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Chapter 449: What Kind of Opponent Is This?Ā
Yaya lightly twitched her nose and curiously turned her head, pointing toward the distant darkness:
"The drow elves seem to have come out, but they're not approaching..."
"It looks like they're trying to head inside."
In the past, Yaya would have thought about playing hide-and-seek with them.
Now she understood that such actions were meaningless.
Do not indulge in your desires!
Matthew cast another Fireball Spell, hitting a group of minotaurs charging headlong.
Listening to the various damage notifications, he collected data meticulously while speaking calmly:
"No worries, Beelzebub and the others should be ready."
"Since the vanguard of the drow elves didn't retreat immediately, they've lost their chance to escape."
Matthew's plan was dangerous and covert.
It was only successful because Matthew grasped the personalities and data of the drow elves and gnolls so thoroughly.
Precisely because he took considerable risks, the results were outstanding.
He ignored the drow elves who had escaped by chance; the primary task now was to prevent the drow elves from becoming desperate.
He was aware of their plan to open a new passage and allowed them to proceed because he was confident in resolving it.
At the same time, this would give the drow elves a sliver of hope.
To avoid them devising other methods.
"A teleportation array? Are human forces really this extravagant?"
Reluctantly looking away, drow elf commander Sera forced herself not to dwell on the personnel and supplies being teleported in. She signaled for a retreat.
Her mind was a bit muddled now, gradually realizing something was wrong.
From the initially smooth and unstoppable attack...
To suddenly suffering spellcaster assaults...
To being forced to split her forces, failing to take the gnoll camp immediately...
And finally, being led to lure the gnolls, completing a "borrowing a knife to kill" strategy effortlessly...
All hinted at a terrifying conspiracy.
Commander Sera strongly suspected that if the enemy had been targeting her specifically, she would have been dead long ago.
Such insightful manipulation of people's hearts left her with a deep sense of powerlessness, more terrifying than the schemers and matriarchs of Menzoberranzan.
While commander Sera led the remnants of her drow elves to bypass the chaotic gnoll camp and retreat further back...
The Bay Territory forces, long awaiting, had firmly occupied the previous positions of the drow scouts.
Though this spot didn't have just one exit like the connecting passage to this area...
The two adjacent connecting points weren't particularly spacious either, and a simple earthen wall had already been raised.
One heavy crossbow after another was openly placed on both sides of the wall.
Just a glance was enough to extinguish any desire the remaining drow elves had for an attack.
Gritting her teeth, commander Sera looked at the Bay Territory soldiers atop the wall but ultimately dismissed any thoughts of a frontal assault, turning toward the steep caves and spaces nearby.
Survival was most important!
Her choice was undoubtedly correct.
Under the leadership of Beelzebub and Elio, the Bay Territory's high-ranking Professionals had formed a formidable force.
They began sweeping through the sealed-off area, focusing on hunting the drow elves.
Although the drow elves were adept at stealth, they were not a professional scout team.
The traces and scents they left behind quickly exposed their movements.
With the help of kobolds and elven mages, the drow-hunting team soon captured over a dozen unfortunate drow.
They promptly delivered the drow to Matthew as if presenting a treasure.
"This is just the vanguard? The main force is still engaging with the Karaya Gnoll Kingdom?"
"It seems they plan to gradually consume and eventually surround the Gnoll Kingdom..."
Reviewing the information "extracted" from the captives, Matthew smacked his lips, pondering the dynamics of the Underdark.
After a moment of thought, Matthew decided to continue harassing the drow elves!
At that moment, the once-solid stone wall beside the passage suddenly softened into mud, accompanied by faint grunts from ogres.
They had opened another passage!
Issuing a retreat order to the modified warriors holding the front line, Angela pointed at the softened cave entrance and said:
"Exit the city, form ranks, and prepare for battle."
"Reserve team, set up crossbows and aim!"
"Construction team, speed up; prioritize reinforcing the walls and building arrow towers..."
"Notify the teleportation array to prioritize sending crossbow bolts and food..."
"..."
One command after another came from Angela's mouth.
The newly established forward base began operating at an astonishing speed.
Having mostly recovered, Annie rubbed her sore wrists and noticed the modified warriors still full of stamina, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.
Seeing the Bay Territory soldiers exit the city and form ranks, she asked expectantly:
"Why don't we block the cave entrance?"
Quickly analyzing the upcoming battle plan, Angela reviewed the collected Bay Territory intelligence.
This included not only data from adventurers but also information Matthew had "observed" and "interrogated" to obtain.
Feeling confident, Angela pointed to the 2,000 Bay Territory soldiers lined up ahead and said in a firm tone:
"In the future, we will have more conflicts with the drow elf army, so we must engage, fight, and understand them in advance..."
Taking advantage of this opportunity while limiting the scale of the battle, Angela was willing to initiate a medium-sized skirmish to gather further information.
Deep in thought, Annie nodded repeatedly, eagerly asking more questions about combat and command.
Familiar with the lord's "elf plan," Angela was happy to discuss it with Annie.
During their discussion, the heavily damaged gray dwarf unit retreated alongside the modified warriors.
The exhausted and frustrated gray dwarf captain Tieta glanced at his battered and weary comrades. Instead of charging the Bay Territory soldiers, he recalled Jifan's words and quietly moved toward the side of the cave entrance.
Following their lead were the ogres who had just broken through the cave entrance.
Seeing nearly 2,000 fully armed Bay Territory soldiers...
Especially the few hundred towering, heavily armored soldiers at the forefront...
The utterly drained ogre slaves lay down on the side, clearly unwilling to get up!
The drow elves and slave soldiers behind them let out cheers of joy.
They swarmed out and charged at the Bay Territory formation without hesitation.