Although everyone had agreed, Gu Fan and his group along with General Horton's two hundred mercenaries set out from the River of Survival and continued along the route they had taken before. However, General Horton needed to report to his superiors and couldn't just lead his troops wherever he wanted.
According to General Horton, after the recent great battle, which eliminated a large number of vampire creatures, the plan was to split the forces into two routes. The first route would have the regular troops marching from the Road of Death, approaching the Dark City.
For the second route, after receiving resupplies, General Horton would lead the remaining two hundred mercenaries to quietly set out from the River of Survival and strike Dark City unexpectedly.
Soon the higher-ups approved General Horton's plan without suspecting any ulterior motives on his part.