dkrc Chapter 50 The Shift in Offense and Defense
Chapter 50 The Shift in Offense and Defense
Xuanwu Fortress.
This is Jiangcheng's largest, most fortified, and only military fortress in the wilderness.
The fortress walls are 50 meters high and over 30 meters wide at the base, and are entirely constructed of reinforced concrete and special alloys.
The city walls were densely packed with various heavy weapons.
The fortress housed tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of night watchmen, along with a large number of support personnel.
This is Jiangcheng's last barrier in the wilderness.
If Xuanwu Fortress falls, the beast army will advance unimpeded and reach the gates of Jiangcheng.
At this moment, the fortress is under siege.
Outside the city, a vast, dark army of strange beasts stretched as far as the eye could see.
One hundred thousand strange beasts.
This number is not an exaggeration, but a real figure.
From low-level Tier 1 beasts to Tier 4 beast kings, they were densely distributed around the fortress.
They completely surrounded the Xuanwu Fortress, and any attempt to break out would be met with devastating consequences.
Deep within the herd of beasts, three figures stood out most prominently.
Golden-winged Roc.
A white elephant with a jade-like face.
Golden Lion King.
A three-headed, half-step sixth-tier beast king.
The Golden-Winged Roc soared through the sky, its golden feathers shimmering dazzlingly in the sunlight, each feather as sharp as a sword.
Its size is not huge, with a wingspan of only about ten meters, but the aura it exudes is so strong that even the low-level beasts on the ground dare not raise their heads.
The jade-faced white elephant stands on the ground, its entire body pure white, reaching a height of twenty meters, like a moving snow mountain.
Its long nose twitches from time to time, each twitch creating a hurricane.
The most eerie thing was its face; on that elephant's face, the outline of a human face was vaguely emerging, with clearly discernible features, which sent chills down one's spine.
The golden lion king lay prone on a boulder, its golden mane like a burning flame.
It was more than ten times larger than an ordinary lion, with limbs as thick as pillars and sharp claws deeply embedded in the rocks.
Its eyes were half-closed, seemingly uninterested in everything before it, yet its imperial aura enveloped the entire battlefield.
These three half-step sixth-tier beast kings, any one of them, could destroy a medium-sized city.
Now, all three are together.
Opposite them, on the city wall of Xuanwu Fortress, three figures also stood.
In the center was a middle-aged martial artist, dressed in black, with a thin face and only one bright, piercing eye.
He held a black and gold longsword and was none other than Elder Zhang, a peak fifth-level Night Watchman.
They are also the strongest fighting force in Jiangcheng besides Cao Keyuan and Director Zhou.
Two middle-aged men stood on his left and right sides.
The one on the left is burly, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. He has a tiger tattoo on his bald head and his muscles are bulging, making him look like an iron tower.
His name is Meng Hu, the captain of the first squad of the Night Watch Vanguard Camp, "Po Jun," and a late-stage fifth-tier martial artist.
The one on the right is lean and capable, with a cold face and piercing eyes.
His name is Han Lie, the captain of the second squad of the Night Watch Vanguard Battalion, "Po Jun," and he is also a late-stage fifth-tier martial artist.
Behind the two stood members of their respective squads.
Each team consists of two peak fourth-tier martial artists and two early fifth-tier martial artists, plus the team leader, for a total of five people.
Ten people, ten figures, emanating powerful fluctuations of qi and blood.
This is the most elite force of the Night's Watch Vanguard—the Breaking Army Squad.
Every Po Jun squad has undergone rigorous training and achieved perfect teamwork.
In a one-on-one fight, they might not be a match for a half-step sixth-tier beast king, but with teamwork, they could certainly hold their own against one.
"Old Zhang," Meng Hu said in a low, gruff voice, "what's the meaning of just surrounding these three beasts without attacking them?"
Old Zhang frowned, his gaze fixed on the three-headed beast king in the distance: "They are waiting."
"What are you waiting for?"
"Wait until those three fortresses are breached," Han Lie replied, his voice hoarse, like a blade slicing through glass.
"They surrounded us with 100,000 alien beasts to tie down Jiangcheng's main force. The alien beasts' real target is those three fortresses: No. 3, No. 5, and No. 9."
Meng Hu's fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "Damn beast!"
Old Zhang remained silent.
He knew that Han Lie was right.
These three half-step sixth-tier beast kings, leading 100,000 exotic beasts to besiege Xuanwu Fortress, had no intention of conquering it.
The Xuanwu Fortress is heavily fortified with high walls and a large number of troops. Even if a strong attack were to be launched and the city were to be captured, at least half of the 100,000 strange beasts would be killed or wounded.
The Beast King wouldn't do something that would lose money.
Their true purpose is to contain and restrain.
By holding back the garrison of Xuanwu Fortress, and by holding back Elder Zhang and the Po Jun Squad, Jiang Cheng was unable to spare troops to rescue the three fortresses.
