Cloud Peak prepares for a massive assault on parasitic worms, gathering allied forces and powerful weapons. Guang Yao addresses his core team, acknowledging the high potential for casualties but emphasizing Cloud Peak's need to grow stronger. He reveals that ten new ten-thousand-person teams are being formed and will immediately face the East Sea beast tide, supported by peripheral forces, while the main Cloud Peak army finishes the current battle.
“Teacher Le, Sister Hong, you should really head back. Having you two here is already making me nervous before the fight even begins,” Liang Chuyin felt like she was going crazy.
She was tasked with the assault on Mei City’s eastern front. Accompanying her were Ah Tao’s posthumous child team, Tonghu and Xiaoli’s teams (who now each led one), and Sister Rong’s team. The latter’s primary role was to safeguard these two vital pillars of Cloud Peak.
Given that the eastern side was bordered by a river on one flank and a low mountain on the other—a mountain that appeared barren but was swarming with a lifeform eerily similar to rock—they lacked active offensive capabilities. These organisms would suddenly expel a sticky liquid only when life approached, ensnaring them and preventing escape. The trapped victims would then be slowly, utterly drained, leaving not even a single hair behind.
No creature or evolved being wished to become ensnared in such a fate.
Consequently, the eastern battlefield of Mei City, possessing the narrowest cross-section among the four directions, could not accommodate an excessive number of personnel, rendering large numbers of troops impractical. Thus, the troop deployment here was somewhat less than in the other sectors.
Furthermore, Liu Zhenghong and Le Dayuan, who had accompanied the main force, were also present.
“Not leaving!” Le Dayuan responded with a hearty chuckle. Not only did he attend personally, but he also brought a contingent of his artisans. Their presence was crucial for on-site calibration of numerous devices and for data collection, particularly concerning the war fortresses. Numerous improved models were slated for their inaugural deployment today.
“Not leaving either,” Liu Zhenghong echoed Liang Chuyin’s statement with a playful tone. She had also brought along some researchers, though fewer than Le Dayuan, tasked with gathering parasitic worm samples. The mission assigned by Xia Lei held promise but necessitated extensive experimentation.
Liang Chuyin let out a sigh of speechlessness.
Despite her current status as a nine-star evolved and her selection as a candidate for the upcoming space expedition, she wasn’t entirely fearless. These two individuals were far too critical to Cloud Peak’s success. Should any harm befall them within her defensive zone, she feared Ye Zhongming might initiate divorce proceedings.
“Once the fighting commences later, please refrain from advancing forward,” the influencer anxiously instructed them.
“Alright, alright, we understand. Regardless, we’re both eight-star evolved beings; what could possibly happen so easily?”
Liu Zhenghong gently nudged Liang Chuyin forward with a supportive push, saying, “Fight well later, showcase Cloud Peak’s might, and demonstrate your strength as a nine-star evolved.”
Upon hearing this, Liang Chuyin’s expression conveyed utter despair, as if life itself had become overwhelmingly arduous.
After Liang Chuyin departed, Liu Zhenghong approached Le Dayuan and inquired, “Regarding that matter you brought up, have there been any new developments?”
Le Dayuan shook his head.
“No, only that single instance. But you know, I wouldn’t be mistaken about something like that.”
A rare expression of concern flickered across Le Dayuan’s face.
“Then why did you place it so far away?” Liu Zhenghong queried.
Le Dayuan let out a cold snort. “I wouldn’t be mistaken, but why has there been no activity since then? I suspect it might be because I was in close proximity. Now, I’ve dispatched it, hoping it might reappear, allowing us to confirm its presence or perhaps even capture it!”
Liu Zhenghong remained silent for a moment before stating, “Little Ye isn’t present. Those with outstanding mental power are limited to Red Hair and Talking Lady. We’ve always maintained a degree of wariness towards Talking Lady and cannot enlist her aid. Should we consider summoning Red Hair for assistance?”
