Count Watson had not forgotten what he wanted to say. Instead, it suddenly remembered that any threatening cruel words would have no effect on the corpse. They simply don't understand what you're trying to say. As long as there is meat to eat, it can drive them to do anything.

"I hate creatures that don't have brains."

Looking at the city that kept shouting and roaring in the distance, Count Watson took a glass of red wine mixed with human blood from the handmaid next to him, and said to himself unhappily: "The god of darkness is above, I am actually of the same race as a stupid guy like the corpse." It's disgusting just to think about. ”

……

It felt terrible to be awakened from his sleep, but Count Thomas, the lord of Oviado, couldn't care about it anymore.

The person who escaped from the bedroom in underwear is not an image at all. Thoma knew that he was a wolf, but even if he did, it would be better to live than to die. The sirens over the city have not stopped, but the warning has ceased to have any effect.

The western wall was breached.

This was the news that came from that direction more than ten minutes ago. As for now...... Count Thoma forced himself to stop thinking about the walls or anything like that. The situation was terrible, and it exceeded the initial estimate of the word "danger".

The Castle Lord's Mansion is a courtyard that covers an area of more than several thousand square meters. The architecture here is different from other places, and it is full of opulence. Of course, this contrast is only with the surrounding civilian buildings. If it is changed to the inner realm of the empire, this type of building is just average. But no matter what, the difference is obvious, and you can see through it at a glance.

A huge ant-demon rushed from the west side of the city. On the hard shell of about three square meters above the ant-demon's head, stood a burly dark knight in black armor. It held something like a rein in its hand, firmly controlling the direction of the ant-demon under its feet. Dozens of Dark Knights wearing the same style of armor followed the Ant Demon, following in the direction of the Dark Sir. This is a powerful spearhead, all of them with grim faces and different styles of weapons in their hands.

Killing all the way from the direction of the broken city wall, there were corpses everywhere along the way. The ant-demon is interested in this fresh food, and is always chewing on large pieces of shredded human corpses. The Dark Sir was obviously dissatisfied with his control, and while shouting and scolding, he pulled the reins, and the ant demon could only slowly take his eyes off the corpse and roar towards the City Lord's Mansion in the distance.

The outer parapet collapsed under the impact of the ant demon, and the dark knight looked around coldly, his gaze finally locked on the tall main building. It gestured to the other Dark Knights who were following nearby, and then leaped off the ant-demon in a diving position of its own. When he was about to reach the ground, one rolled over, hugged his legs in the air, and stood firmly on the ground.

There are two mercenaries on the tower of the courtyard, and they have accurately captured the perfect moment for the Dark Jazz to fly in the air, and they have raised their guns and aimed at them. Just as the crosshair had just included the jazz figure, several giants of the same size as the ant demon and about ten meters tall suddenly rushed over.

This is a weapon of war cultivated by the Dark World using special technology. Like the Spider Demon and the Ant Demon, the Giant's intelligence is extremely low, and it is even far inferior to the other two mutant kinds. They are equipped with heavy armor and can use weapons such as flails or hammers. The giant, led by the Dark Sir Command, brandished a flail with a mallet and roared towards the watchtower. Hammers weighing several tons fell from the air, sending all the tremendous force of impact into the ground and shattering the base of the tower. Rubble flew and dust kicked up everywhere, and a dense wave of earth stretched in all directions, and the two mercenaries were thrown off the tower on the spot. In the air, their bodies began to spin and twist, like two toys casually thrown by naughty children. This force is so powerful that it is simply irresistible. When the two of them fell to the ground, there was a crisp cracking sound from the inside of their bodies, and they began to fold backwards from their waists, splashing a large cloud of shocking blood.

Count Thoma had already escaped from the courtyard under the protection of more than a dozen guards. When the city of Oviado was first built, Thoma had foreseen the possibility of being attacked by the Dark World. As a result, the protective measures were very complete, and the height and thickness of the walls exceeded the ordinary standard. However, Count Thoma is not a mercenary after all, and has never seen a war collision between the Dark World and the Human Empire. For him, engineering is a number that stays on paper. For example, what should be the seismic scale of a house? How much is the sturdy dù? 一qiē is only embodied in the form of a number jù. Of course, Count Thoma did put a lot of effort into overseeing the construction of the city of Oviado. Based on the advice of professional engineers, he has raised the fortification of the city wall from the original "100" to "150", and the number of guard towers has also increased somewhat. In the words of the engineers who designed the drawings: "A building of this strength is already equivalent to a military fortress." ”

Human beings begin to lie from the moment they become conscious. The benefits of lies are clear. You can buy the equivalent of ten yuan from someone else for one dollar, you can get the woman you like to bed, and you can throw off the pauper's hat on your head and become a big man who everyone admires...... This is deception, the question is whether you can see through it, can you not be deceived?

