Wolf Smoke

A plume of smoke rose into the sky, strikingly visible against the clear expanse.

At the quarry, Zhang Yang, Wu Yuan, and the others, who had been on high alert, stared in astonishment.

What the hell?

"Village Chief, looking at the direction the smoke is rising, it should be about forty to fifty li southwest of the quarry. If our previous guess is correct, this should be related to the Jackalman village."

Wu Yuan was the first to speak.

"Is there some kind of conspiracy here?" another shield captain, Tao Yong, asked. After all, their group was carrying out a decoy plan.

Everyone turned their gaze to Zhang Yang. In this Primeval Forest, with its extreme lack of information, no one dared to predict what would happen next, and no one could bear the consequences.

Therefore, Zhang Yang alone was the one who could make the decision.

"First, we can confirm that after the previous battle, the Jackalman village simply doesn't have enough strength to launch a new war against us in such a short time. So, the three Imp scouts that the Ghost Priest discovered earlier couldn't have been sent by the Jackalman village," Zhang Yang mused.

"Secondly, that smoke plume is a full forty to fifty li away from us. At that distance, I'm more inclined to believe it's some kind of distress signal or a signal with another meaning. But regardless, it's unlikely to be a trap."

"Third, we've been busy consolidating our own position for a while, which means we haven't explored and understood this area enough. This could very well lead to misjudgments when we encounter enemies in the future. So, I've decided that change starts now. We need to find out what exactly happened there!"

"Tao Yong, you take two men and escort the Artisans back. The rest of you, come with me."

Hearing Zhang Yang's decision, Wu Yuan said, "Village Chief, isn't it too risky for you to go personally? How about I lead a team to investigate instead?"

"What kind of risk is this? From now on, more dangerous things will happen every day. Am I supposed to hide in the Fortress forever and wait to die? Our village needs to develop; relying only on the area within a few kilometers isn't enough. We need to incorporate at least the Deer Demon territory and the Jackalman territory."

"And now, with enemies appearing in our future territory, you're telling me to hide? If I get scared into a coward without even knowing who the enemy is, then what kind of Village Chief am I? I might as well just surrender."

Zhang Yang spoke with resolute conviction, firmly refuting Wu Yuan, immediately earning the soldiers' respect. Little did they know, these words were him psyching himself up. Damn it, he was scared to death too!

But what good was being scared? If they didn't figure things out now, perhaps a stronger enemy would be at their gates in a few days.

"Let's go!"

Zhang Yang waved his hand, and the quarrying team instantly transformed into a scouting party, rushing in the direction the smoke had risen.

On a flat plain, a distance of forty to fifty li might take only a little over ten minutes to cover, but in this forest, it took Zhang Yang and his group nearly an hour to arrive. Along the way, they also eliminated several monsters above Level 10 that dared to provoke them.

However, when they saw the place where the smoke had burned, they all gasped.

It was indeed a Jackalman village, and it was much larger than Zhang Yang had imagined.

This Jackalman village was built on a hilltop, with a small stream at its base. In the center of the village was a giant stone castle with a diameter of over five hundred meters. Outside the castle, along the stream, a two-meter-high stone wall had been constructed.

Outside the stone wall, at least a thousand mu of Farmland had been cultivated, and further away, traces of mining could be seen.

Undoubtedly, the prosperity of this Jackalman village was at least 500, and its Livability Index must have been over 50.

However, this highly prosperous Jackalman village was now being invaded by a stronger enemy.

Not a single Jackalman farmer could be seen in the Farmland; the thriving crops had been trampled into mud, and the seemingly sturdy stone wall had been violently breached in over a dozen places.

At least several hundred green humanoid monsters were attacking ferociously.

Taking down this castle was only a matter of time.

"Village Chief, they're monsters with green scales covering their bodies. Although they have human-like forms, their faces and features are bestial. They're very strong, and their defense is high. The arrows fired by the Jackalman Archer Captains can hardly inflict fatal damage on them. Also, there seem to be three hero-level Berserker Orc Captains overseeing the battle among these green-skinned orcs."

"As for the smoke plume we saw earlier, it should be some kind of Jackalman spell or a ritual of faith, because I saw Azure Wolves constantly rushing out of the forest, tearing at those orcs like mad, but it was useless. Those orcs easily killed the Azure Wolves."