Le Dayuan considered the suggestion before shaking his head. “A major battle is on the horizon. Red Hair has her own defensive sector; summoning her now would be inappropriate. Let’s wait until after this engagement. If that machine truly undergoes some significant transformation, then so be it. I refuse to believe that with so many top-tier lifeforms within Cloud Peak, we cannot subdue it!”
Hearing her husband’s assertion, Liu Zhenghong ceased her inquiries, yet a lingering sense of unease persisted in her heart.
………………………………
As the designated attack time drew nearer, the warriors affiliated with Cloud Peak grew increasingly invigorated and excited. This impending conflict, involving close to ten million combatants, was an unprecedented experience for all.
Xia Lei monitored the time and observed the internal movements within the city. At a precise moment, she transmitted a command through her battle contribution badge: “Commence.”
The entire battlefield, which had been relatively subdued moments before, erupted into motion!
A cataclysmic upheaval, akin to collapsing mountains and splitting earth, ensued. Countless evolved beings surged towards the modest-sized city from all directions.
The sky above the previously tranquil city became a vibrant spectacle of wildly swirling energy manifestations.
As the attacking force, Cloud Peak did not intend to sacrifice the two million assisting evolved beings as mere cannon fodder. Upon Xia Lei’s signal to begin, a colossal shadow soared forth from behind the main formation.
Mei City's landscape wasn't notably flat; it gradually sloped downwards towards the east and rose towards the west, though the elevation change was minor. Nevertheless, Cloud Peak exploited this characteristic, constructing numerous elevated platforms on its western, southwestern, and northwestern flanks. Stationed upon these platforms, long-range combatants and evolved beings launched the initial assault on Mei City.
Since the parasitic worms within Mei City had offered no resistance to Cloud Peak's approach, these platforms were erected remarkably close to the city, featuring a distinct layered arrangement. Ranged attackers on each platform were pre-positioned according to their engagement radii, forming an organized and unchaotic formation.
The moment the attack commenced, their projectiles were unleashed.
These long-range combatants experienced a less perilous engagement compared to those advancing on the ground, as their attack vectors and firing frequencies were pre-determined; they merely had to adhere to established protocols for a strict barrage.
Upon the completion of their assaults, the ground forces would then storm the city.
Traditional weaponry like bows and crossbows, along with firearms, constituted merely the foundational elements. The true spectacle, capable of astonishing observers, lay in the deployment of massive skills and a variety of peculiar offensive techniques.
Concurrently, other sounds began to resonate.
Examining the assault's layered strategy, these initial attacks impacted within Mei City, with the farthest reaching only a kilometer or two into the outskirts. Their primary objective was, in fact, to alleviate the challenges faced by the vanguard during their entry, thereby ensuring a propitious commencement for the siege.
The true source of impending might manifested as magic crystal cannons, which commenced emitting deep, resonant roars approximately five minutes into the engagement.
Surrounding Mei City, Cloud Peak had amassed an impressive contingent of five thousand magic crystal cannons for this operation, with one thousand of them being the ultimate Annihilation variety!
During previous campaigns to secure the China region, the maximum number of Annihilation-type magic crystal cannons employed simultaneously had been a mere fifty! Many, including those observing from Cloud Peak Manor's ramparts, estimated the total count of such formidable weaponry to be between three to four hundred at most. The revelation that Cloud Peak had deployed a thousand of them in this single location alone was astounding.
Whether this represented the entirety of Cloud Peak's cannon arsenal remained unknown; indeed, even the vast majority of Cloud Peak's own members were unaware of the full extent.
The remaining four thousand cannons, while not possessing the sheer destructive potential of the Annihilation type, still wielded immense power. In conjunction with the Annihilation cannons, they formed an unparalleled force of firepower suppression.
The reason for the five-minute delay in their firing was simple... Xia Lei intended for the parasitic worms within the city to congregate first!
