Chapter Fifteen: Continuing the Search

But after Zhang Desen aimed his Type 95 assault rifle at the target, he hesitated. Though the rifle was equipped with a silencer, making it possible to fire without a sound, there was still some distance between them. If he opened fire now, the enemy might be alerted and prepare themselves ahead of time, preventing Zhang Desen from controlling Blackbeard immediately after eliminating the strategist.

So Zhang Desen decided to hold his aim and wait until they drew closer. As expected, Blackbeard and his men slowly approached the large house with the secret passage. When Blackbeard came near, Zhang Desen examined him more closely and was surprised to notice that Blackbeard’s left hand was much larger than his right, clearly marking him as a left-handed man. He was taller than everyone else around him, his body a mass of dark, muscular flesh. In his hand, he wielded a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and the armor he wore was reserved for generals—this astonished Zhang Desen.

Moreover, Blackbeard’s bearing was distinctly that of a military commander, prompting Zhang Desen to wonder if he had once been a general who, for some reason, had turned to banditry. Was he deserving of forgiveness?

With this in mind, Zhang Desen hesitated, ultimately deciding to abandon the idea of sniping for now. He needed to speak with Blackbeard, to find out whether he had been forced into outlawry and whether he retained any conscience.

He switched the safety on the Type 95 assault rifle and slung it over his shoulder. Then he drew his Altase gun, turning its power up to three-quarters. This custom-made Altase gun could, at this power level, hit several enemies at once if they were grouped together, incapacitating them for twenty minutes.

Zhang Desen also took out a dazzling grenade. This grenade would blind everyone nearby for two minutes without causing lethal harm.

Once Blackbeard was close enough, Zhang Desen threw the dazzling grenade. Instantly, chaos erupted as all—including Blackbeard—were blinded and confused. Taking advantage of the confusion, Zhang Desen used his Altase gun to incapacitate Blackbeard and his group. He then climbed down from the tree, swiftly bound Blackbeard, dragged him into the secret-passage house, and shut the door.

Outside, the strategist and others panicked when, as their vision returned, they realized their leader had vanished. The strategist, quick-witted, glanced at the tightly shut door and immediately suspected what had happened. But the effects of the Altase gun still lingered, rendering him mute and unable to move, only able to lie on the ground in anxious frustration.

Those struck by the Altase gun lay similarly helpless. In a comical turn, the rest of the bandits—a rabble at best—began to shout that the chief was in trouble and urged everyone to flee, not discerning friend from foe as they scattered. The most loyal among them, those who had been hit by the Altase gun, could only watch in helpless anxiety.

Blackbeard, too, was anxious but unable to move.

Zhang Desen, unhurried, climbed down from the tree, approached Blackbeard, secured his bindings, and began preparing his tools, waiting for Blackbeard to recover before questioning him.

At last, twenty minutes passed. Zhang Desen checked the watch brought from his original universe, confirmed the time, and turned to Blackbeard.

"Hello, Blackbeard. How are you feeling now?"

Blackbeard replied, "You bastard, using tricks and hiding your face—what kind of hero are you? If you’ve got guts, face me in a fair duel."

Zhang Desen laughed. "A hero? Don’t make me laugh. A man who once fought on the battlefield, now reduced to banditry, robbing and murdering—can you still claim to honor your beliefs?"

Blackbeard chuckled. "Not bad, kid. How did you know?"

Zhang Desen said,

"Your bearing just now isn’t something an ordinary bandit possesses. And that armor—don’t tell me you stole it. Though it’s worn, your group couldn’t possibly have seized a general’s armor from an army. If you still have a conscience, I hope you..."

At that moment, the strategist outside interrupted, shouting, "Hero inside, I advise you not to harm our chief. If you do, we’ll fight to the death to avenge him!"

The others echoed his cries, but Zhang Desen called out, "I warn you, if you don’t wait quietly outside, you’ll regret it."

The outside group continued to curse, but Zhang Desen ignored them, focusing on Blackbeard. When he turned back, he found Blackbeard smirking coldly.

Zhang Desen was puzzled. "Why are you smirking? Do you think you’re still in control?"

Blackbeard sneered, "Young man, I’ll tell you plainly—he’s my strategist. But forget him for now; I’ll tell you my story. You guessed right—I’m a commander, but not from your Daxing kingdom."

