Chapter 248 - 247: Waiting for the Patrol

Chapter 248: Chapter 247: Waiting for the Patrol

Jin Chang quickly waved his hand, his tone patient as he explained to Gu Su, "We’re waiting for a patrol.

Trebot Town isn’t some nameless little place. It’s clearly marked on the game map and is a key area under the control of the Deceiver forces of the Inverted Tower.

A patrol passes through here regularly every three days. Judging by the time, the next one should be arriving soon.

We have to wait for the patrol to pass completely and get far away from here before we can make a move. We absolutely cannot risk alerting them and disrupting our siege plan."

Hearing this, Gu Su let out a soft "Oh." His confusion vanished, and he immediately understood Jin Chang’s prudent reasoning.

It was a common scenario: if a patrol showed up right before a battle, you either hid or you fought. Gu Su understood this.

A patrol that made Jin Chang so cautious was definitely not made up of ordinary grunts. It had to be a powerful, elite team, one not easily dealt with.

Attacking rashly would not only be difficult to win but would also expose the location of their temporary camp, causing the entire siege plan to go up in smoke.

Realizing this crucial point, Gu Su immediately nodded in agreement, his tone calm and resolute. "Alright, no problem.

Besides, my Graveyard Demon will need some time to get here from the camp anyway. We can use this interval to wait."

After agreeing, Gu Su didn’t linger. He took the five Elite Skeleton Warriors with him and began to slowly patrol the edge of the temporary camp.

He didn’t go far, just wandered around the perimeter of the camp. He had two reasons: first, to familiarize himself with the surrounding terrain and scout for potential routes and hiding spots for the upcoming siege. Second, to take the opportunity to observe the camp’s defensive layout, so he would have a clear picture and avoid any oversights in the subsequent operation.

He had already learned from Jin Chang that their temporary camp was only about a kilometer away from the outskirts of Trebot Town in a straight line—so close it was almost within reach.

If not for this dense forest acting as a natural screen, securely concealing the temporary outpost among its branches and leaves, one could easily spot this hidden camp by finding any reasonably tall building in the town and looking out from the top.

If that happened, their siege plan would likely be discovered by the Deceiver forces within the town before it even officially began, and all their preparations would be for naught.

Therefore, if Gu Su’s group wanted to leave the camp to scout the surrounding area, they absolutely could not just cut straight through the woods. They had to follow a hidden path that had been cleared out beforehand. This path took them on a semi-circle around the dense forest, leading them far from the temporary camp’s immediate vicinity. Only then could they safely reveal themselves without being spotted by the distant patrol or the Deceiver sentries in town.

As he walked outward along the hidden path, Gu Su keenly noticed that the temporary camp’s defensive layout was lax on the inside but tight on the outside.

Inside the camp, the ordinary members of the Grass Thorn Deceivers were relatively relaxed. Young Deceivers occasionally darted between the tents, playing, and the atmosphere was comparatively calm.

But in the depths of the forest on the camp’s outskirts, the patrol units of the Grass Thorn Deceivers and Jin Chang’s Ghouls were already lurking silently in every hidden corner. They kept their bodies pressed tightly behind waist-high weeds and thick tree trunks, their sharp, vigilant eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of movement, guarding against any unexpected intrusion into the camp.

When Gu Su’s group passed these lurking positions, the hidden Deceivers and Ghouls cast wary glances at them. Their gazes swept back and forth over Gu Su and the five Elite Skeleton Warriors by his side, scrutinizing them as if to verify their identities.

Fortunately, Jin Chang had already given them a heads-up, informing his own subordinates and the Grass Thorn Deceivers that Gu Su was an ally here to help with the siege. Thus, they didn’t rashly appear to block his path. They merely remained on high alert, silently watching as Gu Su’s group gradually disappeared into the distance.

About a hundred meters from the temporary camp, Gu Su found a large tree with thick branches and a clear line of sight.

He nimbly climbed the trunk and stood firmly on a thick, horizontal branch. From his high vantage point, he looked toward Trebot Town, his gaze sharp and focused. He carefully observed the town’s complete layout and its surroundings, not letting a single detail escape his notice.

The scene that greeted Gu Su’s eyes was completely different from the desolate, ruined wilderness around him.

Looking out from a distance, he could clearly make out the silhouette of Trebot Town. Many buildings had collapsed into ruin, and withered yellow weeds grew between the crumbling walls, giving it an air of long-abandoned desolation.

But upon closer inspection, he could see that the main structures of many houses were still intact, and the outlines of some functional buildings were also discernible. Just as Jin Chang and Winter had said before, although the town seemed abandoned, many parts were still usable after some repairs.

The most striking feature was the sky above Trebot Town. It was shrouded in an eerie aura so thick it couldn’t be dispersed, so dense that a normal person could clearly see it with the naked eye.

That aura was like a roiling Black Fog, churning slowly above the town. It exuded a heart-pounding, ominous feeling, so oppressive it was hard to breathe. A black ash swirled within it, looking as if it could turn into a heavy black snowfall at any moment.

The eerie atmosphere was exactly like stepping into the strange realm of Silent Hill. No one needed to be told; a single glance was enough to determine that this town was no safe haven and that it hid a deadly danger.

If an ordinary person were to catch a glimpse of it from afar, they would subconsciously make a detour, without the slightest thought of trying to enter.

But at this moment, the last thing on Gu Su’s mind was avoiding this eerie town.

His gaze was locked onto the town’s silhouette. As he carefully observed the surrounding terrain, the weak points in the town’s walls, and the churning patterns of the eerie Black Fog overhead, he was also running through scenarios in his mind.

Since he had solemnly promised to help Jin Chang attack Trebot, he would give it his all and see the task through to the very end.

To him, this large-scale siege was not just a simple matter of helping out; it was a rare and valuable opportunity for real combat experience.

Only by personally participating in such a large-scale siege could he clearly identify his own shortcomings. It would also clarify the future growth path for his Graveyard Demon, showing him which areas to focus on to elevate its combat power to the next level and better suit his developmental needs.

At this moment, as Gu Su stared at the distant Trebot Town, one attack strategy and battle plan after another flashed through his mind. He cross-referenced and revised them against the hand-drawn map Jin Chang had given him earlier, and a clear, viable battle plan gradually took shape in his mind.

And just then, Gu Su noticed something in the distance.

There seemed to be an active building on the southeastern side of Trebot Town.