Chapter 490 - 290: War Begins (Part 2)

Chapter 490: Chapter 290: War Begins (Part 2)

"The sound of these war drums is like thunder, yet the beat is so incredibly dense... Even if all three hundred-plus people were drumming, they couldn’t possibly create this effect, right?"

"Sea Fish Island has a unique topography, with mountains connected to one another, which makes it extremely prone to echoes. So, I used some high-quality audio equipment to create the continuous drumming, which is then amplified by the island’s mountains. That’s how we get this effect.

Leng Wuque said with a smile, "There are very few people who know how to drum these days. Besides, the ancient custom of using drums to boost morale before a battle is long gone."

"So, they’ve rarely heard these kinds of drumbeats and might not recognize the sound is coming from a recording. This way, we might be able to create the illusion of a much larger force."

"Three hundred men is too few to surround a mountain. However, we’ve been here before. If we’re just guarding a few key locations, then three hundred is more than enough."

"Sowing confusion and guarding the choke points... Team Leader Leng, you’re trying to make it hard for Lin Loulan to gauge our true strength."

Hearing this, Li Ye finally understood what Leng Wuque was trying to achieve with all his arrangements. But there was one thing he didn’t get. If all of this was meant to confuse the enemy, why have him intentionally let a few of their spies go?

Spies, by nature, possess more information.

Once they brought that information back, wouldn’t it be easier for Lin Loulan to see that they were just bluffing?

"How could they possibly know?"

Hearing Li Ye’s confusion, Leng Wuque countered with a question, "Our reinforcements aren’t just from Cang City. We even have people from Modu and the Cyan Cloud Sect. Even I don’t know the exact origins and numbers, so how could a spy sent by Lin Loulan?"

"If all the spies made it back, Lin Loulan, with his intelligence, might actually deduce our true situation. But if only a few fish slip through the net, the enemy will be stuck in an awkward state of indecision due to the fragmented information."

Leng Wuque said gravely, "This is why I insisted that Brother Li deliberately let a few spies go. If every single one of their undercover agents died here, it would actually make us look like we’re hiding something. This interplay between illusion and reality will yield the best results."

"I see. Team Leader Leng, you are truly worthy of your title as one of the Three Great Wits Under Heaven. It’s truly admirable."

Li Ye couldn’t help but sigh in admiration, but then he asked with some confusion, "But even though we’ve successfully surrounded the entire island, how do we actually defeat them and secure victory?"

"Right now, their forces aren’t at full strength. We only have to deal with the enemies on the island, because their most trusted reinforcements have already gone to Lei Family Village."

"The key to everything right now boils down to one thing: time. Neither our efforts to delay the forces at Lei Family Village nor the effectiveness of our deception can be maintained for long."

"So, what we must do now is use this window of time to successfully carry out the six-word plan I laid out: Clear the center, take the enemy’s head."

"If the weak are to defeat the strong, the only way is to kill the enemy’s leader—a decapitation strike. Our top-tier strength is no weaker than theirs; in fact, you could even say we are stronger."

"The members of the Sea Fish Organization and Jile Valley are, at the end of the day, just a bunch of desperados. They might be decent in one-on-one fights, but they’ll become timid and hesitant in a large-scale battle. If Lin Loulan dies on top of that, they will certainly scatter like birds and beasts."

Leng Wuque paused for a moment before concluding, "This chess game is just one move from its end."

"Next, I will have our forces surrounding Sea Fish Island attack simultaneously. We’ll be divided into roughly four routes: me, with Li Ye protecting me; Qiu Wudao; Zhan Wuxing; and the Cyan Cloud Sect."

"The enemy can’t currently gauge our true strength. To play it safe, they will definitely disperse their forces to cover all four directions."

"However, of our four attacking forces, only the one I’m leading is an elite squad handpicked from three different factions. Not to mention, it includes a Tier Eight Powerhouse like Li Ye."

"I see."

Su Xing had been standing silently to the side. Hearing this, he finally understood what Leng Wuque was planning. Although Leng Wuque hadn’t hidden his actions from Su Xing, he had never proactively explained the details either. Now, Su Xing understood everything completely. "So, Team Leader Leng, you’re planning to use this window while the enemy is dispersed and unsure of our strength to assassinate Lin Loulan with our elite forces. In that case, I assume I’ll be going with you," Su Xing said.

"Yes. In this squad, the weakest members are at least Tier Five Sequencers. The ones from the Cyan Cloud Sect, in particular, are all Tier Six Qi Cultivators. Their strength might not be enough against truly powerful experts, but they are incredibly strong when compared to members of the Sea Fish Organization."

"Therefore, as long as we can draw out Lin Loulan’s main force, we can achieve a situation where the center is clear. Then we can march straight in and kill Lin Loulan in the most direct way possible."

"But Lin Loulan is also an extremely intelligent person. I doubt he’ll fall for it so easily," Li Ye suddenly interjected.

"Correct. And that’s where another force comes into play. This is also why I didn’t mention having Vice Minister Su follow me."

"I want Vice Minister Su to use his immense power to quickly reinforce the other two fronts after the battle officially begins. This will make it difficult for Lin Loulan to determine where our main force is actually located."

"Extraordinary power... it is a great force capable of destroying everything. We can also use this power to break their formations. With Su Xing’s strength, he should be able to tear through the enemy’s outer defenses with ease."

"If Lin Loulan doesn’t want to be trapped by our encirclement, he will definitely try to send people to aid all four directions and maintain his battle lines. That exact moment will be his fatal flaw."

Leng Wuque analyzed, "But until that flaw appears, my group cannot go all-out. This means the pressure on the other three fronts will increase, and for that, we’ll have to trouble Vice Minister Su."

"Understood."

"I guarantee I’ll complete the mission."

Su Xing nodded. In a short time, he had met two men of unparalleled intellect. Compared to Ling Zhongxing’s secretive style, Leng Wuque preferred to break things down and explain everything. Because of this, Su Xing understood perfectly, and he was thoroughly impressed.

"Haha, Minister Su, I’m not really in a position to be giving you missions. I just hope we can win this battle together," Leng Wuque said with a smile.

"We won’t lose," Su Xing nodded confidently.

With the strategy set, events quickly unfolded just as Leng Wuque had predicted. Su Xing didn’t act at first, merely watching the situation on the four fronts in silence.

Just as Leng Wuque had said, the destructive power of Low-tier Transcendents wasn’t that astonishing. At this level, numbers still made a huge difference. The three attack routes, excluding Leng Wuque’s, were all under immense, unimaginable pressure.

The fighting there was so vicious that even Su Xing—a man who had killed countless people and survived countless desperate battles—couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

If the old Su Xing were thrown onto a battlefield like that, even he couldn’t guarantee he would come out unscathed. You never knew when an attack might come from your flank, or even from behind.

This was a true battlefield. They were using any means necessary to kill each other, and with so many people involved, the variables on the field increased exponentially. Danger could appear at any moment.

’It should be about time.’ Su Xing gazed at the intense scene of battle, then suddenly rolled his neck and muttered to himself,

"I should make my move, too."