A Spark About to Ignite

As soon as Zhang Yang charged out, Liu Dali, Qin Yidao, Sun Goudan, and the other ten Captain-grade archers didn't dare to hesitate. They leaped out of the small fort and ran straight into Wu Yuan and the others who were retreating.

"No time to talk! Wang Mumu, Duan Kuan, Zhou Datou, follow me. The rest of you, hold the fort! Don't charge out, even if I die."

Zhang Yang yelled casually. He couldn't worry about anything else at that moment. He only knew that this was a rare opportunity. There was still an information asymmetry between him and the mysterious enemy. The enemy didn't know he had ten Captain-grade archers hidden, nor did they know each archer only had three Wolf Fang Arrows.

If they dragged this out, and the enemy's Imps completely figured out their personnel status, they'd be finished.

"Once you reach the edge of the Fog of War, immediately use your Wind-Chasing Arrow skill. Three of you focus fire on one target, and Qin Yidao will follow up. I want them dead on the spot!"

As they spoke, Zhang Yang and his group reached the edge of the Fog of War. At this moment, the eight Jackalman soldiers in the distance didn't actively attack. After observing the Fog of War for a while, they began to retreat.

Just a few more seconds of delay, and they would enter the forest, making it difficult for even more archers to threaten them.

But at this moment, nine Captain-grade archers had swiftly drawn their great bows. The Wind-Chasing Arrow skill activated simultaneously. All that could be heard was the whistling of sonic booms. The nine Wolf Fang Arrows were so fast they were invisible. In the blink of an eye, they traversed over three hundred meters, directly shooting three Jackalman archers dead on the spot.

However, just half a second later, muffled groans sounded, and six of their own Captain-grade archers were also hit and wounded.

It turned out that when Liu Dali and his group appeared at the edge of the Fog of War, the six Jackalman archers on the opposite side brazenly drew their bows. They didn't dodge, or perhaps knew dodging was useless, because both sides drew their bows too quickly, and the speed of the arrows exceeded the speed of sound. One couldn't even see them, let alone hear them, before the arrows were upon them.

"Boom!"

Qin Yidao, who was a few steps behind the others, drew his bow. The vibrating sound of the great bow was terrifying, and the whistling of the Wolf Fang Arrow tearing through the air was even more dreadful.

Before the sound dissipated in the air, the head of the fourth Jackalman archer on the opposite side exploded into a bloody mist.

He had a unique advantage. He aimed for a second just as that Jackalman archer steadied himself to draw and shoot, also activated his Armor-Piercing Arrow skill, and combined with his own Battle Rune of immense strength, he was able to kill with one blow.

As for why the first volley of six arrows from the opposing Jackalman archers only hit and didn't result in headshot kills, it was because the distance was too great. Without using skills, hitting the body was good enough, and they had too little time to aim at that moment; they practically shot as soon as they drew their bows.

Similarly, this was also why Zhang Yang ordered the other nine archers to all activate their Wind-Chasing Arrow skill, aiming for concentrated fire to eliminate the targets.

The first exchange between the archers of both sides lasted only about a second from start to finish. Then, Wang Mumu, Duan Kuan, and Zhou Datou from Zhang Yang's side swiftly moved forward like lightning, using their shields to protect the wounded archers.

At the same time, the two Jackalman Sword and Shield Soldiers on the opposite side quickly shielded the last two Jackalman archers, retreating into the forest in the blink of an eye, disappearing without a trace.

This was a confrontation that happened in a flash. Those with poor eyesight or slow reactions might not even have known what happened.

"Retreat!"

Zhang Yang also shouted decisively, not even bothering to pursue. He didn't even check the kill messages, retreating back to the small fort in one breath. Only then did he let out a slight sigh of relief.

Heaven knew how nervous he had been just now. The formidable and decisive performance of the enemy soldiers was enough to prove how terrifying the opponent was.

At this moment, with a thought, a series of kill messages appeared on his vision.

Killed Level 15 Jackalman Archer Captain.

Obtained four Level 15 Captain-grade Incomplete Demon Souls.

Obtained four Fragments of Hope (Gray).

Obtained 2000 Energy.

Obtained four Captain-grade Great Bows (White).

Obtained 60 Golden Eagle Armor-Piercing Arrows (White).

