Chapter 478: Ambush
Northern Ufeiga, the border between Tocep and Adus.
The dazzling sun hung high in the sky, scorching the land with its intense heat. Beneath the blazing sun lay a parched and desolate land, stretching endlessly in a muted yellow hue, with hardly any signs of life except for the enormous iron beast roaring forward, belching thick smoke, and the eagles soaring high in the sky.
Along the long railway, the Desert Arrow traveled forward, fully loaded with cargo. It had been a day and a half since the train departed from Kankdar, and it had just crossed the border into the Kingdom of Adus not long ago.
Even though the train had crossed the border, the surrounding environment remained largely unchanged. The landscape continued to be an endless desert, with the train occasionally stopping at town stations to replenish coal and water, but otherwise, it was in constant motion, speeding deeper into Northern Ufeiga’s interior.
At this moment, the Desert Arrow traversed an open plain, flanked on both sides by two low stone hills, beyond which lay a deep canyon. A long iron bridge spanned the canyon, connecting the railway on one side to the other.
On the two stone hills overlooking the iron bridge, several figures lay flat against the ground, hidden behind large boulders.
All of them were men, dressed in traditional long robes and headscarves of Northern Ufeiga. Their long headscarves not only covered their heads but also obscured their faces. Each bore a rifle on their backs. Near the bridge, a few individuals guarded a detonator typically found in mines, with wires extending down from the device toward the stone hills and across the iron bridge.
From their vantage point atop the stone hills, these men focused intently on the railway in the direction of Tocep, some using binoculars to scan the distant tracks. In their sights, they could see the heavy train approaching, belching smoke.
“Just as we were informed, the target is on schedule! Everyone, prepare! We’ll detonate the bomb once the train reaches the bridge!”
The leader, having lowered the binoculars, sternly commanded his subordinates, who all turned their attention to the horizon, watching the dense black smoke rushing toward them.
Accompanied by a resounding rumble, the Desert Arrow drew nearer to the stone hills and iron bridge. The figures lying in ambush on the hills remained quiet, waiting for the moment the train crossed the canyon and reached the bridge.
Suddenly, a cry from the sky pierced the air. An eagle, which had been circling above, suddenly dove straight down toward the ambushers on the stone hill. At that moment, all the ambushers were focused on the rapidly approaching train, completely unaware of the eagle swooping down. The eagle’s claws grasped a small cylindrical object, with several fuses extending from one end, entangled in its talons.
As the eagle glided over the ambushers’ heads, a flash of electricity ignited the black wires. The next moment, the eagle dropped the explosive toward the group below. At a distance of just a couple of meters above them, the hissing fuse burned through, culminating in a violent explosion.
“Boom!!”
The desolate stone hill erupted with a deafening roar. As blinding flames expanded, the explosion’s smoke quickly shrouded the entire mountaintop, and the sound of the blast echoed far and wide. Passengers aboard the approaching train all heard the thunderous noise.
“What’s happening?”
In a dining car at the front of the train, Garpare, a knight in his thirties, jumped to his feet, startled by the noise. A moment later, one of his guards rushed through the adjoining car from the direction of Kankdar, reporting urgently.
“My lord, there’s been an unexplained explosion on the stone hill ahead!”
“An explosion?”
At the guard’s report, Garpare froze momentarily, then hurried to the side of the carriage. He pulled up the window and leaned out to look. In the distance, he caught sight of the thick smoke still billowing from the stone hill.
Through the extraordinary vision granted by the “Lamp,” Garpare saw numerous panicked figures emerging from the smoke, while on another hillside, a group of men was in disarray. He could clearly see the rifles slung over their backs.
Frowning at the scene, Garpare quickly retracted his head from the window and sternly ordered the guard who reported to him.
“Immediately notify the control room to make an emergency stop! Once we stop, everyone must disembark and be on guard!”
“Yes, sir!”
Returning his gaze to the stone hill, amidst the violent explosion, thick black smoke enveloped the area, filled with the sounds of anguished screams. Many figures stumbled out of the smoke, some covered in bl**d and limping, desperately crying out as they experienced the chaos before their attempted ambush.
On another stone hill, the sudden explosion startled those lying in wait. They stood and shouted inquiries across the canyon, unaware that their actions exposed them to further danger.
Without warning, almost without a signal, the remaining standing figures on the stone hill had bright red blossoms of bl**d erupt from their chests and heads. These ambushers, their eyes wide in shock, felt the agonizing pain of their bodies being pierced. They only heard the thunder of gunfire echoing in their ears as they fell.
In the distance, the Desert Arrow, having urgently stopped on the tracks, stood still. Armed guards, dressed in cleric-style military uniforms, formed several lines to fire their rifles at the unidentified armed men hundreds of meters away.
These ten or so guards were all at least apprentice-level extraordinary beings. With their enhanced abilities, they efficiently picked off the ambushers from a distance, embroiling the remaining assailants in chaos. Several figures were already racing toward the enemy hills, closing in for close-quarters combat which would begin in less than a minute.
…
Time sped by, and several hours passed in the blink of an eye. The fierce sun had dipped near the western horizon, casting the warm glow of dusk across the desolate landscape, illuminating the surface of the train still halted on the tracks.
It had been quite some time since the battle erupted at noon. In fact, calling it a battle was not entirely accurate; the original ambushers were vastly outmatched by the Church’s selected extraordinary guard. They were completely overwhelmed with hardly any means to retaliate.
