Chapter 97: In the Name of the General

Wei Ke Duo·Ke Li stared at Mu Yi in a daze, then nodded again, feeling that the number of times he nodded today exceeded the number of times he ever nodded back in the military academy.

"I also suggest setting traps around the camp, especially on the left and right flanks, digging deep trenches to lessen the pressure when besieged!"

"First issue missions to the wanderers, keeping them constantly aware of the succubus's movements; also quickly dispatch personnel to inform other camps of our situation, so they stay alert!"

Mu Yi offered suggestion after suggestion, and Wei Ke Duo·Ke Li numbly nodded—some ideas he had thought of, others he hadn't considered at all.

In particular, Mu Yi suggested moving the soldiers' tents to the left and right sides of the camp; if the battle pressure becomes too great, flammable materials like gunpowder can be piled there and set alight, creating a sea of fire as a natural barrier.

Against ordinary beasts, the fire sea can effectively drive them away, and even against corrupted creatures, combined with the dug trench traps, the blaze can still eliminate many.

Especially for those snakes, ants, mosquitoes and insects, the fire sea will be a perfect harvesting tool.

"Your suggestions are all useful; I hope you can write them down in full, and I will assign personnel to carry them out according to the actual situation!"

Wei Ke Duo·Ke Li carefully committed Mu Yi's suggestions to memory, even proposing that Mu Yi produce a written report.

【Task trigger detected: Camp Defense; specific task information has been added to your character handbook】

Camp Defense:

Task Requirement: Submit a written report on camp defense.

Task Description: Wei Ke Duo·Ke Li has approved your suggestions on camp defense; he needs you to submit a report so he can arrange the defenses.

Task Reward: Some faction contribution.

Seeing the newly refreshed information on his retina, Mu Yi felt a surge of excitement, finally getting to test his abilities on the stage of war?

General, general—rooted in martial skill, at last I begin to bear the title of general.

Mu Yi didn't linger, gave a brief farewell, turned and left the tent, and went to find Kai Li Er.

Kai Li Er truly lived up to the Holy Warrior name; after Mu Yi simply described the current predicament and the need for support, Kai Li Er pounded his chest and took the mission.

After a brief discussion with his teammate, he temporarily entrusted his companion to Mu Yi, then rushed to fetch a letter from Wei Ke Duo·Ke Li, and finally summoned a Holy Soul Griffin that turned into a meteor and vanished into the sky.

As a temporary teammate, Mu Yi performed excellent command, yet as the squad leader he failed to fulfill his duty, leaving his comrades in danger, which weighed heavily on Kai Li Er's conscience.

Thus, when Mu Yi laid the stakes before him, he chose to forgo personal gain to protect his teammates' interests.

As for the issue of team command, let Mu Yi handle it; professional matters should be left to professionals, a realization that requires little intellect.

Watching Kai Li Er disappear, Mu Yi's gaze grew deeper; war sometimes forces the use of cruel tactics, and as everyone knows, a Holy Warrior's eyes cannot tolerate even a grain of sand.

Therefore, the few Holy Warriors remaining in the camp were all sent away by him with various excuses, and even the Druid was dismissed.

"You sent them all away—what are you planning?" female mage Ke Lai asked, standing beside Mu Yi.

"You noticed? Why didn't you tell him?" Mu Yi turned his head with interest toward the female mage, noting that her relationship with Kai Li Er seemed more than just teammates.

"Taking some compromise measures for a noble goal isn't such a terrible thing!"

"But these matters should remain hidden from Kai Li Er; a Holy Warrior walking the path of virtue treads a steadfast yet winding road, full of thorns and hardships—he is different from us..."

Ke Lai's face showed a complex expression, reflecting worry and helplessness over Kai Li Er.

"To help him, some things must be done by me!"

Ke Lai's demeanor hardened; Mu Yi didn't know what resolve she had reached, but he understood her meaning.

"In the worst‑case scenario, I intend to set the forest ablaze!"

Sensing Ke Lai's determination, Mu Yi disclosed his alternative plan to her.

