Necromancer, What the Heck Is Summoning a 055?

The Green Pine soldiers killed by the thermobaric bombs' core flames and shock waves in the first explosion were lucky. Death came so swiftly that, amid the cruelty of war, it was a merciful release.

The warriors who survived by chance faced the burning of white phosphorus bombs.

Unlike thermite bombs, another incendiary weapon used on the battlefield, white phosphorus bombs were extremely adhesive after exploding. Soldiers engulfed in phosphorus flames instantly became "burning men," running and wailing.

They ran and rolled in vain, letting out desperate, heart-rending screams that made the scalp prickle. Their cries gradually faded from shrill to faint, then died away entirely as their bodies twisted and fell.

All that remained were curled, charred bodies trailing wisps of smoke.

Last came the handful of lucky ones on the outskirts of the battlefield. Their positions had spared them the first and second waves of attacks, only for them to receive the nerve gas's "warm" embrace.

The deadly gas seeped in everywhere, striking their vulnerable eyes and nasal membranes first. The unbearable pain instantly destroyed their reason. The surviving soldiers clawed at their faces and tore at their skin, and some even dug their own eyeballs out of their sockets.

The scene was unspeakably bloody!

Peiwen swiftly finished them off, eliminating future trouble and sparing the poor fellows some pain.

The sole survivor-the sentry Peiwen had knocked out-quickly confessed everything under the pain and fear of death: Wangshan City had indeed received strict orders from the Zircon Family to seal off this exit to the Emerald Duchy and join forces with the Creek Moon Federation to annihilate the "enemy" from Emerald near the Dark Forest.

After confirming twice that the information was correct, Peiwen snapped the sentry's neck.

The battle ended just as swiftly, like a breeze sweeping across the plain, leaving only wreckage and corpses scattered across the ground.

After the battle, the people of Cloudmist Territory looked at Chen Mo as though he were the illegitimate son of the Moonrest Dynasty's emperor.

The young commandery princess was still a little bewildered. "I still don't think that seemed as powerful as the bone dragon."

Master Locke shook his head with a wry smile. "Your Highness, you must understand that the ferocity of these weapons is only one aspect. More frightening is that he had that mysterious being in the distance draw up a battle plan specifically for him."

He paused, trying to explain with an analogy the young commandery princess could understand. "It's like our territory offering tribute to the ruler of the duchy and requesting support. If the ruler sent a squad of elite cavalry, that would naturally fall within the bounds of a reasonable, normal exchange."

"But what if the ruler not only sent troops, but also carefully assembled a combination of melee, medium-range, and long-range forces for you, along with a battle plan detailing 'when to attack,' 'which direction to attack from,' and 'how to respond to an unexpected situation'? That would no longer be a matter of money or cooperation."

Peiwen felt this especially keenly. The Cloudmist Territory team had gathered the vast majority of the offerings used in this sacrifice. Those things would have been meager even for summoning a village-chief-level undead, so how could they possibly move a "cyber monarch"?

Glancing at Chen Mo, who was standing on a small hill taking pictures with some kind of device, Peiwen lowered his voice. "And you should know, this monarch behind him didn't even know where the battlefield was."

This amply demonstrated the tactical expertise of the team behind the scenes.

Without any understanding of the current situation or reconnaissance of the battlefield, they had nevertheless produced a battle plan that ensured an entire infantry company of the Green Pine Kingdom would be wiped out in one fell swoop.

The battle plan had even included a detail like this.

To prevent any residual nerve gas from potentially harming the group as they later passed through the mountain pass, they had specifically included three grenades of a model that produced high-pressure blasts, to bombard the battlefield again and open a safe passage.

As Peiwen saw it, he didn't think they would have any pity for a group of dead men steeped in that strange "aura of the Underworld."

In all likelihood, Chen Mo's mental power capacity was insufficient for them to send more protective gas equipment, so they had specifically sent this "cleanup" equipment instead.

All these things made Chen Mo's background appear increasingly mysterious in the eyes of the Cloudmist Territory leaders.

Peiwen was a sensible man. At a time like this, he wouldn't ask questions he shouldn't.

First, they would return to the territory!

Chapter 69: By the Crystal River

Having passed the checkpoint at Green Luo Mountain Pass, the elite Cloudmist Territory squad found the way ahead suddenly opening up before them, clear and unobstructed.

Even in the Dark Forest, that treacherous place full of dangers and difficult terrain, Peiwen had insisted the squad's warriors bring their horses. The warriors had practically carried the animals on their shoulders and backs, using their own strength to get them through. Now, finally, it was time for the horses to prove their worth.

