The bright moon hangs high in the sky, and the stars are like a sea.
Crouching in the forest bushes, Randall felt a subtle sense of presence as he felt the pain from the nerve hooks of the keel parasites on his back.
Since the Battle of Lone Rock City, he has spent most of his time in the relatively safe rear, enjoying the leisure of life and having long forgotten the tension that the battlefield brought him.
And now, that feeling of being in danger, a sensation similar to the release of adrenaline, has returned to his bloodstream.
Aldenan, perched on a treetop, listened intently for a while with his wolf ears perked up. He then jumped down and whispered to Randall and Kellogg, "It's about time. We can set off."
Randall stood up, first moving his joints to relax his slightly stiff body, before saying to the other two, "You both still remember the mission objective before we set off, right?"
Aldenan nodded: "Advance eastward from the edge of the forest and scout three kilometers."
As Kellogg examined the dagger he carried, he said, "Hiss... Find out all the enemy's secret passages, outposts, and camps along the way, and record this information to make a map."
Randall continued, “Aldnan, you possess night vision and far-reaching hearing, and your sense of smell is far superior to ours; Kellogg, you have thermal imaging and mimicry abilities, and you can walk on tree trunks and rock walls without any obstacles. However, even so, we must proceed with caution. Because once the enemy becomes aware of our presence, they will modify and adjust their defensive layout, which could lead to significant deviations in the intelligence we have painstakingly gathered.”
Seeing the werewolf and the lizardman nod in confirmation, Randall waved his hand and said, "Since there are no problems, from now on we will no longer use language to communicate, but will instead use the Hive Communication Module. Let's go!"
The reconnaissance team had advanced several hundred meters when Aldenan suddenly stopped, stood up, and began sniffing around.
Randall: "What's going on? Have you found anything?" (Hive Communication)
Aldenan: "There's a very pungent smell..." (Hive Communications)
Kellogg: "Look at the bark over there, there are burn marks on it." (Hive Communications)
Aldenan approached the tree trunk, plucked some powder from it with his claws, and sniffed it carefully.
Aldenan: "It's gunpowder...and the dosage ratio is very similar to what I remember the Southern Empire army using..." (Hive Communications)
Kellogg: "So, the rumor that the Church of Heaven's gunpowder weapons came from the Southern Empire is true?" (Hive Communications)
Randall: "In order to counter the threat from the Dragon Kingdom, the Church of Heaven has completely abandoned doctrinal taboos... This is not surprising, but it is indeed ironic." (Hive Communications)
Aldenan: "Following this direction, the smell of gunpowder is getting stronger; there might be an enemy camp there." (Hive Communications)
Randall: "Slow down, everyone, and be aware of your surroundings." (Hive Communications)
Following the direction the werewolf pointed, the three of them traveled about a kilometer further, and faint human voices could be heard in the air.
Kellogg reached out to stop the other two from moving, mimicking the colors of the surroundings with his body, and using both hands and feet, he climbed up a towering tree next to him, looking just like a giant gecko.
A few minutes later, Kellogg's cellular communications rang in Randall and Aldnan's ears: "Eight hundred meters to the northeast, the enemy's advance regiment's camp, with about eight hundred men, most of them are sleeping, and only a few dozen are patrolling."
Randall: "Can you see the weapons and fortifications?"
Kellogg: "Thermal imaging capabilities can't see those details."
Randall: "Okay, we need to get a little closer. Everyone, slow down again from now on and pay close attention to your surroundings."
The three of them carefully moved slowly towards the northeast.
Gradually, the sounds in the air grew louder and louder, including the sounds of human conversations, the low neighing of horses, and the crackling of a campfire.
Aldenan crouched down and peered through the gaps in the bushes: "I see the enemy's flags and armor. There's no mistake, these are the army of the Church of the Father."
Randall: "Let's walk around the camp and see what we find."
The three had only taken a few steps when Randall suddenly reached out and grabbed Aldenan.
Just as the latter was completely bewildered, Randall knelt on the ground, pointed to a hemp thread no more than fifteen centimeters off the ground, and said through cellular communication, "Alarm Trap."
Aldenan crouched down, carefully parted the bushes, and discovered that the hemp rope was connected to an iron plate containing stones, which could trigger an alarm if one was not careful.
Aldenan breathed a sigh of relief: "Luckily you found out in time."
Randall: "Have you forgotten? I used to make a living by hunting, and to me, this kind of trap seems more like a childish prank."
The three avoided the ground traps and walked forward for another ten meters. Kellogg stared at the ground, lay down, and said through the Hive Communicator, "There's a tunnel below. There are enemies right under our feet."
Aldenan pressed his ear close to the ground, listening and reporting, "Yes, there are definitely people underground. And I heard the sound of a metallic object rolling, it sounded very heavy."
Randall: "A metallic object?"
Aldenan pointed with his finger: "The group of people in the tunnel, carrying that thing, went ahead."
Randall: "Let's go, let's go through the tunnel and take a look."
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