Chapter 938: To kill is the order
Chapter 938: To kill is the order
Erik followed Silent Scream as they approached the massive deposit in the eastern district.
The structure was an imposing, fortified complex, surrounded by high walls and guarded by an array of soldiers.
Armored vehicles patrolled the perimeter, their heavy cannons scanning the area for any signs of trouble.
Watchtowers dotted the walls, manned by snipers ready to engage any threats.
The entrance was a heavily reinforced gate, with a squad of elite soldiers standing vigilant. Erik took in the scene, his eyes appraising the defenses and looking for any weaknesses. Even if the rebels would not attack today, they, for sure, were going to do it in the future. Any information Erik could gather about the place would be a tremendous help.
Silent Scream turned to Erik. Even though Erik couldn’t see Silent Scream’s face, he felt the weight of a silent assessment.
“Have you ever gotten command over troops?”
Erik hesitated. “No, sir. I served in the regular army. I was the one getting the orders.”
Silent Scream let out a humorless scoff. “Remember this, Savage Blood. The hardest part about commanding troops isn’t the fighting. It’s knowing when to throw expendable bodies at a problem and when to pull back. You learn to value your own pack, ’cause replacements are scarce out here. ”
His gaze, though unseen, seemed to pierce Erik, judging his resolve. “Now, show me what the army taught you.”
Erik nodded, falling into step beside his mentor as they made their way towards the northern flank.
As they reached their assigned position, Erik was calm since he knew the resistance would not attack.
As Sebastian, known to Silent Scream as Savage Blood, kept his gaze focused ahead, scanning the area for potential weak points in the defenses, Silent Scream turned to him with a commanding tone.
“Tell me,” Silent Scream said, “What exactly were your duties within the army? What is it you think you are truly good at?”
“Shouldn’t you know already, sir?”
“What I know is what the others said about you. I know nothing about what you think about yourself.”
Erik thought about what to say. “Mostly guard duties, sir,” he said crisply. “But sometimes I found myself in the thick of it, especially when thaids attacked the gates. I never backed down from a fight.”
Silent Scream nodded, his demeanor softened slightly by Erik’s respect. “So, you say that fighting is what you feel more confident about, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
Erik hesitated for a moment, then posed a question of his own. “And what about you, sir? What do you believe you excel at?”
Silent Scream’s gaze hardened, a hint of darkness lurking in his eyes. “The best thing I can do,” he said with chilling calmness, “is to kill.”
<Somehow this doesn’t surprise me at all…>
Then a long silence ensued. Erik then turned to Silent Scream.
“Sir, I was wondering. What should we do in case the rebels attack? What is the chain of command?”
Silent Scream observed him for a moment, the mask obscuring any hint of expression.
“The Blackguards answer to a higher authority than the military, Savage Blood. We have protocols in place that supersede their operations.”
“This facility is one of the most heavily guarded in the city, protected by the finest soldiers, us, and the technology we possess.” He gestured toward the imposing structure.
“If the rebels dare to attack, they will be met with overwhelming force. Our orders are simple: eliminate any and all threats. We have full authority over the operation, so don’t worry.” Silent Scream’s voice hardened.
“The soldiers will do as we say. The Blackguards answer to no one but our own command structure.”
Erik nodded, his thoughts swirling with a mixture of disbelief and frustration.
<This fucker… > he thought, incredulous at the arrogance of the blackguards.
It seemed absurd that they could believe they had the power to control the army of an entire country.
Yet, as unsettling as it was, this was the harsh reality of the situation.
“For you,” Silent Scream said. “It means you only answer to me. Is this clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
Erik kept his eyes vigilant as he stood guard with Silent Scream, scanning the area for any signs of an attack he knew would never take place.
However, he also thought he had messed up. How many chances were there that just when he arrived, the blackguards’ intelligence might be incorrect? Maybe the best thing should have been to make the rebels attack the place.
The Blackguards had received intelligence about a rebel raid on this vital deposit, and the fortifications had been strengthened in preparation.
