Chapter 19: Infiltration
Three days later, in a stone house within the Extreme North Fortress.
Outside, a blizzard raged, while inside the stone room, it was warm as spring. Through the window, a female general could be seen speaking, with a map hanging behind her.
"The eastern and southern fronts must attack simultaneously. The positions at Kaili and Hadi are entrusted to you."
Esdeath was laying out the strategy for tomorrow. Her injuries had mostly recovered.
"Yes."
Two commanders accepted the orders, their faces brimming with confidence.
"Tomorrow, the main assault point will be the 'Dongdongta Fortress.' I will lead the frontal attack. Bai Ye, you will infiltrate the enemy fortress tonight and wait for an opportunity to assassinate Numa Sega."
Su Xiao nodded, and Esdeath continued outlining the strategy.
Su Xiao pondered inwardly. This war wouldn't last long. Esdeath's Imperial Armament, 'Demon's Essence,' was incredibly powerful in warfare. The army was merely a diversion; the main force was Esdeath alone.
Once this battle ended, Esdeath would surely return to the Imperial Capital. As her adjutant now, there was an over eighty percent chance he would return with her.
Su Xiao wasn't the only adjutant in the army. He hadn't displayed any command ability, so Esdeath was unlikely to keep him in the military.
Ending the war quickly and returning to the Imperial Capital was the real priority. With contractors interfering, the Imperial Capital was probably in chaos by now.
The war council ended quickly, and Su Xiao was kept behind by Esdeath alone.
"Here is the intel on Numa Sega. He's not easy to deal with. He doesn't indulge in women, and his lifestyle is simple. But he has one weakness: he loves to drink."
Men in the Extreme North all loved to drink; it was due to the harsh climate.
"He usually doesn't start drinking until after ten at night. But nighttime assassination is no easy task. Act according to the situation."
"Understood."
Esdeath's meaning was clear: find a way to eliminate Numa Sega.
*Thump.* A leather bag was tossed onto the conference table.
"Inside, there's a map, cold-resistant clothing, high-calorie food, some small tools for infiltration, and two signal flares. Red means failure and requires rescue. Green means success but being trapped in the enemy camp."
Esdeath's arrangements were thorough. Since Su Xiao was now one of her own, her sadistic tendencies had vanished.
"Hm."
Su Xiao simply nodded.
"So cold. Go quickly and return quickly. Remember, you're now the army's covert operative, not a suicide soldier."
"Alright."
Su Xiao took the winter coat from the leather bag and put it on. The coat fit perfectly, likely sewn from the fur of some dangerous beast. It had excellent cold resistance and wasn't bulky, allowing for easy movement.
"Go quickly and return quickly."
Esdeath was quite concerned for her subordinates.
"Hm."
Su Xiao left the meeting room. After he left, Esdeath found a signal flare on the table—the red one representing mission failure.
"Only success, no failure, huh? I really did strike gold this time. Extremely strong, a cold personality, and completely indifferent to anything except orders. Which country trained such an outstanding talent?"
Esdeath sat at the table, propping her chin on one hand while playing with the red signal flare with the other.
"After the war, I'll take him back to the Imperial Capital. Someone like him doesn't belong in the military."
*Thump.*
Esdeath stood the red signal flare upright on the table. If anyone were to open it, they would find it was empty!
A covert operative's failure meant death. How could there be rescue?
...
Amidst the howling wind and snow, Su Xiao moved forward across the snowy terrain, holding a map.
With no one else nearby, Su Xiao worked his stiff cheeks. Playing the emotionless type wasn't easy; he felt like he'd forgotten how to smile.
"Bullshit covert operative."
Su Xiao muttered a curse. These three days of 'high-intensity' posturing had been mentally and physically exhausting. He would never disguise himself as a covert operative again.
"Numa Sega of the 'Dongdongta Fortress,' huh."
He studied a portrait in his hand, which depicted a young man.
...
On the low city wall of the Dongdongta Fortress.
"Did you hear? They've mobilized their forces again. This time, a full five hundred thousand."
A soldier standing guard on the wall spoke, a hint of worry in his expression.
"Tch. No matter how many come, it's useless. What happened to the two hundred thousand before?"
"Coming here just feeds the wolves. Those imperial scum all deserve to die."
A burst of jeering laughter came from the soldiers. The Extreme North army seemed to hold the Imperial army in great contempt.
"Time's almost up. Why haven't the relief guards arrived yet?"
One soldier was growing impatient.
"Tell me about it. Lately, those 'Kalibat' guys are getting more and more arrogant. A few victories and their tails are practically in the air."
"I'll go hurry them up."
"I'll go too."
Several soldiers left one after another. An older soldier shook his head; he didn't want to offend anyone.
"Young people... Hmph!"
A muffled grunt, and the older soldier collapsed softly. Su Xiao vaulted onto the city wall, tossed the older soldier into a snowdrift outside the wall, and vanished into the fortress town.
Night had fallen. The fierce wind of the Extreme North had rarely subsided, but the falling snow continued unabated.
There was no electricity in the fortress town. After finishing their nightly activities, every household retired early. The town was eerily quiet.
Su Xiao moved between the buildings, trying to stay in secluded spots as much as possible.
"Twenty-third from the left, seventy-third from the right."
Su Xiao was confirming where Numa Sega was staying. He quickly locked onto a stone house.
The stone house wasn't tall, but compared to other buildings in the fortress town, it could at least block the biting wind.
There were no guards at the door. Numa Sega himself was the strongest combatant in the Extreme North; he didn't need guards.
Su Xiao approached the stone house quietly, sensing the situation inside. A young man was drinking alone in the room. The man inside was indeed Numa Sega.
"Masha, I will avenge you. Soon."
Numa Sega in the room was clearly drinking his sorrows away. Judging by his expression, the strong liquor was nothing to him.
Su Xiao waited outside the house. The timing wasn't right. He didn't plan a brute-force assassination; if he alerted too many people, he might be trapped here today.
Time passed, and soon it was around one in the morning. The temperature outside the Extreme North houses had dropped even further.
Numa Sega had already gone to sleep. Even a super-dangerous beast couldn't detect Su Xiao when he suppressed his aura, let alone Numa Sega.
Walking slowly to the door, Su Xiao produced a test tube filled with a grayish-white liquid.
He poured the liquid into the gap under the door. The liquid quickly vaporized, and a scentless mist drifted inside.
Su Xiao put on a gas mask. Inhaling this stuff wouldn't be pleasant for him either.
After waiting silently for ten minutes by the door, Su Xiao pushed it open and entered the stone house.
A wave of heat hit him. Numa Sega, the prince of the foreign tribe, was lying flat on his bed, his body trembling slightly.
"How... could this be..."
The foreign prince couldn't even speak clearly now, let alone get up and fight.
"Nothing is impossible."
Su Xiao placed the Dragon-Slaying Flash across Numa Sega's neck and pressed the blade down.
*Pfft.*
A head was severed. The foreign prince, renowned throughout the Extreme North, was killed so easily.