Chapter 652: Eight-Gun Captain

The two ordered drinks and found a table to sit down and continue chatting.

During this period, Captain Rads not only recounted the rewards he received at the Red Water Camp after the serial murder case in Midehillburg was solved, but also, as agreed, gave Xia De 90% of the bonus, which was 90 pounds in banknotes.

"Captain, after you returned to the camp, did anyone mention the 'Eight-Gun Captain' matter in front of you again?"

Captain Rads had already walked out of this matter, so Xia De dared to ask like this. Sure enough, this middle-aged military officer just looked very worried, but he wasn't depressed:

"Of course someone will mention it, but the situation is much better than I thought. After all, I returned because I made a contribution in Tobesk. Being captured by those Kasenrike people was indeed something that happened, so I accept this reality."

"Speaking of which, I've always been curious, where exactly did you enter the battlefield? I haven't heard of any war breaking out in the Xikar Mountain area in the last six months."

Xia De asked in a low voice. Captain Rads looked left and right before answering:

"Although there is no war, we and the soldiers on the other side of the mountain will occasionally have conflicts. Let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it; that's a very shameful thing, let it pass."

The Captain originally planned to take Xia De hunting in the mountains, but it had just rained a few days ago, and the muddy roads in the mountain area were not easy to walk, so he had to give up. But Xia De still asked the Captain about the terrain of the Xikar Mountains, wanting to get that witcher's sword before Miss Afurola arrived locally.

But Captain Rads couldn't show him the militarized map in the camp, because that map and sand table were in Brigadier General Carter's barracks. Although he could dictate it and draw the general appearance of the mountain area on the table with water, it wasn't intuitive after all.

So, Xia De asked about the location of Brigadier General Carter's barracks by beating around the bush. Captain Rads probably didn't understand, or understood but pretended not to understand, and drew a detailed schematic of the Red Water Camp for him.

Almost every functional building was in that military camp—blacksmith shop, kitchen, prayer room, etc. —and Brigadier General Carter's barracks were not in the center of the military camp, but adjacent to the almost vertical cliff.

If entering from the entrance of the military camp, one would have to pass through the entire training ground and pass through three checkpoints before reaching there. It could be said that except for the few buildings Captain Rads was unwilling to disclose, this barracks with a precise Xikar Mountain map and sand table was located in the deepest part of the Red Water Camp.

The two didn't talk too much about the camp, but sat there chatting about the differences between here and Tobesk. This kind of topic easily killed time. It wasn't until someone pushed open the tavern door hurriedly and asked Captain Rads to return to the camp quickly that it was already 4:30 in the afternoon.

"What happened?"

The Captain patted the young corporal on the shoulder:

"Did Lieutenant Xiuton, who stole the camp's finances a few days ago, escape? That won't do; the people escorting him back to Tobesk haven't arrived yet."

"It's not that. Captain, the steam engine that broke down a few days ago has problems again. Some fool added No. 1 power coal and No. 3 power coal together."

"Oh, my God, when will those young people who just enlisted remember to bring their brains with them from their hometowns along with their luggage."

The Captain cursed and stood up, and after bidding farewell to Xia De, he hurriedly followed the sweating corporal back to the camp.

Xia De sat there unhurriedly finishing the cider in his hand before getting up and leaving the traveler camp.

Standing under the road sign of the Wind-Rising Path, he looked up at the Red Water Camp standing high above.

【What do you want to do?】

"What do you think?"

Xia De left the main road and walked into the mountain forest.

The nameless small hill where the Red Water Camp was located was probably 50 feet (about 15.24m) high, which was as high as a five-story building. Except for the side with stairs, trestle roads, and verandas, the other sides were slopes where the mountain body and the ground were at an angle greater than 70 degrees, and the cliff behind Brigadier General Carter's barracks was almost completely vertical to the ground. Even a flexible animal like Little Mia wouldn't want to climb up easily.

【Perhaps you shouldn't underestimate that cat.】

"She" said with a smile.

When Xia De bypassed the small hill in the forest and came to the bottom of the vertical cliff, he found that the situation was much better than he had thought. Although the cliff was indeed steep, there were not many loose soil components in the soil layer of this small hill; instead, blocky rocks protruded on the cliff.

So, about five minutes later, a pair of hands had quietly appeared on top of the wooden fence on the cliff side.

Afterward, a human head slowly "rose" from behind the fence on that side of the cliff. Xia De, who completed the mountaineering activity using "Lagley's Leap" and "Frog's Leap," looked around very cautiously, wanting to determine if anyone had seen him.

But this position was completely blocked by the two-story stone building in front, and Xia De couldn't see anyone, and no one could see him anymore.

"Very good."

