Strongest Soldier King

An hour was enough time for everyone to make considerable preparations, such as setting up three defensive lines. Although it was just a matter of digging scattered pits and piling up some stones and broken wood, under the command of Ghost Hand and Lan Xue, it took a more structured form. Especially after discovering the direction of the enemy's movements, they used their entrenching tools to dig trenches, making the defense more solid and practical. Though not yet perfect, it gave everyone a sense of psychological security.

Luo Zheng moved to the front lines, gazing at the embryonic position of the battle lines, then looked towards the Wild Wolves that had reached the foot of the mountain, howling in agitation. The White Wolf King was frantically suppressing them, forbidding the pack from launching an attack. Faintly, Luo Zheng even saw someone approaching. He sneered, waved his hand grandly, and nearly a hundred soldiers on the front line swiftly readied themselves for battle, casting stern looks down the mountain. The Hook Tribe's Armed, who had long been dealing with beasts, did not panic or fear the ferocious wolf pack.

The Wild Wolves howled furiously, seemingly unable to be entirely suppressed. The White Wolf King kept running back and forth, roaring, occasionally pouncing on particularly wild wolves to bite them, gradually subduing the pack. Luo Zheng watched this scenario coldly, raising his sniper rifle in an attempt to aim at the White Wolf King. As they were already enemies with the wolves, there was no need to worry about future revenge. Killing the White Wolf King would scatter the pack, significantly reducing Tang Tian's combat power.

However, the White Wolf King seemed to sense being targeted, quickly vanished from sight, and retreated into the dense forest, leaving no trace and no locking. Luo Zheng had to give up, lowered his gun, and shouted with all his might, "Tang Tian, come out and answer. I assure you on my honor I won't shoot you."

"I do trust your word, but the people with you are another story. So let's keep it that way, I can hear you. What do you want?" shouted a female voice from the dense forest at the mountain's base, filled with murderous intent and anger.

"For your father's sake, here's a friendly piece of advice: retreat with your people. There might still be hope for a peaceful end. Miss this chance, and you may not be so lucky," Luo Zheng coldly warned.

"You killed so many of my men, not killing you is unacceptable to my brothers. This is not a personal vendetta, so only one of us can emerge alive. Don't think you're safe just because you have some natives by your side. I'll give you a piece of advice as well: be careful. Your life is mine to take, and I won't let anyone else take it," Tang Tian shouted fearlessly, her voice cutting through the forest, reaching everyone's ears clearly.

Luo Zheng discerned a lot from Tang Tian's words and retorted with a sneer, "So you're with the Eight-direction Alliance?"

"Seems you've found out. I'm surprised at how well-informed you are. Good that you know. Do you really think these untrained natives with no experience in modern warfare can stop the attack? Their guns are probably rusty. No worries, no food, no reinforcements — I'd like to see how you respond," Tang Tian coldly remarked.

"The Bloodsuckers have also allied with you, right?" Luo Zheng shouted.

Tang Tian did not answer. Silence fell over the dense forest at the mountain's base, leading Luo Zheng to assume that Tang Tian was making preparations. Her non-response was an answer in itself. Luo Zheng realized that it was highly likely the Bloodsuckers had formed an alliance with the so-called Eight-direction Alliance, or at least reached some kind of cooperation agreement. This was not good news. Luo Zheng frowned slightly and instructed Mountain Eagle beside him, "Zhou Gang, Liu Xun, Zhang Bin, and Wu Yuan should each guard a position on the mountainside, focusing mainly on alerting us to any enemy infiltration."

"Understood," Mountain Eagle promptly replied, relaying the orders through his earpiece.

With Zhou Gang and the others taking on the role of sentinels and holding down the four sides of the mountain, Luo Zheng felt somewhat relieved. When Hook approached him, Luo Zheng went up to meet him. Hook eagerly inquired, "Old friend, are the enemies going to attack? Should the reserve units come to help?"

"Not for the time being. Issue orders for now to dig a pit for everyone to relieve themselves in the same spot, then gather some poisonous grass and mushrooms," Luo Zheng quietly instructed.

"What?" Hook looked at Luo Zheng in surprise, but seeing that Luo Zheng wasn't joking, he quickly beckoned someone over and whispered a few instructions. After the person left, he curiously asked, "Old friend, what do you need these for?"

"Mix these things together, boil them, then soak your arrows in it. Once this stuff sticks to arrows and hits a person, the wound will quickly become inflamed and rot, almost impossible to heal. The enemy is incredibly strong, so we must boost our combat effectiveness. To survive, we must resort to ruthless measures," Luo Zheng explained in a low voice, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Alright, the men are skilled at throwing spears, and there's plenty of hardwood here to make some. The spears can be treated with the same stuff, and what about traps on the ground?" Hook suggested immediately.

Luo Zheng's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "Good idea. Prepare more spears, and make the traps dense. Even if the enemy spots them, it's no big deal. They'll serve as a deterrent, and we can even set up fake traps. This area is too large for us to defend effectively, so we must prepare more."

"Okay, I'll personally take charge of this task," Hook agreed enthusiastically, quickly heading to the rear. Considering it's a matter of life and death for the tribe, Hook was very attentive.

To survive and accomplish the mission, Luo Zheng was willing to use poison. On the battlefield, killing the enemy and surviving is the ultimate goal, and the methods and process hardly matter. At this moment, Lan Xue approached and said, "It seems Tang Tian is waiting for others. I noticed many birds taking flight from different areas earlier, suggesting that the so-called alliance is rushing over. We don't have much time left."

"Yes, night is falling soon, and it's uncertain if the enemy will attack before it gets dark. We must prepare. You should return to command the reserves and be ready to respond. Ghost Hand and I will remain here to maintain contact. If we can hold them off until nightfall, we will gain an extra night of time," Luo Zheng said quietly.

"There will certainly be some probing attacks, so be careful," Lan Xue replied, rushing up the mountain.

The enemy did not launch an immediate attack, so Luo Zheng ordered everyone to continue fortifying the works. Charging from the base of the mountain to the midsection wasn't easy, as the terrain was steep and the path difficult, requiring at least ten minutes even at the fastest pace. This time was enough for everyone to prepare for battle, so there was no need for excessive worry.

Ghost Hand and Mountain Eagle went to instruct everyone on setting up the fortifications, while Luo Zheng stood alone on a ridge in front of the defensive line, coldly watching the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, monitoring the enemy's every move. Although not relaxed, knowing the Bloodsuckers had nearly a hundred remaining forces, each elite and filled with vengeful intent, they would undoubtedly fight fiercely. Additionally, the Snow Bear, Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, and other unknown forces numbered at least hundreds, accompanied by who knows how many wolf packs. Although it seemed their side had more people numerically, the quality was vastly different. How could this battle be fought?