13: Chapter 13 Surprise Attack on the Stronghold, Blitzkrieg Against the Sand Jackals

As the saying goes, as long as you don't grind yourself to death, keep grinding until you do!

Xu Qin took out his stone axe and walked up to Skeleton Warthog No. 1.

He folded several animal skins and placed them on the Warthog's back.

He sat on it.

Hmm, this time it was significantly more comfortable.

At least his butt didn't hurt anymore.

Xu Qin raised his stone axe.

"All troops, listen up!"

Over three hundred pairs of purple soul fires turned toward him simultaneously.

Xu Qin looked toward the black mist further in the distance.

"Follow me into battle!"

"Within six hours, prepare enough rations for the Level 3 Crypt!"

Boom, boom, boom!

The army set off.

Bone hooves trod upon the sand, bone wings sliced through the air.

The undead legion left the territory and advanced into the further reaches of the desert.

On the region map, the black mist was pushed back bit by bit.

Just as the troop advanced two thousand meters outside the territory.

A Skeleton Vulture transmitted its vision back.

At the edge of Xu Qin's map, a deep red marker appeared.

It wasn't a normal red dot.

It was a camp marker.

There was a line of small text next to it.

[Unknown Indigenous Stronghold]

Xu Qin looked at the marker, and his sleepiness instantly vanished.

"Hmm? A stronghold?"

Xu Qin stared at the deep red marker on the region map, and his butt instantly stopped hurting.

A stronghold.

An indigenous stronghold.

What did this mean?

It meant a large amount of corpses, souls, building materials, and... a brand new unit type.

"Skeleton Sand Rat Squad 3, head toward the stronghold, find out exactly how many things are inside for me."

The order was given.

On the ground, over a dozen Skeleton Sand Rats burrowed into the sand layer, advancing silently toward the deep red marker.

"Vultures, ascend and scout. Increase altitude, don't get discovered."

Eighteen Skeleton Vultures spread their bone wings, gliding into the high altitude on the morning breeze.

Xu Qin flipped off the Warthog's back, squatted behind a sand dune, and stared at the region map.

Three minutes later.

Within the stronghold's range, red dots lit up one after another.

One.

Ten.

Twenty...

Thirty...

Forty...

Forty-seven.

Xu Qin's breathing grew a bit heavier.

Forty-seven red dots!

Densely packed into a small area.

These weren't scattered wild monsters; this was an entire settlement!

The vision transmitted by the Skeleton Vultures was even more intuitive.

The stronghold was built in a sunken sand valley,

surrounded by a low wall built of yellow mud and gravel, about two meters high.

The wall was crude, but sufficient to block ordinary wild beasts.

Inside the low wall, over a dozen low sheds built of mud bricks were scattered about.

There were campfires between the sheds.

Xu Qin zoomed in on the view and finally saw the creatures inside the stronghold clearly.

It was a group of Sand Jackals.

Immediately after, the panel information popped up automatically.

Sand Jackal Hunter

Level: 3

Attack Power: 16 (Physical - Piercing)

Defense: 6

HP: 45/45

Traits:

Pack Hunting Instinct: When 3 or more of the same kin attack the same target, Attack Power +2.

Xu Qin frowned slightly.

16 Attack, 6 Defense, 45 HP.

Their individual strength was a cut above the Warthogs.

And they had the pack hunting bonus.

When three or more surrounded the same target, each became 18 Attack Power.

More than forty of these things huddled together...

Xu Qin took another look at the center of the stronghold.

There was a red dot that was significantly larger in size there.

Sand Jackal Leader

Level: 5

Attack Power: 25 (Physical - Heavy Strike)

Defense: 10

HP: 90/90

Traits:

War Cry: Emits a howl, increasing the Attack Power of surrounding kin by +3, lasting 8 seconds. Cooldown 15 seconds.

"Whoa."

Xu Qin took a breath.

The leader has 25 Attack Power and can also boost the attack of everyone.

If these Sand Jackals were allowed to form a formation, and the leader howled, over forty bone-spear-wielding units with 18 Attack Power would stab over all at once...

