Chapter 22: The Tactics of the Fourth Calamity – "Equipment Relay" and "Death March"
Deep within the misty forest, at the outpost of the Black Rock Mine.
This was a simple camp built against the mountainside, which should have been heavily guarded, but now it exuded an air of decay. The rough wooden chevaux-de-frise were leaning precariously, and tattered animal hides, discarded by someone, were scattered on the ground.
"stop."
"What canned food?" He raised his hand, signaling the twenty-man squad behind him to take cover.
The group lay prone behind a moss-covered slope, with only half their heads showing.
"The situation is a bit different from what the husky had previously investigated."
Canned Food gently pressed the [Evil God's Heart-Protecting Mirror] against his chest. With a slight thought, a faint light appeared on the edge of the mirror, and a layer of light red tactical filter covered his vision.
In this interface that removes cumbersome health bars and numbers, what he sees is no longer cold data, but a more intuitive "status".
There were about thirty heat source signals in the camp ahead. With the help of the chest-protecting mirror, most of the kobolds' outlines were marked with tags such as [weak], [terrified], or [packing].
"It looks like they're terrified and are preparing to run away."
Canned Food analyzed in a low voice, "Most of the main force should have already retreated deep into the mine or slipped away. Those left behind are probably sacrificial pawns responsible for covering the rear, or the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Their numbers are between thirty and forty."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
"Hakimi North and South Green Bean" gripped the gleaming iron axe in his hand, his eyes gleaming with longing. "Even though they're remnants, they're still regular monsters! Monsters mean proficiency and loot!"
"Don't be careless. Even a cornered beast will fight back, let alone us, who are just a bunch of fragile creatures."
Canned Food pushed up his non-existent glasses and glanced at the group of players behind him.
Although everyone had acquired some weapons after the previous battles, real iron weapons (such as those obtained from the caravan or those previously looted) remained a scarce resource. Of the twenty men, only the ten in the front row were relatively well-equipped; those behind were even carrying wooden sticks and stones.
"A direct charge will definitely result in casualties. The respawn point is too far from here, and it will take a long time to run back to your corpse after dying. Plus, losing your equipment would be a huge loss."
Canned Food's eyes narrowed, and he devised an extremely cold-blooded yet highly efficient "player-style tactic".
"Listen up, the tactical code name is 'Equipment Relay'."
"Group A (fully armed forwards), follow me to the front. You have only one mission: attack only, don't defend, trade injuries for lives."
"Group B (reserve), follow closely behind each member of Group A by two meters."
The canned goods man pointed to the hard-won armor and weapons in everyone's hands and said solemnly:
"Remember this: at this distance, we have no logistical support. So, men can die, but equipment must not stop!"
"If the brother in front falls, the first thing the people behind should do is not to grieve or finish him off, but to immediately pick up his sword and shield, strip off his armor (if there is no time, just take the weapon), and then take his place and continue to fight!"
"We need to create the illusion for these natives that we are unkillable and that our sword formation will never break."
The players exchanged glances and revealed a sinister smile that only veteran players would understand.
"Got it. Assembly line operation, I guess."
"As long as the sword is still there, the output will not stop. This sword is the baton."
"Dangdangdangzhigang" slipped the shield onto his arm, grinned, and said, "I like this tactic, it's awesome."
"action!"
...
Inside the outpost.
The kobold centurion "Cracktooth" was standing on the watchtower, impatiently kicking the guard next to him who was dozing off.
It was left behind by Gru to cover the retreat, its heart filled with resentment. The oppressive aura emanating from the depths of its soul (from the direction of the temple) made it want to escape this land every moment.
"Hurry up and pack! Throw away the rotten flesh that you can't take with you!" Rift Fang roared.
Just then.
"Shh..."
Footsteps could be heard through the mist.
There were no battle cries, no shouts of killing, only the heavy breathing of a group of people suppressing their excitement.
"Enemy attack!! Humans!!"
Crack Fang's pupils contracted, and he suddenly blew the horn.
The thirty-odd kobolds in the camp frantically grabbed their weapons. Although their morale was low, the instinct for survival still ignited their ferocity when faced with a group of seemingly ragged humans.
"Kill them all!!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
A few bone arrows and javelins were fired sparsely.
"when!"
"Dangdangdangzhigang," who was at the forefront, raised his wooden shield and blocked a bone arrow. The enormous impact made his arm go numb, and in the vision of his breastplate, the status of his left arm instantly turned yellow [minor fracture].
But he didn't stop.
The absence of a health bar actually made him more focused, and the surge of adrenaline masked the pain.
"For the tribe... no, for the temple!!"
Gangzi roared and, dragging his injured arm, smashed through the rickety barricades of the camp gate like a runaway tank.
"Woof!!"
Two kobolds charged forward, brandishing their spears.
Gangzi didn't dodge. According to the "relay tactic," dodging means wasting attack time and means that his teammates behind him will not be able to follow up.
"Pfft! Pfft!"
Two long spears were deeply embedded in Gangzi's abdomen and chest.
