Please pull the trigger for this world one more time.

About a few hours later.

Sober and the other fifteen elven temple guards arrived at a spot not far from the opposite bank of the underground river, each of them holding a piece of etherstone in their hand.

"Alright, our friend Guangwu is ready," Sober said solemnly. "Now, it's our turn..."

Everyone lifted the ether stone.

"Inshaurafalda! (Etheric Burst)"

As they chanted the incantation in unison, the sixteen aether stones burst forth with dazzling light, and the surging aether even rippled around them as if it were a tangible substance.

In response, strange roars echoed from all around. Hearing the faint rumbling footsteps approaching, Sober knew the attraction had been successful, perhaps even a little too successful.

"Retreat! Quickly!"

"Nissaelon! (The Winds of the Masses)"

"Insora Onfrenza! (Etherically blesses group agility)!"

Both spells were cast, and each of the sixteen people, including Sober, cast them once.

The team's speed was temporarily boosted to an unimaginable level. The closest demon even pounced on them, but failed to catch a single hair and could only follow behind and eat their dust.

The other side of the river.

Through his binoculars, Shen Yi saw a small group of "glowing objects" followed by a huge swarm of them. He clicked his tongue and suddenly realized that the elves' previous tactics weren't entirely unfeasible after all.

With their absurd speed, they might be able to reach their destination before the monsters along the way can react, and then run back.

Stealth, infiltration, and breakthroughs are all trash.

Soon, all the members of the elf team arrived at the underground river and entered the reserved safety passage.

As the last member crossed the pontoon bridge, Shen Yi waved his hand, and the bridge was completely destroyed. All sixteen elves threw their still-glowing aether stones into the river and took their battle positions.

The first demon appeared on the riverbank, followed by countless others.

The mushroom forest on the opposite bank began to pour out its "stock" accumulated over thousands of years, like a bottomless sack.

They were greeted by four rings of barbed wire – Major Ma generously contributed all the barbed wire he carried to deal with the monsters' excellent jumping ability.

In his words, the Northwest Army may lack other things, but it has plenty of these supplies specifically for positional warfare.

Seeing these demons trapped in the barbed wire in various positions, Shen Yi gave the order, and all the machine guns began to fire precise and dense short bursts.

The first 4-inch bullet, trailing a plume of flame, sliced ​​through the air and struck a demon precisely at the perfect angle, cleaving it in two at the waist.

Then the second, third, fourth, and fifth were pierced through, becoming visibly incomplete.

There were many bullets, like raindrops, and many demons, like clods of earth crushed by raindrops.

"Direction: Northeast, Elevation: 15°, Correction: ±2..."

Major Ma squatted on a very tall mushroom and informed the artillery unit behind him of the parameters. Soon, the Fallen on the opposite bank was subjected to a barrage of intense artillery fire.

The demons suffer heavy casualties, but new demons always emerge, stepping over the corpses of their own kind to continue their advance.

Soon, the barbed wire was filled in, and the newly emerged demons, stepping on their kin—whether alive or dead, whole or broken—finally crossed the barbed wire and entered the riverbank.

But the riverbank is the real focus.

What awaits them next is a dense "barrel area".

Machine guns were firing, and artillery fire was still bombarding the distance, but the riverbank on the opposite side was soon filled with densely packed monsters.

Shen Yi gestured to Sober, who nodded and snapped his fingers. Then, an extremely violent explosion occurred on the opposite bank, instantly turning it into a sea of ​​fire.

The explosives sent the demons closest to the "barrel" flying, and then burning oil splattered everywhere—

The densely packed barrels formed a continuous mass, instantly igniting the entire riverbank and then a small patch of mushrooms in the direction of the riverbank.

The first batch of demons that entered the riverbank roared and struggled, but soon they gradually quieted down. The demons that followed continued to charge forward without hesitation. They rushed into the sea of ​​fire, then their pace slowed down, and then they became part of the sea of ​​fire.

They became fuel for the inferno.

A whole box of homemade Molotov cocktails was carried out. These Molotov cocktails made by the bandits were extremely rudimentary, but each one was filled with kerosene.

Everyone on their side of the riverbank, including the sixteen elves, started throwing Molotov cocktails at the other side.

There was no need to even light the fire, since the fire on the other side was already big enough. These Molotov cocktails smashed on the heads of those demons, further intensifying the flames.

The smell of burning began to fill everyone's nostrils.

After a while, everyone felt a distinct sense of suffocation, and Shen Yi, Sober, and Major Ma decided to return to the surface first.

three days later.

The original group returned to the underground space. Originally, the underground space was very damp due to the underground water veins, but now, Mo Zian felt as if the ground was dry.

Returning to the banks of the underground river, the riverbank that had been teeming with life was now a scorched wasteland on the opposite bank. The original mushroom forest had been almost completely burned down, and there were even scattered fires in the distance.

After the pontoon bridge was rebuilt, the 29-person mixed team from the Guangwu and Shengguang Dynasties officially stepped onto the other side of the river.

After the various mushrooms and plants that had been emitting a faint glow were burned, the entire opposite bank of the river was pitch black, with only a few scattered orange-red embers faintly visible.

The elves each released numerous orbs of light, the soft white light filling the darkness after the fire, while Guangwu's squad members wore ethereal light sources strapped to their helmets.

Mo Zian looked down at the ashes that were high enough to cover his ankles. The strange, burnt smell that lingered in the air filled his nostrils—even the filter attached to the [Jade Style] heavy helmet couldn't completely remove the smell.