Zhang Desen paused, thinking, then asked, "Are you telling me you’re a commander from another country, sent here to pose as a bandit and undermine us, preparing the way for the invasion?"

Blackbeard replied, "Correct. Very clever..."

This revelation surprised Zhang Desen. He never expected something from the novels he’d read to unfold before him now. Blackbeard explained his situation.

In this universe, the Central Plains were anything but stable. To the north, the ancient Liao kingdom was preparing to invade southward, but its leaders feared the strength of the southern nations. While making invasion preparations, they also sent generals with troops disguised as bandits to secretly infiltrate the southern countries, sabotaging their economic development and causing severe losses, so they could exploit the chaos. Blackbeard had been sent for this purpose, bringing trusted men to recruit and train others.

The armor Blackbeard wore had indeed been seized, but it was taken during his first battle, when he led Liao’s army and captured it from the battlefield, keeping it as a memento. Since wearing Liao military uniforms was inadvisable in Daxing, he wore the armor instead.

After hearing this, Zhang Desen said, "So, that’s it. At first, I thought you’d turned to banditry for some desperate reason, but it turns out to be this. I cannot let you go. But I have another question."

Blackbeard said, "Ask away."

Zhang Desen asked, "You’re so willing to tell me everything; aren’t you worried I’ll ruin your plans?"

Blackbeard laughed, "No need to worry. You won’t get the chance."

Zhang Desen was confused. "Why?"

Blackbeard said, "Can’t you smell it? The air is thick with something. Once my strategist comes in, you’ll realize you have only two choices: join me and help Liao achieve glory, earning a noble title, or face certain death, becoming a sacrifice for Liao’s southern campaign. Hahaha!"

Zhang Desen looked around and noticed yellow smoke drifting from every crack and hollow. He understood at once—Blackbeard had been stalling to give his strategist time to prepare the narcotic smoke. Blackbeard’s strategist, loyal since early days, was not only resourceful but adept in poisons. The two cooperated seamlessly, often communicating without words.

So, upon learning his strategist was outside, Blackbeard began delaying, giving him time to fill the room with narcotic smoke, intending to incapacitate Zhang Desen and himself so their men could burst in and carry them out. Blackbeard would be revived at once, but for Zhang Desen, it would be disastrous.

But after learning the situation, Zhang Desen smiled and said, "Is that so? What a pity. Don’t you realize my mask isn’t just for hiding my face? Let me tell you—it’s a gas mask. No matter how much narcotic smoke you release, it’ll have no effect on me. Once you’re unconscious, I’ll make sure you rest forever."

Blackbeard was stunned, scoffing, "Ignorant youth. You don’t know—the smoke my strategist uses can’t be resisted by skill alone. No matter how strong you are, you have to breathe, don’t you? That’s enough."

Zhang Desen sighed, "Ah, you’ve never seen this kind of thing, so you don’t understand what I’m saying. Let’s just wait and see."

Blackbeard stubbornly held his position, falling silent as he waited, thinking he’d soon see Zhang Desen’s true face.

After a short wait, the narcotic smoke filled the room. Blackbeard soon fell unconscious. Zhang Desen, unaffected, took advantage of the reduced visibility to drag Blackbeard into the secret chamber. Unexpectedly, the villagers of Woodstone Village were still busy moving items.

Zhang Desen explained the situation outside. When the villagers saw he’d captured Blackbeard, their admiration for him grew even deeper.

At the same time, the villagers locked Blackbeard and the bandit lieutenant together, intending to hand them both over to the authorities upon returning to Woodstone Village.

After returning to the village, Zhang Desen didn’t concern himself with how the bandits were dealt with; arrangements had already been made, and he had informed the village chief of everything he’d learned from Blackbeard.

He still needed to find a way to rendezvous with Tang Shijie, who had arrived in this universe ahead of him, so after returning to Woodstone Village, Zhang Desen planned to leave at once. The chief urged him to stay, so he remained an extra night.

Over the following month, Zhang Desen wandered the area around Western Capital, using his signal receiver in hopes of picking up Tang Shijie’s distress signal and locating him. But to his confusion, although he had flown his ship here by tracking Tang Shijie’s signal and established a temporary base, the signal never appeared again. This halted his search and rescue efforts, leaving him unable to make further progress, and causing him great frustration.