My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 171 - 145: Shooting in the Blaze! A Letter from Von Klei

"What?" Ande exclaimed upon hearing this.

The surrounding people of Redstone Town erupted into a clamor when they heard Fang Zhen.

Looks of disbelief and the sounds of the uproar flooded Fang Zhen's ears.

Fang Zhen actually found it quite amusing. It felt pretty good to remain calm and composed while watching the looks of disbelief and shock on everyone's faces and hearing their gasps of astonishment.

'Too bad I didn't have the tavern matron in Redstone Town prepare a cup of Ruska Wine. It would have been much more dramatic to return while it was still warm, just like in the old stories.'

In reality, Ruska Wine was served slightly cool anyway, and it had taken him about half an hour to kill Viscount Montagu and annihilate his troops.

Ande and the others were clearly stunned by Fang Zhen.

Looking at the horrifying visage of Viscount Montagu's severed head on the ground, Ande and the others had no doubt.

Viscount Montagu had a vicious reputation, so his grotesque appearance matched everyone's image of him.

Ande now looked at Fang Zhen with nothing short of pure adoration.

If the local customs were different, Ande would have probably already kneeled and cried out something like, 'My lord, if you will have me…'

The surrounding people of Redstone Town gradually processed the news. It was unclear who started it, but one person raised their arm with a shout, and instantly all the townspeople raised their weapons and cheered loudly.

The people of Redstone Town had endured a harrowing dozen-or-so hours, living under the terrifying shadow of being massacred by Montagu. Their spirits were utterly crushed.

Now that Montagu was dead—his head severed and presented—the pressure vanished in an instant. The people of Redstone Town were surely overcome with relief and elation.

Hearing the people around him shouting for Tade, and others yelling words like "Hooray!", a faint smile touched Fang Zhen's lips.

'As long as it doesn't get in the way of my goals, helping some decent, ordinary people is a nice feeling.'

Fang Zhen relaxed for a moment, then put aside his playful mood.

His gaze turned to the glow of fire to the north of the town, and he asked Ande, "What's going on?"

"Who's attacking Redstone Town?"

Hearing this, Ande's excitement gradually faded.

Ande took two steps forward, coming before Fang Zhen. "Sir, after you left for the Dark Forest to intercept Montagu's army, none of us dared to sleep. We were afraid something might happen, and we stayed ready to provide backup."

"But we didn't expect this. The sentry posted on the north side of town was killed while on watch. He managed to let out a scream before he died, warning everyone in town."

"We gathered here and discovered people launching a sneak attack from the north—about ten or twenty of them. We thought it was Montagu's army circling around from behind, so we were too tense and afraid to sleep."

"Just now, it was Quade. He used one of the Flaming Cocktails you left behind and threw it into the midst of the attackers. A few of them were set ablaze, but the forest caught fire too."

"We're standing guard here, ready to stop the attackers from entering the town."

Fang Zhen raised an eyebrow.

'It can't be Montagu's army.'

'The spot where I intercepted Montagu's army is still several kilometers from Redstone Town. Besides, I was keeping an eye out the entire way here. It's highly unlikely a group of ten or twenty men could have slipped past me.'

'If it's not Montagu's army, and they're coming from the north, then there's only one other possibility.'

"Baron von Kleist!" Fang Zhen said the name aloud.

Ande froze for a moment. "You think it's Baron von Kleist's army attacking us?"

Fang Zhen nodded.

Just then, Quade came jogging back from the northernmost part of the town, his face flushed with excitement.

"Sir, you're back!"

"I just used one of the Flaming Cocktails you left and burned two enemies to death!" Quade said, his spirits high.

Fang Zhen smiled.

Quade had performed well. This was a perfect example of why high-level combatants like Knights always needed Attendants or Apprentice Knights.

'You can't learn what you haven't seen. That's the whole point of an apprenticeship.'

Quade already had good aptitude, and by following Fang Zhen, he'd seen enough to broaden his horizons.

At the very least, Quade had seen how a Molotov Cocktail was lit and used.

"Not bad," Fang Zhen nodded.

He had brought several bottles of Molotov Cocktails. Besides the few he placed at the ambush site, he had also left a few in Redstone Town.

Now, they had served their purpose.

Fang Zhen glanced at the still-burning northern entrance of the town.

He got off his motorcycle, picking up his compound bow and quiver.

"Quade, you're with me."

"We need at least one captive," he said. "Let's find out what's really going on."

"Understood, sir." Quade instinctively grabbed his long spear, slung a compound crossbow over his back, and followed Fang Zhen toward the north gate.

Fang Zhen walked out of the town's north gate, with Quade following closely behind.

The area by the north gate seemed to be burning fiercely, but it was actually quite safe. The trees here weren't as dense as in the Dark Forest; the gaps between them were large, so it wasn't easy for the fire to spread widely.

Moreover, there was no wind tonight, and it had rained earlier, so the ground was damp. Sparks from the burning trees were unlikely to ignite the surrounding trees, so the fire was contained to a small area.

Walking among the burning trees, Fang Zhen had a strange feeling.

