Chapter 204 Plants vs. the Demon King's Army
A group of cabbage bombs smashed into the position like a string of green firecrackers, blowing away an unlucky fluorescent corpse tank.
In two seconds, the unfortunate thing would explode, creating a patch of renewable turf. The angry demon commander quickly launched a fireball, but the cabbage leaf absorbed the flames like water. It rapidly expanded, fueled by the fire, and exploded, instantly destroying the Hurricane Light Speedboats that had rushed to fill in.
The angry commander was so angry that he blew himself up on the spot, turning the unfortunate glowing corpses behind him into ashes.
"Let the Slaughter Ghost out!" the angry demon commander roared as he self-destructed, "Give me those vegetable leaves!"
Dust billowed behind the battle formation as a ten-meter-tall, specially crafted corpse puppet moved toward the front lines. Its torso was a cage of human bones, within which magically suppressed shadows stirred. As the puppets unleashed their cages one by one, the suppressed slayers burst forth, transforming into planes that seeped into the earth, leaping over the boundaries of the burning fortress erected by the burning embers. Like a school of sharks lurking underground, they swarmed toward the battlefield.
Across from the sharks, the Cabbage Battery was beginning its next round of reloading, and the Willow Men clutched their seeds, ready to fire. Behind two lines of defense stood the Battle Cabbage Fortress, as tall as a giant tree. Its massive size was naturally suited to being a "structure," with its layers of leaves forming the outer walls. A cold light flashed behind one of the leaves.
"Ghost-killing Stormtroopers, total 67." The sniper adjusted the angle slightly. "Collect the bodies in three seconds."
"Got it."
Pull the trigger, the projectile flies, and the spiritual element contained within explodes at the designated point, triggering a wide-range mental piercing attack. To deal with elemental life, the best method is always to start with the spirit body.
The outcome was exactly as he'd predicted. Exactly three seconds later, the battered swarm of slayers sprang back from the shadows. "Sow!" the little creatures hurriedly commanded, and the wicker people scattered the seeds. The seeds took advantage of the opportunity to take root in the slayers, using the shadows as nutrients to produce beautiful shadow-absorbing flowers.
"Watering bo, watering bo." Gulibo jumped up and down.
The wicker people took out their kettles and began cultivating new ornamental plants. The angry commander's nonexistent lungs were about to explode with rage. He suddenly flew out of the fortress's boundaries and turned into a blazing fire cloud above the battlefield. "I will burn you to—"
A gunshot rang out, and the raging fire turned to ash, the demon dead. Shax reloaded. "Which one?" Gulibo marked a new X in his notebook. "If we only count particle 3, it's the thirteenth. New one's coming!"
Suddenly, the dark sky brightened like day. A flaming arrow streaked across the heavens, its arrival like a flaming bird taking flight, its wings scorching the earth wherever they touched. Shax fired a second round of his special bullet, the tip of which precisely sniped the arrow in the center of the battlefield, transforming it into blue dust.
“Keep up the pressure,” Shaxx said. “Force the archers out.”
"Please stop adding me, Bo." Gulibo slumped to the ground, "I'm going to be crushed to death, Bo..."
A trumpet blast came from the direction of the Burning Fortress, announcing the withdrawal of the battered Demon King's army for the day. By the time Shaxx sheathed his holy spear, Gulbo had fallen asleep on the ground, mumbling incessantly in terror.
"It wasn't intentional absence... My year-end bonus... Why is my performance review a C?! I don't want to work overtime!"
Its previous unit sounded suspiciously like a case of animal cruelty, and if it were on Earth, it would likely spark outrage from animal rights advocates. Shax tossed it onto the blanket and sat down on a wooden chair. A vine waiter brought him iced coffee—he thought it was coffee, the refreshing brown drink—and he drank it in one gulp, letting the cold liquid stimulate his nerves.
He hasn't slept in six days. So far, he's doing OK. He just fired the third-to-last Dust Bullet. He's almost out of gold leaf. It's quite challenging. He still has enough for three more bullets... or two. Yes, three. He hasn't slept in seven days.
The drawbacks of prolonged combat became apparent, and his thoughts began to fuzzy. Shax clutched his necklace, a silver cross. Across from him sat the old bishop, his aged face filled with concern.
"You really should rest, Shakes," the old bishop said. "You saw me."
“Ah, yes, it’s been ten years.” Shaxx muttered to himself. “New mission?”
"There are no more missions. You've done enough for the church."
"Damn it! It's not 2010, is it? Then go back to your Vatican." Shax sipped the air from his cup. "I heard nightmares can turn into fear. I never thought I'd be afraid of an old man who raises fish and flowers."
"I think you have nothing to fear, but you haven't had enough rest. This is not a nightmare, but an illusion," the old bishop said seriously. "Go to sleep, child, and God bless you."
"I don't believe in God."
"Even if you don't believe it," the old bishop said, crossing himself, "God will bless you."
