War

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A series of dull, metallic clangs abruptly shattered the morning's tranquility.

Zhang Yang sprang from his sleep, just as Wu Yuan's thunderous roar echoed in his ears:

"Enemy attack! West-northwest direction, 3 li away! 39 elite archers, 12 captain archers, 40 elite shield soldiers, 55 captain shield soldiers, 12 Heavy Armored Deer Horn Cavalry!"

"Archers to the city walls, raise the barricades! Everyone else, prepare your spears!"

Amidst the chaotic sounds of footsteps, Zhang Yang rushed to the city walls. A few deep breaths were all it took for him to completely calm down.

He had been both right and wrong.

Yesterday, he had guessed that the mysterious enemy was going to claim the Deer Demon's legacy. There was no doubt about that; otherwise, Heavy Armored Deer Horn Cavalry wouldn't be among the enemy's forces.

In fact, at least a fifth of the 67 captain-grade soldiers now appearing were likely enhanced after acquiring the Deer Demon's legacy. Fighting to sustain fighting was no joke.

What Zhang Yang had gotten wrong was his assumption that the mysterious enemy, occupied with claiming the Deer Demon's legacy, wouldn't appear until at least this afternoon or tomorrow. Instead, they had rushed over overnight. Had yesterday's battle provoked them?

"Activate Fog of War!"

"Order all new recruits in the Training Ground to take shelter in the Fortress, including that instructor, what's his name, Qin something. Give him a weapon and tell him to join the fight too."

Zhang Yang said in a low voice, and a message instantly appeared.

Do you wish to temporarily employ Qin Ge, the Training Ground instructor, in this battle? Please choose payment method: one-time payment of 100 Energy / 100 Energy per enemy killed.

"What the hell? That scrawny guy?"

Zhang Yang expressed significant doubt, but given the current shortage of soldiers, he chose the one-time payment of 100 Energy. He bet that guy would be lucky to kill a single enemy soldier throughout the entire battle.

By now, the Fog of War had expanded, completely enveloping the enlarged Fortress. The cost of 100 Energy per minute was well worth it. Inside the Fog of War, vision outwards was unimpeded, while looking inwards from the outside resulted in at least two-thirds visibility obstruction.

At this moment, the enemy troops accelerated their advance. As they drew closer, Zhang Yang and the others finally got a clear look at what they were up against: Jackalmen, roughly 1.8 meters tall, with human-like bodies that were slightly hunched, and notably faster in movement.

Their weapons were essentially the same as those used by Zhang Yang's soldiers.

"Qin Yidao, test shot!"

"Liu Dali, Sun Goudan, Xu Erhe, prepare! The moment the enemy deploys a Level 3 Protection Talisman, blast it apart!"

When the Jackalman soldiers entered the 500-meter range, Zhang Yang gave the order. They were positioned on high ground, leveraging the natural height of the hill and the Fortress itself, creating a nearly 50-meter drop. This made a significant difference for archers of the same level.

At Zhang Yang's command, Qin Yidao was the first to draw his Captain-grade Great Bow. A bone-jarring creak echoed as he drew the bowstring to a full moon, yet he remained composed. The effect of his Red Hawk Battle Rune was undeniable; no other captain-grade archer could muster such power.

After aiming for a full second, Qin Yidao suddenly released the bowstring. Simultaneously, a beam of light enveloped the Golden Eagle Armor-Piercing Arrow, indicating he had also activated his Armor-Piercing Arrow skill.

Whoosh!

An explosive sound erupted. Five hundred meters away, a Jackalman archer seemed to try to dodge but was too late. The Golden Eagle Armor-Piercing Arrow was invisible; all that was seen was its entire arm and half of its shoulder suddenly exploding into a bloody mist.

The power of that single arrow seemed no less than a high-caliber sniper rifle on Earth.

But before Zhang Yang and his men could cheer, a series of dull thuds sounded as the Jackalman archers retaliated, firing arrows in the direction from which the shot had come.

Of course, it was futile. The Fortress walls had wooden battlements two meters high, installed since construction began yesterday. Despite the Jackalman archers' prowess, from such a distance, and without using skills, their arrows couldn't penetrate the 50-centimeter thick barricades.

Seemingly realizing this, the opposing Jackalman archers continued their jog after a single volley. The Jackalman shield soldiers in front also raised their shields and accelerated their charge. Their agility and flexibility seemed to be a full level above that of Song Dachui and his men.

Zhang Yang even felt they could effortlessly leap onto the Fortress walls.

"Agility specialty, huh? That's why I hate mad dogs!" Zhang Yang grumbled, then continued to give orders:

"Everyone, be careful! All archers, coordinate in groups for focused fire! Prioritize taking out those captain-grade archers. Wu Yuan, keep an eye out for any lords or heroes among those Jackalmen, and check the other directions. Don't let them flank us."

Boom!

Boom boom boom!