A sharp pain shot through him, and the chest protector instantly flashed a bright red warning: [Fatal wound! Vital signs are rapidly declining!]
Gangzi's mouth was bleeding, but the green light in his eyes was more frightening than will-o'-the-wisps.
He grinned maliciously, threw away his shield, and suddenly stretched out his hands to grab the two spear shafts that were stuck in his body, pulling them back forcefully!
"Get the hell over here!!"
The two kobolds never expected that this human, despite suffering a fatal injury, would not only not fall but also possess astonishing strength, instantly causing him to lose his balance.
"Hakimi! Relay!!" Gangzi shouted his last words before his body began to turn into white light and dissipate.
"receive!!"
A dark shadow darted out from behind Gangzi's disappearing body.
That's "Hakimi North and South Green Beans".
Without the slightest hesitation, and without even glancing at Gangzi, he precisely caught the fine iron longsword that Gangzi had dropped in mid-air. Using the momentum, he wielded the sword with both hands and delivered a sweeping blow to the two kobolds that Gangzi had dragged over!
"brush!!"
A cold glint flashed.
Two dog heads shot into the sky.
"That's what you call teamwork!" Hakimi laughed, stepping on the spot where Gangzi had disappeared, and continued charging forward.
This scene played out repeatedly on the battlefield.
A player was knocked down, but he desperately clung to the enemy's leg.
Before the enemy could even pull his leg out, the "substitute" behind the player had already picked up his weapon and stabbed the enemy in the throat.
This is not a fight at all.
It was a cold, mechanical, meat grinder-like propulsion.
The kobolds were horrified to discover that this group of humans seemed to be a unified entity. Kill one, and another would immediately take its place, wielding the same weapon and carrying the same murderous intent.
Those gleaming iron swords seemed to never fall to the ground, but to hang forever above their heads.
"Monsters...a bunch of lunatics!!"
Centurion Fang swung the stolen steel battle axe, shattering a player's shield and knocking him and his shield to the ground.
But the player did not beg for mercy before he died. Instead, he spat a mouthful of bloody saliva at Crack Fang and then threw the axe in his hand backward with force.
"Here you go! This is the first axe in the entire server, don't lose it!" (Player's voice)
The person behind, "What canned food, I said," caught the blood-stained axe steadily and pushed up his non-existent glasses.
Through the chest endoscope, he could clearly see the condition of the fractured tooth: [extreme fear], [strained right arm muscles], and [exhaustion].
"It was scared."
"It's at its last gasp," Canned Food calmly said in the channel. "Team B, go all in! Don't give it a chance to breathe!"
The remaining ten players pounced on them like hungry wolves.
"You...you're not afraid of dying?!"
The Fang roared in despair, forcing the two back with an axe, but was immediately stabbed in the back. As soon as it turned, it was slashed in the leg.
These humans don't defend themselves at all! They just want to leave a wound on him before they die!
"die?"
The husky nimbly circled around to the side and struck the back of the man's head with a whack, chuckling, "We're in a hurry to get back to revive and have a midnight snack!"
"boom!"
With the final blow, the burly centurion finally fell to the ground, unwilling to accept defeat.
Inside the outpost, all was completely silent.
Seeing that their leader was dead, the remaining kobolds could no longer hold on. They dropped their weapons and howled as they scurried into the crevices deep within the mine.
The players did not give chase.
Because they are also nearing their limit.
Of the twenty-man squad, only eight remain standing. The ground is littered with the corpses of kobolds, and although the players' bodies have respawned, the bloodstains still testify to the ferocity of the battle.
"Huff... huff..."
Hakimi plopped down on the ground, his sword trembling. "Damn, that was exhilarating. Is this what a real battlefield is like? The recoil when you hit bone... my hand is still numb."
"Clean up the battlefield! Quickly!"
Although Guantou was exhausted, he didn't forget the important task: "Pick up all the usable equipment, especially what Gangzi and the others dropped. Not a single piece can be missing! That's the brothers' lifeline!"
The players began to skillfully loot the corpses.
Without any system notification to "obtain items," they had to scavenge like scavengers, peeling off the kobolds' leather armor, collecting any slightly straight spears, and even taking the large iron pot used for cooking meat.
"Hey, canned food guy, look at this."
The husky pulled a black stone slab covered in runes from the corpse of the man with the broken teeth.
The canned goods were taken from the stone slab, and the breastplate emitted a slight vibration. A line of pale gold translated text appeared on the mirror's surface:
[Item: Blackrock Mine Pass (Lower Level)]
[Note: This appears to be a key to some kind of mechanism deep within the mine, and it retains the aura of the leader named "Gru".]
The canned food raised its head and looked into the dark depths of the mine.
That was the real lair, and the place where Gru hid when he fled with the treasure.
"The outpost has been captured."
Canned food wiped the blood off its face and gave a satisfied smile.
"But this is just the beginning."
"Notify the resurrected brothers to bring supplies and come over immediately."
"Tell them... the dungeon entrance is open, get ready to enter!"