​​Chapter 23: Strategy

The beast boars were fierce and reckless, their tusks capable of piercing steel if they charged head-on. Zhang Shen, however, was unafraid. His powerful internal energy surged out, forming a protective layer around his body. He swept his palms horizontally, carving a path through the beasts.

The dozen people following closely behind seized this opportunity, launching their assault on the boar herd along the path Zhang Shen had created.

With his heightened senses honed through years of cultivation, he could easily locate the four spiritual beasts hiding within the boars. They tried to blend in with the wild beasts, hoping to catch him off guard with a surprise attack.

Zhang Shen, however, closed in on them swiftly. His Cold Moon Sword showed no mercy, and with consecutive Full Moon Slashes, he killed one of them instantly. Following that, he used his seventh level of the Tenfold Power Strike technique to crush another boar’s head.

With a thud, an Ironhide Rat Spiritual Beast charged into Zhang Shen’s chest, putting all its force into the collision and ending up splitting its own head open.

“Humph, you think you can match my chest muscles.” Zhang Shen grabbed the dazed Ironhide Rat and squashed it with his strength, causing it to bleed from its seven orifices and die.

Another spiritual beast, a Three-Winged Bird, was perched atop a wild boar’s head. Seeing Zhang Shen’s ferocity, it attempted to flee. But Zhang Shen was too fast. By the time the bird was about to take flight, he was already beside it. With a swift strike, he sent it off to the afterlife.

Seeing this, the morale of the squad soared, and they fought the wild boars with unmatched bravery. Zhang Shen remained expressionless. The horror of the beast tide lay in its sheer numbers and prolonged attack, enough to drain even the toughest man.

His teammates’ enthusiasm and energy expenditure was something he disagreed with, but considering their adrenaline-fueled courage, he held his tongue.

“Hurry, clean up the battlefield, collect the spoils, and report the situation here to the town.”

Zhang Shen’s gaze stretched far into the distance, beyond the territory of Hongyuan City, to a vast wilderness. Zhang Shen looked out over the wilderness beyond the territory of Hongyuan City. Although it was a vast, empty area of land at the moment, he could almost envision the approaching wave of ferocious beasts.

The corpses of the slain beasts and spiritual beasts were transported to the rear and exchanged for necessary supplies from the town. To prepare for the beast tide, Hongyuan City had prepared a substantial amount of strategic supplies. All of which were obtained through trade with human caravans.

In the evening, Zhang Shen returned to his base at the Third Battalion, keeping vigilant watch over the movements outside their territory.

Ideally, battles should be fought outside one’s settlement. Engaging in a conflict within one’s own domain, regardless of the outcome, would inevitably lead to losses, a situation that would not be profitable.

“Lord Shen, Elder Zhang Si requests your presence,” came a message.

Upon arriving at the Third Battalion’s base, Zhang Shen found Zhang Si, Lin Sanjue, and other warriors in the late-stage Acquired gathered. They were strategizing their approach against the looming tide of monsters.

Zhang Shen directed his attention to Zhang Si, quietly settling down to absorb the tactical briefing.

“The beast tide could last days, maybe even longer,” Zhang Si began. “If we dive headfirst into battle without strategic planning, we’ll surely get worn down. We must exploit the territorial instincts of these beasts.”

Zhang Si explained that the beast tide was comprised of a diverse array of beasts. Yet, these creatures didn’t blindly rush into battle. They had a fierce territorial instinct. If a cluster of beasts was besieging a town, and another tried to horn in, the first group would vehemently counterattack.

“But do not assume that once we’ve tangled with a group of beasts, all will be smooth sailing,” he cautioned. “Should the beasts engaged in combat with us exhibit signs of fatigue, their own kind will instantly turn on them. These beasts show no mercy toward their weakened brethren. As such, each of you needs to gauge your battles strategically.”

Zhang Shen immediately grasped the concept. The plan was to stall until the enemy was exhausted, and just when other beasts were on the brink of intervening, and the two groups of beasts were clashing with each other, they would strike decisively.

