Emerging from the dense vegetation of the abandoned park, Rena instantly captured the attention of the two bandits guarding the barracks’ back door.

They took in her appearance – the strategically torn clothing, the seductive sway of her hips, and her alluring gaze.

“Hey,” she purred, her voice like honeyed wine, “want to join us?”

The invitation was almost impossible to refuse. One of the bandits started to stammer something about “duty” and “not being able to,” but his eyes betrayed his desire. In the end, they succumbed to her charm.

“Nothing ever happens in this place anyway,” one of them reasoned, his gaze fixed on Rena. “No reason for us to worry.”

No one ever dared to raid their city or their precious barracks. The bandits had grown complacent, believing that a short absence wouldn’t lead to any trouble. Besides, there was no one actively monitoring their posts, so their superiors would likely never know they had left.

Rena expertly used her allure to lead them deeper into the abandoned park’s overgrown interior. She wanted to ensure that their cries of surprise and pain would be swallowed by the dense foliage once William made his move.

“I think this is a good spot,” one of the bandits said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. “No one ever comes back here.”

Rena turned, a captivating smile playing on her lips. “Do you really think so?”

The two bandits’ excitement peaked as they watched her begin to remove more of her borrowed clothing. But that was the precise moment William chose to strike! He emerged swiftly and silently from the surrounding dense undergrowth, his movements fluid and his attacks lethal.

This time, William wasn’t interested in extracting information or stealing clothes. His sole purpose was to neutralize them, to render them unconscious.

The force behind his blows was immense. With a single, expertly placed strike to each of their necks, the bandits crumpled to the ground like lifeless puppets, their bodies hitting the soft earth with a muffled thud.

With the two guards swiftly dealt with, the moment to infiltrate the barracks and find Burt had finally arrived.

“Nice work,” William acknowledged, offering Rena a brief nod.

Rena, however, felt like William had done the lion’s share of the task. All she had done was leverage her appearance to lure those foolish bandits into their trap.

“Thanks, I guess,” she replied, a hint of unease in her voice.

They quickly concealed the unconscious bandits amongst the dense vegetation, ensuring they wouldn’t be discovered prematurely. Then, they cautiously approached the barracks. The back door stood wide open, silently inviting them inside.

“There will be more inside, I think,” William cautioned, his hand instinctively moving towards his weapon. “But they might mistake us for other bandits, at least initially. Still, be prepared for a fight, just in case.”

William always preferred to think of the worst-case scenario. He was already picturing the two of them entering those barracks and being swarmed by numerous bandits who would quickly realize who they were.

This was how he liked to think. If he imagined the worst, then he would have a plan against it in his mind. What he didn’t want to happen was to enter the place thinking everything would go smoothly and be caught off guard. To him, that was just foolishness.

Anyway, the two of them slowly entered the barracks through the back door. After stepping inside, they closed the door again. They didn’t want whoever was inside to look out and realize that the two guards were no longer there.

Inside the barracks, they saw other bandits who were occupied with various things. Most were drinking alcoholic beverages and playing card games. No one seemed particularly concerned about who was entering or leaving the place.

“You really think you’re going to win that bet against me? You can start paying me now,” one of the bandits said as he slammed his hand on the table.

With the impact, the cards shifted, and some drinks spilled onto the floor, but nothing that bothered the playing bandits. For them, this was a normal occurrence.

“Relax, I’ll pay,” the other one said, and then started laughing, “I just don’t know when. I’m broke, my friend, no money in my pocket.”

Everyone burst into laughter together. Despite the atmosphere having heated up for a brief moment, everyone quickly settled down and continued to enjoy themselves while drinking their beers.

They noticed William and Rena and even invited them to play, but William politely declined so as not to cause any trouble. The bandits didn’t mind. They went back to their game seconds after William refused.

William and Rena moved through the building, searching for the place where the prisoners were being held. They wanted to find Burt and get him out of there. That was the plan.

It didn’t take them long to find the prisoners’ location. It was a bit further away from where the bandits were playing cards. There, everything was quieter, and the atmosphere felt a bit more serious.

Another bandit stood near a staircase. He was there to ensure that only authorized personnel entered the area where the prisoners were kept.

“Can I help you?” he asked as soon as he saw William and Rena.

At that moment, William knew he had to come up with some outlandish excuse to ensure they could enter.

“I’m here to torture the prisoner and get some answers,” William stated.

The bandit looked slightly surprised. “No one informed me that a torturer would be arriving.”

William gave a malicious grin. “Of course, you wouldn’t know. Why would they inform the guy who just stands around by the stairs?”

The bandit didn’t argue. He figured William held a much higher position than his own. William’s arrogant demeanor contributed to that feeling.

“Alright, go ahead.”

William nodded and entered. Rena followed closely behind.

After descending the stairs, they found themselves facing several cells containing various types of people. Those individuals were of no concern to him.

William searched for Burt’s location. He found him. Burt was in one of the cells and appeared to have been beaten badly; his face was bruised and swollen, and he was barely conscious.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep