Josh quickly analyzed everything with a cold glint in his eyes.

Things were really tricky.

~Drrrrr~~

The rain, as if reading his mood, intensified yet again, creating more tension to the already nerve-wracking situation.

"Edwin! Hoshen! Quickly get on my back now. We have no more time to lose."

The duo looked at each other hesitantly.

Josh knew their worries but felt that now wasn't the time to think of these.

For Josh, ever since staying in Baymard, his strength, speed, flexibility, and several aspects about him had increased tremendously.

He could punch a while right through a brick wall if he used his max strength.

Of course, he attributed all this to the military training, which had made him stronger than ever before.

He had carried many under him during missions before, so his men weren't too surprised about his request.

What worried them was something else.

"Major General, sir!

The topography here is harsh and coupled with the rain, making the place slippery and swampy.

Sir! As taught, water causes less friction, making us expend more energy to carefully run on it.

Of course, we have been trained to run across these sorts of terrains while holding a single person or a hostage.

But sir! You will not only be holding the hostage boy in your hands but also carrying us.

This alone is too risky!

Not to talk of the fact that it takes a toll on you."

The duo were rightly worried.

If it were all too much on Josh to bear, rather than speeding up, he would be running slower than their current speed.

The swampy potholed forest road would take too much energy out of him if he carried them all.

The science here was simple.

The same case also applied to terrains that weren't sturdy.

For example, one needed more energy running on a beach than pavement.

As one runs on the beach, the sand gets moved around, reducing friction.

The mushy, swampy, wet floor here was so soft, moving and slippery that they too almost fell if not for their rigorous training in the barracks.

Look? Even the enemies kept falling while chasing them.

The rain today was too hard!

So their additional weights should have Josh slow down and take his time walking across the forest, which might in turn make their pursuers reach them faster.

Of course, they were thinking all these logically because they had never seen Josh carry so many people across swampy land.

So they don't want to be a burden on him.

They were worried about him most.

Too bad Josh wasn't a regular person, per se.

.

Josh looked at their actions and smiled.

He knew their thoughts.

They probably got on to first observe.

If he showed any signs of discomfort, they would immediately get down.

These 2 were a few of his most trusted subordinates, who always had his interest first.

No matter how strong he was, they were constantly worrying about him like a married couple.

Well, it felt good to be cared for.

~Plop, Plop~

The duo smiled helplessly and got on Josh's back just like they used to.

They were ready to get down any moment from now, but Josh's next move left them in a daze with their mouths wide open.

"Everyone, Hold on tight.

It's going to be a bumpy ride."

Eh?

The duo tilted their heads in confusion.

'Bumpy ride?

What does...Ahhhhh!!!'

The duo inwardly screamed as Josh dashed through the mushy terrain as if it were nothing.

The funny thing was that his steps increased so much that it looked like he was jumping and leaping forward instead, at a swift pace.

Edwin's head punched Hoshen's chest, making him bite his tongue hard.

Meanwhile, Hoshen, who was receiving head blows from Edwin, wanted to cry.

Indeed, it was truly a bumpy ride.

The duo kept bumping on each other pitifully during the entire trip.

F***!

Hoshen felt like after his, he might need to have a checkup, just to be sure.

.

Josh, who didn't know how many blows the duo had received, was only focused on carefully speeding up to the safe house they created when they first got here.

What a joke!

As trained military personnel, they knew that since they were here to watch the Council members till the end of January, they had to create a place where they could hide if they were discovered.

They needed a safe house. Or, in this case, a man-made safe cave.

If things got too bad that the enemy was looking for them within the city, around the neighbouring villages and towns, then they had to hide somewhere until their comrades came for them... Or until they figured out their own situation and planned another escape way out.

That was their safest bet.

Funny enough, they used up an entire week to create that safehouse.

And if they didn't come back tonight, the other 2 staying at the Inn would know that things were bad.

Of course, they wouldn't come to them immediately.

They would want a bit before trying to see them.

And during their wait, they would immediately send written messages to the Baymardians close by in English (military language only used by Baymardians).

Presently, another group of soldier spies were also doing a top-secret mission in a town 18 days from here on horseback.

So even though it was a long time, it was still important for them to send word.

That way if they were missing, their comrades could trace everything back.

For sure, Plan A would always be to devise their own escape route instead, since their mission might've already been compromised.

Thinking of all this, Josh seeded up without a moment to lose, dashing ahead like lightning, leaving the enemies dumbfounded.

Erm...What was this operation?

Were they seeing things now?

Just now, they saw 3 figures.

So how come the figures suddenly turned to a giant one?"

Many wiped the falling rain from their eyes in confusion and stared at the disappearing silhouette in an aggrieved manner.

Was the rain playing tricks on them?

Could it be that all this time, they had been chasing a creature rather than a human?

F***!

It looks like they were still intoxicated on the booze they drank a few hours back.

Sigh...