Although the number of mounts was limited, leaving them with only one horse per person or even one between two people, the troops' speed still increased rapidly.

At this point, Chen Mo's inability to ride became a problem, neither particularly large nor small.

By weight, having Chen Mo share a horse with the young commandery princess might have been the more "reasonable" choice, and Commandery Princess Liushuang didn't seem particularly opposed. In the end, though, the Cloudmist Territory leaders didn't make that awkward arrangement.

Captain Peiwen took Chen Mo onto his own horse.

Little White, his gimbal, weapons, equipment, and supplies were carried by different warriors. He continued to enjoy the greatest privilege in the team.

Even Noble Etiquette, which Lady-in-Waiting Linda had never let out of her hands, had been discarded, and the young commandery princess hadn't changed her coat in a long time. Chen Mo's bottles and jars, metal components, and unknown powders alone were carefully protected deep in the warriors' packs, with nothing missing.

Of course, none of the Cloudmist Territory warriors had any complaints.

Sometimes respect depended not only on status, but also on contribution or strength!

As the horses raced on, Chen Mo and Peiwen grew increasingly in sync.

Captain Peiwen was very familiar with the general layout of the mountains, rivers, and towns in this area, while Chen Mo used his drones to make up for the team's lack of scouts.

In relatively safe areas far from enemy cities, Chen Mo would launch a miniature reconnaissance drone. Once they entered an area Peiwen identified as relatively dangerous, Chen Mo would switch to the Skylark, which had a wider reconnaissance range and a more precise camera.

Advanced, real-time reconnaissance allowed the elite squad to move like ghosts through the enemy kingdom's heartland, riding unhindered as though no one were there.

At least three times, the drones' warnings allowed the squad to hide soundlessly in deep valleys or dense woods, the men holding leaves in their mouths and the horses muzzled. Nearby, large enemy cavalry forces thundered past, raising clouds of dust, but in the end they passed the squad by.

As for the scattered enemy scouting parties... they became "spoils" Captain of the Guard Peiwen harvested along the way.

A fourth-tier Golden Scale warrior fighting ordinary warriors who had yet to change classes could do as he pleased. Previously, he had still needed to worry about running headlong into the enemy in a chance encounter and having them scatter and flee. Now, with intelligence from the drones, all he had to do was choose a hiding place beside a path they were sure to take and lie in wait. When they passed, he struck like lightning, cutting off both ends and finishing them cleanly.

They not only cleared out the enemy patrols, but also replenished their horses and gradually equipped themselves in full sets of standard Green Pine Kingdom clothing and armor.

With that disguise and a few changes to their appearance, the Cloudmist Territory team swaggered onto the main road.

The Green Pine Kingdom was of course well aware that such a group existed, but its feudal system gave each city-state considerable political, economic, and military autonomy. That state of affairs, with each acting independently, combined with rather sluggish communications, meant they could only maintain small-scale vigilance within their own territories.

Coordinating a pursuit and extermination effort would have been no easier than launching a national war.

And the Green Pine Kingdom itself was currently embroiled in a national war, so naturally it couldn't spare too much effort to deal with this squad.

After twelve days of winding marches, the Cloudmist Territory squad passed through the Green Pine Kingdom's jurisdictions of Wangshan City, Hemlock Territory, and the Fortress of Olives, finally reaching the last checkpoint-the Rainbow Stone Bridge Camp on the banks of the Crystal River.

The Crystal River was known as the mother river of the entire Emerald Great Plain.

Though this mother was somewhat temperamental, erupting in sudden fury every few years or decades and pouring her pent-up, raging power through breaches in the riverbanks to ravage the towns and villages on either side, there was no denying that without this endlessly surging river, there would be no vast expanse of fertile land on the Emerald Plain.

When Green Pine and Emerald were still at peace, the Crystal River had served as the natural border between the two countries. The only giant stone bridge across it-the Rainbow Stone Bridge-was an important passage for exchanges between them.

It was also a place every military force sought to control.

A towering military fortress stood on each bank. Their massive stone walls stretched along the riverbanks to the point where the water could be forded, locking both exits of the bridge firmly within the fortresses' control.

They were iron gates guarding the bridge, as well as heavy fortresses defending against the enemy nation on the opposite bank.

Peiwen carefully settled the team deep in a hidden valley. He personally took Chen Mo with him, and they crept along the undulating ridgeline. After spending a full half day, they quietly reached a ridge about four kilometers upstream from the Rainbow Stone Bridge.