Hiding at the edge of the forest, Zhang Yang frowned as he listened to the intelligence reported by an Archer captain. As expected, the worst-case scenario had occurred. Before he, this self-proclaimed regional overlord, could clear and control this area, a force with overall strength far surpassing that of the Deer Demons and Jackalmen had powerfully intervened.

The Jackalman village would undoubtedly be wiped out today, and this formidable orc village would certainly discover his village in the coming days. No, perhaps they had already discovered it. A new war was inevitable.

"Village Chief, bad news! We've been discovered! Two orc squads are circling around us from the left and right, about 50 strong, and they're moving fast."

The soldier on alert suddenly shouted.

"Good! Prepare for battle!"

Zhang Yang gritted his teeth and gave the order. Since war was unavoidable, he would first measure the strength of these orcs.

"Wu Yuan, you lead the team. First, break through the orc squad on the left flank! Don't give them a chance to encircle us."

"Yes, Village Chief!" Wu Yuan said in a deep voice.

All the soldiers were in high spirits. For a while now, besides patrolling, they had only been guarding the quarrying team. The occasional monsters that appeared weren't exciting enough. Now was a good chance to test their mettle against these seemingly powerful orc soldiers.

Wu Yuan took the lead, followed by two Spearman Captains and six Archer Captains. Behind them, nine Shield Captains formed two columns, like geese flying south, with Zhang Yang among them. This simple battle formation was designed by Wu Yuan.

If advancing, they could launch a rapid attack: he would be the vanguard, the Archers would provide suppressing fire, and the Shield Captains would form a wedge with their shields and charge, instantly shattering the enemy's formation.

If retreating, they could quickly form a shield wall, providing alternating cover for withdrawal.

However, Zhang Yang and his group had only charged a few dozen meters when they saw another orc squad of about thirty break off from the besieging orc army and charge directly towards them.

"Village Chief, there are Imps nearby, watching our every move!"

Wu Yuan whispered, as this was the only explanation.

"Can we fight?"

Zhang Yang asked in a low voice. As soon as he spoke, he felt a bit cowardly and despised himself. Before Wu Yuan could answer, he fiercely shouted, "Charge! Kill them! Make it quick!"

Fortunately, his own soldiers didn't mock Zhang Yang. They all sped up, brimming with killing intent.

At this point, the three enemy beastmen squads were positioned to the north, west, and south, at straight-line distances of over 600 meters, 800 meters, and 1,000 meters, respectively.

The beastmen squads to the north and west charged straight ahead, while the southern squad made a wide detour, aiming to cut off Zhang Yang and his team's retreat.

This strategy is really well executed.

At this moment, if Zhang Yang said he wasn't afraid, he'd be lying through his teeth. The enemy forces were three times their own, and this battle was completely different from previous ones—it was a true wilderness engagement.

"Damn it, this is just like the first time I went to a brothel! How could I possibly chicken out?"

Zhang Yang's teeth ground audibly, but he charged forward without a word, his blood surging with a bubbling rush. Whether it was fear or bloodlust, he was all in.

Because there was no turning back.

In a flash, both sides rapidly closed the distance. The six Archers on Zhang Yang's side stopped their run abruptly, drew their bows, nocked their arrows, and fired—all in one fluid motion.

Six enhanced Golden Eagle Armor-Piercing Arrows instantly broke the sound barrier, streaking over four hundred meters with a piercing whoosh and directly hitting three beastmen soldiers charging at the forefront.

Their firing speed was incredibly fast, even quicker than the Jackalman Archer Captain. After all, the large bows Zhang Yang had enchanted with magic earlier were no joke; even a mere ten percent increase was enough to be lethal on a battlefield like this!

Especially since they were also using Evil Slaying Golden Eagle Armor-Piercing Arrows with +3 sharpness.

Although the beastmen soldiers covered in green scales had strong defenses, they were instantly killed without suspense under such concentrated fire.

"Swish!"

A flash of white light appeared, retrieving the spoils of war without a second's delay.

This was also a benefit of the Village Building Order: no matter where they were, as long as a monster was killed by a village soldier, it had the ability to reclaim the spoils.

Killed Level 15 Berserker Orc Captains.

Captured 3 incomplete Captain-level Demon Souls.

Gained 1800 energy points.

Gained 3 Fragments of Hope (Gray).