Chapter 231: Zhuwangshan

Adventurers before Sinuoli had always quietly bypassed the area along the mountain ridges, but Sinuoli's force was far larger than those expeditions of a few dozen or a hundred people. The range of the webs had been constantly expanding, gradually leaving no room to bypass them, so he decided to fight a battle.

Sinuoli stroked the beard on his chest as he recalled that, being mentioned in the same breath as the ancient forest dragon crowned with the name "World Root Great Serpent," the eternally burning "Flame Mother" phoenix that had once delved deep into the Chaos Realm, the powerful giant Broga crowned with the name Ancient Giant,

as well as the "Beast of the Ancient Sages," the supreme Tyrannosaurus Gargantuan, and the immortal hydra "Laima Beast," this Arachnarok Empress Spider should be powerful enough.

However, was his own army not powerful enough? To pass through Zhuwangshan, Sinuoli had long been prepared.

Considering that spiders and the webs they spun feared fire, Sinuoli equipped Irondrakes, Trollhammer Torpedoes, Artillery, ballistae engraved with burning Runes, and Helicopters equipped with Sulfur Guns.

These items were all the latest technology from the Dwarf Engineers over these years; members of previous expeditions had likely never seen them. They would surely make the Brood Queen and her offspring pay a heavy price.

If possible, Sinuoli pinched the Beast Taming Collar in his pocket; having such a massive Empress Spider as a mount was not something that couldn't be considered. Although it was not the most satisfying choice, at least it could increase immediate combat power.

"Master, Master! How shall we fight? Or should we bypass it?" The surrounding managers watched Sinuoli fumbling in his pocket while lost in thought, and could not help but speak up to remind him.

"Fight, we must definitely fight!" Sinuoli shook his head; taking Zhuwangshan was planned from the very beginning. In his contingency plan, the lower limit he could accept for this expedition was to pause the advance after taking Zhuwangshan and killing the Brood Queen due to excessive losses.

That way, at least the route to the Land of the Dead would be opened, and two lost fortresses would be recovered, allowing for the development of resources and the accumulation of strength before making further plans.

"Old rules, we must collect intelligence first!" Sinuoli gathered his subordinates and pointed at the map. "Air and land reconnaissance, advance together! If necessary and if conditions permit, we must also map out the Earth Vein Network! Qiangsen, you go..."

Sinuoli subconsciously called out Qiangsen's name; in the past few years, this reliable subordinate had gained his deep trust, but at the moment, he also needed to select new talent.

"Andemuge! Are you willing to go and try?" Sinuoli thought for a moment and decided to give the opportunity to that Ranger who rode a bear. Although he felt his temple was too small, Sinuoli decided to appoint people based on merit.

"Good!" The young man answered very crisply.

"Then that is settled, Anagongda, your people will be responsible for the forest!" Sinuoli instructed.

He could not tell whether these warrior women, whose bodies were covered in leather and grass weaves, with exposed parts covered in tattoos and strange hairstyles decorated with colorful feathers, were huntresses, totem guards, or warriors serving some animal god.

However, it was clear that these Amazons had good fighting spirit, especially knowing that their opponent would be a potential minor spider god.

Two days later, information about the enemy was gathered in Sinuoli's hands. The observed spiders were divided into four tiers: house-sized Arachnarok Spiders, of which three were found; large spiders the size of an Ogre lying on the ground, numbering around forty;

there were probably hundreds as large as Cave Squigs, and as for the spiderlings a size larger than normal spiders, they were countless. As for that Brood Queen, she had been hiding in the fortress and had not appeared.

The number of spiders was slightly lower than Sinuoli had initially estimated; this might be because the number this area could support was limited, or perhaps many had already been taken by the Greenskins to all parts of the world.

Scouts also discovered the presence of Savage Orcs and Forest Goblins. Forest Goblins were another common variant of the highly adaptable Goblin species besides Night Goblins, and they had adapted to the environment in the deep forest.

In terms of mount selection, they were also different from the wolf-riding Goblins and the Cave Squig-riding Night Goblins; they would associate with spiders. Spiders could travel on the narrowest ground in the forest and would also hide their figures in the forest.

These Greenskins stayed more in the areas further south, but it could be estimated that if the Dwarfs launched an attack, they would definitely rush back to reinforce. The specific number could not be seen clearly from the air, but it should not be so many that they were difficult to deal with.

"Will they fight us to the death?" At the pre-battle meeting, Henlide-Tulongzhe spoke first.

"I think they will." Anagongda's voice carried a unique tone. "They spent who knows how many years and how much energy weaving such a massive amount of webs; they cannot easily give them up. By the Ancient Sages, I feel that even the Lizardmen's Terradons would have difficulty flying over them!"

"I think it must be the tribute from the Greenskins that allows these silk-spitting bugs to maintain such a large population!" Andemuge expressed his own view.

"Indeed, boss. In the forest, my people cannot see any other living creatures besides spiders; they have all been eaten clean. I think the spider webs in this area have reached such a point that I fear no creature is willing to throw itself into the net!"

Anagongda continued, saying that the ecology of Zhuwangshan made even the Amazons who lived in the forest year-round feel amazed. Such a situation could be maintained undoubtedly because of external forces. Out of consideration for protecting the tribute-givers, the spiders would also fight the Dwarfs to the end.

"This is actually a good thing!" Sinuoli concluded, "We not only want to recover the Zhuwangshan fortress, but we also want to continue our advance while possessing it; being able to wipe them out at once will save a lot of trouble in the future."

"In the name of Grimnir's wrath! Just tell us how to fight!" Rogov polished his Battle Axe; seeing those huge spiders, he could not wait to earn another title for himself.

"Two steps! First, a feint attack to lure them out and eliminate some of their effective strength, reducing some pressure. Then, a general offensive to solve the problem completely." Sinuoli made the final decision.

"Shall I take people to undertake the luring mission?" Andemuge volunteered.

"No, let Anagongda go. Those eight-legged beasts are too fast; you have your bear, but other clansmen may not be able to outrun them. Our female warriors are the experts in jungle warfare."

Sinuoli decisively handed the task to the professionals; the high price paid to hire them was not for hunting along the way to supplement nutrition. Anagongda accepted it calmly.

"Then there is the ambush force; we must annihilate the pursuers at the fastest speed, then take advantage of the momentum to attack and kill our way in!" Sinuoli looked at Henlide and continued to instruct.