“Shoot!” Lan Zao roared through his teeth.
Whoosh
At that moment, a volley of crossbow fire formed a black arrow curtain.
Shrouded by the arrow curtain, bat monkeys fell to the ground one after the other.
On the hillside, the remaining large magic beasts tried to charge forward. A monkey tail brown bear was at the forefront of them.
Death.
Suddenly a giant crossbow arrow, similar to a war spear, cut the wind and in a flash, hit the monkey tail brown bear. It hit its chest and pierced through its body.
The monkey tail brown bear was shot dead while the arrow continued to launch it back somewhat.
“Good kill Hei Juan!”
Seeing this, morale greatly rose.
The giant arrow was fired from a ballista controlled by Hei Juan.
Regarding his archery skill, he was publicly known to only be second to Zhen Jin.
“Bark bark bark……”
From the magic beast corps’ rear, some blue dog fox wolves barked together, signaling the magic beast corps’ retreat.
“Success!”
“Victory, we defended this place.”
“All thanks to Lord Zhen Jin and Lord Zong Ge!”
Everyone cheered, almost every gaze was directed at Zhen Jin and Zong Ge.
A fortnight had passed since Zhen Jin’s night attack that had annihilated a magic beast corps.
During that fortnight, the situation had rapidly worsened.
Sensing the isolated magic beast corps had been annihilated, after Zhen Jin’s first ambush, the remaining blue dog fox wolves chose to assemble in one place.
This made Zhen Jin’s work hard.
During this time, he tried to dispose of them many times.
To kill the blue dog fox wolves, one needed to kill many magic beasts. However, he had fallen into the blue dog fox wolves’ scheme and had attacked from all sides, his body receiving serious wounds in the process.
Fortunately, things were very different now with Zhen Jin’s core.
He could transform the flesh of a strong life white rhinoceros.
This strong life white rhinoceros’ flesh was far more practical than that of other magic beasts. After Zhen Jin’s wounds changed to strong life white rhinoceros’ flesh, it gained the strong life whiter rhinoceros’ powerful recovery abilities, by the next day, he was no longer injured.
Strong life white rhinoceros needed to eat a lot of food to replenish the energy it took to heal. But Zhen Jin had the core, he simply used the magic in the core.
He used magic to discharge electricity, and he also used magic to heal.
He discovered more and more practical things he could use the magic for.
“This time, a new blue dog fox wolf appeared.” Zhen Jin sighed to Zong Ge as they returned victorious.
This was the current situation: not long after killing a blue dog fox wolf, one or even two new ones appeared.
Each blue dog fox wolf commanded a magic beast corps of varying scopes.
Zhen Jin was silent.
During the initial discovery of the magic beast corps, he relied on all of his strength to neutralize this crisis to the camp.
The starting situation was great, using his power, he destroyed an entire magic beast corps.
But when two other blue dog fox wolves, hovering by the border, quickly discovered the destruction of their comrade and its magic beast corps, they immediately gathered together.
The two blue dog fox wolves together made it hard for Zhen Jin to attack them.
He tried to ambush them but failed when a blue dog fox wolf survived.
After learning about Zhen Jin, the blue dog fox wolf acted properly. It ordered all its flying squirrels to take cover underground.
These flying squirrels were good at digging holes in tree trunks and in the ground.
By hiding underground, Zhen Jin’s sound wave attack was ineffective.
As Zhen Jin began his assault, after receiving the blue dog fox wolf’s order, these flying squirrels would attack in a wave.
Regardless of what Zhen Jin transformed into, none of his forms were immune to electricity.
Although he also defended himself with a thick white muscle membrane, it only protected his internal organs, brain, and so on, it did not protect his flesh.
Every electrical shock produced paralysis and halted his movements.
It was very annoying.
The blue dog fox wolf was even more cunning, it did not dispatch all of the flying squirrels at once, rather it used small waves of them to beat back Zhen Jin.
Seriously hurt, Zhen Jin retreated.
The next night he wanted to attack again and destroy the remaining magic beast corps, however to his shock, he discovered two new magic beast corps!
He and the magic beast corps were in a deadlock, the more information he divulged about himself, the more the counters the blue dog fox wolves responded with.
The blue dog fox wolves emphasized their own safety.
Zhen Jin attempts to assassinate them failed repeatedly, once a blue dog fox wolf exploited Zhen Jin’s strategy and intentionally showed a weak point, using itself to bait Zhen Jin into a trap.
The other blue dog fox wolves surrounded Zhen Jin.
Fortunately, Zhen Jin could fly and escape.
But afterwards, the blue dog fox wolves brought in blade spiders, these were huge threats to the bat monkey Zhen Jin.
Zhen Jin could only fight with all his strength during the night.
After the magic beast corps gained a foothold, they began to penetrate the defensive perimeter and attack the ravine.
