Apocalypse Gachapon

Chapter 2135: Accepting the battle

”Two more minutes!”

Cheng Liujin stood on the hilltop, looking at the swaths of trees and plants falling in the distant forest, and estimated the precise time.

Ye Zhongming nodded, but his attention was more focused on the three squads of the First Battalion below.

”Zhongming, will this really work? If something goes wrong, our thirty thousand men will be finished here. Two mutant populations have cut off our path back to camp. If things go badly, weʼll have to retreat—and the farther we get from camp, the harder it will be to predict what might happen.”

Cheng Liujin spoke with concern.

When Ye Zhongming had first come to him with the plan, he had not believed it. But Ye Zhongming had given his assurance.

The young manʼs consistently impressive ”track record” since joining the Star-Eye Clan had led Cheng Liujin to trust him.

Still, when the moment arrived, it was hard not to worry.

Ye Zhongmingʼs plan truly seemed like a fantasy.

”Itʼll be fine. Even if something goes wrong, I have contingencies in place. Weʼll be able to withdraw safely.” Ye Zhongming smiled. ”Fortune favors the bold. Weʼre taking a risk, yes, but if we succeed, the rewards will be huge. Setting aside everything else, the Double-Tailed Gouwo alone are worth ten to twenty million, right? And the Huandu Wolves are also a treasure trove—over fifty thousand of them. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.”
Some of the people behind Cheng Liujin almost laughed. With just over a minute before battle, he was still in the mood for jokes.

”Double-Tailed Gouwo entering range in fifteen seconds!”

”Huandu Wolves entering range in twenty seconds!”

As the time calls came from behind, everyone held their breath and watched.

Ye Zhongming felt a flicker of tension as well. While he had some confidence in this plan, he could not guarantee it would work perfectly.

This was where the Fizz fish meat came in.

The meat itself was unremarkable—even unpalatable by the standards of the cosmic races.

However, when a certain type of mutated lifeform ate this fish meat, the flesh of that lifeform would become exceptionally tender and delicious.

That was not the important part, either. What mattered was that this tender, delicious flesh was an irresistible temptation for carnivorous mutated animals. Consuming it was highly beneficial to their bodies.

However, it did have a slight side effect—or, strictly speaking, not really a side effect. It simply made the mutated lifeforms that ate it more irritable, aggressive, and bloodthirsty for a period of time.

This change did not last long, was not particularly intense, and did not affect other aspects.

But for Ye Zhongming, it was enough.

The mutated lifeform that liked to eat the fish meat was called the ”Zhi Zhuo.” The Fizz fish had been eaten by nearly a thousand Zhi Zhuo, leaving them half-full… after which, they had all been captured.

Who could blame them? Besides their thick hides and speed, they were simply too gluttonous. Ye Zhongming and Cheng Liujin had set a simple trap, and they had all been caught.

Just moments ago, Ye Zhongming had gutted these Zhi Zhuo one by one and thrown their carcasses onto the two mutant populations charging toward the First Regiment.

Highly intelligent beings led both mutant populations, and the rest were Level Nine and above-Level Nine existences, with few below Level Eight.

Normally, such a crude trap would be too simplistic.

But precisely because the trap was so crude, Ye Zhongming reasoned that the higher lifeforms would not pay it any mind—or would not see it as a trap. On this planet, coming across food was perfectly normal.

Moreover, because they were high-level and intelligent, they would be able to see that the Zhi Zhuo carcasses contained nothing harmful; on the contrary, there were benefits.

If they ate, things would become much easier.

The Double-Tailed Gouwo were the first to encounter the food. Ye Zhongming could not see whether they were eating, but visually, their pace had noticeably slowed.

That was a good sign.

He then looked toward the Huandu Wolves. They had also paused briefly, but only for an instant before resuming their charge toward the large group of cosmic racesʼ lifeforms they had detected earlier.

”Prepare for battle. Things may be more difficult than we thought,” Ye Zhongming said to Cheng Liujin.

The Gold Order Leader nodded and immediately ordered everyone to prepare for combat.

”Huandu Wolves making contact in ten seconds!”

Someone reported loudly through the communicator. Everyone in the First Regiment entered a state of combat readiness.

It felt like only an instant later that the first tall Huandu Wolf leaped into view.

The Huandu Wolf had three colors—one for the head, one for the body, and one for the tail. The three sections were distinctly colored, with clear boundaries.

Their strength could be judged by their size: the larger the body, the more powerful. Once they reached Level Nine, each Huandu Wolf was at least the size of a male horse.

Ye Zhongming also saw the first wolf that had appeared. From the cruel yet calm look in its eyes, he knew that this group had not eaten the food.

What a remarkably disciplined pack, he thought.

The Huandu Wolf stood still after emerging, staring at the people ahead. After a few seconds, it let out a long howl.

Then, a flood of Huandu Wolves poured out from behind, charging toward the First Regimentʼs position.

”Hold steady! Hold steady!”

With the battle plan already set, the battalion commanders knew what to do and kept reminding their members to stay alert.

The wolves charged to within about 100 meters of the formation.

Since the First Regiment was positioned in the narrow passage between two hills, with squads spread across the passage and the slopes on either side—and even some squads on the hilltops—the wolvesʼ primary target was the people in the passage.

At a certain moment, everyone saw a flash of light ahead. Then, the entire charging wolf pack slowed down and veered slightly off course.

They had no time to wonder why. They only knew that this was the signal to attack.

Those with ranged abilities immediately sprang into action. Arrows, short spears, hand axes, and countless abilities rained down on the vanguard of the wolves.

Strangely, the wolves seemed completely unprepared. They only reacted after the attacks had already landed on them.

By then, it was too late. Many wolves were killed outright. The First Regimentʼs first wave of attacks was highly effective.

”The Yin Covering Formation is working well,” Cheng Liujin said excitedly. The formation Ye Zhongming had set up was clearly having a significant effect. This single wave had killed at least a thousand wolves, and the results were still mounting.

But Ye Zhongming was not so optimistic. He noticed that the first wave of wolves had numbered only about five thousand, and they had maintained distance from the main pack, not all charging at once. This had limited the effectiveness of the first wave. Meanwhile, more wolves were beginning to flank from both sides, engaging the First Regiment in tactical maneuvering.