After about thirty minutes, the group arrived at the entrance of Crescent Moon Pool. It was a stockade enclosed by thick logs, with the gate set between two massive boulders. The stockade covered roughly four hundred square meters, with a row of barracks on the left and a tall watchtower in the center. On the right were two more wooden buildings. From the dead big man, they learned that these two wooden buildings on the right served as the kitchen and supply storage. The firearms and cash that Jiang Tianliang had collected were all kept in this storage. Outside the wooden door, two men around thirty years old were chatting idly, completely lacking any vigilance.
After surveying the surroundings, Liu Tiezhu waved his hand. Er Gouzi and the other man quickly moved closer. "Gouzi, you take the right, I'll take the left. Watch my signal—I'll count to three, then we shoot immediately." Er Gouzi nodded, turning his compound crossbow toward the man on the right. At Liu Tiezhu's command, two bamboo arrows shot out swiftly. *Pfft, pfft*... Muffled sounds rang out as the arrows pierced the men's throats, blood splattering on the spot. The two men clutched their necks desperately, trying to shout to warn the others, but they opened their mouths for a long time without making a sound—only blood gushing out continuously.
Having dealt with the two men, Liu Tiezhu and his companions quickly approached the wooden door. Less than five meters behind the door stood a watchtower six or seven meters high. But the lookout on duty was already fast asleep, completely unaware of the approaching danger. Liu Tiezhu had Er Gouzi and Yang Haitian watch the rear while he quietly slipped to the base of the watchtower and slowly climbed up the wooden ladder. At the top of the watchtower, the two men still had no clue. It wasn't until Liu Tiezhu aimed his compound crossbow at their heads that they jolted awake. *Pfft, pfft*... Just as they reached for their guns, the bamboo arrows pierced their necks. With blood spraying, they fell to the ground in defeat.
After taking them out, Liu Tiezhu waved back. Er Gouzi, seeing the signal, immediately brought Yang Haitian up. "Gouzi, you and Tian keep watch here. If anyone comes from outside, signal right away. I'll handle the rest." With that, Liu Tiezhu quickly descended the watchtower and crept toward one of the wooden buildings on the right. He had already eliminated four of the twelve men; the remaining eight were guarding the storage. The two storage buildings were less than three meters apart, with a few rocks in between, giving Liu Tiezhu a chance for a sneak attack.
Liu Tiezhu circled to the back of the first storage building, cautiously peeking out to observe. At the storage door, four men stood on either side. Though not asleep, they were sluggish, yawning constantly. This scene put Liu Tiezhu in a bind. If he attacked, even at top speed, he could only take out two. The remaining two would react and open fire. If that happened, the four from the adjacent storage would surround him, putting his position in grave danger. After a moment's thought, Liu Tiezhu's eyes fell on a small pebble at his feet. He picked it up, gauged the distance to the four men, and tossed it to hit a rock, creating a noise. Done, he quickly ducked behind the storage's stone wall.
The four men, who had been yawning, snapped to attention. "Did you hear that?" asked Huang Zhengying on the left. Lin Daming beside him replied, "Yeah, sounded like it came from the back." Huang Zhengying said, "Could be some animal got in. Daming, Zhou Hai, you two go check it out." The two nodded, raised their rifles, and slowly crept toward the back of the storage. As the footsteps drew nearer, Liu Tiezhu's heartbeat quickened. When they were just two meters away, he suddenly sprang out from behind the rock, his compound crossbow's bamboo arrows instantly aimed at their necks and fired. *Thud, thud*... The two stared wide-eyed, collapsing stiffly to the ground, their faces frozen in terror. Liu Tiezhu quickly dragged them behind the rock, reloaded his crossbow, and waited silently. The noise of their fall would surely attract the other two. Once they came over, he could take them out immediately.
"What's going on?" Huang Zhengying at the storage door frowned at the sound. "Brother Huang, could they have tripped?" said the other man, Guo Tao. Huang Zhengying paused, then called out, "Zhou Hai, Lin Daming, what's up with you two?" Silence from behind—no response. This time, Huang Zhengying's face changed. He called out again, louder, but still got nothing. "Could something have happened to them?" Huang Zhengying and Guo Tao exchanged glances, simultaneously chambering rounds in their rifles. "That thing's definitely behind the storage. Be careful." Huang Zhengying warned, taking the lead. Guo Tao followed closely, his right hand gripping the rifle slick with cold sweat.
Hearing their exchange, Liu Tiezhu quickly emerged from behind the rock and quietly circled to the right side of the storage. As the two men stepped forward, they spotted bloodstains and drag marks on the ground in the faint moonlight. "Must be some beast that got in. It's hiding behind that rock. Let's flank it from both sides." Huang Zhengying pointed at the drag marks, lowering his voice. Guo Tao nodded and slowly advanced. By then, Liu Tiezhu had circled from behind the rock to the front of the storage, right behind the two men. Seeing them slowly closing in on the rock, he decisively pulled the trigger. *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh*... The sharp sound of arrows cutting through the air. The two turned at the noise, their faces paling. Just as they tried to fire, the bamboo arrows pierced their necks, blood spurting out. *Gurgle, gurgle*... Blood kept flowing as they clutched their throats, convulsing briefly before going still.
Having dealt with the four, Liu Tiezhu let out a long sigh of relief. What had seemed easy was actually fraught with danger. If any step had gone wrong or his aim had been off, he could have taken a bullet. Now that he relaxed, he realized his back was soaked with cold sweat. After resting a few minutes to calm down, Liu Tiezhu crept toward the adjacent storage. This one had only two men; the other two were nowhere to be seen. After observing for about ten minutes without spotting them, he decided to act. *Pfft, pfft*... Two muffled sounds, and blood splattered across a large patch of the storage's wooden door. The two men, clueless about what hit them, met their end. Liu Tiezhu cautiously stepped out to check the situation. Just then, the wooden door opened, and two men emerged from inside. Six eyes met, and all three froze, simultaneously raising their weapons.
*Damn it!* Liu Tiezhu's face went pale as the thought flashed through his mind. A compound crossbow couldn't match the speed of a bullet. *Bang, bang, bang*...