Restart:Untalented Man

Chapter 416  Failed to Recruit

"They won't fight us?" the soldier looks at Bain with a puzzled expression.

"Yes," Bain nods. "The fire is a mere distraction. At least, that's what I believe."

"T-Then what should we do?" The soldier is panicking. "They probably somewhere, sneaking out of this city."

However, Bain calmly replies to the question. "We wait."

Since he expected the criminals to take such action, he also made a plan.

....

Somewhere inside the city, Vanessa has been meandered alone through the deserted streets at the edge of the city.

No one, at least no normal citizens, was seen in the vicinity since the soldiers had gathered all the inhabitants in one spot for safety purposes.

Most parts of the city are now empty like a ghost town. Only occasional footsteps of soldiers which she avoided caught her ears.

"Safety my ass!" she cursed under her breath. "Nice try soldiers, but I'm not an idiot."

She had enough experience as a spy to see through the facade they were trying to maintain.

It is painfully obvious the army took advantage of this panic to cage the people in one part while the rest are moving around in secret to find the location of where the criminals going to pop out.

Vanessa got closer to the city wall and her fingers traced the rough surface, feeling the coarse texture of weathered bricks that had witnessed the passage of time.

Years of exposure to the rain, wind and attacks had left their mark on the wall. Cracks snaked their way across it and the mortar crumbled at the slightest touch, leaving gaps between the bricks.

The wall shows the signs of neglect and decay like all the city walls in Ryntum. It is only a matter of time before the wall is torn down.

"If I were to prepare an emergency route, it must be somewhere closer to the wall."

She looked around the building located near the wall. These buildings are ideal because they jump out from the secret path and rush out of the city.

The problem is she doesn't know which one they will come out from.

There are simply too many.

'Maybe I should stick closer to the soldiers. They most likely have more clue than me.'

Her eyes darted around to locate the nearest squad around her.

Vanessa saw soldiers converged on a particular house. For those who don't know the context, their actions look so suspicious and unethical. Bam-

The kicked-open door swung on its hinges.

Vanessa gets closer.

Pressing herself against the wall, Vanessa peered around the corner and her eyes fixated on the soldiers who are conducting their search.

'How do they know? Why did they choose this house?' Vanessa's mind raced with a flurry of questions.

Outwardly, the building appeared indistinguishable from its neighbours. It possessed no distinct characteristics that would set it apart. Determined to seek answers to her questions, Vanessa carefully observed the building's exterior.

And her initial assumption was wrong.

There were indeed differences—subtle but significant. The air carried a faint scent of burning, and wisps of smoke escaped from gaps in the floorboards.

"I see...that's how you detect the secret path, huh?" she mutters slowly.

While her questions were answered, Vanessa was also surprised by Ryntum's decision. If the smoke travelled all the way here, that mean the army has no intention to put it out. They merely contained it so it wouldn't spread to another block. At the same time, the fire beneath the ground continues to spread.

'Do they choose to disregard the hostages? Now, this is out of their norm.'

Anyway, Vanessa understood the method and so there's no point of her being here. It's time to venture on her own again.

Sniff—

Sniff—

Sniff—

Sniffing the air like a bloodhound, Vanessa tracked the faint scent of burning fire. The odour was elusive, requiring keen senses to discern its subtle trail.

Undeterred, she followed the scent and navigated through the quiet streets.

After a careful pursuit, Vanessa identified a particular point where the scent intensified.

She approached the three-storey building cautiously and entered.

Since the floor area of the building is small, she took a short time to identify where the secret path was located.

Vanessa swiftly removed a floorboard. Beneath it lay a concealed door.

"Bingo!" A smile formed on her face upon making a discovery.

Creak-

As she opened the door, smoke gushed out and went straight toward her face, causing her to cough uncontrollably.

She waves her hand around in an attempt to disperse the dense fumes.

"Uhuk! Uhuk!" Vanessa gasped between coughs. "How do they even stay alive in this condition? They are crazy."

As the smoke gradually dissipated, revealing the hidden passage beyond the door, Vanessa's vision became cleared.

To her disappointment, there was no sign of individuals emerging from the concealed space.

"I guess I am not that lucky."

Vanessa didn't linger for too long. Since a large amount of smoke billowed out from the opened door, the soldiers would probably be here at any second.

She rushed out to find another secret path and she succeeded in finding one, located several blocks away.

However, as she was about to go there, a voice spooked her up from behind.

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

Turning around, Vanessa faced a group of soldiers, likely en route to investigate the same building she spotted.

It was unusual for anybody to spot her, as she was always mindful about her presence.

"I just arrived in the city and on my way to my parent's house," Vanessa replied.

"Everyone is gathering over there, miss." said one of them, pointing a finger in a certain direction. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"But my house is not, in any sense, close to the source of the fire," Vanessa argued.

"I know that, but you must gather with the rest for safety purposes. Do you know criminals is roaming free right now?"

Vanessa shook her head. "My friend will escort you, miss. It's dangerous over here. I'm sure your parent will be there as well."

Vanessa looked at the building and the soldiers back and forth before nodding her head.

She felt very disappointed as she didn't have a chance to recruit those crazy people.