Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Catching Them All in One Fell Swoop_1

That was the voice of a mother wolf. With all the white wolves and people having gone to war, the reason she alone had stayed behind was naturally the litter of cubs she protected. A mother wolf, fiercely protective of her offspring and filled with a potent battle lust, was now baring her fangs, her eyes holding a warning glint as she slightly lowered her body. If it weren’t for the cubs behind her, she probably would have charged out to take a bite already.

Looking at the cubs that hadn’t yet opened their eyes, Lance sighed, and the Short Sword in his hand was also lowered. A rare moment of compassion appeared amidst the fierce battle...

The Short Sword disappeared from his hand, replaced by the ”Head Wolf Pendant”.

Indeed, just as I guessed, this object isn’t just an Extraordinary item; it also signifies the identity of the head wolf, holding absolute status within the pack. Or perhaps it’s the familiar scent on it that’s making her relax.

Lance, holding the pendant, slowly approached. The mother wolf’s defensive posture began to soften; she obediently lay down, displaying submissive behavior.

Soon, Lance saw the four cubs in the den. They were likely only a few days old; their fur hadn’t fully grown in, and their eyes were still shut. They were nudging each other, as if searching for their mother’s warmth.

Lance reached out his hand towards the mother wolf, which just sniffed it curiously without showing any aggression. But when Lance reached toward the cubs, she slowly stood up, seemingly worried, and nudged his hand with her head to block the path between them.

”It’s okay. I won’t hurt them,” Lance said, taking the opportunity to scratch her head. Indeed, few animals could resist a human’s touch. Her eyes began to squint, and she started to purr comfortably, showing no sign of her former ferocity. He further tested her reactions by reaching for her neck and stomach; she allowed him to touch her everywhere. Lance couldn’t deny that the interaction was quite stress-relieving for him too.

”Alright, at least if you follow me, your children won’t have to fear being sacrificed,” Lance said, stroking the mother wolf’s body. The stress from the recent battle seemed to wash away. Petting a dog is so satisfying!

There was no longer any need to stay here. Lance found a piece of clothing to wrap the wolf cubs in, hung the bundle in front of him, and then left with the mother wolf.

Sure enough, upon seeing Dismas and the others, the mother wolf immediately became aggressive, but Lance still managed to control her. After a brief discussion, they understood the situation and had no objections to Lance keeping the cubs.

”Sir, what do we do now? Should we head back to town?” Dismas asked. ”We’ve been out for two days, and we don’t know what the situation in town is.”

”No, we’re going to the artillery regiment’s camp,” Lance replied. ”I’m worried something might go wrong if we don’t take them all down.” These remaining stragglers, if left unchecked, might cause more trouble. Not to mention, the Wolf Faction found so much money; the artillery regiment must have even more. If someone else steals it, I’ll be heartbroken!

The group had been through many battles, not to mention directly facing an Aberrant Demon like the Collector, and were, to some extent, exhausted both physically and mentally. Fortunately, with Lance’s ability to boost their condition and the brief rest they just had, they had recovered quite a bit.

When they returned to the battlefield, they discovered an unexpected piece of good fortune. The horses that had run off during the battle had actually returned. In particular, the enemy captain’s tall warhorse was standing obediently beside him, while the other two horses were leisurely grazing on shrubs and grass.

Lance grinned widely as he looked at the three horses. They truly live up to the name of Empire warhorses!

”Reynard, you guys go control them.”

These horses were trained to be docile and obedient, remaining unflustered even at the sound of gunfire. Those with violent tempers simply could not become military horses, so those scenes where the protagonist is the only one able to tame a wild horse are quite unrealistic.

Controlling the horses was straightforward. Two were harnessed to the artillery, the enemy captain was loaded onto his mount, and they set off directly towards the artillery regiment’s camp.

They had departed as a main force, but only a few returned. Luckily, their small number didn’t alarm the remaining bandits, allowing them to approach the regiment’s camp without trouble.

”Stop. There are many hostages inside; we shouldn’t go through the front...” Lance gently set the cubs aside and then laid out the tactics: first, eliminate the sentries, then advance and wipe out the remaining bandits.

Everyone was relatively calm. After all, they had already defeated the Collector. What was there to fear from these bandits?

But Lance’s words made them cautious. ”Underestimating the enemy is a prelude to failure. Haven’t you all seen how the artillery regiment was defeated? Evil is waiting for us to show a weakness.”

Not underestimating the enemy was Lance’s consistent principle. Reality didn’t offer a chance to reload a save. If he hadn’t forcibly pulled Reynard up earlier, Reynard would probably have been laid up for half a month to recover.

Chastened by Lance, the team regrouped.

Dismas and Lance took the lead, sneaking up to the familiar sentry post. Even with a change of guards, their topics of conversation remained just as limited. Their vigilance was so poor that Lance and Dismas took them down before they could even react.

Not many had been left to Defend the Home. The fact that anyone was on guard was already something. Thus, the main gates were wide open, allowing Lance and his group to slip in unnoticed in broad daylight. What could the few people left behind be doing? Lance wondered.

Lance had been slightly concerned that the bandits might put up a fierce resistance, but instead, he found them gathered in a room gambling.

Reynard, dispensing with courtesy, kicked open the door and charged inside. His Longsword swept out, felling the bandits within. In truth, there were only three men. The enemy captain had only left a total of five to Defend the Home.

Yet even now, the group did not let their guard down, systematically searching each area for any possible hostiles.

They soon found the women who had been abducted by the bandits. To say they had been tortured was an understatement; their condition was a dreadful sight. The women showed little reaction to their arrival. Lance, having no time to waste on them, silently closed the door, and the group continued to advance.

”The enemy captain met me over there,” Dismas said.

Under Dismas’s guidance, the team swiftly advanced and quickly reached the most intact building in these ruins.

”Everyone be careful.”

Reynard entered first, with the team following closely behind.

The main hall was empty, so the group moved to the back rooms. When they pushed open a door, they saw a woman sitting on the bed.

The woman’s allure was indeed extraordinary. Her clothes were disheveled, her limbs artfully arranged. Noticing their gazes, she pulled a thin quilt up to cover herself, but this action only served to further reveal her pale white thighs beneath the fabric, a stark and eye-catching sight. Her surprised expression made it seem as if this sudden intrusion of men had frightened her, making her look pitifully vulnerable.

Her tempting appearance immediately caused the men to lose their composure; even Lance experienced a moment of distraction.

OOH~