Chapter 77: The Fall of the City

Swarms of antpeople, both large and small, flooded through the breached defense like a tidal wave, tearing apart any beastmen who hadn’t managed to flee. Their screams abruptly overpowered all other noises, throwing Wu Qingsong’s troops into disarray.

Relying on the city walls, the beastmen had maintained a slight advantage, fighting from a higher position and outnumbering the antpeople in localized skirmishes. But once on equal ground, with a relentless stream of antpeople emerging, the scales of victory irreversibly tipped.

Even though Wu Qingsong had considered such a possibility, with his current status and abilities, what he had done thus far was already at its limit. Who could have anticipated such a sudden turn for the worse?

What now?

His houndmen, acting on instinct, shielded him as they fell back to their former defensive line. All the while, Wu Qingsong was engrossed in this critical question.

With no genuine military experience and his knowledge limited to what he had gleaned in an era of information overload, he saw only two options, engage in street-to-street combat or attempt a breakout.

A building crumbled under the assault of the giant antpeople, trapping and crushing the beastfolk inside, their screams echoed as they were extracted one by one by the ants. The wooden structures were no match for their massive jaws, promptly leading Wu Qingsong to dismiss the idea of urban warfare.

Most of the nearby buildings, constructed similarly, wouldn’t withstand such an onslaught for long.

But what about a breakout?

Looking at the antpeople outside the city, now energized by their breakthrough and swarming toward it, Wu Qingsong reluctantly discarded the idea of a breakout.

If they couldn’t defend themselves even with the support of the city walls, then abandoning these walls and running into the open would spell even faster death.

But then, a moment of realization. The wall?

A new thought sparked in Wu Qingsong’s mind, prompting him to urgently declare, “Don’t panic! We must continue to defend this part of the wall!”

Many initially thought he had lost his mind. The city had been breached, what good would do holding this particular section of the wall now?

“Those houses can’t stop them. Only the stone wall can. Our only hope is to hold our ground here,” Wu Qingsong shouted with all his might. But in the midst of wailing and despair, only a handful caught his words.

“We must focus our defense around the arrow tower and hold out for as long as we can,” he declared to those nearby. Sensing that his words weren’t entirely persuasive, he paused briefly before adding, “The elves are already on their way. We don’t have to hold out much longer, just until their arrival.”

This wasn’t a lie, the foxman named Philip had informed him of this. But the timing of the elves’ arrival remained uncertain. It could be any moment, a few days away, or even weeks.

Regardless of the uncertainty, Wu Qingsong refused to give up.

Ling was capable of protecting herself, and Liuli could look after Harold and Ram. Wu Qingsong himself was not intimidated by such dire circumstances. But now, he had a greater number of people who placed their trust in him. They could certainly consider escaping when the situation became utterly dire, but Wu Qingsong was not prepared to abandon them until it was absolutely necessary.

As the flames slowly subsided, the antpeople launched another assault on their section of the wall. However, the attack was significantly less intense than before, due to the nearby breach.

Those whom Wu Qingsong had forcibly recruited for defense had dispersed amidst the chaos. He didn’t pursue them, instead, he focused on finding Ram, Ling, Liuli, and the families of his mercenary group. Gathering his wolfmen and troops, they used Molotovs to forge a path toward the stone arrow tower on the city wall.

“My lord?” A group of bearmen and pigmen descended the stairs from the wall, running straight into them.

These were the militia members temporarily under his command. Despite the brief duration of their interaction, the intense combat and Wu Qingsong’s methodical leadership led them to naturally regard him as their leader.

“We can’t hold the city. Our objective is to defend this arrow tower,” Wu Qingsong called out to them loudly.

After a brief exchange of looks, the bearmen nodded in agreement, “Alright!”

The group then turned and charged back toward the city wall. The narrow path was blocked by two antpeople. A towering bearman, picking up a large shield from the ground, let out a mighty roar and charged toward the foremost antman.

With a resounding clang, the shield hit the antman hard, forcing it to stagger back. Another bearman, wielding his long war hammer, landed a heavy blow on one of the creature’s legs. Losing its balance, the antman was shoved off the city wall by two pigmen, each armed with their own hammers.

“Good job!” exclaimed Wu Qingsong, unable to contain his approval. The other antman, after a moment’s hesitation, scurried toward the other side of the wall, which seemed a softer target.

This act of bravery inspired everyone around Wu Qingsong, spurring them to quicken their step and charge into the arrow tower.

The tower was modest, consisting of only two floors. An upper lookout and shooting platform, and a lower level for storage and shelter. The limited space couldn’t accommodate everyone. 

After a moment’s thought, Wu Qingsong instructed, “Go inside and take a break first. The mercenary troop will hold the front line.”

Below, chaos still reigned. Ascending to the second floor of the tower, Wu Qingsong saw that their breach was not the only one. The northern wall of Esola City too was overwhelmed by the antpeople’s dark mass. Given their numbers, it seemed that sector might have fallen even before theirs.

The antpeople were in a frenzied pursuit of the beastfolk, who had completely lost the will to fight. Seeing no immediate threat to his position, Wu Qingsong promptly ordered the wolfmen and houndmen to transport stones from the nearby wall to the tower’s second floor. He also made efforts to collect all the water and food available in the vicinity.

Besides the few women and children of the mercenary troop, along with Ram, Ling, and Liuli, the only fighting forces present were Wu Qingsong’s own thirty-five-member mercenary group, Ram’s eight wolf warriors, and less than forty bearmen and pigmen who had returned with him. While formidable as a mercenary band, this number appeared insubstantial against the thousands of antpeople. 

How long could they realistically hold out?

The relentless, anguished screams of the dying beastfolk were slowly but surely chipping away at everyone’s morale. Gasping for breath, they all were frantically doing whatever they could, yet it was evident none of them believed they could survive these odds. 

More than anything, they seemed to be trying to fend off the fear in their hearts.

Wu Qingsong felt he should speak up. This was a new challenge for him, yet the many feats he had achieved today, things he had never imagined himself capable of, filled him with pride and a newfound confidence.

“Don’t lose hope,” he said loudly. “Help is on its way. We only need to hold on, fight with courage, and our ancestors will not forsake us! You are all the bravest warriors, and your heroism thus far is proof of that, and you will continue to prove it. We might all die, but the gods have just told me, not today, not here! We will continue to fight! We will maintain our ground! We will wait for the reinforcements! We will survive and live to tell our future generations about today’s deeds as victors! We will live on! Let us fight for ourselves! Hold the line!”