The princess regretted it.

Chapter 257 Infiltrating the Camp

Zhang Erhu was horrified upon hearing this. Just as he was about to beg for mercy, his mouth barely opened when Changsheng struck him across the back of the neck with a sharp, sharp chop. With a soft "crack," Zhang Erhu's eyes rolled back, his body instantly losing support and collapsing to the ground like a mushy noodle. Changsheng quickly pulled the thick rope he had prepared from his bag, and with his hands, he bound the man tightly like a dumpling, unable to move even a finger. Then, he unsheathed his sword, a flash of cold light, and lightly slashed across the man's robe, releasing a piece of cloth. Changsheng bent down to pick up the scrap of cloth, casually balled it up, and mercilessly stuffed it into Zhang Erhu's mouth, completely cutting off any possibility of him making any sound.

Zhong Chuzhou turned and gave the others instructions, following the original plan. The men replacing the annihilated squad members quickly stripped off the enemy's clothing. They swiftly removed their original clothing and donned the enemy's attire, each movement as light and swift as possible, making no unnecessary noise. After donning the enemy's clothing, they carefully attached the identifying jade buckles one by one.

Everyone moved swiftly and methodically, completing the costume change. Then, they picked up the enemy's weapons and equipment. Zhong Chuzhou also changed into Zhang Erhu's clothes. Although the size was slightly off, it didn't affect the overall disguise. Mo Qing quickly stepped forward, armed with simple makeup tools, and skillfully applied and outlined Zhong Chuzhou's face, making his features more similar to Zhang Erhu's. The special treatment also made his eyes look more fierce and cunning, making it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake at first glance.

Zhong Chuzhou carefully checked everyone's disguises to ensure they were flawless, then led the team disguised as enemies and swaggered towards the camp. Mo Qing and the rest of the group quietly approached, then hid where they were, waiting for a signal from Zhong Chuzhou and the others.

As Zhong Chuzhou and his group approached the camp, they were struck by an unusual silence. No one from the sentry post came out to inquire about their whereabouts. Despite their suspicions, they cautiously approached the gate. Still, no one spoke to stop them or question them. Zhong Chuzhou wondered if the Softening Muscle Powder had taken effect.

However, for safety's sake, he turned and crept towards the sentry box to the side, moving nimbly and swiftly. He pressed close to the outer wall of the sentry box, leaning slightly to the side, peering through the crack with a sharp gaze. He saw the guard on duty slumped in a chair, his eyes hazy and his body limp. Clearly, he had been restrained by the muscle tension, losing the ability to resist or remain alert.

Seeing this, Zhong Chuzhou breathed a sigh of relief, looked around, and after confirming that there was nothing unusual around him, he flipped over and entered the sentry box as lightly as a kite.

The sentry, half conscious, suddenly saw someone approach. He was startled, but his sleepiness vanished instantly. Seeing the person wearing his own uniform, he felt a surge of joy, instinctively believing that rescue had arrived. Just as he was about to speak, he saw a flash of cold light. The sentry's mouth opened, but only a "huh, huh" sound escaped his throat. A moment later, his head tilted and he was dead. To his death, he never understood what had happened.

Zhong Chuzhou wiped the knife in his hand on the sentry's body, as if to erase the traces of the bloody act, put away the knife, then walked out of the sentry box, returned to the team, nodded, and led everyone to walk quickly towards the camp gate.

The camp was completely deserted, a depressing silence permeating the air. Zhong Chuzhou signaled for everyone to stop, then stepped forward alone, feigning indifference. He lowered his voice, imitating the leader's gruff voice, and shouted, "Where are the people? Open the door! The brothers are back!" His voice echoed outside the empty camp, but for a long time, no response came.

After a long moment, there was still no movement. Zhong Chuzhou and Mo Qing exchanged a glance, then simultaneously leaped over the camp gate. They lifted it from the inside, letting the others in. As they slowly approached the center of the camp, they discovered the scene inside was even more chaotic than they had imagined. Many soldiers lay sprawled on the ground, some struggling in vain to stand, while others had already fallen unconscious. As they passed by some open doors, they could see those inside who had lost their ability to resist. It seemed the muscle softener was even more effective than expected.

But he didn't let his guard down. He led his men, disguised as enemies, and quickly advanced towards the core of the camp—the command post, a spacious and luxurious two-story building. Along the way, they tried to avoid any enemies still conscious. When they couldn't avoid them, they struck them unconscious with lightning speed to avoid exposing their identities.

As they approached the command tent, Zhong Chuzhou heard a frantic argument. With a sudden thought, he signaled everyone to stop and quietly approached the tent, listening intently. A hoarse voice inside anxiously asked, "What's going on? Why are you all so exhausted? Did someone poison you?"

Another trembling voice replied, "General, Wang also... I don't know. There hasn't been anything unusual today. Could there be a traitor among us? General, what should we do now?"

Zhong Chuzhou listened to the conversation inside, his mind shifted, and he stretched out his finger to gently poke a hole in the paper on the window, his movements light and stealthy. He looked inside through the hole in the paper, and saw that several people in the room were also slumped on the ground, without any power to resist. There were two people lying on the table, one of them was a middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing a gorgeous royal blue suit, and his face had the distinct characteristics of the Zhang family. At this moment, his brows were furrowed, his face was ashen, and he was struggling to support his already limp body, but his whole body had no strength and he could only struggle in vain. On the other side sat a thin man in his forties, dressed in a light gray long gown, dressed like a scholar. He was even more completely powerless and could only lie on the table, barely controlling himself from sliding off the table.

After Zhong Chuzhou took in the scene inside, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, a smile of triumph spreading across his lips. He turned and gestured to Mo Qing, his eyes piercing with cold determination. Mo Qing nodded in understanding, turned, and quietly stepped back. He pulled a delicate whistling feather from his pocket, uncorked it, and with a whoosh, a streak of light soared into the sky above the camp like a meteor, then exploded into a brilliant lotus, strikingly bright against the dawning night sky.