However, as the hours ticked by, no assault materialized. Erik faked remaining alert, but in truth, he was minding his own business. The mask helped hiding his facial features, so Silent Scream did not know what the look on Erik’s face was.
The only sounds were the occasional shuffling of boots and the distant hum of machinery. Eventually, Silent Scream turned to Erik, his tone betraying a hint of confusion.
“Something’s not right,” the Blackguard said. “Our information network is rarely wrong. Yet, there’s been no sign of the rebels.”
“Maybe they’ve reconsidered their plans,” he said. It made sense. After all, this was no simple place to attack.
“Perhaps,” Silent Scream s the his tone suggested he was not convinced.
“Or maybe they’ve discovered our preparations and decided to hold off for now. Regardless,
this isn’t good.”
The Blackguard commander fell silent, his gaze sweeping the area once more.
“Should we send someone to scout around?” Erik asked, projecting an air of concern he didn’t have by any means.
Silent Scream considered the suggestion for a moment. “No, not yet. We’ll maintain our current positions and keep a close watch. If the rebels attempt an attack, I don’t want to risk us ending up with fewer soldiers than we need. Regardless, we’ll decide what to do later based
on the situation.”
The atmosphere became increasingly tense as the day progressed. Silent Scream’s uneasiness was clear, and Erik could tell the other soldiers were becoming restless as well.
Erik said nothing else to his mentor and waited. Until it was Silent Scream himself who
approached him.
“Something’s not right here,” the masked Blackguard said, his voice low. “The rebels should have struck by now, but there’s been no sign of them.”
Erik remained silent, allowing his mentor to voice his concerns.
“We should let the higher ups know this, sir. Maybe the fact they were going to attack here was just a rumor they shared, only for them to attack another place en masse.” Erik said.
“Well thought, Savage Blood. However, I trust our superiors enough to know the information they got was not a rumor. If the higher ups say the rebels were going to attack this place, than they really wanted to do so. If they didn’t, it means something happened.”
That was a slightly weird thing. How could Silent Scream trust the higher ups so much? That question prompted Erik to use his instability brain crystal power to have an answer about the many questions swirling in Erik’s mind.
But try as he might, Erik found nothing of significance in the man’s thoughts.
It seemed Silent Scream truly didn’t know how the higher-ups had gotten their information, leaving Erik feeling more uneasy than ever before.
***
Within the city, a group of five people moved purposefully, their identities hidden behind
black armor and masks.
They moved efficiently through the overcrowded streets. When they arrived at the train station, they examined the area for the intended target.
“The information was accurate. It should happen at any moment now.”
The man could see some suspicious people at different corners of the train station. They were rebels. But if they could see them, the same wasn’t true for the rebels.
These guys knew how to stay hidden from sight.
“Fucking rebels. I can’t wait until we kill them all.”
“Kill them? I know for certain the higher-ups will take them as monkeys in their homes.”
“Yeah, they are a bunch of fucking animals.”
Not everyone was joining the discussion. Among them, a man remained silent throughout the entire conversation, as if it was beneath him. His posture was relaxed amidst the tense
atmosphere.
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One of the blackguards nudged him with an elbow. “What do we do, boss? Should we kill them
now?”
Before the man could respond, a deafening explosion erupted in the distance, shaking the
platform.
The ground trembled beneath their feet, causing the Blackguards to stagger momentarily. Hands flew to their weapons, the metallic clinks of swords being drawn echoing in the air.
From their vantage point, they could see the chaos unfolding below. Buildings crumbled under the force of the explosion, sending rubble flying in all directions. People ran in panic, their screams drowned out by the roar of flames.
“Kill’em all.” The order rang out, cold and unforgiving, from behind the masked man.
But it was the face behind the mask that told the true story-one that the man’s team members couldn’t see, making them believe all of that was beneath the man.
A smirk full of bloodlust twisted the features, eyes gleaming with savage anticipation.