General Muril bowed his head, “I apologize for my unprofessional act, Tang.”

“You and your friends will be appointed to watch over the east gate. The gate is broken because the Demon and the Beastmen launched a surprise attack. We need special attention to the east gate while the soldiers are taking a rest. You will guard the east gate until the sun sets.” General Muril talked as if nothing happened between them.

“Why don’t you do this from the start?” Tang Shaoyang shook his head and stood up from the couch. He was not expecting the answer, and his curiosity remained unanswered because General Muril avoided the question.

“My secretary will lead you to your lodging,” General Muril signaled his female secretary who was watching everything in a daze. She had heard about players, including her ancestor who was also a player. It did really catch her off guard with how these people clashed. She could not see the movement with her eyes. What she saw was the Vice General tried to punch the man, but the Vice General’s hand was cut instead.

The miss secretary snapped out of her daze when her superior called her up. She immediately came over, “You lead them to the decent lodging.”

“Yes, Sir,” Miss Secretary bowed her head before turning toward Tang Shaoyang, “Please follow me, Sir.”

The trouble Tang Shaoyang had to face got them decent lodging instead of staying at the worn-out lodging with the other new recruits. The lodging was not far from the office, and it was actually a house with three rooms as the Miss Secretary gave them a tour of the fortress such as where the cafeteria was, the place to repair their weapon, a supply barrack, and so on. Even though the fortress was in bad shape, the fortress had everything it needed.

After the short tour, Tang Shaoyang went to the east gate. Miss Secretary took the initiative to accompany them to the gate. Mostly she wanted to make sure there was no more accident. She realized that the red-haired girl was a beauty, and that beauty might invoke a bloodbath in this fortress. She came along to warn the other soldiers not to touch the players, not openly but he emphasized that they were General Muril’s VIP.

Meanwhile, back to the General Office

“Why are you letting them go, Sir?” The Vice General who got his hand cut, asked his superior indignantly. He could not accept that they were left unpunished after cutting his hand. Even though the injury was not fatal and recoverable, it was still painful and hurt his pride. His missing hand was halfway recovered as the flesh squirmed, forming a new hand.

General Muril shrugged, “What do you want me to do? They are clearly stronger than us. Prolonging the matter will not benefit us in any way as they may defect to the other side.” He looked casual for someone who was just angry at his subordinate. He was quick to accept that Tang Shaoyang was not someone he should fight.

General Muril raised his hand, “There’s no but. Your hand will return to normal in a few minutes anyway, so don’t pursue the matter anymore. Don’t even dare to have a thought on the woman! This is a warning from me!”

The two Vice Generals clearly could not accept the outcome, but they said nothing since it was useless. They could not convince General Muril.

*** ***

The day was uneventful. There was no attack from the demon and the beastmen as they ended up staying on top of the wall, staring at the remains of the battlefield. Lu An had been complaining about how boring it was, but Tang Shaoyang took the duty seriously to avoid further conflict. He was tired of the unnecessary conflict, and if he was right, the demon and the beastmen would attack the fortress once the sun was down.

The east gate was packed with soldiers as the gate was the most vulnerable side compared to the other three gates. Tang Shaoyang had a chair, putting his feet on the crenel, enjoying the night breeze. The soldiers became more respectful because of Miss Secretary. That was how he got the chair.

General Muril came over, accompanied by the two Vice Generals. He came with a patterned leather outfit and a big battle-ax on his back. The two Vice Generals wore full plate armor with a sword on their waist. They came next to Tang Shaoyang, “Our scout just confirmed the demon and the beastmen’s forces are coming. It seemed they formed a temporary alliance to take down Varil Fortress.” General Muriel informed Tang Shaoyang.

“Finally we get some action, hah,” Lu An was the most excited one with the news.

“No, we will give up the fortress and retreat. They outnumber us and with the breached gate and the state of the fortress. We can’t win the battle, and even if we win the battle, we will lose too many people,” General Muril made an unexpected decision.

Lu An was about to protest, but Tang Shaoyang raised his hand, “We will cover the back, but can you leave one person to guide us? We don’t know the area well.”

General Muril cast a glance at Tang Shaoyang, but he could not guess what was inside the man’s head. He decided to agree with Tang Shaoyang, “I will leave Captain Brond behind. Good luck, Tang.”

General Muril and the two Vice Generals went down from the wall. They really planned to abandon the fortress as the other soldiers started to get down from the wall. That was a rational decision. Looking at the fortress’ condition, Varil Fortress was not the most important fortress for The Union. They would reinforce the fortress if that was the case.𝗈𝒱𝓁xt.𝔠𝑂𝔪

“Are we really going to retreat, Brother?” Lu An asked with a frown. His tone told how he did not want to leave, but if it was Tang Shaoyang’s order, he would listen.

“Of course, not. We will defend the fortress, just us. That way, we can get more Tower Coins instead of sharing the monster with these soldiers,” Tang Shaoyang would not run from the battle.

Not long after, Captain Brond came up to the wall, meeting with the group, “Shouldn’t we stay at the other side gate, Sir?”

“No, we will stay here. Keep the fire, so they are not suspicious that we abandon the fortress. We will be the bait for the others to retreat,” Tang Shaoyang made up an excuse, a believable excuse even though Captain Brond looked unsure about the plan.

If they stayed at the east gate, there was a chance that their retreat path would be cut by the enemy. But he did not say it out loud. The rumor that Tang Shaoyang defeated the Vice General already spread out like wildfire in this small fortress. Even though no one could confirm it, the proof was the hole in the General Office. That was the reason he became more respectful and formal by calling Tang Shaoyang sir.

The logistic member and the non-combatant were the first ones to leave with the supply, followed by the new recruits that Captain Borun brought this later afternoon. Two minutes after the last soldier left the fortress, the demon, and the beastmen’s army approached the fortress.

“The enemy is coming. Prepare yourself,” Tang Shaoyang stood up from his chair as his Spirit Eyes watched over the area, then he smiled, “Interesting.”