Jumping over the fence, he put on a mask, and then changed his clothes. This small building that hadn't been painted and looked very simple was the barracks of the military commander here, Brigadier General Carter. And according to Captain Rads' description, the sand table and map should both be on the second floor.

"I have no reason to enter from the first floor."

So, after climbing the mountain, Xia De started climbing the wall again. Fortunately, compared to the 50-foot-high cliff just now, the height of the two-story building was something he could almost touch with one jump.

Still climbing on the window with both hands, he only dared to flip into the room after confirming no one was there.

Because of Captain Rads' help, he found the right window. The sand table was placed in the center of the room, with towering sand explaining the terrain, and small flags and various metal models to refer to the iconic buildings on the Xikar Mountains. And that map was hung on the west wall, with a cabinet below it holding mirrors, fountain pens, letters, and a pistol.

Xia De walked to the wall and scanned the map hurriedly:

"Did you remember it?"

【Remembered.】

"That's good... there are footsteps!"

He took out the 【Corpse-Hiding Mirror】 from his pocket, then reached out to touch the mirror on the cabinet and walked in. A few seconds later, a middle-aged man in leather boots and military uniform walked in, took a look at the window, walked to the wall to take down the binoculars, and then walked out again, also very civic-mindedly closing the door.

"Go, go, go."

Xia De, who had achieved his goal, "jumped" out from the mirror, turned around, and was about to jump out directly from the window with a standard diving posture. But at this moment, a huge noisy sound came from outside. Xia De thought he had been discovered, but the sound seemed to come from the training ground outside.

"What happened?"

He hesitated for a moment, and with curiosity, came to the window on the side facing the military camp, leaned his body against the wall, and picked open a gap in the drawn curtains to look outside.

Brigadier General Carter's barracks were located at the highest point of the entire Red Water Camp. Except for the defensive sentry tower, there was no building higher than this in the military camp. Here, one could see the training ground in the distance at a glance, and see a group of people gathered together on the training ground, with grain piles beside them.

Although Xia De couldn't hear what they were saying specifically, he could see Captain Rads and another military officer he didn't know standing together, each holding a gun aimed at the sky, while the people around were booing.

"What are they doing?"

*Bang! *

The gun muzzle of that strange military officer sprayed bullets. Xia De only then realized they were shooting at the birds in the sky. It was the season for migratory birds to fly south, and although sparrows didn't fly south, they were also relatively active in autumn. A convoy composed of five carriages was unloading goods on one side of the training ground, and those grains were scattered on the ground, attracting bold animals to attack constantly from the sky.

Therefore, even a pistol had a possibility of hitting a high-altitude target.

The first shot of the strange military officer didn't hit the target. The sound of the gun made the animals coveting those grains fly to a higher altitude, but soon they lowered their altitude again.

Seeing Captain Rads also preparing to aim and shoot, Xia De smiled and took out the Mind Crystal Ring from his pocket:

"Let me help the Captain."

Fingers pointed at those small birds flying at low altitude. 【Mind Blast】 was stronger the closer it was to the target. And at such a distance, even if the other party was just a sparrow with pitifully weak mental power, it would at most make their movements pause for a moment, but that was enough.

"Mind Blast!"

Watching the timing of Captain Rads' shot, Xia De, hiding behind the window, "pointed" at the air outside with 【Mind Blast】 just right. Mind Blast could only attack one target at a time, but under "Divine Radiance," it could attack multiple targets at once. As Xia De made his move, although that flock of sparrows didn't collectively faint, they were unable to make any agile dodging movements for an instant.

"Hit!"

Cheers came from the training ground outside. Captain Rads' marksmanship was still very accurate; shooting at a "fixed target" in the sky was no difficulty for him.

Xia De behind the window also laughed, and seeing the Captain raise his gun again while the strange military officer waited on the side, he stretched out his finger again:

"Mind Blast!"

Another gunshot rang out, and then the sparrows preparing to steal grain fell toward the ground. The soldiers watching cheered together again. The Captain smiled and scratched his head, raising his pistol for the third time.

"That's fine, Eight-Gun Captain, right? Captain, remember to thank me."

He muttered in his heart, and Xia De cooperated with Captain Rads to fire six more shots, totaling eight sparrows hit by the Captain with eight bullets. Afterward, he left. As for whether the Captain wanted to continue shooting, it had nothing to do with him.

But from today on, another story related to the "Eight-Gun Captain" would probably spread in the Red Water Camp. Xia De sincerely hoped that what he did could make his friend live better. Captain Rads was a good person, and good people deserved a better life. This had always been the Outsider's thought, even in this eerie world of steam and hazy mist, he still thought so. ===== CHAPTER 653 =====