Saving the World in an Apocalypse-Style Text Game-Chapter 747 - 365: The Backlash of the Underworld Game, To Fight or To Retreat?_2
"[The elite legion has been reduced from five hundred to one hundred and sixty-eight. There are still five ’military dragonflies’, twenty-six ’bats’, and three ’phoenixes’ left.]
[Please give the order, Commander. Should we pursue the enemy at full speed or take a temporary rest?]
[You rise to the edge of the abdominal cavity and observe the outside world through the flesh membrane...]
[The ’military dragonfly’ you are in is soaring high in the sky, followed by four other enormous flying creatures similar to ’giant vein dragonflies’, their abdominal cavities also faintly filled with mutated soldiers.]
[Behind the ’military dragonflies’ are more than twenty flying monsters resembling black ’bat rays’, their wings fluttering as they follow closely.]
[Suddenly, a giant shadow covers you. You look up and see three enormous creatures soaring above you, terrifying beasts resembling trilobites. Their colossal bodies are encased in tough, black shells. Despite having no wings, they glide through the sky.]
[You know that the creatures resembling ’bat rays’ are the so-called ’bats’, and the three huge trilobites above your head are probably the ’phoenixes’.]
[you look down ahead, an unknown source of grey light illuminates the land. The sheer number of Feathered soldiers is enough to make your scalp tingle. Their pale shells are huddled together as they march forward in a frenzy, stirring up a cloud of dust.]
[The scene is like countless white, fat maggots wriggling madly, seemingly suicidal.]
[Among the countless Feathered soldiers, you also spotted the ’Divine Kingdom Dragon’ that you’ve seen before. Sometimes it burrows into the ground, and sometimes it emerges, advancing with the dense mass of soldiers forward.]
[In the enemy sky there are also flying troops, like ’griffins’ that resemble moths and ’flying dragons’ that are like hornets. Their numbers amount to several hundred.]
[They did not turn around to attack you, they merely move forward without looking back, along with the Feathered army beneath them...]
[You note that the Feathered army doesn’t seem like a defeated army fleeing in desperation, but rather like a forced march that was pre-planned.] 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
[...]
[The ’Mutated Vice-Officer of the Poison Scorpion Legion’, seeing you examining the enemy situation without responding, asks again. ]
[Should the Commander give the order to pursue the enemy at full speed, or take a temporary rest?]
"... Why isn’t there an option to retreat altogether?"
Lin Xun was somewhat agitated.
Whatever elite of the Poison Scorpion Legion, they were just a bunch of death-defying, glory-seeking fools.
Based on the text description, the enemy probably has some sinister plot afoot. Even though they seem to be fleeing, they are likely luring the enemy into a trap.
Who knows what went wrong during the teleportation, neither Flandre nor Jinmu got transported along with him.
Jinmu is forgivable, given that his large size couldn’t fit into the ’military dragonfly’.
But why did ’Flandre’ go missing too?
"Eh, wait... Perhaps Flandre is in one of the other four ’military dragonflies’."
"If Flandre is here, no matter how numerous the enemy is they are nothing more than weaklings and cannon fodder. Nothing to worry about, unless the enemy’s ranks also contain Wet Nurse’s offspring..."
[You signal to the ’Vice-Officer’ that you want to check on the condition of the other injured soldiers before making a decision...]
[Having said that, you control the ’military dragonfly’ to open its abdominal cavity. The whistling wind sweeps in.]
[You flutter your bone wings and instantly leave the abdominal cavity, heading towards the other ’military dragonflies’ flying behind...]
The few ’military dragonflies’ behind him are full of wounded soldiers as well, fewer than the one he was in, and he didn’t catch a glimpse of Flandre at all.
Lin Xun, under the pretext of checking on the condition of his injured soldiers, returned disappointed after examining several flying creatures.
"Could it be that the librarian set me up?"
"No, there’s no need for that. If he didn’t want Flandre and Jinmu to follow me, all he had to do was teleport me here right after agreeing to the trial.]
"There’s no need to go to such lengths, putting on such a poor performance."
"It must be the game from hell messing with me!"
