Chapter 35

A centurion of the Fox Hunt Army stepped forward, his face full of suspicion, and asked Zhou Lu impolitely:

"Lord Stoker, military matters are no joke and cannot be reported lightly. Did you really see clearly at that time?"

The situation was urgent, and at this moment, the centurion no longer cared about the respect due to an alchemist. His tone was even confrontational, and the killing aura from his long experience on the battlefield could not be hidden.

They did not believe that a pampered alchemist could have such strong combat skills.

If they found out that this fat man was just talking nonsense, using the lives of the hunters to satisfy his own vanity, they would not care whether he was an alchemist or anything else. The Elder Hall and the Military Affairs Office would still send him in.

All the hunters looked at Zhou Lu with suspicion.

The centurion who asked the question glared at Zhou Lu, trying to see if this fat man was nervous after being caught lying.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhou Lu was interrupted before he could finish his words. He showed an extremely impatient look, pushed the centurion who had leaned in close to his face to the side, and loudly continued to Lei Meng:

"Centurion, I can only see this much. If there is no ambush, the total number of enemies is probably around seven or eight hundred. By the way, have all our brothers gone up? Have the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Brigades not arrived yet?"

Zhou Lu asked quickly and urgently, as if he had been talking to Lei Meng all along and was quite unhappy that the centurion's face had blocked their view.

The centurion who was pushed to the side turned red with anger, staggered to his feet, and glared at Zhou Lu.

Lei Meng held back a laugh and nodded from a distance: "They are almost here. Those brigades will arrive soon. I have also contacted the Eagle Wing Army of other teams, and they should all arrive within half a day. Don't worry, these sand bandits won't cause much trouble on our territory."

Lei Meng did not expect to meet Zhou Lu here. Seeing his former brother become an alchemist, he felt a mix of emotions.

Zhou Lu nodded in relief: "That's good. By the way, Centurion, when I was reporting the military situation to you, what was that noisy thing? It even blocked our view. Does it think it's prettier than my Senior Sister Xiaoluan? Who would want to look at it..."

Zhou Lu did not even glance at the centurion.

Hearing this, Xiaoluan and Ke Ling behind him, and Lei Meng in front, almost burst out laughing.

"What thing?"

Lei Meng felt very pleased. The Fox Hunt people would probably be humiliated again by this little rascal, Zhou Lu.

The faces of the Fox Hunt Army people turned extremely ugly. The centurion who had been pushed to the side was so angry that his teeth were clenched.

He did not expect that this seemingly simple fat man could be so sharp-tongued, daring to call him a thing? In wartime, it is the hunters who are truly useful, not alchemists.

He was about to rush over to argue, but Zhou Lu bowed to Lei Meng and said:

"Centurion, I have told you everything I know. The situation is urgent, and any idle talk might delay the battle. I won't say more. Go command your brothers to fight the sand bandits. I need to safely send these two Senior Sisters back first."

The centurion who rushed over was speechless, his chest swelling with frustration. He panted heavily, feeling very uncomfortable.

Zhou Lu had already said the situation was urgent. If he continued to argue about who was what, wouldn't he just be giving the other side a reason to criticize him?

"I'll damn you, you fat bastard."

Hunters have explosive tempers, and this centurion was no exception. He did not expect to be so frustrated by a few words from a fat man, and he had nowhere to vent his anger.

Lei Meng nodded with a smile and instructed: "Zhou Lu, protect your two Senior Sisters. In this sand bandit attack, if we can protect the alchemists, we will have succeeded in a major part. Take care of yourselves on the way."

Zhou Lu nodded, led the two women onto their horses, waved goodbye to Lei Meng, and galloped towards the entrance of the Array Fire Pavilion. He completely ignored the Fox Hunt people from start to finish.

Those few people were both angry and frustrated. They did not expect to be outwitted by an alchemist. Watching Zhou Lu's back, they all had angry faces.

Lei Meng watched the three of them leave, feeling a bit disappointed. When he first learned that Zhou Lu was a brave archer, he was very excited. Such an archer could greatly enhance the team's combat power. With Zhou Lu, the team would suffer much less loss when encountering sand bandits. However, now that Zhou Lu had become an alchemist, he could no longer fight alongside them in the Sixth Team, and Lei Meng felt a bit down.

The shouts and cries of battle were getting closer. The sand bandits spread like locusts, and the battlefield expanded, gradually covering most of the mines.

Screams and fighting sounds rose and fell.

The number of hunters gathered by the Tian Yao Clan was not many, and the situation on the battlefield became increasingly critical. Wu Zhuo, drenched in sweat, galloped back from the front valley and shouted to Lei Meng:

"Centurion, the enemy's attack is too fierce. They are about to cross the Transverse Valley and enter the outer area of the mine."

Lei Meng's eyebrows shot up. After years of guarding, Lei Meng was as familiar with the Tian Shi Mine area as the back of his hand. Behind the Transverse Valley was where the miners and workers lived. If the sand bandits spread beyond the Transverse Valley, the clan members would be in danger.

Lei Meng was so anxious that his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He shouted loudly:

"Wu Zhuo, gather all our brothers at the Transverse Valley. Focus on protecting the clan members. Don't defend the Guigu Forest mine for now. We will retake it after reinforcements arrive. Tell the brothers to hold on. In half an hour, the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Brigades will be here. No matter what, don't let the sand bandits cross the Transverse Valley in this half hour."

"Yes!"

Wu Zhuo panted heavily, spurring his horse back to the battlefield in the valley.

Lei Meng also turned to lead his warhorse and leaped onto it. He needed to go to a high place to observe the battle situation and command from the front.

The Fox Hunt people urgently spread out the mountain map, pointing and discussing. One centurion frowned and said softly:

"If the sand bandits really have seven or eight hundred people, as the alchemist said, we are in trouble. Look, the Guigu Forest and Qiuhe Peak. I suggest we abandon the defense and focus our forces on the western area where the clan members gather..."

Another centurion snorted coldly and shook his head in dissatisfaction:

"The Guigu Forest and Qiuhe Peak are important phosphorus mines. Even if the sand bandits don't steal much ore, just knowing the terrain is a disadvantage for us. Do you really believe that alchemist's nonsense? Escaping from the sand bandits, do you really think he could clearly see how many there were? Hmph, do you think that fat man is someone special?"

This centurion's voice was full of mockery and sarcasm.

Xin Baishou also frowned, hesitating. With the enemy situation unclear, it was difficult to decide where to focus the main forces.

"Who is that fat man?"

Lei Meng had already mounted his horse and was about to spur it forward. Before leaving, he coldly glanced at the Fox Hunt leaders and said:

"Do you remember how Captain Hu Biao and Qian Ji of the Fox Hunt were defeated? It was this fat man who did it."

"Who is he? He is a brave archer, with eyes sharper than an eagle. Do you think someone like that, after fighting through the enemy, couldn't even see a few enemies clearly?"

"Go!"

Lei Meng's face was full of sarcasm as he galloped away.

"It's him?"

The Fox Hunt leaders were stunned, their mouths agape.

"That unremarkable fat man is a brave archer?"

"He defeated Hu Biao and Qian Ji?"

"Just that fat man?"

They looked at each other in disbelief.

When they first saw Zhou Lu, they thought he was just a servant or assistant to Xiaoluan, never imagining he was such a legendary figure.

But how did such a brave archer suddenly become a mere alchemist?

Even Xin Baishou's eyebrows were tightly furrowed.