Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

Wu Zhan, Wang Mu, and Ye Jielina led the main force to finally reach the hiding place.

"Finally here." Wang Mu sheathed his giant shield. Behind him, nearly three hundred players were entering the area one after another. The once silent jungle was suddenly filled with all sorts of sounds: the clanging of metal armor, hushed conversations, the dull thud of weapons being placed on the ground...

Liu Nian saw Yelena again. This tall, silver-haired player from the Bear Kingdom was directing her team: "Vasily, take some men to the east side to establish a perimeter; Ivan, check if anyone has fallen behind or is injured. Anna, take some men to search the jungle, I think I saw some wolves."

Liu Nian glanced around: "The number of people is more than expected."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group began exchanging information.

Liu Nian and his two companions briefly explained what they had learned about the surrounding terrain, the goblin activity patterns, and the current situation of the gnomes. Meanwhile, each guild had designated personnel responsible for counting heads, checking equipment, and distributing supplies.

About half an hour later, the core members gathered next to a relatively flat black rock.

A rough map was drawn on the rock surface using white mineral powder: a winding curve in the center represented the route from the hideout to the anvil base, and various markers were scattered around it—skulls indicated known goblin gathering points, triangles represented terrain suitable for ambushes, and crosses indicated known danger zones.

There were six people gathered around the rock: Liu Nian, Wu Zhan, Wang Mu, Ye Jielina, Yun Xiangrong, and Jiang Yi.

"That's the situation," Liu Nian said, pointing to the map. "I've roughly calculated that it will take the convoy about four hours to get from here to Anvil Outpost. That means, ideally, they can get there before dark, but if they encounter goblin harassment along the way, it's uncertain. It's foreseeable that this will happen, since this area is already considered their territory. So we'd better plan ahead and come up with a safe solution."

Wu Zhan crouched down and tapped his fingers on the map: "From the hiding place to the convoy's location, and then to the anvil base, there aren't many forks in the road. I think the most dangerous part should be the last ten kilometers of open terrain near the Sulfur Smoke Canyon..."

"Do you know how many enemies there are?" Yelena asked.

"We don't know the exact number, but according to the dwarfs, there are at least a thousand active in the Sulfur Smoke Canyon area alone!" Jiang Yi continued. "They usually operate in small groups, but once they spot a target, they gather together. So if we include reinforcements that might come from deeper inland, the number could double."

Wang Mu frowned: "Three hundred against over a thousand, we're outnumbered, outclassed, and we also have to protect the cumbersome convoy..."

Yun Xiangrong said, "That refers to the worst-case scenario, which is actually impossible. They don't know we'll be escorting the convoy. So, President Wu Zhan is right; the danger should be in the last ten kilometers."

Wang Mu said, "That's true, but we still need to prepare for the worst and not let our guard down."

"So we can't just hold out and charge straight at the convoy," Liu Nian continued. "So my idea is to break up into smaller groups and take the initiative. Instead of waiting for them to come to us, we'll go to them—turn the entire area around Sulfur Smoke Canyon into our hunting ground."

Liu Nian drew a large circle on the map with his finger: "In the words of the great man, it's 'When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy retreats, we attack; when the enemy is exhausted, we harass; when the enemy flees, we pursue!' Our goal is not to annihilate the goblins—that's impossible—but to prevent them from gathering into a large force to threaten the convoy. We need to lure them away from our only route, disrupt their rhythm, and keep them constantly on the move."

Everyone's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and Wang Mu immediately said, "That's right, I think Liu Nian's plan is excellent." He pointed to several key locations on the map, "We can go to the key points in advance, clear the roads, and create a false impression. If we can create threats from multiple directions, it will be difficult for them to judge our intentions."

"Is this what you often call a feint attack?" Yelena's eyes gleamed. "But it requires precise coordination and timing. If the feint attack in one direction retreats too early, or if a blocking point is breached too soon, the whole plan will collapse."

"That's one way to understand it!" Wu Zhan said. "So communication is key. Everyone must coordinate the timing of their attacks, report the situation promptly, and make full use of the terrain to avoid falling into the goblin's encirclement."

Nearly halfway through the discussion, everyone offered their insights, analyzed various possible scenarios and solutions. Ultimately, an action plan gradually took shape.

The first team to set off was a scout squad. This thirty-person team consisted entirely of high-agility classes: twelve rogues, ten rangers, and eight agility-based warriors. The leader was Jiang Yi.

Their mission wasn't to kill enemies, but to scout and mislead. If they encountered lone or small groups of goblins, they would quickly eliminate them; if they encountered a large force, they would immediately retreat and send a signal.

Following them was the main feint attack force led by Wu Zhan.

This team consists of eighty players, with the core being elite players from the Dragon Abyss Guild. Their objective is to attack a known small goblin settlement in the northeast, creating the illusion of an attack.

In the Shilin area to the northwest, Wang Mu is leading his team on a cleanup mission...

As the person who accepted the mission, Liu Nian had to travel with the convoy, be prepared to deal with unexpected events at any time, and be ready for combat on the final stretch of the road.

He watched as the agile figures disappeared into the dim canyon, and only after they had all dispersed did he let the vehicles depart.

The first half of the journey was unexpectedly peaceful. Along the way, all that could be seen were traces of battle: extinguished campfires, scattered arrows, broken goblin weapons, and occasionally one or two corpses that hadn't been cleared away, but no living enemies were encountered.

This doesn't mean the fighting isn't intense. On the contrary, reports in the team chat show that players are engaging in frequent firefights with goblins from all directions.

"...Report from the eastern flank outpost: We've repelled the third wave of attacks. The number of goblins is increasing, and we're slowly leading them northwest..."

"...The cleaning team on the north side was ambushed by a small group of goblins, but they have been eliminated without any casualties..."

"...The Martial Arts Guild Leader has been captured, and there seems to be a teleportation portal inside the base..."

"...A big guy has arrived here, he can use artillery now, repeat, the goblins have heavy artillery units..."

"Holy crap, there's a huge pack of boar riders here! Everyone be careful, don't get gored by them..."