David Thompson ignored Frank Miller, instead sizing up the man called 'Old Five' from head to toe. After a moment, his brows suddenly furrowed: "Are you Double-Blade Peter Scott?"

The man wielding the twin blades couldn't even be bothered to respond to David Thompson, probably thinking this man was already as good as dead and there was no need to waste words on a dead man.

Instead, Frank Miller let out a chuckle: "You've got quite the sharp eyes, haven't you!"

Standing to the side, William Foster saw David Thompson's frown deepen, realizing that the current situation was even worse than expected.

"To run or not to run? That is the question!"

Just as he was debating whether to play the hero or the coward, a voice sounded from behind: "Oh? There's still a little mutt hiding here? Why does the headcount seem off? Is this a trick?"

Upon hearing the voice, William Foster felt his hair stand on end, especially as the voice drew closer and closer. By the time the last word reached his ears, it sounded as if it was spoken right behind him.

Immediately after, a gust of wind pressed straight toward the back of his head—it was clear that person had made a move against him.

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Chapter 8: All or Nothing

William Foster didn't turn around. He knew that if he did at this moment, not even the gods could save him. The best response now was to dive forward, leaping as far as possible to dodge the attack.

Thinking so, his body acted accordingly. As William Foster leapt forward, he heard a voice behind him: "Huh? The little mutt reacts fast enough!"

He landed with a thud, not even pausing to look back as he rolled forward again, then sprang to his feet and dashed straight toward David Thompson.

Only after this flurry of movements, when he finally reached David Thompson's side, did William Foster turn to look back. Only then did he get a clear look at the man—the fellow was thin and short, with shifty eyes and a hooked nose that made his face look especially odd. At the moment, he was glaring at William Foster with a frosty expression from just over three meters away, clearly not expecting William Foster to react so quickly, never once looking back, but instead bolting forward and dodging his killing blow, leaving him a bit embarrassed.

"That is..."

As William Foster sized him up, he suddenly noticed something in the man's hand. By the firelight, he saw it clearly—it was a human head, the very constable who had just warned him to run.

The short man saw William Foster looking at his hand and snorted: "You'll end up like this soon enough!" With that, he tossed the head straight into the roaring flames nearby.

William Foster didn't reply. He realized that tonight's events were turning out even worse than he'd imagined. Meanwhile, David Thompson frowned and shouted at Frank Miller: "Murdering a constable and attacking Shili Pavilion—Frank Miller, are you rebelling?"

Frank Miller chuckled: "George Thompson, you really live up to your reputation as a man of the yamen. You throw out a huge accusation with just a word—old Bear can't bear such a charge!"

Just as he was about to say more, the silent Peter Scott suddenly interjected: "Be careful, they're stalling for time. Stop wasting words and kill them quickly—don't delay the real business!"

William Foster and David Thompson both turned pale. At that moment, William Foster suddenly realized something: if these people had come to rescue their companions, why hadn't those two shown up? Had they already been rescued?

But David Thompson's next words immediately disproved his guess: "Real business? What real business? Your two companions were burned to death in the cell by the fire you set. If you weren't here to rescue them... why have you bandits suddenly teamed up? What are you really after?"

William Foster glanced toward the jail—the fire there had died down, the building reduced to ruins. It must have been the first place to catch fire, and after burning so long, there was nothing left to burn.

"Tingzheng..."

Just as he was about to ask, he heard David Thompson quietly instruct: "In a moment, run straight to the council hall. There's a secret passage behind the main seat—go open the entrance. I'll hold them off here. If they kill me, you run. Once inside, slap the third protruding stone on the left to seal the entrance, then follow the passage and don't look back. Wait at the exit once you're out..."

"Alright!"

William Foster knew this was no time for hesitation. Saying something like 'I'm not leaving!' would only make things worse. Even if he didn't want to be the coward who abandoned his comrade, he had to open the secret passage first.

"Go!"

David Thompson nodded, grabbed his long saber, and charged straight at the nearest short man. He'd already noticed this guy's impressive agility—if he didn't hold him back, William Foster would have little chance of escaping his pursuit.

But as well as he planned, the others weren't statues—they wouldn't just let David Thompson succeed. So as soon as David Thompson moved, Frank Miller and Peter Scott sprang into action too.

Apparently, for the sake of the 'big job,' Frank Miller didn't insist on a one-on-one with David Thompson this time, but teamed up with Peter Scott to attack. A long staff came crashing down toward David Thompson's head, while Peter Scott's twin blades flashed like silver, aiming for his lower body.