Chapter 260: Victory
The once mighty troll army.
Had collapsed completely.
They were like hunted sheep, being chased down by human cavalry and overseer squads!
Not a single troll soldier turned to fight; they had no reason to battle, only to escape with their lives.
The more they feared death, the faster death came!
For those trolls who discarded their weapons, the soldiers often spared their lives.
As for the others, their fate was left to chance!
Many trolls fled into the dense forest, intending to scatter and run.
If they ran fast enough, the fewer Bay Territory soldiers wouldn't have enough manpower to chase them all down.
In this moment, the trolls seemed a bit smarter.
Unfortunately, Matthew wouldn't miss this golden opportunity to make a fortune!
Dense volleys of crossbow bolts whistled from both sides of the forest.
Trolls attempting to flee left and right were shot down in droves.
Sharp cries of battle resounded, revealing the presence of an ambush!
The defeated trolls, terrified and disoriented, dared not check how many enemies lay on each side, forcing them to charge straight ahead.
Crossbow bolts continued to fly from both flanks, squeezing the trolls' escape routes tighter.
The Bay Territory soldiers behind them maintained steady breaths and pace, chasing and slashing the trolls in waves, driving them ever forward.
Yaya, now fully recovered, kept watch from the sky.
She observed the adventurers in the Dark Forest.
They had formed a large funnel shape, continuously squeezing the trolls' escape routes.
Meanwhile, the adventurers used loose, scattered shots to slowly "reduce" the trolls' numbers.
Overcome by fear and relentlessly fleeing, the trolls were startled to find.
The number of enemies was growing.
Their escape space was shrinking, and the scattered trolls were gradually forced back together.
Crossbow bolts continued to rain down.
Without mercy, the trolls packed together were shot down, with the screams and pleas of their fallen comrades ignored.
Some trolls, unable to withstand the slow death, tried to flee into the woods.
But dense crossbow volleys turned them into pincushions.
Witnessing this, the remaining trolls hastened their flight in unspoken agreement.
Alice, commanding from horseback, couldn't contain her joy.
She watched the trolls fall and shouted excitedly:
"Team 1, keep firing! Don't aim to kill, just hit their chests."
"For every troll you hit, you'll earn 1 extra gold coin; it's time to see how good you are at making money!"
"Team 2, move up quickly."
"Position yourselves well, mind your distance, and don't lose your life for a few coins!"
"Team 3, stop dawdling! Get up front; if you're too slow, don't expect any bonus."
The other adventurer team leaders, seeing Alice's thorough preparation, showed thoughtful expressions.
Indeed, Alice's team might not be the strongest, but they had a keen "sense" for pursuit and planning.
They were also becoming quite interested in Bay Territory's war missions.
Capturing a single troll earned a bounty of 50 gold coins!
Participating in this ambush earned each person an additional 5 gold coins!
In the entire Eastern Province, such lucrative group tasks were unmatched.
However, there were too few adventurers.
Intimidated by the trolls' numbers and combat power, only Bay Territory's veteran adventurers and a few new elite professionals dared join this "dangerous" ambush.
Despite their best efforts, they had shot down roughly 1,500 of the 4,500 fleeing trolls.
Yet, over 3,000 trolls managed to escape the deadly forest, rushing frantically towards the riverbank.
And then, the trolls were dumbfounded.
Half of their river-crossing ropes had been cut, and the remaining ropes swayed unsteadily above the water.
Without hesitation, the trolls in front lunged at the ropes and began crossing the river.
The rest of the trolls suddenly realized the danger and swarmed towards the ropes.
Even the dumbest trolls understood that staying on the riverbank meant certain death!
But with too many trolls and too few ropes, the ones at the back heard the whistling of crossbow bolts closing in and, in desperation, turned their weapons on their own comrades.
A brutal melee ensued.
The adventurers, originally prepared to charge in, wisely halted and began shooting from a distance.
Blood flowed freely, and corpses littered the ground.
As the trolls fought furiously, a swarm of murlocs burst from the water, dragging the trolls crossing the river under.
Bobo watched leisurely from the shore, occasionally firing an arrow from his custom enchanted crossbow.
About half an hour later.
The fierce battle cries gradually subsided.
Only a few hundred "lucky" trolls managed to reach the far bank.
The remaining 2,000 trolls, after a brutal fight, were left without any hope of escape.
They collapsed helplessly on the ground, resigned to their fate.
Occasionally, some trolls would crazily leap into the water, only to be swiftly pulled under by eager murlocs.
Dying without a sound!
Bay Territory soldiers arrived, capturing the trolls who had surrendered.
Each one was worth 50 gold coins!
No point wasting such a bounty!
With this, Bay Territory had successfully repelled the invading trolls, securing victory in this battle.
Now came the rewarding task of cleaning up the battlefield.
With the help of murlocs and adventurers, the Bay Territory soldiers prioritized finding the wounded trolls still alive.
Given the trolls' robust physiques and healing abilities, as long as they weren't killed outright, a Vitality Potion could usually save them.
As for the troll corpses, they needed to be swiftly cleared away.
The Scarlet Moon wasn't as terrifying as before, but everyone remained on high alert.
No one wanted to face that kind of devastation!
Soldiers and adventurers transported troll captives, burned troll bodies, and cleared away crossbows and broken weapons that didn't belong in the Dark Forest.
Smiles were on every face, celebrating Bay Territory's victory and pride in its strength.
Even the numerous murlocs were busy,
Spurred on by an excited Bobo, who was happily picking out clever, obedient subordinates.
Matthew, taking in the entire scene, suppressed his excitement and glanced towards the direction where the troll priests and high-level trolls had fled.
"I hope every troll we meet in the future is as stupid as they are!"
Hearing Matthew's remark, the quick-witted Yaya immediately caught on:
"Ah? Is that why you let them go?"
"Exactly. We can't let such foolish opponents die easily."
"Let them return to Gurubashi; hopefully, next time, they'll bring us more troll 'volunteers'."