Chapter 212: The Lock Breaks at the Chokepoint
The confined space of the narrow chokepoint had become a double-edged sword.
It restricted the two third-tier scaled beasts from launching a simultaneous pincer attack, but it also compressed the defenders' room for maneuver to the absolute limit. On both sides were steep earthen embankments, and the ground was littered with rubble and the corpses of the military police. Every single step required extreme caution to avoid slipping. Old Zhou's short blade had repeatedly pierced the gaps in the scaled beasts' armor, but the edge was now completely blunted. His hands were covered in dense, bloody blisters from the friction against the beasts' hard hides. The old wounds on his body had torn open again, and warm blood flowed down his thighs. Every exertion of strength felt as though a knife were churning inside his abdominal cavity.
Suddenly, the third-tier scaled beast on the left surged forward, its head thrusting violently as the bone spur shot straight toward the military police officer on the far edge. The officer, already tormented by psychic spikes and dizzy, was half a breath too slow in his reaction. The bone spur pierced directly through his chest. After a brief, muffled groan, his body was hoisted up by the behemoth and hurled viciously against the earthen embankment. He never moved again.
"Another one!" The remaining defenders felt a tightening in their chests.
There were only five of them left.
Seizing this exact moment of attrition, the Illusion Ancient Being cast a heavy illusion into the Sea of Consciousness of everyone at the chokepoint. The city walls at the end of the passage appeared to slowly collapse, billowing black smoke rising into the sky. The streets were filled with motionless civilians, and the familiar cries of agony echoed in their ears. A young soldier's gaze wavered, his grip on his knife loosened, and he stood frozen in place.
"Code word! Wake up!" Old Zhou turned his head and roared, freeing one hand to deliver a fierce slap to the back of the soldier's neck.
The intense pain pulled the soldier back from the illusion for a brief moment, but the terror had already taken root in his eyes. Gasping for air, he raised his knife again, but his movements were noticeably sluggish. His mental consumption was already nearing its absolute bottom.
On the frontal second-line fortifications, the situation was similarly deteriorating.
Another one of the six third-tier scaled beasts fell after being struck by artillery. The remaining four continued to lead the ordinary scaled beasts, pressing inward through the breach. The human wall formed by the soldiers in melee retreated continuously, now less than fifteen meters from the rear medical shed. The wounded lay on stretchers, listening helplessly to the increasingly closer beast roars. Some were trembling with terror, yet there were no hands left to evacuate them.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being did not relax its deployment of psychic spikes. The fine, chilling寒意 (coldness) continuously pierced into everyone's Sea of Consciousness. Many soldiers began to experience persistent tinnitus, their vision going black intermittently. The wake-up rhythm between paired partners could no longer keep pace with the refreshing speed of the illusions, and the number of people losing control continued to rise. The non-commissioned officers could no longer manage the chaos.
Inside the rocky hill observation shed, cold sweat seeped from Lin Yan's temples.
His Sea of Consciousness was simultaneously tethered to three targets: the frontal beast herd, the entangled squad at the chokepoint, and the five ancient beings in the subterranean cavern. The consciousness fluctuations of the ancient beings had been remarkably steady. The Beast Commander continuously received messages from both battlefields, patiently waiting for the number of defenders at the chokepoint to keep dwindling. The supreme ruler still had not released the final reserve scaled beasts from the hidden intersections; it was waiting for the lock at the chokepoint to completely break.
"Only five remain at the chokepoint, with continuous attrition. The frontal battle line is less than fifteen meters from the medical shed," Lin Yan reported calmly to the command hall. "The thermal signatures of the reserve scaled beasts in the hidden intersections remain stationary. The supreme ruler is still enduring, not rushing to commit them."
Scholar Su stared at the sand table, his fingertips white from clenching. There were no combat forces left to mobilize within the main city. The last of the security military police had all been dispatched to suppress the spore anchor points in the city. There were no more reinforcements.
"Tell Old Zhou to hold out for as long as possible," Scholar Su said in a hoarse voice. "The evacuation of the main city is still ongoing. Every extra minute we hold allows another batch of civilians to be sent away."
The message reached the chokepoint. Old Zhou gritted his teeth and gave a brief acknowledgment. He knew the weight behind those words, and he knew that they, this group of men, would most likely never leave this chokepoint alive.
Another round of impact came.
