Chapter 24

The night mountain wind blew over the cliff top, carrying a 'whooshing' sound.

The warriors guarding the base of the cliff took turns to rest. No one dared to take off their armor, and they could only sit in a row against the cliff to rest.

The heavy armor worn by the Grind Empire's heavy infantry was full-body armor, almost completely covering everything except the hands, feet, and neck. This armor was extremely heavy to wear, and without ample physical strength, it could easily become a prison for the body.

However, the advantages of this armor in battle were also very obvious, especially when fighting the local natives of Handanar County. The heavy infantry almost suffered no casualties. It was also highly advantageous against hyena packs, but Baron Sydney's battle plan was slightly too aggressive. The warriors had expended a lot of energy during the march and had not had time to rest when they were surrounded by the hyenas.

Otherwise, the hyenas in the Gandar Mountains would not pose any threat to the heavy infantry.

The wall of fire effectively blocked the hyenas but also trapped the warriors of the Fourth Battalion against the cliff. The heat waves made everyone's mouths dry and parched.

The warriors of the First Squad did not need to guard the gap in the fire wall. The hyenas were very afraid of fire and did not dare to rush in.

Even if one or two red-eyed hyenas occasionally rushed through the gap, they would be killed immediately by the soldiers guarding the exit. The hyena corpses were thrown into the fire, and the flames quickly ignited the hyenas' fur. The hyena corpses became charred in the fire, and their limbs and tails were ignited by the high temperature. Finally, the entire charred body began to emit flames, eventually becoming part of the fire wall.

...

Jeronan carried back ten pots of water in one go and, following the example of other squads, set up an iron pot beside the fire wall to cook a large pot of thick marching rations. The porridge, which was usually hard to swallow, this time flowed down his throat sweetly after being divided.

He Boqiang was only wearing a thin leather armor, so he did not rush to the front in the battle against the hyenas. Although his muscles were extremely sore, he was not actually injured.

He Boqiang closed his eyes and leaned against the stone wall, feeling the second star in his spiritual sea being fully lit, and the first bright star emitting a gentle glow. These glows gradually restored his strength. He wanted to ask Suldak if the same thing was happening inside his body.

He found it all too incredible, that there was actually a star map inside his body. However, he still could not speak, and such an abstract matter could not be expressed with simple gestures, so he could only keep it to himself.

Seeing He Boqiang quickly stand up from the stone wall and give his spot to the black boy Jeronan,

The members of the Second Squad, including Suldak, believed that He Boqiang could recover so quickly because he was wearing light leather armor.

Suldak's left leg was bitten by a hyena. His leg was wrapped in greaves, and the hyena's sharp teeth only penetrated the armor, leaving four bloody holes on Suldak's leg. The wound did not tear further, and he applied some antidote when he was bitten.

At this moment, He Boqiang helped Suldak take off the greaves on his injured leg. The four bloody holes left by the hyena's bite had already formed scabs and showed no signs of poisoning. He Boqiang cleaned the wound again and bandaged it, then helped Suldak put the greaves back on.

The old soldier leaned against the stone wall, recounting the battle on the Kempato River against the Demon Legion. Although it was the largest victory in the Warsaw Plane in recent years, no one knew that nearly seventy heavy infantry battalions were completely wiped out by the Demon Legion in that battle.

This level of battle was merely an appetizer for him.

However, only He Boqiang noticed that the old soldier Ian's hands were shaking badly when he lit his cigarette, almost extinguishing the small flame.

The old soldier Ian's story slightly relaxed the tense mood of the Second Squad members.

Jeronan leaned against the stone wall, wanting to take off his arm and leg armor to take a short nap during the brief rest.

However, his action was immediately stopped by Captain Sam.

Seeing some squad members even taking off their chest armor, the black boy could not understand Captain Sam's decision, but he did not complain. He just sat there, a bit sullen.

Soon, Baron Sydney's order came down, instructing the warriors to set up camp and rest at the base of the cliff.

...

The hyenas' howls could be heard from time to time at night, and the hyenas outside the fire wall did not leave.

This was He Boqiang's first time sleeping outdoors. He lay on the somewhat uncomfortable stone ground, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

He Boqiang was a bit worried that if the fire wall went out, the hyenas would rush over and tear apart the sleeping warriors of the Fourth Battalion. The black boy Jeronan, lying next to him, was sleeping soundly. It was very uncomfortable to sleep in armor, and he was even shouting in his dreams to take it off.

Lying on his back on the stone ground, he opened his eyes to see the starry sky. His body had fully recovered, and he was no longer as sore as before. He wanted to walk around the camp, but he was afraid of causing trouble for Suldak and Captain Sam if he was questioned by the night guards. So he just moved his body a bit and forced himself to sleep a little more.

A light rumbling sound came from the cliff, and at first, He Boqiang did not pay much attention, thinking it was just the natural sound of the mountain wind blowing over the cliff.

But then a bit of sand and gravel suddenly fell on He Boqiang's face, and he sat up alertly.

First, it sounded like raindrops hitting banana leaves, then like countless drummers beating drums. The rumbling gradually increased, and the entire cliff began to tremble slightly. It was as if a thousand horses were galloping between the cliffs—then, in his mind, he saw countless boulders rolling down the hill.

He Boqiang suddenly stood up and kicked Sulzak and Jeronan, who were lying next to him, hard. Sulzak woke up from his sleep and, without waiting for a reaction, pulled him up.

He Boqiang then kicked each member of the Second Squad hard and ran towards the gap in the fire wall without waiting for them to fully wake up.

"Hey, what's going on!"

Suldak, who had been injured in the leg, limped as he ran, looking confused and asked He Boqiang.

He Boqiang ran forward expressionlessly and pointed to the sky with his hand.

Suldak also heard the rumbling sound at this moment, and his face suddenly changed. He shouted loudly to the bewildered Jeronan behind him, "Jeronan, wake up Sam, there's a landslide!"

Suldak's shout finally woke the third squad soldiers on night duty from their shock, and the camp was in chaos.

By this time, He Boqiang and Suldak had already reached the exit of the fire wall. Looking at the countless pairs of blood-red eyes outside, He Boqiang gripped his Roman sword and grabbed a square shield from the weapon pile, then charged out without hesitation.

The members of the Second Squad followed closely behind and rushed out of the camp.

The gravel and sand from the mountain top poured down like a heavy rain...