179: Chapter 179 Clearing out the small monsters? Understanding the map

Outside Black Wind Valley, the residual power of the three broken seals had not yet dissipated.

The layer of dark energy above the valley entrance, which had long weighed down on the Dragon Domain, had faded by more than half. The outer mountain paths, cliffs, rocky slopes, and abandoned outposts were all exposed.

Inside the Vanguard Army camp, players had long since become restless.

"The general offensive hasn't started yet, so let's clear out the outer mobs first!"

"Right! That old bastard Qing Yan is hiding inside and won't come out, so we'll pluck out all his eyes and ears on the outside first!"

"And scout the terrain while we're at it! Who knows how many hidden sentries and traps are tucked away in the valley?"

"Brothers, form parties!"

The shouts grew louder and louder.

There was no need for anyone to issue a specific order.

The 1.5 million players on the front line moved on their own.

Warriors, Assassins, Archers, Mages, and Priests quickly split into dozens of large divisions based on class, guild, or solo player parties. These were further broken down into hundreds and thousands of five-man squads, ten-man squads, and hundred-man groups.

Some were responsible for clearing mobs.

Some were responsible for reconnaissance.

Some focused specifically on traps and terrain.

Others even used Recording Stones to document everything while they fought.

The outskirts of Black Wind Valley instantly became a hive of activity.

Boom!

As a team of players rushed into the eastern rocky slope, over a dozen Dark Dragon Lizards were sent rolling across the ground by a barrage of Fireballs before they could even pounce.

"There's another nest on the left!"

"Don't let them escape, clear them all out!"

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

magic-breaking arrowss flew in a continuous stream.

Three Black-winged Drakes, trying to crawl into rock crevices to deliver a message, were pinned dead against the rock wall before they could even take flight.

On the other side, dozens of solo player parties had already made their way into the abandoned mine tunnels to the west.

"There's a trap here!"

"Don't step on that black stone on the ground; there's a hidden spike buried underneath!"

"Mark it down: entrance of the third mine tunnel, two tripwires, and one poison mist mechanism!"

The players became more proficient as they fought.

On the first day, they cleared the wandering mobs and visible outposts on the outskirts.

On the second day, they began to delve deeper into the rifts, low slopes, and abandoned camps.

By the third day, even the hidden sentry points, supply transport lines, and guard rotation routes that Qing Yan had left in the outermost layer were meticulously dug out by the players.

The mobs on the outskirts of Black Wind Valley had truly been wiped clean.

By the evening of the third day, the outer area—which had been gloomy and crawling with Dark Dragon Tribe grunts—was now empty.

Only players were running back and forth between various points, occasionally erupting in excited shouts.

"Reinforce this side!"

"There's a small path behind the southern slope that can bypass into the valley!"

"The sentry shift times have also been figured out!"

"Quick, send the coordinates over!"

The world channel had already gone into a frenzy.

"I'm on the northern slope of Black Wind Valley, just finished clearing the last wave of Dark Dragon Wolves!"

"The sentry positions on the eastern cliff are confirmed, six points in total!"

"Brothers, don't just focus on killing. Record the map, the traps, and the troop distribution!"

"Who said players only know how to charge brainlessly? Let me show you what professional map-clearing looks like!"

Inside Wanlong City, the scouts and Sky-Sovereign Dragon Knights previously dispatched by the Dragon Tribe were also compiling intelligence simultaneously.

But when the data from the players' side was delivered, the Dragon Tribe commanders responsible for organizing the military reports were stunned.

It was too detailed.

Where there were several patrol squads.

What time the shifts changed.

Which mountain path could be used to flank.

Which rocky area had pitfall traps buried beneath.

Which cliff hid spear-throwers behind it.

Even the blind spots of the wooden towers inside the valley were clearly marked.

That night, a complete defensive map of the Black Wind Valley outskirts was delivered to Lin Zhe.

The map was spread out on a long table.

It was densely covered with red dots, black lines, arrows, and secret marks.

In the center, the movement routes of the rebel forces' outer troops were specifically drawn.

Qing Yu stood to the side, her eyes filled with shock. "Sir, this map is far more detailed than what the Dragon Tribe scouted before."

"There are twenty-seven sentry posts in total on the outskirts, and the players have marked all twenty-seven."