The harvest was quite good, especially the 60 Golden Eagle Armor-Piercing Arrows, which dealt even more damage than Wolf Fang Arrows. Distributed among them, each Captain-grade archer could get 6, and counting the previous two Wolf Fang Arrows, each person could shoot eight arrows.

"Wu Yuan, how are your injuries?"

Zhang Yang asked. They had just repelled the mysterious enemy's vanguard. A fierce battle was inevitable next, so recovering from injuries was crucial.

"Thank you for your concern, Village Chief. Our injuries are fine. Even Song Dachui will be full of vigor by tomorrow morning. However, the enemies we encountered this time seem even tougher than Deer Demons, especially those Jackalman archers. They shoot so fast and accurately. I think we need to be more vigilant if they come again."

Wu Yuan said solemnly. He also looked somewhat shaken. It was fortunate that he was leading the team this time, with his quasi-hero strength, he could block most of the arrows. Otherwise, the Four Berserker Bears wouldn't have been enough for even two quivers of arrows from the enemy.

Zhang Yang nodded, pondered for a long time, then opened the Golden Scales to check the four Captain-grade Incomplete Demon Souls. As expected, these Captain-grade Incomplete Demon Souls could raise the level of soldiers, but one Demon Soul could only upgrade one Captain-grade soldier, and the success rate for weapon enhancement was low.

The terrifying deterrent of Captain-grade archers is already very clear. Spearman Captains and Sword and Shield Soldiers of the same level, without strong shields and armor, and unable to get close to attack, would definitely be crushed. Wu Yuan's health bar can only withstand five arrows. So, should I prioritize upgrading archers next?

Zhang Yang hesitated for a moment, then called for an Imp, "Can you sense if the Imps on the other side are still there?"

"Yes, Village Chief. There are at least eight Imps now, guarding the eight directions outside the village. Whatever you do, they will see it clearly."

"Hmm, it's best if they can see clearly. I was worried they wouldn't."

Zhang Yang sneered inwardly. The existence of Imps undoubtedly made the battlefield more cruel and terrifying, greatly increasing the difficulty. After all, these ghost-eye-like beings were the best scouts, and no one would refuse to use them.

However, having Imps didn't guarantee victory. In the current situation, it might be possible to use the Imps to turn the enemy's own plan against them and trick them.

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Yang used his last two incredibly precious recruitment slots, recruiting two archers. Adding them to the previous two archers, he could upgrade all four of them to Captain-grade archers.

Ten minutes later, the Demon Soul fusion was successful, but only one archer's weapon was successfully enhanced. He received a Captain-grade Great Bow and 35 Golden Eagle Armor-Piercing Arrows.

The remaining three Captain-grade soldiers had to make do with the weapons dropped by the Jackalman archers.

But this was far from enough. Zhang Yang then simply used the four gray Fragments of Hope, exchanging them for twelve iron shovels. He didn't dare to take too big a risk, nor did he dare to gamble on the upper limit of wishes from the Fragments of Hope. Anyway, the most important thing now was to expand the small fortress, to give the enemy the impression that he was determined to hold out with 14 Captain-grade archers, plus geographical advantage, plus the Fog of War.

Now, I want to see what you'll do.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yang put on a slightly panicked expression and loudly called for the soldiers to work together, some cutting trees, some digging earth, to expand the small fortress according to the terrain and the spread of the Wood Demon Tower's Fog of War.

At this time, the Fog of War was already closed, and Zhang Yang's performance was very convincing. He kept shouting and guiding the construction of the small fortress, completely unaware that there might be Imps secretly watching underground.

About an hour later, he was drenched in sweat from exhaustion before he finally left, finding a large tree reserved inside the fortress and leaning against it, appearing very fatigued.

But in reality, these few large trees were specifically left there for him to use his Soul Force Field for nourishment. Truly, he wasn't afraid of that mysterious enemy blocking his village entrance, nor was he afraid of a siege. The Demon Soul meat within the Village Building Order's space was enough for them to eat for half a year. And with half a year's time, would they believe he could even produce hundreds of Imprisonment Spears, or even master the techniques of drawing Talismans and Battle Runes?

By then, Captain-grade archers would suppress from long range, Imprisonment Spears would seal off at medium range, and at close range... I still have my Soul Force Field!