232: Battlefield practice, military tactics for actual combat training

Edge of the Green Vine Forest, Temporary Base.

Reconnaissance information from the three Wind Dragons arrived one after another via Zhao Hao's Divine Thought sharing. Within a thirty-kilometer radius of the teleportation platform, at least seven "abnormal creature gathering points" of varying sizes were discovered. Those parasitized forest wolves, Vine Monsters, and fluorescent mushroom men wandered aimlessly through the twisted woodland like the walking dead, or clustered around giant fungi oozing mucus. Deeper in, the reconnaissance faced strong energy interference and an inexplicable mental suppression. The Wind Dragons did not dare to venture further, but they sent back blurry images—in the central area of the forest, there appeared to be massive, pulsating, tumor-like protrusions, with a significantly higher number of parasitic units gathered around them.

"The possibility of a Broodmother is high." Lin Zhou integrated the information, his eyes calm. "The enemy situation is basically clear. The periphery consists of scattered and lightly controlled parasitic units; the closer to the center, the stronger the control, and there may even be more powerful mutant individuals or command nodes."

He looked at Zhao Hao and Wang Meng, who were already itching for a fight. "The enemy is numerous while we are few, and the environment is unfavorable. Charging in blindly isn't the way. It just so happens that we can use this opportunity to practice the School of Military's ideas of 'Training Troops' and 'Attacking with Strategy.'"

"Old Lin, just tell us how to fight!" Zhao Hao stared at those red dots on the holographic map, Battle Intent burning in his dragon pupils.

Wang Meng also thumped his chest. "My Behemoths can't wait to tear those filthy things apart!"

"No, this time, I'm handing the main command over to you two," Lin Zhou said, surprising them. "I will be responsible for overall strategy formulation, rule support, and emergency adjustments. Zhao Hao, your Dragon Legion and Wang Meng's Behemoth and Dwarf coalition will be the tip of the spear for this purge. I want you to use this actual combat to coordinate multi-vassal operations, practice basic tactics, and understand the School of Military's core principles of 'The Interaction of Extraordinary and Orthodox' and 'Waiting at Ease for a Fatigued Enemy.'"

He pointed to the map. "We will adopt a strategy of 'Steady Advance, Point-by-Point Clearing, and Luring the Enemy to Strike Reinforcements.' The goal isn't to rush straight for the Broodmother at the start, but to first clear the peripheral gathering points to weaken their effective strength while forcing the Broodmother to continuously send reinforcements, allowing us to fight a war of attrition on a preset battlefield favorable to us. During this process, you need to practice command, coordination, and dealing with the Parasitic Beasts' special combat methods."

Zhao Hao and Wang Meng were stunned at first, but then their eyes lit up. They understood that Lin Zhou was giving them a chance to stand on their own and a precious classroom to apply the School of Military's theories they had learned to actual combat.

"First, we'll choose this nearest gathering point (about five kilometers from the base) as our first target," Lin Zhou marked it on the map. "This place is located on the edge of a relatively open forest clearing. There are about fifty parasitic units, mainly forest wolves and Vine Monsters. Their Rank isn't high, making it suitable as a 'good start' and a 'training ground.'"

"Wang Meng," Lin Zhou called out.

"Here!"

"You will lead fifteen Behemoths (led by the hero Grom) and thirty Dwarf Heavy Shieldbearers as the Orthodox Force. Advance frontally to the edge of the clearing, set up a defensive formation, attract the enemy's attention, and withstand the first wave of impact. Your task is to be 'Immovable as a Mountain,' hold your ground, and create conditions for subsequent actions."

"Understood! Behemoths, form up! Dwarf brothers, prepare the shield wall!" Wang Meng growled, his Divine Thought surging as the ground troops began to move forward in an orderly fashion.

"Zhao Hao."

"Present!"

