Deep Well Project

Therefore, even knowing that this move might "aid the enemy," Hairspring still resolutely launched this attack.

"The total troop strength is approximately 50,000, and it continues to increase," the staff officer reported after completing the statistics.

"Even if the camp is surrounded from all sides at the same time, the forces that the Plundering Clock can deploy at the same time are only about 30,000 lizards," Bowers analyzed.

"Not that many." Su Ming quickly did some mental calculations. "The Plundering Clock has learned to use dispersed formations to reduce the lethality of firearms, so they will only deploy a maximum of five to ten thousand lizards per wave."

"Then we'll have to prepare for multiple waves of attacks," Bowers said in a deep voice.

This tactic is actually quite uncommon in Taya's past battles.

Most of the time, the key is to seize the opportunity, send out the most capable troops, and strive to make a decisive move.

The Plundering Clock was forced into its current tactic of attrition by the Final Bone Mad Machines ' combat system, which was based on firearms.

Just as predicted, from the moment the Plundering Clock was set up, it blatantly displayed its intention to wage a war of attrition.

Fifty thousand Gravel Scale Tribe warriors surrounded the enemy from all sides in batches, with the front and rear ranks spaced far apart.

The battle soon broke out.

With the various enhancements and blessings from the shamans, hordes of lizardmen, as if they were free, poured into the battlefield wave after wave, exchanging their own flesh and blood for dozens of bullets or three or five shells from the Final Bone Mad Machines.

Currently, only the Bone Machine Third Battalion is responsible for defending the camp against the enemy.

However, the camp also had a large number of fixed guns and cannons set up, and the rune cannons that originally belonged to the Divine Covenant Faction were also brought here by Su Ming.

Why not use it? It's a waste to keep it anyway.

In an instant, guns roared and cannons roared, and the sky was filled with the glow of magic and explosives.

Although the interception line kept moving backward under the enemy's continuous attacks, the situation remained relatively stable.

An hour later, the enemy's attack wave reached its fifth wave.

The impact intensity did not decrease in the slightest.

Clearly, the holy priests on the Plundering Clock's side have adopted a more radical strategy of brainwashing and control.

"Judging from the engagements on the First Battalion's side, in two or three more waves, the enemy will suddenly deploy a large number of elite combatants and spellcasters, attempting to catch us off guard."

Su Ming stared at the battlefield scene and said.

Bowers frowned.

He has committed all of his troops to this mission.

The feeling of being trapped by sheer numbers when your own side is clearly very strong is truly frustrating.

Su Ming looked up and glanced at the radar image.

A conspicuous bright spot is rapidly approaching the forward camp.

"Don't worry, reinforcements have arrived."

****

In the pitch-black night sky, a deep humming sound spread far and wide, and the navigation lights on both sides of the fuselage flashed continuously.

It was the same chubby girl who arrived, accompanied by the familiar radio communication tone.

"This is the final bone 001, requesting landing!"

"License!"

Upon receiving news of a large-scale gathering of the Gravel Scale Tribe near the forward camp, Su Ming did not hesitate and immediately dispatched reinforcements.

He selected 500 necromancers, organized them into an airborne special operations regiment, and then arranged for transport planes to send them over.

Judging solely from load-bearing capacity, the chubby girl could actually pull even more.

Unfortunately, people are not like goods; they can't be piled up too high.

Airport ground staff drove tricycles and placed a magic lamp at the edge of the runway at regular intervals.

From above, the lights form a clear outline, stretching straight forward and converging at the end of the runway.

In the dead silence of the sandy land, this track stands out conspicuously.

"This is much easier to land than during the day," Miao Xin muttered in the cockpit.

"Instructor, wasn't that a bit off last time?" a crew member next to him couldn't help but complain.

"Alright, then you guys take over." Miao Xin decisively handed over control.

"No problem, instructor!"

This time, the transport plane's landing wasn't as smooth as before.

With a muffled thud, the plane's rear wheel slammed heavily onto the ground, accompanied by a small bounce.

Inside the cabin, a chorus of cries of pain erupted as people staggered and fell.

"Whose elbow hit my stomach?!"

Get your stinky feet away!

The plane taxied for a while and then came to a stop.

Before the rear hatch was even fully opened, some people inside were already eagerly squeezing out through the crack.

He looked disheveled, like a fish that had been pried out of a can.

