Chapter 534: The Fall of the Western Regions
Seven days later, the army of Fenghuo Territory finally approached Kun'an City, the southwesternmost point of the formation in Wulu City.
When they were still thirty miles from Kun'an City, a grand system notification appeared in everyone's minds at the same time.
【Kun'an Formation - Immovable as a Mountain activated. Defenders within the formation gain +20 defense, +500 health, -50% stamina consumption rate, -50% city gate durability consumption, and have their attack range increased by 100 meters for units below level 20.】
Lin Feng sighed inwardly. The range was so vast that even a regular buff was comparable to a low-level wonder. It was indeed one of the effects of a high-level wonder.
He glanced back at the flowing river of light made of torches behind him.
More than twenty minutes later, the majestic city walls of Kun'an City finally came into complete view at the edge of the horizon.
The figures of the defenders on the city wall became clearer and clearer, and the sounds of commands and the mechanical friction of crossbows being cocked could be faintly heard from behind the crenellations.
Just then, five figures took off from the direction of Kun'an City and flew towards the army.
Each of the five figures was surrounded by a golden halo. At the front was Zhou Guosheng, followed by two Golden Seat Lords of [N O V E L I G H T] the Great Xia Dynasty.
Chu Huaice was over sixty years old, with gray hair and deep wrinkles on his face, but his back was still straight, and his eyes were brighter than those of an old man nearing seventy.
Lu Shanyue, in his early forties, had a resolute face and thick, sharp eyebrows.
He is the cousin of Lu Dingchuan, the city lord of Zhenyue City, and they are both level 40 warriors.
Further to the right was a burly white man carrying a large iron hammer on his shoulder.
The figure on the far left, her golden robes fluttering slightly in the darkness, the pale blue light of the Wind God's Staff illuminating the faint smile on her lips, was none other than Isabella.
Lin Feng, along with Jiang Zhaoyue, Jiang Yelan, and Meng Yi, went to greet them.
The two sides met about 100 meters from the city wall and slowed down to hover.
Zhou Guosheng spoke first, his tone more composed than when they last met: "Lord Lin, you must be tired from your journey."
"Director Zhou," Lin Feng nodded slightly, "the journey was fairly smooth."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhou Guosheng introduced Lin Feng: "I don't need to introduce City Lord Isabella, we're all old acquaintances. This is Raymond Carter, one of the three city lords of Freedom City in the United States."
Lin Feng and Raymond Carter nodded to each other.
Raymond Carter extended his hand, saying, "Lord Lin, please don't call me Lord Carter anymore, just call me Raymond."
Lin Feng did not refuse and grasped his hand: "Raymond, how is the situation in Liberty City now?"
Raymond's expression didn't change much, and his voice was low: "It fell two days ago."
Lin Feng glanced at him and said solemnly, "Please accept my condolences."
Raymond didn't reply, but simply nodded silently.
Lin Feng was somewhat surprised. Freedom City was the main city of the United States, and its fall meant that the United States was basically half-destroyed.
He turned to look at Zhou Guosheng, who shook his head slightly, indicating that this was not the place to discuss things in detail: "There are some things that are not suitable to be said outside the city. Let's go to the council hall."
Lin Feng nodded, then turned to Meng Yi and instructed, "Lead the army to set up camp ten miles east of the city. After setting up camp, rest and reorganize on the spot, and maintain vigilance. All officers of the rank of general and above shall stand by."
Meng Yi placed his right fist against his chest, accepted the order, turned around, and his figure transformed into a purple streak of light, flying towards the rear of the army.
Lin Feng, Jiang Zhaoyue, and Jiang Yelan followed Zhou Guosheng and the others, flying towards the council hall in the center of Kun'an City.
The council hall is a gray-white stone building, square and without any superfluous decorations.
Two guards stood on each side of the porch, their armor plates covered in fine dust.
After everyone entered the hall, Lin Feng and his two companions sat on the left at Zhou Guosheng's suggestion, while the other four sat on the right.
Zhou Guosheng walked to the head seat and sat down. His gaze swept over everyone, and his tone was as calm as if he were stating a fact that had been confirmed many times before: "The Western Region has fallen completely."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Zhou Guosheng continued, "After the Demon King-level dungeon was unsealed more than ten days ago, the various countries of Blue Star immediately formed an advisory group after confirming the approximate size of the Nightmare Clan."
Based on the existing forces in the Arctic, Eastern, and Western Arctic regions, the staff conducted several simulations, and the conclusions were consistent.
The chances of defeating the Nightmare army on the battlefield of Wulu City relying solely on the strength of these three domains are virtually zero. Only if the Antarctic Domain also commits sufficient forces will there be any chance of victory.
"The staff also offered another solution: if all the countries of Earth concentrate all their forces in the Antarctic region, the probability of victory is 100%, but in that case, all territories outside the Antarctic region will fall."
He paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to Lin Feng: "I was struggling with this decision when I received the news that you had already led your troops north."
After I shared the size of your reinforcements with the staff, they re-analyzed the situation and concluded that with your support, our chances of winning at Wulu City are now over 60%. Lord Lin, you've done us a great favor this time.”
Lin Feng shook his head slightly: "Director Zhou, you're exaggerating. The Nightmare Clan wants to exterminate the human race, and I can't just sit idly by. Every time they lose a soldier, their strength is gone. We need to fight a war of attrition, and the sooner we start, the better."
Even if I lose all my troops, I can always recruit more later. Trading space for time—it's a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.”
Zhou Guosheng nodded, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes: "Well said! But in fact, the Nightmare Clan, though seemingly powerful, is not invincible. The fall of the Western Region was part of our plan."
"At that time, the Nightmare Clan's primary target was the Western Region. It was difficult for support from various countries to reach them. Therefore, we devised a plan to have the countries of the Western Region exchange space for battle losses. Every city had to make the Nightmare Clan pay a price, using their defenses to deplete the Nightmare Clan's manpower."
Thanks to this plan, the Nightmare Clan's forces are now less than 700,000, and over forty level 39 Faceless Ones have been eliminated.
His tone turned somber: "After holding off the Nightmare Clan's main force for half a day as planned, Free City surrendered to a county-level territory."
The three city lords led the remaining air force in a breakout attempt, resulting in... the deaths of two city lords, but the successful arrival of over fifty third-tier combatants at Five Deer City.
Raymond lowered his head slightly in his seat and gripped the handle of the large iron hammer that was leaning against the side of his chair.
Zhou Guosheng paused for a moment, giving a brief silence, before continuing to speak, his tone becoming firm again.
"Now, the air combat force of Wulu City at level three and above, plus the support from the Eastern Extreme Region and the force brought by Lord Lin, has reached more than 360 people, which is enough to rival the Nightmare Clan."