Chapter 405: The Fleeing Humans
The blaring horns stunned the human soldiers in battle.
Then they fled in panic, abandoning the hellish walls.
Inside the city, the soldiers also turned and retreated.
At the northern gate of Garrison Fort, chaos reigned.
Every main road was packed with fleeing civilians.
Looking out, the line of fleeing people stretched for dozens of kilometers.
There were pedestrians, beast-drawn carts, and adventurers riding dodo birds.
Outside Garrison Fort, on a high mountain.
"Running already? Humans sure have weak will to resist!"
Annie looked bored as she gazed at the fort.
It hadn't taken long for the humans to fall apart.
Li Meng's goblin army barely put in any effort to breach the walls.
Annie had expected a prolonged battle,
Especially since the human high walls were indeed tall and thick.
Li Meng sipped his coffee lightly.
When he put down the cup, he looked at Garrison Fort.
"Knowing you're outmatched, knowing resistance is futile, preserving your forces is the wisest choice."
Without airships, taking Garrison Fort would indeed have been difficult.
Of course, assuming he didn't act himself.
With airships, the humans couldn't even engage in battle.
Whether they defended the walls or hid inside,
They would be bombarded by magic cannons.
Only Saint-level mages posed any threat to airships.
But high-level mages were rare.
A military fortress like Garrison Fort had only one Saint mage.
Li Meng glanced at the raven trying to steal meat from the stone table.
"Go tell Gobu Hui, let the humans escape—but leave half behind!"
Garrison Fort had hundreds of thousands of residents.
Li Meng didn't plan to let them all escape.
But keeping them all wasn't realistic either.
If Garrison Fort lost contact with human society,
He'd have to feed them himself,
And there was no farmland nearby.
"Got it, boss!"
The raven hopped forward, grabbed a piece of meat, and flew away.
Li Meng smiled faintly as he watched it go.
"Leave half the humans behind?"
On the flagship's deck,
Gobu Hui caught the flying raven.
The boss's command made Gobu Hui give up on bombarding the city.
Standing at the rail, he looked down at Garrison Fort.
"It might be too late."
Inside the northern walls, the streets were packed with people.
Even from several kilometers away, the dense crowds were visible.
The goblin army was pouring in through the high walls.
By the time they reached the north gates, most humans would have fled.
"Tell the transport fleet to deploy goblin boar cavalry north of the city to block the escape routes."
"Understood!"
The raven flew south.
Within ten minutes,
A transport fleet of fifty airships soared over the high walls.
The massive fleet darkened the skies above Garrison Fort.
"Run! It's the goblins!"
The airships' appearance sent the civilians into a frenzy.
The roads became even more clogged and chaotic.
Amid the crush, screams rose from those trampled underfoot.
"Wahaha, humans are so funny!"
Goblins on the decks laughed at the frantic humans below.
"Hurry, hurry, I want to eat human flesh!"
"Shut up! The boss said humans aren't for eating."
"I want to eat!"
"Hmph, I'll tell the boss!"
"You won't see the boss. The boss doesn't care about little things like this."
"Then I'll tell the leader!"
"You dare!"
"I'll say you slandered me!"
"Shameless! I'll keep my eyes on you!"
As humans watched in terror,
The airship fleet flew overhead and disappeared beyond the city.
Flying north,
They finally descended on a flat plain about ten kilometers from Garrison Fort.
Gangways slammed onto the ground.
Massive numbers of goblin boar cavalry charged out.
"Goblins! Run!"
Thunderous hoofbeats approached from the northwest.
The ground trembled slightly.
Humans fleeing from Garrison Fort looked northwest,
Only to see a sea of goblin boar cavalry cresting a hill.
In the blink of an eye, they flooded the plain,
Charging straight at the fleeing civilians.
Terror gripped the humans.
They scattered instinctively.
"Goblins! Go back!"
Those closer to the fort instinctively turned back.
Inside, civilians still tried to get out.
Outside, civilians tried to return.
The gates clogged completely.
"Captain, do you want to die? You can't help! Run!"
Some adventurers tried to protect civilians,
But were pulled away by comrades.
Adventurers and civilians scattered.
The goblin boar cavalry split the fleeing line in two.
But they did not pursue the humans.
Nearly three thousand goblin boar cavalry formed ranks outside the city,
Blocking the civilians' escape.
"Goblins outside! Go back!"
"Stop pushing out! Return!"
Trapped civilians flooded back into the city.
"Run! The goblins are coming!"
Terrified, civilians instinctively hid in their homes.
Aside from civilians, many adventurers and soldiers remained.
Adventurers escaped over the walls using ropes.
The remaining soldiers prepared to fight to the death.
"We all know what goblins are. Drop your weapon, you die. Pick up your weapon, you die. Let's die with dignity. Prepare for battle!"
In Garrison Fort's northern district,
A group of soldiers were cornered.
Both ends of the street were filled with goblins,
And towering ogres.
Facing inevitable death, around two hundred soldiers despaired.
Just then, an officer stood up.
He removed his helmet,
Raised his weapon high,
And shouted.
Inspired, the soldiers' faces hardened with resolve.
They gripped their weapons tightly.