Help! The Villainess Trapped in the Beast World's Drama!-Chapter 421 - 411: Living Corpse Army, Striking Back Again (Part 2)
This time, Shen Tang was determined to fight to the death without retreat.
The ministers and officials mostly agreed as well, insisting on no retreat — the Beastman had always had bravery and valiant blood coursing through their veins!
Constant retreat would only amplify the arrogance of the rebel army.
If you want to fight, then fight!
On that day, Shen Tang ordered the gathering of troops to strengthen the northern defense line and prepare for a direct confrontation with this undead horde.
After the previous encounter with the Living Corpse Army, the Empire had summarized some effective combat strategies.
Engaging them in close combat was not only futile but also exposed troops to injuries and infections.
Therefore, this time, the army used mid-to-long-range weapons, with headshots and fire attacks being most effective, inflicting significant damage on the living corpses.
Unfortunately, the available troops this time were only half of what they had last time. If there were more soldiers, there might be a chance for a strong fight.
The only good news was that compared to last time, the Empire now had three Tenth Rank Beastmen — Xue Yinzhou, Lu Xiao, and Qiu Yang, who was captured for labor to atone for his crimes.
No need to say more about Xue Yinzhou; his devouring ability was just as lethal to the living corpses.
Back when he was Ninth Rank, he could single-handedly eliminate thousands upon thousands of living corpses. Now, having risen to the Tenth Rank, his power was even greater — he could alone encircle and annihilate a Living Corpse Army of tens of thousands.
Lu Xiao was of the Flying System, with a wind element superpower, perfectly suited for high-air, long-range strikes. His attacks were precise and highly efficient.
Qiu Yang was not a pure-blooded Nine-tailed Fox and lacked the Destructive Fire, yet his Fox Fire was strong enough to deal a devastating blow to the living corpses!
Xiao Jin had not yet advanced to the Tenth Rank, but his Peak of the Ninth Rank strength made him brave and skilled in battle, capable of fighting enemies beyond his level and easily challenging thousands on the battlefield.
However, he was a melee type, not suited for direct confrontation with the living corpses. Moreover, Shen Tang had reservations about Qiu Yang, so she appointed Xiao Jin as the commander-in-chief and Qiu Yang as the deputy general to lead one army together.
Shen Tang ordered them each to lead a troop, holding the front line to prevent the Living Corpse Army from expanding further.
Upon hearing about the unrest in the Night Glow Empire, the Yiyuan Empire immediately dispatched a strong unit to assist.
This time, Shen Tang did not refuse. She was not an unreasonable person, and private matters with Shen Li were private while public affairs were public.
She did not want to be involved with him anymore but wasn’t foolish; the Night Glow Empire urgently needed external assistance now.
Previously, she refused because she couldn’t discern the other’s intentions and dared not accept unknown goodwill rashly.
Shen Li had crafty thoughts, but from recent interactions, he seemed to have no designs on Night Glow Empire’s territory; otherwise, he could have detained her last time when she ventured into Yiyuan Empire’s domain.
The Yunding Empire also sent a troop to offer support.
Jia Lan even contacted his mother specifically.
Though the Sea Country’s troops couldn’t conduct large-scale inland operations, they were a powerful external reinforcement. Not to mention, the Sea Country was resource-rich, providing abundant logistical supplies, offering strong support to the frontline.
This time, the Night Glow Empire was no longer fighting alone.
With more formidable combat power and so many allies’ support, the odds of victory increased considerably.
Shen Tang felt slightly more assured, but the reinforcements would still take time to arrive.
The Living Corpse Army was not an easy opponent. Even if the reinforcements arrived, could they really win this battle?
Even if they managed a narrow victory, it would certainly come at a steep price.
The Night Glow Empire, having just started to recover, might suffer grievous injuries again after this battle.
By then, the populace would be anxious, military morale shaky, and merely stabilizing the situation would be challenging enough.
Worse, if the rebel army seized the opportunity to stab them in the back, it would be truly disastrous.
While the Yunding Empire and the Sea Country sent reinforcements, assistance was ultimately limited.
Between countries, it ultimately boiled down to interests; they could fight side by side today and turn their backs tomorrow.
Shen Tang dared not pin all hope on others.
"System." Shen Tang rubbed her temples, her tone weary, "Is there really no way to eliminate these damned Living Corpse Armies at once?"
The system pondered for a moment and answered earnestly, [Actually, if you want to destroy these Living Corpse Armies, there is a way to ensure their complete annihilation.]
"If you had this solution, why didn’t you say so earlier!"
[There may be a way, but the host can’t accomplish it. Even if I said it, it would be useless.] The system anonymously replied, [I detected that these living corpses are likely bred from a special blood. The reproduction logic of the Living Corpse Army is to cultivate a Living Corpse Mother first, then infect more living corpses through the mother, thereby quickly creating an invincible Living Corpse Army in a short time.]
[If you could kill this Living Corpse Mother before the infection, it could block the army’s formation. But now the army has already formed; it’s too late to say anything.]
"Then... is killing that Living Corpse Mother still useful now?" Shen Tang’s face was solemn.
[No, the mother has completed the infection and reproduction. Even if you kill the mother now, the infected living corpses would continue to proliferate.] The system explained, [However, the mother’s reproductive ability is the strongest. Killing the mother could still slow down the Living Corpse Army’s spread to some extent... Unfortunately, the mother might be hidden within the Living Corpse Army, or taken back by the forces behind the scenes. Besides, the number of living corpses is too vast; I can’t inspect each one to determine which is the Living Corpse Mother. This approach seems currently impractical.]
"Then what is the solution you mentioned?"
[Host, the real manipulator behind the Living Corpse Army is the cultivator of the living corpses!]
The system reminded, [The key lies in his blood, which causes these living corpses to mutate.]
[So theoretically, if the host can successfully obtain his blood and spend a lot of points on data analysis, the system can produce a corresponding blood serum!]
Shen Tang had just risen with a sliver of hope, only to have it doused by a bucket of cold water, finally understanding why the damned system hadn’t mentioned it before!
If her guess was right, this strange Living Corpse Army was created by Necro, the first commander of the legend, the rebel army.
He was truly the leader of the rebel army, his power unfathomable and terrifying.
Where could she obtain his blood?!