His Skeleton Warthogs only had 6 Defense.

One spear strike would deal 12 damage.

In other words, three spears per Warthog.

If they clashed head-on, the battle losses would be very ugly.

But...

Xu Qin took a look at the stronghold's low wall.

The wall wasn't high, two meters.

The Skeleton Warthogs couldn't jump over it, but the Skeleton Vultures had no problem.

And the low wall had gaps.

He counted from the Vulture's vision; there were obvious gaps in the wall in at least three places, which should be the passageways the Sand Jackals used to enter and exit.

"The attack must be fast; I must catch them off guard."

Xu Qin squatted behind the sand dune and began to arrange his troops in his mind.

"I cannot give them time to assemble."

"The leader's War Cry must be taken out immediately."

"Otherwise, with the attack boost for everyone, my front line will suffer heavy losses."

The tactic was formed.

Xu Qin stood up and faced the three hundred-plus undead units.

"All troops, listen up."

The purple soul fires all turned toward him in unison.

"All Skeleton Warthogs, split into two squads. Squad 1, thirty-two heads, Charge in from the front gap of the stronghold. Squad 2, thirty-two heads, Charge in from the side gap."

"Skeleton Sand Scorpions follow Squad 1 to the front. Target: the leader. The first thing to do upon rushing in is to use your poison tails to pin down that big guy."

"Skeleton Sand Snakes follow behind the Warthog herd, spray as soon as you enter range. Cover with poison mist, no need to aim, just spray into the crowd."

"Skeleton Sand Lizards split into three squads, disperse and ambush at the three gap locations on the perimeter of the low wall. If any run out, spray them to death."

"Skeleton Vultures, stand by at high altitude. Once the battle starts at the front, dive from above and specifically pick off the stragglers. If any escape the encirclement, pursue."

"Skeleton Sand Rats, stand by underground. If you encounter any heavily injured ones, bite them and run."

"Skeleton Soldiers and the three Acolytes will follow me in the rear."

Xu Qin surveyed the area.

Over three hundred pairs of purple fires burned fiercely.

The orders had already been transmitted to the soul fire core of every undead unit via the command panel.

"Good."

Xu Qin flipped onto the Warthog.

"Set off!"

...

The army advanced silently.

The bone hooves of the Skeleton Warthogs trod upon the sand, muffled and heavy.

The sixty-four heads split into two columns and circled toward the two sides of the stronghold.

The Skeleton Sand Lizards arrived in position first, fifty lizards scattered and lay in the sand outside the perimeter of the low wall, their bone armor covered in a layer of fine sand, making them almost invisible.

The Skeleton Vultures had already ascended to high altitude, eighteen bone wings circling under the gray canopy of the sky.

Xu Qin had already allowed his mount, the Skeleton Warthog, to return to its unit; he, along with five Skeleton Soldiers and three Acolytes, squatted on a sand dune one hundred and fifty meters east of the stronghold.

At this distance, the smoke from the campfires inside the low wall could already be seen.

He could even vaguely see a few Sand Jackal Hunters.

Xu Qin raised his right hand.

"Attack."

Rumble!!!

Sixty-four Skeleton Warthogs launched their Charge simultaneously.

Thirty-two surged in from the front gap, and thirty-two charged in from the side gap.

The sound of bone hooves treading on sand merged into one, and the kicked-up sand dust was fully three meters high.

At the front gap, the tusks of the first Skeleton Warthog crashed directly into the chest of a Sand Jackal that was gnawing on a bone.

Charge!

First Strike +50%!

-21!

The Sand Jackal Hunter was knocked flying four meters, its bone spear flew out of its hand and slammed into the mud wall.

Before it even landed, the second and third Skeleton Warthogs had already trampled over its body, charging toward the deeper parts.

"Awooo!!!"

Inside the stronghold, a sharp howl exploded.

The Sand Jackal Leader rushed out from the largest shed, holding a war spear twice as thick as a regular bone spear.

It opened its mouth and emitted a War Cry.

The sound wave spread.

The eyes of the surrounding Sand Jackal Hunters glowed with a blood-red light.

Attack Power +3!