On the edge of the giant wood crossing area, Solderin and the Steel Ranger soldiers he led were approaching a small town.
The multi-purpose combat vehicle carried by the advance team stopped outside the town. These sturdy vehicles made of steel temporarily acted as shield generators and energy stations on a stony highland outside the town. After building a temporary stronghold, a ranger soldier climbed onto the top of the tank, headed towards the town, and pressed a mechanism on the side of the closed helmet with his hand.
The crystal eyepiece inlaid on the helmet's visor was activated by magic. It first turned red. The soldier glanced at the town with his magic-detecting vision, and then the goggles switched to blue - in the second-generation eyepiece. The newly added eagle eye technique enhances the user's vision, and many details in the town are immediately presented to the observer's eyes.
After a brief observation, a slightly muffled voice came from the ranger's helmet: "Sir, there are crystal cluster infected people wandering in the town, and there are obvious magic reactions everywhere."
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"The whole town has been infected..." Solderin's face was gloomy, "It seems that we have entered the infected area and cannot continue to move forward."
"There are many obstacles along the way. No trace of the Eastern Army and the Royal Army was found..." the Ranger soldier said, "Are they all dead?"
"...There is no way to be sure. Although the noble army has low combat power, But at least there are a large number of extraordinary beings in charge, so it is not so easy to annihilate the whole army," Solderin said in a deep voice, "Maybe they have given up all the wilderness areas and are relying on big cities to hold on, or they may still be further north. Fighting with crystal cluster infected people..."
He talked about his analysis, but he didn't have much confidence in his heart.
As a high-level ranger, and a high-level ranger who had experienced the great development seven hundred years ago, he still felt that it was extremely difficult when facing the situation in front of him.
The strange "godly pollution" and the huge number of crystal cluster infected people hindered the intelligence collection work. Even with the elite and powerful Steel Rangers, he could not determine the situation deeper in the contaminated area. .
This is different from seven hundred years ago. Seven hundred years ago, humans fought in the wasteland. Generally speaking, there was no need to consider whether there were reinforcements or safe zones in the wasteland ahead, because when they arrived, In the end, it will basically develop into a wave of recklessness - if you are reckless, you will survive, if you are not reckless, the entire army will be wiped out. There is no other route ahead, and the evil tide approaching from behind will not give people room to think, but here... The situation is much more complex.
Solderin was analyzing the intelligence collected in recent days, and at the same time, several other Ranger soldiers were still observing the situation in the town: this was their first non-encounter battle. Under such circumstances, a large number of cluster-infected people were witnessed gathering together. This was a good opportunity to observe their activity patterns.
Soon, the soldiers discovered something concerning.
"Sir, these 'monsters'... seem to be organized."
Solderin was startled for a moment.Then he immediately turned on Falcon Vision (the elf-type eagle eye technique) and looked in the direction of the town.
As the soldiers saw, the cluster infected people were...organized.
They were not wandering aimlessly, but were moving in an organized manner, with some exceptionally tall individuals directing them. Solderin saw those "monsters" working together in groups. The scene of carrying things, and the scene of them patrolling and sentrying around the town were also seen, and such a scene... had never been observed during previous encounters in the wild.
Solderin frowned and slowly recalled more details: Although the previous encounters in the wild were all melees, the organization of the cluster-infected people seemed to be traceable.
They do have coordination and a certain degree of command when attacking.
They... seem to have retained a certain ability to think?
If this is the case, the situation would be even worse - they can think, but their cognitive methods have been completely alienated, which means that they are not just monsters that lose their minds after being infected.
These cluster infected people...are an army.
While thinking, the situation in the distant town suddenly changed.
Solderin saw the cluster-infected people gathered on the west side of the town becoming inexplicably restless, and then several exceptionally tall cluster giants appeared in his field of vision. Those cluster giants quickly gathered A large team formed and rushed northwestward away from the town.
Driven by curiosity, Solderin looked in the direction of those infected by crystal clusters. At the end of his field of vision, he saw a rising cloud of smoke and dust and the flash of magic power.
A fight broke out over there.
"There may be survivors - get in the car!"
......
When dusk fell, the towering southern gateway finally appeared in sight Hit.
Belk stopped in the wilderness. In the warmer spring wind, he looked at the rolling mountains in the south and the majestic fortress standing proudly between the mountains.
A mottled-coated horse stopped beside him uneasily, pawing the ground under its feet with its hooves and snoring.
He "picked up" this horse on the road. The owner of the horse may have fled, leaving this poor animal wandering in the wilderness. Of course, it is incompatible with Belk's once beloved horse. It is not as good as any war horse in the army, but in any case, it helped a lot in the second half of this difficult journey and greatly shortened the time of this journey.
Perhaps he finally saw the end of the journey, Belk suddenly felt much more relaxed. He smiled and patted the neck of the variegated horse, and said in a brisk tone: "Your contribution is great - almost worthy of it." Get a knighthood."
The variegated horse snorted and shook its neck slightly.
Belk nodded in a good mood, then got on his horse and controlled the silent Lin.The traveling companion continued towards the fortress in the distance.
