The War God's Homecoming novel Chapter 164

Chapter 164 The Truth from Three Years Ago

"Back then, when my leader and I, along with six others, pursued the fugitive into that primeval forest, we realized we had fallen into a trap. The enemy deliberately exposed themselves to lure us in." Spike Arnold said with a pained expression on his face.

"Inside the primeval forest, there were already two Tier-one Warlords and four late stage Battle Gods waiting for us. Among the six of us, only my leader was at the Warlord level, and just at the early stages, so we were no match."

"In less than three minutes, my leader and four other skilled fighters were killed by them."

"Why were you the only one who survived?" Judge asked.

"Shamefully, my leader, after realizing there was no way for us to escape, was determined to have at least one person carry the message out. So, when I least expected it, he pushed me off the cliff with a single palm. He knew there was a pool of water below the cliff, hoping I could survive by falling into it."

"Later events went as he had hoped. I fell into the pool after being pushed from the cliff, and miraculously managed to survive. The enemy's people searched the vicinity of the pool for three days and nights before finally giving up. I stayed in the forest for a few more days before daring to leave."

"Your luck really held out," Judge commented. "But do you know who ambushed you all that day?"

"I don't know," Spike Arnold shook his head slightly. "All of them wore Taoist robes and masks, concealing their true identities." At this point, a flash of anger crossed his face. He paused briefly before continuing, "However, even though I don't know exactly who it was, I'm sure they were sent by the noble families."

"Why are you so certain?" Billy asked, lifting his teacup to take a sip.

"For two reasons," Spike Arnold replied after taking a deep breath.

"First, the SSS-level fugitive we were after was originally from one of the noble families. Naturally, they wouldn't let him come to harm. They also feared that if we caught him, we might uncover other sensitive matters."

"Second, the six of us were blocking the noble families' path. To keep control of SHADOW, they had to eliminate us."

"Did you choose to hide your identity in order to wait for someone to seek justice?" Judge continued.

"After coming out of that forest, I did consider going directly to the capital city," Spike Arnold exhaled deeply. "But reason told me it was not feasible."

"They didn't find my body at the time, so they probably assumed I wasn't dead. They would have issued a kill order for me. If I went to the capital, it would have been like walking into a trap. My leader saved my life by pushing me off that cliff. I couldn't selfishly throw away his hopes. If I had died too, this matter might have remained unsolved."

"Why did you deny your identity when we went to the village that day?" Judge continued.

"The other side has great influence. You were probably worried we couldn't handle the situation and didn't want SHADOW to get implicated again, right?" Billy glanced at Spike Arnold and said lightly.

"Yes," Spike Arnold nodded solemnly. "If their people hadn't found me, I wouldn't have come to find Commander Gardner."

"I'm curious, though. Which noble family was the fugitive from that you were so wary of?" Billy lit a cigarette and took a puff.

"Commander Gardner, have you seen his file?" Spike Arnold looked a bit puzzled.

"His file was switched shortly after that incident." Judge replied.

"No wonder! They're quite crafty!" Spike Arnold took another deep breath and looked at Billy. "The Leonard family!"