NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 12 - Mysterious Stranger, Who Are You?
Chapter 012: Mysterious Stranger, Who Are You?
“Giving up a decent life to become a bandit… what a joke.”
A’Gu muttered through clenched teeth as he stuffed more dried wolf meat into his sack—meat the camp leader had been hoarding for himself.
Eventually, he paused and looked at the half-filled bag.
“Maybe I took too much.”
The sack was half his height, easily weighing over a hundred pounds.
Just then—
The storage room door silently creaked open.
A shadow approached from behind.
Before A’Gu could react, a hand clamped over his mouth and a cold blade pressed against his throat.
“Mmmph—!”
His first instinct was to struggle, but the icy touch on his neck froze him in place.
A low, raspy voice whispered in his ear.
“Stay still, unless you want your throat slit.”
“…!”
A’Gu immediately raised both hands, signaling that he wouldn’t resist.
“Smart choice.”
Mu Liang’s voice remained indifferent.
“Listen well, and you might survive.”
A’Gu nodded frantically.
“Good. As a reward for cooperating, I’ll give you a little information.”
Mu Liang’s calm tone sent a chill down A’Gu’s spine.
“The camp leader is dead. I snapped his neck the moment you left the hall.”
“…!!!”
A’Gu’s eyes widened in horror, his whole body breaking into a cold sweat.
The chilling realization hit him like a hammer—
If the leader died right after he left…
That meant the mysterious man behind him had been in the hall all along!
“That’s right. I was watching you the entire time.”
Mu Liang’s hoarse voice confirmed A’Gu’s worst fear.
His interrogation methods, learned from his days as a special forces soldier, were now proving useful.
“Mmmph! Mmmph!!”
A’Gu let out muffled noises, his breathing erratic.
“You’re a clever man. Don’t turn around. And don’t make a sound.”
Mu Liang slowly released his grip, withdrawing his knife.
A’Gu barely dared to breathe.
In a low voice, he asked, “What… do you want me to do?”
If the mysterious man hadn’t killed him yet, it meant he had a use for him.
But—
“Nothing.”
Mu Liang’s emotionless response made A’Gu freeze in confusion.
“…Huh?”
A’Gu was completely caught off guard.
“Oh, and one more thing—
Bloodbeard’s scouts? I killed them too.”
Mu Liang spoke lightly, as if mentioning the weather.
“Since the scouts didn’t report back today, new ones will come tomorrow.
When they find your camp leader dead… what do you think Bloodbeard will do?”
“Gulp.”
A’Gu swallowed hard, his face going pale.
There was only one possible outcome—
Bloodbeard would bring his men and slaughter the entire camp, turning its people into spoils of war.
“Consider this information a trade for your cooperation.”
Mu Liang casually grabbed the sack of dried meat, slinging it over his shoulder.
When he reached the door, he paused and turned his head slightly.
“I’ll be keeping an eye on you, clever man.”
“…”
A’Gu stiffened, his face almost turning blue.
Damn it! Can’t you pick someone else?!
He wanted to protest, to deny that he was “clever”—
But he didn’t dare speak.
Mu Liang ignored him.
If A’Gu wasn’t smart enough to play his role, then…
The Three-Colored Lizard would simply pay him a visit later—leaving a deep claw mark somewhere visible.
A silent reminder: “I’m watching you.”
As for the plan itself?
It was just a rough idea Mu Liang had come up with on the spot.
He was still refining the details.
Securing the Last Resource
“Food secured. Now for water.”
Mu Liang slipped into an empty room, waiting for the Three-Colored Lizard to retrieve the sack of dried meat.
“Hisss~~”
The lizard arrived quickly, crawling in through the window.
Mu Liang smirked.
“Mino’s going to be shocked when she sees this haul.”
Tying the sack onto the lizard’s back, he sent it on its way.
He hadn’t planned to take this much—
But somehow, he had ended up looting half the camp leader’s supplies.
With the lizard gone, Mu Liang made his way toward the water storage room.
The guard at the door?
No problem.
With Mimetic Invisibility, sneaking past was too easy.
He tossed a small stone down the corridor, making a soft clatter.
The guard turned, distracted.
That was all Mu Liang needed.
Silent as a shadow, he approached from behind and struck the guard’s neck with a karate chop.
Thud.
The man collapsed unconscious.
Pushing open the door, Mu Liang quickly dragged the body inside and shut it behind him.
Inside, torches flickered, illuminating the layout of the room.
“So this is where the underground well is.”
At the center was a two-meter-wide well, its mouth covered by wooden planks.
A wooden bucket hung beside it, used for drawing water.
Mu Liang removed the planks and peered inside.
Darkness.
No telling if there was any water left.
He dropped the bucket down, listening to the splash.
Pulling it up—
“Murky.”
The water was filthy, and mud clung to the bucket’s edges.
“As expected… it’s nearly dried up.”
Mu Liang replaced the planks and turned to the stacked barrels in the corner.
Each was about a meter tall, large enough for an adult to wrap their arms around.
Giving one a shake, he heard sloshing inside.
“Still got some left.”
With his enhanced strength, Mu Liang hoisted a barrel onto each shoulder.
To him, they weighed no more than two loaves of bread.
“This should last us a while if we ration carefully.”
Carrying the two full barrels, Mu Liang left without a trace.
A’Gu’s Awakening
Meanwhile, A’Gu hadn’t moved an inch.
He was still frozen in fear.
Then—
“Tap, tap, tap!”
Hurried footsteps.
“Bang!”
The door burst open as the servant girl rushed in, panicked.
“A’Gu! The camp leader is dead!”
“He’s really dead?!”
A’Gu felt his entire body relax, his tense nerves unraveling.
His legs nearly gave out as he grabbed the table for support.
“Where? How?”
“In the hall. His neck was snapped.”
The servant girl shivered, recalling the gruesome sight.
A’Gu’s expression darkened.
“So… he wasn’t lying.”
Everything the mysterious stranger had said was true.
Which meant—
Bloodbeard’s scouts really were dead.
Escape. I have to escape.
That was the only thought in his mind.
He grabbed another sack, stuffing it with more dried meat.
The servant girl hesitated.
“A’Gu… should we still run? The leader is dead now.”
A’Gu’s body stiffened.
“Wait… the leader is already dead.”
Did he really need to flee?
A new thought struck him.
Why did the mysterious stranger go out of his way to tell me about the dead scouts?
Unless…
He wants me to do something.
His mind raced through his entire encounter with the stranger.
And then—
He remembered the last thing the man had said.
“I’ll be keeping an eye on you, clever man.”
A’Gu’s face turned pale.
“If I try to escape alone… will he kill me?”
Understanding dawned.
He turned to the servant girl.
“Go gather the hunting squad captains. Now. This is about the survival of everyone in the camp.”
“O-Okay!”
As she ran off, A’Gu muttered to himself.
“Clever man, huh…?”
Then he clenched his fists.
“That stranger… Who the hell is he?”