I started on a deserted island and encountered Ying Zheng, who insisted I was an immortal.

The convoy traveled for another full day on the winding mountain roads.

As the altitude decreases, the air gradually becomes more humid.

On the rocks by the roadside, some tenacious moss and lichen began to appear.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

That terrifying avalanche was like a nightmare, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

Although they ultimately escaped unharmed, the sense of powerlessness in the face of divine might still instilled a lingering fear in these once fearless Qin soldiers.

Especially Li Si.

This prime minister of Qin hadn't uttered a single word since descending the mountain.

He was just huddled in a corner, clutching a vomit bag, his eyes glazed over, as if half his soul had been scared away.

Ying Zheng's condition has improved considerably.

He even had the leisure to hold the world map and discuss the upcoming marching route with Zhang Ying.

"Beyond this mountainous region, according to the Yuezhi King, there should be a vast desert." Ying Zheng pointed to a blank area on the map. "Why is there nothing marked on this?"

"Because this is an offline map, the data package isn't large enough, and many remote areas haven't been mapped in detail," Zhang Ying explained. "But that's okay, as long as the general direction is correct. Once you cross the desert, you'll reach the Indus Plain."

"The desert..." Ying Zheng frowned. "Wouldn't marching be very difficult?"

"It's not a big problem for us," Zhang Ying said, pointing to the tank outside the window. "This thing is designed for desert warfare. The trucks are a bit worse, but as long as they don't get stuck in quicksand, they can still run. The only problem is water."

"water?"

"Yes, fresh water," Zhang Ying said. "Water is scarce in the desert. We don't have much drinking water with us, so we must find a large water source to replenish our supplies before entering the desert."

Ying Zheng nodded and kept the question in mind.

Night falls.

The convoy stopped and set up camp in a relatively flat river valley.

A clear stream of snowmelt flows through the valley.

This is exactly the supply point they need.

The soldiers cheered and jumped off the vehicle, ran to the river, and washed their faces thoroughly.

The cool river water washed away their fatigue and dust.

The campfire was quickly lit.

Zhang Ying was still the same as always, setting up a large iron pot and stewing instant noodles, luncheon meat, and compressed biscuits all in one pot.

Although it doesn't look very appealing, in this desolate wilderness, being able to eat a hot meal is an immense pleasure.

Even Li Si, who usually had little appetite, picked up his bowl and started slurping his food.

The Yuezhi king and his people were also rewarded with a bowl.

These days, they've been eating nothing but dry, hard compressed biscuits, and their mouths have long since become tasteless.

After the steaming, fragrant "divine soup" was consumed, the Yuezhi king was almost moved to tears.

He thought that even if he were a prisoner of war, being able to eat such good food every day seemed... not so bad?

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Zhang Ying arranged for sentries to be on guard and then prepared to rest.

The intense stress and mental exhaustion of the past few days left him feeling completely drained.

However, just as he crawled into his sleeping bag...

A sudden commotion arose outside.

"Something's up!" Wang Ben, who was on guard, shouted.

Immediately afterwards, several crisp gunshots pierced the silent night sky.

boom! boom! boom!

Zhang Ying jolted awake and sprang out of her sleeping bag.

He grabbed the AK47 that was next to his pillow and rushed out of the command vehicle.

Ying Zheng also got out of the carriage, holding a gun in his hand, and moved even faster than Zhang Ying.

"What's going on?" Ying Zheng asked in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty! Imperial Advisor!" Wang Ben ran over, submachine gun in hand, his face a mixture of excitement and tension. "There's something in that woods over there!"

Zhang Ying looked in the direction Wang Ben pointed.

From the woods on the opposite bank of the river, pairs of bright green eyes appeared.

Those eyes flickered in the darkness, like will-o'-the-wisps.

The quantity is extremely large.

At a glance, there are at least a hundred pairs!

"It's a wolf!" shouted an experienced veteran.

"No!" Zhang Pov glanced at it and immediately denied it, "Wolves don't have such big eyes, nor are they that big."

He turned on the high-powered searchlight on the command vehicle.

