Chapter 196 - 130: October: Defense Month (2)
In just a few minutes, the massive Ratman army disappeared into the tunnel.
They also blocked the tunnel entrance in front of the Teleportation Gate with dirt, adding some turf for camouflage. Without a close look, it was difficult to tell an underground tunnel even existed there.
...
Two hours later, inside the city, the Lord was growing impatient.
He had sent out his scouts to investigate a ten-kilometer radius around the territory for any suspicious activity.
Before long, the scouts returned one by one. They all reported seeing nothing unusual.
’What’s going on? Did I get a free pass?’
’My luck can’t be this good, can it?’
"Has everyone returned?" the Lord asked cheerfully.
"No, sir. Number 14 and Number 4 aren’t back yet," a scout replied.
"Which direction did they go? Number 1, Number 2, go and check on them. Why are they taking so long?!" The displeased Lord dispatched men to search for the missing scouts.
Scouts Number 1 and Number 2 left the Lord’s Mansion, but they returned less than a minute later.
"Hmm? Didn’t I tell you to find Number 14 and Number 4?"
"My Lord, there’s no need. Number 4 is back."
Another scout entered behind them.
"Tell me, why are you back so late? Did you run into the enemy?"
"My Lord, I believe I did."
"What do you mean, ’you believe you did’? Either you did or you didn’t!" The Lord couldn’t stand such a vague answer.
"My Lord, it’s like this. I was on patrol when I suddenly received a signal from Number 14, so I went to find him."
"At the time, Number 14 was standing beside a small dirt mound. He told me that he and his girlfriend often spent time there, so he was positive the mound hadn’t been there before."
"He decided to dig into the mound to investigate. But as a precaution, and to ensure any intelligence could be relayed back in time, he called me over to watch from a distance."
"So I hid in the nearby grass. Then, Number 14 dug open the mound. There was a tunnel underneath, and he climbed inside."
"I waited there for a long time, but I never saw Number 14 come out, so I hurried back to report."
The Lord was alarmed after hearing Number 4’s report.
"All units, listen up! Immediately relay my orders! Have all forces divert some of their attention to the city itself! Watch out for an enemy attack on our home base!"
"Furthermore, instruct all squad leaders to station one soldier every 100 meters to listen for sounds from underground and determine if the enemy is tunneling in."
"Yes, sir!!"
Taking their orders, all the scouts ran out of the Lord’s Mansion.
"Phew... good thing we found out in time, otherwise..."
BOOM—
With a tremendous crash, a giant rat burst out from the open ground in front of the Lord’s Mansion. Scout Number 4 happened to be standing right there and was sent flying by the impact, only to be impaled by the giant rat’s sharp claws and killed instantly.
A swarm of Ratmen poured out from the hole behind it. They quickly dispersed, launching attacks in all directions in a disciplined manner. Clearly, they were well-practiced in this type of tunnel warfare.
Seeing this, the Lord immediately dove for cover. He ordered the Guards at his side to summon the army to exterminate the rats, while also telling the surrounding civilians to run for their lives.
Soon, the nearby soldiers surrounded them.
By then, the Ratmen had already killed a large number of civilians. As the townspeople scattered to flee for their lives, the pursuing Ratmen naturally broke into smaller squads, which were then surrounded and wiped out by the responding soldiers.
The scattered Ratmen killed without expression. They attacked civilians and soldiers on sight. In front of ordinary townspeople, they were brutal killers, but they were outmatched when facing the well-trained army.
As the Ratmen charged, the Blade and Shield Soldiers in the lead quickly moved in. They coordinated with practiced skill, surrounding the Ratmen.
The Crossbowmen and Long Spear Soldiers behind them then opened fire, killing the trapped Ratmen. The creatures looked ferocious but were surprisingly easy to take down.
Their movements were somewhat stiff, and they couldn’t effectively dodge attacks. Although they were fearless, they were pinned in the center by the Blade and Shield Soldiers, able to do nothing but passively take the punishment.
Scenes like this played out repeatedly across the city. In this way, the Ratmen who had swarmed up from the ground were quickly wiped out.
"Damn it, that scared the hell out of me! And here I thought these Ratmen were supposed to be tough!"
"Turns out they died in just a few hits. All my preparations were for nothing."
"Men! Go down into these tunnels and search for any remaining Ratmen. Kill them all!"
The Lord patted his chest and stepped out from his hiding place. Seeing the Ratman corpses littering the open ground before the Lord’s Mansion, he grimaced in disgust and ordered them cleaned up immediately, while also arranging for troops to enter the tunnels to root out any stragglers.
The entire city immediately bustled with activity. The surviving townspeople emerged and began clearing away the bodies, while some of the troops entered the tunnels to conduct a thorough search.
The tunnels were all straight, with no forks in the road. In no time, the soldiers reached the end, emerging on the other side into the open land ten kilometers from the territory.
In one of the tunnels, the soldiers found the missing Number 14. He was severely injured, lying on the ground and barely clinging to life. Without immediate help, he would have died shortly. The soldiers rushed him back to the territory for medical treatment.