The third-tier scaled beast on the right swept out with its massive tail. A soldier raised his knife to block, but the short blade was instantly knocked away. His ribs were shattered by the tip of the tail, and he curled up on the ground in agony, unable to stand ever again.
Four.
The scaled beasts seemed to sense that the defenders were growing weaker. Their low growls grew excited, and their bone spurs repeatedly thrust toward the vital areas of the group. Old Zhou took the initiative to step forward, shielding the remaining three behind him as he bore the brunt of the attacks from both behemoths. He could no longer see clearly; a veil of blood covered his vision. Relying entirely on his years of battlefield instinct to judge the direction of the attacks, he mechanically drove his short blade toward the soft areas around the scaled beasts' eyes.
"Captain, fall back!" a soldier beside him shouted urgently.
"Can't fall back," Old Zhou panted, the metallic taste of blood filling his throat. "If the chokepoint falls, they will encircle us. Everyone at the front, and the civilians evacuating in the rear, won't be able to escape."
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings rose slightly in unison.
The Beast Commander intercepted the signal of the rapidly decreasing personnel at the chokepoint and sent a request signal to the supreme ruler. After sensing for a moment, scanning the continuously retreating defenders at the frontal fortifications and confirming the status of the remaining defenders at the chokepoint, the supreme ruler transmitted a brief command.
No need to wait any longer.
The reserve scaled beasts dormant in the hidden intersections: move out.
"The thermal signatures in the hidden intersections are moving! The final reserve beast herd has departed, targeting the chokepoint!" Lin Yan's heart sank as he shouted fiercely. "They have three third-tier scaled beasts and over a dozen ordinary scaled beasts, flanking along another side path! Old Zhou and his men cannot withstand a pincer attack from both sides!"
The news hit everyone's hearts like a block of ice.
Hearing the warning, Old Zhou glanced back toward the concealed side path. A glimmer of despair flashed in his eyes. The two third-tier scaled beasts before him had already exhausted all their strength. If another wave arrived, there would be absolutely no chance of victory.
"You three, immediately retreat to the second line. Notify everyone at the front that the chokepoint is about to fall. Prepare for a full retreat toward the main city gates!" Old Zhou instructed the remaining three soldiers in a deep, steady voice.
"Captain, what about you?"
"I'll stay behind and hold them off for a while." Old Zhou gripped his blunted short blade, his spine straight as a ramrod. "Go! That is an order!"
The three men gritted their teeth, their eyes rimmed with red. Knowing that staying meant certain death, they said no more and turned, desperately fleeing along the earthen trench toward the second-line fortifications.
At the chokepoint, only Old Zhou remained.
The two third-tier scaled beasts stepped forward slowly, their massive shadows enveloping him. Not long after, dense beast roars echoed from the side path. Three new third-tier scaled beasts, accompanied by ordinary scaled beasts, emerged from the shadows, completing a five-way encirclement.
Five third-tier scaled beasts blocked the solitary Old Zhou in the center of the narrow chokepoint.
At this moment, the Illusion Ancient Being descended a complete illusion upon him.
Before Old Zhou's eyes, it seemed as though the gates of the bastion's main city had been thrown open. Countless civilians were running down the streets to escape, only to be chased down by scaled beasts surging from all directions. The cries of agony were deafening. In his ears, the gentle whispers of the ancient beings coaxed him to lay down his short blade, urging him to be free from this pain.
Old Zhou shook his head, forcibly tearing the illusion apart. Raising his blood-stained face, he looked toward the second-line fortifications, confirming that the three soldiers had safely evacuated.
"If you want to pass, step over my corpse first."
He muttered the words under his breath, gripped his short blade tightly, and charged forward against the five behemoths, taking the initiative to meet them.
The beast roars exploded like thunder.
Within the chokepoint, the slaughter resumed. Meanwhile, at the second-line fortifications, upon receiving the news, the non-commissioned officers had already begun organizing the surviving soldiers for an orderly retreat, abandoning the outer perimeter and consolidating toward the main city gates. Deep within the subterranean cavern, the five ancient beings calmly perceived this scene. They knew clearly that the lock at the chokepoint was about to completely break.
Lin Yan closed his eyes, his Sea of Consciousness fixed intently on the cluster of violently fluctuating thermal signatures at the chokepoint. His heart felt heavy and stifling.
