Chapter 9

After all, he was a squad leader with a deep-rooted presence. Even though many were still confused, they still instinctively followed the squad leader into the charge.

The entire border army, except for Sarah who was still in Mawi’s arms, charged forward.

The camp of the Sand Bandit Hyenas was quite simple, built amidst a cluster of severely eroded rocks.

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Watching the border army charge into the Sand Bandit’s lair, Mawi’s eyes narrowed, and he reached into the girl in his arms.

A tough mercenary beside him leaned in close to Mawi, waving away the others: "Sir, isn’t this a bit too cautious? The caltrops and traps we set up outside..."

Mawi’s large hand continued to move on Sarah, not turning his head as he sniffed the fragrance of her hair: "Your job is to execute, not to question!" At this moment, Mawi’s face no longer had the amiable smile; his facial muscles were as rigid as solid bricks.

The mercenary bowed, lowering his posture: "I understand, Sir, you are wise!"

The mercenary stepped back, but as time passed, Mawi’s face gradually turned ashen: "Damn it, those insatiable hyenas!!" There was no shouting or fighting, and even after the border army charged into the Sand Bandit’s lair, it became eerily quiet.

To completely wipe out the border army, Mawi had gone to great lengths. Not only did he have the border army block all possible means of communication, but he also contacted the Sand Bandit Hyenas.

He provided a large amount of money and a batch of good weapons, but even so, these greedy hyenas betrayed him.

The warmth in his palm could not extinguish Mawi’s anger. Sarah, in his arms, let out a low cry of pain, then immediately bit her beautiful lips to prevent herself from making any sound.

Mawi pushed Sarah away, regardless of her falling to the ground, and with red eyes, he ordered: "Signal immediately, gather all the troops in ambush around here!!"

Soon, under Mawi’s command, over three hundred tough mercenaries quickly gathered from nearby.

The border army had underestimated Mawi’s determination.

He had not just two hundred mercenaries here, but over five hundred. There were over a hundred cavalry alone.

As Mawi gathered the troops, he slowly regained his usual calm, but his voice still carried an unhidden ruthlessness: "The border army colluded with the Sand Bandit Hyenas, exterminate them all!!"

With one sentence, Mawi framed the border army with a baseless charge: "Execute them all on the spot, no trial needed!!"

After issuing these core orders, Mawi slowly withdrew from the battle formation. As a leader, he couldn’t do everything himself. The brutal task of fighting could be left to his subordinates.

After a while, a subordinate with a worried look came to report that the border army and the Sand Bandits had all disappeared.

Hearing the report, Mawi was first stunned, then furious, and slapped the messenger to the ground: "Disappeared? Over a hundred people, just disappeared? Do you think..." At this point, Mawi suddenly paused, his face changing, and his voice becoming more resolute: "Mobilize all the troops, press forward with the entire army, I won’t believe we can’t find them!"

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Dark and damp, with soil particles falling from the ceiling. The waterlogged ground made Rick’s feet feel cold and uncomfortable.

The flickering torches in the newly dug tunnel illuminated the path forward.

The Sand Bandits, who were supposed to be wiped out by the border army, were now united with the border army.

The exact details were unknown, but after the squad leader discovered Mawi’s sinister intentions, he began secretly contacting the Sand Bandit Hyenas.

The hyenas were cunning and knew that the border line was definitely sealed by Mawi’s men. Even if they escaped, they had no way out. So they made the right choice to cooperate with the border army.

The border army was a thorn in Mawi’s side, and the Sand Bandits were no different.

With no choice, the two sides had to temporarily put aside their differences and unite to resist Mawi.

Dahei, who had a close relationship with Mawi, was chopped into pieces by the border army and the Sand Bandits when he entered the Sand Bandit’s lair.

The two sides formed a brief but stable combat friendship based on this traitor.

The Sand Bandits did not want to sit and wait for death, so they had long dug out a large number of underground tunnels.

Since they were dug in an emergency, the drainage and height of the tunnels were unsatisfactory. Even Rick, who was not tall, had to crouch low, let alone the adults.

The air was damp and stifling, but no one complained.

When everyone followed the Sand Bandits to a dry storage room, they saw the full arsenal of weapons and equipment, and their eyes immediately lit up.

The squad leader’s eyes narrowed, staring intently at the dark, muscular Sand Bandit leader: "How did you get these?!" Although the weapons were good, a bad thought flashed through the squad leader’s mind.

The Sand Bandit leader bared his yellow teeth, his upturned nose twitching with his hearty laugh: "How we got them is none of your business, just know that these can save us."

The squad leader didn’t care that the other party wouldn’t reveal the source of the weapons. He had guessed some of it and quickly moved on: "Are there enough?"

The Sand Bandit leader pulled off the sand-blocking headscarf, revealing a shiny bald head that still gleamed in the dark tunnel. Hearing the squad leader’s words, he laughed: "Plenty!!"

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Holding the heavy weapon in his hands, Rick was drenched in sweat, unsure if it was from tension or excitement. Through the vibrations above, Rick could confirm that Mawi’s men had entered the Sand Bandit’s lair.

It had been half a day since they entered the Sand Bandit’s lair. Although Mawi had considered that they might have entered the tunnels, the Sand Bandits were cautious enough that the entrance was not found.

Time passed slowly amidst the tension. Mawi had already dismounted and was sitting under a cool, eroded rock, his face dark with brewing anger: "These damn rats, where is the entrance?!"

After cursing a few times, Mawi looked at the darkening sky, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

The subordinates seemed to sense the wrong atmosphere and had automatically formed groups of at least five to continue searching for the tunnel entrance.

This was, after all, the Sand Bandit Hyenas’ lair, with a complex terrain and dense clusters of eroded rocks, making it extremely difficult to find the entrance.

As the sky darkened, the more cautious Mawi was about to gather the troops back when he heard a fierce shouting and the flickering light of torches from a distance.

Before Mawi could shout "Rally!" the seemingly simple Sand Bandit houses suddenly exploded.

"Boom~! Boom~!...."

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