Loyalty

The number of thirty-seven prisoners waiting to be slaughtered was slightly more than expected. Even with the use of a quick endoscopic method and a less-than-"considerate" technique for goblins, the overall process still took quite a while.

But Stacy demonstrated excellent adaptability. She had her assistant, who was familiar with the procedures, set up two new work areas on the other side of the operating room, specifically responsible for preoperative drilling, skin preparation, and postoperative wound repair, creating an assembly line.

Su Ming quickly estimated the effects of the adjustments. "Not bad, this way, completing the 'loyalty' transformation of all the goblins will only take ten hours."

Outside the glass partition, Zijin stretched lazily. "I originally thought I'd have to take care of a few goblins that we didn't have time to deal with."

"Now, by controlling these high-ranking members, we indirectly control the entire Goblin Kingdom," Su Ming said. "But won't prolonged, forceful interference in the goblins' understanding cause a backlash?"

"I predict that the effects of this system will remain stable for several months to a year," Annalise continued. "After that, the original consciousness will resist more and more fiercely. And as the resistance fails, they will despair and may even end their lives."

Being manipulated like a puppet is a humiliating situation that even a goblin would not endure for long.

"When I was conceiving this plan, I didn't really consider the follow-up issues in depth," Zijin frankly admitted.

"That's already quite good," Su Ming said.

Even short-term control of the Goblin Kingdom could bring enormous strategic benefits. Not only could this land be used as a logistical base and resource depot, but it could also save on the costs of direct governance.

However, precisely because the profits are so high, it would be a real waste if these resources could not be utilized in a long-term and stable manner.

Su Ming pondered a solution. When he looked up, his gaze swept over a small Maglubiyet statue hanging on the wall of what was originally a reception room, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

At the same time, Zijin, who was standing nearby, also noticed the statues, and the two exchanged a knowing glance.

"Looks like we've thought of the same thing," Su Ming said with a smile.

"Let's turn these goblins into fanatics!" Zijin said, "Let them atone for their false faith!"

Inside the operating room, Stacy waved her blood-stained hands and shouted to the three people outside the glass, "Another one's done here, get ready to start the engraving!"

"Let's get started!" Annalise perked up and immediately jumped up from her chair.

****

While the "Loyalty" plan was being implemented at full speed, the battle to block the enemy outside the Goldglint Fortress also broke out.

It was now 10 a. m., and the thick fog had completely dissipated. A large number of strange war machines were being continuously transported to the interception positions built by the Feather Race. The soldiers quickly set up the equipment and then opened fire on the goblins opposite them.

Due to the hasty nature of this operation, the Feather Race used almost all of its weapons sourced from Halflings. This race, even smaller than goblins, is extremely adept at using biological materials to create war machines.

For example, the "Truffle Tower" can quickly grow into a huge, wriggling purple mushroom when unfolded.

It spews a cloud of spores with a paralyzing effect at nearby enemies, causing them to become slowed or unconscious.

Even if destroyed by goblin rockets, these mushrooms can slowly repair themselves or sprout several smaller mushrooms to continue fighting, making them veritable defensive stalwarts.

For example, the "Honey's Kiss" launcher sprays a super-viscous syrup covering a radius of several meters, soaking the people in it. Then, the launcher will smash a nest full of hungry, poisonous bees into the sticky crowd.

The nest shattered, and a swarm of enraged venomous bees surged out like a black cloud, frantically stinging the goblin soldiers covered in syrup. Not only did they cause interference, but once poisoned, they would lose their fighting ability for a short time.

There are also "Vine Tripwire" that alter the battlefield environment. Once deployed, the ground is quickly covered with a layer of lush green leaves. But hidden beneath the leaves are tough, active vines that, once they sense footsteps, extend countless tiny yet powerful vine claws to entangle the goblin's ankles, severely slowing down its charge.

Although its lethality is limited, the vines are inexpensive and can be planted by scattering seeds with catapults. The area five kilometers in front of the defensive positions has been completely covered by this "green carpet".

Therefore, the first batch of goblin vanguard troops to arrive on the battlefield faced the task of uprooting the mushrooms that kept spewing spores, burning the swarms of poisonous bees that blotted out the sky with flamethrowers, and clearing away the annoying stumbling vines.

