Exploring Technology in a Wizard World-Chapter 1280 - 1278: I’m Begging You, Just Shut Up!
"What’s different? Haven’t I always been this serious?!" The captain glared at Frank, speaking irritably, "Do you think I’ve been too nice to you all along because that’s my nature? That’s because I couldn’t be bothered with you!"
"That’s right, that’s right." Frank grinned and agreed, not contradicting him, fully aware that the captain, by habit, definitely had more to say.
Sure enough, the next moment the captain spat out a breath and began to speak seriously in a low voice: "I’m telling you, Frank, usually I don’t care if you’re lazy, but not today. Open your eyes wide for me.
During the day, I just received a message from above. It’s said that those bastards from the Sika Kingdom are up to something again, getting ready to stir up trouble. We have to be careful, or we’ll be caught off guard in our sleep and die without knowing what hit us."
"People from the Sika Kingdom are planning something? Really?" Frank blinked, slightly skeptical. "Captain, no way. We have Reef Rock Castle behind us. Are those Sikas crazy or stupid enough to attack our line of defense?
Besides, I was transferred from Newcastle. Last October, when the Sikas attacked, I was there. Am I going to encounter them again this time? What’s the probability of that happening?"
"Why say so much? Do the Sikas need to consider where you are before attacking? Is your face more important than His Majesty the Emperor’s?" The captain scolded, glaring.
"No, no, Captain." Frank explained, "I just think the probability is too low, almost impossible."
"Still, we need to be careful. Since we’ve received a message from above, keep your eyes open. It’s for our good. After all, you don’t want to lose your life muddle-headed just a few months short of discharge, do you? How would I explain that to your family?"
"Yes, yes." Frank nodded like a chicken pecking at grain, smiling. "I understand what the captain means. I will be careful. In fact, I want to live more than anyone because I’ve already agreed with Nosa, once I get home after discharge, I’ll marry her. The date is set, and the money and things for the wedding are ready. I’m just waiting to go back."
"Then I’m relieved." The captain nodded after hearing that, his expression relaxing a bit, and he patted Frank’s shoulder as he walked away.
...
Watching the captain leave, Frank reached into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief washed so white it almost glowed. He brought it under his nose and inhaled, as if he could still smell that faint fragrance.
This handkerchief was a token from his fiancée, which he treasured immensely.
Afterwards, he carefully put it away and glanced in the direction where the captain left, feeling somewhat indifferent.
His mindset remained the same as at the beginning, unchanged by the captain’s words—he still believed that no matter how reckless those from the Sika Kingdom were, it would be impossible for them to attack this part of the line. All that the captain said was just fearfulness, and he was sure he would go home to marry Nosa.
Definitely!
Frank firmly told himself, then suddenly heard a sound in the night outside the watchtower.
"Buzz!"
Hmm? What’s that?
Frank slightly turned his head, curiously looking towards where the sound came from, his eyes widening.
He saw in the night outside the watchtower a fireball the size of a watermelon rising sharply, drawing an arc through the air, and coming directly towards him. Even before it reached him, he felt the scorching heat, his skin stinging.
This!
Frank felt a deadly crisis, his mind going blank. He completely forgot to run, with only one thought in his mind: I’m going to die! He’s going to die! He’s actually going to die!
Ah!
Frank screamed in his heart unwillingly, and the next moment he saw a soldier in a stone building step out curiously, treading on the wooden boards to climb up to the wall, just asking, "What sound is..."
"Boom!"
The soldier didn’t finish his sentence before the watermelon-sized fireball exploded violently, missing Frank and hitting the unlucky soldier standing in front of Frank instead.
In the blink of an eye, the soldier was engulfed in flames, the blast wave knocking Frank back several meters, causing him to land heavily on the ground with a thud.
The pain of his rear hitting the ground shocked Frank into clarity. He quickly stood up and looked far, seeing a whole area of flames on the horizon approaching constantly, which was the army of the Sika Kingdom. There were also shadows flying through the sky, occasionally dropping masses of fire, which were the wizards from the Sika Kingdom.
The... The Sikas, are really attacking here?
Frank was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned around, shouting, "Captain, captain, the Sikas are here! The Sikas are attacking!"
The watchtower captain quickly came from the darkness, pressed down on Frank’s shoulder, and looked out past the wall. After a few seconds, his face displayed panic, but his tone remained steady: "I knew the Sikas would definitely come!"
"Then... Captain, what should we do now?" Frank immediately asked.
"In the current situation, we absolutely can’t run." The captain analyzed calmly, "The enemy has wizards; if we leave the watchtower’s defense, we’ll never outrun them or evade their attacks. So, the only thing we can do is stay here and hold our ground.
The Sikas launching such a large-scale attack means that Reef Rock Castle over there will certainly receive the intelligence and dispatch a support team. As long as we hold on until then, it will be a victory, and we’ll be safe. Until then, what we must do is try to survive."
After speaking, the captain yelled, quickly rallying all the soldiers.
Within seconds, except for the unlucky soldier who died for Frank, the remaining nine soldiers gathered. The captain randomly called out the names of four people, pointed at Frank, and ordered: "You take these four and guard the left with bows and arrows. I’ll take the rest and guard the right. Hold your positions, understood!"
"Yes." Frank said, waving to lead the four soldiers assigned to him. Armed with bows and arrows, they rushed to the left wall.
Once at the left wall, amid the silence, Frank watched the encroaching flames outside the wall, swallowing hard.
He was somewhat afraid, but tried to remain calm, instructing the four soldiers holding bows and arrows: "Listen for my command. Before the enemy attacks, we mustn’t act rashly.
After all, we’re just a small watchtower. On the left and right, there are dozens to hundreds of similar outposts. The Sikas might not even notice us. So as long as we don’t engage first, maybe they’ll skip over us, understand?"
Hearing Frank’s words, three of the four soldiers expressed doubt, but ultimately one chose to trust him, nodding, "Understood."
Just as the words were spoken, with a "whoosh", an arrow flew over, hitting the soldier who chose to believe Frank.
The soldier trembled with the pain, his eyes widened.
Frank, startled, rushed forward to support the soldier, comforting him: "It’s alright Vincent, it was an accident. The arrow hit your shoulder, it’s just a slight injury, you’ll be okay, trust me!"
The soldier named Vincent deeply frowned, enduring the pain, and responded vaguely to Frank’s words: "Alright."
"Whoosh!"
Another arrow flew, directly hitting the back of Vincent who was supported by Frank, passing through to his chest. Vincent’s face instantly turned bloodless, and the intense pain nearly made him faint.
Seeing the scene, Frank opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say, opting for comfort: "Vincent, hang in there, you’ll live, I’ll save you..."
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
As Frank finished speaking, a volley of arrows rained down.
It was as if Vincent’s body was magnetic, attracting almost half of the arrows towards him. With a series of "thunk" sounds, his entire body became like a pincushion.
Vincent’s eyes widened, staring at Frank, his mouth still open trying to comfort him, with a gaze of unrelenting hatred, and then... he breathed his last, falling to the ground.
