Chapter 39 - 38: The Unconventional Path and the Trash Bin on the Side of the Road

Since Pei Guang had prepared something, they decided to follow his plan. As the Silvermane Guards closed in, Dan Heng spoke up. "Analyze and deduce..." Before he could finish, Stelle instinctively continued, "Indecisive." Pei Guang added, "Unexpected!" March 7th interrupted, "To... Wait, stop playing word games! This is the old train crew's code. When we count to one, we make a run for it. Ah Guang, which way do we go?" As Pei Guang adjusted the items in his backpack for easier access, he replied, "I'm not playing word games. Just follow me: I'm best at taking the unconventional path!" Dan Heng took note of Pei Guang's words and continued, "The order is absolute..." Pei Guang's hints were crystal clear to Stelle and March 7th. Whenever they fought alongside Pei Guang, had he ever taken the proper route? He always went where he could break things down, taking the most convenient path. Due to the distance, neither Cocolia nor the approaching Gepard and his team could hear their conversation. Even Bronya was a bit puzzled. Something was off—very off. They were labeled as assassins, yet Pei Guang's group was standing far from Cocolia, with no intention of attacking. How could they be assassins? "Defend the stronghold!" Pei Guang made the first move, throwing all the throwable items he had stored in his backpack. "Take my bombs!" Suspicious objects wrapped in black bags were hurled in all directions. Without hesitation, Gepard rushed forward, raising a shield to block the explosion. He couldn't believe that Pei Guang's group was so ruthless, preparing so many bombs. He felt deep regret—if only he hadn't trusted them so much... Gepard braced himself for death. Even Cocolia, upon seeing the large number of "bombs," instinctively took a few steps back. Some Silvermane Guards closed their eyes reflexively, while the fearless ones spread their arms to shield their comrades from the blast. Quick-reacting soldiers even raised their guns to shoot down the dozens of "bombs" in the air. "Mother!" Bronya instinctively rushed to protect Cocolia. Seeing so many "bombs," Bronya had only one thought: protect her mother. Cocolia, too, instinctively prepared to shield herself from the barrage. But just when everyone had braced themselves for the explosion, they realized that nothing had detonated. Instead, they were covered in sticky, soft, foul-smelling substances. At that moment, as rotten egg liquid dripped down her face, Cocolia lost her composure entirely and roared "Kill them!!!" The "bombs" were actually garbage that Pei Guang had collected the night before! He had carefully stored this trash in bags he had swiped from Herta Space Station. While the trash thrown at others was relatively ordinary and could be washed off, what Cocolia received was far worse: rotten eggs. As for the smell? Pei Guang hadn't experienced it himself, but he was sure Cocolia would fully appreciate its unpleasantness. The sudden attack of garbage, combined with Pei Guang's mention of bombs, caused the guards to reflexively try to block it. That reflexive action was exactly what Pei Guang had hoped for. He knew these soldiers were sharp, and despite the distraction, they still blocked the main entrance. But who said anything about using the main entrance? As they attempted to block the "bombs," Pei Guang led his group straight through a hole they smashed in the side wall and made their escape. Go through the front door? Not a chance. As a player, if there's a choice, the front door is never the option. "Curse them!" Gepard quickly reacted and immediately followed them. As he chased after them, Bronya issued orders, "You, protect the Supreme Guardian. The rest of you, come with me to catch the criminals." By this time, Gepard had already rushed out and was hot on the heels of Pei Guang and his group. Ignoring the foul smell clinging to him, Gepard charged forward. He saw Pei Guang and his group turn left after running down the street—toward his sister's workshop. No matter who these people were, he couldn't allow his sister to be in danger! Determined, Gepard put every ounce of strength into catching up, getting closer and closer still. Although Pei Guang had managed to scare off the guards with garbage, it only bought them a few seconds. Gepard watched as Pei Guang and his group rounded the corner. He tensed up, but then relaxed when he saw that they didn't enter his sister's workshop. If they were fleeing down the street, Gepard was confident they would be trapped soon. It was a long, straight road with no alleys to escape into. The end of the street was guarded by other Silvermane Guards, who had all been alerted to the presence of assassins. They wouldn't let these people go. Besides, he was only five seconds behind them. Where could they hide or run to in that time? However, when he reached the corner and turned, he instinctively stopped. There, standing with a trash bag, was his sister, Serval, who was just about to throw out the garbage. He scanned the street—no sign of Pei Guang and his group. Humming a tune, Serval walked out of her workshop. As soon as she stepped outside, she noticed her younger brother covered in wilted lettuce leaves, eggshells, and various kinds of wet and dry trash. "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry? And... wait, is that garbage on you? Pfft! Did you fall into a trash can or something?" Gepard surveyed the area, his expression serious and shocked. He was certain they had turned this corner, so why were they gone? Just as he was puzzling over this, Bronya arrived with a large group of Silvermane Guards. Bronya asked, "Where are they?" Gepard replied, "We lost them." Serval, still holding the trash bag, yawned and said, "You guys keep searching. I'll just throw this out and head back in. But what happened? Why are you all in such a state?" Only after confirming that they had lost their targets did Gepard respond, "The Supreme Guardian was attacked." Serval was shocked. "What? Cocolia was attacked? How is she?" Bronya explained, "Mother is just a bit shaken, but she's fine. If you notice anything unusual, please report it to us." Serval waved her hand dismissively and sighed, "You weren't always like this... Never mind, if I see anything strange, I'll let you know. But that Cocolia..." Having some insight into her former friend, Serval felt something was off. In her opinion, this so-called assassination attempt might be just like her own past experience—a pretext to deal with something. But what did it matter to her? She was no longer part of that world: she was just an ordinary person now. Yep, just an ordinary person! As for what her brother and Bronya were discussing, she had lost interest. Seeing how disheveled they looked, she decided to fetch a couple of towels for them to clean up. As guards, it wasn't just about appearances: the smell, too, was a bit too much. "Hey? The trash can was stolen yesterday, and today there's a new one. Little brother, you guys are really efficient." After complimenting them, Serval opened the trash bin. But as soon as she lifted the lid and saw four pairs of eyes staring back at her from inside, she fell silent. Inside the bin were Pei Guang, March 7th, Stelle, and Dan Heng. March 7th flashed a bright smile, Dan Heng looked utterly resigned to his fate, and Stelle silently pulled out a baseball bat.