57: ambush

Each person carried a three-eyed firearm.

At the same time, they pushed five auto-loading cannons and five multi-stage honeycomb explosive 弩車 (crossbow carriages)!

According to Lu Haodong's topographic map, there was a narrow path on the only way to the Orc Tribe, commonly known as Yixiantian (A Slit in the Sky/Narrow Gorge).

This path, nestled between two hundreds-of-meters-high peaks, was only three meters wide. The mountain walls on both sides were as steep as if carved by a knife and axe, and the overlapping rock layers at the top formed a natural ambush barrier.

They planned to ambush from above Yixiantian (A Slit in the Sky/Narrow Gorge), and once the enemies entered, they would unleash a barrage of firepower!

Everything proceeded according to plan.

The night was as deep as ink. Everyone held their breath and set off overnight, treading on fine gravel. They dared not light any illumination tools, fearing that the moment a flame appeared, their tracks would be exposed. Under the moonlight, they hastened their journey... Orc Tribe.

Leige touched the newly acquired firearm, his eyes gleaming.

"The Dwarf King is too generous! He said he'd forge a hundred, but he actually forged two hundred, haha! Don't worry, once we eliminate the bane, all their weapons, blueprints, and treasures will be given to them!"

After all, they needed to cooperate with the Dwarf Race long-term in the future, as only they could forge such miraculous weapons.

Each Orc elite was given a firearm.

Dwarf King Gelong said proudly, "Although the designs and craftsmanship of these Transmigrators are impressive, their forging ability is too poor. Under our forging techniques, we've upgraded the weapons and also the bullet formula, adding explosive fruit for greater power."

The Chief watched Leige's conversation with the Dwarf King and observed the entire tribe's respect for Leige, feeling a subtle hint of displeasure.

The Chief sat on the beast-skin throne, his gaze fixed on Leige, watching the tribe's warriors cheer around Leige, a gloomy glint flashing in his eyes.

The Great Shaman approached silently, his withered fingers resting on the Chief's shoulder.

"Be patient, my Chief. Now is when Leige is needed. Once Leige conquers the world for you, you will naturally have countless ways to deal with him."

The Chief's lips curled into a cold sneer, a chilling light flashing in his eyes: "Hehehe, you are indeed smart!"

Everyone was excited this night; tomorrow was the day they would eliminate the Transmigrators.

This time, victory was absolutely assured.

This time, mammoths were not needed. They suffered heavy losses last time, and the mammoths had lost all fighting spirit.

Although Orcs were not highly intelligent, under Leige's patient guidance, all Orcs had learned to shoot firearms.

This time, there were three hundred Orc elites: two hundred firearm soldiers and one hundred heavy shield soldiers.

Heavy shields provided cover in front, and firearms shot from behind—perfect!

Leige was confident. Although there were only three hundred of them, they could even conquer the Human Alliance's thirty thousand-strong army.

Wu Hao applied to join the battle: "Let me go with you. I know the weaknesses of those guys. With me, you can definitely defeat them more easily."

Leige confidently replied, "You just stay here obediently and await my triumphant return. Our Orcs don't need a Transmigrator like you to tell us what to do!"

Wu Hao was furious; these fools! They still didn't trust him!

In the early morning, the beast bone totem on the tribal altar was burning with an eerie green flame.

The Chief, clad in his ancestral battle robe, personally beat the war drums to send off the warriors.

The breathing of the three hundred Orc warriors synchronized with the war drums, and they performed the Orcs' unique war dance.

"Orcs! Glory!" All Orcs shouted excitedly.

Leige rode his warhorse at the front, leading the expedition team, which set off in a mighty procession.

This time, the Chief did not go; he left everything entirely to Leige.

While passing through Yixiantian (A Slit in the Sky/Narrow Gorge).

Leige's nostrils suddenly twitched violently, as if he had smelled a pungent odor.

He abruptly yanked the reins, and his warhorse's front hooves rose into the air: "Something's wrong! Everyone be careful, watch out for an ambush!"

The deputy general laughed heartily: "The commander is too cautious. Those Transmigrators are only eighteen people in total. They don't even have time to escape, how could they possibly ambush us..."

No sooner had he spoken.

Boom boom boom!

Five multi-stage honeycomb explosive crossbow carriages fired simultaneously, with fifty launch slots on each crossbow carriage sequentially spitting out flames.