At this point, the other captain-grade archers also began to lock onto targets. They were in groups of four, including Qin Yidao and Liu Dali's duo. This was a pre-determined strategy: since arrows were limited, the priority was to eliminate the enemy's ranged firepower.

Specifically, one person would take a test shot. If it hit, great; if not, it didn't matter, because three allies would immediately provide supporting fire, aiming for a kill.

This tactic was highly effective, especially with the advantageous terrain of the Fortress and the concealment of the Fog of War.

As the Jackalman soldiers charged within 400 meters, three Jackalman captain-grade archers had already been killed by concentrated fire!

The Village Building Order's white light enveloped them. The plundered Demon Souls, Energy, and Fragments of Hope were secondary; the Golden Eagle Armor-Piercing Arrows, officially enhanced, were what mattered.

Zhang Yang immediately took them out and distributed them. He had to admit, this function of the Village Building Order was perfectly suited for fighting to sustain fighting.

However, the Jackalmen on the other side were truly ferocious. Even at this point, they chose not to activate their Level 3 Protection Talismans, simply charging forward into the hail of arrows. Clearly, they were experienced and knew that even if a Level 3 Protection Talisman was activated, it couldn't withstand the powerful shots of captain-grade archers and would only stun them for nothing.

But this made them truly sitting ducks.

In just a few seconds, as they reached 300 meters, four more captain-grade Jackalman archers were shot down. As a result, seven of the enemy's captain-grade archers were dead, and one was severely wounded, leaving only four.

But at that very moment, plumes of black smoke suddenly rose from all directions, rushing towards the Fog of War. Before Zhang Yang and his men could react, the Fog of War was completely swallowed. Even though the black smoke, formed by Imps, was instantly annihilated by numerous captain-grade soldiers, the Jackalmen's objective was achieved.

Moreover, the incident was so sudden that by the time everyone reacted, they were met with a volley of arrows.

After all, there were still 39 elite archers among the opposing Jackalmen.

This unexpected wave of arrows resulted in three of Zhang Yang's captain-grade archers being killed by headshots, and one captain-grade archer severely wounded. Even though the remaining four Jackalman captain-grade archers were instantly killed by the enraged Qin Yidao and others' concentrated counter-attack, it was still a step too late.

Outside the Fortress, all the Jackalman shield soldiers let out chilling howls, their charging speed abruptly increasing. Especially the captain-grade shield soldiers, who left streaks of afterimages in their wake. They covered the 300-meter distance in just a few breaths. Even though Wu Yuan roared loudly, commanding wooden spear throws, he, Song Dachui, and the others were only five captain-grade soldiers, with the rest being elite-grade soldiers, and few in number. Two rounds of wooden spear throws had little effect. Only Wu Yuan managed to kill two Jackalmen with two throws, and Zhou Datou killed one; all others missed!

Seeing the more than fifty captain-grade Jackalman shield soldiers about to charge onto the stockade walls, Song Dachui, Wang Mumu, Duan Kuan, and Zhou Datou, the Four Berserker Bears, roared and leaped out, directly intercepting the enemy.

"Die!"

With a roar, Song Dachui swung his hammer, sending a Jackalman shieldbearer who had charged to the front flying dozens of meters, shield shattered and life extinguished!

This outcome wasn't surprising; even if they were both captain-grade soldiers, these Jackalman shieldbearers clearly specialized in agility, so they were easily suppressed by the Four Berserker Bears' raw strength.

"Bang!"

A Jackalman captain suddenly appeared beside Song Dachui, but before it could act, a mountain-like tower shield crashed into it, sending it flying. It was Wang Mumu who had made his move.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

A flash of gleaming blades, like layers of surging waves, instantly sent blood flying. Duan Kuan, wielding two swords, swept past Song Dachui's right flank like a phantom, killing three enemies—slicing through both them and their shields.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Three iron spears tore through the air. No matter how agile the Jackalman captain was, it couldn't outrun the iron spears thrown by Zhou Datou.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Three iron spears were blocked by shields, and the Jackalman captains' charge was halted. But before they could exert force again, Song Dachui let out a sinister chuckle and swept his massive hammer horizontally, sending the three Jackalman captains flying once more, clearly beyond recovery.

And before Song Dachui's move had fully played out, Wang Mumu on the left flank had already advanced with his shield, blocking all openings, while Duan Kuan on the right flank followed up, striking like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, his blade finding dangerous angles, constantly reaping lives thanks to Song Dachui's brutal charges.

This was the Four Berserker Bears. All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The four of them had been enhanced and strengthened simultaneously using Mountain Monster Demon Souls, achieving over 50% compatibility. With Zhang Yang investing 5,000 energy points, they now displayed such seamless teamwork.

To be honest, if each of them fought a Jackalman captain one-on-one, the outcome would be a fifty-fifty chance.

However, the effect of the four of them combining and cooperating was something neither Zhang Yang nor Wu Yuan had anticipated.