"You're truly a madman!" Ke Lai squinted, "It's hard to believe you're actually part of the Order faction!"

Ke Lai couldn't even imagine the calamity that would befall the twilight forest's creatures if a fire were set; in a sense, Mu Yi's decision is no different from that of an Abyss Demon.

"War always demands sacrifice; compared to sacrificing our own, I'd rather sacrifice others!"

Mu Yi glanced at Ke Lai, saying little; compassion doesn't command troops, and every general's reputation is built upon mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Water and fire are merciless; unless necessary, he wouldn't take this step.

But if truly necessary, he would have not a hint of hesitation.

Everyone should fulfill their talent, and everything be used to its fullest.

Mu Yi intends to employ every usable resource to ensure victory.

"What a cold‑blooded madman, but with you, our chances of winning should rise considerably!"

Female mage Ke Lai turned and left; compared to a cold‑blooded madman, a Holy Warrior is far more reassuring.

"Naturally!" Mu Yi looked up at the starry sky; no one wants to fail, and he is no exception.

…

The next day.

With Wei Ke Duo·Ke Li's help, Mu Yi gathered the camp's soldiers.

A full ten thousand.

The camp's soldiers numbered even more than Mu Yi had imagined, and the assembled forces at this moment were not the entire contingent, leaving some soldiers to hold their posts in the camp.

Abyssal aura mingled in the air, striking the soldiers' will; their average strength was unremarkable, essentially Level 6~9 warriors.

The net‑combined warriors beside Mu Yi could almost hold ten against one, even more; the disparity in combat power was huge.

Fortunately, the number of soldiers here was vast.

The soldiers wore armor, wielded long spears, bore long swords and throwing axes at their waists, and their breastplates bore magical runes that glowed with spiritual light, standing still to endure the onslaught of the Abyssal aura.

In front of the massive Square Formation, a thousand cavalry stood proud, one hand holding their helmets, the other gripping reins, with tall, sturdy warhorses calmly standing beside them.

The warhorses wore horse armor, and the cavalry's lances were slung at their flanks; these steeds, bearing the bloodline of earth‑walking dragons, quietly followed their riders.

Although the major powers of the Mordelos material realm were constantly bickering over the formation of an expeditionary force, fearing excessive loss of strength, the Abyss Demon did not annihilate them; instead, they were wiped out by other factions.

Before the Abyss Demon invasion, the Mordelos material realm was far from peaceful; war and conflict were the eternal main theme.

Although they quarreled over manpower, none of the factions delayed material support, since they needed someone to hold back the Abyss Demon.

The kingdoms and factions nearest to this location had to accept the supplies, placing them at the front line against the demon.

Distant powers could wait, but those nearby could not; once the demon launched a massive invasion, they would be the first to fall, so they must resist.

The howling wind swept past, silent and still, no one in the ranks spoke to each other; they awaited Weike Duo·Ke Li's speech.

"Today I summoned you to announce two things!" Weike Duo·Ke Li's deep voice rang across the open field.

"First, the Sky Walkers have discovered a demonized beast tide deep in the forest; we are about to face war!"

The loud voice penetrated the howling wind and entered the ears of every soldier.

Sky Walkers is the term used by Mude Luo Si for Zongwang Player.

The originally silent formation suddenly burst into a clamor, but soon fell silent again; they had already made mental preparations when they arrived here.

For their homeland, for their loved ones, they must fight.

"Second, appoint Sky Walker Mu Yi as deputy camp commander; in my absence, he shall have equal command authority to mine! In the coming time, he will also be responsible for your training!"

"Soon, Deputy Camp Commander Mu Yi will select five hundred men to serve as his personal guard!"

This time the soldiers' clamor grew noisy; in any world, an airborne commander is never a popular figure.

Weike Duo·Ke Li did not stop the soldiers' clamor; this was Mu Yi's special request, and although he did not understand, he still chose to trust Mu Yi.

Moreover, he also wanted to see what means Mu Yi would use to win the soldiers' conviction; if he failed to convince them, he could only retract all the special powers he had previously granted Mu Yi and assign personnel to Mu Yi according to the original contributions.