Chen Mo launched the Skylark.

The drone quietly observed the Rainbow Stone Bridge from the sky upstream, and Chen Mo saw with his own eyes, for the first time, a breathtaking architectural wonder of the Starry Continent.

It was a wondrous structure that Chen Mo could not understand with the scientific knowledge he had learned.

Seen from afar, the surging Crystal River channel was at least three kilometers wide, and the spot where the Rainbow Stone Bridge crossed seemed somewhat wider still. Yet beneath the entire span, not a single supporting pier could be seen!

It relied solely on bridge abutments on either bank, slightly higher than the embankments, from which a massive arch extended in an elegant curve, soaring thousands of meters through the air to connect with the opposite shore.

The bridge was built of some kind of faintly shimmering stone that flowed with iridescent colors in the sunlight. Because of the visual distortion caused by the distance, Chen Mo felt that if the wind grew a little stronger, the thing might snap in the middle at any moment.

Chen Mo's mother country, Eastern Xia, was one of Blue Star's largest infrastructure providers and had created countless architectural wonders, but a pure arch bridge with such an enormous span was something he had never heard of or seen.

Peiwen had been staring intently at the screen beside him, brows tightly knitted and expression grave, his gaze sweeping back and forth over the camps on both banks as he examined them again and again.

Sensing Chen Mo's questioning gaze, Peiwen pointed to the far end of the bridge.

"The Rainbow Stone Bridge was originally the dividing line between Green Pine and our Emerald Duchy. With a passage this important, neither side could be at ease leaving it in the other's hands."

"After decades of talks and fighting, we finally agreed to split it down the middle. The troops stationed at the bridgeheads were among the finest in each country."

"Now, on the far bank, it's been replaced with Green Pine's three-tower flag..."

"Emerald's defensive fortress has fallen!"

Wait, who asked you about that...?

I wanted to ask how they built this bridge! How can it stay up without pillars supporting it? Is it a new material or some kind of high technology? Can I get some...?

Forget it. Seeing the mourning look on Captain of the Guard Peiwen's face, Chen Mo swallowed the long string of questions he had about the bridge's materials and principles.

As the drone's camera ranged farther, the situation on the battlefield became increasingly clear.

On the north bank of the River of Crystal, centered on the fortress at the bridgehead flying the three-tower flag, the Green Pine army had constructed three dense semicircular defensive positions, like enormous iron rings.

Banners snapped in the wind and armor gleamed. Reconnaissance cavalry kept riding out from among the tents in trails of dust and returning from the distance one after another.

Seeing the strict defenses, Peiwen's expression instead relaxed a little.

"Such an extensive defensive formation means the north bank is still in our hands! They need to guard against a counterattack by our Emerald Duchy's main force."

"In other words, as long as we can cross the river, we can find the duchy's army!"

Chen Mo said, "Those defenses don't look easy to get past..."

Peiwen smiled, showing the easygoing attitude peculiar to an old soldier. "Forget going over the bridge. With defenses on this level, even my teacher couldn't make it through. We'll have to find another place and swim across!"

"Swim... swim across?!"

Chen Mo suddenly felt a little tense as that not-quite-dead memory of being swallowed by the waves came crawling back.

"Um... I, I'm not very good at swimming..."

Peiwen patted his chest. "Don't worry, I'm here!"

Chapter 70: A successful swim across, entering South Pass Territory

The long channel of the Crystal River wound across the land like a giant serpent shimmering with a dark blue light. It seemed that anywhere could be a crossing, as long as one dared enter the water.

Why not use a boat?

As the river was a border between nations, the lords on both sides controlled boats with an almost deranged strictness.

The Green Pine Kingdom and the Emerald Duchy even had a special agreement: the "Rainbow Stone Agreement Prohibiting Watercraft from Entering the River of Crystal."

The surging River of Crystal was hardly suited to navigation to begin with, and if any trace of a boat was discovered, the agreement gave both sides the right to launch indiscriminate attacks without warning.

Thus, along both banks of the entire river, not so much as a canoe could be found outside Rainbow Stone Fortress.

Even if they made one on the spot, a canoe couldn't cross the swift-flowing Crystal River.

Of course, if a fourth-tier Golden Scale swordsman was willing to enter the water, that was another matter.

Using the drone to continue scouting upstream, they could see that the Green Pine Kingdom didn't put much effort into securing the river.

Everyone understood the situation clearly: enemies you could defeat couldn't cross this natural barrier in the first place, while those capable of forcing a crossing would most likely be beyond your ability to defeat. In that case, why search so diligently?