Chapter 166: Fierce Battle

“Change!” Angus commanded loudly.

In the momentary gap created after two spiderfolk were crushed by war hammers, the shield bearers at the front, who had been battling for nearly twenty minutes and were starting to show signs of fatigue, quickly retracted their large shields and moved back. New fresh troops swiftly took their places, filling the gaps before the insectoids could mount another attack.

“Good job, you fought well,” Wu Qingsong said, patting them on the shoulder. “Take a breather, let’s see how Horton and the rest are doing. Don’t just talk a good game and then get cold feet when it counts.”

“Sir!” shouted a shield bearer at the front, but the comment drew laughter from the others. 

The atmosphere effortlessly dissipated fear, and the warriors felt their tension ease without realizing it.

“The Thirteenth Mercenary Group is truly a formidable force,” remarked one of the mastiff warriors, his voice now completely devoid of mockery or disdain. “In this situation, any other army would have likely crumbled by now.”

The battle had been raging for almost two hours. 

By securing an easily defended and difficult-to-assault abandoned mine, the insectoids’ numerical advantage was neutralized. Under Wu Qingsong’s leadership, the canine warriors managed to eliminate forty to fifty enemies with minimal casualties. Wu Qingsong had two prepared for their dinner, while the rest were dragged away by the insectoids, clearing space for their attack.

Unlike the defense battle of Esola City, the foes encountered here were predominantly mites and various types of spiderfolk. 

They had once launched long-range attacks using spider silk from a position not far from the cave entrance, but these attempts were thwarted by fire. Consequently, they quickly resorted to close combat, which also failed to disrupt the formation of the Thirteenth Mercenary Group.

In close quarters, although the spiderfolk demonstrated greater agility, they lacked the explosive strength characteristic of the antfolk. Facing the stringent shield wall, the threat they could impose was significantly less than that of the antfolk. The only potential harm came from the spider silk spat at close range. 

However, spiderfolk displayed a distinct preparatory movement — tilting their heads back and compressing their abdomens — before spitting silk. After encountering this a few times, the soldiers quickly learned to anticipate these attacks, rendering the spiderfolk incapable of executing any successful surprise attacks.

The mastiffmen, too, were accustomed to fighting insectoids. 

Although serving as Alvin’s guards rarely placed them on the frontline, they had frequently followed Alvin to supervise battles from behind the lines and kill soldiers who fled due to unfavorable battle conditions.

In fact, the number of deserters they had personally killed far exceeded the number of insectoids they had slain.

The combat approach of the Norwei warriors diverges distinctly from that of the Thirteenth Mercenary Group. While the elite troops may surpass the houndmen of the Thirteenth in equipment and combat skills, their main force significantly lagged behind.

Judging from the results, it was difficult to say who was stronger. At the very least, no one could claim that Alvin’s forces could sustain minimal casualties under such an encirclement, nor keep morale and fighting spirit so high when cornered.

From the variety of noises emitted by the bugs, aside from the mites not considered to be combat forces, there were at least three to four hundred insectoids actively moving around outside. 

It was still uncertain when Alvin’s reinforcements would arrive.

Wu Qingsong offered a smile, choosing not to address the comment directly.

Indeed, strict training, significantly better treatment, and more respect compared to other expendable canine troops were certainly important reasons why his soldiers have been able to hold out until now. However, their relaxed mindset primarily stemmed from the presence of Wu Qingsong, Liuli, and Ling in the formation.

They all know what the result would be once Liuli unleashes her power. Though her burst of power was brief, it was enough to shred those outside. Ling’s strength might not be as violent, yet in such confined spaces, she could potentially be even more effective. And Wu Qingsong himself instilled even more confidence. To this point, they’ve yet to witness Wu Qingsong face defeat.

If not for the presence of these three bothersome individuals, they would likely be tidying up the battlefield, debriefing on the learned lessons, or even savoring grilled spider legs by now.

However, this was no major concern. Houndmen never feared battle, especially not one where victory was assured. 

They were unwilling to be seen merely as dispensable extras overshadowed by Wu Qingsong and the beastwomen’s achievements. Given such an opportunity, they were eager to demonstrate their resolve and strength to Wu Qingsong, to prove their worth.

“Sir, there’s nothing to worry about in the back,” reported the squad leader Wu Qingsong had dispatched to scout the depths of the mine. “Most of the abandoned mine shafts have collapsed, and the remaining ones are underwater, with no accessible pathways for them.”

“Did you all hear that? We’ve even got water,” Wu Qingsong said. “Let’s settle down here for a proper battle and see what those insectoids are really made of!”

Thus, the battle waged on. Ling and Liuli, finding themselves idle, decided to join a few soldiers in lighting a fire with readily available timber in the mine, boiling water in a field pot, and hauling over two spider corpses to roast. 

Maybe it was the enticing aroma of the barbecue that finally got to the spiderfolk outside, after their last unsuccessful assault, they retreated as silently as they had arrived.

“My Lord?” Angus asked.

“They’re likely trying to draw us out. For now, let’s ignore them,” Wu Qingsong said, glancing at the mastiffmen. 

If not for their presence, would it even be this troublesome? 

“Tell everyone to rest up and conserve energy. We’ll deal with it tomorrow,” he added.

True to Wu Qingsong’s prediction, the insectoids attacked again after dusk. But, after being driven back once more, they merely continued to emit a variety of sounds from outside to disrupt their rest, without attempting another attack.

By the next morning, about a hundred or two spiderpeople still stood off against them, with the whereabouts of the others unknown.

“How soon can Lord Alvin’s reinforcements get here?” Wu Qingsong asked one of the mastiffmen.

“In about three days,” the mastiffman replied.

Time-wise it shouldn’t be an issue, yet for some reason, Wu Qingsong felt a tinge of unease.

If these insectoids were leaderless, they would likely launch continuous attacks against them. If someone was commanding them, then they must have noticed the firebird sent with the message and would be aware that reinforcements were soon to arrive. So, why remain in this location? Why not withdraw along with the other insectoids? If the aim was to monitor and harass them, the mites alone would have been enough.

Two hundred spider-people could devastate an unguarded territory, slaughter hundreds to thousands of villagers, or, if dispersed across mountains and forests, could stealthily attack and eliminate hundreds of mercenaries.

No matter how he looked at it, Wu Qingsong saw no reason to keep them here.

“Defend this position,” Wu Qingsong ultimately instructed Angus. “I’m going out to take a look with Ling and Liuli.”