"Not a single trap location was missed."

"Even that small path hugging the cliff wall in the southeast corner was found by them."

Ao Ningshuang also walked over, her silver eyes falling on the map. The more she looked, the more silent she became.

She had always known that the players were numerous, fought with reckless abandon, and advanced quickly.

But she hadn't expected that once these otherworldly visitors got serious, they could pick a map apart to this extent.

She raised her hand and pointed to a shaded area on the north side. "Here, even my Dragon Tribe scouts only found an approximate range."

"They actually drew the locations of the hidden troop caves."

Qing Yu said in a low voice, "And the three retreat paths on the south side are also fully marked."

Lin Zhe looked down at the map, his expression calm.

After a moment, he raised his hand and tapped.

Faint golden patterns of law spread across the map.

The various attack routes were reorganized.

The several heavy Dragon Tribe units originally intended for a frontal assault were moved by Lin Zhe to the flanks.

Player squads skilled in Stealth, flanking, and rapid point-clearing were assigned to take out the sentries and trap zones first.

The Royal Elites were responsible for holding the center.

The Dragon Tribe's flying units would suppress the high ground.

The main force of the Vanguard Army would advance in three layers, specifically avoiding the most dangerous overlapping fire zones on the map.

The entire general offensive plan changed instantly.

It was no longer a head-on clash.

Instead, it was a systematic tearing apart along the gaps and blind spots found by the players.

Watching the final golden line Lin Zhe drew, Qing Yu's breathing hitched slightly. "With this change, the casualties for the frontal charge will be reduced by at least thirty percent."

Ao Ningshuang also nodded slowly.

She knew better than anyone that what the Dragon Tribe feared most was not being unable to win, but having to fill pits with lives even when they knew the pits were there.

But now, where the pits were, where the sentries were, and where the traps were—it was all clear.

Lin Zhe's adjustment was equivalent to suppressing the casualty rate of the general offensive to the absolute minimum.

Ao Ningshuang looked up at Lin Zhe, her voice deeper than usual. "These players... I underestimated them before."

"They don't just know how to charge."

"They truly know how to fight a war intelligently."

After speaking, she turned toward the outside of the hall, her voice suddenly rising.

"Pass the order to the entire army!"

"From this moment on, all combat arrangements for the Dragon Tribe army will fully coordinate with the tactical defensive map drawn by the players!"

"Anyone who dares to make unauthorized changes will be dealt with by military law!"

The commanders outside the hall bowed their heads in unison. "Yes!"

As the order was issued, the entire front line of Wanlong City moved into full gear.

The Dragon Tribe army began to reorganize according to the new map.

The Vanguard Army players were beyond excited.

"Holy crap, the map we drew was actually adopted!"

"The Dragon Tribe army is following our routes?"

"This is some serious prestige!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go all out in the general offensive!"

Lin Zhe did not immediately issue the order for the general offensive.

He looked toward the depths of Black Wind Valley and spoke calmly, "The general offensive is set for three days from now."

With one sentence, it was set in stone.

First, let the entire army coordinate with the new tactics.

Then, let the players fill in the final few missing details.

And allow all participants to reach their peak state.

Ao Ningshuang had no objections and nodded directly. "Good. In three days, we will level Black Wind Valley."

The next second, a server-wide announcement boomed out.

[Server Announcement: Clearing of the Black Wind Valley outskirts is complete!]

[Vanguard Army players have completed the mapping of the Black Wind Valley outskirts' defenses!]

[To reward all players who participated in the clearing and scouting, Lin Zhe is granting a 7-day 10% Drop Rate buff!]

[The time for the Black Wind Valley general offensive is set for three days from now!]

Buzz—

A massive amount of golden light descended.

New buff prompts lit up simultaneously above the heads of the players who participated in clearing mobs and scouting the map.

The world channel completely exploded.

"Another drop rate buff?!"

"7 days at 10%! We got rewards before the general offensive even started!"

"General offensive in three days! Brothers, stock up on potions, arrows, and scrolls!"

"Qing Yan, I'm coming for your head in three days!"

Outside Wanlong City, a million players were rubbing their hands in anticipation.

Inside Black Wind Valley, dark energy surged restlessly.

And that defensive map spread across the war table glinted coldly under the lamplight, like a blade already pressed against the rebels' throats.