Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 65 Wangshan Camp
The Crimson Corridor is not a challenge for the current team. Since the elves have opened up such a ground passage, they are naturally unwilling to waste their precious combat power here.

Now, only ordinary magical beasts and scattered white bones, eroded by time, remain wandering the roads.

A squad of elite guards is enough to wipe out any trouble along the way.

We didn't encounter any pedestrians on the road. Unless it's a powerful team or a special emergency, people are unwilling to take this route.

After all, the eerie jungle is not a good place, so why not take a safe airship?

For Chen Mo, the real challenge was the journey itself.

Because he needed to travel light and quickly, he had to discard all the bulky equipment, such as the weather station, data acquisition instrument, and solar panels, and only took the memory card with him.

Peiwen keenly noticed the reluctance in Chen Mo's eyes. He instructed his men to dig a deep pit on a secluded hillside by the roadside and carefully bury the instruments.

"Don't worry, after this battle, I'll come back personally to retrieve it for you! It won't be lost!"

Then there's Skeleton Little White, who has always served as his "storage container" and "spearman." He certainly can't be abandoned now, so Pevin arranged for an extra warrior to carry Little White and his pack on the road.

Some of the magical beasts that Chen Mo killed along the way saw that he was interested and had his warriors take them with him.

At Chen Mo's request, Pei Wen even collected some plants that were not found elsewhere along the way.

This elicited somewhat resentful looks from the soldiers, after all, they had lost their own defensive equipment, yet they had wasted time again and again for the sake of some unknown person's preferences.

But in the end, they dared not be angry, nor dared to speak out.

It wasn't just that the young princess clearly showed favoritism towards Chen Mo, but also because of the attitude of Captain Peiwen.

Peiwen's choice was simple: Chen Mo contributed a [Skylark] to the team.

This thing had been gathering dust in Chen Mo's hands for a long time, never having been put to use. Now that he's brought it out, it's like a game-changer.

When he first saw a clear image of the ground several kilometers ahead on the handheld platform, the swordsman was so excited that he almost knelt down.

What is this? This is a mage's "Eye of Reconnaissance" with an extremely long range, and it can even move on its own.

As a soldier, Peiwen knew all too well the importance of reconnaissance. With this "super scout," his confidence in successfully returning to the Emerald Duchy swelled dramatically.

For the next four days, the team trudged through the heart of the dark forest.

Ancient trees blocked out the sun, and dappled sunlight struggled to penetrate the thick canopy of leaves, casting its rays onto the ground covered with decaying leaves and slippery moss. The air was thick and humid, filled with the mingled scents of earth, decaying wood, and a faint stench of blood.

The guards marched in silence, each encounter with a low-level magical beast accompanied by a short shout, the sound of weapons cutting through the air, and the dying howl of the beast.

The team, like a sharp knife, carved a scarlet path through the dark curtain of silence that had lasted for countless years.

After four days of trekking, the group is about to reach the exit of the Crimson Corridor.

Then, what Captain Pevin saw on the Skylark platform made his face turn black.

The exit of the Crimson Corridor is located at the Green Vine Pass in the Green Pine Kingdom. This road is rarely used, so there is no need for a supply camp.

The Green Pine Kingdom, which manages this area of ​​Wangshan City, previously only set up a small outpost here, with a few soldiers for surveillance.

If someone passes by, ask where they came from, so that you won't be completely unaware of a powerful person passing through.

But at this moment, in the high-definition camera of the lark, rows of thick wooden stakes have been erected in front of the sentry post, forming a rather large temporary military camp. Six tents have sprung up, and guards with long guns are patrolling back and forth in the camp.

Tall watchtowers were erected at both ends of the exit, with archers carrying bows and arrows leaning lazily against the top railings, their eyes occasionally sweeping across the tranquil jungle. As the Skylark's reconnaissance range gradually closed, the archers in the front row of the watchtowers looked up and alertly nocked their bows.

【Skylark】Swaying, it quickly rises while retreating rapidly.

The sentry on the other side of the road looked around but saw nothing amiss. He then called out, "What's wrong?"

There's a strange bird; its shape doesn't seem quite right.

"Why are you so nervous about a bird? There are plenty of strange creatures with long ears. What are you afraid of? They're not going to come out."

"I always feel uneasy, as if something in this forest is watching me..."

"Ha! What a coincidence!" The sentry on the other side laughed heartily. "Every time I return to town, don't all those young women and wives secretly peek at me from the corner? You'll get used to it, you'll get used to it!"

Back in the Dark Forest, the leaders of Cloud Mist Territory, along with Chen Mo, an unofficial retainer, huddled together, watching Chen Mo continuously zoom in on the image on the cloud platform screen until the basic outline of the insignia on the sentry's chest became clear.

"They are the regular army of the Green Pine Kingdom. The small shield hanging below should belong to the troops from Wangshan City."

Peiwen glanced once more at the Skylark drone, which was quietly resting on the ground, with a complicated expression.

This thing can not only conduct real-time reconnaissance, but also record and play back the screen, and even freeze and zoom in. Using this thing in military campaigns is simply outrageous.

"Judging by appearances, there is at least one infantry company, which is about 120 men." Peiwen quickly assessed the enemy situation: "According to Green Pine's military system, the company commander is usually a second-tier professional. We can take them down."

He pointed to the narrow mountain pass guarded by two watchtowers on the screen: "But the problem is the terrain! They have a superior position and they have lookouts for early warning."

“That open area in the middle offers no cover! I can hold my own, but what about the brothers behind me…” Peiwen shook his head, “Absolutely not.”

"So, I'll go ahead and charge ahead by myself. If I can disrupt the enemy's defenses, I'll have the guards follow immediately."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the cloud and mist leaders all turned solemn.

Looking at the camps on the screen, Chen Mo couldn't help but ask, "Isn't there any room for negotiation? Perhaps we could try... buying our way through?"

Old Locke coughed heavily and took over the conversation: "The city lord of Wangshan City is a fiefdom of the Zircon family."

Okay, then let's not talk about it.

"Um, I've been wanting to ask, didn't you say that Princess Liushuang... Your Highness, does she have any elders of the Elven race? Are they in this dark forest? Could we go and hide there for a while?"

Captain Peiwen shook his head helplessly: "It's difficult. When the elves discover that other races have entered the Dark Forest, they usually kill them first and then investigate. Moreover, they often use magical beasts and strange plants to attack. Begging for mercy won't help."

"The only way to safely enter the elven territory is to submit an application at the elven outpost in the Redwood Highlands, explain the reason, and wait for the elven elders to grant permission before entering the Dark Forest according to their designated route."

Chen Mo rubbed his temples and then asked one last question.

"What if, I mean, if you didn't break through? What would happen then?"

Peiwen gave a wry smile: "If I can't break through, it means there are also high-level professionals in the opposing team, so I don't know if I can come back."

"If I can come back, I'll find another opportunity and a way. If... if I can't come back..."

“You should return to Xiyue immediately. The terrain there is not as dangerous, and there may still be a chance to evacuate and escape.”

"When the time comes, let fate decide."

(End of this chapter)