After choosing the Shadow Leopard Herd in the eastern Black Forest as their first target, they immediately held a tactical meeting to plan their approach. Unlike the dogs and monkeys they had dealt with before, this time their target was a type of assassin monster exceptionally skilled at stealth and speed. A frontal assault or conventional bait would have little effect.
"The Shadow Leopards' greatest advantages are their stealth and their ability to retreat at high speed if their first strike misses," Wang Deshui analyzed. "We have to create an environment they can't easily escape from and that limits their speed, forcing them to fight us head-on."
The plan they ultimately devised could be summed up as follows: lure them precisely, confine the battlefield, and strike with overwhelming force.
Step One: Deploy irresistible "bait."
They chose one of the Shadow Leopards' favorite foods: a rare fungus called Moonlight Mushroom. The fungus had a natural attraction for Shadow Leopards and could lower their guard to some extent. They also prepared a small bottle of diluted blood from the Titan Wild Boar they had hunted earlier, using its strong smell as an additional lure.
Step Two: Set a "death trap."
At the edge of the Black Forest, they chose a hollow as their planned battlefield. It was relatively open, but high rock walls surrounded it on three sides, and the vegetation was sparse. Scout Li Ning and Zhang Yong slipped in ahead of time and secretly laid a large number of High-Strength Alloy Capture Nets and Infrasonic Jammers above the rock walls and at key points around the area. The nets could spring out at a crucial moment and restrict the Shadow Leopards' movements, while the jammers could disrupt their keen hearing and sense of direction.
Step Three: Secure overwhelming firepower.
Snipers