Chapter 1: Aid from the Enemy

Chapter 1: Enemy Reinforcements

Standing atop the highest point of the Graveyard Fiend, Li Bin watched coldly as the Earth Goblin Wolf Riders launched their charge. Though earth goblins and goblins were only distant relatives, their instinct to bully the weak and fear the strong remained unchanged. Even as wolf riders, even under the command of a hero, when faced with more than twenty undead ballistae, their assault was just a fraction slower.

That slight hesitation was all Li Bin needed. Over twenty undead ballistae, paired two to each wolf rider—one targeting the goblin, one targeting the mount—instantly pinned the thirteen leading earth goblin wolf riders to the ground.

Meanwhile, two steel ballistae unleashed toxic gas shells, their three shots per day fired in quick succession. Green poisonous mist rose where the wolf riders had fallen, halting the remaining riders still alive in their tracks.

The orc wolf rider hero, still savoring his momentum, had no time to issue another command before twenty more bolts flew straight at them. He shouted desperately, “Retreat, retreat now!”

But it was already too late. Under the barrage, not a single earth goblin wolf rider survived, and even the orc hero was seriously wounded.

Wan Nian Chang Zai had never imagined Li Bin held such hidden strength. There wasn’t even time for his two-headed ogre mage to cast buff spells for the wolf riders; the entire unit was wiped out.

Seizing the momentum from the slaughter of the wolf riders, Li Bin decided to launch a counterattack.

He summoned Lidas, who stood beside him, and said, “When we launch our full assault, the centaur spear regiment behind Wan Nian Chang Zai will be yours to handle.”

“I understand,” Lidas replied, glancing indifferently at the centaur troops behind Wan Nian Chang Zai.

“Don’t underestimate them. If Wan Nian Chang Zai kept them as reserves, they must be at least level three. Their numbers are few, but they won't be easy to deal with. Be careful.”

With that, Li Bin began rallying his forces for the final battle. After two days of replenishment, his direct command had recovered some strength.

Three squads of skeletons and two squads of corpse soldiers formed the backbone of his force. Two squads of undead ballistae, already summoned, were being fixed to the Graveyard Fiend’s exterior with the help of a host of will-o’-the-wisp slaves.

It seemed Li Bin intended to turn these undead ballistae into the Fiend’s weaponry, forging a powerful firepower network for the counterattack.

Just as Li Bin finished preparations, a wild wolf’s howl erupted behind his lines, and he received a new system prompt: “Player Eternal Evergreen’s troops are approaching the battlefield.”

Li Bin, standing atop the Graveyard Fiend, turned to see a cloud of dust rising behind him, at least a squadron of wolf riders rushing toward the fray. With keen eyes, Li Bin discerned that level-four orc wolf riders formed the core of this force, and within their ranks, armored orcs could be seen.

“Damn it, enemy reinforcements,” Li Bin realized the battle could not be won. If he didn’t withdraw now, escape might not be possible.

Gritting his teeth, he ordered, “Deirdre, leave half your skeletons behind to cover our retreat. We’re leaving.”

Deirdre raised her hand, and the skeletons guarding the Graveyard Fiend’s perimeter split, half moving to intercept the incoming wolf riders.

Wan Nian Chang Zai across the battlefield noticed the situation, joyfully shouting, “Block them! Don’t let a single one escape!”

His formation rapidly shifted, the cannon fodder intermingled with Toudina’s troops quickly converging at the center, with the two-headed ogre commanding priests to cast buff spells on the cannon fodder.

Wan Nian Chang Zai himself was eager, waiting for Li Bin to launch his charge.

Li Bin wasn’t foolish enough to throw all his forces in. He ordered the undead ballistae to fire toxic shells, scattering the enemy formation, and gave Lidas a meaningful glance.

Lidas, sharp as ever, immediately understood Li Bin’s intentions. Ignoring the poisonous mist still lingering over the battlefield, she led her troops forward.

Wan Nian Chang Zai, thinking these were Li Bin’s last reserves, was about to send out his own.

But just then, a sharp whistling filled the sky. Wan Nian Chang Zai looked up to see more than ten gargoyles, bodies streaked with green rust and limbs gleaming with metal, swooping toward him.

“Level-two gargoyles? How dare you! Overestimating yourself,” Wan Nian Chang Zai scoffed, pointing his staff skyward. A bolt of lightning crashed down, striking a gargoyle from the sky.

Yet with so many gargoyles, Wan Nian Chang Zai’s casting speed could not keep pace. Before he could finish a second spell, two swift gargoyles reached him.

Startled, Wan Nian Chang Zai retreated, while his centaur spear regiment dutifully charged to his defense.

But for some reason, the gargoyles that had reached him suddenly soared higher, flying away.

Wan Nian Chang Zai looked up to see the battle had shifted again in an instant. Lidas and her troops had broken through his cannon fodder line, now assaulting the orc axe thrower formation.

Li Bin’s Graveyard Fiend had moved to the center of the battlefield, with more than twenty undead ballistae mounted on its exterior, unleashing their full power.

Wan Nian Chang Zai’s battle line could not hold for much longer, and the wolf rider reinforcements he depended on were still entangled with Li Bin’s skeletons.

Seeing the situation, Wan Nian Chang Zai decisively abandoned the battle, withdrawing from the fight.

Receiving the system prompt of Wan Nian Chang Zai’s withdrawal, Li Bin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He, too, had gambled, sending his undead steel-clawed gargoyles to intimidate the rear commander.

Had Wan Nian Chang Zai been braver, he could have realized these upgraded gargoyles posed little real threat; then the battle would have had a very different outcome.

Leaving the battlefield, Li Bin spared Wan Nian Chang Zai’s remaining troops, rapidly regrouped his forces, and departed before Eternal Evergreen could arrive.

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