The defending Feather Race soldiers were in no hurry, leisurely watching the enemy diligently clear the way. Once the goblins had painstakingly carved out a few narrow passages, the Feather Race immediately used catapults to scatter large swaths of new poisonous bee nests or demonic vine seeds to fill the gaps.

With these endless "gadgets," the two sides fought back and forth on the front lines for a full two hours, and the goblins were unable to launch a single decent attack.

General Feikasi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They had prepared ample equipment for this operation, and as long as logistics could keep up, they could use it to their heart's content. They had no intention of transporting all that stuff back home!

As time passed, the goblins finally cleared an attack tunnel about 500 meters wide. A large number of rockets, trailing thick smoke, soared into the air from the opposite position and crashed towards the Feather Race's defensive line!

The Feather Race soldiers were focused on intercepting the enemy and had no time to suppress the goblin infantry who were taking advantage of the situation to launch a charge.

"Balance 3, 600 meters east!" The artillery observer gripped the communicator tightly. "Enemy rocket artillery position spotted!"

On the bridge of the Pansy, the operator quickly marked the target's location on the screen and pressed the launch button forcefully.

The automatic fire control system was activated instantly, rapidly calculating firing parameters.

The MK71 gun barrel rose, and boom! boom! boom! Three thick shells shot out in succession.

A few dozen seconds later, in the middle and rear of the goblin charging force, several thick columns of smoke mixed with flames suddenly rose up, engulfing many unfortunate figures.

"Approximately 150 meters, 100 meters to the left, fire with full force!" The observer quickly gave the correction instruction based on the point of impact.

This time, the deafening roar of artillery fire was deafening! Twenty-four shells, like a rain of steel, accompanied by the shrieks of death, crashed into the core area of the goblin rocket artillery position!

The violent explosions created a sea of fire, tearing the enemy's long-range support firepower to shreds!

Then, the terrifying firepower of the naval guns turned towards the charging goblins. The dense barrage of bullets forcefully cut the surging tide of attack in half!

According to Su Ming's orders, this giant cannon should just unleash its firepower without worrying about the barrel's lifespan. In any case, it should be "retired" after this battle anyway.

On the position, the observer calculated the shell's flight time and reported to General Feikasi, "Naval gun support fire will end in thirty seconds!"

General Feikasi nodded. After destroying the enemy's long-range artillery positions, his own soldiers were now free to fight.

He waved his hand, and the captain beside him drew his gleaming sword and raised it high, shouting sharply, "All hands prepare! Counter-charge immediately after the shelling ceases!"

"Yes!"

Countless Feather Race warriors responded in unison, drawing their blades and their eyes burning with fighting spirit!

****

The task of intercepting the First and Fourth Goblin Guard Legions fell to the Bone Machine First Battalion and the subsequent Bone Machine Second Battalion.

These two goblin legions were stationed inland from Goldglint Fortress, and the battle zone was more than forty kilometers away from the Pansy on the coast, outside the most effective range of naval gunfire.

Despite the fierce firepower of the Bone Model, the front that the Bone Machine Battalion needs to defend is extremely wide, and there is a risk of being divided and surrounded by the superior numbers of goblins. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the width of the battlefield and create obstacles for the enemy's advance.

As the missile launch units on the deck of the Pansy were loaded, thirty-two rockets codenamed "Butterfly" rose into the air one after another, trailing long plumes of flame, like a swarm of metal bees leaving their hive, heading towards their designated airspace.

"Red Pig, Butterfly has left the nest." The command center's voice crackled through the communications channel. "Control transferred!"

Inside the drone control room, thirty-two flashing dots lit up on the radar screen in front of Miao Xin, indicating a stable data link connection. Green cursors representing guidance permissions lit up rapidly one by one.

"Red Pig received, guidance rights taken over!"

Thirty-two missiles detonated at low altitude in the designated area. This time, instead of releasing multiple warheads, they scattered tens of thousands of miniature lethal devices like a shower of flowers.

They fell like hailstones, scattering across dense forests, low meadows, or bare pebble beaches, lying dormant silently. Some of these little creatures resembled beetles, others looked like withered branches and grass stems, and still others were indistinguishable from the pebbles on the ground.