A strangely abstract, charred lump was kicked apart. Luo Chong looked at the scattered sparks and said in a muffled voice through his mask, "Old Bi, that was a brilliant move. Don't wet the bed when you get back."

"You're the one who'd play with fire and wet the bed, you bitter gourd."

Mo Zian, carrying the Judge, said, "Fire attack is a common tactic in military strategy. You've heard about it too. A bunch of people who have lost their souls should have been cremated long ago."

"You actually believe that?" Luo Chong asked, somewhat surprised. "Ghosts and gods are, in my opinion, just figments of our imagination."

Mo Zian glanced at Luo Chong, and curled the corners of his lips. "It doesn't matter, but there's no harm in believing a little."

Before Luo Chong could react, Mo Zian had already continued walking forward. Chu Yan gently patted Luo Chong on the back and said, "Although we Guangwu people worship Heaven, Earth, our parents, and our emperor, we still believe in things to some extent. People in other countries believe in things too, and it doesn't cost us any money."

Having said that, he crossed Luochong and continued forward.

Luo Chong frowned and sighed, then hurried a few steps to catch up with the group.

......

Shen Yi and Sober walked at the front of the group. Unlike the complex terrain of the mushroom forest before, the entire opposite bank was now bare.

The advantage was that there were indeed no enemies in sight, so the two of them, while remaining vigilant, began to chat from time to time.

"Commander Sober speaks Guangwu dialect very well and is also familiar with some aspects of our Guangwu culture. Thanks to you, our cooperation between the two armies has been so smooth."

Sober modestly replied, "You flatter me. In the Holy City, your Guangwu embassy is just across the street from our temple. Your Ambassador Chen speaks fluent Lowland White Elf language, and a considerable proportion of your Guangwu merchants speak our language."

"That's normal. Merchants who can't communicate well can't do business," Shen Yi said. "We have a saying from the Guangwu era: money makes the world go round."

"Speaking of making money, I was initially very curious about how so many people from Guangwu learned our language, and how they all became fluent."

Sober said with some emotion, "Later I learned that some people learned our language first, and then began to teach others in large numbers. Each person had to pay a considerable tuition fee, and many people even became rich because of it..."

It's actually a very simple principle, but we elves don't have that kind of mind. Everyone guards their own knowledge. If it weren't for the existence of academies, recruiting a student would be harder than laying an egg.

"It's probably because of different philosophies and cultures. Every single one of your handicrafts is very expensive, and every one of your artisans is extraordinary."

Shen Yi looked back and said, "The female swordsman in your team seems to know our language too. She seemed to be having a good chat with two of our soldiers?"

"Oh, you mean Elena?" Sober said without hesitation. "Elena is a distant relative of mine. After joining the Temple, she worked under me. My Wuhan dialect was taught by Chen, and she was there with me, so she learned it from him."

They're all roughly the same age, and since they usually spend most of their time in the temple, they can't help but chat a bit more when they meet an outstanding young man.

After saying that, he gave Shen Yi a knowing look.

Shen Yi grinned and said, "That's true. We usually stay in the military camp, which is quite boring."

If we Guangwu people don't reach the level of a Spirit Warrior, our lifespan is at most a hundred years or so. The army is like an iron camp with ever-changing soldiers; one generation after another of young people are called up to the army and dedicate their best years to the mission of protecting their country...

Unlike you elves, who have long lifespans, once you recruit a group of young people, as long as you inscribe the basic equipment shape and issue them a standard battle staff, and then train them for a season or a month, they can serve the country for almost decades.

"You have a high proportion of veterans, and your combat skills are also very high."

Sober's heart skipped a beat. He forced a smile at Shen Yi, then stiffly turned his head slightly and saw Irene, whose little face was tense and on guard.

He wasn't too worried that Elena would say anything too serious, because given her position and qualifications, she wouldn't have access to much information.

The temple guards were not under the command of the Elven Crusade, so Elena knew very little about the army.

Sober just couldn't understand how Elena, who was young enough considering that elves typically live to at least two hundred years old, had managed to get so much information out of two young, seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boys.

Sober and Shen Yi chatted casually for a while, but soon, as the group went deeper into the area, they gradually became more serious.

"We're almost there! All personnel on high alert!"

Shen Yi lowered the binoculars, and with his command, the members of Guangwu's squad instantly went from relaxed to combat-ready.

Sober also spoke a word in Elvish to those behind him, and all the elves began to enter a meditative state.

The entire mixed team was located on the outer edge of the original mushroom forest on the other side. This part of the plant was not affected by the fire and still had many relatively tall plants.

Shen Yi made a hand gesture, and Mo Zian quickly climbed to a high point.

Not long after, Mo Zian made a series of hand gestures towards the area below, and the meaning of the gestures made Shen Yi frown.

"Target located. There are a relatively dense number of enemies on the road ahead, but these enemies are not gathered and are in a silent state." Shen Yi translated Mo Zian's gesture to Sober, and then sent a return gesture.

"It seems that neither the etheric fluctuations nor the fire could attract the monsters here."

Shen Yi looked at Mo Zian, who had run up to him, and said, "Report the details."

"Yes," Mo Zian reported. "I found a road ahead with obvious signs of excavation. The demons are scattered in various locations on both sides of the road. I estimate there are around a hundred of them along the way, and they show no signs of being on guard."

Shen nodded and looked at Sober, "Let's just break in along the way. Our men will be on the right, and you will be on the left. Remember not to make too much noise. We should avoid firing if possible and instead split up and take them down."

"it is good."