If one were to choose what Zhang Hong hated the most in the world, the three words "Hong Lifeng" would definitely be one of the strongest contenders. This name had been haunting Zhang Hong's life like a curse since two years ago. Like a poisonous insect hiding in his mind, it would come out from time to time to bite him, causing him to fall into extreme depression and fear. Not to mention, he would appear in nightmares from time to time, strangling Zhang Hong to death in the same way that Zhang Hong strangled him.
However, Zhang Hong had been doing well this year. With the title of hero, he was promoted to a higher level and was about to enter politics. Everything seemed very good, and he gradually put this name aside in the corner of his mind. At this moment, when he heard this name, the suffocating feeling suddenly returned to him. Zhang Hong's breathing was rapid, his hands and feet were cold, and he felt that all the strength in his body was like ice and snow meeting the sun, melting away in an instant.
His legs softened and he sat back on the chair, leaning against the backrest. He tried to tell himself not to panic or get nervous, but his face turned from white to red, and then from red to white. After a moment, he suppressed his panic, pretended to be calm and looked at Cole and asked, "This is my companion who died two years ago. Why did you mention his name?"
"It's the companion you killed two years ago, right?" Cole said.
"I..., nonsense! You are slandering me!" Zhang Hong retorted hastily.
"Don't argue. You don't want to be here and let others hear what you are saying, right? Let's go!" Cole also stood up and stood next to Zhang Hong.
This time Zhang Hong was much more obedient. The two of them walked to the door of the banquet hall, and the officer on duty came up to ask questions. Zhang Hong said, "This guest wants to pick up a document, so I will accompany him."
As a high-level wizard, Zhang Hong was considered one of the senior figures in the team. It was normal for him to accompany the guests to get a document for discussion. The officer on duty did not suspect anything, but only asked Zhang Hong if he needed a soldier to accompany him.
"No need. Thank you." Zhang Hong forced a smile to the officer on duty. In the dim light, the officer could not see his unnatural expression.
The banquet was held in the original house of Orgas. After leaving, Zhang Hong led Cole forward silently, but he was secretly calculating in his heart. He was a high-level mage. As far as he knew, Cole's previous ability was at most a low-level peak magic archer. Even if he hid his strength, he was at most a mid-level one. Zhang Hong felt that if he caught him by surprise, he could still subdue him.
He had become familiar with the situation in Heimuguan these days. There were many vacant houses in Heimuguan now. Some places were rarely visited by people. The corners and yards were in the blind spots of the sentry posts, which were perfect places for a surprise attack. As long as he was caught, there was always a way to slowly force him to find out what evidence and trump cards he had. So Zhang Hong deliberately took Cole to some dark paths.
The magic fluctuations caused by the battle are a trouble. After all, in order to prevent infiltration, the entire Black Wood Pass is shrouded in a magic array that detects magic fluctuations, and there are mages monitoring it at all times. Zhang Hong began to think about how to end the battle quickly and capture this guy to a hidden place for interrogation before the monitoring mages and guards arrive.
As long as they were fast enough, even if the officers on duty in the banquet hall had seen them going out together, as long as there was no evidence, Xiao Chen and the others would not hand themselves over to the imperials.
"Haha, Zhang Hong, you brought me to this kind of place, don't you want to kill me to silence me?" Cole said in a nonchalant tone.
"It was you who wanted to come out with me. Are you suspicious now?" Zhang Hong said.
Cole said, "I just don't want you to do anything stupid. You should know that since I dare to come out with you, I am not afraid that you will attack me. Do you think I came to see you alone? Do you think the Earl doesn't know about this?"
"Who are you?" Zhang Hong asked.
"It's not important, is it?" Cole said.
"No, I don't know who you are, how dare I cooperate with you?" Zhang Hong stopped.
In the darkness, Cole seemed to shrug his shoulders: "Of course I am an Imperial, from the beginning. And I am a Black Guard, collecting intelligence near Suero. Of course, collecting intelligence requires an identity as a cover, so I joined the Blue Flame Mercenary Group of Kalanda..."
"Wait! Kalanda is also a citizen of the Empire. Could it be that she is also a Black Guard like you?" Zhang Hong exclaimed.
"This is not a problem you should be concerned about." Cole sneered, "Mind your own business first. Originally, my job was just to prepare for the Empire's action today, but when you showed up, I found that I had a lot of valuable clues in my hands, foreign humans, strange science, and unimaginable development speed. I realized that you are the most important intelligence near Suero. So I lurked among you. If it weren't for those greedy old guys among you who exposed the secret, I should still be staying safely in one of your cities or teams.
But my luck is pretty good. The God of Nature gave me your information as compensation. I have a feeling that this information will give me a rich reward. Zhang Hong, do you regret doing that now? "
Zhang Hong said: "You don't have to trick me. I won't tell you anything."
"Orville told me everything that needed to be said about that horse thief." Cole followed Zhang Hong into a room. After closing the door, Cole took out an imaging crystal and input some magic power. The crystal began to project a video recording on the wall of the room.
The picture showed a seriously injured man, with blood flowing from his mouth and nose, and his face was as pale as a dead person.
A voiceover asks: "Say it again, say it again in front of this stone. What did Zhang Hong do
The man panted and said with great effort: "When we caught Zhang Hong and Hong Lifeng, we tortured them separately. Zhang Hong confessed all the secrets of their hometown, but Hong Lifeng did not. Ahem, the two fought in the cell because of betrayal. Zhang Hong confessed that Hong Lifeng mocked him for surrendering to the great king of horse thieves, so he wanted to kill him. This is all nonsense. Anyway, in the end, Zhang Hong killed Hong Lifeng and strangled him to death with his hands. Many horse thieves knew about this matter, and it was widely circulated in our village at that time.
Ahem, I have to say, Hong Lifeng is a real man, but Zhang Hong? A coward and a wimp. He killed someone and scared himself to tears. Haha, a man cried more aggrieved than a woman. Trash! "(To be continued)