Chapter 389

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

Cold wind rushed into the private room, the candle flame flickering and distorting the shadows; Di Long's fingers gripping the wine cup tightened, and three parts of his drunkenness scattered.

He gave two dry laughs, waving his hand wanting to brush the topic aside:

"Hey, all just idle talk passed among shopkeepers, can't be taken as truth, can't be taken as truth……"

Wei Lun didn't take the offered step down, instead pouring him another full cup of fine amber wine, his tone carrying a few parts of just-right pressure:

"Idle talk? I don't think so."

"Last year's Forbidden Wall War, Governor Kerry was brilliantly brave!"

"With forces in the tens of millions he withstood the charge of hundreds of millions of Green Skins — this is solid, real battle merit."

"But I don't believe that relying only on the Vanguard Army's conventional equipment, they could clean up the Green Skins so thoroughly in a godforsaken place like the Ice Plains."

He paused, leaning forward, voice pressed even lower:

"Brother Di Long, we're both businessmen, I won't hide it from you."

"This time my Family Head wants to claim a few plots in the Ice Plains to open mines, so we must get a clear picture of the local bottom details."

"If you know anything, just say it; benefits won't be lacking for you."

As he spoke, he pushed a small heavy pouch of gold coins to the table center; the crisp sound of coins colliding rang like wind chimes, striking Di Long's heart tip.

Alcohol mixed with greed rushed to his crown; the hesitation on Di Long's face was bit by bit washed away.

He glanced left and right, confirming only the two of them were in the private room, then stretched his neck forward, wine fumes mixed with spittle spraying out:

"My Lord, this I only tell you; you must absolutely not spread it outside; if it gets out this old life of mine gets tossed on the Ice Plains."

"What you said is right; the Forbidden Wall battle was won, but are Green Skins that easy to clean?" Di Long lowered his voice, face showing lingering fear.

"Outside the Forbidden Wall it's all ravines and peaks, terrain fragmented like pockmarks on a face."

"The Vanguard Army's tanks simply can't drive in; infantry chasing in easily get ambushed by Green Skins drilling out."

"Those Green Skin trash may have lost their Big Boss, indeed fighting fiercely among themselves."

"But you also know, they kill and kill, eventually an even more ruthless Big Boss will emerge again, then turn around and gnaw at the Forbidden Wall — who can stand that?"

Wei Lun nodded in agreement: "So the Governor subdued the Ice Plains wildmen?"

"Exactly!" Di Long slapped his thigh.

"Wildmen born on the Ice Plains, raised on the Ice Plains; which ditch can hide men, which valley can shelter from wind, they can find their way with eyes closed."

"Having them clean Green Skins — nothing more suitable."

"But words circle back; the wildmen's bit of combat power……"

"Say something unpleasant: holding stone spears and bone arrows, hacking against Green Skins, seven-for-one exchange counts as a win; truly relying on them to clean up, a hundred years wouldn't finish."

He spoke to here, voice pressed until almost only breath remained, eyes revealing a few parts reverence:

"At the critical moment, it was still the Frost Dragon that struck."

"Just when the Governor sent troops out the wall to clean up time and again, wildmen also joined the battlefield, but results were all minimal." Di Long swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Overnight, in the midst of the Ice Plains, a heap of 'Cold Soldiers' appeared."

"Cold Soldiers?" Wei Lun raised a brow, hand holding the wine cup steady as Mount Tai, but heart fiercely sinking.

"Right, Cold Soldiers! The Frost Dragon's retinue!" Di Long's voice carried a few parts excitement, again a few parts fear.

"What they specifically look like, no one can say clearly; most Ice Fang Clan wildmen have only seen shadows from afar."

"They say each is like an ice sculpture, whole body emitting cold qi; blade cuts leave only a white mark, fundamentally cannot be killed."

"Numbers also many, a dark mass pressing down, as if drilled out of ice cracks."

"They come and go unpredictably; today still slaughtering Green Skin settlements on the east Ice Plains, tomorrow can run to the west valley and end the Green Skins' workshop."

"Wildmen need do nothing, just responsible for finding Green Skin nests, marking positions, turn around Cold Soldiers kill over." Di Long clicked his tongue twice、

"You don't know; Green Skins such fierce things, meeting Cold Soldiers all become without a shred of temper."

"Less than half a month, Green Skins in the Ice Plains depths were cleaned seven-seven-eight-eight, even spores remaining very few."

Wei Lun's face maintained a bland smile, but heart early already surged with shocking waves.

Cold Soldiers? Frost Dragon's retinue?

Simply an Arabian Nights tale.

He'd worked in the Imperial Intelligence Department for over a dozen years; xenos species seen not one hundred but eighty.

Never heard of any native giant creature able to create out of thin air a formed retinue army.

Even Tyranids rely on spore hatching, biomass devouring to expand forces.

Chaos Evil Gods deploying demons also must tear open Warp Rifts, and pay corresponding price.

What level Green Skins are, he couldn't be clearer.

Even without a Warboss commanding, no Waaagh force field buff, ordinary Grots' physical quality still far surpasses human soldiers.

They're thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, ferocious and fearless; a fully equipped Imperial platoon, facing equal numbers of Green Skin Kids head-on, must raise twelve parts of spirit.

One careless slip and suffer a regiment wipe outcome.

By Di Long's words, these Cold Soldiers not only vast in number, but can crush Green Skins, mobility strong enough to cross-district raid across the vast Ice Plains……

Where is this a native creature's retinue? This is simply a formed elite legion, mobility high to a frightening degree.

If Di Long's words are true, then this "Frost Dragon's" threat level must be directly raised several tiers.

Warp creature?

Wei Lun's first reaction was this.

But then he thought again and felt it wasn't right—when would a Chaos creature help humans kill Green Skins?

The Lord of Plagues' minions only spread disease, the Lord of Change's followers only stir up chaos, the Lord of Lust's creations only indulge in pleasure, and Khorne's troops slaughter friend and foe alike without distinction.

Never had he heard of any Evil God's demon army honestly helping a Human Governor clean up Green Skins, and obediently taking orders from humans.

So what exactly was it?

He wanted to dig deeper into the details, but the Earth Dragon had already spilled everything he knew, repeating the same few lines over and over.

Asked what Cold Soldiers looked like, he said no one dared get close to look.

Asked where Cold Soldiers usually stayed, he said no one knew.

Asked where these Cold Soldiers finally went, he shook his head like a rattle drum.

"Sir, that's really all there is," the Earth Dragon said, dejected.

"The Wildmen say Cold Soldiers are like Frost Dragons, both incarnations of the Ice Plains."

"They come out when the Ice Plains are in trouble, and when it's peaceful they return to sleep under the ice, and no one can find them."

Wei Lun stared at him for a few seconds, confirming the other wasn't holding back, then smiled and waved his hand: "Fine, I was just curious."

"Business as usual. Get in touch with Kui Clan Leader as soon as possible—I need the first batch of goods urgently."

"Yes, yes, don't worry!" the Earth Dragon quickly agreed, piling a smile back onto his face.

That night, Wei Lun left the Coal Cinder Inn on the pretext of "contacting the supply source," and boarded an airship returning to the Starport.

The airship cut through the night sky, the lights of the Nest Capital outside the porthole like a flowing Galaxy River, but Wei Lun had no mind to look.

He leaned back in his seat, brow furrowed, going over every word the Earth Dragon had said in his mind again and again.

Cold Soldiers, incarnations of the Ice Plains, Frost Dragon Kin.

These few keywords kept jumping on his nerves.

He had a strong premonition that the secret hidden behind this was even more astonishing than the Genetic Corruption of the Purge Plague Sect.