Chapter 342: In the Mountain Forest on the Snowy Ground — Ambushing the Fleeing Bandit Team

Jier took the few Militia under his command and walked once more along the path he had traveled with Knight Kela over the past few days.

Soon, he saw that simple wooden observation tower standing high in the middle of a main mountain trail. Thinking that the person on the tower at this moment must have already seen him, Jier waved his hand at the other party with a wide gesture.

Judging just by their weapons and equipment, he estimated that this Militia squad should have guessed they were also Militia, and he hoped they would not be mistaken for someone else.

After a while, Jier, walking on the road, discovered people lying in ambush behind large trees in the snow ahead. He immediately spoke up to declare his identity: "Is this the Mountain Leopard Team? I am Jier, under the command of the Knight! We are not Bandits!"

As Jier finished speaking, the Militia who had been hiding suddenly half-crouched up from the snow, and at the same time, the Militia hiding behind the tree trunks revealed their figures.

"Put down your weapons. We will check if you are our own people." The other side was very cautious; they demanded that Jier's side put down their weapons first.

Jier set down the Long Spear in his hand and waved his hand, signaling the Spear Militia under his command to also set down their Long Spears.

One of the Militia who had been hiding in the snow stood up and walked over.

Jier did not recognize the other person, but Jier estimated that the other person should recognize him. So, he opened the Faceplate of his Helmet, and sure enough, this young man recognized Jier's face.

In fact, these Militia had already recognized him just by looking at the equipment Jier was wearing, but for the sake of safety, they still had to confirm it. After all, they could not guarantee that in these two days, a guy like Jier hadn't been killed by Bandits, and his weapons and equipment stolen.

"It's Jier." After confirming it was Jier himself, this Militia reported to his companions.

Naturally, since they were their own people, there was no need for further precautions. The Militia all lowered their Crossbows, unloaded the bolts, relaxed the tension of the bowstrings, and walked over.

"Does the Knight have any instructions? We have also had some gains these past two days, blocking nearly ten Bandits. How about it? Compared to other teams, not bad, right?" The leading Militia Squad Leader smiled and boasted to Jier.

Jier shrugged: "I haven't been to other places, so I don't know much about the situation of other teams. But if you have ten Bandits here, I reckon the others aren't doing too poorly either."

"Is that so." Hearing Jier's answer, the Squad Leader lowered his head, troubled.

Jier smiled after seeing this, patted the Militia Squad Leader on the shoulder, and turned to point in the direction where Delang and the others were coming from: "But it doesn't matter, I've brought you a gift. Knight Kela blocked the Bandit cave entrance, then used fire and high-temperature smoke to force all those Bandits out. Heh heh, a group of Bandits that just ran out is heading your way. Not counting women and children, there are at least twenty-some Bandits, and what's more, there is a Bandit Leader among them. Among these Bandits running out of their old nest, he is the only leader."

"Taking him down is a great achievement," Jier concluded.

Jier's words made the Mountain Leopard Team Melee Militia, who were guarding here bitterly, beam with joy. The combat level of the Bandits was no match for them; as long as the numbers weren't too lopsided, they could basically take them down.

Before, they were still worrying and fretting that other teams would surpass them, but now that Jier's news had arrived, they no longer worried about anything else. As long as they took down this wave of Bandits and the Bandit Leader inside, they would definitely win this competition against the other Refining Qi Melee Militia.

Having received Jier's news and his participation, everyone had confidence in whether they could take down so many Bandits.

There was not much time; those Bandits would arrive here in a short while, so after a simple discussion, they decided on a plan.

The surrounding terrain was open, but to leave the Bandit nest area as quickly as possible, the best path to take was the direction Jier had previously led the people to escape.

Jier clearly remembered that on that very road, there was still a Shikeng where the Bandits disposed of the corpses of dead Humans. The Human corpses in that Shikeng, because they had not been burned, had actually begun to move naturally after death.

It looked very terrifying and ghastly.

Although Jier did not think those slow-moving corpses could harm him while he was wearing armor, he still felt a faint fear of those corpses that moved after death.