Zhen Jin could not stop this, he was only a lone warrior, he could not obstruct these enormous magic beast corps.
“If I could completely transform in coordination with the others, perhaps I could kill all these blue dog fox wolves.” Zhen Jin’s heart emitted an idea.
But soon after, he dispelled that idea.
Unless it was as a last resort, he would never do that.
He was very restrained even when transforming his human body. Generally, he would transform when charging. Even if he transformed near others, he would quickly charge into a beast group.
Luckily, Zi Di and Cang Xu could not fight, they were always in the rear and never observed Zhen Jin’s transforming body up close.
Every time Zhen Jin prayed to Emperor Sheng Ming, it would be ineffective. Everyone considered this normal, and no one suspected anything.
“Perhaps dramatic changes have already happened, then all our hopes lie in our new ship.” Zhen Jin replied to Zong Ge as he gazed into the distance.
The volcano never stopped erupting, although there were intermittences, eruptions were increasing in frequency.
The distant sky was pitch-black.
It was volcanic clouds.
Although the sky above the rainforest was still clear, the volcanic clouds were visible to the naked eye, as they extended to all directions, they would soon cover the entire island.
Zong Ge also looked at the erupting pillar of lava and nodded.
Zhen Jin took his leave while the half beastman continued to oversee the defensive line. He was the main commander in the defensive battle, he was not an ordinary soldier, but served as a high ranking officer with considerable talent.
Cang Xu was in charge of logistics and had received praise from Zong Ge many times.
Zhen Jin mainly watched over the construction site.
The higher ups explicitly divided up the work.
In the small ravine, most of the hull was already constructed successfully, and great amount of ship planks had finally been installed on the framework.
The ship planks used the advanced flat joining method, not the backwards connection method.
Most working around the ship hull, were the wounded.
The defensive line needed military strength; the wounded could only provide labor.
These days, they have been working energetically. Almost every day they sweated like pigs, their wounds would open again, and each evening, they went to sleep extremely exhausted.
The situation was critical, and the viewpoint that the ship was the only way to escape this island, became the consensus.
In the ravine clearing, nothing was more conspicuous than the giant.
The giant’s labor played a critical role, but he was also a hidden danger.
If he went mad and destroyed the hull, everyone would lose their hopes of escape.
As a result, Zhen Jin had to oversee the area, if the giant went mad, he would promptly knock out the latter.
Only when the defensive perimeter was hard pressed, would Zhen Jin come over.
During this fortnight, over ten earthquakes occurred, they happened frequently.
The giant also had around ten outbreaks, all of which were promptly stopped by Zhen Jin.
After each time the giant showed symptoms, everyone would move the hull outside the ravine, and contrary to what one might expect, they avoided several earthquakes.
No one troubled the giant, with the immense external pressure of the magic beast corps, almost all internal contradictions were disregarded.
Bai Ya dragged his beaten body to a cave entrance.
Next to a bonfire, he placed some parchment on top of his leg. He dipped a quill pen into some ink, it was a small movement, but it made him grimace in pain.
His arm was bandaged, with spots of blood seeping out of the bandages.
During today’s fight, he was injured because a bat monkey bit his forearm.
The humid air made his clothes sticky.
Only his full stomach made him happy.
After Bai Ya gasped a little and slowed his rushed breathing, he began to write.
Dear Miss Xi Qiu:
Please forgive my extended absence between letters. Also forgive me that these letters still cannot be delivered to your hand.
……
The magic beast corps attacked again, during that, I shot a dozen or more bat monkeys dead and wounded many more magic beasts……
We originally thought these magic beast corps were not a problem, but in reality, they have a steady flow of reinforcements.
Our situation is getting nastier. Today a new magic beast corps appeared, making our weeklong fighting and carnage vanish like smoke in thin air. The magic beast corps can replenish troops so easily.
Fortunately, we hold the ravine. This terrain is easier to defend than the forest camp.
Most obviously are the ballistae being set up in high locations.
Recently, Lord Hei Juna’s prestige has increased rapidly, because he is very skillful with a ballista. The huge crossbow arrows have terrifying might, often it can heavily injure silver level magic beasts.
More admired is Lord Zong Ge. Although he is a half beastman, he possesses extraordinary courage and strength. Although his left gauntlet was destroyed, by relying on an iron shield, he is often on the frontlines to personally hold back the attacking magic beasts. That huge shield is nearly as tall as me and is very heavy, however Lord Zong Ge can easily carry it.
The one I most adore, will forever be Lord Zhen Jin!
Whenever the defensive line reports an emergency, he will appear where he is needed most.
Every time he appears, he will immediately chop down magic beasts. Not only does he stabilize the situation, he will also lead a counter charge.
Each time we see his figure, our fearful and hesitating hearts will quickly turn serene, and our downcast morale will quickly rise.
