Chapter 13

*Whoosh*

A black-painted arrow pierced through the dense shrubs, splitting a blueberry leaf in two, and sliced through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

The white feathers at the tail of the arrow bunched up as it flew, and the lead native, who was at the forefront, saw a small black dot suddenly appear before him. Before he could react, the black dot rapidly grew larger. By the time he realized it was a steel arrow, it was too late to dodge, and the arrow brutally pierced his chest.

The immense force knocked him backward, and a gush of blood spurted from his chest along with the arrow.

…

Arrows rained down in the forest, and the natives at the forefront immediately fell in large numbers.

These arrows, with their steel tips, could easily penetrate leather armor, making them lethal weapons against the natives of Handanar County.

The warriors of the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment's 4th Battalion charged out of the woods, scattering the natives with overwhelming force. The natives could not withstand the charge of these heavily armored imperial warriors, whose weapons were far superior. The wooden spears and bows of the natives were useless against metal armor, and the two forces collided in the forest, with the natives immediately being thrown into chaos by the heavy infantry.

In the face of such overwhelming power, the natives' resistance was futile.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the dense branches, casting dappled light on the forest floor. He Boqiang, looking disheveled, climbed to his feet, dazed as hundreds of imperial warriors rushed past him. Their metal armor gleamed in the dappled sunlight, and the sounds of battle were deafening.

The imperial warriors seemed to give the natives no time to hesitate. They raised their standard military sabers and decapitated the natives, causing heads to roll. The natives who were left behind turned to flee into the dense forest, only to be cut down by another volley of arrows.

He Boqiang moved to the side, picking up the fallen native chief's ceremonial staff, and then pulled a blood-soaked Roman sword from a nearby tree trunk.

This Roman sword had been borrowed from the merchant Lakyn, and He Boqiang still intended to return it.

As the natives scattered in the woods, their last bit of resistance was extinguished. In the face of the regular army, these natives were as fragile as paper.

The warriors of the infantry battalion were busy pursuing the natives, and for a moment, no one paid attention to He Boqiang.

Another round of battle cries echoed from the dense forest ahead, where the fleeing natives seemed to have been cornered.

He Boqiang, emboldened, walked back and saw the ongoing chaos in the forest. It wasn't really a battle, but more of a one-sided slaughter. The natives ran around in the forest, and the infantry warriors pursued them, causing chaos everywhere.

Through the chaotic battlefield, He Boqiang saw a familiar group of figures.

Sam, Suldak, and a few other warriors from the 2nd Squad were covered in blood, holding their standard military sabers, and had blocked the natives' escape route…

…

No one had expected that a rescue mission would turn into a hunt for the natives.

Although these natives had nothing valuable, the significance of eliminating them was immense.

In the past month, these natives had frequently been active near the logging camp. Knowing their strength was no match for the infantry battalion, they targeted the small patrols outside the camp. Several patrols had already clashed with these natives, and many had suffered significant losses.

Additionally, these natives would rob passing merchant caravans on the forest roads, causing great distress to the battalion's logistics department. The 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment's main supplies came from these caravans, and if the supply route were cut off, it could severely impact the battalion's daily operations.

Of course, the heavy infantry battalion had the duty to protect the caravans, but the natives moved swiftly in the forest.

When they attacked, the natives would suddenly emerge from the woods, hundreds of them charging the caravans.

By the time the battalion's reinforcements arrived, the natives would scatter like flies, quickly disappearing into the dense forest, making it impossible to pursue them.

Now that these natives had been defeated, a heavy burden had been lifted from the battalion's logistics department and the caravans.

…

After the battle, the warriors of the 2nd Squad were welcomed like heroes. A group of heavy infantry warriors surrounded them, lifting the few still-moving young warriors in the air and cheering loudly in the forest to celebrate their victory.

The logistics department's medics began to bandage the wounded warriors with hemostatic bandages.

In the past, temple priests would be dispatched to treat the wounded warriors, but since the interplanar war began, no priest had left the temple.

Therefore, hemostatic bandages had become the most widely used emergency medical supplies in the army.

Suldak, limping, pushed through the celebrating crowd and approached He Boqiang, who was being ignored. With a sincere smile, he extended a blood-stained hand, ignoring He Boqiang's look of disgust, and placed his hand on He Boqiang's shoulder, saying, "We all saw it. You charged in and killed the native chief, drawing the natives away at the most critical moment and saving all of us in the 2nd Squad."

Suldak then asked, "Did you see Jeronnan?"

He Boqiang nodded and pointed to an arrow wound on Suldak's shoulder. Suldak waved his hand and said, "It's fine. The arrowhead wasn't poisoned, just a scratch. I knew that kid was the fastest runner in the squad."

Seeing the arrow wound on He Boqiang's left shoulder, Suldak pulled back his shirt to examine the wound, which had turned slightly black. He frowned and asked, "You were also hit by an arrow?"

Without waiting for a response, he pulled out a dagger and cut away the blackened flesh around the wound, causing He Boqiang to grimace in pain.

He then took a bottle of medicine from his pocket, carefully poured a drop of light green liquid onto He Boqiang's wound, and said, "The natives of Handanar County often coat their arrowheads with a mixture of poisons. It's not just a paralyzing agent but can also cause certain diseases. This is an antidote that can neutralize most of the toxins on the arrowhead, but it's becoming increasingly hard to find."

…

At this moment, the 2nd Squad leader, Sam, pushed through the crowd and approached He Boqiang. Looking at the ceremonial staff in He Boqiang's hand, he said with gratitude, "Kid, well done. This time, the entire 2nd Squad owes you a life."

He Boqiang, seeing the blood-streaked face of Captain Sam, smiled and made a gesture of equality.

Captain Sam, looking invigorated, put his arm around Suldak and He Boqiang's shoulders and walked toward the camp.