Infinity, The Arcade Age

"General! General Li Dian! I truly am a Tiger Leopard Cavalryman! I'm a trusted aide of General Xiahou Dun! I even saw you at the gates once! You can't kill me! He's the fake one! He's deceiving you into leaving the camp! You're his target—the entire time, it's been you!"

Crack!

With a crisp sound, the struggling cries abruptly ceased.

Qin Ming averted his gaze as his heart, which had been racing uncontrollably, began to calm down.

That had been far too close! He had never expected Xiahou Dun, the impulsive brute, to send someone with a message to notify Li Dian about Zhao Xiong's death.

Luckily, the cavalryman's information was incomplete, and Qin Ming had been able to twist the narrative about the machine gun to his advantage. Without that, the situation would have been disastrous!

Li Dian's cavalry had indeed been decimated by Qin Ming's group wielding machine guns.

Even though Li Dian hadn't seen the weapon himself, survivors had surely reported its devastating power.

When Qin Ming claimed that Xiahou Dun's cavalry was wiped out in the water, annihilated by this mysterious weapon, it made an unbelievable story seem plausible.

Why? Because although Xiahou Dun's entire cavalry hadn't been gunned down, Li Dian's elite force of 100 riders had been obliterated by it.

The cavalryman's vehement denial of the weapon's existence only served to make Li Dian more suspicious, as it seemed like an effort to conceal intelligence about Shu's secret weapon.

And who would hide such critical information, if not an enemy spy?

In this scenario, the cavalryman's fate was sealed.

Picking up his weapon, Li Dian approached Qin Ming, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Brother Zhao, how are your injuries?"

"It's nothing serious, General. I can still fight."

"Good! Stay by my side and act with me."

"Understood!"

Although Li Dian had accepted Qin Ming's identity on the surface, he remained cautious. Keeping Qin Ming close was a deliberate move to monitor him and prevent any potential leaks.

Qin Ming, however, wasn't concerned. His mission was already complete—there was no longer a need for him to send out any messages. The enemy would soon receive the news of Li Dian's deployment through other channels.

As the camp gates opened, Li Dian led his 3,000 troops out, splitting them into three separate units. At the front of each unit rode a "Li Dian," a standard diversion tactic to reduce the likelihood of the real general being targeted in an ambush.

Even if it was a trap, the chances of Li Dian himself being caught were only one in three.

But that was only under normal circumstances.

In the forest, hundreds of Shu soldiers lay in wait, silently observing as a unit of 1,000 troops passed through the woods. Despite the opportunity, they did not attack, remaining hidden.

At the forefront of the ambush was Double-Gun Granny. She tinkered with her tactical binoculars, focusing on its compass function.

The silver binoculars had a unique feature: they could lock onto a target, causing the compass to point toward them at all times.

She had locked onto Li Dian during their first encounter, marking him as the key target for her advancement mission.

Watching the compass needle shift steadily, she gave a quiet, commanding order.

"Everyone, be ready! It's time!"

At her words, the Five Tiger Generals, who had been crouched nearby, gripped their weapons tightly, their gazes piercing the forest's edge where the enemy column advanced.

At the same time, the third unit—Li Dian and Qin Ming's group—was approaching a large bridge flanked by dense forest.

Li Dian, atop his warhorse, glanced at the bridge ahead and the quiet woods on either side. His expression was calm, though his brow furrowed slightly.

A deep sense of unease gnawed at him, growing stronger with each passing moment.

Under normal circumstances, he would have heeded this instinct and ordered a retreat. But today, retreat wasn't an option.

He couldn't gamble on whether Xiahou Dun was truly in danger.

Compared to Xiahou Dun, a close relative of Cao Cao and one of the army's central figures, Li Dian was expendable. As an outsider and a second-tier general who didn't even rank among the Five Elite Generals, his value was insignificant.

If Xiahou Dun were to die under his watch, Li Dian would likely pay with his own life.

This was a blatant trap, but it was a trap he had no choice but to spring.

Staring at the silent woods, Li Dian gripped his spear tightly. Suppressing his unease, he ordered his troops to continue across the bridge.

As his soldiers reached the midpoint of the bridge, chaos erupted.

Shouts and war cries thundered from all directions as a tide of Shu soldiers surged from the forest, weapons raised.

Leading the charge were none other than the Five Tiger Generals themselves.

The sight of the five renowned generals galloping into the fray on warhorses was enough to strike terror into the hearts of Li Dian's troops. The unit quickly fell into disarray, their formation shattered along the road.

Li Dian, still on horseback, surveyed the scene grimly. Realizing he had been lured into an ambush, his face darkened.

Holding his spear tightly, he barked out a chilling command.

"Boy! Do you know why I insisted on keeping you by my side?!"

Before Qin Ming could respond, Li Dian's spear whirled through the air. With a furious snarl, he swung it directly at Qin Ming.

"Because of this moment! You dog! I'll kill you!"

Caught off guard, Qin Ming barely managed to raise his arms to block the attack. The impact sent him flying off his horse, tumbling several meters before skidding to a halt.

Before he could recover, the thunder of hooves filled his ears as Li Dian charged, spear poised to strike.

"Your life is mine!" Li Dian roared.

Whoosh!

Just as the spear thrust forward, an arrow zipped through the air, striking the weapon and knocking it off course.

Seizing the opening, Qin Ming rolled to his feet and unleashed a blindingly fast strike—a sonic hand chop that slammed into the legs of Li Dian's horse.

The beast neighed in agony before collapsing, throwing Li Dian violently to the ground.

Before Li Dian could rise, Qin Ming lunged forward, delivering two rapid sonic strikes to his chest. Sparks flew as they struck his armor, sending Li Dian staggering backward.

Not giving him a moment to recover, Qin Ming dashed forward and leapt into the air, landing a brutal knee strike to Li Dian's chest. The impact sent the general flying once more.

"You want to kill me? We'll see who kills who!" Qin Ming growled.

(End of Chapter)