66: Chapter 66 One person against a hundred?

The faces of the defenders turned pale in an instant.

Where had they ever seen such a formation?

Although Han City was an E-Level city, there were only forty-nine Professionals in the entire city.

Forty-nine! That wasn't even a fraction of what the other side had!

Moreover, among these forty-nine Professionals, the highest-ranked was only mid-Bronze grade.

Most of them were only Black Iron Rank.

They were fine for bullying the common folk in the city, but to go to the battlefield—and fight the army below the city? What kind of joke was that?

The Aura emitted by every single one of them was no worse than theirs!

Not to mention the numbers—the other side had thousands, while they only had forty-nine!

The plate armor and leather armor worn by everyone below the city... looking at the luster and the craftsmanship, they were definitely not ordinary goods!

Looking at themselves? Their best equipment was just a few pieces of old Black Iron Rank gear; it couldn't compare to the others at all!

"Th-this... where did this army come from?" A defender's voice trembled.

"How is this possible..."

"How could there be so many Professionals..."

"The Lord of Han City said Flower City declared war on us, but Flower City..."

"Isn't Flower City an F-Level small city???"

No one answered him. Because everyone was trembling.

The sound of swallowing echoed incessantly on the city wall.

The army below the city did not call out again. They just stood there quietly. Silence.

This kind of silence was more terrifying than the shouts of a thousand armies.

It was like an invisible mountain pressing down on the heart of every Han City defender, making it difficult for them to even breathe.

"Go... go report to the Lord of Han City!"

Among the City Guards defending the city, the one in charge had at least not completely lost his mind. He grabbed a soldier next to him by the shoulder and gave him a hard shove.

"Go! Go report to the Lord of Han City! Tell him an army is pressing on the border! At least five thousand people! All of them are Professionals!"

The soldier scrambled down the city wall.

...

Han City Lord's Mansion.

City Lord Zhang Hao was sitting leisurely in the main hall, drinking tea.

After he had posted that photo with the red arrow in the group chat earlier, he had received a screen full of "hahaha"s. He was in a good mood.

Wang Shuai's one hundred men should be arriving soon. Once the reinforcements arrived, he would be even more secure.

Just as he was drinking, the door to the main hall was suddenly pushed open.

A soldier scrambled in, fell to his knees with a thud, his voice cracking.

"C-City Lord!"

"S-something terrible has happened!"

"An army has arrived outside the city!"

"At least... at least five thousand people!"

"A-all of them are Professionals!"

City Lord Zhang Hao's hand holding the teacup paused. He glanced at the soldier, his brows slightly furrowed. Then— "Pfft—" He laughed, spraying the tea in his mouth out.

"Five thousand?" He wiped the corners of his mouth, looking dismissive.

"So what if it's five thousand? Who are you trying to fool? Who are you trying to scare?"

"That little brat Zhou Yun, how many Professionals can he scrape together at most?"

"Five thousand? Forget five thousand, I don't even believe five hundred!"

"Could you have misread it? Did you count the commoners too?"

The soldier said with a bitter face, stuttering: "N-no, City Lord! I saw it with my own eyes! Everyone is wearing armor! Everyone's Aura is extraordinary! They are definitely Professionals!"

City Lord Zhang Hao's smile faded slightly. But he still didn't believe it. Five thousand Professionals? An F-Level City? Putting these two concepts together didn't make sense no matter how he thought about it.

Just then, City Guard Captain Qian Hao walked in hurriedly, his face ashen.

"City Lord! The situation is true!"

"There is indeed an army pressing on the border outside the city, at least five thousand strong! They are well-equipped and in strict formation!"

"It is definitely not a bluff!"

City Lord Zhang Hao looked at Captain Qian Hao's expression, and his heart finally skipped a beat.

He knew Captain Qian Hao. With mid-Bronze grade strength, he had been on the battlefield and seen blood; he wasn't the type to make a fuss over nothing.

If even Captain Qian Hao said the situation was true... Could it be... not Flower City? Was it an army from another city that had come to attack him?

That didn't seem right either! He knew perfectly well who he could provoke and who he couldn't!

Never mind that he had only arrived in the City Lord World a few days ago. Even if he had been here for years, he would never provoke a force capable of mobilizing five thousand Professionals, not even if it killed him!

"Let's go." With this thought, City Lord Zhang Hao immediately put down his teacup and stood up.

"Let's go to the city wall and see!"

His voice was still relatively calm. At least, he considered himself relatively calm.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to crack a joke with Captain Qian Hao.

"Five thousand Professionals, that's great."

"Including you, there are forty-nine Professionals in our Han City."

"Can't you just take on one hundred each?" He chuckled twice.

Captain Qian Hao's face looked even worse, but he said nothing.

...

City Lord Zhang Hao followed Captain Qian Hao quickly to the city wall.

He walked up to the ramparts step by step, his footsteps still steady. He was even muttering to himself: "Five thousand Professionals... that's impossible..."

But when his gaze crossed the battlements—and he saw the scene below the city—his footsteps froze. His expression solidified. His mouth opened slightly. And then, it couldn't close again.

Below the city. A vast, dark mass. Armor reflected cold light under the sun, like a silver-white ocean.

Swords and spears were like a forest, longbows like a thicket. Banners fluttered, and the great flag embroidered with the characters "Flower City Zhou" waved violently in the wind.

Thousands of people—no, exactly five thousand! They stood quietly below Han City. Silent and soundless.

But it was this very silence that brought an even more terrifying sense of oppression than any battle cry.

City Lord Zhang Hao's face turned deathly pale in an instant. His lips began to tremble. His legs began to go weak.

He subconsciously wanted to retreat—then he felt a stream of warm liquid flowing down his pant leg...

His mind went blank.

Five thousand Professionals. It matched! It all matched! The five thousand Professionals Zhou Yun talked about in the group chat that day. It wasn't bragging. It wasn't a dream. It was real. It was all fucking real!

Every single person was wearing standard-issue armor! Every single person was emitting the unique Spiritual Qi fluctuations of a Professional! These were five thousand genuine, authentic Professionals!

And what about Han City? Forty-nine. Five thousand against forty-nine. One hundred to one.

Just a moment ago, he had joked about "taking on one hundred each." Now, that joke had come true. But, this really... was not funny at all!!

"C-City Lord?" Captain Qian Hao noticed City Lord Zhang Hao's strangeness and called out cautiously.

City Lord Zhang Hao retracted his head as if scalded by boiling water, crouching behind the battlement. He didn't dare to show his face again. He didn't even dare to peek.