Supreme Alchemist
Chapter 2516: 2506 Young Mercenary

Chapter 2516: Chapter 2506 Young Mercenary

Luo Ye stood on the mountaintop of the Demon Beast Mountain Range, looking at the people below in ragged clothes. The whip in his hand, dipped in cold water, cracked crisply on the ground, and he nodded in satisfaction at the Long Whip in his hand.

“Hurry up, stop dawdling!”

Below, a long line of people in Shackles was being escorted by several neatly dressed Soldiers. Those Shackled people only wore scanty clothes, both men and women, like hogs waiting to be slaughtered, without any distinction of gender.

Among them, a few had just joined this long line, shouting curses at the Soldiers escorting them, even tugging at the Shackles on their chests, making clinking noises. They were Mercenaries heading to the Demon Beast Mountain Range, never expecting that today they would become Prisoners.

But such futile resistance was merely a nuisance in the eyes of the Soldiers. The Shackles rendered the Mercenaries powerless. After taking a slap from a Soldier, they wanted to say something but were silenced by the sight of the Long Knife at the Soldier’s waist.

“You scum, once this experiment is done, you’ll die honorably!”

Luo Ye spat, seemingly contemptuous of these people, yet a hint of worry appeared on his face. He was the Mayor’s brother-in-law, and today was the day to deliver test subjects to a secret stronghold inside the Demon Beast Mountain Range. They had agreed on one hundred and fifty people, but one of them had suddenly died en route due to poor health.

The experiment required live subjects; the dead were of no use. Thinking about this, Luo Ye bit his teeth in resentment; these damned scum were utterly useless.

Evidently, Luo Ye blamed the sudden death on these people. His anger flared as he raised his Long Whip and snapped it on a few who lagged behind.

“Do you all have a death wish?”

Luo Ye glared, earning a nickname among the test subjects—’Sudden Death Ghost.’ Of course, no one dared to call him that to his face, only whispering it behind his back.

The person struck by the Long Whip was an old man over sixty, who seemed to do simple chores at home and had never walked such long mountain roads, his stamina long depleted. Coupled with the lash from Luo Ye, he stumbled, nearly falling.

Someone quickly supported the Old Woman’s body, glaring at Luo Ye angrily, but only received two more sharp cracks of the whip in return.

“What are you glaring at? I gave you worthless scum a purpose in life, and you glare at me!”

Luo Ye knew full well what fate awaited these test subjects at the stronghold, so he didn’t hesitate. The whip in his hand lashed toward the young man supporting the Old Woman!

“Boss… Boss.”

Just then, Luo Ye’s Dogleg pushed through the crowd to his side, looking flustered as if something had gone wrong.

“What’s got you in such a panic? Spit it out!”

Luo Ye kicked his Dogleg to the ground, sheathing his Long Whip. After all, one had already died on the road. If he accidentally killed two more, he’d have no way to explain it.

“There’s an injured Mercenary up ahead.”

The Dogleg, unable to suppress his grin, reported, and Luo Ye was momentarily dumbfounded—it was like finding a pillow when you’re drowsy. Hastily, he said,

“Quick, take me there!”

The Dogleg didn’t dare delay, jumping up from the ground, and led his master forward. Luo Ye saw, indeed, there was a person clad in Mercenary Armor, leaning against a stone. His face, though smeared with dust from fleeing, was still quite handsome.

On the young man’s left shoulder, a red stain was spreading, evidence of a hastily treated wound that, due to rush or other reasons, was ineptly handled. As a result, the young man bled excessively and fainted here.

“Heaven is truly helping me too!”

Luo Ye smiled. He thought he’d be reprimanded for coming up one short today, but now Long Yan could serve as a substitute.

“You two, take the young man and bring him into the ranks.”

Luo Ye instructed two men. They had done this many times, and many were captured while on missions in the mountains. However, they generally avoided touching members of the Mercenary Group, as a sudden disappearance would never go unnoticed.

Yet this young man was evidently isolated. Even if they captured him, no one would know. Hence, he could perfectly replace the deceased test subject.

Luo Ye glanced at the Injured Youth with a cold smile; unlucky for him to encounter Luo Ye today. His men were no strangers to such acts, but they were a bit puzzled when the youth opened his Eyes as they approached him.

“Who are you?”

The youth’s blood-deprived, pale face trembled slightly, enduring some pain.

“We’re taking you to a good place!”

The men exchanged glances and lifted the young man, taking him towards their group.

“Who are you people? Let me go.”

The youth cried out in alarm, but with his injured body, how could he match the strength of the burly men? Rendered immobile, he was brought before Luo Ye.

“Who in the world are you? Why are you capturing me?”

The youth’s face was marked by panic, but Luo Ye merely chuckled and said to him,

“It’s your bad luck. Who would’ve thought Grandpa would come up short today? You’re just filling in the numbers.”

Before the youth could respond, Luo Ye waved his hand, instructing his men to bind Long Yan and incorporate him into the group.

The youth struggled to no avail, eventually giving up. A rudimentary Doctor tended to the youth’s wound, washing it and bandaging it once again.

The youth was shoved into the group by several Soldiers, but there was no way to provide him with the group’s uniform Ragged Clothes, so he retained his own, which made him conspicuously standout.

Luo Ye took particular interest in this youth, assigning two Soldiers to monitor him closely, fearing he might attempt an escape. After all, they couldn’t afford to let a duck in hand fly away, could they?

Seeing the youth captured right before their eyes, the others couldn’t help but sigh. Just a moment ago, the young man was a free Mercenary; now, he was reduced to a Prisoner in a blink.

But the youth, as if resigned to his fate, made no attempt to escape or cause a commotion. He quietly followed the group, though his Gaze held a glimmer of contemplation, plotting something unknown.

As the distance to their destination grew ever closer, Luo Ye exhaled a long breath. Being this near, they no longer needed to be as vigilant. All around, Luo Xiang’s Dark Guard patrolled, making escape utterly impossible.