Ahead, the enemy has countless soldiers, dense and endless, with unknowable numbers.
At this time, Lin Xun’s ’Angelic Visit’ skill is still on cooldown, unable to demonstrate the power of a demigod once more.
If there were angel warriors hidden among the enemy forces, or if there were any offspring of the wet nurse, the consequences would be unthinkable.
The most prudent course of action at the moment is to ’rest in place’ and wait for the arrival of the main forces.
Lin Xun suspects that if Flandre and Jinmu were teleported to the front line battlefield, they would most likely be within the arriving main force.
[You declare loudly that you have achieved a great victory, but the soldiers are individually injured and it is not advisable to continue pursuing deeper.]
[At your command, the entire army rests!]
[The ’deputy officer’ loudly acknowledges and announces your orders to the soldiers behind...]
[Soon, the ’military dragonfly’ descends and lands directly on the ground, and the subsequent flying troops also comply with your orders and land together.]
[The abdominal membrane opens, and the soldiers help each other leave the ’military dragonfly’ to rest in place...]
[You notice that the soldiers do not seem as relieved as you imagined, but rather look disappointed and dejected.]
[You even hear some soldiers whispering, privately discussing whether the legion commander issued such an order because he appears to have recovered from his injuries, but is actually still severely injured.]
[Otherwise, it would be unlikely for the legion commander to give up the pursuit.]
[More than twenty ’bats’ and three enormous ’phoenixes’ also land one after another under your command.]
[The ’deputy officer’ forcibly puts a stop to the soldiers’ discussions, allowing them to treat their injuries, rest in place, and feed the winged soldiers...]
[Suddenly, you sense something and look ahead, only to see that the endless Feathered army is slowing down and soon halts their ’escape’.]
[With the sound of a clear horn, the Feathered army begins to march again, but instead of continuing to flee forward, they alter their direction and charge toward your location!]
[The speed of their charge even exceeds that of the rapid march, and the dust in the sky obscures the view. You can only sense the enemy’s cold killing intent from the uncontrollable trembling of the ground.]
[Facing the boundless sea of monsters, fear rises in your heart. The dust in the sky is like raging waves, a single gentle splash could drown you injured soldiers...]
[Will you order a proactive attack or an immediate retreat?]
"This game of the underworld, you’re really something!"
Lin Xun clenches his teeth, knowing that the slightest mistake in his decision would likely result in death and the obliteration of his entire army.
[The ’deputy officer’ shows no fear, seemingly aware of your concerns, and strides over to you to report...]
[It is advisable for the commander to fight rather than retreat!]
[If we were to retreat at this time, ’bats’ and ’phoenixes’ are combat units, only capable of single-person operation and unable to transport multiple passengers. The soldiers’ only way to escape is through the ’military dragonfly’.]
[However, with the enemy possessing a large number of ’griffins’ and ’flying dragons’, attacking the ’military dragonfly’, which is incapable of combat and can only carry soldiers, would inevitably result in complete defeat.]
[We must hold our ground here, fight against the enemy with all our might, and wait for the arrival of the main force, only then will we have a glimmer of hope!]
[Commander, give the order; will we fight or retreat?]
[You look at the hundreds of elite soldiers around you. Like the ’deputy officer’, none of them show any fear. Their faces are full of zeal, as if they would willingly die for you at your command!]
[The soldiers are all eagerly looking at you, waiting for your order to attack. Knowing full well that they’re up against an infinite enemy force and that choosing to attack is likely a death sentence, they would rather die in battle than run away in defeat...]
"Do I really have a choice?"
Lin Xun knows that the current situation is most likely the consequence of the joint librarian cheating and being backfired by the game of the underworld.
The front-line battle situation indeed favours the Mutated, and the Feathered are at an absolute disadvantage.
However, the game of the underworld has turned the tide with a plot of a lone army going deep and pursuing the enemy, making his advantage disappear.
It even moved the strong allies, Flandre and Jinmu, leaving him to rely on his own strength.
He could earn rich rewards, but only if he completes a test that matches the degree of difficulty of the reward!
Lin Xun takes a deep sigh, then renews his spirits, pressing the ’yes’ option.
All forces, attack!
