Shan Yu and Mi Lan adjusted their seating positions and looked at each other.
Hinako wasn't in a better state than them. She turned toward Kogan, but he wasn't surprised; he was simply staring blankly.
Suddenly, another desperate wail echoed before fading into the distance.
"They must have found out about them."
Shan Yu looked toward Kogan and Hinako.
The screams and commotion outside grew louder.
Shan Yu drew two black daggers. "We're going out. You stay here."
Kogan squeezed himself into the corner, covering his head with his hands. Those daggers scared him.
"Tell him not to worry. We'll protect you," Shan Yu said with a smile before opening the carriage door and stepping out with Mi Lan.
After they got off, Mi Lan glanced back at them, smiled, and then closed the carriage door.
"What should we do? We're under attack," Hinako spoke anxiously. She wasn't good at sign language and was making random gestures to explain the situation.
Kogan shook his head, fear and hesitation still written all over his face.
"What's wrong?" Hinako felt confused and lost.
Suddenly, the horse pulling the carriage let out a loud neigh and reared up on its hind legs. The carriage began shaking violently.
"Mi Lan, where are you?!" Hinako cried out as she fell from her seat, screaming.
Kogan clutched his head, remaining frozen in the corner.
After a moment, the sound of the horse vanished, and the carriage stopped shaking.
Footsteps approached from beside the carriage, drawing closer to the door.
The door slowly creaked open.
Both Kogan and Hinako stared at it, their faces filled with fear and tension.
"Welcome, visitors from another world."
A handsome young man with black eyes and black hair spoke in a gentle tone.
Despite his charming appearance and soft voice, the danger lurking in his eyes was undeniable.
Hinako froze in fear—he knew they were people who had transmigrated from another world.
She had wanted to keep this a secret to take advantage of her past life's memories, but this man had already figured it out. That meant everyone here knew.
And that was why no one had ever asked her where she belonged or where she came from.
The young man observed them, analyzing their expressions.
His gaze settled on Kogan, who was cowering in the corner, then he extended his hand toward both of them. "Come with me. If you stay with them, they'll only use you."
Hinako stared at him without saying a word, while Kogan hadn't heard anything at all.
"Well, I'll exploit you too—but in a better way," the young man added when he saw no response from them.
Still met with silence, he sighed. Then, gripping the side of the carriage with his left hand and its bottom with his right, he bent slightly before lifting the entire carriage and shaking it.
"Wait!" Hinako tried to grab onto something, but everything fell to the ground—even Kogan had already tumbled down.
She was like a pea stuck in a bottle, but in the end, she fell as well.
"For a moment, I forgot how I used to get things done," the young man set the carriage back on the ground.
The horse that had been pulling it was split in half, drowning in its own blood.
The atmosphere was dark and pitch-black, filled with the sounds of screams and clashing metal.
"Now, I need you to lose consciousness for me."
The young man released a crushing aura.
Hinako's pupils rolled back as she collapsed, unconscious, and Kogan wasn't in any better condition.
He hoisted them onto his shoulders and dashed away, disappearing into the trees.
Moving with ease and agility, the darkness posed no challenge for him.
Shortly after he started moving, a strong wind brushed against his neck, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Damn," his eyes widened as he clenched his teeth, then, with great difficulty, he leaped to the right at full speed.
At that exact moment, a sharp black dagger whizzed past his neck at terrifying speed.
He was only a few centimeters away from death—had he not moved in time, his head would be on the ground by now.
"Return."
The black dagger spun around and swiftly flew back into its owner's hand.
A powerful man with black hair tied in a ponytail stood there, droplets of blood splattered across his face, his expression heavy.
"Liu Jian, don't you dare," the captain spoke in a serious tone, his body radiating an intense killing intent.
"You abandoned your squad to be slaughtered just to save these strangers?" Liu Jian sneered, still carrying Kogan and Hinako.
"You led your men to their deaths just to get your hands on a couple of outsiders," the captain said as he prepared to attack.
"It's not the same," Liu Jian sighed, then smiled. "Alright then, let's split the loot. You take this great man, and I'll take this weak little girl. No need to thank me."
Liu Jian dropped Kogan to the ground. "Good luck, Captain."
He leaped high into the air, swiftly escaping the scene.
Liu Jian wasn't too surprised by the outcome. He knew he couldn't escape with both of them, so along the way, he analyzed the situation and chose to keep Hinako while getting rid of Kogan.
The Captain gazed at him with a heavy expression. He could still chase after him, but the outcome wouldn't be in his favor.
He had no intention of killing Kogan and Hinako, but Liu Jian wouldn't hesitate to do so. If he pursued him, Leo Jian would kill Hinako without a second thought, forcing a deadly battle between them. In the midst of their fight, Liu Jian would seize the opportunity to eliminate Kogan as well, which would be a great loss for the captain.
Not to mention the possibility of his own defeat—both of them were first-rank warriors, yet neither knew how far the other had advanced beyond that rank.
"At least he left Kogan." The captain stepped forward and carried Kogan on his shoulder.
"He must have discovered that he was defective, and that's why he left him."
The captain arrived carrying the unconscious Kogan to the road.
Goat corpses were scattered on the ground, and some had fled, while all the horses had been killed and every carriage was destroyed.
The worst part was that many human corpses lay across the ground—beheaded, dismembered, and stabbed.
It was bad. Very bad.
Out of the 50 people in the squad, 29 were killed, while the group that attacked them lost only three, slain by the captain.
All these casualties happened just because the captain followed Liu Jian. Had he not done so, the death toll would have barely exceeded the few individuals who were ambushed at the start of the attack.