Chapter 225: The Enemy Comes from Ragnarok
Hearing Fang Xiaocao’s words, Taotie nodded. “Nothing to worry about, he’s probably just reloading.”
“In an environment with limited visibility like this, those useless fools have no chance of sneaking up on Tom. They don’t even know where to aim their guns. They’re just firing blindly.”
Taotie’s tone was relaxed, clearly confident in Tom’s abilities.
Hearing this, Fang Xiaocao also let out a breath of relief.
Taotie was a professional. If he said Tom was fine, then Tom was definitely fine.
“What should we do? Should we go in and help Tom, or wait here?”
Fang Xiaocao blinked, asking curiously.
“We…”
“We leave first!”
“Once Tom finishes here, he’ll catch up to us.”
Taotie’s response completely caught Fang Xiaocao off guard.
She had expected that, given Taotie’s fiery temperament, he would most likely charge in to help Tom wipe out all the assassins inside.
A less likely scenario was that he would stay outside to ensure her safety while waiting for Tom.
She had even prepared words to persuade Taotie to go help Tom.
But she had never expected him to say they should leave first.
“Your Highness, we have to get out of here.”
“We don’t know how many enemies there are, but the two waves that ambushed us already had at least dozens of people. There may be more enemies elsewhere. If this group fails to kill Tom, reinforcements will come.”
“If we stay here, we’ll get surrounded by the arriving reinforcements.”
For once, Taotie played the role of strategist, analyzing the situation for Fang Xiaocao.
Fang Xiaocao was stunned, looking at Taotie in surprise.
If anyone ever called Taotie brainless again, she would argue fiercely in his defense.
How could a brainless person say something like that?
She hadn’t even thought about these factors…
If Taotie had no brains, then what about her?
Was her head just full of mush?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
She would never admit to being a fool—she was very smart!
Fang Xiaocao had to admit, Taotie’s analysis was completely spot-on.
In this situation, where they had no clear idea of the enemy’s numbers, the best choice was to retreat quickly. Avoiding a potential encirclement from reinforcements was the only way to minimize casualties.
After a moment of thought, Fang Xiaocao nodded. “Alright, we’ll do as you say.”
Seeing her agreement, Taotie sighed in relief. He pulled out a communication device and sent a message to Tom, letting him know he was retreating with Fang Xiaocao.
Taotie then reached out his hand. “Come, Your Highness, let’s go!”
Fang Xiaocao nodded and took his hand.
Taotie grabbed her and quickly chose a direction to leave.
—
Barely five minutes after they left, another team arrived at their previous location.
“Stop!”
The team leader raised his hand, bringing the group to a halt.
He crouched down, examining the traces left in the grass. Picking up an empty shell casing, he sniffed it.
Looking up, he revealed a fierce, tattooed face.
“Xiao Qin!”
“Captain!” A heavily armed man responded.
“You take them to reinforce the others. I’ll go after those two rats myself.”
The tattooed man sneered.
“Yes, Captain!”
Xiao Qin nodded.
“Move out!”
He commanded, and the team continued forward, advancing into the thinning white smoke in combat formation.
Meanwhile, the tattooed man stayed behind, carefully observing the ground before grinning coldly and dashing in the exact direction Taotie and Fang Xiaocao had escaped.
Clearly, he was a skilled tracker.
—
The tattooed man was incredibly fast, moving through the forest like a panther, completely unhindered by the terrain.
At this pace, catching up to Taotie and Fang Xiaocao was effortless.
If Taotie were alone, he might have avoided pursuit.
But with Fang Xiaocao in tow, he had to take care of her, making full-speed travel impossible.
Ten minutes later, Taotie suddenly stopped, turning to look behind them.
His gaze pierced through the darkness, scanning the area for a few seconds before sighing.
“Your Highness, an enemy has caught up. A strong one.”
“You stay here and wait for me. I’ll deal with him.”
“Remember, don’t let anyone get close to you. If anyone approaches without identifying themselves—if it’s not me or Tom—shoot immediately.”
“Do not hesitate. Protect yourself at all costs.”
Taotie sternly instructed Fang Xiaocao.
Fang Xiaocao nodded. “Got it. I’ll remember.”
Taotie handed her two extra magazines, drew his heavy machete, and turned back toward their pursuer.
He knew this tattooed man was skilled and didn’t want the fight to happen near Fang Xiaocao, where she could be put in danger or used as a hostage.
—
One minute later, the tattooed man was within 500 meters.
“Heh…”
“The little mouse is tired already?”
“He actually stopped running!”
The tattooed man sneered.
Just then—
Whoosh!
A sharp sound sliced through the air.
Taotie suddenly leaped down from the trees, his massive machete swinging toward the tattooed man’s head with a deadly force.
The tattooed man’s expression changed drastically.
He barely managed to roll away, dodging the strike—but his back was still grazed, his clothes torn by the razor-sharp blade.
Getting back on his feet, he stared at Taotie with both anger and wariness.
“Heh…”
“Not bad.”
Taotie rested the machete on his shoulder, eyes filled with amusement.
“Who are you?” the tattooed man asked, gripping the dagger at his waist.
“You don’t even know who I am, yet you’re hunting us?”
Taotie sneered.
“I take the job, I don’t ask questions.”
The tattooed man replied coldly.
“Heh.”
Taotie chuckled darkly, then took a closer look at the man.
His expression suddenly shifted.
“You’re from Ragnarok Mercenaries?”
The tattooed man flinched, his eyes filled with surprise.
“You know me?”
Taotie shook his head. “Not you. But I’ve heard of Ragnarok.”
“Let me introduce myself—Blacklist, Taotie.”
Taotie stated in a low voice.
“Blacklist?”
The tattooed man’s eyes widened slightly, surprised.
“Ragnarok, Kui Mulang.”
He introduced himself as well.
“What’s Blacklist doing here?” Kui Mulang asked.
(End of Chapter 225)
