Ironvine Territory (25)

On the battlefield where the Silver Maple Secret Guard were being besieged, the elite guards brought by Lenster were cleaning up the battlefield. To call it cleaning up was an understatement; they were collecting the wounded and the dead, since they were only facing a handful of enemies this time.

However, their troops suffered heavy casualties. As part of Lenster's initial plan, the purpose of this encirclement operation was to capture Silver Maple Secret Guard alive as much as possible. However, due to inaccurate intelligence, the estimated number of enemies differed from the actual number, resulting in significant losses for Lenster's men.

The battlefield that Lenster and Victor witnessed was horrific. Few of the wounded soldiers sustained minor injuries. The counterattacks of the Silver Maple Secret Guard were incredibly sharp, and perhaps because they couldn't escape, they were also ruthless.

Lenster saw at least forty corpses, and the number of seriously wounded soldiers carried away was about the same. Keep in mind that in order to keep the operation secret, he only brought two squads of soldiers with him, and as a result, half of them were wiped out in the battle, which broke his heart.

"Bang!" He slammed his fist into the tree beside him. "My Guard Corps, those damned Silver Maple Secret Guard!"

Victor simply watched Lenster vent his anger quietly from the sidelines. He didn't say anything, after all, Lenster himself had organized this operation, so he would naturally have to bear the consequences himself.

However, Victor thought that Lenster didn't need to be so upset. After witnessing the strength of the Silver Maple Secret Guard, Victor believed that it was already quite worthwhile to eliminate so many Silver Maple Secret Guards at such a low cost.

Fortunately, Lenster was, after all, a noble heir who had experienced a great war, and he had a certain psychological capacity to bear the heavy casualties. After a few minutes, he had regained control of his emotions.

He forced a smile. "You flatter me, Viscount Victor."

Victor nodded. "Your guards are all excellent. The Ironvine Territory Army truly lives up to its reputation as a formidable force in the Southern Region of the Grand Duchy."

After listening to Victor's words, Lenster breathed a sigh of relief and continued on with Victor. He had already instructed his men to gather the bodies of the Silver Maple Secret Guard together for easier examination.

Then Victor and Lenster saw the corpses of the Silver Maple Secret Guard, several of which were incomplete.

The dismembered limbs and chunks of flesh emitted an extremely strong stench of blood. Lenster pulled out a handkerchief, covered his mouth and nose, and asked an officer beside him, "What's going on? Didn't I say no more mutilation of corpses?"

That officer was a Squad Leader in this operation; the other Squad Leader had already been killed in action.

Upon hearing Lenster's words, he seemed somewhat dazed and slowly replied, "Sir, it wasn't us, it was these guys..."

These guys were normal at first, but after we killed most of their enemies and completed the encirclement, they suddenly went berserk, attacking indiscriminately around them, even affecting their own comrades.

Moreover, they seem to have no sense of pain; even cutting off their legs doesn't render them incapable of fighting. They can even move quickly on the ground using their hands. We can only sever all four of their limbs."

Lenster interrupted him, "It's not just about cutting off limbs."

The Squad Leader looked as if he had seen a ghost. "Yes, even cutting off their limbs didn't stop them."

One of our brothers, thinking they were no longer able to resist, went closer to check.

Suddenly, that guy jumped up and bit him. When we cut his neck, we found that even his face had been bitten off.

After the Squad Leader finished speaking, he choked up, and several soldiers around him also started crying, perhaps because they were saddened by the death of their comrades or frightened by the fearless enemy.

Lenster's face was extremely grim; he knew that his elite guards would be unable to participate in the battle for the time being.

Victor walked over and whispered a few words to Lenster.

After hearing Victor's words, Lenster summoned other soldiers who took the men away.

Victor suggested that the soldiers be removed from the battlefield as soon as possible to calm them down and gradually return to normal. Otherwise, given their mental state, they might cause a mutiny within the camp.

Lenster, having also received an education from a military aristocracy, naturally understood this special situation. He agreed with Victor's suggestion and left only the Squad Leader behind.

Fortunately, the Squad Leader was an experienced officer with a much stronger mental fortitude. He gradually recovered from his panic and quickly knelt down before Lenster.

"I'm sorry, Lord Lenster, I lost my composure."

Lenster waved his hand, gesturing for him to stand up. "My plan went wrong. You've done a great job. Now tell me about what happened on the battlefield."