AWB Chapter 207 The Haze Returns
Chapter 207 The Haze Returns
Chang'an City was immersed in the joy of victory, and the people sang and danced to celebrate the hard-won peace. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui stood on the city wall, overlooking the jubilant crowd, with a lot of emotion in their hearts.
"Taotao, look, this is the Chang'an we protect." Hu Bugui gently hugged Wu Tao's shoulders and pointed to the lively scene in the city. "Their smiles are because of us."
Wu Tao smiled slightly, but still had a trace of vigilance in his heart, "Yes, we won, but this victory was not easy. We can't let our guard down. Who knows what conspiracies those people hiding in the dark might have?"
Hu Bugui knew Wu Tao's worries very well. He nodded and his expression became serious. "Don't worry, I have strengthened the city's defenses and secretly sent people to investigate the details of that mysterious organization. As long as I am alive, I will never let them have the chance to hurt Chang'an or you again."
Wu Tao held Hu Bugui's hand with her backhand, feeling the warmth of his palm, and felt more at ease. "I believe you."
In the following days, Chang'an City returned to its former prosperity and bustle. However, this peace did not last long, and an atmosphere of uneasiness began to spread in the air.
First, villagers in several villages outside the city disappeared one after another. Then, some people working outside the city also disappeared mysteriously without any news. For a time, all kinds of rumors spread in the city, and people were in panic.
"If he doesn't return, what will happen to those missing villagers and people..." Wu Tao frowned, feeling vaguely uneasy.
Hu Bugui nodded solemnly, "I have sent people to investigate, but there are no clues yet. Those people seem to have evaporated from the face of the earth, leaving no trace."
"Could it be related to that mysterious organization?" Wu Tao thought of his previous experience fighting with the mysterious organization, and an ominous premonition surged in his heart.
Hu Bugui was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "We cannot be sure yet, but we cannot rule out this possibility. It seems that we must prepare for the worst."
As night fell, Chang'an City was shrouded in an eerie silence. Hu Bugui stood in front of the window, looking at the dark night sky in the distance, his brows furrowed, his mind full of thoughts.
"Your Highness, are you still worried about the missing people?" a guard asked in a low voice.
Hu Bugui didn't turn around, but just responded calmly, "Yeah."
"I heard that those missing people were all strong young men..." The guard hesitated to speak.
"What do you want to say?" Hu Bugui turned around and looked at the guard sharply.
"Your subordinate... Your subordinate just feels that this matter is too strange, I'm afraid..." The guard's voice became lower and lower, and finally almost inaudible.
"What are you afraid of?" Hu Bugui asked, with a barely perceptible hint of anxiety in his tone.
The guard took a deep breath and said with courage: "I'm afraid... it has something to do with that mysterious organization."
The guard's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Hu Bugui's ears. He turned around abruptly, his eyes as sharp as a knife, "Where did you hear that?"
The guard was frightened by Hu Bugui's momentum and knelt down hurriedly. "Your Highness, I have also heard rumors from the people in the city that those missing people were arrested to do something secret, and those who did these things were the remnants of the mysterious organization before."
"Asshole! How dare you say such groundless things!" Hu Bugui shouted angrily, but his heart was also in turmoil. Although the guard's words were just rumors, they coincided with his guess.
"Your Highness, please calm down. I know I was wrong!" The guard was trembling with fear.
Hu Bugui took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart. "Get up, I will investigate this matter myself. Without my order, no one is allowed to discuss this matter again. Those who violate the order will be severely punished!"
"Yes!" The guard retreated quickly as if he had been pardoned.
Hu Bugui stood alone in the study, frowning, lost in thought. The strangeness of the disappearance, plus the rumors of the guards, all pointed to that mysterious organization. Could it be that they really revived and made a comeback? If so, what was their purpose?
"Bugui, what are you thinking about?" Wu Tao's voice interrupted Hu Bugui's thoughts.
"Taotao, you're here." Hu Bugui came back to his senses, welcomed Wu Tao into the study, and told her the rumors of the guards and his own guesses.
After hearing this, Wu Tao frowned and said, "It seems that our guess is correct. The mysterious organization has not been completely eliminated."
