The moon is bright in the sky, and the stars are like the sea.

Squatting in the bushes of the forest, Randall felt the pain caused by the nerve hook of the keel parasite on his back, and suddenly had a subtle sense of presence.

Since the end of the Battle of Lone Rock City, he has spent most of his time in the relative safety of the rear, enjoying the leisure of life all day, and has long forgotten the tension brought to him by the battlefield.

And now, this feeling of being in danger, similar to adrenaline, is back in his blood.

Aldnan, who was standing in the treetops, listened carefully with his wolf ears pricked up for a while, jumped down the tree and whispered to Randall and Kellogg, "It's almost time, it's time to go." ”

Randall stood up, first moving his joints to relax his slightly stiff body, and then said to the other two, "Do you all remember the mission goal before departure?"

Aldenan nodded: "From the edge of the forest, advance east and scout for three kilometers." ”

Kellogg checked the dagger he was carrying and said, "Hiss...... Find out all the enemy tunnels, sentry posts, and camps along the way, and record this information and make a map. ”

Randall continued, "Aldenan, you have night vision and telehearing, and your sense of smell is far superior to ours, and Kellogg, you have thermal imaging and mimicry, and you can walk on tree trunks and rock walls without any obstacles. But, even so, we have to tread carefully. Because, once the enemy is aware of it, they will modify and adjust the defensive layout, which may cause a huge deviation in the information that we have worked so hard to detect. ”

Seeing that the werewolf and the lizardman nodded in confirmation, Randall waved his hand: "Since there is no problem, from now on, we will no longer use language to communicate, but use the hive communication module to communicate, let's go!"

The reconnaissance team traveled a few hundred meters before Aldenan suddenly stopped, straightened up, and began sniffing around with his nose.

Randall: "What's going on?" (Hive Communications)

Aldenan: "There's a very pungent smell ......" (Hive Communications)

Kellogg: "Look at the bark over there, there's burn marks on it. (Hive Communications)

Aldnan approached the trunk of the tree, grabbed some powder from it with his paws, and sniffed it.

Aldnan: "It's gunpowder...... Moreover, this dosage ratio is very similar to the one used by the Southern Emperor in my memory......" (Hive Communication)

Kellogg: "So, the Church of the Father's gunpowder weapons come from the Southern Empire, is that rumor true?" (Hive Communications)

Randall: "In response to the threat of the Dragon Kingdom, the Church of the Father has completely abandoned doctrinal taboos...... This is not surprising, but it is a travesty. (Hive Communications)

Aldenan: "Further down this direction, the smell of gunpowder is getting stronger, and there may be enemy camps there. (Hive Communications)

Randall: "Slow down and pay attention to your surroundings. (Hive Communications)

The three of them followed the direction pointed by the werewolf and walked forward for about a kilometer, and the voice of a human could be faintly heard in the air.

Kellogg reached out to stop the other two's movements, mimicking his body into the colors of his surroundings, using his hands and feet together, and climbed a towering tree beside him, which looked like a giant gecko.

A few minutes later, Kellogg's hive communication rang in Randall and Aldnan's ears: "Eight hundred meters to the northeast, the camp of an advance war group of the enemy army, the number is about eight hundred, most of them are sleeping, only a few dozen people are patrolling. ”

Randall: "Can you see the weaponry and fortifications?"

Kellogg: "Thermal imaging can't see those details. ”

Randall: "Okay, we need to get closer. From now on, everyone slows down again, and pays close attention to everything around them. ”

The three of them cautiously moved in a northeast direction, slowly moving their steps.

Gradually, the air grew louder and louder, with the sound of human conversations, the low chirping of horses, and the sound of campfires burning.

Aldenan leaned down and looked forward through the gap in the bushes: "I see the banner of the enemy army, and the armor of the enemy, you can't be wrong, these people are the army of the Church of the Father." ”

Randall: "Let's walk around the camp and see what we find." ”

The three of them had only taken a few steps before Randall suddenly reached out and grabbed Aldenan with a sharp pull.

Just when the latter was confused, Randall half-knelt on the ground, pointed to a twine that was only fifteen centimeters above the ground, and said in a hive communication: "Alarm trap." ”

Aldnan crouched down and carefully brushed aside the bushes, discovering that the twine was connected to an iron plate containing stones, which would trigger the alarm if he was not careful.

Aldnan let out a long sigh of fear: "It's good that you found it in time." ”

Randall: "Have you forgotten? I used to hunt for a living, and this trap seemed to me more like a child's mischief. ”

The three of them bypassed the trap on the ground and walked forward for more than ten meters, Kellogg stared at the ground, leaned down and said with a hive communication: "There is a tunnel below, and there is an enemy under our feet." ”

Aldenan put his ear close to the ground, and as he listened, he reported: "Yes, there are people underground. And I hear the sound of metal objects rolling, it sounds bulky?"

Randall: "Metal objects?"

Aldenan pointed with his finger: "The group of people in the tunnel, with that thing, walked forward. ”

Randall: "Let's go down the tunnel." ”

When the three of them walked in the direction of the tunnel, bypassed the camp, and came to a low hill at their destination, they couldn't help but be startled by the scene in front of them.

Aldenan swallowed: "If I'm not mistaken, that seems to be ......"

Randall: "The bunker." ”

Kellogg: "What's the bunker?"

Randall: "In order to occupy advantageous terrain or to control the main transportation routes, the Southern Empire often built a strong fortification with stone and earth with tunnels or trenches. From the outside, it looks a bit like a low-rise house jutting out of the ground. ”

Aldnan: "This bunker is almost the size of a longhouse that we Holy Forces live in. But those square eyelets that were cut into the walls ...... What is it?"

Randall: "It's the musket hole." ”

Aldnan: "What is that trapezoidal gap in the middle for?"

Randall: "That's the muzzle of a cannon, which is usually used to place Imperial shotguns to attack soldiers who are too close. ”

Kellogg: "So, then, the movement we just heard in the tunnels should be the sound of the enemy pushing the artillery. ”

Randall: "That's right, bunkers, shooting holes, artillery blocking, these are all common tactics used by the Empire. It seems that the Church not only bought their weapons this time, but also learned their methods of fighting. ”

Aldenan: "Listen to you, this battle seems to be a bit difficult for us?"

Randall: "...... I'm afraid it's not just hard...... This may be the most dangerous battle ever fought since the kingdom was founded. ”