Infinity, The Arcade Age

"General Li Dian! Have you summoned me to deploy the troops? I volunteer to lead the vanguard and avenge my cousin!"

Qin Ming's voice preceded his entrance, booming through the tent. He strode in confidently, his injuries still unhealed, only to find the room filled with Li Dian's personal guards.

At the center, Li Dian sat behind his desk, his expression cold and unreadable, eyes locked on Qin Ming with an icy glare.

Standing off to the side was a man clad in the armor of the elite Tiger Leopard Cavalry.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Qin Ming hesitated briefly, realizing something was amiss.

Before he could speak, Li Dian gestured toward the armored man.

"Brother Zhao, do you recognize this man?"

Following Li Dian's gesture, Qin Ming turned to look at the Tiger Leopard Cavalryman, his heart skipping a beat.

"I don't know him," Qin Ming replied. "Does the General have Tiger Leopard Cavalry stationed here?"

Li Dian didn't answer him. Instead, he turned to the cavalryman and asked coldly, "And you? Do you recognize this Zhao clansman?"

The cavalryman hesitated, studying Qin Ming intently. Though Qin Ming looked vaguely familiar, the man couldn't place him. After a moment, he shook his head.

"I have never seen him before. I know all the Zhao clansmen under General Xiahou Dun, but not this one."

"Oh? So neither of you recognize each other. That's very interesting."

Li Dian's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the letter in his hand, written personally by General Xiahou Dun. A faint, mocking smile crept across his face.

"You say the camp is under siege, but he says it's secure. Which one of you is telling the truth, and which is the liar?"

As Li Dian spoke, both Qin Ming and the Tiger Leopard Cavalryman turned to stare at each other in confusion.

Qin Ming felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that things had taken a bad turn.

So Xiahou Dun isn't a fool after all. He must have sent this messenger after discovering his trusted envoy was killed and decapitated. Not only that, but this messenger actually made it through the Five Tiger Generals' blockade to deliver the letter.

Could it be because I drew the Five Tiger Generals together to orchestrate chaos, leaving the paths unguarded?

Qin Ming glanced at the letter in Li Dian's hand, then at the Tiger Leopard Cavalryman, whose incredulous expression mirrored his own. Calculating his next move, Qin Ming suddenly took a step forward and shouted furiously.

"Who are you? Why are you impersonating a Tiger Leopard Cavalryman?"

"What?! I'm impersonating? I am a Tiger Leopard Cavalryman! A trusted aide of General Xiahou Dun!"

"Rubbish! If you're truly his aide, why are you lying about the situation? Where did you get that letter? The original messenger was a centurion from the cavalry unit! He and his men were killed in front of us—slain by Guan Yu himself! That's what led General Xiahou to seek revenge and fall into an ambush! Who are you, really?!"

Pointing accusingly at the cavalryman, Qin Ming didn't give him a chance to respond before turning to Li Dian, saluting with a fist over his chest.

"General Li Dian! My commander did indeed send you a message earlier, a response to your warning. At the time, my third brother, Zhao Xiong, died unexpectedly. To prevent the enemy from exploiting this, the general wanted to inform you. But Guan Yu intercepted the messenger, killing him in front of us!"

Li Dian's expression remained cold as he scrutinized Qin Ming. His sharp gaze cut through the air as he asked, "If Zhao Xiong died, why didn't you mention this before?"

"Well... because... my brother's death was... a bit disgraceful. He didn't die in battle but was... killed by a centurion he tried to... force himself upon."

Qin Ming trailed off awkwardly, leaving his sentence unfinished.

Li Dian's brow twitched at the mention of Zhao Xiong's peculiar habits. He had heard rumors before. If Zhao Xiong truly died in such a manner, it made sense that his family wouldn't want to talk about it—it was humiliating.

As Li Dian mulled this over, Qin Ming pressed forward.

"General! I don't know where this man came from, but he's certainly not one of us! That letter contains outdated information—it's already been intercepted by the enemy! General Xiahou Dun is in grave danger. I urge you to dispatch reinforcements immediately!"

"What? Grave danger? Reinforcements? No, no! That's wrong!" The Tiger Leopard Cavalryman stepped forward, shouting in protest. "General Li! The camp is secure! He's an imposter—a Shu spy sent to lure you out!"

Hearing this, Qin Ming's face darkened. He turned his fury on the cavalryman.

"You're calling me a Shu spy?"

"That's right!"

"Then when did the Shu army start producing Zhao clansmen with steel-like bodies?"

"You're not from the Zhao clan at all! General Xiahou Dun doesn't have anyone like you under his command! I have his personal letter to prove it! What do you have?"

"I have the head of my fifth brother, Zhao Chui! He fell in battle while trying to break through with me!"

"What?! Zhao Chui?!"

"Surprised, are you? His head wasn't taken by the enemy to claim credit. He asked me to sever it as proof! If the camp isn't under siege, then why was Zhao Chui trying to break through? Why did he die on the battlefield? Explain that!"

"You—"

The mention of Zhao Chui's death left the cavalryman visibly stunned.

Having been out delivering his message, he hadn't heard about Zhao Chui's demise. When Li Dian produced Zhao Chui's severed head, the cavalryman's shock deepened into speechlessness.

Before he could recover, Qin Ming knelt abruptly, clasping his hands together in a fervent plea.

"General Li! He's clearly here to delay your reinforcements! The Shu army must be mounting a full assault on General Xiahou's camp right now! It can't hold for long—please, deploy your forces immediately, or we'll all be defeated piecemeal!"

Snapping back to reality, the Tiger Leopard Cavalryman knelt as well, shouting his objections.

"General Li! Don't believe this spy! Our camp is impregnable! The Shu forces are nearly spent! We still have 3,000 cavalry and 100 Tiger Leopard riders—our elite forces! This man is lying to lure you into a trap!"

"Rubbish! The cavalry is gone! The Tiger Leopard Cavalry was annihilated!"

"You're spouting nonsense! The Tiger Leopard Cavalry is invincible—even the Five Tiger Generals avoid direct confrontation with them! How could they be wiped out?!"

"Because the Shu army has a special weapon—the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow!"

Qin Ming stood and gestured dramatically.

"General, it sounds unbelievable, but the Shu army possesses a terrifying weapon! It fires arrows at incredible speed, covering the sky in a rain of death! The Tiger Leopard Cavalry and 3,000 riders were lured into the water and slaughtered by this weapon!"

"Lies! There's no such thing! This is absurd! Who would believe—"

"I believe him," Li Dian interrupted coldly.

The Tiger Leopard Cavalryman froze, his protest dying on his lips. Li Dian massaged his temples, his gaze dark and somber.

"So, it was the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow that wiped out my 100 cavalry. Very well... Deputy General! Mobilize the troops. We march to rescue General Xiahou!"

"Yes, sir!"

As the deputy general departed, Li Dian waved dismissively.

"Take this Tiger Leopard Cavalryman away. Use his head to consecrate the banners."

(End of Chapter)