"It seems Mu Yi wants to seize command, but it won't be that easy; these soldiers' opposition is too intense!" Ke Lai observed the soldiers' reactions, furrowing his brow slightly.

"Will Big Brother Mu not fail?" the catfolk Aili Er said with some worry.

"No…… you haven't seen his true form…… he will surely succeed!" Ma En·Xue Ti said solemnly, remembering Mu Yi's true appearance, that madness in moments of life and death.

"Those soldiers usually treat us with respect, their gazes full of esteem; why is their resistance so obvious?" the female mage Ke Lai wondered.

As they walked through the camp, the surrounding soldiers' gazes toward them were full of respect; how come the reaction now is so strong?

They harbored a vague worry; Mu Yi could now be considered their temporary regiment commander, and they did not want Mu Yi to fail.

Although they did not know why Mu Yi was obsessed with commanding the Mude Luo Si soldiers, Ke Lai, who had learned of Mu Yi's backup plan, knew that Mu Yi's choice was aimed at victory.

"I have investigated; Mude Luo Si seems to have seen instances where Zongwang Players used soldiers as cannon fodder to gain merit; the soldiers hold respect for the Sky Walkers, yet they still harbor resistance to being commanded by them!"

The bard A Bo Di Luo said briefly, as a bard he always can use his special ability to obtain some local-related information.

"Please, Deputy Camp Commander Mu Yi, speak!"

Thud, thud, thud.

Accompanied by the heavy footsteps of a rhinoceros, Mu Yi sat upright on the Azure Water Golden Eye Beast and appeared before everyone.

Everyone's gaze involuntarily focused on Mu Yi's towering figure.

As the Azure Water Golden Eye Beast drew near, Mu Yi's outline gradually became clear in their eyes, their breathing grew heavy, and an invisible pressure began to wrap around them.

When Mu Yi's figure fully approached, everyone couldn't help feeling a tingling numbness on their scalp; a shuddering chill rose from the tailbone, straight to the brain marrow, deep into the soul, making every hair stand on end.

The previously quiet warhorses began to stir, uneasily stamping in place, as if approaching them were not Mu Yi but some terrifying creature.

Fear struck their hearts in an instant.

Might! Terrifying might swept over all the soldiers in an instant.

All the soldiers fell into a brief panic, their bodies instinctively wanting to flee, but being soldiers and warriors, they struggled to suppress that instinct, standing firm, resisting this fear and might.

The source of this might was a man clad in scarlet full-body armor, with crimson eyes, emanating a fearful aura all over.

The heavy full-body armor exuded a heavy might; dragon reliefs were faintly visible on the armor, and the dense dragon scales emitted a dignified aura.

"Lesser Dragon Might? Lesser Fear Aura? It seems our temporary regiment commander is more complicated than we imagined!"

Ke Lai narrowed his eyes at Mu Yi; even they had suffered from the indiscriminate aura attack.

"Big Brother Mu is so scary!" Aili Er shrank behind Ke Lai, fur bristling, clutching tightly to Ke Lai's hem, crouching on the ground trembling.

Unlike others who only saw the Dragon Might and Fear Aura, he saw endless crimson on Mu Yi at this moment, as if the air itself carried a hint of bloodiness.

Just as Mu Yi's past worries, his extraordinarily high perception always lets him see what ordinary people cannot.

Mu Yi leapt from the Azure Water Golden Eye Beast, step by step ascended the platform, facing the gaze of tens of thousands; Mu Yi was not at all nervous, his heart undisturbed.

To achieve the best effect and leave the deepest impression in every soldier's heart, he asked a few mages to grant him a blessing, allowing him to temporarily move in Dragon Scale Armor.

The dual suppression of Dragon Might and Fear Aura is the source of his confidence in subduing the crowd.

Luo Si's blessing can indeed be useful at times.

Mu Yi stood on the platform, surveying the soldiers present, silent; the heavy pressure accompanied by the quiet atmosphere permeated every soldier's heart.