novelnext Chapter 262 262: Fools who refuse to listen to reason.
Chapter 262 262: Fools who refuse to listen to reason.
In response to the chief's words, the rest of the villagers began to find their own voices, though their gratitude was heavily tinged with the terror of their surroundings.
A chorus of shaky thanks and whispered well-wishes began to rise from the crowd, with several mothers clutching their children and bowing their heads toward Su Ping as if he were a deity descended from the heavens.
Su Ping listened to the outpouring of praise in absolute silence for a short while, his expression unreadable behind the shifting shadows of his mask.
Eventually, he raised a hand, gesturing for them to turn silent, which they did, returning the square to its previous state of oppressive quiet.
"Your words have been heard, and your gratitude is noted," Su Ping said lightly, his tone devoid of any genuine warmth or comfort.
He took a slow step toward the village chief, his presence casting a long, jagged shadow over the old man. "But, since you have so confidently assured me that this collection of people represents every living soul within your borders, there is no reason for me not to verify that claim, now is there?"
" A wise commander always accounts for his assets, and a wise host never hides his guests... Or so I've heard."
The village chief's expression turned a ghostly shade of pale for a fleeting moment, his eyes widening as a flash of genuine panic crossed his features and he swallowed hard, before he managed to regain some semblance of outward calm.
"Whatever do you mean, Sir?" the village chief asked, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We have called for everyone. We would not dare to deceive the one who saved our lives."
To the chief's dismay, Su Ping didn't even bother addressing him further, treating the man's words as if they were nothing more than the buzzing of a fly.
Instead, he turned his head slightly to glance at Yu An, who remained standing at his side.
"Gather some of the soldiers and bring me every single one of those individuals who chose not to respond to my summons," Su Ping whispered into her ear, though the silence of the square was so profound that even his whisper seemed to carry.
"I want to see the faces of those who believe my commands are optional."
Seeing their benefactor behaving in such a cold and systematic way, many of the villagers began to shift uncomfortably, their confusion mounting as they realized that their "liberator" was not the benevolent hero they had hoped for.
As for the village head, he no longer attempted to hide his distress; beads of cold sweat had long since begun to fall from his forehead, and his breath was coming in short, ragged gasps.
It was safe to say the man had grown incredibly anxious and was now panicking in a suffocating silence, though Su Ping didn't bother asking for the reason behind his sudden decline.
"Consider it done, Master," Yu An replied with a sharp, disciplined nod. She turned and signaled to several of the lesser vampires who were lounging in the shadows of the nearby buildings.
In the blink of an eye, she and her created team vanished from the square, leaving only the sound of displaced air behind them.
******
Some time passed as the villagers waited in the square, their discomfort growing with every passing minute they were forced to stand under the watchful, unblinking eyes of the undead army.
The cold of the night was beginning to seep through their thin clothes, and the silence was so heavy that the sound of their own heartbeats felt unnaturally loud.
Suddenly, a series of frightened, high-pitched cries erupted from the distance, echoing through the narrow alleys of the village and drawing the attention of everyone in the square.
"Let me go! You don't understand, let me go!" a voice screamed, thick with a level of terror that surpassed even the fear the villagers felt.
"Please! I beg of you, don't kill me! I didn't do anything!" another voice wailed, the sound of scuffling feet and dragging bodies drawing closer.
The villagers watched with varying expressions of shock, pity, and dawning horror as several people, some young, some old, and a few who were clearly trying to hide their faces, were dragged into the square by the lesser vampires who had left earlier.
Leading the grim procession was Yu An, her armor still glistening with the drying blood of the Montgomery knights.
She brought the group to a halt directly in front of Su Ping, the lesser vampires forcing them to their knees and pressing their heads down before their lord.
"Master, your request has been completed," Yu An stated, her voice cold and devoid of pity as she stood over the cowering captives.
"We found them hiding in various areas within the village. It appeared they thought the darkness would shield them from your gaze."
"What would you have us do with these ignorant fools who dare to disobey your direct summons?"
The sight of their neighbors being treated like common criminals was the final straw for the village chief.
He finally lost all control over his carefully maintained composure and rushed forward, throwing himself onto the now muddy earth soaked with blood to kneel at Su Ping's feet in a display of total desperation.
"Great sir, please, I beg you to steady your hand!" the old man cried out, his voice cracking as tears began to stream down his face.
He reached out as if to grab the hem of Su Ping's clothes before pulling back in fear.
"Please, have mercy! I beg you, they meant no harm by their actions. They were merely frightened out of their wits by the magnitude of your power. They are but simple people, sir, not soldiers or rebels!"
"Please, grant them the mercy of your forgiveness," the old man pleaded, his eyes red and his body shaking with sobs.
The chief had seen exactly what Su Ping and his forces were capable of doing to trained men of war, and even though he viewed Su Ping as a powerful mercenary or a secret asset of the McClain household, he was under no illusions about their standing.