Zhang Shi immediately convened an emergency meeting in the council hall with key personnel on the island, including Zhao Feng, Ge Dalong, and Lao Bai.
"Everyone has seen Liu Yu's message. The appearance of this lizardman race is a huge threat to our island. We can't sit idly by and wait for our doom; we must prepare in advance," Zhang Shi said solemnly.
Zhao Feng spoke first: "Shi Tou, I think we should strengthen patrols around the island and increase the number of lookouts to ensure that we can detect the traces of these monsters in time."
Ge Dalong nodded in agreement: "We also need to organize an emergency response team, ready to be deployed at any time, so that we can act quickly in case of any situation. These alien races have already had a serious impact on the operation of the post station, and we need to find a way to completely eliminate this threat."
After a moment of contemplation, Zhao Feng said, "We can set up some traps around the island, which might help hinder these monsters. Also, shouldn't we consider joining forces with other factions to fight against these alien races? After all, their strength doesn't seem to be underestimated."
Zhang Shi listened to everyone's suggestions and nodded slightly: "What everyone said makes sense. Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong will be in charge of arranging the patrol and emergency response teams, and you, Lao Bai, will be in charge of setting up the traps. As for the matter of joining forces with other forces, I will consider it further, since we don't know the attitudes and thoughts of other forces."
After the meeting, everyone went their separate ways. Zhang Shi went to the beach alone, gazing at the surging waves, pondering a solution. He knew that the appearance of the lizardmen was no accident; this crisis was not only a test for the island but also a challenge for the entire world of survivors.
Zhang Shi stood by the sea for a long time. The sea breeze howled, carrying the salty, damp scent unique to the ocean, but it couldn't dispel the gloom in his heart. He knew all too well that this battle with the lizardmen would be a long and arduous war.
In the days that followed, the island was placed on full alert. Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong quickly organized patrol teams and emergency response teams. Soldiers patrolled the waters surrounding the island day and night, and the number of lookout posts was increased several times over, closely monitoring every movement on the sea. Lao Bai led a group of people to set up various traps in the shallow waters and beaches around the island, including spike traps, fishing net traps, and some mechanisms with deceptive and offensive effects made using the island's special resources.
However, beneath the calm surface of the sea, undercurrents surged. One late night, the patrol team suddenly noticed some unusual movements on the surface of the sea, as if some large object was moving rapidly underwater. The alarm instantly shattered the tranquility of the island, and Zhang Shi was awakened from his sleep. He immediately grabbed his weapon and rushed to the beach.
When he arrived, he saw several huge black shadows vaguely emerging from the sea, slowly approaching the island. As they drew closer, the moonlight revealed the true nature of these shadows: a group of enormous lizardmen. They outnumbered him and appeared more organized this time, clearly having come prepared.
"Prepare for battle!" Zhang Shi shouted, and the soldiers quickly entered battle mode, ready for action.
The lizardmen quickly broke through the trap zone; although the traps provided some resistance, they did not stop their advance. They roared as they charged toward the island, their weapons gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
As the lizardmen drew closer to their ranks, Zhang Shi's eyes hardened, and he ordered them to open fire.
As soon as he gave the order, the musketeers who had been waiting rushed forward and fired indiscriminately at the front.
The roar of muskets shattered the silence of the night, flashes of fire illuminating the lizardmen's狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) faces in the darkness. A hail of bullets rained down on the lizardmen; some were hit, letting out painful roars, but they did not retreat. Instead, they charged towards the island with even greater ferocity.
Seeing this, Zhang Shi, holding the old Duan sword, shouted loudly, "Don't stop, keep firing! Close combat troops, prepare!"
One group of soldiers retreated, nervously reloading their bullets, while another group took their place, firing at the lizardmen once more. However, the lizardmen's skin seemed exceptionally tough; while the firepower of the muskets could inflict damage, it didn't deliver a fatal blow. In the blink of an eye, the lizardmen had charged forward, engaging the melee troops in fierce combat.
Zhao Feng, wielding his battle axe, charged into the enemy ranks, leading the charge. Each of his attacks was imbued with powerful force and precise skill, repelling the approaching lizardmen one by one. Zhang Shi and Ge Dalong also fought valiantly alongside him, their teamwork seamless, supporting each other, and holding the line alongside the soldiers.
But the lizardmen were simply too numerous; they kept surging up from the sea, and gradually, the island's soldiers began to struggle to hold them off. Some soldiers were wounded and fell, and the defensive line began to falter.
Zhang Shi frowned. He had thousands of soldiers under his command and believed that he had already overwhelmed the other survivors in both quantity and quality. He did not expect that the alien race that suddenly appeared would give him a big surprise right from the start.
Zhang Shi could not tolerate the loss of the island. He charged into the enemy ranks first, wielding his old sword. His swordsmanship was fierce, each swing carrying the powerful sword energy of Shadow Slash, cutting the approaching lizardmen into pieces. Once his evil intent was triggered, the Shadow Army was activated, scaring away the lizardmen who had never seen such a scene before.
Inspired by him, the soldiers fought bravely and engaged in fierce close combat with the lizardmen.
But the lizardmen gradually gained the upper hand in terms of strength and numbers, and the island's soldiers began to suffer casualties. Zhang Shi was extremely anxious; he fought while observing the situation on the battlefield, trying to find an opportunity to break through.
Suddenly, flames shot into the sky behind the lizardmen, and a towering pillar of fire appeared on the coast, turning the sky crimson. Two clearly high-ranking lizardmen appeared, clad in exquisite armor, each holding a crimson bead that emitted faint energy fluctuations. The towering pillar of fire was created by them.
With a shout from one of them, more pillars of fire erupted along the shore, and the lizardmen retreated to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Many soldiers who hadn't had time to retreat were engulfed in flames and instantly turned to charcoal.
Zhang Shi was both shocked and furious, and hurriedly gave the order.
"Everyone retreat! Quickly, retreat!"
However, managing thousands of people is not so easy. The soldiers received the messages at different speeds, and the ranks themselves quickly descended into chaos. The intermittent bursts of fire on the ground resembled volcanic eruptions, and within just a few minutes, the soldiers suffered heavy casualties.
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