Chapter 494 - 241: An Absolutely Explosive Truth
Chapter 494: Chapter 241: An Absolutely Explosive Truth
"It should be about time."
Not long ago, somewhere on the outskirts of the Blackwater Swamp’s Core Area, a young man in his twenties glanced at the sky, flipped open the cover of his watch, and confirmed the time.
"The caravan will be passing through here soon... That imposter should be with them!"
"So they want your escort party and the caravan to arrive at the same time? They plan to use the cover of night, when security is lax, to make the switch in the Royal Capital’s merchant staging area?"
"Yes."
The young man nodded. "By now, the other party has probably discovered I’m missing. Their mission to dispose of me ahead of time has failed, but to avoid disrupting their plan, they have no choice but to continue toward the Royal Capital and wait for news from our end."
"All we have to do is intercept the caravan here. We can turn their own plan against them!"
Beside him stood a slender man with narrow eyes and a razor-sharp presence.
The young man nodded. "I’ll be counting on you from here on, Uncle Grim."
Just then, one of his men cried out in alarm, "Captain, this is bad! Look over there!"
Grim looked in the direction of the shout and saw a massive body slowly emerge from the ground in the distance.
"A Rotting Swamp Lurker?"
His brows furrowed instantly.
...
They had less than a quarter of the journey left before they would be out of the dangerous region.
A good while after leaving the Rotting Swamp Lurker’s territory, the group encountered another Demon. It wasn’t a Middle Lord Level Demon, however, just a Low-ranking Lord, which Lin Mo dispatched with ease.
Since his [Meteor Sting] was progressing surprisingly quickly and wasn’t far from leveling up, he decided to keep using it in battle to raise its Skill Level further.
[Meteor Sting] Skill Level +50
[Meteor Sting] Skill Level +30
After encountering Demons twice in total, the skill was only a few dozen Skill Level points away from reaching Full Level.
"Almost there! Less than two kilometers to go and we’ll be out of this region. After that, we’ll be back in the middle section of the Blackwater Swamp. From there, it’s only about an hour’s travel to leave the Swamp and reach the main road to the Royal Capital!"
At that point, the mission would basically be complete.
Deke remained vigilant, but he couldn’t help a surge of excitement. This mission had been far more difficult than he’d imagined, and completing it was no small feat. Though it was mostly thanks to Lin Mo’s efforts, the sense of accomplishment was greater for having overcome such difficult obstacles.
Besides, after completing this mission, he would finally become a Silver Level Adventurer!
In contrast to Deke’s delight, Lin Mo’s expression grew increasingly grave.
Only one kilometer remained before they were out of the danger zone.
The surroundings were unnervingly quiet. Everyone could see victory within their grasp, and the drivers cracked their whips, urging the horses to quicken their pace once more.
meters.
meters.
meters...
The sound of the rushing wind suddenly fell silent.
Lin Mo quietly stared at the figure that had suddenly appeared before him. The sharp blade was less than half a meter from his brow.
As expected of an Elite Level Assassin, the moment he struck, his speed was a blur.
No one had time to react. Everything went smoothly. Without even hitting the resistance of a Magic Barrier, the sharp dagger plunged straight into Lin Mo’s head.
Even the sensation of the blade piercing the skull and slicing through the brain felt incredibly clear and real.
But...
The black-robed Assassin’s back was instantly drenched in a cold sweat.
He had pierced Lin Mo, but this wasn’t Lin Mo...
Those eyes stared right at him, a hint of knowing mockery within them.
"So you decided to make your move after all."
There was no explosion. They were on the carriage, and Lin Mo didn’t want to damage it.
As the "Lin Mo" spoke, a swift blast of Qi Force shot in from the side. The black-robed Assassin dodged hastily but was still grazed on his left hip by the [Meteor Sting], leaving a bloody gash.
The black-robed Assassin ignored the blood gushing from his wound, his eyes locked on the Lin Mo in front of him.
’A Clone Skill?’
He suddenly recalled the faint, persistent feeling of being watched from the previous night.
’So that’s what it was. It seems it wasn’t my imagination...’
"You knew all along?"
"No, I didn’t."
Lin Mo spread his hands. "Just as I still don’t understand why you chose to attack."
He had pieced together some clues, but he still knew very little about the full scope of their plan.
"Enough talk!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the black-robed Assassin lunged at Lin Mo again.
"This..."
Deke, standing to the side, was stunned. ’What in the world is happening?’
’Isn’t this man in black one of the guards from the caravan? Why are they suddenly fighting?’
He didn’t just stand there gawking, though. He immediately drew his Sword to help Lin Mo.
Lin Mo watched the Assassin charge him, his expression still calm.
’Is it another Clone?’
Having been tricked once, the black-clad Assassin was on edge. His attacks became hesitant as he kept glancing around, his focus divided.
’Where is he, really?’
The blade still flew toward Lin Mo’s chest. Lin Mo made no move to block it, but just as the dagger was about to connect, he vanished completely.