Chapter 250: Escape

Chapter 250: Escape

The axe blade split his flesh, blood gushing along its edge, quickly staining the front of his robe.

White Brow raised his head, his vision already beginning to blur and sway.

He stared fixedly at Lei Biao, whose face, once that of a sworn brother, now held only insane murderous intent.

He wanted to laugh, to question, to speak the truth—

But when he opened his mouth, blood surged out, and he could only emit incomprehensible "ugh... ugh..." sounds.

His body staggered, and the long saber in his hand clattered to the ground.

And at that moment, Cheng Ge slowly turned his head, tilting it to look at the dying White Brow, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.

White Brow's pupils abruptly contracted to pinprick size, his arms fell limply.

His body fell heavily backward, crashing to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust. His wide-open eyes stared at the ceiling even in death.

In the Loyalty Hall, silence fell once more.

But just then, an underling bandit rushed in stumbling, his face pale as death, his voice trembling with panic.

"Chief, it's bad! The sentry post has spotted a large force of government troops... we... our stronghold is surrounded!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. Having just endured internal strife and defeat, this bad news sent them into chaos.

"What?!" Lei Biao was both shocked and furious, still shaken by White Brow's betrayal and Cheng Ge's severe injury.

"Chief... hurry... run..." Cheng Ge, whom he was holding, seemed stirred by the news, raising his head with difficulty.

These words were like adding fuel to the fire, stabbing Lei Biao's heart.

White Brow wanted to kill him, but Cheng Ge took the blade for him at the cost of his life, and when danger came, he urged him to flee first. Who was loyal and who was treacherous was crystal clear!

Lei Biao made a decision in an instant. That bastard Song Yunzhi clearly intended to wipe them out!

The stronghold's main force was lost, internal trouble had just been dealt with, and external enemies were closing in. Fighting head-on would only get us all killed!

Without a second word, he bent down and hoisted the weak Cheng Ge onto his back in one motion.

"Big Brother! You can't..." Cheng Ge, on his back, still "put up a struggle."

"Shut up! Hold tight!" Lei Biao cut him off, then turned to the few dozen panicked loyal bandits left in the hall and roared, "Brothers! Follow me and charge out! While there's life, there's hope!"

With that, carrying Cheng Ge on his back, he rushed out of the Loyalty Hall first.

As soon as they exited, they heard battle cries from all directions, the clash of weapons, and the dying screams of their fellow bandits.

Looking around, they saw flames everywhere, countless soldiers in military uniforms surging up the mountain like a tide.

The number of soldiers and the ferocity of their assault—they were clearly prepared for this.

He knew it—Axe Ridge was done for...

Lei Biao's heart ached, but he knew this was no time for grief.

He got his bearings and chose a path leading to the back mountain of the stronghold, a fairly hidden trail.

That is the path leading to the territory of another bandit force — the "Blackcloud Stockade."

The chief of Blackcloud Stockade had some ties with him, so his only option now was to take shelter there temporarily and plan his next move.

The group protecting Lei Biao who was carrying Cheng Ge on his back fought and retreated, relying on their familiarity with the terrain to desperately try to break through toward the back mountain.

Along the way, men were constantly overtaken by soldiers and cut down; agonizing screams filled the air.

Cheng Ge lay on Lei Biao’s back, listening to the wind whistling past his ears.

He squinted, calmly observing the escape route and the pursuing troops behind them.

A day later, after a grueling journey, the group finally reached the territory of Blackcloud Stockade.

Before them stood Blackcloud Stockade, with towering walls and numerous watchtowers, giving off an aura of power.

Years ago, Blackcloud Stockade and the Axe Gang had shared the same origins, but later each developed independently.

Blackcloud Stockade grew very quickly in power, and now it was the largest bandit force in the surrounding region, second only to the Axe Gang.

Lei Biao and his men had been fleeing the whole way, each looking dejected, like stray dogs.

The few dozen remaining men were mostly wounded, leaning on each other, a truly pitiful sight.

When the Blackcloud Stockade sentry guarding the gate saw such a ragged group approaching, he immediately became alert, drew his weapon, and shouted sharply: "Halt! Who goes there? How dare you trespass on Blackcloud Stockade!"

Lei Biao forced himself to step forward, though ragged he still tried to straighten his back, and raised his fist in salute: "Brother, please inform Chief Zhang that Lei Biao of Axe Ridge has come to visit."

The gate captain, upon hearing "Lei Biao of Axe Ridge," was taken aback, then his face registered disbelief.

Axe Ridge was a dominant force in Yingzhou, and Lei Biao’s reputation was formidable—how had he ended up like this?

He dared not delay, and quickly said: "Chief Lei, please wait a moment; I will go report to our leader!" With that, he turned and ran swiftly into the stockade.

Inside the assembly hall of Blackcloud Stockade, candles burned brightly, and the hall was loud with hubbub.

The chief, Zhang Heita, was holding two women, his face flushed from drinking.

Just then, a gate sentry rushed in, out of breath.

"Chief! Chief! Lei Biao, the chief of Axe Ridge, is here! He's right outside the gate!"

The noisy hall quieted down a lot; many stared blankly at the messenger.

Zhang Heita looked up with bleary eyes, belched, and said gruffly: "What? Lei Biao? Are your eyes playing tricks on you?"

The sentry, who had never seen Lei Biao before, described him to Zhang Heita with gestures.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Heita sobered up a bit. He pushed aside the woman beside him and sat up straight.

"How many men does he have?" Zhang Heita asked in a low voice.

"Including himself, fewer than fifty, all wounded... looks like they're in rough shape," the sentry replied.

Zhang Heita thought for a moment, then stood up and shouted to the assembled lieutenants: "Stop drinking and come with me to greet our guests at the gate."

Zhang Heita, with a crowd of his men, strode grandly to the gate.

When the gate opened, he immediately saw the man standing in front—it was none other than Lei Biao.

Zhang Heita instantly put on an exaggerated look of surprise and warmth on his face, striding forward to greet him.

He grabbed Lei Biao's arm firmly, his voice booming with a familiar warmth.

"Brother Lei, it really is you! Why didn't you send word beforehand? Come, come, let's talk inside the stronghold—I'll prepare a feast to welcome you!"

As Zhang Heita spoke, his eyes instinctively drifted to the person slung across Lei Biao's back, mostly hidden beneath a large hood, and he asked without thinking, "Brother Lei, and this is...?"

Lei Biao turned his head, his tone laced with gratitude and residual fear: "Brother Zhang, this is my life-and-death sworn brother, Cheng Ge—the fourth of us.

If it weren't for him taking a blade for me, I'd have died at Axe Ridge!"

As if roused by their voices, Cheng Ge instinctively poked his head out slightly from under the hood, revealing a pale face.

He weakly looked up toward Zhang Heita, his eyes hazy from his injuries.