The engineers weren't entirely lying. The fortified walls of Oviado are indeed very high. But in any case, it is impossible to compare that with a real military fortress. It is true that a lot of steel and high-grade concrete are used here, and the hardness is enough to smack. In this sense, the engineers chosen by Count Thoma have been very conscientious. Although the term "fortress" is an exaggeration, they have not seen a real fortress with their own eyes, and they are not aware of the ferocity and madness of dark creatures. They just added more engineering consumables according to the standards of ordinary buildings in the Empire. That's all.

One million Imperial Gold Coins, that's a lot of money. It can make someone a huge rich, or it can make a family into the upper echelons of the empire. However, for a city, especially when the number of residents is increasing and pouring in, the funds originally used for urban construction have to be more biased towards the welfare of residents because of the change in the actual situation.

Thoma is a standard businessman, not a politician.

In the case of urban construction, politicians can force a building to be converted into a military fortress with the most ferocious attitude because of practical needs. They don't care how many people die as a result, and they don't think about how much money the project itself costs. As long as what you do can become a political achievement and a stepping stone to climb up, then even if you do too much, it is worth it.

Thoma couldn't do that. The meaning of the existence of Oviado City is to elevate Konoha Town. Under this premise, the necessary capital projects for urban construction have been continuously compressed and gradually transferred to the welfare of residents. Although Duke Marven and two other marquis collaborators continued to send development funds, the defensive effect of the building that these gold coins were supposed to bring was quickly offset by the more residents of Prima Town who poured into Oviado. It's not Thoma's fault. According to the original design, Oviado should be able to accommodate 100,000 people. Of course, this goal cannot be accomplished all at once. From the construction of the urban core to the continuous improvement of the various areas on the periphery, it is a time-consuming process. Even now, Oviado is only in the second phase of construction, but the number of urban residents has exceeded 40,000, and the population is still growing.

Count Thoma had already reported the situation here to Duke Marvin. The two Marquis and Marven had already anticipated this, and they continued to draw funds to bring in more building materials. However, the long transportation routes from the inner realms of the empire to the frontier regions make the consumption on the way particularly expensive. Although the Duke is wealthy, it is impossible to get all the consumables and funds in place at one time. Coupled with the subconscious contempt for the dark world, in the end, Oviado's protective power fell far short of the expected standard, at most forty percent of the design number.

If it is according to the relevant number of the first phase of urban construction, this defense force is sufficient. Now, the overall area of the city of Oviado has nearly doubled compared to the drawings, which means that the length of the walls had to be extended, and the thickness and height of the walls could not be guaranteed.

Thoma was a conscientious lord of the city. He knows how to win people's hearts. Thoma himself is a wealthy merchant who has come from the common people's class, and he knows exactly what the newcomers who have left Konoha Town need. Food is only the most basic condition for survival, and being able to take a hot bath in the border area is already a very luxurious enjoyment. In addition to salt and bacon meat, milk and vegetables, fresh fruit and chocolate toffee are also needed in the daily diet. After a day's work, men like to drink a refreshing beer, women want beautiful stockings and dresses, lollipops in children's mouths, and old men and old ladies want Simmons who is soft enough not to harden their bodies...... All of these need to be transported step by step from the inner realm of the empire, batch by batch. This damn place is so remote, there are no roads, no railways, don't think about the extravagance of an airship, Duke Marvin can't get past the surveillance of the main army and use that kind of thing for transportation. The number of trucks that make up the convoy is limited, and each time it travels between the Empire and Oviado, there is a fixed space for transportation. Despite the full support of the Duke and the Marquis, this is the thing: bringing in more supplies means that the same amount of building materials must be brought in.

This is how Oviado City is getting weaker step by step.

Of course, the so-called contrast between strength and weakness here only stays in terms of urban architecture and protective forces. If the comparison is only population and prosperity, Oviado can certainly be ranked among the medium-sized settlements, even more than some of the economically underdeveloped cities in the inner regions of the empire. But on the borders of the Empire, these numbers on paper are useless, and the dark creatures don't care about the GDP and the gross domestic product of the city, or how much wealth you create. They kill and eat people, the height and thickness of the walls, the number of guards, and the specific situation of equipping weapons are closely related to them.

There are further weakening from other sources.

Marquis Wang Hejun was the only soldier among the planners. He was well aware of a city's specific need for the number of defenders. References are made to different locations and buildings per square kilometre to calculate the minimum number of armed personnel actually required. Wang Hejun thus came up with a relatively stable number jù. On the reference form, it is clearly written that Oviado needs at least 8,000 armed men to ensure that the entire city can withstand the attack of foreign forces.

