Chapter 230 - 139: Hidden Information_2
His ranged firepower had always been insufficient. In large-scale battles, ranged units held too great an advantage. One only had to think of Benjamin’s Jackal Wolfman Long Spear Team to understand. The key factor allowing him to rampage across the Wasteland and go Plundering everywhere was that very Long Spear Team. They would unleash several volleys from a distance, felling a swathe of your troops before the fight even began, which had an enormous impact on both morale and combat effectiveness.
Li Ziyu’s armory didn’t have any Firearms, so Archers were crucial. He currently had over 300 Skeleton Longbowmen, but what good were 300 Skeleton Longbowmen against the impending Cancerous Tumor Alliance Army? Now, 300 Spartan Warriors, that would be a different story.
’I have to get more Archers!’
A single Skeleton Longbowman cost 4 units of Skeleton and 530 units of Soul Energy to create. A team of 100, then, would require 400 units of Skeleton and 53,000 Soul Energy.
The Skeletons were no big deal. Li Ziyu wouldn’t bat an eye at 400 units, or even 4,000. But 53,000 Soul Energy... that was a bitter pill to swallow.
But Skeleton Longbows offered too great an advantage on the battlefield. Their Attack Power was immense, and they provided a ranged suppression effect. He would have to grit his teeth and create them. He’d start with 700 to round out 10 teams of Skeleton Longbowmen, which would consume 370,000 units of Soul Energy.
Then there were the Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors. Those incredibly cost-effective battlefield tanks were a must-summon. Topping their numbers up to 3,000 would consume another 290,000 units of Soul Energy.
Just these two unit types alone would consume 660,000 units of Soul Energy, and the resulting numbers weren’t even that high. The thought made Li Ziyu’s teeth ache.
’High Tier Combat Sequences really are the Undead’s Achilles’ heel. It’s a clear racial limitation. The amount of Soul Energy required to assemble a force of High Tier Undead is astronomical. It’s so damn hard.’
’My Mobile Fortress is still only Fortress Level, so my units naturally can’t be that advanced. Even so, I’m already feeling overwhelmed. When the main keep is upgraded again, raising the Mobile Fortress to an even higher level, more unit types will surely appear. How much Soul Energy will that consume? Where would I even get that much? I don’t even dare to think about it.’
’Whatever. I’ll deal with future problems when they come. I need to focus on the here and now.’
’Should I create some more High Level Skeleton Warriors?’
On the surface, High Level Skeleton Warriors were less cost-effective than Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors. After all, both cost 100 units of Soul Energy, but in terms of combat prowess, an Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warrior could completely crush a High Level Skeleton Warrior. They weren’t even in the same league.
But since the system made the unit available, it had to have its own value. And Li Ziyu had discovered the hidden purpose of the High Level Skeleton Warrior.
The Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warrior was an undisputed Battle General—unparalleled in a charge, a one-man army with off-the-charts combat power. A single glance at its appearance told you that "battlefield tank" was no empty title.
’So what about the High Level Skeleton Warrior? If you say it’s strong... well, it’s decent. But if you say it’s weak... well, it definitely can’t beat an Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warrior.’ Li Ziyu pondered its purpose. ’It can’t be completely useless, right?’
’As a basic Combat Sequence, it has to have some value!’
And the value of the High Level Skeleton Warrior lay not in its own combat power, but in its Commanding Power!
The true purpose of Skeleton Warriors was for the High Tier to Command the Low Tier, forming a ruling Golden Pyramid to control the vast Skeleton Undead Army.
The Undead Race ultimately relied on the sheer numbers of its Skeleton Undead. But if there was no way to command them with the precision of one’s own limbs, they would never be able to unleash their true fighting potential.
It was just like the last battle against the Jackal Wolfmen. Li Ziyu had sent out several times their number in Skeleton Undead, yet his forces were completely stopped by the Jackal Wolfs. They couldn’t break through, couldn’t make a dent, and just allowed the enemy to deal damage at will. He had needlessly lost tens of thousands of troops, and the greatest harm they had inflicted was probably forcing the Jackal Wolfman Long Spear Team to use up some of their Ammunition.
’So damn unreliable!’
Li Ziyu reflected on it and felt that he had been using the wrong approach.
’It’s like having a massive army, but without a single officer, trying to command every last soldier myself. How could that possibly work? When I issue an order, it’s not only slow to spread, but the soldiers can’t even fully grasp the command. Even with overwhelming numbers, their combat effectiveness just won’t increase.’
Following this line of reasoning, the existence of the Skeleton Warrior unit was equivalent to that of junior officers. Li Ziyu didn’t need to control every single Skeleton Undead himself; he just had to dispatch the Skeleton Warriors and let them command the Skeleton Undead in battle.
To test his theory, he decided to give it a shot and specifically asked the system. As it turned out, the system actually gave him an answer.
[Congratulations, you have discovered the hidden information: "The True Purpose of Skeleton Warriors."]
[The True Purpose of Skeleton Warriors: As the most basic Undead Combat Sequence, Skeleton Warriors possess a special pressure that allows them to control a certain number of Skeleton Undead, helping the City Lord to better execute combat commands.]
[*Note: Each Low Level Skeleton Warrior can Command 1,000 Skeleton Undead. Each Intermediate Skeleton Warrior can Command 10 Skeleton Warriors and 10,000 Skeleton Undead. Each High Level Skeleton Warrior can Command 10 High Level Skeleton Warriors and 100,000 Skeleton Undead. Warning: You cannot skip ranks to establish direct Command.]
’This damn system! This information is so critical, yet it didn’t give me a single hint. If I hadn’t asked, it never would have told me!’
’All this time, I’ve been thinking Skeleton Warriors were just ordinary combatants. Turns out they’re officers, not common Warriors at all!’