Chapter Twelve: Retrieving the Treasure and Another Band of Brigands

Crippled by overwhelming terror, the bandit lieutenant was utterly broken in spirit. He too nursed a desire for vengeance, but after weighing his options, he realized that revenge was a faint hope at best. It was wiser to swallow his pride than to risk his life—nothing mattered more than staying alive. Resolving as much, he glanced around, confirmed he was alone, dropped his broadsword, and threw himself to his knees before Zhang Desen, swiftly begging for mercy.

“Hero, spare me... As long as you spare my life, I... I’ll give you anything. Please, have mercy…”

He repeatedly knocked his head to the ground, pleading desperately for his life.

Witnessing this, the villagers shed their fear and emerged from their hiding places. They pelted the bandit lieutenant with whatever they could lay their hands on, cursing him with every throw.

Zhang Desen observed the scene in silence, making no move. Though the bandit was seething with humiliation, survival was his only concern now.

At this moment, the village chief approached Zhang Desen and said, “Thank you, brave sir, for saving us. Without you, our Woodstone Village would not have survived this disaster. We are truly grateful…”

Zhang Desen replied, “It was nothing; not worth mentioning. I am a soldier and cannot abide scum like these.”

The chief asked, “Now that the bandit leader is dead, what do you think we should do with this bandit lieutenant?”

Zhang Desen was about to suggest handing him over to the authorities, but after a moment’s thought, he asked instead, “Chief, do you know where their mountain stronghold is?”

The chief answered at once, “Of course. It’s not far from here, which is why we’ve suffered so much at their hands. But now, with things as they are, I imagine the stronghold will soon be deserted.”

“Good,” said Zhang Desen. “Let’s have him lead us there. We’ll escort him to the stronghold and reclaim everything they’ve stolen.”

At this, not only the chief but all the villagers were instantly energized.

They quickly made preparations, binding the bandit lieutenant tightly with ropes. Though furious at his predicament and feeling utterly humiliated, the bandit dared not protest with Zhang Desen standing nearby. He could only accept his fate quietly.

Once all was ready, the villagers gathered around Zhang Desen and the chief, escorting the captive bandit lieutenant as they set off to retrieve their treasures from the bandits’ lair.

…

Meanwhile, at Earth Headquarters in Zhang Desen’s original universe, a guard hurried into General Li Guoshou’s office, snapped to attention, and reported, “General, the investigation department has reached an alarming conclusion.”

General Li immediately demanded, “What did they say?”

“They recommend we temporarily halt all rescue and exploration missions and seal all related data.”

General Li slammed his fist on the desk and shouted, “I asked them to discuss rescue measures. Now they urge me to stop everything! Just because it’s not their lives at stake, they can be so irresponsible?”

“General, they have their reasons,” the guard explained.

“Out with it,” Li barked. “What are their reasons?”

“Everything was fine when we sent Comrade Zhang Desen to the target universe,” the guard replied. “But it appears the spatial tunnel may have been attacked.”

He paused, gauging the general’s expression, then continued, “They believe it’s highly likely that intelligent beings on the other side attacked the tunnel with their own weaponry, causing its destruction.”

The guard handed Li a file and went on, “The technical department has meticulously inspected the entire multiverse travel apparatus and found no internal faults. Only an attack on the spatial tunnel could have triggered the overload.”

Seeing Li had not taken the file, the guard pressed on, “This means there must be intelligent beings in the target universe’s Earth region who saw our personnel as intruders—hence the incident.”

General Li finally took the file, his voice booming, “Did they not assure me repeatedly that there were no advanced civilizations in the target area? How do they explain this now?”

“They say that, indeed, no advanced civilizations had been detected in that area before, which is why it was chosen. But—”

General Li cut him off. “Enough. I want no more excuses. No one is to halt rescue operations. Tell them, under no circumstances will we abandon our comrade. We cannot leave him in danger.”

With even greater severity, he added, “Tell them—even if all research must stop, I will not abandon the rescue. If advanced beings exist, I’ll confront them myself and see who is stronger. Fix the machine as fast as possible and leave the data with me. Go!”

“Yes, sir!”

The guard departed to carry out the orders.

