Chapter 766: Borderland Garrote

Thirty li outside Brocade Prefecture City, Wild Boar Ridge.

The mountain path is narrow, with heavily weathered rock walls on both sides.

Chang Yuchun reined in his warhorse and raised his hand to halt the cavalry behind him.

Under his black cloth eye patch, his sound right eye stared fixedly at the road ahead.

It's too quiet.

Not even a birdcall can be heard.

"General?"

The deputy commander lowered his voice.

Chang Yuchun did not answer.

His fingers lightly tapped the hilt of his sword—that was the Northward Aspiration Army's special signal: prepare to engage.

Almost simultaneously.

At the bend ahead on the mountain path, five tall black silhouettes silently emerged.

Ironbone War Slaves.

They formed a simple wedge formation, their cerulean crystal bones reflecting cold light in the noon sun.

No roars, no warning.

Only the uniform, heavy sound of their footsteps.

"Scatter!"

Chang Yuchun bellowed.

The cavalry instantly split into two groups, closing in on the rock walls on either side.

But the war slaves' speed exceeded his expectations.

They suddenly accelerated, their massive bodies thudding like muffled thunder on the mountain path.

The lead war slave hurled its heavy-backed cleaver.

The blade spun, whistling with terrifying force straight at Chang Yuchun's face.

Chang Yuchun jerked sideways.

The blade scraped his armor, gouging a blinding spark across his breastplate.

He drew a long-handled weapon from beside his saddle.

It was not a sword.

It was a pitch-black spear whose tip faintly bore golden patterns.

Momentum-Energy Resonant Armor-Piercing Spear.

"First squad, entangle the left and right flanks!"

"Second squad, follow me up!"

He squeezed the horse's belly with his legs, and the warhorse neighed as it surged forward.

Opposite them, the five war slaves raised their arms in unison.

On the outer side of their arms, the crystal bone structure suddenly unfolded, forming small bone shields.

The movement was so synchronized it was heart-stopping.

Chang Yuchun's spear thrust toward the chest of the central war slave.

The war slave did not dodge; its bone shield met the spear.

"Clang—!"

The massive clang of metal on metal exploded through the valley.

At the moment the spear tip touched the bone shield, the golden patterns flared.

A high-frequency hum, almost inaudible, emanated from the spear.

Fine cracks appeared on the bone shield's surface.

The cracks spread rapidly.

Then——

Boom!

The entire bone shield shattered into fragments.

The war slave's movement froze for an instant.

Its nether energy core seemed disrupted by this sudden resonance interference.

Chang Yuchun did not miss this opportunity.

The spear followed through, piercing the gap in the war slave's crystal bone framework at its chest.

The golden patterns on the spear tip flared again.

This time, the light pierced directly into the war slave's body.

"Hiss—"

A sound like red-hot iron plunged into cold water came from the war slave's chest cavity.

In its eye sockets, the cerulean fire flared violently.

Then it went out.

Its massive body collapsed with a crash.

"Effective!"

The deputy commander's joyous roar rang out.

Chang Yuchun's face bore no smile.

Because he saw that, the other four battle slaves had already adjusted their formation.

They no longer charged alone, but formed pairs, covering each other.

The bone shields always pointed toward the spears' direction.

Worse still, their attack pattern changed.

No longer seeking a killing blow, they began using heavy chops to drain the cavalry's maneuvering space.

"They're learning."

Chang Yuchun's heart sank.

These monsters, they learn in actual combat.

"Retreat!"

He gave the order decisively.

"Cover each other alternately, retreat from the mountain path!"

The cavalry began to withdraw.

The battle slaves pursued relentlessly.

But their bulky bodies made turning difficult in the narrow terrain, and they were gradually pulled away.

Just as Chang Yuchun was about to leave the valley.

Suddenly, a huge sound of rock shattering came from the cliff above.

Countless fragments rolled down.

A huge, crystal‑bone‑plated pangolin‑shaped head protruded from the cliff.

Earth Digging Beast.

It opened its mouthpart bristling with rotating crystal shards, aiming at the densest part of the cavalry below.

"Scatter!"

Chang Yuchun roared.

But it was already too late.

From the Earth Digging Beast's mouthpart spewed neither flame nor acid.

But a thick, foul‑smelling blue‑green mist.

The mist spread quickly, enveloping half the valley.

Warhorses touched by the mist let out shrill whinnies.

Their skin began to rot, muscles visibly withering.

Cavalrymen fell from their horses, desperately trying to crawl out of the mist's range.

But their movements grew slower and slower.

From their eyes, ears, mouths and noses began to seep blue‑green slime.

"Save them!"

Chang Yuchun turned his horse's head, wanting to charge back.

"General! You can't go in!"

The vice‑general gripped his reins tightly.

"That mist must not be touched!"

In the mist, fewer than ten cavalrymen could still stand.

They waved their swords, trying to cleave the mist, but to no avail.

Four battle slaves silently stepped into the mist.

They seemed completely unaffected.

Blade flashes rose and fell.

The remaining resistance vanished quickly.

The mist slowly dispersed.

In the valley, only thirty‑odd corpses remained, rapidly melting into pus.

And five battle slaves stood silently, having reformed their ranks.

Plus that Earth Digging Beast slowly retracting back into the cliff.

Chang Yuchun's single eye was bloodshot.

His hand gripped the spear tightly, knuckles whitening.

