A piercing howl, unlike a human’s voice, reverberated over the small town. Mu Qiao Lan writhed in agony on the ground, her blood vessels writhing beneath her skin like dark venomous snakes, spreading throughout her body.
Her muscles spasmed and swelled uncontrollably, and a faint crimson mist rose, condensing into visible red smoke around Mu Qiao Lan.
Only after a long time did the beastly roar gradually subside. Mu Qiao Lan slowly propped herself up, her scarlet eyes swirling with a bloodthirsty glow.
"There are still some fish that escaped the net in this town. Go and kill them."
Amidst the hoarse growl, Mu Qiao Lan scrambled out on all fours like a bloodthirsty beast and disappeared at the corner of the street in a blink.
Soon after, terrifying screams of despair rang out from not far away, followed by abrupt silence.
"What kind of secret technique is this? It seems a bit like a method of divine contamination?"
Standing behind Zhu Haomiao, Bai Linglong, who had witnessed the entire process, asked curiously.
Hearing this, Zhu Haomiao merely pressed his lips together, smiling without speaking.
Seeing that he didn’t want to elaborate, Bai Linglong pursed her lips and sensibly changed the topic.
"The town is basically cleared, but some of the more dexterous enemies have escaped, and a few clever ones have hidden back in reality."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Haomiao frowned in distress.
This was why he insisted on sweeping the area with the army!
Once the descenders leave battle, they can evade pursuit by logging off. Once the threat is gone, they come back online to cause trouble.
If there were only one or two important descenders, you could "wait by the tree for the rabbit."
But now, with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of Brothers scattered across most of Yong State, you can’t possibly keep an eye on each one, can you?
God knows when they’ll come back online!
"Sigh... we still have too few people, it’s really difficult to manage...."
Hearing Zhu Haomiao’s sigh, Bai Linglong shrugged helplessly.
"There’s nothing we can do. The enemy can’t win on the front lines, so they’ll definitely resort to guerrilla warfare and security battles afterwards. In this regard, we can only rely on the local natives. Our energy must be focused mainly on the front lines."
"Anyway, all the organized enemies have been eliminated; those in hiding are just small fries. Once the new army from each province arrives, these hidden dangers should slowly be cleared away."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Haomiao nodded thoughtfully.
"You all handle these matters; I have a lot on my plate. I need to focus my energy on military affairs."
As they were speaking, a blood-soaked figure slowly walked over from a distance, thick blood soaking through them, dripping down, each step leaving a sinister red mark.
The stench of entrails mingled with the scent of blood wafted over. Seeing the gradually approaching Mu Qiao Lan, Zhu Haomiao wrinkled his nose in distaste.
"Go take a shower, change your clothes, and don’t be so filthy in the future."
The sickly twisted gaze paused for a moment, and after a long while, Mu Qiao Lan nodded and obediently turned to leave.
Only after she had walked away did Zhu Haomiao continue to ask Bai Linglong beside him.
"How is the situation now?"
"Overall it’s going well. The Jinyi Guard, born from Jianghu, is adept at special operations. Coupled with the descenders acting as eyes, the enemy still hasn’t figured out what happened."
Saying this, Bai Linglong gestured with her fingers in the air, projecting a large, translucent screen in mid-air.
On the real-time map, the red areas representing the enemy contracted significantly, with hundreds of small teams forming a line, like a scythe, reaping lives and compressing the remaining enemies back.
"How are the casualties?"
"Not bad, so far the enemy has lost at least tens of thousands, while our side has only suffered a dozen or so casualties."
Hearing this, Zhu Haomiao’s eyes flickered, understanding the sharpness of Jianghu experts in such small-scale clashes.
At the other end of the battlefield, Hong Jila, bare-chested and chest wrapped in white bandages, slammed the table fiercely.
"What the hell is going on?"
The violent action tugged at his wound, and blood with a faint golden hue seeped into the white bandages, making his brow twitch in pain.
In the big tent, a group of subordinates exchanged glances, and finally, Chigumantu reluctantly stepped forward.
"Commander, I’m afraid it’s Da Zhen’s reinforcements that have arrived."
"I know it’s Da Zhen’s reinforcements, but who is leading them? Which unit? Do you have any clue?"
Chigumantu’s face turned red and he was speechless.
In a few days, they had lost tens of thousands of people. Although most were vassal cannon fodder, not knowing who the enemy is was indeed absurd.
However, Chigumantu had grievances that he couldn’t express.
This time, the enemy was completely different from before, more mobile than their Centaurs, striking mercilessly with almost no survivors!
The defeated soldiers who returned were mostly those who fled without putting up a fight, unable to provide any details, only knowing the enemy seemed to be wearing splendid brocades, with frightening strength, unlike any ordinary army.
Seeing his subordinates struggling for words, Hong Jila took a deep breath, suppressing his frustration.
"Originally, I thought that after removing Luo Ming, the northwestern provinces of Da Zhen would be ours for the taking, but now we’ve only eaten half of Yong State and already had our teeth knocked out!"
"It seems the enemy’s reinforcements set out even before they conquered Tianxiong Pass!"
With a malicious grin, Hong Jila spread his fingers and then slowly clenched his fist.
"Gather the scattered troops into a fist; I want to see who exactly I’m dealing with!"
Upon hearing this, Mop, standing beside him, had a flicker in his eyes.
In just a few days, he had scavenged quite a few True Objects, seeing his path to wealth almost within reach. If the troops pulled back now, where would his lifetime of luxury come from?
Quickly scheming, Mop pressed his hands together, speaking in a solemn and compassionate tone.
"Commander, I’m willing to have my tribesmen launch an attack regardless of the cost, to help you hold down the enemy."
Hearing this, Hong Jila looked at him with surprise and moved emotion.
Truly a devoted believer of the Heavenly Lord, with the utmost loyalty!
"But if that happens, the casualties among the Master’s tribesmen could be enormous, and it might not even be very effective. Better to save them for the future construction of the Buddha Country..."
Such useful labor shouldn’t be wasted as cannon fodder!
But ignoring Hong Jila’s concern, Mop slowly and resolutely whispered each word.
"It doesn’t matter, being able to sacrifice for the Heavenly Lord’s great cause is their honor. Even if a million or ten million die, as long as it serves even a tiny purpose, we will not hesitate!"
Hearing Master Mop’s resolute words, Hong Jila hesitated to speak.
Though he was moved, wasn’t this a bit too extreme?