Chapter 16 – Betrayal and Ambush

“Damn it… This is a disaster.”

Goo Yang-cheol was grinding his teeth, remembering the terrible night before.

The wolves were far more dangerous than he expected. They were strong, smarter than normal, and even used tactics like humans—attacking, retreating, and then ambushing again when defenses dropped.

By the time they killed all the wolves, the sun had already risen. Everyone was exhausted and had barely slept. Though most of his teammates had only minor injuries, they looked terrible, covered in bite marks and scratches.

So far, the escort mission had been one disaster after another: the supply wagon burned, items stolen, and now the wolf attack. It was almost unbelievable how many things had gone wrong.

The only small success was that they now had wolf meat, so at least they wouldn’t starve before reaching their destination.

But the exhaustion was overwhelming. Even eating felt like too much effort.

Just then, his assistant leader, Chul-gyun, came to report.

“Something’s strange, sir.”

“What is it?”

“The area is too quiet. And… I saw wagon tracks ahead of us.”

That meant someone else had passed through before them.

“Is that really unusual?” Goo Yang-cheol asked.

“Well… I thought I should report it. Also, the person who had been watching us from a distance… is gone.”

That was strange. There had always been someone silently observing their group from behind, likely an examiner. But now that person was missing.

“Probably got eaten by the wolves or ran away,” Goo Yang-cheol said. “Don’t worry. Just stay alert. Who knows what might happen next?”

“You think bandits might show up?”

“Wouldn’t be surprising.”

They also hadn’t received any letters from Hong Goo-hyun, their contact. Goo Yang-cheol grumbled that the old man must be losing his mind.

He went to check the tracks himself. There were wagon and foot marks—clear signs that a group had passed by. Someone important might be traveling through the mountains. Maybe even royalty?

He considered whether this group was related to them. But given how openly they left tracks, it probably wasn’t.

Then he wondered—what if this was actually from the Jin Family? What if they were ahead of them, watching from a distance?

That would explain the missing observer.

Goo Yang-cheol nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Looking around, he noticed something else: many of the people who had started the journey had dropped out. Between the heat, hunger, and the battle, only a handful remained—mostly just his own squad.

If this were a normal mission, losing that many people would mean automatic failure.

But Goo Yang-cheol wasn’t worried. He believed Hong Goo-hyun would protect them. After all, they were the ones who survived and killed the wolves. It was the Jin Family’s fault for bringing those useless thugs into the mission.

At that moment, the gang leader who had been helping with the wagons shouted from the back.

“Let’s eat already!”

“We’re almost there. Wait.”

“What, you want to see us drop dead from hunger? Just give us some wolf meat!”

Goo Yang-cheol glared at him, expecting him to back down. But the gang leader didn’t flinch. Instead, he stared back—confident and bold.

This irritated Goo Yang-cheol. He turned his horse around and rode toward the gang.

“You want to die?”

The threat was so intense that everyone around froze. But the gang leader just laughed nervously, trying to act tough.

“You always say that. Kill me, then! I’m done! I quit!”

“What?!”

“You treat us like garbage. We’re not doing this anymore.”

Then, boldly, the gang leader turned and walked off. The rest of the gang, seeing his confidence, followed him. They even smiled as they left, happy to be free.

“Fine! Let those nobles do the hard work now!”

The gang ran off down the mountain, leaving only Goo Yang-cheol’s squad to deal with the wagons.

Some of the squad were ready to chase them down, but Goo Yang-cheol raised a hand.

“Leave them. They’re not our concern. Once this is over, we’ll hunt them down.”

Then he ordered:

“You there. Pull the remaining wagon. We’re going fast. No more delays.”

Some of the guards got off their horses to help move the wagon. But then they noticed something strange—a weird smell.

Not rotting meat this time, but something dangerous.

“Is that… oil?”

It was flammable oil (maenghwayu)—and it was leaking from one of the jars inside the wagon the gang had been pulling.

Before anyone could react—

BOOM!

A huge explosion erupted as the oil caught fire. The blast sent people flying, injuring several of them badly. Goo Yang-cheol stood frozen, watching in disbelief.

“What just happened?!”

“It was the gang! They broke the oil jar and set it on fire!”

He clenched his teeth in rage. This wasn’t just a random accident—it was sabotage.

Why would the gang do this? They knew they’d be hunted down. Was it really just rage?

Then he remembered the gang leader’s face. The man who had once been scared into silence had suddenly grown bold. That wasn’t natural.

Something was wrong.

Looking around, he realized something else—only his squad remained. All others had left. Was this… intentional?

Then something round flew through the air.

Bang!

A smoke bomb exploded, releasing choking gas that made their bodies weak and slow. Their noses ran, their mouths drooled—it was a Sacheondang Clan’s special weapon.

Despite the surprise, Goo Yang-cheol quickly swung his sword, using his inner power to clear the smoke.

As the air cleared, he saw them.

Warriors of the Jin Family surrounded them in a circle. And at the center stood one man—calm and still, with deep, terrifying eyes.

Jin Cheon-woo.

The youngest son of the Luoyang Jin Family.

He looked at Goo Yang-cheol and smirked coldly.