Chapter 381 - 132: Kill Lynch! Slay the Villain

Chapter 381: Chapter 132: Kill Lynch! Slay the Villain

...

"Oh my, Lord Bloody Hand Johnny, what’s this? Are you coughing up blood?"

Lynch feigned a look of surprise, then advised with a face full of concern, "You mustn’t get so worked up. Anger is bad for your health, and you’re not getting any younger. If you were to get so upset you kicked the bucket, I’d feel just terrible."

After a brief pause, the smile on his face grew even gentler. He spread his hands and said, "Look, you plotted to take my Lakefront Town, and I took your Iron Hammer Town. Isn’t that fair? Business is all about give and take, wouldn’t you agree?"

"You... you..." Bloody Hand Johnny’s whole body trembled, and the finger he pointed at Lynch was shaking uncontrollably.

Overcome by rage, he once again felt a metallic, sweet taste rise in his throat.

"Come, come," Lynch called out enthusiastically, as if he hadn’t seen the murderous look in the man’s eyes. "Why don’t you come up on the wall for a get-together? We can drink some tea, have a chat. No need for all this talk of fighting and killing all day. I just got my hands on a batch of premium black tea, supposedly shipped all the way from the Eastern Continent. Won’t you come and try some?"

"PFFFT—!"

Bloody Hand Johnny couldn’t hold it in any longer and spat out another mouthful of blood, the crimson spray staining the Armor on his chest.

His face was ashen, and his body swayed, on the verge of collapse.

Seeing this, his Personal Guard quickly supported him. "My lord, my lord, are you alright?"

"Re... retreat!" Bloody Hand Johnny forced the words through his gritted teeth, his voice as hoarse as a broken bellows. "Full retreat!"

His second-in-command looked at the three hundred-odd battered and grime-covered Soldiers around them, then up at the densely packed defenders and the cold glint of the ballistae on the city walls. With a face full of despair, he asked, "My lord, where... where do we retreat to?"

A sharp pain twisted in Bloody Hand Johnny’s gut.

He didn’t dare return to any of their previous strongholds in the area.

If Lynch could take Iron Hammer Town, then the smaller outposts had likely already fallen into his hands as well.

In this entire hundred-mile radius, there was now no place for Bloody Hand Johnny to even take shelter!

He hardened his heart, a look of grim determination flashing in his eyes. "Retreat! We’ll fall back to Grey Stone Pass and rendezvous with Angus!"

His subordinate, Angus Fisher, was currently feigning a siege on the Iron Wall Battle Group at Grey Stone Pass.

The young man had a thousand elite troops under his command, plus another thousand cannon fodder, enough capital to stage a comeback. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Of course, more importantly, Angus was unfailingly loyal to him.

With Angus’s forces as a foundation and his own prestige as Bloody Hand Johnny within the Draenei Brotherhood, he could borrow some troops from allied forces. Then, it would only be a matter of time before he retook those strongholds.

As for Iron Hammer Town...

Bloody Hand Johnny glanced back at the towering city walls, a sinister glint in his eyes.

This Iron Hammer Town wasn’t like Lynch’s Lakefront Town. It was surrounded by open plains, with no natural defenses to speak of.

Moreover, the surrounding hundreds of miles were all Draenei Brotherhood territory. As long as he, Bloody Hand Johnny, gave the call, the forces from the major strongholds could surround the town, cut off its supply lines, and starve them to death.

"Lynch Blackwood, don’t celebrate too soon!" Bloody Hand Johnny roared as he swung himself onto his horse. "I’ll let you borrow Iron Hammer Town for now! When my grand army reassembles, I will tear you to pieces!"

"Oh, take care, my lord! Don’t let me keep you!" Lynch waved at him from the city wall, beaming. "Remember to rest up! Don’t go spitting up blood again next time we meet. I can’t stand the sight of blood, you see. It makes me faint."

Bloody Hand Johnny was so enraged he nearly fell off his horse. He spurred his mount onward, leading his defeated remnants in a hasty flight to the north.

****

「Two days later.」

Bloody Hand Johnny led his three hundred remaining men north in a sorry state. They ate in the wild and slept in the open, not having had a single hot meal.

The Soldiers were all dejected, their morale at rock bottom.

Bloody Hand Johnny was also exhausted, his eyes bloodshot and his lips cracked.

But he didn’t dare to stop, fearing that Lynch’s pursuing forces would catch up from behind.

"My lord, there’s movement up ahead!" a scout suddenly reported from the front, his voice tinged with panic. "We’ve spotted a large army, about two thousand strong!"

"What?!" Bloody Hand Johnny was alarmed and quickly raised his goblin-made spyglass to look.

On the main road ahead, a large, well-equipped army was marching toward them in a formidable procession. Their banners snapped in the wind, their blades and spears like a forest of steel.

On the lead banner, the name "Fisher" was embroidered in large gold thread.

"It’s... it’s Angus’s troops!" the second-in-command exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

Bloody Hand Johnny also breathed a sigh of relief, and a warm feeling spread through his chest. ’That kid Angus really didn’t disappoint me,’ he thought. ’He’s come to provide support.’

A moment later, the two armies met.

The moment Angus saw Bloody Hand Johnny, he leaped from his horse, dropped to one knee, and said with an indignant look, "My lord, what happened to you? Who injured you so badly?!"

"Get up," Bloody Hand Johnny said, helping him to his feet with a wry smile. "Don’t ask. I fell for a trick by that little thief Lynch. What are you doing here?"

"I received the signal for help and immediately mustered my forces to rush to your aid, my lord!" Angus said as he stood, his face filled with righteous indignation. "That damned Lynch Blackwood! How dare he plot against you! He and I cannot exist under the same sky!"

He turned to look at the three hundred depleted Soldiers behind Bloody Hand Johnny, a flicker of "pity" in his eyes. He quickly added, "My lord, say no more for now. Please, come with me into the camp to rest. I’ve brought the best physicians and medicines; I’ll make sure you recover as quickly as possible."

"Good, good," Bloody Hand Johnny said approvingly.

’True character is revealed in times of hardship,’ he thought. ’Angus really is my most loyal subordinate.’

Soon, the camp tents were pitched.

Angus ushered Bloody Hand Johnny into the central command tent. He personally attended to him, helping him remove his Armor and carefully treating his wounds.