No matter how you looked at it, those Bandits had to pass by that Shikeng.

Therefore, the best place to conduct an ambush was the small area just before it.

After they discussed it, they decided that all personnel would concentrate and lie in ambush in an area at the front of the Shikeng, and when the Bandit team passed by, they would attack them directly, forcing the Bandits toward the Shikeng.

Using the Shikeng to block the Bandit team that might scatter and flee.

They would try their best to wipe out all the Bandits here; this was not only for the merit but also for the sake of more lasting peace and safety in this area later.

In order not to let the tall, simple wooden observation tower reveal the presence of Militia here, the Mountain Leopard Team quickly dismantled the upper part of the observation tower. This way, if one only looked from afar, this simple wooden observation tower would just have one remaining support pole, not looking like a man-made object, and would only be thought of by those who saw it as a normal tree with many fallen branches.

Delang carried his child on his back, and his woman followed him, clutching his belt, moving forward hidden under his warm animal-hide cloak.

The others were much the same, all like this. Just to save some physical strength, the team at this time was in a straight line, with every person walking on the path opened up by the person in front of them.

The person at the very front expended the most energy, so the person leading the way would rotate to the back, and when they lacked physical strength, they would switch with the next person following behind. The person who had been leading would then stop in place, and after the team had passed, they would simply follow at the very end.

Although Bandits rarely went out to plunder after the winter snowfall, they still understood some techniques for advancing in the snow.

The team moved forward in silence; after all, they had escaped death, and the male Bandits were filled with the frustration of being defeated by the Militia, while the women felt uneasy about their unstable life once again, not knowing what their future life would be like.

Although life after being captured by the Bandits was not good, for some people, it was still much better than their previous life of farming; at least it was not exhausting, and although they had to frequently endure beatings and scolding from the rude Bandits, didn't they also have to endure beatings from the head of the household back home before?

It was all the same; at least to them, it was all the same.

Only the children born inside the Bandit nest were somewhat happy at this moment; compared to the dark Shandong, the vast mountain forest made them more excited. Some timid children were experiencing this vast world for the first time in their lives; the world was no longer a tiny Shandong, no longer a dilapidated, simple wooden hut, and the world was naturally no longer damp and stuffy, but vast and cold.

Little did they know, in the mountain forests on both sides, the murderous intent had long been laid, just waiting for them to step in.

Jier hid behind a pile of snow, using this raised snow pile to hide his figure. The Militia beside him gave him a signal with a gesture, representing that those Bandits were already walking into the ambush circle.

Jier hurriedly took out the Red-eye Mushroom Sugar Pill he had specifically brought along and carefully put it into his mouth.

The Sugar Pill was frozen very hard, so Jier had to first hold it in his mouth to warm it up, and then chew on this icy little thing.

When to start the battle was not for him to decide, but for the Mountain Leopard Team Squad Leader to issue the order.

As soon as the other party felt it was appropriate, they would let out a loud roar to alert all the Militia who were prepared. At that time, more than ten Crossbows would immediately turn out from their hiding places and then aim and shoot at those Bandits.

Jier did not have a suitable long-range weapon, so his main task was not to rush up and slaughter the Bandits, but to intercept the Bandits who might rush over to attack the Militia halfway.

Just intercepting them was enough.

Afterward, the Militia would naturally use their Crossbows to drive the Bandits toward the Shikeng.

Soon, just as Jier swallowed the dry Sugar Pill residue in his mouth, a roar from the Mountain Leopard Team Squad Leader spread throughout this mountain forest.

Jier immediately climbed up from the ground and, according to the plan from before, roared: "Ooooooh!!!!"

The other Militia also emerged from their hiding places, and while raising their Crossbows, they also followed along with roars.

This was a method similar to seizing the initiative.

In the mountain forest that had been quiet, with only branches and residual snow falling, suddenly there were continuous roars; no matter who it was, without preparation, they would definitely be given a big fright.

Sure enough, before the Militia's Crossbows had even fired, these roars that suddenly erupted from the left and right sides of the Bandits gave all the Bandits a big fright.