…

Near West Capital in the multiverse’s Earth, after about half an hour’s journey, Zhang Desen and the villagers arrived at the bandits' stronghold.

The main gates stood wide open and the place was deserted. Gold, silver, and jewels lay scattered everywhere. Clearly, the bandits had fled in a hurry, taking only what they could carry.

Seeing this, the villagers rushed forward, swiftly gathering up all the remaining treasures. The bandit lieutenant, seeing the scene, cursed loudly, “You fools! Our chief treated you well, and you all ran at the first sign of trouble. Mark my words—if I survive and find you, you’ll regret ever being born! Cowards!”

Zhang Desen chuckled and said, “Enough. Don’t embarrass yourself, dear lieutenant. Instead of fantasizing about revenge, you’d do better to think about how to make amends with the villagers of Woodstone Village so they might forgive your past. Idiot.”

The bandit’s demeanor changed immediately. He forced a smile and said to Zhang Desen, the chief, and the villagers, “Ah, I was foolish, so foolish. Good folks, don’t worry—they can’t open our secret treasury. It’s right under that large house ahead. Just open the door, go straight to the wardrobe, and you’ll find a keyhole inside. The key is on me—take it, just please spare my life.”

At once, a villager searched him for the key and set off to find the treasury. Meanwhile, Zhang Desen inspected the stronghold’s perimeter, accompanied by the chief and several sturdy villagers.

He had to admit, the place impressed him. The walls were not only high but also remarkably thick, and, as the bandit explained, they’d been constructed with glutinous rice, making them exceptionally sturdy.

Suddenly, Zhang Desen spotted another stronghold in the distance within his line of sight. He immediately raised his binoculars to observe.

Through the lenses, he could see a number of people guarding the walls of the distant stronghold. Alarmed, Zhang Desen drew his blade and pressed it to the bandit lieutenant’s throat.

“Speak! What’s your scheme? What’s the story with that other stronghold?”

The bandit lieutenant pleaded, “Please, hero, spare me! I’ve hidden nothing, I just hadn’t had time to mention it. Please, put the blade down—I’ll explain everything. Please!”

Zhang Desen’s tone was icy. “Fine, speak. But if you hide anything, you’ll never live to see another sunrise. Understand?”

He withdrew the blade, but to his surprise, the bandit was so terrified he wet himself, drawing roaring laughter from the villagers and the chief.

Zhang Desen scolded him, “Damn it, haven’t your parents taught you not to soil yourself in public? Whatever. Explain—what’s with that stronghold?”

Trembling, the bandit lieutenant replied, “That is Lingyun Stronghold. Their strength is about equal to ours—around four hundred men. We’ve kept to our own territories: for example, Woodstone Village is ours, so they never come here. They’re probably still out working and don’t know what happened here yet. If we hurry, we shouldn’t run into trouble.”

Zhang Desen asked, “Is there a secret passage out of this stronghold?”

The bandit replied eagerly, “Absolutely! The treasury I mentioned is the entrance to the tunnel. Inside, there’s another door and the key is right next to it. The exit is near Woodstone Village. We built it in case of disaster, so we could escape with our treasures.”

Zhang Desen pressed the blade to his throat again. “Are you telling the truth?”

The bandit, shaking, replied, “Hero, every word is true—I don’t want to die for nothing. I’m also afraid those Lingyun bastards will come and take advantage. I just want to save my life.”

Zhang Desen sheathed his blade. “Good. As long as you’re honest, I won’t make things difficult for you.”

The bandit nodded fervently, “Every word is true!”

Zhang Desen relaxed. After all, the villagers had little fighting ability, and if they were besieged, panic would ensue. Having a secret escape route was reassuring.

Just then, before Zhang Desen and the chief could discuss further, a villager ran up and reported, “Chief, hero! A group of bandits has suddenly arrived outside. They say they’re here to claim the treasure and demand we hand it over, or none of us will leave alive.”

Zhang Desen and the chief exchanged a glance. Zhang Desen ordered, “Shut the gates at once. Begin an orderly retreat through the tunnel.”

The chief immediately replied, “Understood!”

And the villager hurried off to relay the orders.