Count Thoma remembers, of course, the number of mercenaries in the city of Oviado today, and now.

One thousand three hundred and six. That's the number the City Guard commander reported to himself last week. That guy is a close confidant arranged by Wang Hejun, and he is also a major who has retired from the Imperial Wehrmacht.

According to him, many of these residents from Konoha Town are in good health, and there are even a considerable number of women who, with a little training, can become armed men who are no less than professional mercenaries.

Count Thoma was not surprised by this. Konoha Town was originally a settlement located on the border, and of course Toma had heard of the last battle that broke out. Those who can survive that tragic battle are equivalent to mercenary veterans. In order to save costs and resources, Count Thoma decided to follow the advice of the commander of the City Guard: to let 3,000 mercenaries who had been sent leave Oviado with the previous convoy while the second phase of the city construction was not yet completed. The new city is currently unable to produce food, and all the necessities of life have to be transported through guò. The provision of 3,000 people is a very nerve-wracking problem. Rather than wasting food to feed these unproductive creatures, it would be better to recruit armed men directly from the current inhabitants of Oviado. They can have two careers and should be willing to earn an extra wage. What's more, the attrition of maintaining an armed militia is much less than paying the salaries of mercenaries.

Thoma wasn't worried about Oviado's safety. Next to it is the station of the 441st Infantry Division of the Imperial Wehrmacht, and the Marquis of Wang Hejun has already communicated with Guò internal relations and greeted Brigadier General Baddam. In the event of a problem in Oviado, the 441st Division will provide support as soon as possible. Provided, of course, that Oviado could hold out until the time when the Wehrmacht arrived.

There shouldn't be any danger in this. Count Thoma did not think it was a mistake to remove the City Guard mercenaries. At the moment, all threats come from Konoha Town. God knows what Su Hao's relationship has to do with the "Iron Warriors" legion? He was replenished with an astonishing amount of supplies, and he was desperately expanding his territory, so that some townspeople who had been in a wait-and-see state were attracted by this change and discouraged the idea of settling in Oviado. Count Thoma was disgruntled, and angry.

Citizen welfare is the best way to attract outsiders. Only by investing more in this area will Oviado be more attractive.

All these problems and factors are mixed together, and the defense of Oviado's city is getting weaker and weaker. For example, now, it only took less than half an hour for the army of dark creatures to go from breaking through the city walls to penetrating the city lord's mansion. The number of guard towers set up on the perimeter is too small, and there are not enough manpower to defend it. It's like a piece of paper with a metallic paint on its surface, which looks very hard, but when you poke it lightly, it will break open immediately.

The earth shook violently, and one by one the cyborg giants rushed into the courtyard of the City Lord's Mansion. They brought up strong shockwaves from the ground, making it impossible for the guards standing in the towers and windows to stay steady, and they staggered from side to side. The leading giant was stimulated by the previous battle to become ferocious, and directly grabbed a mercenary who had no time to dodge and threw him to the ground from the air. Before the poor man could scream in pain, the giant grinned, lifted his huge, heavy paws, and stepped on the mortally wounded mercenary. Count Thoma saw this incomparably cruel scene from a distance, and saw a large stream of blood gushing out from the giant's feet, splashing red with everything that could be stained around him.

Thoma is safe. Surrounded by a group of nervous mercenaries, he hurried into the nearest underground warehouse. It was an escape passage that he had put a lot of effort into building before, and it contained enough magnetic levitation vehicles for one hundred and fifty people. Even if this thing is at an ordinary speed, it can reach hundreds of kilometers per hour, and it can completely take advantage of the chaos to escape from Oviado.

Count Thomas, who had one foot already on the saddle, suddenly stopped.

He was not willing to leave like this.

This is a city that has poured almost all of his heart and soul into it, carrying all his hopes and dreams. It's like a child who was raised by himself, but now he is destroyed by the violent forces from the dark world. Although Count Thoma is cunning, he is also a human with normal thinking. He really couldn't bear this deprivation, and he couldn't imagine what the future would be like if he left like this.

"Have you contacted the 441st Infantry Division?"

Count Thoma glanced at the mercenary captain waiting beside him, and asked in a cold tone, "How did General Baddam reply?" Did you leave a recording of that time? ”

In order to prevent the other side from raising troops but agreeing to it, the communication with the 441st Division must be recorded. The mercenary captain nodded: "When the city was attacked by dark creatures, we sent out a distress signal. They promised to come, and now they may have sent an advance force. ”I1292