Just as Jack was racking his brains on how to ease the tension between Ada and Ilsa.
Lu Hao, who had been observing from the shadows, narrowed his eyes and saw two mercenaries dressed in camouflage uniforms and military attire stealthily pry open Ada's door under the cover of darkness.
“Mercenaries… you finally showed up.”
He chuckled inwardly, the venomous snake lurking in the shadows had finally emerged.
Lu Hao didn't rush to apprehend the two, instead, he turned to observe the situation downstairs, looking for any signs of other mercenaries.
These mercenaries, in their camouflage uniforms and imposing demeanors, were easy to recognize.
At this moment, Jack, as he turned back to Ada's room, his gaze sharpened, noticing signs of forced entry on Ada's door.
He had clearly left with the door lock intact, yet now there were pry marks, and the door was open.
In other words, someone had pried open Ada's door and entered while he was gone.
Ada was in danger!
A jolt of fear ran through him, and he quickly ducked down, gently pushing open the door.
The room was plunged into darkness, he crouched low, clinging to the wall, silently moving forward, searching for anything suspicious.
However, he was met head-on by Ada, who, having discovered the commotion outside while taking a bath, launched a surprise attack, leaving him groaning in pain and falling into the hands of the two mercenaries.
Lu Hao had been keeping an eye on their situation, and once he confirmed that the entire inn only held the two mercenaries, he grabbed his gun and prepared for action.
Not only him, but Ilsa, tipped off by Ada, sensed something was amiss and disguised herself as a food delivery person, attempting to break in and save Ada.
“Chickens, chickens!!”
Along the way, she kept reviewing her lines, afraid that any mistake would lead to their downfall.
Just as she stood there, full of anxiety, ready to knock, a hand suddenly reached out from behind her, covering her mouth. Her eyes widened in fright, and she struggled to break free.
“Ilsa, it’s me, don't make a sound.”
Lu Hao pressed himself against Ilsa's back, covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming and alerting the mercenaries.
“Lu Hao!?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Ilsa turned her head in surprise. Upon seeing Lu Hao, she was instantly overjoyed. In times of crisis, seeing a reliable figure was like finding a precious oasis in a barren desert – a blend of relief and excitement.
“Shh~ ”
Lu Hao hushed her, gesturing for her to stand by the wall, lest they get caught in the crossfire during a potential shootout.
Ilsa, with a hand over her mouth, watched nervously as Lu Hao raised his gun, reaching for the doorknob.
Bang!!
Lu Hao abruptly threw open the door, aiming his gun at the room.
Oww!!
From behind the door, Jack, lying on the ground, having already managed to seize the gun and subdue the two mercenaries, was suddenly slammed into by the opening door, hitting his forehead. The pain caused him to drop the gun from his hand.
Seeing this, the mercenaries immediately lunged forward to retrieve the weapon.
Bang!!
However, Lu Hao had already burst in. Upon witnessing this scene, he fired his gun, hitting the fallen pistol with pinpoint accuracy. The mercenaries hastily retreated, fearing that the next bullet would be aimed at them.
“Don't move or you'll be dead!”
In the blink of an eye, Lu Hao had taken control of the situation. The two unarmed mercenaries, under the threat of the gun, could only surrender with their hands raised.
Lu Hao seized the opportunity to collect the two silenced pistols on the floor, preventing the mercenaries from seizing them back and turning the tables on them.
“Haha, Lu Hao, you came just in time. We're saved now.”
Ada, wrapped in her towel, seeing the danger averted, a smile spread across her face. She slapped one of the mercenaries, “This is for ripping my towel earlier!”
The mercenary, face black as night, dared not retaliate under the threat of the gun.
“Face the wall and stand there!”
Lu Hao used his gun as a conductor’s baton, forcing the two mercenaries to stand facing the wall, minimizing the risk.
“Lu Hao, why did you barge in!?”
Jack, rubbing his aching head, was utterly bewildered. He had already controlled the situation, but Lu Hao's sudden intrusion caught him off guard, almost leading to him getting killed by the mercenaries.
“Of course, I came to meet up with you. What do you think? Did I keep my word!?”
Lu Hao looked at Jack, who was rubbing his head and looked gloomy, and teased him with a smile, “Jack, was this meeting hard-core enough!?”
“……”
Jack’s face darkened, you mean the meeting was literal!
Oww, it hurts so much!!
He grumbled, “Next time, let me know beforehand if the meeting is going to be like this.”
“Then… we’ll change it to a rendezvous next time!?”
Lu Hao contemplated the idea.
“……”
The conversation took a sudden, ominous turn.
“Jack, Ada, are you both alright!?”
At this moment, Ilsa, hearing the commotion inside, rushed in to check. Seeing that Jack and Ada were unharmed, she heaved a sigh of relief.
“We nearly got into trouble, thankfully we had Lu Hao as our backup.”
Seeing that they were safe, Ada beamed at Lu Hao and gave him a thumbs up. She had heard along the way that Lu Hao had gone ahead to the desert to scout the area, and now she realized how wise the decision was, it had saved them from certain death.
Jack rolled his eyes, he would have managed even without Lu Hao.
This kid, he’s stealing all the limelight.
“I’m not working for the Count, I was afraid that my partner might get into trouble, so I followed him here, to prevent him from being killed and left to rot in the wilderness, with no one to collect his body, that would be too tragic.”
Lu Hao looked at Jack in a teasing manner, as if Jack were a helpless child needing care.
“……”
Jack’s mouth twitched, this guy still knows how to get under my skin.
“Whether we're employed by the Count or not is irrelevant, what matters is that we're all on the same side. Just like Ilsa, she isn't working for the Count either, but we're still part of the same treasure-hunting team.”
Ada didn't care about these petty details, all she knew was that having Lu Hao around would make their treasure hunt safer, and that was all that mattered.
“Do you have any ropes? Find two ropes and tie them up, we need to interrogate them. Which group do they belong to? Do they have any other accomplices?”
Soon, the two were bound hand and foot.
After interrogation, the mercenaries, whose lives were on the line, spilled their guts, telling them everything they knew, including their leader, the number of members in their team, and their employer.