Once the three fortresses were breached, the beast tides merged, along with even more strange beasts emerging from the southern mountains.
At that time, 100,000 will become 150,000, 150,000 will even become 200,000.
Even if Xuanwu Fortress were an iron plate, it would be crushed alive.
"Old Zhang," Meng Hu couldn't hold back any longer, "we can't just sit here and wait! Let me lead the Po Jun Squad out and wreak havoc on them!"
"Charge out?" Han Lie sneered. "Outside the city are 100,000 strange beasts, including three half-step sixth-tier beast kings. How far can you get if you charge out?"
"That's better than waiting to die here!"
"That's enough." Old Zhang's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
Both of them shut up at the same time.
Old Zhang slowly raised his finger and pointed into the distance: "Look."
Meng Hu and Han Lie looked in the direction the finger was pointing.
In the distance, the three-headed beast king remained quietly in place, seemingly unconcerned that the humans would break through.
"They're waiting for us to break through," Old Zhang said calmly.
"As soon as we leave the fortress and enter open terrain, the three-headed beast king will attack simultaneously. How long can the three of us hold off these three half-step sixth-tier beasts?"
Meng Hu fell silent.
"Even if we can hold them off, what about the 100,000 beasts?" Elder Zhang continued. "Can the tens of thousands of soldiers in the fortress withstand the attack of 100,000 beasts and a dozen or so fourth-tier beast kings?"
No one can answer this question.
Old Zhang sighed and withdrew his finger.
"Our mission is to defend Xuanwu Fortress," he said. "As long as the fortress stands, Jiangcheng will still have a barrier. As for those three fortresses..."
He didn't continue.
But everyone understood what he meant.
The three fortresses are probably beyond saving.
"Damn aristocratic families!" Meng Hu suddenly roared and slammed his fist on the city wall.
"It's all those damn parasites' fault! If it weren't for their infighting, Jiangcheng wouldn't have fallen to this state!"
Han Lie didn't speak, but his eyes were equally gloomy.
Meng Hu is right.
Three years ago, Jiangcheng was not like it is now.
At that time, Jiangcheng had four fortresses and eighteen strongholds in the wilderness, with a defensive line stretching for hundreds of kilometers, suppressing the strange beasts in the southern mountains from venturing out of their lairs.
At that time, the Night Watch Vanguard Camp had six Broken Army Squads, with more than ten fifth-tier experts and over a hundred fourth-tier warriors.
At that time, although there were conflicts among the major forces in Jiangcheng, they were still able to unite against a common enemy.
But now?
Internal strife.
Endless infighting.
In three years, three of the four fortresses were lost, and fifteen of the eighteen strongholds were lost.
Even fifth-tier experts have lost several!
The defensive line has retreated again and again, and now only the Xuanwu Fortress remains, an isolated city, and three fortresses that could be breached at any moment.
The root of all this lies in those powerful families that only know how to fight amongst themselves.
"Stop talking," Old Zhang said wearily. "It's pointless to say anything now."
He raised his head and looked at the three-headed beast king in the distance, a resolute glint in his eyes.
"If those three fortresses are really breached... I'll risk my life to take a beast king down with me."
Meng Hu and Han Lie exchanged a glance and stepped forward simultaneously.
"Old Zhang, if you're going to fight, count me in."
"Me too."
Looking at the two of them, Old Zhang's eyes revealed a hint of satisfaction.
"Okay. Let's get ready."
His words came to an abrupt end.
Because the herd of strange beasts in the distance suddenly became agitated.
……
A plume of black smoke billowed on the horizon.
That wasn't smoke, it was dust that had been kicked up.
Something is rapidly approaching.
The quantity is enormous.
Old Zhang squinted, channeling his qi and blood into his eyes, and looked into the distance.
He witnessed a scene that left him speechless.
Mythical beast!
Thousands upon thousands of strange beasts!
But they weren't charging; they were fleeing for their lives.
Running wildly.
They fled.
They rushed to be the first.
Some of the beasts were too slow and were trampled over by the beasts behind them, turning into mincemeat.
In order to escape, some of the strange beasts even began to attack their own kind who stood in their way, killing each other.
The entire herd of beasts was in complete disarray.
"This…" Meng Hu's eyes widened. "What's going on?"
Han Lie frowned: "The beast tide has collapsed? That's impossible. Three fortresses couldn't have been breached so quickly."
Old Zhang didn't speak; he stared intently at the cloud of smoke.
He witnessed an even more incredible scene.
Behind the fleeing herd of beasts, there was a figure.
The figure appeared and disappeared intermittently.
Each time it appeared, more than a dozen strange beasts fell.
Each time they disappear, a group of strange beasts perish.
A person.
One person is hunting down thousands of strange beasts.
Old Zhang's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Who...is that?"