Novel Full Chapter 413: The Unknown
Chapter 413: The Unknown
[Scorpion City]
A tense, suffocating atmosphere permeated the air outside the city wall. The thousands of Scorpion Soldiers wore confused expressions.
The confidence they had displayed earlier had long disappeared. The high morale that had filled the army before departure was nowhere to be seen.
Their gazes locked onto their three Commanders and their General. Every soldier silently waited for an answer.
News from Kharv should have arrived, but they heard nothing. It was as if he had vanished into the endless dunes.
The silence itself became increasingly oppressive. Each passing minute only deepened the uneasiness within everyone’s hearts.
Worse, they had sent scouts to check what was going on with Kharv and his men, yet none of the scouts ever returned.
Just like Kharv and his men, they vanished without a trace. The endless crimson desert before them suddenly appeared unfamiliar.
The once familiar dunes now looked like the jaws of a giant beast waiting to swallow anyone who entered.
"General..." one of the Commanders said in a grave voice. "Something is wrong."
The General did not look at the Commander. Of course, something was wrong. Even a fool could tell at this juncture.
Two of the Commanders looked at the speaker as if they were looking at a fool.
"General, should we report to the Council of Elders?" one of them asked. His voice remained respectful.
However, the concern hidden beneath his calm tone could not be concealed. They had always believed the Crimson Dune was their home.
Their turf.
But now, looking at the endless crimson sand, none of the Commanders were confident about walking deeper into the desert.
The vast desert before them suddenly felt foreign.
It concealed an unknown danger they could neither see nor understand.
They were scared, but none let it appear on their faces.
As commanders of the Scorpion Army, fear was something they could never openly display before their soldiers.
In the face of the unknown, none of them were sure they could venture deep into the desert and come back alive.
Until they knew what was going on, they wished not to step deeper into the desert.
This was the thought shared by all the Commanders, but none of them dared say it aloud.
Slowly, the General turned and looked at the three Commanders. His sharp eyes swept across each of their faces.
No emotion could be seen within his expression.
"Do you all also have the same thought?" the General’s voice was flat.
The two Commanders nodded, and one of them spoke.
"Without knowing what is going on in the desert, going into the desert is not advisable."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Our enemies clearly know something that we do not."
"They have already swallowed one battalion and several scouting teams without leaving behind any clues."
"If we continue advancing recklessly, we might fall into the same trap."
The other two Commanders silently nodded in agreement.
"So what should we do?" the General’s voice became deadly cold.
His piercing gaze swept across the three men.
"Should we retreat just like our enemies wanted?"
The three Commanders fell silent.
The aura around the three Commanders twisted violently. An intimidating pressure pressed down upon them.
The surrounding air became incomparably heavy and even breathing became difficult.
Their scales trembled, and tiny cracks appeared across them while the invisible pressure continued to increase.
The soil beneath their feet groaned softly. The three Commanders groaned but dared not make another sound.
Their faces contorted with dread with their knees trembling uncontrollably.
Cold sweat dripped down their foreheads. Yet none of them dared lower their heads.
"If the mighty Scorpion Army retreats, what will the other clans think of us?" The General’s voice was calm.
Yet every word struck like a heavy hammer against their hearts. The more he spoke, the higher the pressure increased.
"We’re the Scorpion Clan, and we have ruled the desert for countless generations, and it will not change now or forever." His crimson eyes blazed brightly.
His voice echoed across the entire battlefield.
Every Scorpion Soldier subconsciously straightened his back. Pride slowly replaced the uncertainty inside many of their hearts.
"Whatever is hiding in the desert, we shall crush it with our mighty force."
"We are not prey."
"We are the hunters."
His declaration resounded throughout the gathering.
"Don’t you agree with this?" His terrifying sharp eyes locked onto the three Commanders, who were now trembling.
Hmm.
With great difficulty, the three nodded.
Veins protruded across their foreheads while the scales on their bodies were on the brink of shattering.
Their jaws clenched tightly.
None of them dared utter another word.
"Good..."
The General nodded and averted his gaze and the terrifying pressure vanished immediately.
The atmosphere instantly became much lighter.
Huff! Huff!
The three Commanders exhaled and inhaled heavily, their chests rising and falling repeatedly.
Beads of sweat dripped from their faces onto the crimson sand below.
"Gather your men. We depart immediately," the General commanded.
His tone left no room for negotiation.
"Yes, General."
The Commanders responded in unison before departing to gather their battalions.
Each immediately began shouting orders.
The previously motionless army instantly became active once again.
The Greater Dune Scorpions let out low screeches while their riders climbed onto their backs. The General squinted, staring directly toward the direction Kharv and his men had taken.
His expression gradually became colder.
"Whatever it is, I’ll crush it and bring its head to the King," he vowed, his eyes burning with determination.
This was the pride of the Scorpion Men.
More importantly...
This was the pride of the Scorpion Army General.Retreat had never existed in his dictionary.
Without hesitation, he walked toward his mount.His men clad in dark red armor quietly followed behind him.
Unlike the ordinary soldiers, every one of them radiated a terrifying aura.They were veterans who had survived countless battles.
They were elites among elites who answered only to the Army General. Silently, they formed behind their General like an unbreakable wall.
"Let’s move..." the General commanded as he mounted his mount.
Screech!