’s training standards now rivaled—or even surpassed—those of any contemporary military.

They were only twenty strong, but the fighting prowess they unleashed was not something this rabble of bandits could contend with.

Just a moment ago, Scarred Biao had been flush with pride; now, he watched in horror as over two hundred of his men were left wounded, crippled, or dead, strewn across the ground!

With most of his men lost and Qin Zhen’s squad bearing down on him, the third chieftain of Cap Hat Mountain panicked.

"Damn it, how are these bastards so tough?!"

He seized Wang Yuan, who was petrified with terror, and nearly stabbed him in rage.

"You call these ordinary villagers?! They fight fiercer than the government soldiers! Did you set me up, you treacherous dog?!"

"I didn’t know they were this formidable!" Wang Yuan wailed, his face twisted in misery.

Everyone had heard the small fishing village was not to be trifled with, that they even dared to take on pirates. He’d heard it so often he’d grown numb, dismissing it as mere bravado.

Not until now, seeing Qin Zhen and his men cut through the bandits like chopping vegetables, did he finally realize how terrifyingly brave these villagers were. Any normal person would flinch in fear when faced with a blade, but not these men—they charged straight into the oncoming swords, eyes wide open!

Scarred Biao was truly rattled now.

As a notorious bandit king of Cap Hat Mountain, he’d fought many government soldiers. But whether it was the county constables or the city garrison, they all cherished their own lives and shied away from death.

None were like these twenty men, who fought as if their lives meant nothing.

"Fall back! Retreat!"

Seeing his numbers dwindle further, Scarred Biao’s heart ached bitterly. These men were all he had, the very foundation of his power on Cap Hat Mountain. If they all perished, his days as third chieftain would be over.

The bandits, already terrified out of their wits by the village squad, bolted for the mountains without a backward glance as soon as the order to retreat was given, leaving behind a field of wounded and crippled, crying out helplessly.

Wang Yuan glanced at Qin Zhen, gritted his teeth, and turned to follow Scarred Biao into the woods.

The battle ended as suddenly as it began—a complete rout.

"They’re already running? I haven’t killed to my heart’s content yet!" Li Han said, a trace of disappointment in his voice.

Just then, Zhao Ming hurried over to Qin Zhen. "Boss Qin, there are people from Wang Family Village among these bandits!"

Qin Zhen’s brow furrowed at the words, and he strode over immediately.

Zhao Ming pointed out seven or eight familiar faces. "It’s them. They were the most vicious yesterday during the brawl—I’d never mistake them!"

"I think I recognize a couple too," Li Han chimed in.

Qin Zhen’s expression darkened. "Explain yourselves," he demanded.

The men from Wang Family Village trembled. One of them, voice quavering, stammered, "Wang Yuan told us to rob the convoy, said we’d get our wages back. But on the way, we ran into Cap Hat Mountain’s bandits, and Wang Yuan led us to join them."

Hearing the truth, Qin Zhen was livid, and the villagers of the small fishing village were equally outraged.

"This is outrageous!" Li Han cursed. "We already paid you your wages—what right do you have to rob us? Ungrateful scum! If I’d known you were this kind, I’d have slaughtered you all back then!"

With that, he raised his massive fists and began pummeling the men from Wang Family Village, eliciting a chorus of pitiful screams.

"Where’s Wang Yuan?" Qin Zhen asked.

"I don’t know—maybe he ran off with the bandits?" one villager whimpered, unable to withstand the beating any longer. "Please, Qin Zhen, have mercy—we won’t dare do it again!"

"Spare you?" Qin Zhen sneered. If the villagers hadn’t been so formidable and hadn’t crushed the bandits, he himself would be the one kneeling here, beaten and humiliated. Would Wang Family Village and the bandits have shown him any mercy then?

At that moment, Chief Constable Chen strolled over, smiling. "Tie them all up and bring them with us. Once we reach Coastal City, they’ll all be dealt with according to the law!"

He clapped Qin Zhen heartily on the shoulder. "Brother Qin, you’ve given me quite a gift!"

Chief Constable Chen had been fretting over what present to bring when first visiting the city lord. Now, the problem was solved.

Chen Shu and the others promptly bound the injured bandits, dragging them behind the carts.

"Scarred Biao..." Qin Zhen hesitated.

Constable Chen laughed. "He’s just a bandit chief. With all his men dead, what’s there to fear? The mountains are teeming with people eyeing his position. After today’s battle, that fellow won’t dare show his face for a long time."

Meanwhile, Scarred Biao, having narrowly escaped with his life, finally returned to the mountain stronghold. Looking back at the pitiful handful of survivors, rage took hold—he smashed a wooden post at the gate to splinters with a single punch.

Those two hundred men had been painstakingly gathered—how could he not grieve their loss?

He seized the gasping Wang Yuan and beat him mercilessly.

"It’s all your fault that I lost so many of my brothers!"

Wang Yuan could only endure the blows, barely conscious.

Just then, a young woman staggered out, her garish face filled with panic. She grabbed Scarred Biao’s hand.

"Boss, it’s been over a month now. We’ve searched everywhere down the mountain, but there’s still no sign of my brother! Could something have happened to Scarface?"