"Go."

He squeezed out a word from between his teeth.

"Go back, tell the Grand Commander."

"These monsters… can now fight in coordination."

That night, at the Jinzhou Marshal's Office.

Zu Dashou listened to Chang Yuchun's report, then remained silent for a long time.

The wick of the oil lamp on the table popped, sending out a spray of sparks.

"What is the mist's attack range?"

"About twenty paces; it spreads extremely fast. On contact it collapses, flesh and blood turning to nothing within half an hour."

"Any defensive measures?"

"Ordinary shields are useless. We haven't tried strange‑metal armor."

Zu Dashou rose, walked to the wall where the defense map was hung.

His finger ran from Wild Boar Ridge all the way.

This mountain path is the necessary route to the Daughter River's water source.

They set an ambush there; it's no coincidence.

He turned to look at Chang Yuchun.

They're cutting off our water supply.

Chang Yuchun gritted his teeth and nodded.

I think the same. If they succeed today, within three days every frontier fort will run dry.

So they'll come again.

Zu Dashou's finger pressed hard on the spot of Wild Boar Ridge.

Pass the order.

First, effective immediately, triple the guard posts at all frontline water sources, and equip them with fire oil and lime.

Second, order the engineer battalion to bury explosives overnight in the cliffs on both sides of the Wild Boar Ridge mountain path; if they dare emerge from the cliffs again, we'll blow up the whole path.

Third—

He paused.

Urgent report from Responding to Heaven: the new armor‑piercing spears work, but there are too few; we need more at once. Also, the Pure State has produced a burrowing beast that can spray poison mist; please have the Investigation of Things Institute quickly devise a counter.

The order‑taker wrote it down at once and ran out.

Only two people remained in the commander's residence.

Yuchun.

Zu Dashou suddenly spoke.

Your eyes…… you really can't see?

Chang Yuchun raised his hand to feel the left eye covered in black cloth.

I still have light perception, but no shape. Still, it's fine—I have my right eye, enough to aim.

How do today's monsters compare to the original black‑armored soldiers in your view?

Chang Yuchun fell silent for a moment.

Smarter.

The black‑armored troops were fierce, but they were still just soldiers, relying on brute force.

But these new things—

He recalled the war slaves' precise coordination, and how the earth‑digging beast's ambush was timed perfectly.

It's as if a single mind behind them is directing everything.

Every move is aimed at our vital points.

Zu Dashou slowly sat back down in his chair.

The lamplight cast dancing shadows on his face.

The unified mind…

He whispered it again.

What do you think it is?

Chang Yuchun shook his head.

I don't know. But I feel that if we don't pull out that 'mind', killing more monsters is just treating the symptom.

The sound of the night watch drifted in from outside.

It was the second watch.

Go rest first.

Zu Dashou waved his hand.

We still have to patrol tomorrow.

Chang Yuchun clasped his fist and withdrew.

The commander's residence fell silent again.

Zu Dashou sat alone under the lamp, motionless for a long time.

His gaze fell on a corner of the desk.

A sealed letter that had just arrived that morning lay there.

It came from Responding to Heaven.

The letter bore only a single line of vermilion annotation:

The sea route is open, the new mine is in sight. Hold out for reinforcements.

The signature was the Hongwu Emperor's private seal.

Zu Dashou's finger brushed over those characters.

Hold fast…

He murmured those two words softly.

Then he rose and blew out the lamp.

In the darkness he walked toward the inner chamber.

Armor and his sidearm hung at the head of the bed.

His hand stroked the cold scabbard.

Outside, the north wind howled.

It seemed as if countless resentful spirits were wailing.

Three hundred li outside, Hetu Ala underground.

Lao Salaman's tentacles slowly withdrew from the control node.

Ahmuhan stood with head lowered to one side.

"Today's battle results, Master, are you satisfied?"

"Still acceptable."

No emotion could be heard in Lao Salaman's voice.

"We lost one battle slave, but gained thirty-seven Ming cavalry. The loss ratio is considerable."

"But that one-eyed commander... his weapon can destroy the crystal bone structure."

Ahmuhan pulled up the battlefield records.

On the energy chart, when the armor-piercing spear struck the bone shield, an abnormal resonance peak appeared.

"We have analyzed the weapon's energy characteristics. Preliminary judgment: it is a high-frequency resonator based on potential energy principles."

"Manufacturing difficulty?"

"With the Ming dynasty's current technology, mass production is extremely unlikely. But if we obtain technical support from beyond the light curtain..."

Ahmuhan did not continue.

Lao Salaman's tentacles swayed gently.

"So, we must speed up."

"Before the Ming fully digest that knowledge, we will tear through their defenses."

"How effective is the miasma effect of the earth-digging beasts?"

"Excellent. But the energy consumption is huge; each exhalation requires six hours of cooling."

"Then increase the number of earth-digging beasts bred. Use quantity to make up for the cooling time."

"Yes."

Ahmuhan recorded the order.

"Furthermore, the lord has sent new orders."

Lao Salaman's eyes flared with a deep blue light.

"The next penetration cycle of the light curtain's weak point is expected in nine months."

"We need a vanguard force capable of fighting in a potential-energy environment."

"Starting today, select three hundred of the finest battle slaves and begin adaptive remodeling."

"Nine months later..."

His voice was ice-cold like iron.

"We will bring the war to the other side of the light curtain."