Chapter 281: The First Wave of Attack Has Arrived
Finally, it occurred to Faye Yardley that the defensive arrangements didn’t need to be so complicated. She would just divide the perimeter into ten equal sectors, assign one person to defend each, and have herself and Kingston act as mobile support.
Forget about military experts. In a place that defied logic and rules, even the best strategist would be useless.
She simply divided the map into ten sections and wrote down each person’s surname in clockwise order. Then, Faye Yardley took a picture of the island map and sent it to everyone participating in the defense the next day.
After receiving it, Zachary Pierce sent a message. "Yardley, do you need any backup personnel? Does your mission specify if people who don’t set foot on the island still count toward your limit for reinforcements?"
Faye Yardley blinked at the message. "I don’t know. It only said I could ask for ten outsiders. There were no other specific instructions. But regarding backup personnel, it would be great if you could recommend someone. After all, even with Physical Energy Potions, it’s good to have replacements in case someone gets injured."
"In that case, I’ll recommend five more people for you. Go ahead and add them. Also, I’ll prepare the eight-hour Invitation Cards. Check your Red Envelope."
"Okay, thanks, Mr. Pierce."
"Don’t mention it. Helping you is also a way for us to gain experience."
She added the people Zachary Pierce recommended and took some time to get to know each of them. She also sent them the map, explaining that as the reserve force, they could wait on her raft for now.
Of course, this was taking up their personal time, so Faye Yardley asked what they wanted as compensation.
But every single one of them said they didn’t need any compensation and felt honored just to be a part of it.
Faye Yardley blinked. ’I have no idea what they’re thinking.’
Two of them, both women, expressed their admiration for her, saying that even though she was young, she was already their role model.
Uh...
Faye Yardley didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she started thinking about any large-scale, wide-area weapons that would be suitable for use at sea.
A tour of the trading market yielded no special finds.
She opened her small group chat and tagged Bonnie Callahan directly.
Faye Yardley: @Bonnie Callahan, Miss Bonnie, can you help me craft a batch of special Arrows? I’ll give you a jar of special paralyzing paste. Can you coat all the Arrows with it for me?
Bonnie Callahan: Hon, send it over! I just registered a special blueprint on my workbench that lets me add different Attributes to Arrows using various materials. I don’t have any good materials on hand, so this is perfect for me to level up my experience.
Faye Yardley: Okay, thanks. It’s in a designated Red Envelope. Please try to get them to me before 7 a.m. tomorrow.
A moment after accepting the Red Envelope, Bonnie Callahan replied in the group chat: It won’t take that long. I can have 200 paralyzing Arrows ready for you in about 40 minutes.
Leo Sloan: @Faye Yardley @Bonnie Callahan, Yardley must have a special need. I just got a poison that inflicts damage over time and debuffs. Callahan, you should add this to the Arrows, too. Designated Red Envelope.
Faye Yardley: Thanks, Mr. Sloan. In that case, I’ll gladly accept.
Wade Warren: What’s the group leader up to? If you can use my help, just say the word. I have some Thunder Pills. They’re like bombs when you throw them. Take these for now. Designated Red Envelope.
Faye Yardley: Thank you for the kind offer, Mr. Warren. If I need anything, I won’t hesitate to ask.
True to her word, she didn’t hesitate, immediately accepting the Red Envelope Wade Warren sent.
This wasn’t the time to be polite with her group members.
Kyle Lewis: @Faye Yardley, Miss Yardley, I have some traps that can be placed on the ground. You can have them.
「The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.」
At 7:50 a.m., she invited the first group of ten people.
Except for those defending the line near the raft, Faye Yardley had Bella transport the ones assigned to farther positions. Bella could carry two people at a time, so it started with the other side of the island—the furthest point from the raft’s location.
Those who were closer set off on their own.
Tiberius, on the other hand, simply got his bearings, jumped into the sea, and vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Yardley, this old Taoist can get to his defensive sector on his own. Don’t worry, I won’t be late." With that, Master Veridian set foot on the island and quickly made his way along the perimeter.
The others didn’t say much either. After asking which way was closest, they went ashore and also followed the coastline to their positions.
As for the five people in reserve, Faye Yardley planned to invite them over after the first wave of battle was over.
Her raft was currently moored at the island’s conch-shaped bay. She had no idea if the raft itself would be attacked when the first wave of polluted creatures arrived.
Gavin Donovan scratched his head. "Boss, so I’m just guarding the area around the raft?"
"Yes. The area is actually quite large, and this part is a shallow beach. It’s an easier landing spot than the rock walls behind it, so you’ll be under a lot of pressure."
"Don’t worry, I’ll hold the line!"
"I’ve placed several traps on the beach. They’re marked with red cloth. Just be careful not to fall into one yourself."
Ten minutes was a very tight schedule. Faye Yardley also leaped off the raft and began walking outward directly across the surface of the sea.
As she walked, a system notification arrived.
[Island Master Task 2 has begun. Countdown initiated: 08:00:00]
The once-calm surface of the sea was suddenly teeming with a dense, unbroken line of polluted creatures.
They weren’t just sea creatures; many of them were clearly four-legged land animals.
A massive horde surged toward the island.
Faye Yardley took out her Longbow. Without needing to aim carefully, she fired a Crystal Arrow straight into the enemy ranks, followed immediately by an Arrow tipped with an explosive talisman.
An explosion soon ripped through the other side, throwing their formation into disarray.
However, their advance clearly quickened.
The battle hadn’t just started on her front; fighting had broken out all around the island.
This was especially true in the sector Tiberius was responsible for. He began attacking the polluted creatures from far out in the sea.
Others waited until the creatures were close to the island before launching their counterattacks.
Once the battle began, it was not going to end easily.
Eventually, Faye Yardley drew Light Wound and engaged the polluted creatures directly in the sea.
Even in a one-versus-many fight, she held her own.
And perhaps because the battle had just begun, the polluted creatures weren’t very strong. Most of them went down after just one or two slashes from Light Wound.
But while they were easy to kill, their numbers were simply overwhelming. She was soon completely surrounded. As soon as one group fell, another would swarm in. It seemed the creatures were utterly fearless of death.
Soon, Faye Yardley became a ruthless killing machine. In fact, she fought with increasing ferocity, charging directly into the densest concentrations of polluted creatures without waiting for them to surround her.
Everyone had their own way of fighting. Kingston, riding Bella, ended up providing the most support to Ethan Yardley’s side.
It was unclear if Ethan Yardley was just unlucky, but the polluted creatures coming from his direction were clearly much stronger than those in other sectors.