Mark and Kyle exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.
The Rotten Vine Alliance? Or some other force?
The dangers of the Blackwater Shores are indeed not just due to the environment itself.
Just then, Elliott, who had been silently following like a shadow and only appearing during recording, spoke up for the first time during the mission.
He offered no explanation, but instead, in his flat, emotionless voice, pointed in a direction slightly off from the current surveying route:
"Northwest, follow the ridgeline. Avoid the puddles below."
Everyone was taken aback.
This recorder actually offered to give directions?
This is very unusual.
But after Elliott finished speaking, he fell silent, only looking down and quickly writing something on the record board, as if what he had just said was just part of the record.
After a moment's hesitation, trusting his own men within the Knights and knowing the immediate need to avoid suspicious areas, Kyle decisively gave the order:
"Follow the recorder's instructions, turn northwest! Remain alert, Enzo and Rex go ahead to scout!"
Over the next two days, Elliott's "timely" guidance became even more frequent.
Whenever the team is about to enter an area where the concentration of undead is abnormally high, or when Monica and Anna discover new suspicious activity.
His cold, detached voice would always ring out, guiding the team to narrowly avoid dangerous areas or find relatively safe routes.
In this almost guided state, the Grey Falcon Squad's mission miraculously came close to completion on the morning of the fourth day.
On the map, the glaring red markers representing areas with high concentrations of undead look like hideous scars, outlining the core area of the entire Blackwater Shore.
What excited everyone even more was that, on the edge of the core area of this land of the dead, they clearly located three extremely well-hidden black market strongholds based on energy fluctuations and a few remnants!
Two of the locations exuded a strong aura of orcish brutality, while the other carried the filth and chaos unique to the human underworld.
"Mission accomplished!"
Looking at the densely marked map, Ron couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, a tired yet relaxed smile appearing on his face.
Darren and Emilia also visibly relaxed their tense nerves.
Kyle carefully checked the map and the recorded fluctuation data to confirm that everything was correct.
It was noon on the fourth day, just within the time limit.
He took the organized mission files and maps and walked towards Elliott in the corner, preparing for the final handover.
"Recorder, the mapping mission of Blackwater Shore has been completed. All necromancy fluctuations, maps, and the locations of discovered strongholds have been recorded. Please check."
Kyle handed over the dossier and map, his voice steady.
Elliott looked up.
His usually stern and serious face showed no signs of relaxation at the completion of his mission; instead, it appeared even colder, with a hint of barely perceptible urgency.
He didn't take the file; his gaze swept past Kyle, sharply scanning the fog-shrouded surroundings before finally settling on Kyle. His voice remained flat, yet carried an undeniable commanding tone:
"Immediately! Abandon all unnecessary loads! High alert! Follow me! Into the depths of the swamp! Quickly!"
This sudden order was like a thunderclap!
"Recorder! What happened?" Kyle asked in a deep voice, his hand instantly pressing on the Holy Flame Spear at his waist.
Mark's eyes narrowed as well, and the little M on his shoulder glowed with seven-colored light, instantly assuming a battle stance.
The entire squad was instantly pulled from a relaxed state of having completed the mission into the highest level of combat readiness!
Elliott did not answer Kyle's question; he had already turned around, much faster than usual.
Without hesitation, he stepped into the knee-deep black swamp that reeked of the stench of death and decay; the muddy water instantly submerged half of his body.
He only uttered a sentence without turning his head during a brief pause while wading through the water, a sentence as cold as a stone thrown into the still water:
"The enemy's encirclement is closing in! Their target is... us! The main force of the orcs!"
"The main force of the orcs?!" Ruby exclaimed in surprise.
Kyle's pupils contracted sharply, and Mark's heart trembled violently.
In an instant, the locations of those strongholds with a strong orcish ferocity that had been deliberately avoided for the past two days, as well as the messy traces that Monica discovered that were not from patrol teams, were all connected by Elliott's desperate warning!
"Go!" Kyle gave the order without the slightest hesitation.
He quickly stuffed the mission files and maps deep into his bag; this was important intelligence and could not be discarded!
He followed Elliott's footsteps into the cold mud.
Mark followed closely behind and decisively ordered, "Keep up! Quickly!"
Suppressing their shock and doubts, the team members gritted their teeth and stepped into the icy, filthy black swamp.
Following closely behind Elliott's retreating figure struggling through the mud, they hastily retreated into the deeper, more desperate fog of death in the Blackwater Shores.
Just a few miles after they waded through the water, the fog behind them, where they had just been, was torn apart by a violent force!
The deafening sound of orc war drums, like rolling thunder, exploded from all directions, completely shattering the deathly silence of the swamp!
"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!" The heavy drumbeats, filled with endless rage and frenzy, struck everyone's hearts, making the mud beneath their feet tremble slightly.
Accompanying the drumbeats were the thunderous roars of countless orc warriors, filled with bloodlust!
The roar was filled with the fury of being mocked.
"Roar—! Those slippery human bugs! They got away again!"
"Chase them! Tear them apart! For the glory of the tribe!"
"Damn it, how did they know we were going to block this side?!"
"Shaman! Find their trail! Don't let them escape again!"
"Surround them! Encircle them from both sides of the marshland! We absolutely cannot let them escape this time!"
Amidst the roars, the muddy edge was faintly visible, and a large number of orc figures clad in rough leather armor and wielding heavy weapons appeared indistinctly.
They were burly men, their green skin appearing particularly ferocious in the dim light, their scarlet eyes gleaming in the mist, like savage beasts ready to devour their prey.
Over the past two days, the orcs' anger has reached its peak.
Based on the confessions of human traitors and intercepted evidence, the Orcish royal court and the shamanic elders of several major tribes concluded that the Church of the Holy Light would ambush the main Orcish force at Blackwater Shallows.
Enraged, the Beast King decided to turn the tables and mobilized several elite battle groups to launch an epic counter-encirclement and annihilation campaign when the main force of the Holy Light Church Knights entered the pre-set ambush point, in order to reclaim the Bloodvine Heart!
The first step is to wipe out the human race's advance scout squad!
However, to the fury of the orc commanders, their carefully laid encirclement had repeatedly failed in the past two days!
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