"I have sent people to investigate those missing cases, and I believe there will be results soon," said Hu Bugui.
"If they don't come back, we can't just sit there and wait for death. We must take the initiative to find out their purpose so that we can prevent any disaster from happening." Wu Tao suggested.
Hu Bugui nodded in agreement. "You are right. Let's go to the Ministry of Justice now to see what they have found."
The Minister of Justice reported the results of the investigation to Hu Bugui and Wu Tao, confirming that the disappearances were indeed related to the mysterious organization. They found a piece of cloth engraved with a special symbol in the home of one of the missing villagers, and this symbol was the logo of the mysterious organization.
"It seems that they have really made a comeback." Hu Bugui's face was gloomy, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. "We must find their base as soon as possible and find out their purpose."
According to the clues provided by the Ministry of Justice, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao led a team of elite guards to secretly investigate outside the city. They followed the location of the disappearance and finally found something unusual outside a deserted village.
"Your Highness, Princess, the deserted village is ahead. We have already explored it and found that there is no one in the village, but..." A guard pointed to the mark on a crooked tree at the entrance of the village and said in a low voice, "But we found this at the entrance of the village."
Hu Bugui and Wu Tao walked closer and saw that on the crooked tree, there was a familiar symbol engraved - the logo of a mysterious organization!
"It seems that we have found the right place." Hu Bugui's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and he said to Wu Tao, "Taotao, be careful, let's go in and take a look."
The two men and their guards walked carefully into the deserted village. The dilapidated houses and barren fields all exuded a strange atmosphere. They searched the village for a while and finally found the entrance to the underground secret passage in a seemingly ordinary house.
"There really is something fishy!" Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other and knew in their hearts that the real secret was hidden underground.
The two entered the secret passage without hesitation, and walked along the narrow and dark passage to a heavy stone door. Hu Bugui pushed the stone door open, and suddenly the view in front of him was clear, and a spacious underground space appeared in front of them.
This underground space was brightly lit, filled with all kinds of weapons, armor, and even a lot of well-made crossbows and poison arrows! In the center of the space, there was a huge stone table with a sheepskin map on it. Several important locations were marked on the map, which were the water sources and granaries near Chang'an City!
"What do they want to do?" Wu Tao looked at the mark on the map and had an ominous premonition in his heart.
"It seems that they want to..." Hu Bugui's face turned pale and he was about to speak when suddenly, a loud "boom" was heard and the entire underground space shook violently.
"Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!" Hu Bugui realized what was happening, grabbed Wu Tao's hand, turned around and ran out.
However, it was too late. The stone door behind them slammed shut, completely blocking their retreat!
"Bugui!" Wu Tao exclaimed and was held tightly in Hu Bugui's arms.
"Don't be afraid, Taotao, I will protect you!" Hu Bugui hugged Wu Tao tightly, looking forward with a firm gaze. There, countless sharp arrows broke through the air, carrying the breath of death, surrounding them... The sharp arrows were like rain, with a sharp sound of breaking through the air, and they attacked the two of them. Hu Bugui waved the sword in his hand, and the sword light flashed, blocking the arrows shot at him and Wu Tao one by one. But his two fists were no match for four hands, and the dense rain of arrows made him overwhelmed. In order to avoid the arrows, Wu Tao slipped and accidentally sprained his ankle.
"Taotao!" Hu Bugui's heart tightened when he saw this. He quickly protected her behind him and swung his sword a little faster.
"I'm fine, be careful!" Wu Tao endured the pain in his ankle, took out a dagger from his waist, and looked around vigilantly.
The two were trapped back to back in an underground space full of traps, and the situation was extremely critical.
"What should we do? Are we going to die here today?" Wu Tao looked at the men in black who were approaching from all sides, and a trace of despair rose in his heart.
"Don't be afraid, Taotao, I won't let anything happen to you." Hu Bugui's voice was calm and firm, as if it carried a magical power that gradually calmed Wu Tao's originally panicked heart.
While fending off the attack from the men in black, he observed the surroundings, trying to find a way to escape. Suddenly, he focused his eyes and found that there seemed to be a brick in the corner that was slightly different in color from the rest of the wall.