Hundreds of specially made crossbow bolts traced irregular parabolas in the air, their fletchings sizzling mid-flight.

If poor, strike precisely; if rich, cover with firepower!

Chen Xu stood at the high ground, sneering.

The entire Yixiantian (A Slit in the Sky/Narrow Gorge) canyon was instantly covered by a dense rain of arrows, leaving the enemy no space to dodge.

Leige's eyes were bloodshot, and he violently waved his arm, where veins bulged: "Raise shields! Defend!"

The well-trained heavy shield soldiers immediately raised their specially made runic steel shields, and the first wave of arrows struck the shields with a clanging sound.

The Orcs smugly said, "That's all there is to it!"

However—

Boom boom boom!

The internal explosive devices detonated in a chain reaction, sending thousands of iron fragments flying radially.

A young heavy shield soldier had just congratulated himself on blocking the crossbow bolt, but three iron fragments pierced his throat from tricky angles, and hot blood splattered onto the pale face of his comrade beside him.

"Activate defensive formation! Activate shield runes!" Leige roared.

The surviving warriors quickly formed a tortoise shell formation, and the runes on their shields glowed with an eerie blue light, forming a translucent defensive barrier.

But this was exactly what Chen Xu wanted.

"Prepare the cannons!" Chen Xu's lips curved into a cruel arc.

Five specially modified heavy cannons fired simultaneously, and their shells exploded precisely above the tortoise shell formation.

The shockwave sent dozens of heavy shield soldiers, men and shields alike, flying. An old veteran's helmet was directly pierced, and his brains and blood arced through the air in a gruesome trajectory.

Leige looked up at the cliff, his sharp gaze piercing through the thick smoke of gunpowder.

He raised his specially made long-barreled firearm: "They're up there! Don't panic, shoot!"

The Orcs fumbled to load their ammunition, firing bullets wildly at the cliff face, sparking sporadically on the rocks.

Chen Xu calmly made a gesture: "Don't show your heads! Cut the ropes!"

With the crisp snap of ropes breaking, over three hundred rolling stones cascaded down the steep slope.

Each stone, under the acceleration of gravity, became a deadly weapon.

One giant boulder directly crushed an Orc into a bloody pulp, the sound of bones shattering being chilling.

Leige collapsed, now unable to advance or retreat, completely blocked here by the giant stones.

Leige's eyes were bloodshot, and he entered a state of bloodthirsty rage.

"Drop your weapons, all of you, climb up!" His sharp claws actually dug into the smooth rock face, allowing him to climb at an incredible angle.

More than a hundred Orcs were still alive, roaring in unison, burning with blood flames, entering the Orcs' unique berserk state, and climbing upward with their claws.

Chen Xu was not flustered at all; he had already prepared: "Everyone! Aim your three-eyed firearms!"

Chen Xu, Su He, Ma Gang, Zhang Ye, Shen Nanzhi, Cheng Xue, and the other eighteen Transmigrators raised their three-eyed firearms, their dark muzzles aimed at the climbing Orcs.

Bang bang bang!

A warrior who had just climbed to the cliff edge was hit simultaneously in the chest by three bullets, looking down in disbelief at the exploded blood hole in his body, and then fell down the cliff.

One by one as they climbed! Two by two as they climbed!

One Orc after another screamed, being shot down.

Though there were only eighteen of them, they were like a vast army.

On the smoke-filled battlefield, blood stained every inch of the ground.

The bodies of three hundred Orc warriors lay scattered in the canyon, some blown to pieces, some crushed into pulp by rolling stones, and others riddled with iron fragments like a sieve.

Only one blood-soaked figure remained, struggling to climb upward.

Leige's armor was already shattered, revealing his bloody and mangled body. His left eyeball was pierced, his right leg had a terrifying blood hole, and his chest was embedded with over a dozen lead bullets.

But this greatest warrior of the Orcs climbed towards the mountaintop, leaving a bloody footprint with every step.

Finally! He reached the mountaintop.

Leige supported himself with his great axe, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the eighteen Transmigrators before him.

"It seems the prophecy truly didn't lie; you really do have the power to destroy the world!"

Leige roared to the sky: "But I refuse! I refuse! All of you, die!"

With this roar, the blood flames erupting from Leige's entire body reached a height of ten meters. He raised his great axe, sweeping across thousands of enemies, and charged towards them.