Old Zhou, a single man, was buying the final moments of retreat for the entire defense line.
End of Chapter.
It restricted the two third-tier scaled beasts from launching a simultaneous pincer attack, but it also compressed the defenders' room for maneuver to the absolute limit. On both sides were steep earthen embankments, and the ground was littered with rubble and the corpses of the military police. Every single step required extreme caution to avoid slipping. Old Zhou's short blade had repeatedly pierced the gaps in the scaled beasts' armor, but the edge was now completely blunted. His hands were covered in dense, bloody blisters from the friction against the beasts' hard hides. The old wounds on his body had torn open again, and warm blood flowed down his thighs. Every exertion of strength felt as though a knife were churning inside his abdominal cavity.
Suddenly, the third-tier scaled beast on the left surged forward, its head thrusting violently as the bone spur shot straight toward the military police officer on the far edge. The officer, already tormented by psychic spikes and dizzy, was half a breath too slow in his reaction. The bone spur pierced directly through his chest. After a brief, muffled groan, his body was hoisted up by the behemoth and hurled viciously against the earthen embankment. He never moved again.
"Another one!" The remaining defenders felt a tightening in their chests.
There were only five of them left.
Seizing this exact moment of attrition, the Illusion Ancient Being cast a heavy illusion into the Sea of Consciousness of everyone at the chokepoint. The city walls at the end of the passage appeared to slowly collapse, billowing black smoke rising into the sky. The streets were filled with motionless civilians, and the familiar cries of agony echoed in their ears. A young soldier's gaze wavered, his grip on his knife loosened, and he stood frozen in place.
"Code word! Wake up!" Old Zhou turned his head and roared, freeing one hand to deliver a fierce slap to the back of the soldier's neck.
The intense pain pulled the soldier back from the illusion for a brief moment, but the terror had already taken root in his eyes. Gasping for air, he raised his knife again, but his movements were noticeably sluggish. His mental consumption was already nearing its absolute bottom.
On the frontal second-line fortifications, the situation was similarly deteriorating.
Another one of the six third-tier scaled beasts fell after being struck by artillery. The remaining four continued to lead the ordinary scaled beasts, pressing inward through the breach. The human wall formed by the soldiers in melee retreated continuously, now less than fifteen meters from the rear medical shed. The wounded lay on stretchers, listening helplessly to the increasingly closer beast roars. Some were trembling with terror, yet there were no hands left to evacuate them.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being did not relax its deployment of psychic spikes. The fine, chilling寒意 (coldness) continuously pierced into everyone's Sea of Consciousness. Many soldiers began to experience persistent tinnitus, their vision going black intermittently. The wake-up rhythm between paired partners could no longer keep pace with the refreshing speed of the illusions, and the number of people losing control continued to rise. The non-commissioned officers could no longer manage the chaos.
Inside the rocky hill observation shed, cold sweat seeped from Lin Yan's temples.
His Sea of Consciousness was simultaneously tethered to three targets: the frontal beast herd, the entangled squad at the chokepoint, and the five ancient beings in the subterranean cavern. The consciousness fluctuations of the ancient beings had been remarkably steady. The Beast Commander continuously received messages from both battlefields, patiently waiting for the number of defenders at the chokepoint to keep dwindling. The supreme ruler still had not released the final reserve scaled beasts from the hidden intersections; it was waiting for the lock at the chokepoint to completely break.
"Only five remain at the chokepoint, with continuous attrition. The frontal battle line is less than fifteen meters from the medical shed," Lin Yan reported calmly to the command hall. "The thermal signatures of the reserve scaled beasts in the hidden intersections remain stationary. The supreme ruler is still enduring, not rushing to commit them."
Scholar Su stared at the sand table, his fingertips white from clenching. There were no combat forces left to mobilize within the main city. The last of the security military police had all been dispatched to suppress the spore anchor points in the city. There were no more reinforcements.
"Tell Old Zhou to hold out for as long as possible," Scholar Su said in a hoarse voice. "The evacuation of the main city is still ongoing. Every extra minute we hold allows another batch of civilians to be sent away."
The message reached the chokepoint. Old Zhou gritted his teeth and gave a brief acknowledgment. He knew the weight behind those words, and he knew that they, this group of men, would most likely never leave this chokepoint alive.
Another round of impact came.