"Taotao, cover me!" Hu Bugui said in a low voice, then took advantage of the gap between the attacks of the man in black, jumped up and slapped the stone brick with his palm.
With a loud "boom", the stone bricks shattered, revealing a pitch-black hole.
"Let's go!" Hu Bugui grabbed Wu Tao's hand and went into the cave without hesitation.
The two groped forward in the darkness. After an unknown amount of time, they finally saw a ray of light ahead.
"Taotao, we are saved!" A hint of joy appeared on Hu Bugui's face, and he pulled Wu Tao and quickened his pace.
The two rushed out of the cave and found themselves in a forest. Behind them was a blazing fire. It was Hu Bugui who ignited the gunpowder in the underground space in order to stop the men in black from chasing them.
"Cough cough..." Wu Tao coughed violently, his face pale, obviously having inhaled a lot of smoke.
"Taotao, how are you?" Hu Bugui asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, just..." Wu Tao said, looking down at his sprained ankle, frowning slightly.
"I'll carry you." Hu Bugui picked up Wu Tao and left without saying a word.
"Bugui, let me go, I can walk by myself." Wu Tao said while struggling.
"Don't be so stubborn. Your ankle needs immediate treatment." Hu Bugui's tone was gentle, but with unquestionable firmness.
Wu Tao stopped talking and leaned her head gently on Hu Bugui's back, feeling the warmth and sense of security from him.
"Bugui, do you think they will come back again?" After a moment's silence, Wu Tao asked softly.
"Yes." Hu Bugui said firmly, "Although we managed to escape this time, we did not damage their foundation. They will definitely come back again."
"Then what should we do?" There was a hint of worry in Wu Tao's voice.
"Don't worry, Taotao, I already have a plan..." Hu Bugui's voice was low and powerful, revealing a reassuring power.
Chapter 207 The Haze Returns
Chang'an City was still prosperous. People were coming and going on the streets, and the sounds of hawking and laughter were intertwined, as if the previous crisis had never happened. However, when Wu Tao and Hu Bugui returned to the palace, they were shrouded in a lingering haze.
"They won't let it go." Wu Tao gently stroked the teacup in his hand, with a hint of solemnity in his tone.
Hu Bugui put down the book in his hand, his deep eyes fell on the peach blossoms blooming outside the window, and said in a steady tone: "I know. Although we have escaped this time, we must find out their purpose before we can completely eradicate them."
Both of them knew that the tentacles of the mysterious organization had already penetrated deep into the court and the underworld, and it would be difficult to eradicate them. They had to proceed cautiously and carefully.
In the next few days, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui secretly visited several people who had contact with the mysterious organization, trying to piece together more information about them. However, these people either knew very little about the mysterious organization or had been killed, and the clues were like a kite with a broken string, with no trace to be found.
Just when the two were at a loss, the butler of the palace suddenly came to report: "Your Majesty, there is a child outside the door claiming to have something important to ask for, and left this."
The butler handed a sealed envelope to Hu Bugui. Hu Bugui took the envelope and frowned slightly. There was no signature on the envelope, only the words "From Your Majesty".
He opened the envelope, took out the letter inside, unfolded it, and his face suddenly became solemn. Seeing this, Wu Tao also came forward and saw a few lines of beautiful handwriting on the letter:
"I have long heard that Your Highness is a chivalrous man who loves to help others. I have something to tell you today. I hope Your Highness will take note of it. The mysterious organization is called 'Shadow'. Its goal is to overthrow the government and plot a rebellion. They will be making major moves in the coming days. I hope Your Highness will take precautions."
At the end of the letter, there was no signature, only an exquisite peach blossom painted in ink.
"'Shadow'? Subverting the government?" Wu Tao repeated the contents of the letter in a low voice, his heart filled with shock and confusion, "Who wrote this letter? Why did they tell us this?"
Hu Bugui held the letter in his hand, a cold light flashed in his deep eyes: "No matter who wrote this letter, at least one thing is certain, the existence of 'Shadow' is indeed a huge threat. We must find their lair as soon as possible and stop them!"
This anonymous letter, like a flash of lightning in the dark night, illuminates the road ahead, but also brings greater mystery and crisis. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui realize that a more thrilling battle is about to begin...