Next to the Pansy missile launch site, workers were busy loading the next batch of Butterfly missiles and continuing the deployment operation.

About twenty minutes later, the goblin vanguard stormed in. They cautiously spread out among themselves, trying to avoid being hit by concentrated heavy fire.

But a not-so-loud explosion suddenly rang out, followed by a shrill scream! A goblin soldier collapsed to the ground in agony, his lower leg blown off, his body a bloody mess, blood gushing out.

"What's going on?!" the goblin officer in charge shouted, scanning his surroundings warily but seeing no trace of the enemy.

Soon, similar muffled thuds and screams rang out in different parts of the marching column. The goblin soldiers finally pinpointed the culprit in terror—a large number of Bosare!

The casualties seemed manageable. The commander struggled with the decision, considering whether to order the troops to force their way through this death zone.

But then the familiar sound came from the sky again! Another wave of missiles flew at high speed and exploded in full view of everyone, like a deadly rain of metal, scattering more "Butterfly" mines densely in front of the troops and on the surrounding land!

Now, even the slowest-witted goblin soldiers' expressions changed completely!

The goblin commander, gazing at the now perilous land ahead, gritted his teeth in fury. He forced out the order, "Analyze the characteristics of the explosives! Engineers, begin cleanup operations immediately!"

****

King Nilunke slowly opened his heavy eyelids and found himself lying face up on the cold floor of the council chamber.

He turned his eyes in confusion, and when his gaze fell on the dome, he saw a statue of a god, radiating a soft silver light, hanging there quietly.

A hint of compassion seemed to play on its lips, and it exuded a serene yet powerful divine aura. A huge oval gemstone was set in the statue's chest, and its egg-shaped eyes radiated majesty, yet also carried an indescribable peace, silently surveying everything below.

Where is the Maglubiyet god? Nilunke's heart was filled with a sense of unfamiliarity and doubt.

He felt weak and sore all over, and a dull throbbing pain lingered deep in his head. He subconsciously raised his hand to rub his forehead, but the sensation his fingertips touched on the top of his head made him pause in surprise.

Although goblins are all bald in the eyes of outsiders, the Goblin Clan itself knows that their smooth green scalps are actually covered with a layer of fine and tough short down. At this moment, the down on his head is still there, but it feels unusually soft to the touch, like a newly sprouted blade of grass.

"The effect of your hair regrowth technique is truly remarkable!" Su Ming said in a low voice outside the council hall. The goblins' scalps, which had just been surgically shaved, were quickly growing back under Zijin's magic.

The surgical team members carried various instruments and equipment, filing out from around them to carry out the evacuation.

"Of course!" Zijin's voice was filled with undisguised pride. "Otherwise, how could we have made those guys from the Divine Covenant Faction suffer such a huge loss!"

"----I remember you said you didn't do it on purpose!" Su Ming keenly seized on her words.

"I just thought there might be a problem, but I've studied it for ages and still can't find anything specific," Zijin retorted confidently. "If I can't find a side effect, then it's as if it doesn't exist!"

Inside the council hall, Nilunke struggled to sit up, only to find more than twenty high-ranking goblin officials lying haphazardly on the floor. Some of them, like him, looked around at their unfamiliar surroundings with expressions of panic and confusion.

Some remained unconscious, still lying on the cold floor.

Nilunke tried to recall, and in his hazy memory, there seemed to have been about a dozen more high-ranking goblin officials captured than there were now. He vaguely remembered being taken away, but what happened afterward was a complete blur.

The heavy oak doors of the council chamber were flung open! Bowers stormed in, exuding a menacing aura. He effortlessly stepped over the chairs, designed for goblins and only half the size of humans, and walked straight to the center of the hall, a ferocious grin on his face.

"King Nilunke!" he roared with laughter, "Your death is nigh—cough cough cough!!!"

The laughter stopped abruptly as Bowers choked on his own saliva, bent over, and coughed violently, his face turning bright red.

Outside the door, Zijin couldn't help but giggle, "Bowers really has absolutely no talent for acting!"

"Yes—" Su Ming's voice also revealed helplessness, "We rehearsed for a full five hours, with only three lines, and we messed up the very first line."

He originally intended to Ruixiuli, but the guy said he had to visit a "guest" and dragged Silver Mask and Jielusi away early.