The third-tier scaled beast on the right swept out with its massive tail. A soldier raised his knife to block, but the short blade was instantly knocked away. His ribs were shattered by the tip of the tail, and he curled up on the ground in agony, unable to stand ever again.
Four.
The scaled beasts seemed to sense that the defenders were growing weaker. Their low growls grew excited, and their bone spurs repeatedly thrust toward the vital areas of the group. Old Zhou took the initiative to step forward, shielding the remaining three behind him as he bore the brunt of the attacks from both behemoths. He could no longer see clearly; a veil of blood covered his vision. Relying entirely on his years of battlefield instinct to judge the direction of the attacks, he mechanically drove his short blade toward the soft areas around the scaled beasts' eyes.
"Captain, fall back!" a soldier beside him shouted urgently.
"Can't fall back," Old Zhou panted, the metallic taste of blood filling his throat. "If the chokepoint falls, they will encircle us. Everyone at the front, and the civilians evacuating in the rear, won't be able to escape."
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings rose slightly in unison.
The Beast Commander intercepted the signal of the rapidly decreasing personnel at the chokepoint and sent a request signal to the supreme ruler. After sensing for a moment, scanning the continuously retreating defenders at the frontal fortifications and confirming the status of the remaining defenders at the chokepoint, the supreme ruler transmitted a brief command.
No need to wait any longer.
The reserve scaled beasts dormant in the hidden intersections: move out.
"The thermal signatures in the hidden intersections are moving! The final reserve beast herd has departed, targeting the chokepoint!" Lin Yan's heart sank as he shouted fiercely. "They have three third-tier scaled beasts and over a dozen ordinary scaled beasts, flanking along another side path! Old Zhou and his men cannot withstand a pincer attack from both sides!"
The news hit everyone's hearts like a block of ice.
Hearing the warning, Old Zhou glanced back toward the concealed side path. A glimmer of despair flashed in his eyes. The two third-tier scaled beasts before him had already exhausted all their strength. If another wave arrived, there would be absolutely no chance of victory.
"You three, immediately retreat to the second line. Notify everyone at the front that the chokepoint is about to fall. Prepare for a full retreat toward the main city gates!" Old Zhou instructed the remaining three soldiers in a deep, steady voice.
"Captain, what about you?"
"I'll stay behind and hold them off for a while." Old Zhou gripped his blunted short blade, his spine straight as a ramrod. "Go! That is an order!"
The three men gritted their teeth, their eyes rimmed with red. Knowing that staying meant certain death, they said no more and turned, desperately fleeing along the earthen trench toward the second-line fortifications.
At the chokepoint, only Old Zhou remained.
The two third-tier scaled beasts stepped forward slowly, their massive shadows enveloping him. Not long after, dense beast roars echoed from the side path. Three new third-tier scaled beasts, accompanied by ordinary scaled beasts, emerged from the shadows, completing a five-way encirclement.
Five third-tier scaled beasts blocked the solitary Old Zhou in the center of the narrow chokepoint.
At this moment, the Illusion Ancient Being descended a complete illusion upon him.
Before Old Zhou's eyes, it seemed as though the gates of the bastion's main city had been thrown open. Countless civilians were running down the streets to escape, only to be chased down by scaled beasts surging from all directions. The cries of agony were deafening. In his ears, the gentle whispers of the ancient beings coaxed him to lay down his short blade, urging him to be free from this pain.
Old Zhou shook his head, forcibly tearing the illusion apart. Raising his blood-stained face, he looked toward the second-line fortifications, confirming that the three soldiers had safely evacuated.
"If you want to pass, step over my corpse first."
He muttered the words under his breath, gripped his short blade tightly, and charged forward against the five behemoths, taking the initiative to meet them.
The beast roars exploded like thunder.
Within the chokepoint, the slaughter resumed. Meanwhile, at the second-line fortifications, upon receiving the news, the non-commissioned officers had already begun organizing the surviving soldiers for an orderly retreat, abandoning the outer perimeter and consolidating toward the main city gates. Deep within the subterranean cavern, the five ancient beings calmly perceived this scene. They knew clearly that the lock at the chokepoint was about to completely break.
Lin Yan closed his eyes, his Sea of Consciousness fixed intently on the cluster of violently fluctuating thermal signatures at the chokepoint. His heart felt heavy and stifling.
Old Zhou, a single man, was buying the final moments of retreat for the entire defense line.
End of Chapter.