A bright beam of light pierced the darkness in an instant, illuminating the woods on the opposite bank.

Under the beam of light, the "uninvited guests" finally revealed their true forms.

It was a group of huge, gray-black beasts.

They look a bit like wolves, but are bigger than calves.

It bared its teeth, revealing long fangs, and let out a low growl from its throat.

Saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth and fell to the ground.

Those eyes were filled with bloodthirsty greed and madness.

"What... what kind of monster is this?" Li Si also poked his head out, and when he saw this scene, he was so frightened that he almost shrank back.

"Tibetan Mastiff?" Zhang Ying frowned.

wrong.

He had seen Tibetan mastiffs before, but none this big.

This thing looks more like a prehistoric creature.

"Who cares what it is!" Wang Ben was already excited. "Perfect for testing the gun!"

As he spoke, he was about to pull the trigger.

"Wait!" Zhang Ying stopped him.

"Grand Preceptor, why are you stopping me? If we don't act now, they're going to charge!" Wang Ben said anxiously.

"Don't waste bullets," Zhang Ying said. "What if we run out of bullets and encounter the Mauryan Empire's army later?"

"What should we do then? We can't just let them eat us as midnight snacks, can we?"

Zhang Ying didn't answer him, but turned to Ying Zheng and said, "Old Zhao, do you remember what I taught you?"

Ying Zheng was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

He pulled back the bolt and pointed the gun at the sky.

Da da da da da—!

A rapid burst of shots.

Flames spewed across the night sky.

The deafening gunshots echoed through the empty valley, making everyone's ears ring.

The herd of animals on the opposite bank was clearly frightened by the sudden loud noise and flash of fire.

They stirred and let out a low growl of unease, but did not retreat.

On the contrary, that bloodthirsty ferocity seemed to be further aroused.

"roar--!!!"

The largest beast in the lead roared to the sky.

Immediately afterwards, it burst out of the woods and charged toward the camp on the other side of the river!

When it ran, the earth shook.

That speed was astonishing!

In the blink of an eye, they rushed to the riverbank.

With a leap, its massive body crossed the river, which was more than ten meters wide, and landed heavily on the open ground in front of the camp!

boom!

The ground seemed to tremble.

Everyone was stunned by the ferocity of the giant beast.

"Fire!" Zhang Ying finally gave the order.

He knew that intimidation was no longer effective.

The only way to deal with this kind of beast is through the most direct and violent methods.

Da da da da da—!

Wang Ben fired first with his submachine gun.

Bullets rained down on the behemoth.

Puff puff!

Blood splattered everywhere.

More than a dozen bloody holes instantly appeared on the giant beast's body.

However, it only let out a miserable howl, swayed its body, and instead of falling down, it charged at Wang Ben even more violently!

"Damn! That skin is so thick?!" Wang Ben cursed, retreating while continuing to fire.

However, ordinary submachine gun bullets were simply ineffective in causing fatal damage to this behemoth.

At this critical moment.

boom--!

A muffled thud.

The giant beast's head snapped back as if struck by an invisible hammer.

Immediately afterwards, half of his skull exploded.

Red and white splattered all over the ground.

Its massive body crashed to the ground.

It twitched twice and then stopped moving.

Wang Ben stared blankly at the corpse lying at his feet.

He turned his head and looked at Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng was holding the AK47, with a wisp of smoke still rising from the muzzle.

He fired that shot just now.

The 7.62mm rifle bullet is far more powerful than a submachine gun bullet.

One shot, headshot.

"The Grand Preceptor is right." Ying Zheng blew on the muzzle of the gun, his tone calm. "This thing is indeed better than a bow and arrow."

The beasts on the opposite bank were stunned to see their leader killed in one blow.

The madness and greed in their eyes were gradually replaced by an emotion called fear.

They began to retreat uneasily, wanting to go back into the woods.

"Trying to run?" Zhang Ying sneered. "Too late."

He picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Wang Ben, go where you belong."

"Yes, sir!"

Wang Ben roared excitedly and turned to charge towards the tank parked in the center of the camp.