When the guard’s attackers ascended the stone hill, the entire confrontation lasted less than a minute, with the ambushers quickly losing their ability to resist. Only the leader and deputy leader among them were extraordinary beings, both merely at the Black Tier. After suffering an unexpected explosion, they were entirely incapable of countering the guard’s assault. Ultimately, the guard suffered zero casualties while completely neutralizing the ambushers, who incurred losses of over two-thirds.
The combat was resolved swiftly; however, what followed was exceptionally time-consuming, involving the capture of remaining hostages, medical treatment, interrogations, disarming bombs on the iron bridge, checking for other concealments, and possible new ambush sites. This series of actions took half a day to begin wrapping up by evening.
On the stationary train, in one of the compartments, Vania sat calmly in her designated spot, listening to Garpare, who approached with a respectful demeanor to report.
“Nun Vania, the interrogation work has been completed. By separately interrogating eight different captives, we have a rough understanding of their identities. They are members of a band of robbers known as the ‘Black Scorpion’ who typically run rampant along the border areas and highways between Tocep and Adus, robbing caravans and travelers, extorting border residents, and are repeat offenders.”
“Their leader is named Banzabu, a Black Earth ‘Silence.’ It is said he was once part of a treasure theft society. After the society disbanded, he struck out on his own to avoid the risks of tomb robbing, organizing this bandit group to directly rob ordinary people. Banzabu is now dead.”
As Garpare reported seriously in front of Vania, according to the instructions of the cardinal meeting, Vania served as the highest authority of the envoy group. Therefore, despite being a senior extraordinary being promoted for many years, Garpare still maintained a respectful demeanor toward the sixteen-year-old nun.
“They were just bandits? So, they intended to rob us as if we were ordinary travelers?”
After hearing Garpare’s words, Vania murmured, while Garpare immediately responded.
“No, they knew we were the Holy Church’s envoy group. Their ambush against us was premeditated. According to the surviving deputy, they were hired with a hefty reward to target us.”
“Hefty reward?”
“Yes, according to their own statements, this bounty was exceptionally generous. The advance deposit alone was double what they usually earn from any previous operation. They knew the risks of attacking us but were tempted by this unprecedented reward and chose to accept the contract. Knowing they could not confront us head-on, they devised this plan to blow up the train.”
“Our train had to pass through the steep Snake Tooth Canyon, with only a Half-Iron Bridge available for crossing. So they buried a large amount of explosives on the bridge, intending to detonate them as our train crossed, causing the train to plummet into the chasm. If that happened, even extraordinary beings made of White Chalk would find it difficult to survive.”
“Luckily, those fools seemed inexperienced with explosives. At the critical moment, one of the charges, which was not connected to the bridge, inexplicably detonated beside them, causing chaos and alerting us to the situation in time to respond.”
Garpare continued to report to Vania. After hearing his account, Vania’s expression revealed signs of concern.
“Hired… so there are others trying to harm us? Do we know who it is?”
Vania spoke with a hint of worry, and after a brief pause, Garpare continued.
“Based on the testimony from the deputy of the bandit group, their employer acted very secretly and refused to disclose their identity during communications. However, their former leader, Banzabu, was an observant person. From some nuances in the employer’s behavior and speech, he deduced their affiliation – they are from the Adus Revolutionary Army!”
“The Adus Revolutionary Army…” Upon hearing Garpare’s words, Vania was momentarily taken aback. She had heard of the organization before coming to Northern Ufeiga, having been hurriedly educated about the basics of the region, especially regarding Adus.
This Adus Revolutionary Army was the most powerful force among all Adus’ rebellion groups, the main force behind the overthrow of the Adus Kingdom government, and it was this armed group that besieged the capital, Adis. They wielded the strongest influence and appeal throughout Adus and were Vania’s primary negotiating target for her mission.
Vania’s main goal in traveling to Adis was to negotiate with the leader of the Adus Revolutionary Army, and now it turned out they were the ones behind the ambush… This revelation left Vania momentarily stunned, and after a long pause, she slowly began to speak again.
“Can we trust their testimony…?”
“It’s credible. To my surprise, after revealing that the Revolutionary Army was the mastermind, I immediately used the storage items we were given to conduct a divination. The result was successful, and it clearly indicated that the Adus Revolutionary Army was indeed the instigator behind the ambush against us.”
Garpare spoke seriously. After finishing this, a hint of anger filled his gaze as he looked at Vania, who appeared astonished.
“Nun Vania! A successfully cast divination result is never wrong! The Adus Revolutionary Army desires our destruction in that dark abyss! They are a despicable, shameless heresy! They do not deserve an ounce of sympathy! They’ve deceived us, and they are unworthy of you coming so far for their conversion. The grace of the Holy Mother should not fall upon them! What they deserve is the flame of the Holy Son!
“So, Nun Vania, do not think about saving these vile individuals anymore! Let’s return directly at the next station! Those heretics want your life, and it will be even more dangerous when we reach Adis! Those liars do not deserve your teachings; there will be a holy war to punish them!”
Garpare exclaimed angrily to Vania, while the white-clad nun sat in her place, looking bewildered at the scene before her.
At the same moment, in another compartment on the train, Doro sat, frowning at her palm where lay a dull, non-reflective coin emblazoned with the “Lamp” insignia.
This coin reflected the outcome of her recent divination. Like Garpare, she was trying to confirm whether the Revolutionary Army was indeed the mastermind behind the attack.
The results of her divination matched Garpare’s conclusions.