Many Bandits who had originally relaxed their spirits were frightened and fell to the ground, and the women and children following them were also frightened and panicked, crying loudly.

And after the Bandits came to their senses, what they immediately faced were the Crossbow bolts flying continuously from the left and right sides.

Swish, swish, swish, swish.

One after another, the Crossbow bolts hit some Bandits who did not dodge in time. Most of them were hit on both sides of their bodies, and after being hit, they were immediately shot down to the ground; besides the painful cries in their mouths, they could do nothing.

Other Bandits came to their senses and immediately had people randomly choose left or right and rush over.

Jier also immediately moved to intercept them.

The Bandits immediately recognized Jier's armor; on one hand, they felt fear because many of their companions had been killed by Jier in previous battles. On the other hand, they also erupted in anger.

How are you everywhere? How are you everywhere!

Several Bandits ran directly toward Jier, while Jier glared with his red eyes beneath his Helmet and charged forward with his Long Spear leveled.

Jier ran with long strides; the thick snow on the ground could not stop his pace from accelerating, and his Long Spear aimed at the fastest Bandit, thrusting straight toward the opponent's chest.

The Bandits naturally did not want to be stabbed to death by Jier just like that, so those who had Flying Knives or short axes at their waists seized the moment to launch a counterattack before Jier's Long Spear arrived.

Jier ignored these throwing weapons that were barely thrown at him, letting them clatter against his armor, which only brought him a slight hindrance.

The Bandit targeted by Jier's Long Spear was so frightened that his hair stood slightly on end; he tried to twist his body to dodge the tip of Jier's Long Spear.

But everything around Jier at this moment seemed as if he were watching a video at 0.5x speed; everything was slowed down, and the Bandit's attempt to dodge looked like the performance of the clumsiest mime artist.

Jier adjusted his arm and palm with composure so that the spear tip would strike exactly where the Bandit had dodged to.

With a squelch, the Bandit's chest was pierced straight through by the wide Gun-blade.

Jier lowered his body, exerted force with both arms, and twisted the Long Spear to fling the impaled Bandit away diagonally.

Other Bandits rushed up, wanting to take advantage of the moment when Jier's Long Spear was unwieldy to get close to him, preventing Jier from utilizing the advantage of his long-handled weapon.

Jier could have originally relied on rotating the Long Spear to force these Bandits back, but he subconsciously felt it was better to just kill these Bandits directly. So he released the Long Spear, and with swift movements, took out his Shield from his back with one hand and drew his Long Sword from his waist with the other.

Clang! Clang!

With one Shield, he blocked an axe; with one sword, he knocked away a Cleaver.

Another Bandit wanted to take the opportunity to hack at Jier, but Jier kicked him in the leg, then kicked the Bandit away with another blow.

Jier pulled his left hand back, using the retraction of his arm to dissipate the force of the Bandit's axe; on the other side, he swung his Long Sword to parry the hack of another Bandit's Cleaver.

Sparks flew as the blades clashed; Jier's Long Sword was superior in hardness and toughness, and after several consecutive clashes, it actually snapped the Bandit's Cleaver in half with one strike.

With his weapon broken, the Bandit was terrified and wanted to draw the Dagger at his waist to counterattack, but Jier dodged the other Bandit's axe and directly performed a Horizontal Slash with his sword, severing the arm of the Bandit who was about to draw his Dagger.

"Ah! My hand!" Before the Bandit could say more, Jier spun around and hid behind this one-armed Bandit. The Bandit wielding the axe ignored his companion in front of Jier and directly raised his axe to hack down viciously.

The Bandit's heavy axe smashed the one-armed Bandit's skull like a crushed watermelon, then continued to shatter half of his chest, getting stuck inside.

Jier was splattered with blood but paid no mind; his left-hand Shield pressed against the back of the axe, giving the Bandit no chance to retract it, while his right-hand Long Sword probed forward with his body, piercing through half of the Bandit's neck.