He knew that he was passing by the edge of Count Pompeii's territory, but he had no intention of meeting the plain noble, or even stopping to rest in any nearby village - on the one hand In order to save time and minimize twists and turns, on the other hand, it was because he really didn't feel tired.
Although he had been trekking in the wilderness for more than ten days, and although he had hardly rested, he did not feel tired.
He only vaguely remembered that he had been tired - but that seemed to have been a long time ago.
The variegated horse trotted in the relatively flat wilderness, and the comfortable wind blew in his face, boosting Belk's spirit. A strange feeling of expectation and joy came to his mind, making him feel more relaxed. . Looking at the towering city walls of the Rock Fortress getting closer and closer, the young Marquis began to plan the next steps in his mind -
First he had to pass through the Rock Fortress and enter the Rock City. Tell Sir Walder what happened, and ask him to help warn the ruler of the southern region, the giant wood crossing, Thorinburg, Thorinburg...
A trace of confusion suddenly flashed in Belk's eyes.
What happened at the giant wood crossing? What happened at Solinburg?
He was in a trance for a moment, but this brief trance was quickly ignored. He suddenly didn't care what he was going to warn specifically. He only remembered that his mission was to go to the southern border to warn and deliver. Important news, and based on his identity and the importance of the news he conveyed, there is no doubt that he will be personally received by Duke Gawain Cecil...
This strong thought keeps rising, and one after another ** assaulted Belk's thoughts, but suddenly, a scene appeared in his increasingly trance-like consciousness.
A pair of eyes, a pair of bright eyes flashed through his mind.
Those eyes... look a bit familiar.
In this brief moment, Belk suddenly woke up.
He felt that his heart was pounding, his breathing was rapid, and sweat was falling down his neck. A large number of messy and broken memory scenes were being reorganized quickly in his mind, but it was difficult to form an accurate impression. Even It gave him a splitting headache, and in this terrible state, he suddenly felt waves of heat in his chest.
Belk subconsciously put his hand into his arms and touched something that was constantly heating up - it was a small amulet, the amulet of the God of War.
This powerful talisman, which has received the highest level of blessings, possesses various solidifying magic, and can enlighten the wearer's spirituality, is releasing more and more intense heat, and along with the heat, there is also a With wave after wave of power, Belk held the amulet in a daze, feeling that his brain was being washed and reshaped by it, and his messy and broken memory scenes were finally reassembled one by one.
He recalled the thick fog in Solinburg and the strange changes at the giant tree crossing.I remembered the owner of those eyes.
At the end of all the memory scenes, he heard the last word said to him by the prince to whom he had sworn allegiance:
"Run."
< p>There was a loud bang in his mind, and Belk woke up completely, and realized that he had been weird for so many days-He came here driven by some kind of obsession-but this obsession It wasn't something he did spontaneously.
He actively or passively stayed away from everyone along the way - as if trying to avoid being disturbed or hindered by anyone.
He escaped from the most polluted areas - with little pursuit.
He is being controlled.
Belk pulled the reins sharply, causing the variegated horse to stop.
He raised his head and glanced at the distant rock fortress, and suddenly felt that illusory expectations and impulses were emerging in his mind. However, this time, he suppressed those thoughts that did not belong to him.
He turned over and dismounted, holding the God of War amulet tightly in his hand. The sharp edge of the amulet pierced his palm - while the blood flowed out, he saw dots of stars emerging from the blood. of flash.
It was the flash of some kind of crystalline particles in the sunlight.
At this moment, Belk finally realized that he had become a source of infection, using the body of a high-level powerhouse as a container and completely disguising himself as a human being, the most dangerous source of infection.
The heat of the God of War Talisman began to subside, and the power stored in the Talisman gradually dried up. He felt that his conscious consciousness was shaking again, and those forcibly suppressed and alienated thoughts were trying to regain this Body dominance.
He raised his head and looked at the rock fortress in the distance. In the difficult thinking, there was only one clear thought: he must... give a warning.
The time to wake up is running out.
Belk looked around, and then pulled out his family sword.
He came to a nearby boulder, raised his long sword, and the tip of the sword scratched on the stone, and debris flew——
“The giant wooden crossing was shrouded in plague, His Highness Demeng has been controlled by a curse, and the Eastern Legion may have been completely destroyed...
"The main contaminated areas are concentrated in...
"Be careful of plague carriers disguised as humans—— Their characteristic is that there are crystals in their blood."
The sword hung down, and Belk felt a little proud as he looked at the handwriting he had left.
Although he passed through the giant tree crossing in a state of confusion, he still remembered the areas where the cluster giants were mainly located. This information...may be useful.
After doing all this, he turned around and glanced at the towering high wall of the Rock Fortress, then withdrew his gaze and looked at the mottled-coated horse that accompanied him through the last part of the journey. Smiling slightly——
"Run."
Faced with the sudden pressure, the variegated horse let out a cryWith a loud neighing, he turned and ran away.
Belk exhaled, put his long sword on the ground, supported his body, stood upright, and looked in the direction of the east border.
"It's so far away..."
Two seconds later, a huge magic flame pillar that could be clearly seen from as far away as the Rock Fortress rose into the sky and illuminated Half the sky.