The two agreed with Lin Zhan's suggestion, sending one member back to report the situation before leading their two squads into the forest.
"Let's go, Old Xiao, Old Leng. Let's see what these enemies are made of," the three said, donning their jungle camouflage uniforms and circling around to the front from the left.
Beneath the canopy that blocked out the sun, intertwined vines and bushes choked the gaps between the trees. The trio moved slowly along a beast trail. Led by Leng Shan, a master of the jungle from a hunter's family, they moved swiftly without disturbing their surroundings, while also meticulously scouting the area. In inconspicuous spots, Leng Shan set up traps and left markers to guide the follow-up forces.
Leng Shan, carrying his bow and arrows, signaled the other two to stop. He climbed a large tree and indicated that enemy scouts were spotted fifty meters ahead. After a brief exchange of glances, the three agreed to take them down.
Lin Zhan released Xiao Jin. Xiao Jin’s massive body moved silently, quickly swimming up to one of the scouts. Xiao Jin bit down on the scout's head, then coiled around him, strangling him to death without a sound. Xiao Jin then swiftly swam to the other scout and dispatched him in the same manner. The terrifying prowess of snake spirit beasts in the jungle was fully displayed at this moment.
Finding no useful intelligence on the scouts, the three continued forward without delay, Lin Zhan having Xiao Jin scout ahead. After about two hundred meters, Lin Zhan received a mental communication from Xiao Jin.
"Boss, the enemy has been spotted. Around thirty people, two Silver-level. Looks like they're the same two squads that ambushed us. They're about three hundred meters away from those two squads."
Lin Zhan signaled Xiao Han Yi and Leng Shan to halt. "There are enemies ahead, ambushing the first and second squads. Thirty of them. Let's contact the two squad leaders and take them out."
With that, he took out his communicator, explained the situation to the two captains, and received their agreement.
Lin Zhan and his two companions moved stealthily towards the ambushing enemy. Within thirty meters of the enemy, they rendezvoused with Xiao Jin.
"When the two squads initiate their attack, Old Xiao, Xiao Jin, and I will launch a rapid assault on the enemy. Leng Shan will advance to twenty meters and secure a high ground position to provide support with his bow and arrows, focusing on killing their Bronze-level fighters. The two Silver-level fighters will be held off by the two squad leaders first. Then Old Xiao and I will go assist," Lin Zhan explained. He then moved another ten meters forward with the other two. Leng Shan slung his bow over his shoulder and climbed a nearby tree with a good vantage point to observe the targets.
"They're here!" Hearing the shouts of battle from ahead, Lin Zhan and Xiao Han Yi rushed towards the fray. Leng Shan had already nocked an arrow and was shooting down the enemy's Bronze-level fighters.
As they neared the battlefield, Xiao Han Yi moved rapidly, a blur of black. Wielding his twin swords in a reverse grip, he swiftly slashed the throats of two enemies before heading towards the area where the two squad leaders were engaged.
Lin Zhan fired his throwing knives in rapid succession. Six shadows pierced the throats of six enemies. After entering the fray, he and Xiao Jin, with the coordinated efforts of Xiao Jin's tail whip and constrict, killed another five enemies. Surveying the surroundings, Lin Zhan saw that few enemies remained engaged with the reconnaissance team members, and those that did were being picked off by Leng Shan's arrows. Lin Zhan then moved towards the engagement area of the two squad leaders.
Along the way, Xiao Han Yi killed three more Bronze-level warriors of the Myriad Races Church. He spotted a Silver-level warrior fighting the first squad leader. Turning to the approaching Lin Zhan, he smiled, sheathed his swords, and slightly bent at the waist, transforming into a black shadow and lunging at the Silver-level enemy. As he closed in, he drew his swords with lightning speed. A flash of steel, and the enemy's head fell. With a single "draw sword technique," Xiao Han Yi decapitated the Silver-level warrior.
Lin Zhan curled his lip. "Showing off, aren't we?" He then turned his attention to the second Silver-level warrior fighting the second squad leader. He took out a platinum-grade throwing knife in each hand. With a flick of his wrist, two cold glints flashed, and the enemy warrior fell, one knife to the throat, the other to the heart. With two fatal blows, he was beyond saving. After killing, Lin Zhan looked up at Xiao Han Yi, as if to say, "Well? More efficient than you, wasn't I?"
Seeing that both enemy Silver-level fighters were dispatched in an instant, the two squad leaders exchanged incredulous remarks. "Are these still Bronze-level students? They kill Silver-level like chickens. Good thing they're only early Silver."
With the addition of the four, the sounds of battle on the field grew quieter. As the last warrior of the Myriad Races Church was shot dead by Leng Shan's arrow, the battle officially concluded. No one had perished; only two sustained minor injuries, as Lin Zhan and Xiao Han Yi possessed Silver-level combat power.
The group began to clear the battlefield. Lin Zhan and Leng Shan retrieved their throwing knives and arrows one by one.
After three hours of reconnaissance, with only four hours of daylight remaining, the two captains discussed with Lin Zhan and decided to withdraw from the forest and regroup with the main force before making further decisions.
Leng Shan set up numerous traps around the perimeter, to observe if the Myriad Races Church was still active in the vicinity.
Emerging from the forest near dusk, the group returned to the camp. The two squad leaders, along with Lin Zhan's trio, reported the day's events to Li Wenyan and He Feng.
"It seems the small ambush you encountered today was intended to lure us deeper. The Myriad Races Church has quite an appetite. They want to wipe us out completely; otherwise, they wouldn't have offered such a tempting bait. You three can go rest now; there will be more fighting tomorrow," Li Wenyan analyzed. He then said to He Feng, "The combat power of these three youths is immense. As the two squad leaders mentioned, Lin Zhan and Xiao Han Yi could easily kill early Silver-level opponents. It seems Lin Zhan hasn't even released his second spirit beast yet. These two are still hiding their strength."
"Lin Zhan's cunning is beyond anything you can imagine. Today, he mostly used throwing knives. Don't forget that the Lin family's Tyrant Saber is the king of close combat. And Xiao Han Yi, as the disciple of the King of Assassins, has likely killed as many people as you have. It seems we need to rethink our strategy. If necessary, we can let Lin Zhan, Xiao Han Yi, or even Zhang Lingxiu engage Silver-level fighters. My biggest concern now is that the enemy has too many Silver-level fighters, leading to excessive casualties. Most of your team members are ordinary Bronze-level warriors," He Feng said to Li Wenyan.
"Wenyan, we need to arrange for night watch tonight. Be outwardly calm but inwardly vigilant. There's a high probability that the Myriad Races Church will attempt to raid the camp tonight. This bait today wasn't just meant to lure us deeper but also to make us lower our guard, so they can launch a surprise attack tonight."
"Rest assured, I've already instructed them to prepare for a night raid. The third and fourth squads will be responsible for the rotating watch. We should also take turns resting. We don't know how many days this will last. You should also brief your students during dinner tonight."
"I'll report the situation to the Commander first. Then I'll scout the area near the forest. You stay and guard the camp," Li Wenyan instructed.