235 The Rescue
Aldrich’s POV:
When Dorothy told me that the mind link had been cut off, I knew things had gotten out of control.
I immediately decided to go to the rescue, but Master Mary stopped me.
“Calm down, General Aldrich,” she emphasized my identity. “You know better than I do how dangerous it is to attack when we don’t know whether the enemy is friend or foe. There are still so many members waiting for your instructions in the base and the ruins. Once you leave now, everything will be in chaos, and it won’t help anything.”
f𝒓𝑒e𝓌e𝚋𝘯૦𝘷e𝗹. c૦𝒎
I understood the current situation better than she did, but this did not weaken my determination to save Selma.
I gathered all the team members in the remains and assigned them their tasks.
The three bases were our important supply stations and retreat points. We couldn’t lose them or panic. We must maintain a state of readiness and be ready to provide reinforcements at any time.
The value of the witch clan’s ruins wasn’t that great anymore. Most books, antiques, and other items have been packed and backed up and could be discarded anytime. Therefore, only a small team of members was left there to guard the place. If anything happened to the main force, they would meet up with the reinforcements from the three bases to further support or retreat.
There were only about eighty members and a few werewolf grandmasters left. Based on the information that Selma had sent back, the human team had about a hundred people, and at least forty were armed. In terms of combat power, we were on par.
However, Master Mary judged that the other party must have at least one powerful witch or wizard. Master Kevin’s strength was almost the same as Master Mary’s, and even he could not resist it. Master Mary was not confident in winning against the other party, not to mention the other werewolf grandmasters who were good at research.
From the looks of it, we were at a disadvantage.
The reinforcements from the palace had already set off, but they would only arrive at night even if they used the fastest speed. Selma and the rest of the team had less chance of survival every minute we waited. We must immediately set off to rescue them.
A head-on confrontation was not a wise move, but stealth was also a werewolf’s specialty.
We’d first lead the rescue team to the public order squad’s base.
Eve was waiting anxiously. She said that when she saw Selma’s squadron being attacked, the public order squad had wanted to go to the rescue, but Selma had sent out a dangerous retreat signal. They had no choice but to observe the news from the periphery, but they did not gain much.
“We’ve been tricked,” she said in a depressed and self-reproaching tone. “There’s a smokescreen outside the human camp. The humans broadcasted all the camping activities we’ve observed over the past few days for us to see. We waited for a few days until the group of humans brought Selma and the others back to the camp. Only then did we realize that the men on guard outside the camp were cooking in the camp simultaneously! I’m willing to accept any punishment for my oversight.”
Dorothy was even more reproachful, “I should have seen through it. I could have been the one to make it happen!”
“It’s not your fault,” I said. “It’s my and Frank’s negligence. We shouldn’t have let down our guard against humans, especially these strange humans.”
The smokescreen was still in effect. We could only see the humans in the camp chatting and playing cards, but I knew that the reality hidden behind this illusion could be bloody.
How was Selma now?
Did those humans do anything to her?
Whenever I thought about the cruel torture the humans would do and the treatment Selma might suffer, I felt like a knife was cutting my heart. I constantly berated myself for my carelessness.
I’d dealt with so many humans, and I knew their means. How could I be at ease with her bringing a few members to the human camp? I’d seen so many schemes and plots. I should have known that the traitor Yuri was deliberately luring Selma into a trap! I should have discovered his betrayal long ago!
“Hey, relax.” Master Mary gave me a nudge. “Stay calm. Don’t let your anxiety mess up your judgment.”
Calm down.
In a situation where the enemy’s situation was unknown, rashly attacking was an act of asking for death. After trying every method but still being unable to break through the barrier of the concealment technique, I realized that I only had one choice left.
Tonight was the night of the full moon, and the night was the moon’s home. Under the moonlight, the strength of the werewolves would increase exponentially. Even bullets couldn’t penetrate our fur, which was tougher than steel.
We’d decided to go to the other side of the mountain, the other side of the canyon passage, and take advantage of the night to attack the human camp from above.
The snow hitting our faces was more painful than steel needles, and the cold rocks tried to stick us to their rugged bodies forever. However, this pain was nothing compared to the earlier feelings in my heart. I didn’t even dare to think about the treatment Selma might have to suffer. The pain and blood in my imagination were like red cloth that attracted the bullfighting bull. Just one look at it would cause my heart to ache so much that I would go crazy.
The sun set, and the stars and moon filled the sky.
The night came quietly.
The team members quietly changed their shifts and formed a wolf formation. I wanted to give the order to attack, but I stopped when Morgan came out.
The camouflage disappeared, and the human camp vanished with it. There were only ancient carriages left in the open snowfield. They were lined up in a row and galloped toward the shadow of the mandrill.
Under the moonlight, I could see the figures pulling the carriage.
They were many wolves with distorted bodies!
