Chapter 290 289. Everything goes well
Deep in the half-demon camp, Bastardos scratched the sparse scales on his body with his nails in annoyance.
These dull, unevenly distributed scales are a testament to his mixed bloodline, and his defense is only marginal, a common occurrence among half-demons.
For several days, there was no news from the reconnaissance team sent to the Demonic Tribe. The unknown made his mood change from initial excitement to worry.
At this moment, a tribesman stumbled into his hide tent and brought new bad news:
"Chief, several of our tribesmen have disappeared near the Luo River. They must have been attacked while fetching water, but the warriors only found bloodstains, not bodies. There are very few traces, and it doesn't seem like they were caused by the monsters that live nearby."
Luo River, the seasonal river south of the tribe that is about to freeze completely, was someone attacked there?
Bastardos's nerves tensed instantly, and the first thing he thought of was the demons - could it be their infiltration troops?
However, this speculation was quickly rejected by him.
After much difficulty in sneaking here, they just killed a few ordinary tribesmen. At most, they could create some panic, but it was meaningless.
"An unknown monster..."
The unknown ahead and the danger behind made Bastardos decide to leave more people behind.
This can not only ensure the safety of the rear, but also provide room for maneuver if the attack on the demons is unsuccessful.
However, when the size of the ready-to-go team was smaller than expected, Imperial Envoy Payne immediately noticed it.
The demon Pine asked the reason with a gloomy face. Bastardos hurriedly explained his concerns and the attack from the rear, trying to emphasize the necessity of dividing the troops.
"Idiot!" Payne's scolding was like an icicle, piercing with undisguised contempt. "A few low-class scum disappeared, and you're cowering? They're just feeding some blind beast! What's the point of keeping these people around? Do you think the fertile land promised by the Empire is something you can just pick up without even lying down?!"
He took a step closer, "Show me your full strength and set off immediately! If you dare to shirk your responsibility again, you won't get anything!"
Despite being a fellow Hall of Fame rank, Paine's humiliation was unbridled. This stemmed from his absolute confidence in his own demonic power, his deep-seated disdain for half-demons, and the support of the Empire behind him.
In fact, even Bastardos himself didn't find the other party's condescending attitude strange.
"Yes... sir. The entire army will set off immediately!" Faced with the imperial envoy's unquestionable order, Bastardos finally chose to compromise, leaving only a few warriors to deal with the wild monsters.
…
At the urging of the messenger, the lizardmen and half-demons set off.
Fifteen hundred half-demons and over nine hundred lizardmen, a total of two thousand four hundred, known as...
There is no claim that any of the messengers they sent to the demonic side have ever returned.
They did not meet up, but instead set out from their respective tribes and went directly to the Demonic Tribe.
The two tribes are not "brotherly nations" and their subordinates are all tribal warriors, not soldiers. Although they have individual strength, their discipline is far inferior to that of a real army.
If they really gather together, it will be difficult to deal with the friction below, so it would be better to march separately.
Anyway, there are only three hundred demons, and anyone can win against them.
In terms of baggage, apart from food, the most common item is wood for making fire and keeping warm.
The permafrost tundra area where they live is not so bad. Although there is not much wood, it is enough if you spend time looking for it.
But the situation was different after entering the ice field where the demons lived. It was not that there were no trees at all, but it was not realistic to find enough wood to keep two thousand people warm, so they had to bring the wood as baggage.
On the third day of the march, they entered the range of the fungal blanket.
However, most people did not notice the mycelium that was the same color as snowflakes, and a few people who noticed it did not care.
Everything went smoothly on the way forward, without any obstacles.
There were many people in the tribe who were good at reconnaissance, but they did not find any enemies, because there were indeed no enemies. Lin Jun did not even send the invisible Puji to harass them.
Relying on thick animal skin coats and fires that burned all night, the half-demons and lizardmen successfully approached the former demon tribe, which was only a day's journey away.
It went so smoothly that Bastardos even felt a little unreal.
After all, none of the spies had returned before, so he was already prepared to go deep into the dangerous place.
Even if the demons were short-handed, they should have set up more traps along the way to hinder their progress. This ease made him uneasy.
"Chief, the demons must be scared! They're either hiding in the tribe and waiting to die, or..." Inside the tent, the campfire crackled, and a senior warrior lowered his voice, "They've abandoned their nest and fled north!"
Someone worriedly said, "The demonic people are underpopulated, so they're definitely no match for us. But if they really try to escape, it'll be troublesome! We can't just chase them wherever they go, right? What would the imperial envoy say in this situation?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone became worried.
It would be fine if they could chase them for a day or two, but if they really had to chase them for more than a week, they would not be able to hold on with the supplies they have.
But the imperial envoy's request was to destroy the demon tribe and bring back the demon core...
At this time, Bastardos said, "Don't worry. The demons are running low on supplies, so how can they survive? They can barely survive a week after leaving that semi-abandoned dungeon. Their only hope is a fight to the death!"
After calming everyone down, Bastardos warned, "However, everyone, don't let your guard down. The demons don't seem ready to sit still and wait for death. They're already approaching their tribe, so it's time to use whatever means you have. Divide the baggage into four parts and hide them in different locations. Double the guards at night!"
"yes!"
Under Bastardos's arrangement, four senior soldiers personally kept watch to guard against any possible sneak attack.
The next morning, Bastardos was awakened by the panicked shouts of his men.
"Chief! The baggage is gone!"
Bastardos sat up suddenly, but there was no panic in his eyes: "Oh? The demon finally made a move! So their target is the baggage!"
Bastardos felt relieved. The other party's actions did not surprise him. If he were a demon, facing an overwhelming army, he could only target the enemy's baggage.
He looked at the pale-faced soldier who was kneeling before the tent and said in a calm voice, as if he was in control of the situation, "What are you panicking about? Stand up and talk properly!"
"Ah... yes, yes!" The leader's calmness infected the half-demon who reported the news, and he stood up.
"So, which baggage storage did the demons attack? What are the casualties among our night watchmen?" Bastardos asked while tidying up his clothes.
"A sneak attack?" The soldier looked up, bewildered. "There was no sneak attack, Chief! There was no fight, no enemy...but...but all the baggage, it all disappeared overnight!"
The tent fell into silence for half a minute, and the warrior looked at the leader with some confusion.
The composure on Bastardos's face began to fray. He took a step forward, his hands gripping the soldier's shoulders like iron pliers, his nails digging into his flesh. His bloodshot eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and a hoarse, distorted roar emanated from his throat: "All of them?! What the hell did you say?!"
(End of this chapter)
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