"Damn, I was suffocating!" A necromancer crawled out and leaned against the fuselage, panting heavily, his legs trembling.

"Thank goodness, it's just a short two-hour trip."

The other person looked visibly shaken.

"I vaguely saw that my deceased grandmother came to pick me up!"

"Damn it, the president said he'd give us special permission to enlist, I thought it was some kind of good job!"

The person who said this was an artist who had sculpted a full-body statue of Su Ming on the Pansy, and was thus punished by being sidelined.

As the hydraulic system continued to operate, the hatch of the Kunpeng finally closed completely, revealing the scene inside its huge belly—there were actually two layers of people "stacked" inside!

It was only thanks to various ventilation systems and auxiliary spells that they weren't suffocated.

Those who managed to peek out desperately pulled their arms, legs, and robes out of the crowd, shoving and pulling as they tumbled and crawled off the plane.

Seeing this, the ground crew quickly came to help, and together they dragged and untangled the large, tangled human-shaped cargo.

The scene was horrific.

"This has truly broadened my horizons," a ground crew member remarked sincerely, observing the scene before him.

Throughout history, Su Ming is probably the only one who has ever transported a mage in this way.

When Bowers arrived at the airport, what he saw was a group of necromancers whose resentment and displeasure were blatantly obvious on their foreheads.

The leader of the group rubbed his knuckles, making a series of cracking sounds.

"Tell me, who do you want to beat up?!"

His voice was somber, and his eyes were menacing, as if he were a demon who had just crawled out of hell.

The other team members were equally indignant.

"If I don't beat the crap out of them today, I'll have wasted this flight!"

Despite their grumbling, the group moved swiftly, quickly completing their preparations and heading straight for the battlefield.

The airport ground staff, who were handling the aftermath, discovered another completely unexpected "cargo" at the very back of the cargo hold.

She lay dizzy and sprawled on the floor, crushed and almost flattened into a puddle.

"Is Pony on today's shipment manifest?" a ground staff member asked hesitantly.

The other person glanced at the list and shook their head.

****

Border battlefield.

With the Stars Forces establishing a firm foothold, the third Lizard Squad that the Gravel Scale Tribe had deployed that night failed to make any significant impact.

Seeing that the battle had deteriorated beyond repair, the Holy Priest knew that continuing the fight was pointless.

But with the thought that since he was already here, he should at least make the most of it, he forcibly drove the remaining Gravel Scale Tribe to continue filling the battlefield.

It can consume some of the Star Empire, just some, I suppose.

Thus, the two sides remained locked in this tug-of-war for more than two hours.

Until the Bone Machine Second Battalion arrived.

When they cut into the battlefield from the flank and unleashed a barrage of firepower, the already crumbling morale of the Gravel Scale Tribe finally collapsed.

Exhausted and mentally drained, the lizardmen collapsed in large numbers on the sand, refusing to move.

No matter how much the shaman and the lizard whipped, cursed, and threatened it, it refused to get up again.

Only a few scattered waves of resistance were quickly extinguished.

The human faction has entered the battlefield cleanup phase.

"The dead Gravel Scale Tribe belong to us, the living belong to you."

Su Ming suggested to Xialike.

"In addition, the antidote for the hallucinogenic drugs is almost ready."

"Once Stacy's tests are successful, we'll update you on the results."

"At that time, we will be able to break the mind control that the Plundering Clock has placed on the Gravel Scale Tribe."

"Okay." Xialike nodded in agreement.

Humans are ultimately not adapted to desert environments.

If we could capture a group of the Gravel Scale Tribe prisoners of war and have them perform logistical tasks such as transporting supplies, it would greatly reduce the pressure on the auxiliary forces.

That's how war works; the victors have the right to snowball their advantage.

"Thank you very much for your full assistance this time." Xialike said solemnly, "The defense of the supply lines within the Stars territory was an oversight on my part."

This is not a matter of misjudgment.

Su Ming shook his head; Xialike had arranged for guards.

"My supply lines are even more exposed than yours, yet the Plundering Clock has never launched such an attack against me."

This shows they can't do it.

Su Ming analyzed it step by step.

"Within the Star Empire, there must exist a sizable spy organization Plundering Clock."

"They provided precise intelligence and guidance for this operation!"

