17: Thunderous iron hooves! Infinite City's first cavalry unit appears!

Inside and outside the city walls, there were monster remains and severed limbs everywhere. Black blood stained the earth, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood and a faint scent of charring.

Most of the soldiers leaned on their weapons, panting heavily, their faces a mix of exhaustion and lingering fear, but more so, excitement and pride.

“We won! We held it!” Someone shouted first.

“We won!!”

“Long live Infinite City!!”

The suppressed emotions completely erupted, and earth-shattering cheers echoed through the sky, dispelling the lingering gloom of the battle.

Su Jin, smiling, slowly descended from the high steps of the Lords Manor and approached the city wall.

Bai Xiao had, at some point, disengaged from his Mind Unleashed form, returning to his original appearance, though his face was a few shades paler than usual. He, Mu Yang, Stone Rock, and Zhui Yun came forward to meet him.

“Lord,” the four bowed in greeting.

“You’ve worked hard.” Su Jin’s gaze swept over them, lingering particularly on Bai Xiao. “You all did very well.”

Bai Xiao nodded slightly, still a man of few words: “Just doing my duty.”

Stone Rock, on the other hand, grinned widely, scratching the back of his head with his uninjured hand, and chuckled good-naturedly: “Heh heh, don’t worry, Lord. With us here, no monster will ever break through!”

Mu Yang stepped forward and reported: “Lord, preliminary estimates indicate thirty-seven of our soldiers are severely wounded, and over a hundred are lightly injured. Monster corpses are everywhere; specific spoils of war are currently being tallied.”

Hearing the casualty numbers, the smile on Su Jin’s face faded slightly. He nodded, looking at the soldiers cleaning the battlefield and the wounded being carried to the rear for treatment.

He said in a deep voice: “Ensure all the injured receive full treatment. Tell the quartermaster that all resources are to be prioritized for the wounded. We must not let our brave warriors bleed and weep!”

“Yes!” Mu Yang responded with a solemn voice.

“Bai Xiao,” Su Jin turned to Bai Xiao, “your Ashen Extinction Ring is incredibly powerful, but its consumption must also be considerable, no? You should be more careful next time.”

Bai Xiao’s eyes flickered, but he maintained his usual stern demeanor, softening his tone slightly: “It’s fine.”

Su Jin couldn’t help but roll his eyes internally. This guy was so concerned with his pride. He said no more, changing the subject: “Give the order to clean up the battlefield, collect all usable materials, especially the monster cores and special materials, and quickly tally them for storage.”

[System Notification: Successfully defended against the first monster siege. Received basic rewards: 113,500 Soul Coins, Basic Resource Pack * 10, Territory Construction Blueprint (Random) * 1.]

[System Notification: Acquired Rot Wolf Essence * 78, Scale Armor Lizard Hide * 315, Spiked Monster Bone Spike * 2441… ]

A series of system notifications rang in Su Jin’s mind. The generous spoils of war restored some of his good mood…

He believed that after a brief rest and inventory, Infinite City’s strength would once again leap forward.

The next morning, in the Lords Manor’s council hall.

Su Jin sat in the main seat, with Bai Xiao, Mu Yang, Stone Rock, and Zhui Yun below him.

“Last night’s battle was a great success, but it also exposed our lack of mobility.” Su Jin got straight to the point. “Facing large-scale assaults, we can only hold the city walls. It’s difficult to quickly maneuver and pursue during counterattacks.”

Mu Yang nodded in agreement: “The Lord is absolutely right. If we had cavalry to conduct flank harassment and charges, last night’s battle would have been much easier.”

Zhui Yun also said: “Archers need to maintain distance. If cavalry could tie up the enemy in front, our output environment would be much better.”

“I think so too. Just running on two legs, we can’t catch those fast monsters,” Stone Rock added in a booming voice.

Su Jin looked at Bai Xiao: “What’s your opinion?”

Bai Xiao’s answer was concise: “Feasible.”

…The council hall instantly fell silent. Even Stone Rock was momentarily stunned, instinctively scratching his head.