'I should be at least a little scared walking into a fire, but I'm not nervous at all. In fact, I feel relaxed, in peak condition.'

'I can even sense that the fire won't spread, that it won't hurt me, and that I won't suffocate from the smoke. As long as I don't do something suicidal like run straight into the blaze, I'll be fine.'

Fang Zhen found the sensation strange, yet comfortable. His mind felt sharper, inspiration flowing freely.

He knew this was the effect of the Heart of Flames being triggered.

As he walked, he mused, 'Maybe I was born under a fire sign, destined to have a connection with flames.'

Quade walked behind and to the side of Fang Zhen.

Quade was still a bit frightened of the blaze, but seeing Fang Zhen's composure put him at ease. All he had to do was follow.

Fang Zhen walked through the fiery landscape as if he were strolling through a courtyard, completely at ease.

As he walked, he pulled down the Night Vision Goggles over his left eye.

'In a place with so many heat sources, Night Vision Goggles are more effective than thermal imaging.'

After walking about forty or fifty meters, Fang Zhen slowed his pace and drew an arrow from his quiver.

'Prey spotted.'

He saw three men dressed as Mercenaries in a small ravine in the woods ahead, lying behind a small mound and observing his position.

The small ravine was over fifty meters from Fang Zhen, and it wasn't on fire. The three men lying in ambush there felt quite safe. They exposed only their heads and shoulders, thinking they would be hard to spot in the darkness.

One of them stealthily took out a hand crossbow and quietly propped it on the small mound, seeming to want to launch a sneak attack.

Fang Zhen's expression remained unchanged. As if he hadn't seen the three men, he calmly nocked an arrow to his compound bow.

The moment the arrow was set, he raised the bow. Without seeming to aim, he let the arrow fly.

The movement was incredibly fluid, so natural it seemed preordained.

The arrow from the compound bow crossed the fifty-plus meters in an instant. Before the three men could even react, it pierced the Crossbowman's forehead.

The carbon arrow pierced the Crossbowman's skull, passing clean through.

The Crossbowman died instantly, without a sound.

His companions were instantly thrown into a panic.

For a moment, the two of them forgot about staying hidden. They rose up, staring at their dead comrade, not knowing how to react.

WHOOSH!

Another arrow flew, easily piercing the second man's neck.

The man clutched his neck and fell onto the mound.

After shooting the second arrow, Fang Zhen moved forward calmly, took a third arrow from his quiver, and nocked it as he walked.

'Those three on the mound have hand crossbows. I don't know their range or accuracy, but they're a threat.'

Facing a threat, Fang Zhen showed no mercy.

The only survivor behind the mound froze for a second before letting out a scream. The fear of death shattered his composure. He abandoned his dead comrades and their weapons, turned, and fled.

By running, he left the cover of the mound, and his torso was completely exposed to Fang Zhen's line of sight.

Fang Zhen had the third arrow nocked. There were no large trees between him and the fleeing Mercenary, giving him a clear trajectory.

He drew the bowstring, his expression perfectly calm, and fired the third carbon arrow.

WHOOSH!

The carbon arrow flew more than fifty meters in less than half a second, piercing the Mercenary's left femur.

The Mercenary screamed and fell to the ground, his body writhing in pain.

Fang Zhen lowered the compound bow in his left hand and carefully surveyed the surrounding area.

'Ande said ten or twenty Mercenaries were attacking, but I don't see that many. Just these three, plus the two charred bodies back in the fire. That's only five in total.'

He scanned the surroundings, confirming he hadn't missed anything. There were no other Mercenaries hiding within his line of sight, and no one who could threaten him.

Fang Zhen walked at a steady pace toward the wounded but still living Mercenary.

A few dozen seconds later, he arrived in front of the injured Mercenary.

The Mercenary was a man of about forty, wearing leather armor and carrying a shortsword. His hair was slightly reddish.

The Mercenary's face was filled with terror. He writhed, trying to get away, and had managed to squirm two or three meters like a snake.

Fang Zhen's gaze terrified the Mercenary.

'Of course he's scared. I'm wearing Night Vision Goggles, which have to be a one-of-a-kind sight in this world. And I just killed two of his buddies right in front of him. In his eyes, I must look like a cold-blooded killer. It'd be weird if he wasn't afraid.'

Fang Zhen was quite satisfied with the Mercenary's expression. 'Good, he's afraid. That'll make the interrogation easier.'

"I'll ask, you'll answer. Tell the truth and you might live through the night. Lie, and you won't be able to bear the consequences."

"Don't test my patience."

"Were you sent by Baron von Kleist?" Fang Zhen asked.

A look of shock appeared on the face of the Mercenary on the ground as he looked at Fang Zhen.

With the added intimidation of having just watched Fang Zhen kill his two companions, the Mercenary's psychological defenses collapsed.

"Yes, I'm one of Baron von Kleist's Guards," the Mercenary gave in and replied.

"What did Von Klei send you to do?" Fang Zhen asked.

"He sent us to deliver a letter to a woman in Redstone Town... a noblewoman," the Guard said.