Exerting force with his arm to pull horizontally, the Bandit's neck was torn open halfway by the sword tip. Hot blood gushed from the large Blood Vessel, and the windpipe also wheezed with hot air from the lungs.

The Bandit's ferocious face stared fixedly at Jier's Helmet Faceplate until he died.

Turning around, Jier looked at the Bandit who was climbing up; he sheathed his Long Sword, and with the toe of his armored boot, he stabbed and flicked the snowy ground, causing his Long Spear to fly up horizontally from the white snow.

Catching it in mid-air, Jier walked quickly toward the Bandit; as the Bandit was about to turn and flee, he spun his body twice, and the horizontally held Long Spear spun with him.

The spear tip carried away two arcs of spraying blood.

The muscles and spine behind the Bandit were severed. Losing control of his spine, the Bandit's legs went soft, and he fell to the ground, with only his hands still usable.

Jier flicked his spear and thrust it, driving the spear tip into the Bandit's head from behind, killing him.

"Jier is truly amazing!"

"Too amazing!"

The Militia not far away had watched Jier's battle the whole time; now that Jier had killed all the Bandits who dared to rush over, they all began to praise him.

On the other side, the person chosen to resist the Bandits' charge was naturally the Militia member who was the Captain of the Mountain Leopard Team. His skills were also good, and at this moment, with the support of his companions' crossbows from behind, he forced back several Bandits who wanted to rush over.

A Bandit was shot in the thigh, and he rushed up to behead him with a sword.

Immediately after, he glanced at Jier opposite him and found that Jier had dealt with several Bandits all by himself, and could not help but curse in dissatisfaction. Then he began to command the Militia to move and jointly surround the Bandits' path, forcing the Bandits to flee only toward the front.

"Formation! Don't be chaotic! Surround them according to the previous formation!" The roar of the Mountain Leopard Team Captain resounded through the surrounding Forest.

The chased Bandits gritted their teeth, pulling their women and children, and ran forward with all their might. As for the families of the Bandits who had just died, they all huddled in place in fear or threw themselves onto the dead or injured Bandits, crying and screaming.

"What about those people?" Jier asked the Mountain Leopard Team Captain with a shout while running according to orders.

The Mountain Leopard Team Captain knew who Jier was talking about.

"Ignore them, they can't run! Kill the Bandits first!" He shouted back to Jier.

"Alright!"

Whoosh!

While maintaining a very strained formation, the Militia took the time to string their crossbows; running made their aim not very accurate.

Fortunately, because the Bandits had to pull people and run through the snow in a disorderly fashion, their speed was not very fast, incomparable to things like wild deer or hares.

A woman whose hand was being pulled by a Bandit was struck in the head by an arrow and fell down silently. The Bandit pulling her did not know she was dead at first and kept pulling the woman's wrist to flee through the snow.

But the resistance from behind became greater and greater; he turned his head to look and saw that his woman had been pierced through the head by a crossbow bolt and was already dead.

Stopping his pace, the Bandit put down the child he was holding in his arms, then drew his Cleaver and turned to charge at the approaching Militia.

Seeing that there were still Bandits who dared to turn back, Jier immediately moved over.

He saw the woman the Bandit was pulling shot dead by the Militia, but what did that represent?

In the cold Forest, it was either you die or I die.

When those Bandits chased him and the commoners he led, wasn't it also pure malice?

Level the spear, aim, hit.

Before the Bandit's Cleaver could reach Jier, he was struck in the chest by the Long Spear, which was more than a section longer. The Bandit, with blood bubbling from his mouth, kept saying something, then threw the Cleaver in his hand at Jier.

Jier didn't even block; the Cleaver, lacking sufficient force, just tapped lightly on his armor and fell onto the snow.

Kicking the Bandit in the chest, Jier pulled out his Long Spear, then followed the advancing Militia, maintaining an inverted V-shaped formation, and forced the remaining Bandits toward the Shikeng.

When passing the corpse of the woman struck by the arrow, Jier glanced at the small child huddled on the mother for warmth and said nothing. After all, the handling of these children was Kela the Knight's problem; he and the other Militia only needed to push the problem to the Knight.