Chapter 306: Armored Ships, Circular Formation
What’s meant to happen can’t be avoided!
Kai Xin stood at the bow, observing the movements of the martial artists on both sides through the holes. Noticing that their numbers were still increasing, he realized that the Murong family’s warships and just a few hundred people surely couldn’t intimidate such a large force. Channeling his energy, his blue robes fluttered as if in a breeze—he was ready to act.
This battle!
To be honest, he had no confidence at all.
A small-scale fight might be manageable, but dealing with such a large-scale assault on such a vast and flat river surface, he could only protect himself. Protecting Xu Hong and the fleet was simply impossible—unless something else changed or a miracle occurred.
Boom!
At that moment, the tens of thousands of martial artists on both sides could no longer hold back. A dark figure rushed toward the rear fleet, while more people shouted, generating a thunderous wind rush. They leaped up one after another, rushing toward the nearest salt ships…
“Kill them!”
“Kill them now!” The screams filled the air, and the entire reed marsh seemed to boil. The dense crowd of martial artists swarmed toward the fleet like locusts.
“Shoot arrows!”
Xu Hong hesitated not for a moment!
On the fleet, the signalers immediately sent out flags.
Thwip! Thwip!
With the sound of bowstrings, dense showers of black arrows erupted from both sides of the fleet! The arrows, like locusts, reached the front group of martial artists in an instant.
Cries of pain filled the air!
Countless sprays of blood bloomed in the sky!
The enthusiastic men and women immediately suffered the consequences of charging headlong into the Murong family’s forces. Although the Murong family had few members, each carried two crossbows, giving them a strength comparable to an army of a thousand archers—indeed, their lethality surpassed that of archers. In moments, they knocked down the martial artists on both sides.
Nearly a hundred were killed, and hundreds more were injured!
Yet, their sacrifice was worthwhile, as the enemy quickly closed to within fifty meters.
Seeing this situation, Kai Xin frowned. Faced with the dense crowd of martial artists stretching hundreds of meters across the reed marsh, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
With the fleet’s manpower and firing rate, they could kill at most a few hundred people before the fleet itself was wiped out!
As the dense crowd grew closer to the river surface, ready to board the salt ships, Kai Xin even considered abandoning the mission and forcing his way out.
Just then!
“Xu Hong,” who was facing the reed marsh, snorted coldly:
“Looking for death!”
Kai Xin was stunned. He turned to look…
By chance, Xu Hong raised his index finger at the flag bearer on the mast, his eyes filled with an extremely intense and fierce murderous intent. On top of the mast, the flag bearer seemed to have been waiting for a long time; upon seeing Xu Hong’s gesture, he perked up, quickly waving the flag to send a secret signal. The next moment, a strange sound came from outside the ship. Happy didn’t dare delay and immediately activated his high-altitude viewing mode. What he saw! The metal wings outside the ship suddenly made “clicking” sounds—as individual wings opened up hundreds of dark holes densely packed together. Happy’s eyes lit up. Although it was his first time encountering such a thing, the moment these mechanisms were revealed, even he could feel a deep sense of danger from the bottom of his heart. Even Happy on board noticed and sensed this dangerous aura, let alone the martial artists who were close to the river surface… Seeing the metal wings suddenly covered in countless dark holes resembling gun slits, a chilling fear surged through everyone’s hearts, tightening their hearts tightly. “Not good!” “Damn it! This is cheating!!!” “Quickly, get out of here!” Various cries of panic arose one after another. Everyone frantically channeled their internal energy, desperately strengthening their defenses, while also retreating in panic, jumping into the river or using “Thousand-Pound Weight” to land on the ground for safety. Unfortunately! It was already too late… Countless tiny needles intercepted all enemies within fifty meters without any gaps, breaking through their defenses, vital energy, and internal strength. In an instant, countless players felt intense pain spread throughout their bodies, followed by complete exhaustion, and they crashed to the ground covered in blood. The casualties weren’t heavy—only no more than two hundred unlucky people died from head injuries, while the rest suffered varying degrees of injuries since their vital parts weren’t hit. However, after landing, the group made an even more terrifying discovery! Their internal energy had vanished instantly… Not only could they no longer activate their defenses, but their cultivation levels had also dropped to zero, forcing them to start training again from scratch. This discovery made everyone near the river surface break into cold sweats and stop in their tracks! Even some of the experts among them were furious—without internal energy, they couldn’t even board the ship. Continuing to charge forward was nothing but stupidity. “Ugh! Damn it!”
The man holding two short axes was the most frustrated. Relying on his excellent protective gear, he had safely survived several rounds of crossbow arrows and been at the forefront. But this time, after the barrage of flying needles, his vital energy was drained, and he fell into the water. After much effort, he managed to climb back to the shore and returned to the crowd in a disheveled state to meditate and restore his energy. With the mysterious and widespread use of flying needles by the steel fleet, there was finally a brief lull in the conflict, and the fleet remained unharmed.
“…”
Kai Xin was also filled with surprise. He never expected the fleet to have such powerful mechanisms, which immediately reassured him. He thought to himself, “The system surely wouldn’t assign tasks that are certain to death. The balance is still there—so there’s still a chance!”
However, at that moment, Xu Hong approached with a worried expression: “Deacon Kai Xin!”
“Is there something you need me to do, Deacon Xu?”
“You’re too kind, Deacon Kai Xin. But right now, the fleet is facing unprecedented trouble. There’s one thing I must make clear to you.”
Xu Hong’s tone was very serious, which made Kai Xin’s heart tighten. He wondered if these mechanisms were one-time use only.
“Go ahead and tell me.”
“It’s like this,” Xu Hong sighed. “Our Murong family has a renowned reputation, and its dignity must never be violated. For the safety of our goods, the fleet is usually equipped with various powerful mechanisms. But these are meant for ordinary water demons. We’ve never considered dealing with an enemy on such a large scale before…”
“…”
Kai Xin thought, “As I thought!” But Xu Hong was right too. Adding more equipment would mean national-level weapons. Not to mention the imperial court, even the Eastern and Western Factories wouldn’t easily let the Murong family off the hook.
“The flying needles on the ships can barely hold us until we reach a relatively spacious area ahead. It’s not very large, and further ahead, it becomes even narrower. So, I plan to gather the fleet together in that area, form a circular formation, coordinate our efforts, and concentrate our firepower… Maybe we’ll still have a chance to eliminate the enemies in the reed marshes! But fighting with our backs to the wall is extremely dangerous! By then, I might not even be able to take care of myself.”
Hearing Xu Hong’s plan, Kai Xin’s eyes lit up. “Don’t worry, Deacon Xu. For the honor of the Murong family! I’ll do my utmost to help everyone repel the enemy.”
A spacious area, a circular formation to defend against the enemy. If that’s the case, things might not be that bad, Kai Xin thought.