Chapter 38: Mad Dog

"What do you mean?" Vincent frowned slightly. "Are you telling me that I, fucking hell, was down there helping them escape?"

At this, Vincent's face turned extremely ugly.

His subordinates could be useless, but they could not be fools.

Vincent had been standing right there giving orders and waiting for Robin's news, and yet these people were telling him they had found his scent down below?

"When we went down, to prevent the scents from getting mixed up, we used scent-revealing dust. It identified five distinct scents, and all the dogs memorized the scents of these five people before we let them track them."

"This kind of scent-revealing dust has a particular trait: it only reveals the scent of the human body. It's insensitive to perfume, soap, and clothing, so what the dogs remember is purely human scent..."

"Its drawback is that once used, the dogs' noses become much more sensitive. If the enemy takes a repetitive route, the dogs can't tell where the scent is strong or where it is faint; to the dogs, the scent feels equally strong everywhere."

"Why the commander's scent was down there, I don't know."

The soldier looked completely innocent.

"Damn it, its nose must be broken!"

Seeing that the dog was still barking wildly, Vincent lunged forward and delivered a kick.

"Awoo..."

The dog let out a miserable yelp.

Bang!

The dog, along with the handler holding its leash, was sent flying. The dog slammed into the wall, clearly not going to survive.

Even the soldier who had just offered the explanation crashed into the wall as well.

After falling from the wall, he wore a look of agony, his face twisted in pain, clearly having taken a heavy toll from that kick.

Everyone present looked at Vincent with dread. The marquis's son was truly utterly brutal.

The soldier's superior lowered his head, wanting to clench his fists and punch Vincent, but he didn't dare!

He didn't think the soldier had done anything wrong; the soldier was merely following orders.

Dogs like that, and soldiers capable of handling such dogs, were not easy to train. Yet with just one kick from Vincent, a good dog was dead!

"What about the rest of you? Get your asses out to the courtyard! I want to see how the hell you managed to lose the people," Vincent roared.

Soon, a group of dirt-covered soldiers lined up in the stronghold's courtyard, many of them holding dogs on leashes.

When Vincent appeared, all the dogs began barking frantically at him.

"Hmm?" Vincent frowned slightly, sensing that something was not quite right.

A single dog might have a malfunctioning nose, but an entire pack of dogs...

"What on earth is that scent-revealing dust? I didn't go down there, so why could it still reveal my scent?" Vincent grabbed the company commander by the collar, hoisting him into the air, his voice chillingly cold. "Did one of my brothers or sisters go with them? Were they taken hostage?"

The company commander hung limply in mid-air, not daring to resist, and could only force a helpless smile. "Well... even with twins, the scents are different. Everyone's scent is unique... Aside from the people present, it can also reveal... um, the scent of anyone you've been intimate with. As long as you've been intimate with someone within the past five days, the scent will linger..."

"Within five days..."

Vincent's pupils constricted. He slammed the company commander down onto the ground and barked furiously, "Why the fuck didn't you say so earlier?"

Bang!

The company commander was rattled to his core, nearly coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"It—it was my failure of duty..." The company commander kept his head lowered, staring at the ground.

Say so earlier?

Did you give me a chance just now?

Grand Duke Benito, please hurry over here.

As long as you come, I will take my soldiers and swear allegiance to you!

Vincent, this mad dog, is not worth serving!

***

After Robin and his group arrived at the new stronghold, they first tended to their wounds, temporarily saving their lives.

Among them, Matthew's injuries were the most severe; he likely wouldn't be able to participate in combat for quite some time.

This stronghold was no longer an underground tunnel, but rather the basement of a coffee shop.

Robin realized that Vulsiny was truly riddled with basements. Ordinary people used them to store grain, wineries used them to keep their wine, and spy agencies took advantage of this convenience to conceal themselves in such places.

Once his wounds were dressed, Robin called the assassin over.

"Never mind Team Leader Matthew for now; let him rest properly. I am the deputy team leader he appointed, and for all subsequent operations, take your orders temporarily from me." Robin flashed the document Matthew had signed for him.

"Understood, Deputy Team Leader." The assassin still respected Robin's strength.

Although he didn't know Robin's combat record during his escape, a First-Class Silver Wing Medal was definitely earned with blood.

"What instructions do you all have from higher-ups?" Robin asked.

"Our team's instructions were to do everything possible to help you get out of the city and rendezvous with the main force. Later, we received another message saying you might have encountered difficulties, telling us to find a way to help rescue you, and then to cooperate with other teams in inciting protests among the city's residents," the assassin said.

"And now? Am I still supposed to get out of the city?" Robin continued to ask.

"This... I'm not sure. Should we contact superiors? There is a sonic telegraph transmitter here." The assassin shook his head. "Our team's command authority has already been transferred to Team Leader Matthew. I have no right to use the transmitter now; it requires either his signature or yours."

Robin fell into deep thought.

To be honest, he harbored a slight sense of dread toward this sonic telegraph transmitter.

Only those who had truly experienced it understood how difficult underground work was back then—a moment of carelessness could mean total destruction.

Certain intelligence, no matter how difficult the circumstances at the time, even at the risk of exposure and death, had to be transmitted.

"Transmit it!"

Robin decisively issued the order. "I will state the course of events in detail, transmit it all!"

Things were different now compared to back then. In the past, the city was crawling with vehicles searching for telegraph transmitters, but now, the main streets were filled with protesting crowds.

Even as night fell, they showed no signs of stopping.

Amidst such chaos, he believed that transmitters scattered all over the city would keep sending messages, which would also limit the enemy's progress in tracking down Robin and the others.

Furthermore, Robin believed that at this juncture, his personal safety was probably no longer the priority.

"Yes!" the assassin acknowledged.

"Also, have the stationed troops made any moves?" Robin asked.

He found it strange; by now, they should have been suppressing the rioting crowds.

"No, the stationed troops are all being redeployed outside the city. From the outside, Vulsiny is currently under a complete lockdown; nobody is allowed in or out," the assassin shared his intelligence.

"Redeployed outside the city..."

Robin's gaze turned toward the direction where the Black Mountain army had retreated.

In other words, Grand Duke Benito had seized this opportunity and launched an attack while Vulsiny was in turmoil?

Marquis Heath was probably unwilling to spare a single soldier to pull back into the city, or rather, he no longer had the bandwidth to deal with the messy affairs within the walls.

Compared to pacifying or suppressing the populace, the battlefield was far more important!

If he defeated Grand Duke Benito, the people inside the city wouldn't be able to stir up any major trouble.

If he lost... clearing his name of this mess right now wouldn't do him a damn bit of good.