"Your five Wind Dragons and two Red Dragons (including Raging Flame) will act as the Extraordinary Force. Take off stealthily and circle to the flank, rear, or above the gathering point and wait. Remain silent in the initial stage, observing the enemy's reaction and the state of Wang Meng's defensive line. Once the enemy's main force is attracted by Wang Meng and their formation shows a weakness, or when new reinforcements appear, wait for my command or judge the timing yourself to launch a 'Swift as the Wind' surprise attack for precision strikes or to intercept reinforcements. Be sure to use your aerial advantage to avoid being entangled by the ground Vine Monsters, and prioritize targets that could pose a serious threat to Wang Meng's line (such as units trying to flank or concentrated ranged attackers)."

"Copy that! The sky is ours!" Zhao Hao licked his lips. Seven Dragons quietly took to the air, disappearing into the flank under the cover of the dim sky and dense canopy.

"I will provide support from the rear," Lin Zhou said finally. "The [Net of Law] will cover the main engagement zone, defining 'Parasitic Control' as an illegal state, slightly weakening their control and pollution activity. The Wenxin Elf Priest squad will provide long-range healing and purification auras. Gongsun Li and the Xuan Zhenzi will be on standby at all times to handle any unexpected situations (such as hive mind interference or sudden pollution outbreaks). Remember, the primary goal of this battle isn't how many enemies you kill, but to test coordination, familiarize yourselves with the enemy's nature, and accumulate experience! All kill experience, with the blessing of the School of Military's 'Practical Training' concept, will be increased by 50%!"

[School of Military Practical Training Ground effect activated!]

Scope: Lin Zhou, Zhao Hao, Wang Meng, and their participating vassals.

Core Effects:

Actual Combat Experience Gain +50%: In battles that align with the School of Military's tactical concepts (such as the coordination of extraordinary and orthodox, Waiting at Ease for a Fatigued Enemy, knowing yourself and your enemy, etc.), the experience gained is significantly increased, accelerating the Rank growth and skill proficiency of vassals.

Command Comprehension Boost: The growth speed of the commanders' (Zhao Hao, Wang Meng) understanding of tactics, on-the-spot judgment, and multi-unit deployment capabilities is accelerated.

Synergy and Rapport Growth: Different vassal units will build rapport and trust faster during coordinated operations, making skill transitions smoother.

Trigger Condition: Requires clear tactical planning and a command hierarchy, with the plan being basically executed during battle.

Deployment complete, the curtain on the battle rose.

Wang Meng's Behemoth and Dwarf coalition, like a moving steel fortress, slowly advanced to the edge of the forest clearing. The heavy footsteps of the Behemoths and the clanging of Dwarf shields immediately alerted the wandering parasitic units in the clearing!

"Awoo—!" "Hiss—!"

Dozens of pairs of eyes, which instantly became crimson and chaotic, turned in unison! Those parasitic forest wolves (LV28-30) let out roars from their throats that didn't sound like wolf howls but were mixed with the sound of churning mucus. On all fours, they lunged with a frenzied speed far exceeding that of ordinary wolves! Their fur was festering, revealing pulsating dark-red parasitic tissue underneath, and they were drooling profusely.

The Vine Monsters (LV30-33) were like large, animated thorn bushes, waving tentacle-like vines covered in spikes and suckers as they crawled closer from the ground and tree trunks. Some of the vine tips were even secreting corrosive mucus.

A few fluorescent mushroom men (LV29) hid in the back, the fluorescent spots on their caps flashing violently as they emitted a dizzying cloud of spores (weak mental interference and toxin).

"Hold steady! Dwarf shield wall, hold! Behemoths, prepare to engage!" Wang Meng's voice echoed through the troops via Divine Thought. Although he had a bold and fierce personality, under Lin Zhou's influence and his own hard work, he had gained quite a bit of experience in basic formation command.

Thirty Dwarf Heavy Shieldbearers (LV31, equipped with heavy shields and battle axes) quickly formed a tight arc shield formation. Their shields slammed into the ground with a dull boom, and the shield surfaces glowed with the light of reinforcement runes. They stood like the sturdiest of dams, blocking the tide-like swarm of parasitic wolves!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Sizzle—!"