“The carcasses of the beasts and monsters will serve as crucial resources to tide us over during this monster onslaught. We cannot allow other monsters to seize them,” he emphasized.

But to discern the perfect timing to strike required individual discretion, particularly by the team leaders.

With a more solemn tone, Zhang Si reiterated, “I want to emphasize one thing above all. The lives of our comrades hold paramount importance. Do not disregard their safety in the name of strategy.”

Certain things, if not explicitly spelled out and repeatedly stressed, tend to be misinterpreted.

“Each squad will be led by a late-stage Acquired warrior, taking turns to patrol the territory under the jurisdiction of the Third Battalion,” Lin Sanjue decreed. “We must not allow any spiritual beast to infiltrate our defenses unnoticed.”

“Understood!” All the late-stage Acquired warriors responded in unison, their demeanor profoundly serious.

Zhang Shen was responsible for the sixth squad of the Third Battalion and instituted a rotational patrolling system operating in three shifts.

If they encountered only small packs of beasts, the squad would handle the situation independently. In the event of multiple packs, they would coordinate with other squads for a joint response.

Only when the number of spiritual beasts exceeded a certain limit, or when a congenital spiritual beast emerged, would the entire battalion mobilize. As for all six battalions of Hongyuan City being activated? Zhang Shen fervently hoped such a day would never arrive.

***

In the heat of summer, under a blazing sun, a young man was frantically running. Lin Fei, who was at the Acquired 3rd Layer, was in a state of panic.

He’d been running for a full hour, internally screaming and cursing in frustration. ‘Damn it! Aren’t the preparations done yet?’

You couldn’t blame him for being so flustered. Just imagine having a swarm of fire ants hot on your heels. You’d be in a panic too.

From the shadows, Zhang Shen watched, his deep-set black eyes unblinking.

“Is the smoke bomb ready?” he inquired, his voice neutral. “Lin Fei is almost spent. If it’s not ready, we’ll need to send someone else as bait.”

Ye Shui’er, busy preparing the smoke bomb, replied, “Almost there. To trap all these fire ants, we need a heavy dose.”

The members of the sixth squad watched the hovering swarm, their eyes filled with wary apprehension. The fire ants might have been minuscule, just like ordinary flying ants, but even a single fire ant was a threat that frogs and pangolins would think twice before provoking.

Despite being a common creature, a fire ant could unleash a deadly explosive force when it died, capable of instantly killing a frog.

When these creatures swarm, even late-stage Acquired warriors preferred not to provoke them. Killing them resulted in an explosion, and attempting to capture them prompts a suicidal explosive retaliation. It was also challenging to deal with their omnipresent flight.

In the wild, the typical response was to steer clear of these creatures. However, this time, Zhang Shen and his team had no choice but to face them head-on. Given that these fire ants were targeting Hongyuan City, a retreat was not an option.

“A swarm of fire ants that has spawned spiritual beasts possess not only their inherent explosive abilities but also draw additional power from their demon ants, resulting in an insatiable hunger,” Zhang Shen explained. “They devour anything they can eat, trees, leaves, rice, vegetables, animals, even humans. They are akin to locusts, leaving not a blade of grass in their wake. The more they consume, the faster they reproduce, creating a devastating cycle. They wreak havoc on the environment. Harmful pests with no benefits!”

Consequently, as soon as Zhang Shen identified the threat of the fire ants, he resolved to exterminate them. They couldn’t afford to give the ants time to grow and develop.

Fortunately, there were plenty of solutions for these highly harmful pests. One such method was the use of smoke bombs.

Unfortunately, the sixth squad did not have any smoke bombs on hand. Hence, they had to rely on Ye Shui’er, a team member proficient in the art of poisons and antidotes, to concoct some urgently.

To buy some time against the fire ants, they had even designated Lin Fei, armed with a pheromone bottle capable of driving creatures into a frenzy, to act as a decoy.