After a long silence, Xialike finally spoke slowly, "If it were a specialized intelligence organization—not that I'm being arrogant, but given the Star Empire's control, they couldn't have remained infiltrated for this long."

"The more likely explanation is that some organizations, disguised as legitimate institutions, are secretly working for the Plundering Clock."

"Or perhaps—there's a traitor within our own ranks, or even within the Plundering Clock."

1

"We've actually been investigating this all along, and we've already uncovered several cases."

He added.

Su Ming understood the first possibility.

For example, in his hometown, there are plenty of "non-governmental organizations" that ostensibly operate under the guise of public welfare and exchange, but are actually collecting intelligence around the world.

As for the traitor -

"Is it related to Janet?" Su Ming asked.

"Yes." Xialike sighed softly.

It is still unknown when Janet joined the Plundering Clock.

However, she operated with impunity within the Star Empire and the Divine Covenant Faction for a long time.

Su Ming was quite decisive; he simply overturned the table and wiped out the entire Divine Covenant Faction Sect.

But not with Xialike; he had to painstakingly cleanse the wounds and cut away the flesh bit by bit to dig out the people with problems.

At this time, a statistical report on the damage to supplies was delivered to Xialike.

He glanced down at it.

"I have some bad news," Xialike told Su Ming. "The batch of desert skincare oil I prepared was burned by the lizards."

"However, another batch of squalane oil purchased from the Pearl Duchy is on its way. The total amount will certainly not be enough, but it will be allocated to you first."

This matter isn't a huge deal, but it's not insignificant either.

Prolonged dry and cracked skin can affect the health of soldiers.

After a moment's thought, Su Ming realized that taking away shares from his allies was not a long-term solution.

"Stacy said she could extract similar skincare ingredients from olive oil."

"The cost will be a bit higher, but it shouldn't be a problem to meet our own needs."

"Okay."

Xialike nodded, ending the call.

****

Valley of Sighs.

The holy shaman sent all his troops to fill the battlefield, while he himself slipped away beforehand.

He was very fast, and an hour later he was already nearly 100 kilometers away from the battlefield.

The thick stench of blood in the air gradually faded as we sped along, returning to the dryness, emptiness, and monotony characteristic of the desert.

Suddenly, the shaman abruptly stopped in his tracks.

"Who!"

In the shadows, Zhapulai couldn't help but sigh softly.

A Saint Rank Executioner, personally tracking a relatively weak combatant, was still discovered.

That's a bit embarrassing.

Zhapulai revealed himself, no longer remaining silent.

Footsteps crunched softly on the gravel.

"How did you find me?" he asked.

The priest, clearly unable to answer, merely gave a cold laugh.

"You guess!"

"So it was the smell." Zhapulai sighed again.

This is the answer that "Heart Reading" gave him.

This holy shaman had lived in the desert for a long time, so he learned how the locals distinguished smells.

This isn't really Zhapulai's fault.

He had killed more than a dozen headed lizards on the battlefield, and his body was naturally covered in blood.

It was only after seeing this holy shaman that he decided to follow him on a whim.

Zhapulai wanted to see if he could follow the trail and find the lair of the Plundering Clock.

But since things have come to this point, there's no point in arguing anymore.

Zhapulai flashed by.

When he reappeared, he was already behind the holy shaman, appearing like a ghost.

The holy shaman felt pain in many parts of his body, his blood surged, and his body became numb.

This is pure, overwhelming superiority!

He couldn't even see how Zhapulai made his move, let alone dodge it.

Zhapulai pulled out a restraint device from his pocket.

A resolute glint flashed in the eyes of the holy priest.

"When the jawbone of my God Jörmungandr, opens in the Sea of Darkness, all the living beings of your world will be reduced to worms beneath his throne!"

He declared loudly.

"Not good!"

Zhapulai had already sensed something amiss in the other person's thoughts, so he stepped forward and fastened the magic-suppressing restraints.

"Hehe! These things can't stop it!"

The holy sorcerer grinned maliciously, but his body rapidly withered away, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, dead.

Without the slightest delay, Zhapulai immediately pulled out a spirit-binding sealing bottle from his pocket.

He wasn't a necromancer, nor was he a related combatant; the only way he could leave behind a soul for interrogation was through this method.

The tools for binding spirits are expensive and difficult to make.

But when it's time to consume, it's the only option!