The old man's phantom dissipated, and Shax took another gulp of icy air, determined to stay awake. The rules of this place are simple: hold out until you've killed all the enemies, or you die. The Demon King's army won't attack all at once; there's an invisible threshold in their actions. If you cross it, the Demon King's army will stop, and the next day they'll raise the threshold, waiting for you to use your tactics again, and so on.
It was a really challenging game, and it was a really good one. He was going to shoot the designer of this shitty game sooner or later.
Across the battlefield, in the Burning Fortress's watchtower, Burning Embers unleashed his "Eternal Bow." The snipers were unable to penetrate the fortress, and the Demon King's elite were instantly killed if they ventured beyond its boundaries, leading to a stalemate.
It was an interesting matchup. This time, his opponent was a tough one. Even without exchanging a single word, he could tell his opponent's style from the fight. Such a foe deserved a fair fight.
The crystal ball lit up eagerly, a flame popped up from the burning embers, and the scorched face of the spider was revealed.
"Burning Embers, why haven't you figured it out yet?!" Limb Spider said anxiously, "Either you risk it all and fight them head-on, or you hurry up and let them go to the settlement! But you've let them hold out for too long, too long! If this keeps up, Lord Vansalar will get interested!"
"This is my jurisdiction. I'll take care of it." Burning Embers stroked his flaming beard. "Go back to your Nightmare City."
It burned the crystal ball to ashes.
Thousands of meters away, deep in the mountains, the spider angrily put down its crystal ball, rubbing its many limbs back and forth like a fly rubbing its hands.
"It seems the embers have hit his head," it said. "Alas, we have no choice but to clean up the mess for him..."
A low roar came from the deep mountains, and purple thunder struck the mountain peaks, and the thunder continued for a long time.
Atop a lone, towering black mountain, the Nightmare King listened absentmindedly to the thunder. In his hand, shadows rippled like water, and from them came a woman's delicate voice.
"Lord Vansalar, I believe your army is on the verge of defeat."
"Oh, what good news?" Vansalar scratched his chin. "But my troops are strong and powerful, the brave men are hiding in the settlement, and the envoys have recovered from their injuries. It's a pity that the situation is still so good right now!"
"Why not analyze it like your favorite 'game'?" the woman said. "In the first round, you obtained supplies in the Valley and, through the old man's game, killed the Fallen Soul. From the very beginning, you forced the strongest defensive emissary out of the game. It wasn't a good start."
"What a coincidence!" Vansalar commented.
"Second, we made a decisive move and avoided my forest, concentrating all our forces on a battle with Miss Demon Slayer. In one fell swoop, we forced the strongest emissary to retreat and successfully reached the settlement." The woman sighed, "Isn't that too unfair? A decision that should have cost at least several lives was made so easily..."
"After all, they beat that idiot, and they deserved it!" said Vansalar happily.
"The third move, using the affinity of bloodlines to attract Night Walkers and strengthen the Zanxin, strengthens the knights' combat effectiveness by analyzing the Holy Pillar, strengthens the martial artists with the Zanxin secret technique, and simultaneously gathers intelligence on snipers and small animals. A massive boost for everyone in one round—is this also luck?" the woman said. "The potential of these heroes is indeed beyond imagination, but the enemy commander makes the most accurate judgments every round. This is what worries me most."
"Are you so afraid of losing?" The Nightmare King chuckled.
"No, rather than that... I'm more worried that you won't be able to enjoy the fun because of their overly calculating judgment," the woman said softly. "It would be boring to always let the heroes get what they want... How about I give them a little push?"
The demon king let out a terrifying laugh, like the shrieking of bats in the mountains. The woman's voice, having received tacit approval, faded away, and the useless shadow flowed through his fingers like black blood.
·
"This time, our target is the Cabbage Fortress." Chongming drew a large cabbage on the ground. "Leave the explanation to Shizhong. I can't explain."
This type of fortress belongs to the 'combat vegetables' series researched by the city-state during wartime. Their common characteristics are fast growth, low barriers to entry, strong effects, and varying degrees of external purification. Combat cabbages contain a variety of war plant seeds, with defense equivalent to a 3-point sacred tree. They can be cultivated and seeded on-site, and can accommodate and heal up to 200 Allied soldiers. Shizhong wrote, "This thing... is quite expensive, and of a very high grade. I don't understand where Gulbo got it."
"That stupid gardener is from Jingsha. He spent all his salary on buying seeds," said Vander.
"..." Everyone remained in astonishing silence.
Finder's tentacles twitched. "But would some idiot, not even a Transmuter, really take this thing out to sea? Seriously, would anyone do that?"
"This thing is definitely not innocent enough to have run into you all the way," Zhongming said. "Now, let's explain the battle plan. The spot where the battle cabbage was spotted is in the middle of 'Remembrance of the Ancient Battlefield'. Even at your speed, it'll take the better part of a day to get there. The route is very complex, and there will likely be multiple stops along the way, so you'll need an experienced guide this time."
He pointed to Silar: "28th Warrior Silar, this time you are the scout!"
The old man raised his paw in a salute, full of energy: "I promise to complete the task!"