Lord Zhen Jin is a believer of Emperor Sheng Ming, with the Emperor's deep love, he gives us light and victory.
With his Lordship, our victory is certain!
……
Dear Miss Xi Qiu:
Today’s fight made my body coldly sweat.
Our defensive line had been thoroughly scouted out by the blue dog fox wolves; they then engineered a sinister sneak attack. All of the strong life white rhinoceros grouped together and charged down the slope.
Our defensive line was smashed, and the other magic beasts were pouring through the gap when Lord Zhen Jin appeared.
I will never forget that scene.
After Lord Zhen Jin loudly prayed, another miracle appeared!
He changed into a giant larger than Zong Ge, wore golden armor, and possessed incomparable strength.
The strong life white rhinoceros could not harm him, and when he prayed, Emperor Sheng Ming, as expected, gave him a sharp sword.
With the lighting sword tightly grasped, he pierced a strong life white rhinoceros’ head and cooked its brain with electricity.
Wherever Lord Zhen went, the magic beasts there would suffer a crushing defeat, all of them routing one after the other.
He continued to charge up a hillside, scaring off those blue dog fox wolves like frightened rats!
Although it was a victory, the battle gave everyone post-traumatic stress.
If we didn’t have Lord Zhen Jin, we would have lost.
As a result, after Zhen Jin, Zong Ge, as well as Cang Xu, Zi Di, and some others discussed with each other, it was decided that the number of ballistae and crossbows would be increased.
Doing this would slow down the construction speed of the ship.
But nothing could be done about it.
The giant is also a hidden danger, I once told you he has an illness.
Someone suggested we put the giant on the defensive perimeter, because many people are worried: there might be a day when the giant goes mad when Lord Zhen Jin is on the defensive perimeter. If he destroyed the ship, it would be terrible.
But after the scholar Cang Xu calculated everything, he informed us the giant’s labor force was equivalent to fifty men. The giant was even a skilled shipbuilder!
He seemed clumsy, but he was actually very skillful. He grew up on a ship and continuously received the boat craftsman’s instructions, this made him very experienced in ship repairs.
The giant played a critical role in the ship building. If he was sent to fight, ship building efficiency would hit rock bottom.
Cang Xu’s words did not convince everyone, but of course, I believed scholar Cang Xu. After Lord Zhen Jin explicitly supported Cang Xu, no one objected.
As Bai Ya wrote his letter, beads of sweat tumbled down and he turned pale. The intense fighting did not allow him to recuperate or relax.
……
Dear Miss Xi Qiu:
There was another fierce battle today.
The magic beast corps’ offensives have been getting more frequent and ferocious.
I feel numb.
My heart isn’t numb, in fact, as long as Lord Zhen Jin is here, my heart will eternally be filled with hope and the will to fight.
My body is numb.
I fell ill.
Perhaps it is my accumulated injuries, new and old, encumbering me. Another possibility is after some beast bit me, it left behind some kind of poison in my wound.
My eyes are dark, whenever I quickly turn my head, the sky will spin, and I even feel the illusion of a mountain pounding at me.
I have lost my sense of touch, I can definitely grab a crossbow, but my fingers cannot feel the bowstring or the trigger.
My tongue is also numb, it may be said I don’t have a sense of taste.
Lord Zi Di gave me some medicine, after drinking some, I can feel better half a day.
But after half a day, my body feels it is in an oven. It seems like my body cannot hold my soul and I feel my soul floating and dispersing.
I don’t know if I can go through this.
But I guarantee you, since the shipwreck, I was never timid. From beginning to end, I did my best in battles. I imitated Lord Zhen Jin’s bearing, I especially hope, one day, I can be as strong as him.
Unfortunately, I am only an ordinary person.
If, If I cannot endure this crisis, I will lose my life here. I request of you, I earnestly request of you, for the sake of these letters, to look after my old mountain parents. Tell them of my death and ask them to forgive this unfilial son. Let me be an example to educate my younger brother and sister, let them take this as a warning.
I must admit, after sniffing the smell of death, I felt regret.
But I will never regret my acquaintance with you, my beautiful and most loved Miss Xi Qiu.
Your smile has always been in my heart.
……
But I also ask you to understand me, my abilities are really too limited……
Writing this, Bai Ya’s quill point stooped, then in the wake of his falling hand, the quill point streaked across most of the parchment until it finally fell to the ground.
With a bang, Bai Ya fell to the ground.
Notes
He’ll be fine, if he could survive all the bullshit Zhen Jin endured for him in the desert, he can at least survive lying in a cave for some time. Remember, he has the thickest plot armor of any character. Also, I wonder if Zhen Jin can transform into a complete blue dog fox wolf, then again I don’t know if he can influence magic beasts already under the control of another wolf.