The first wave of wolves slammed hard into the shield wall! Claws and fangs scraped against the metal shields, creating ear-piercing noises and sparks. Corrosive mucus splashed onto the shields, making a faint "sizzling" sound, but it was blocked by the shields' built-in weak purification aura and the Dwarves' deep earth-element resistance. The Dwarves were as solid as boulders; their bodies only leaned back slightly, and the line didn't budge an inch!

"Now! Behemoths, strike!" Wang Meng roared, seizing the brief moment of stiffness after the wolves' impact!

Fifteen Behemoth Giant Beasts (average LV34, Hero Grom LV38) suddenly leaped out from behind the shield wall! They didn't scatter but acted like three giant iron hammers. Under Wang Meng's command, they split into three small wedge formations and smashed hard into the densest areas of the wolf pack!

"Boom! Crack! Squelch!"

How terrifying was the strength of a Behemoth? With a swing of their giant claws, the parasitic wolves were swatted away and torn apart like rag dolls! Grom was even more ferocious; he locked onto a wolf king (LV33) that was significantly larger and appeared to be deeply parasitized. He directly knocked it down with a savage charge and then stomped his giant claw down! The wolf king let out a miserable scream as its body exploded into a mass of dark-green pus and shattered parasitic tissue!

"Watch out for explosions!" Wang Meng warned. However, when that wolf king died, although there was a splash of pus, it did not trigger the violent biomass explosion described in the intelligence; it only caused slight corrosion in a small surrounding area.

"It seems not all parasitic units explode upon death; it might be related to the degree of parasitism or the individual," Lin Zhou observed and recorded silently from the rear.

Just then, the Vine Monsters on the flank approached! Their waving vines bypassed the frontal shield wall, attempting to wrap around the Behemoths' hind legs or attack the Dwarf line from the side!

"Zhao Hao!" Lin Zhou's Divine Thought arrived.

"I see them!" Zhao Hao, who had been circling and waiting above for a long time, had a sharp glint in his eyes. "Wind Dragon Team 1 and 2, dive! Target: the Vine Monster cluster on the left flank, disrupt their attack rhythm! Red Dragon Raging Flame, prepare Dragon Breath, cover that patch of mushroom men on the right!"

"Roar—!"

Four Wind Dragons (in pairs) dove down from the gaps in the canopy like two grey-green arrows released from a bow! They didn't use Dragon Breath, which had a higher consumption, but instead relied on their extreme speed and sharp dragon claws to launch precise and swift swipes and tears at the base of the waving vines or the core nodules of the Vine Monsters!

Pfft, pfft, pfft! The tough vines were sliced through by the Wind Dragons' claws, and the core nodules were torn open, spraying dark green sap everywhere. The Vine Monsters' attack immediately faltered, falling into chaos.

At the same time, the Red Dragon Raging Flame (LV38) appeared from a higher altitude. Its scorching Dragon Breath was like a waterfall of fire, pouring down onto the heads of those fluorescent mushroom men on the right who were releasing spore clouds! The high temperature and flames instantly turned the fragile fungal bodies into charcoal, and the spore clouds were completely dispersed!

The strikes from the air were timely and effective, greatly relieving the pressure on the ground troops' flanks.

"Nicely done!" Wang Meng's spirits rose. He commanded the Behemoths to take the opportunity to expand their gains, further segmenting and annihilating the chaotic wolf pack. The Dwarf shield formation also began to push forward steadily, squeezing the living space of the remaining parasitic units.

The entire battle process, although intense, always proceeded within Lin Zhou's tactical framework and under the command and control of Wang Meng and Zhao Hao. Ground and air, orthodox and extraordinary, defense and assault—the coordination became increasingly seamless.

[Practical Training effects manifesting]

Experience gain prompts (frequent):

"Behemoth 'Skull Crusher' Grom killed a deeply parasitized wolf king (LV33), gaining experience (+50% School of Military training bonus)!"