"Everyone except Ji Huaisu is dispatched for the 35th. Don't even think about running away." Chongming threw back Fander, who was trying to slip away. "The code name for this operation is 'Soul Chaser'. Once you find the idiot in the fortress, rush back immediately. Be especially careful not to engage in unnecessary fighting! Even if you have the advantage, don't think of killing the messenger. Do you understand?"
"I don't understand." Chu Hengkong said, "It's naturally good to be able to kill the enemy in the process."
This time, Chongming did not shout, contrary to his usual behavior. He knocked on the hilt of the knife, his expression changing from gloomy to bright.
"Those who don't understand, stay here. Everyone else, disperse. We'll set off in fifteen minutes."
"No problem~" Ji Huaisu raised his hand, "Then I will go and scout the enemy first--"
"Just stay home and stay here."
"Why! I don't want it! Let me go! I want to go to the front line! I don't want to stay behind! ahh ...
Ji Huaisu cried and screamed, but failed to gain the qualification to go to the front line, and was dragged away by Qingye. Chongming sat down beside the sacred pillar and drew patterns on the ground with the handle of his knife.
"You've made progress, kid. I'll be honest with you," Chongming said. "You've won so much along the way. No other competition has ever achieved results like yours. I'm worried that if you keep winning, Fansalar will lose control."
Chu Hengkong frowned: "Are you afraid that it will do whatever it wants?"
"Wrong, I was afraid it would be too happy." Chongming tapped his temple. "Remember, a common trait of the Scourge is that they can't control their emotions, even for an evil god like this. You must avoid letting it get too excited, because you can't predict what a madman will do. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Chu Hengkong said, "I've killed many mentally ill people before."
"So I hope you avoid fighting as much as possible this time. It's best if you can retreat after being defeated, but keep your lives. Make it look down on you, and then you'll have a chance to win later." Chongming said, and he even laughed at himself. "It's fucking embarrassing, laugh all you want."
"I can only say that I tried my best." Chu Hengkong shrugged. "But if that's the case, don't let Qingxia go. She's just like Ji Huaisu, she can't stop the car."
Me too, he added in his mind.
"That's the second thing." Chongming moved the knife handle away, and Chu Hengkong saw him draw a winged insect on the ground.
"Qingxia can't stay in the settlement alone now."
"Why?"
"Because of something in the jungle." Chongming nodded in the direction they were entering the settlement, "When Guang Shiqing went out at night, you followed behind, you should have felt it.
——That thing is extremely poisonous to Qingxia. Never let Qingxia come into contact with it alone."
Chu Hengkong pondered for a while and said slowly: "We are all in the settlement now. Ji Huaisu also has the blessing of the Holy Pillar. He has such combat power..."
"No," Zhongming said firmly. "Even with all the cards we have now, we can't deal with that thing. The reason I agreed to this operation is because you need the sniper's help. At least one more fighter will give us hope. Otherwise, we're just courting death."
If the situation is really as Chongming said, it would make no difference whether Ji Huaisu goes to battle or not... No, it does.
If Ji Huaisu remained in the settlement, the unused sacred pillar would become a strategic deterrent. The enemy would be unable to grasp his true intentions and would not dare to act rashly...
"Wouldn't it be better to just keep acting on your own and cover up your judgment with a bad attitude like before?" Chu Hengkong smiled bitterly. "It's even worse after you say it out loud."
"You're a warrior now, and a warrior's fate is up to him." Chongming patted his butt and stood up. "That's all the information I can share. I'm afraid of upsetting Fansalar, so I won't be accompanying you this time. It's useless for me to go anyway."
Now you are the commander, and this operation is under your full command."
Chu Hengkong nodded, planning his next steps. Soon, the soldiers formed up on either side of the battle line, blowing bone trumpets and playing military music for those about to embark on the battlefield. With little regret, they bid farewell to Captain Huaisu and set off on the sandy road to the ancient battlefield.
Heading north from the settlement, within half an hour, there was no green left. A thick fog filled the air with dust, and the soil stank of decay. The earth was a dark brown, as if stained countless times with blood.
The path was steep and shallow, making it difficult to walk. The old man's legs were not very flexible, so he simply sat on Qingxia's back and let his granddaughter carry him forward. Chu Hengkong remembered Chongming's instructions and wanted to communicate with the old soldier, but with Qingxia beside him, he couldn't speak directly. He walked closer and whispered, "I have a battle plan to discuss with you."
"I will." Silar said calmly, "Stop for a moment, the memories are coming."
Qingxia stopped obediently, shouldering her spear and preparing herself. Everyone was confused, but they saw the fog surging, as if a giant creature was about to emerge. Chu Hengkong smelled the burning smell of wheels rubbing against the road. The sound of an overloaded engine rose from the fog, accompanied by the noise of heavy rain pounding against the car windows.
"Get out of the way!" he shouted.
A black sedan rushed out of the fog, and the bullet-riddled doors were emblazoned with the emblem of a double-snake caduceus.
(End of this chapter)
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