Mu Yang and Zhui Yun exchanged glances, with a mix of expected and somewhat helpless smiles.

‘So brief…’ Su Jin glanced at Bai Xiao a few times.

Bai Xiao noticed Su Jin’s gaze, his brows furrowing slightly. He seemed a bit taken aback, wondering if he had said something wrong.

He cleared his throat and, under everyone’s slightly surprised gazes, actually added, for once: “Cavalry, high mobility, can compensate for infantry shortcomings.”

Oh, really? Su Jin almost couldn’t help but laugh out loud. This was truly a rare occurrence; the usually taciturn Bai Xiao had actually volunteered so much information?

With a clear smile in his eyes: “Very good, it seems everyone agrees. Then it’s settled.”

“Coincidentally, we’re going to attack the Goblin Camp to the south in a few days. That’s a plain, so cavalry will be even more effective there.”

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone, finally resting on Bai Xiao, with a hint of subtle teasing.

“Precisely, the next target is the Goblin Camp to the south. It’s mainly plains, with open terrain, perfectly suited for cavalry to gallop.”

His gaze swept over everyone, finally resting on Bai Xiao, with a hint of subtle teasing, “At that time, we’ll see if our cavalry can make their mark.”

“No time to lose, let’s recruit cavalry now.” Su Jin stood up and led everyone to the barracks to choose recruitment…

“Creak—”

The heavy wooden gates groaned under the strain, slowly swinging open to both sides.

The first sound to emerge was the neat and dense pounding of hooves, like distant thunder.

Immediately after, teams of cavalry streamed out of the gates, appearing before everyone.

Three hundred riders, three hundred magnificent mixed-breed prairie horses.

They wore leather armor inlaid with iron plates, with elegantly curved recurve sabers at their waists, and small cavalry bows on their backs.

[wasteland riders (Black Iron - High-tier)] * 300

[Level: Tier 2]

[Skill: Gust Gallop (Actively activated, movement speed increases by 40% for 15 seconds)]

[Description: Lightly armed riders on mixed-breed prairie horses, equipped with iron-inlaid leather armor and recurve sabers. They use their mobility for flank encirclement and supply line harassment. A clustered charge can tear through loose formations, but their light armor makes them vulnerable to direct confrontation with spear and chevaux de frise formations.]

Although they were only a Black Iron high-tier unit, the seasoned, fierce, and sharp aura they exuded was palpable.

The horses snorted restlessly, pawing at the ground with their front hooves, their eyes alert and wild—clearly excellent warhorses skilled in both sprinting and endurance.

The three hundred cavalry quickly formed a neat square formation on the open ground in front of the barracks. Their movements were uniform, and there was complete silence, save for the occasional soft thud of a hoof and the subtle rustle of leather armor.

All the cavalry’s gazes were fixed on Su Jin.

Just then, at the front of the formation, a cavalryman who was clearly a leader spoke in a deep, low voice: “Dismount!”

“Swish!”

Three hundred riders dismounted almost simultaneously, their movements clean and crisp, landing lightly and silently, demonstrating astonishing horsemanship and body control.

“Thump!”

Three hundred men knelt on one knee in unison, the iron plates of their armor clashing with a dull, unified sound. Their heads were bowed, and their right hands, clenched into fists, rested on their chests.

They rendered a standard military salute to their Lord—Su Jin—expressing their highest respect and loyalty.

The entire process was incredibly fluid, filled with a unique sense of solemnity and discipline.

“Excellent.” Su Jin’s voice clearly reached everyone’s ears. “wasteland riders, from today forward, you are Infinite City’s first cavalry unit.”

“I hope your sabers and arrows will expand Infinite City’s territory and bring it glory.”

“Your subordinate, Huo Jun, and we, the wasteland riders, are willing to die for the Lord!” the leading cavalry commander responded in a deep voice.

“Willing to die for the Lord!” The three hundred cavalry then roared in unison, their voices shaking the surroundings, startling the nearby warhorses into uneasy neighs.