"Wind Dragon 'Swift Shadow' successfully executed a dive-and-tear, disrupting the Vine Monster's attack. Coordination experience significantly increased!"

"Dwarf Heavy Shieldbearers successfully withstood corrosive attacks in a polluted environment. Pollution resistance experience increased!"

"Commander Zhao Hao successfully grasped the timing for an aerial surprise attack. Command experience increased!"

"Commander Wang Meng stabilized the line and counterattacked at the right time. Defensive command experience increased!"

Tactical coordination data:

The engagement transition time between the Behemoths and the Dwarf shield formation shortened from the initial ~5 seconds to 3 seconds.

The coordination error between the Wind Dragons' dive attacks and the ground troops' counterattacks was reduced from 2-3 seconds to within 1 second.

Initial rapport was established between the Red Dragon's Dragon Breath coverage and the ground troops' positioning for evasion.

In just over twenty minutes, this gathering point of about fifty parasitic units was completely cleared. Our side only had three Dwarves with minor injuries (splashed by corrosive mucus, already treated by the Elf Priests), while the Behemoths and Dragons were unscathed. More importantly, through this small-scale battle, Zhao Hao and Wang Meng gained the most intuitive feel for commanding multiple units and dealing with Parasitic Beast characteristics, and the coordination between their vassals had clearly become much smoother.

"Feels good!" Zhao Hao recalled the Wind Dragons and said excitedly, "I still need more practice on the timing of aerial support, but this is way better than just looking at theory!"

"The coordination between my Behemoths and Dwarf brothers has also become more familiar!" Wang Meng checked his troops and grinned. "It's just that it's a bit annoying when these filthy things explode with pus when they die. We need to watch our positioning."

Lin Zhou nodded and began to analyze more of the data he had just collected. "Death explosions aren't inevitable. My initial judgment is that it's related to the integrity and energy activity of the 'parasitic tumor' in the parasite's brain or core area. If the tumor can be destroyed or suppressed before death, the probability and power of the explosion can be reduced. We can try that specifically in subsequent battles. Also, these peripheral units' 'hive mind' response is very slow; they almost fight individually, which means the Broodmother's control over the edge area is limited."

He looked at another slightly larger gathering point on the map (about eight kilometers away). "Rest for ten minutes and replenish your status. Then, target the second gathering point. This time, we're going to try 'Luring the Enemy to Strike Reinforcements.'"

"Zhao Hao, expand your Wind Dragons' reconnaissance range to ten kilometers. Focus on whether there's any movement from other directions, especially from the Broodmother's direction, when we attack the second point."

"Wang Meng, this time the pace of the attack can be slightly slower. Deliberately create an illusion of a 'stalemate' to see if it can attract parasitic units from other areas to 'reinforce.'"

"If reinforcements appear, Zhao Hao's aerial forces will be responsible for intercepting and delaying them. Wang Meng's main force will then decide whether to quickly finish off the current enemies and turn back to face the new threat or split the forces to handle both, depending on the situation. This will be your first complex command test."

Lin Zhou's voice was steady and full of trust. "Remember, In war there are no constant conditions, just as water has no constant form. Adjust flexibly according to changes on the battlefield. I will be in the rear to back you up and provide the necessary rule support."

Zhao Hao and Wang Meng looked at each other, seeing both eagerness and solemnity in each other's eyes. The real practical training was only now entering a more challenging stage. But they felt no fear; instead, they were filled with excitement.

Guided by the School of Military's thoughts and through the rapid accumulation of actual combat experience, this team formed by three newly rising top powers was growing and coordinating at an astonishing speed, steadily advancing toward the goal of purging the pollution source in the Green Vine Forest. Deep in the forest, that pulsating tumor-like Broodmother seemed to have felt the "pain" of successive losses in the peripheral areas. A certain more violent and unified will began to awaken, casting a cold and appetite-filled "gaze" toward the invaders.