103: Chapter 103 Capture the King First, Elite Squad

The defenders at the city gate were instantly scattered; some were sent flying, while others were trampled into meat paste as the scene gradually spiraled out of control.

Lin Ye had no time to think; he leapt down from the city wall, his black iron heavy staff, carrying the force of a thousand jun, swept out, smashing the leading elite boars directly away.

After landing, Lin Ye went all out; strike after strike, he wove a dense, airtight net at the city gate, slaughtering all the beasts that rushed in.

But this was only the first wave; more beasts were still pouring in continuously from behind.

Relying on Lin Ye alone, he couldn't hold them back for long.

"Someone, block the city gate quickly!" Mayor Wang also noticed that the city gate had been breached and hurriedly directed everyone to provide support.

The first to arrive was Lei Hu; he led dozens of elite gang members, forming a wall with iron shields to firmly block the gap.

Zhao Shanhe also arrived, the Moyuan in his hand flashing with a cold light in the darkness, taking down almost every beast that tried to bypass Lin Ye from the sides with a single strike.

"Switch to armor-piercing arrows!"

On the city wall, Mayor Wang, realizing this wave of beasts was no simple matter, decisively deployed this lethal weapon.

Subsequently, crate after crate of armor-piercing arrows were brought up; the crates were all sealed, and the seals were stamped with the vermilion seal of the government office.

The soldiers scrambled to tear off the seals, revealing rows of arrows glinting with a cold light neatly arranged inside.

The arrows were made entirely of refined iron, with heads sharper and narrower than ordinary arrows and very thin blades.

These were the armor-piercing arrows!

Although they were only made of refined iron, they were enough to pierce the Physical Body defenses of even an Eighth-Grade Exotic Beast, making them a well-deserved nemesis of the strong.

"Fire!"

Over a thousand armor-piercing arrows were fired simultaneously, cutting through the night sky with sharp whistles.

The arrows plunged into the beast swarm; the armor-piercing arrows passed through the fur of these elite boars without resistance, sinking deep into the flesh and even penetrating bone.

In a single volley, hundreds of beasts were killed or wounded.

After several consecutive volleys of arrow rain, the momentum of the beast tide's charge was finally effectively suppressed.

However, the price paid was not small.

Those crates of armor-piercing arrows were the savings Black Stone Town had accumulated over more than a decade, and more than half were used up in this single instance.

This battle lasted for only two hours.

As dawn approached, the beast swarm began to retreat, quickly disappearing into the darkness before dawn.

Day finally broke.

The sun rose from the east, shining upon the devastated battlefield.

At this moment, the area below the city wall was piled high with the carcasses of beasts riddled with arrows; from a distance, they looked like rows of graves.

Mayor Wang began to count the numbers; the soldiers capable of fighting had plummeted from five thousand to three thousand. Including those who died during the day, the defenders of Black Stone Town had already suffered over fifty percent casualties.

It was mainly because they were caught off guard at the start, allowing the beast swarm to climb the city walls and cause significant casualties to the defenders.

Mayor Wang stood on the gate tower, his eyes bloodshot from staying up, looking exhausted.

"Go, invite Gang Leader Lei, Hall Master Han, Deacon Zhou, as well as Lord Lin and Constable Zhao; tell them I have important matters to discuss."

Soon, everyone arrived.

Mayor Wang cleared his throat and cupped his fists toward the group.

"Everyone, the current situation is extremely critical. If the beast tide is allowed to continue its assault, Black Stone Town won't hold out for much longer."

"Lord Wang, just speak plainly," Lei Hu was the first to speak.

He had always been an impatient person and couldn't stand it when others beat around the bush.

"Fine, then I'll be blunt."

Mayor Wang didn't take offense, but his tone grew even deeper.

"As the saying goes, to capture the bandits, first capture the king.

I have an idea: you all will send people to form an Elite Squad to slay the Strange Beast King behind the beast tide.

Once it dies, this crisis will resolve itself."

Everyone fell into silence upon hearing this.

"Mayor Wang, your proposal is good.

But the question is, who should go?

A Strange Beast King is at least a Seventh-Grade existence. Judging by the scale of this beast tide, it might even be a Half-step Sixth-Grade.

Even if we all join forces, we might not necessarily be able to defeat it."

Hall Master Han Lin also nodded in agreement: "Gang Leader Lei is right.

It's not that we're unwilling to go, but that our strength is insufficient; going would just be seeking death. It's better to stay and defend the town while waiting for reinforcements!"

Although Deacon Zhou of the Qingfeng Chamber of Commerce didn't express an opinion, silence at this time meant refusal.

Mayor Wang's expression was not very good.

He knew they were right; there was a whole Great Realm of difference between the Eighth and Seventh Grades, and it indeed couldn't be bridged by numbers alone. Moreover, slaying it in the middle of a beast tide was a task of astronomical difficulty.

But he knew even better that the people before him were not simple either; each of them was hiding trump cards.

If they truly went all out, they might have a chance.

The reason they were unwilling to act was simply that the stakes weren't high enough.

Although it's said that 'no eggs remain intact in a toppled nest,' when it truly comes down to a life-and-death struggle, most would still hold the lucky mindset of 'better a Fellow Daoist die than I.'

This was human nature and difficult to change easily.

Unless...

"Everyone." Mayor Wang stood up and took out a document from his robes.

"This is a Bounty Order issued by this official in the name of the Great Han Imperial Court.

Those willing to participate in this operation will each be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver, plus ten Eighth-Grade Medicinal Pills specially provided by the Great Han Imperial Court.

If one unfortunately dies in battle, the reward will be collected by their family, and I will also report to the Great Han Imperial Court to request a title for them, benefiting their descendants!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the air fell silent for a moment.

The look in Lei Hu's and the others' eyes changed.

Ten thousand taels of silver was nothing to them, but the Eighth-Grade Medicinal Pills specially provided by the Great Han Imperial Court were rare items that couldn't be bought with money.

As the saying goes, third-rate Medicinal Pills are in chambers of commerce, second-rate Medicinal Pills are in aristocratic families, and first-rate Medicinal Pills are in Sects.

But the truly top-tier Medicinal Pills were in the Great Han Imperial Court.

It wasn't that the Great Han Imperial Court had the deepest foundation, but because the Great Han Imperial Court had the largest sphere of influence.

In terms of Legacy, the Great Han Imperial Court might not compare to those top-tier Sects and aristocratic families with thousands of years of history.

But when it came to professional talent, no one could compare to the Great Han Imperial Court, which possessed all the world's talents.

Not to mention a one-in-ten-thousand Genius, even a peerless Prodigy found once in a million was nothing to the Great Han Imperial Court with its massive population base.

Therefore, Medicinal Pills produced by the Great Han Imperial Court had always been known for their excellence.

After all, not everyone ate medicine like food as Lin Ye did; for most Martial Artists, a single high-quality Medicinal Pill was worth countless ordinary ones.

Now that there was a chance to get some, they naturally wouldn't miss it.

Lei Hu was the first to declare: "Fine, I'll take this bounty."

Seeing their leader take a stand, the Grand Elder and Second Elder of the Black Stone Gang standing behind him looked at each other and also voiced their agreement.

Hall Master Han Lin also appeared impatient: "Count me in."

Deacon Zhou was relatively better, not appearing as eager as the others, but he still nodded: "Count my Qingfeng Chamber of Commerce in as well."

Finally, under the lure of Mayor Wang's heavy rewards, the list was finalized; a total of eight people formed this Elite Squad.