Chapter Thirty-One: Infiltration (Part Two)

A broad, warm hand produced a hastily drawn sketch, and the special agent traced his finger over it, pointing to a corner and saying, “This map cost the lives of two of our intelligence operatives and a guard who had been turned and was undercover here. It was finally delivered to us by another comrade who risked everything. We should be located here now.”

The faint starlight was enough for Wei Wujie to see every detail on the map. As the finger moved, the agent’s unhurried voice, tinged with a slight local accent, whispered quietly, outlining the critical areas of the mansion for Wei Wujie in a matter of moments.

After listening to most of it, Wei Wujie slowly pieced together the general situation. This mansion of the governor had once been the old lord’s residence. The former lord, Hendry, had transformed into the governor after the Great Revolution. Cecily was likely imprisoned in the underground private dungeon that had belonged to the old lord.

“How do you plan to rescue her?” Wei Wujie asked.

“To be honest, there’s no way to get Cecily out without alerting everyone. The underground prison is heavily guarded, with three gates, each requiring a key,” the agent replied.

“Then we’ll rush in as fast as possible!” Wei Wujie said decisively. That had always been his plan, though he lacked knowledge about the city and the lord’s mansion. Now, with the agent’s explanation, he was glad he’d chosen to cooperate with the revolutionary group; otherwise, finding a woman in such a complex place would have been a troublesome affair.

The agent smiled, folded up the map, and said, “It’s the only way. We won’t avoid detection, but if we’re quick enough, we can find Miss Cecily before anyone else and protect her. There are still more than two hours until the uprising. If we find Cecily and hold out for those two hours, things will change—the situation will turn in our favor.”

His words were clearly meant to reassure his companion, but Wei Wujie paid little heed. Once he found Cecily, he planned to try and break out; it wasn’t certain he’d succeed, but with this companion, the odds were much improved.

With their own agendas, the two agreed to sneak in according to the map’s directions, and eventually found the entrance to the underground prison.

This dungeon hadn’t been built by Hendry, but by his ancestors, having undergone three painstaking renovations. The walls underground were lined with granite and basalt, forged into stone, remarkably strong.

There was nothing particularly distinctive about the entrance. More than a dozen guards in heavy plate armor, wielding axes, lined both sides. In front of the entrance lay a wide open space; anyone approaching the prison had nowhere to hide.

The two concealed themselves behind a large tree about two hundred meters from the entrance, waiting until the patrolling guards and hounds had passed and moved away. Wei Wujie dashed out first, the agent close behind.

The axe-wielding guards quickly spotted the approaching figures, but Wei Wujie and his companion moved so swiftly that from the moment they were noticed until the guards began to form ranks, only a few heartbeats passed, and the two had already closed in from opposite sides.

Wei Wujie wielded his Seven Calamities Sword Light, but the guards’ heavy armor blunted its lethality. He managed to split open a few suits of plate, but none were killed outright. Wei Wujie gave a small grunt, sheathed the dispersed sword lights, and switched to the Xuan Tian Black Gold Slash. The crescent-shaped blade flashed, and anyone who tried to block it was instantly cut in two. The agent, meanwhile, fought even more simply than Wei Wujie—he grabbed two armored guards and smashed them together, one passing out immediately, while the other was hurled into the rest, knocking down a whole group.

Still, the two had underestimated the guards’ defenses, and a few survivors managed to cry out warnings.

They exchanged glances, mutual respect and wariness blossoming. Wei Wujie had cultivated the Great Force of the Black Tortoise, and even against Pompey’s strength, he might not be outmatched, but he couldn’t help but suspect the agent was superior in sheer power—what other tricks did he possess besides brute strength?

Having cleared the entrance guards, they didn’t pursue the survivors but rushed inside. Outside, chaos erupted, alarms sounded throughout the mansion, and who knew how many guards were converging on their location.

Inside the entrance was a sloping stone staircase; both steps and walls were forged stone, granite and basalt annealed by magic, granting the material greater hardness and resistance to water and fire.

As they rushed down, the gate at the first checkpoint was still open. Their speed had caught the guards off guard, who, accustomed to peace, never expected anyone to storm in like this.

Sword light flashed, and a jailer was cut in two. There should have been six jailers at the gate, plus a patrol team, but peace had made them lax; usually only two stayed at the gate, while the others either slacked off or tormented prisoners.

“Tell me where Cecily is and I’ll spare your life,” Wei Wujie demanded, grabbing another jailer who had wet himself in terror.

“Wh-what Cecily? I don’t know her, please spare me, sir!” the jailer begged.

“The woman you recently arrested,” Wei Wujie said impatiently.

“She’s in the lowest level,” the jailer blurted.

Wei Wujie glanced at his companion in resignation—it seemed they’d have to fight all the way to the bottom to rescue her.

“We should free all the prisoners,” the agent said.

Wei Wujie’s brow twitched; he was somewhat displeased with this plan. He had only come to rescue Cecily; if the other inmates were innocent, he could free them as well, but Cecily was the priority.

As if sensing Wei Wujie’s thoughts, the agent said unhurriedly, “Most of these people have been wronged; they’ll become part of the revolutionary force. If we can save a few, we should. Besides, the guards will soon swarm in. If we let everyone out, they’ll help distract them.”

Wei Wujie thought it over and silently agreed, tossing the terrified jailer aside, taking his keys, and opening each cell while loudly calling Cecily’s name.

The jailer hadn’t lied; despite several calls, there was no answer. The freed prisoners, however, thanked them profusely, standing uncertainly. The agent was unlocking cells as well, but he simply twisted the iron locks apart with his hands, as if snapping twigs. While he opened the cells, he instructed the freed prisoners to gather together, telling them they were liberated and would soon rush out together.

At that moment, at the far end of the corridor, the patrol team for this level noticed the disturbance and charged over, wielding hammers and swords. Some quick-witted prisoners grabbed the dead jailers’ weapons to resist.

Wei Wujie impatiently unleashed another Xuan Tian Black Gold Slash. In the narrow space, there was nowhere to dodge; before the patrol team could even get close, half of them were cleaved in two by the devastating sword energy.

This instantly emboldened the prisoners. Someone shouted, and they surged forward, trampling the terrified surviving jailers and snatching their weapons, hacking wildly.

“We’ll go down and free more, then fight our way out together!” the agent called out, radiant with excitement.

Wei Wujie and his companion dashed down the stone steps to the next level, still searching for Cecily. Above, hurried footsteps echoed on the stairs—the mansion’s guards had arrived.