The runes on the spirit-binding bottle were activated, and a soft white light shone forth.

The soul of the holy sorcerer, which was about to leave his body, was immediately drawn by this force and moved closer to the spirit-binding bottle.

"Hehe, still no use!"

The holy sorcerer's spiritual energy rippled outwards, emitting a wanton mockery.

On his soul, an ouroboros mark lit up, emanating an eerie aura.

Then, the soul of the holy sorcerer suddenly broke free from the pull of the spirit-binding bottle.

"The mark my God left on earth will lead me to heaven."

"You mortal beings are no match for us; you can't possibly stop a chariot with your bare hands!"

The holy shaman laughed loudly.

Zhapulai could only watch helplessly as this repulsive fellow's soul ascended into the sky and vanished.

Left with no other option, he had to return to the field command post in the Valley of Sighs and report the matter to Emperor Xialike.

"It's a pity," Xialike said, a look of regret on his face.

"The higher-ups of the Plundering Clock are extremely inflexible and also possess the Seal of the Mortal World."

"It's indeed difficult for us to get intelligence from them."

Zhapulai paused upon hearing this.

"I've heard that Su Ming's side has captured the souls of high-ranking members of the Plundering Clock multiple times."

How did they do it?

Xialike could only manage a wry smile.

"The Scholar Bay Owl first used the Divine Favor Scepter to erase the mark of the mortal world before making their arrest."

"We can't learn that trick."

Zhapulai could only shake his head regretfully after hearing this.

"Don't worry about the battlefield for now," Xialike said in a deep voice. "Find out exactly how the details of our supply points were leaked to the Plundering Clock!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhapulai replied.

****

The fighting at the forward camp started much later than on the border battlefield, and naturally ended later as well.

But it was very decisive.

Once the mages of "One Empty" joined the battle, the Gravel Scale Tribe's somewhat smug shamanistic group was instantly and completely suppressed.

Meanwhile, the continuously summoned undead lizards also created a strong restraining effect on the charging lizard warriors on the battlefield.

The already chaotic offensive of the Gravel Scale Tribe turned into a complete mess.

In short, seeing no hope of victory, the holy priest on the Plundering Clock immediately led his remaining troops away.

Only after everything had settled down did Su Ming receive a report from the airport.

"Qiluo sneaked onto the plane and ran away?"

He exclaimed in surprise.

What is she doing on the plane?

Su Ming was puzzled.

But the next moment, his expression changed.

"Oh no! It's canned beef!"

To celebrate tonight's victory and reward the brave soldiers, Su Ming arranged for a shipment of high-quality meat to be transported by plane.

It also serves as a bench for those necromancers.

Anyway, he was confident he wouldn't lose, so what was wrong with being prepared?

Therefore, it's not hard to guess why Qiluo, this foodie, managed to sneak onto the plane.

"Qiluo was knocked unconscious shortly after takeoff," the airport official quickly added, "Most of the canned goods were unharmed."

"That's good!" Su Ming immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"And what about Miss Qiluo?"

"She's alright," the person in charge sighed. "She's just been crying and complaining the whole time that we hid the canned food."

"Well done."

Su Ming gave a word of praise.

"Let Qiluo stay there and grow vegetables for now. The Forest Dragon Squad should be arriving soon."

A crisp voice squeezed into the communication channel.

"Let me grow vegetables?"

"Is there even any water in this godforsaken place?!"

His voice was filled with resentment.

"Of course there are," Su Ming said matter-of-factly, "Just dig underground."

Qiluo immediately let out a mocking laugh.

"If we dig deeper here, we can reach groundwater."

"But it's all highly saline and alkaline water, it's completely useless!"

"What if we go even deeper?" Su Ming already knew about the conditions in the Gravel Scale Desert, so he naturally wouldn't make a mistake on this kind of question.

Qiluo, however, disagreed.

"The Wave Hermit had previously considered digging deep wells to solve the desert's water shortage problem."

"He continued drilling down for nearly a hundred meters, and it was all rock."

"That's certainly not enough."

Su Ming laughed.

"I plan to drill a well several hundred meters deep, all the way down to the fossil aquifer, so I can extract sweet fresh water!"

"Really?" Qiluo's eyes widened.

"Don't worry, I'll come tomorrow!"

Su Ming promised.

Even if the bottom is all rocks -

"I want to juice it too!"