Chapter 2500

“Here’s the problem-even if we know Warrick’s intentions, how do we stop him?

“Austin asked.

Right now, Warrick had already disappeared without a trace. Austin’s team hadn’t even come close enough to get a hold of him, so there was no way to track him down.

West Lucozia’s vast territory and resources made it impossible to seal off every exit route completely. While it might be manageable in the short term, prolonging such an operation would significantly impact West Lucozia’s economy. Wasting resources on a single fugitive wasn’t a wise move.

“Warrick is a wanted man across the entire city. There’s no way he’s leaving through official channels. He’ll have to sneak his way out,” Dustin analyzed.

He continued, “According to the maritime charts, if he’s traveling from West Lucozia to Artea, he’ll have to go through Thaloria. That’s our lead. Get someone on it immediately-find out how many smuggling routes there are from West Lucozia to Thaloria.”

“Got it. I’ll get it done right away,” Austin replied with a nod. He quickly summoned his guards and relayed the orders.

The castle’s intelligence network worked efficiently. In less than half an hour, a special route map was delivered to Austin.

As he spread it out, he saw dozens of winding paths-all leading from West Lucozia’s border to various docks and ports in Thaloria. However, five of these routes were marked in bright red, which stood out sharply.

These routes weren’t found on any standard map, and few knew they existed. In other words, they were the secret channels used by smugglers. Unscrupulous merchants and corrupt officials had long exploited these routes for profit.

The castle had been aware of them for some time but had chosen not to take action. Cracking down on them would be a massive undertaking.

In some ways, letting them go unchecked had its benefits-it was like allowing a dangerous situation to fester, knowing it would eventually implode.

“Dustin, look-these five routes are the main smuggling paths to Thaloria,” Austin said, pointing at the map. “If your guess is right, Warrick will have to choose one of them. If we set up an ambush at these locations, we’re bound to catch him.”

“Warrick is a grandmaster martial artist, and his senses are razor-sharp. If we send too many troops to lay an ambush, it’ll be too obvious, and we’ll alert him before we get a chance to act,” Dustin replied.

Right now, Warrick was like a startled bird, and the slightest disturbance would send him fleeing.

“Yeah, that’s true.” Austin nodded thoughtfully. “If we mobilize a large force, it’ll tip him off. But if we only send a handful of elite squads, I’m worried we won’t have enough manpower to stop him.

Even after being drugged with Tranqurin, Warrick still managed to escape from the castle. Regular armed forces couldn’t stop him at all.

Only elite troops like the Draken Guardians stood a chance of taking him down. The problem was that there were only about 100 of them. It was nowhere near enough to cover all possible smuggling routes. Splitting them up would only weaken their strength, and that wasn’t a smart move.

On top of that, Warrick had the backing of experts from the Hall of Gods. If it came to a confrontation, the odds of failure were high.

“No need to go through all that trouble,” Dustin said coolly. “Just deploy your forces to seal off four of the routes. As for the rest, leave it to me.”

“I get it now. So, this is what you meant by ‘ lure him out.’ That’s brilliant.” Austin quickly caught on.

By blocking four routes and deliberately leaving one open, they would give Warrick the false hope that he could escape. Dustin would then wait at the exit and capture him the moment he walked into the trap.

It was a clever strategy that wouldn’t raise any suspicion but would guarantee success.

As for whether Dustin could take down Warrick, Austin had never doubted it. Even top-ranked martial artists on the Champ-Tier List had fallen by Dustin’s hand, so what chance did a lowly general like Warrick have?

In the end, Warrick had only himself to blame for provoking the wrong person.

Dawn was breaking, and the search operation in Celestria, the capital of West Lucozia, was still underway.

Although Dustin and Austin already had a plan to capture Warrick, they still had to put on a show to avoid arousing suspicion from the Hall of Gods.

In an old estate outside Celestria, a hidden door behind a bookshelf slowly creaked open as a mechanism clicked into place.

Soon, Mulder stepped out, followed by several subordinates. After scanning their surroundings and confirming they were safe, Mulder turned back and called out, ” All clear, Sir Prescott. You can come out now.”

“Damn it! I was suffocating in there.”

Warrick exited from the secret tunnel, cursing. He looked grimy and haggard.

After spending the entire night navigating the dark, damp tunnel, he finally had a chance to breathe fresh air again.

He slumped into a chair and poured himself a cup of tea. But just as he was about to take a sip, he hesitated and glanced warily at Mulder.

The memory of drinking a drugged tea at the castle a few days ago was still fresh in his mind.

“Don’t worry, Sir Prescott. The tea isn’t drugged.” Mulder smiled, took the cup from Warrick’s hand, and downed it in one gulp.

“Can’t be too careful after what happened.

“Warrick shook his head before drinking the tea.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from the doorway.

Warrick’s face tensed. In a flash, his blade was drawn and ready to strike.