Chapter 629: The War's Advance
Chapter 629: The War's Advance
In the vast wilderness, the sun hung high in the sky, its scorching rays evaporating the last remnants of moisture from the ground.
This seemingly ordinary scene was a common sight across the barren lands.
Suddenly, the earth cracked.
A perfectly square opening appeared in the unremarkable ground, revealing a chasm.
"It's sunlight! We've reached the surface."
"Have those behind us adjust the road gradient to ensure a quick exit, and we'll open up this passage!"
Human voices echoed from below.
After a few brief exchanges, two humans wielding resource-enhanced cross-picks emerged and began to widen the chasm into a passable path.
Meanwhile, another group worked on the tunnel below, smoothing the ground to create a suitable running slope.
This was the expedition route targeting the Northern Deviators.
Lord Lindsey was well aware that the Deviators maintained a certain level of information surveillance on the surface, and their previous purges had already made their hostility towards the Banyan Forest and their allies known.
These were enemies of the living.
Unlike in games, defeating the leader wouldn't automatically kill their subordinates.
Considering the nearly half-world distance, Lindsey planned the strategy as an expedition, specifically to clear the Invaders underground while simultaneously opening up a path northward.
The workers accompanying the army were the ones who emerged at the surface.
Whenever an underground battle was won and the front line advanced, they would construct roads leading to the surface.
On the ground behind them, the road workers, upon receiving the news, would continue to extend the road towards the front.
The underground terrain was complex, and there were many hidden dangers.
Therefore, after clearing out the Deviators below, the supply routes were entirely arranged on the surface.
Lindsey even made a final consideration.
In case of an uncontrollable emergency, this route would serve as an escape path for the people in dire situations.
Lindsey also notified other factions on the Wildlands about their plans.
Every inch the Banyan Forest advanced meant a step closer to victory in the war.
This was the war horn etched upon the earth.
...
Meanwhile, beneath the seemingly peaceful surface, a rhythmic, mechanized, and precise slaughter was underway.
"Let the Headshield Beetles lead the charge and clear the path!"
"Follow with the Bladearm Bugs, and have the archers provide cover. Leave none alive!"
In the dimly lit, narrow tunnels, brief human commands echoed.
After just a few breaths, several rockets were fired.
The inconspicuous flame arrows couldn't possibly illuminate an entire cave, but upon striking the ground, walls, or Deviators, they exploded into intense flames, emitting a bright light that illuminated the entire cave.
Immediately, ant-like insects with hard shields on their heads charged into the cave with ferocity.
They ignored any obstacles in their path, relentlessly pushing forward.
Neither seeking high-efficiency kills nor other objectives, they focused solely on clearing the way, flattening everything from the tunnel to the cave.
The next moment, blades flashed.
The Deviators, still off-balance from the initial charge, were slashed down by the Bladearm Bugs.
As the front line advanced into the cave, the rhythmic slaughter spread to the surroundings.
In less than a quarter of an hour, this moderately-sized cave was left with only the broken corpses of Deviators, their green tissues polluting the ground into sticky mud.
"Watch out for the poisonous water on the ground, keep clearing the cave!"
"Lord Lindsey gave us orders this morning, there are no humans to be kept here. Everyone, inspect thoroughly and don't let any enemy remnants slip by!"
The voice of a human rang out.
Headshield Beetles with their chitinous armor blocked the tunnel exit, forming an impenetrable barrier.
The remaining humans and insects continued their cave-clearing operation.
This swift and efficient scene wasn't unique to this location.
In fact, within a radius of several kilometers, human and insectoid forces were mixed in various areas.
In some places, even where Deviators had set up Flesh Bomb roadblocks.
Engineers equipped with Lindsey's tools worked in pairs, digging ahead with exaggerated speed, as if in a survival game, quickly clearing paths that were once blocked.
When the roads twisted, they would create new, straight paths, saving time.
No obstruction could delay the advance of this army.
...
In reality, it had been two months since the war began.
Lindsey had maximized the productivity of the insectoid nest, and now there were over a thousand functionally diverse insects reorganized into an army, divided into 13 units of a hundred each.
Among them were Awakened humans, interspersed with the insectoid forces.
They provided command to the unintelligent insects, while Banyan Forest-trained Sword Dancers and archers offered support from the sidelines.
The confined, narrow underground spaces were not suitable for large-scale battles involving thousands of troops.
Each nest only required the most suitable personnel to achieve a crushing combat advantage.
Following the victorious paths, they made their way to the rear.
At the convergence of all the tunnels, a temporary camp was set up, with Lindsey at its center.
By his side, Nari, clad in wooden armor, checked the time and approached.
"Lord Lindsey, how is the battle situation today?" Nari asked.
Nari was the Elemental Manipulator from the Mercury Mine Shaft.
After being absorbed by the Banyan Forest, this Second Stage Awakener had come to understand his future path. He voluntarily gave up managing the mine and went to the Forest Capital for further training.
Under Hilda's guidance,
This young man successfully advanced from the Second Stage to the Third Stage. On this occasion, he accompanied the army to subjugate the Deviators, becoming one of Lindsey's most reliable confidants.
As the question was posed, Lindsey continued to observe the Strategic Map.
His gaze swept across the battlefields of the thirteen units, most of which had swiftly concluded their engagements. Only two directions remained unresolved.
"Nari, send reinforcements to the Seventh Legion," Lindsey commanded.
"The rest of you, follow me to support the Twelfth Legion."
With the orders given, the two began to tally the reserve forces in the camp, and proceeded forward along the underground passage that was being reinforced.
In the midst of war, each of Lindsey's modules served a specific purpose.
Before each day's strategic advance, he would consume Essence and use the Adventure Map to scout the surrounding enemy situation, then employ the Strategic Map to allocate and command his forces for the assault.
When facing Deviators of the Third Stage or below, the combined human-insectoid tactics easily overwhelmed them, with minimal casualties.
However, if a powerful Awakener appeared, they could even resist the army for a time.
Lindsey avoided using human wave tactics for attrition.
Instead, he dispatched his most elite forces for support, employing the most targeted methods to subjugate them!
(End of Chapter)
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