Chapter 72: A Peculiar Command

From the state of the territory, it could almost be said that nine out of ten rooms were empty, giving a sense of self-destruction even before the enemy arrived. But in the Neutral Grounds, especially in Lian Gang City, this was the survival wisdom of the common folk.

Once the great enemy arrived, they would scatter like startled hares, hiding in every nook and cranny of the vast wilderness. Perhaps some unfortunate souls might hide right in the enemy’s path, but most would manage to conceal themselves, avoiding the fate of being captured all at once. As for their homes, those simple huts could be rebuilt at any time.

Qian Ye had now reached the edge of the battlefield, and if he continued, he would cross the line set by Su Dingqian. However, this line held little constraint over Qian Ye, and he pressed on towards the outskirts of the combat zone to gather intelligence on the enemy’s movements.

After a short while, Qian Ye ascended a hill, the highest point in the area, with a clear view all around.

Qian Ye pulled out a high-powered scope and began to observe his surroundings, particularly the area beyond the battle zone. At the same moment, his figure appeared in the sight of another scope. A pair of eyes hidden in the shadows carefully watched Qian Ye’s every move.

After a while, Qian Ye put down the scope and sprinted towards another hill in the distance. The distant observer also lowered his binoculars. This man, with sharp, chiseled features, was the deputy commander of the Lian Gang City Guard. He handed the binoculars to a subordinate and said, “This Zhao Ye is quite seasoned. He might give us a surprise.”

The subordinate sneered, “No matter how seasoned, he’s only at level twelve. What kind of surprise can he provide? The war still depends on the commanders.”

A dark shadow passed through the deputy commander’s eyes as he said, “This time, it may not be so easy. If they can eliminate a few more of the enemy, it would ease our pressure.”

The subordinate was taken aback, rarely seeing such solemnity from the deputy commander.

The deputy commander turned and walked in another direction, apparently planning to inspect the defenses and observe the new recruits’ performance. For this major conflict, Su Dingqian had not just recruited Qian Ye; he had met almost all the war heroes in the city, and many had accepted his offers.

For these lone warriors, resources were needed for cultivation, and they were willing to fight for anyone who could pay them enough. They stood with Lian Gang City now, but in the next war, they might become enemies.

Qian Ye was no different. His purpose in participating was for the Dream Eaters. As for who was right or wrong, it was indistinguishable and irrelevant. In the Neutral Grounds, both sides had reasons to fight.

In Qian Ye’s view, a reconnaissance team was moving rapidly toward Lian Gang City. The squad consisted of about a dozen soldiers, including two powerful Arachne. Even from several kilometers away, Qian Ye could clearly see the crystal spider emblem on their armor.

Qian Ye leaped lightly, as if he weighed nothing, using the terrain for cover. He circled around and pursued the crystal spider reconnaissance team from the side.

In an instant, Qian Ye had closed the distance to less than a hundred meters. But just as he was about to land, he suddenly felt a shock, and instead of falling, he floated forward, touching the ground only after a short distance. Looking back, he saw a small, earth-colored spider where he had intended to step. If he had landed, he would have crushed it.

The spider’s color blended well with its surroundings, and under normal circumstances, Qian Ye wouldn’t have noticed it. But experience told him to be cautious of any spider near an Arachne. The Arachne’s servant spiders were varied and capable, and some were even ordinary local spiders temporarily controlled by the Arachne.

The earth-colored spider looked at Qian Ye, its compound eyes seeming to flicker with intelligence, and it started crawling towards him.

Seeing this, Qian Ye knew it was a servant spider and that it had spotted him. Without hesitation, he stomped on the spider, killing it, and then drew his weapon, Dong Yue, and charged at the nearby reconnaissance team.

The battle was swift. The two Arachne in the squad were no match for Qian Ye and were quickly felled. The lesser soldiers didn’t stand a chance either. Without a war general, the number of troops was meaningless to Qian Ye.

After subduing the entire squad, Qian Ye kicked one of the Arachne awake. The Arachne, fierce and aggressive, roared and tried to attack upon waking. But its strength was insignificant to Qian Ye, and with a single strike of Dong Yue, it was forced back to the ground, unable to move its eight segmented legs.

Realizing the situation, the Arachne understood that this small human was a formidable opponent it could not defy.

“Where are you from?” Qian Ye asked.

The Arachne pointed to the emblem on its armor, saying, “Can’t you see? This is the Crystal Spider! We are the strongest legion under the Spider Emperor. You should think twice before attacking us.”

Facing the threat, Qian Ye laughed and said, “What consequences? Nothing more than erasing the evidence.”

The Arachne quickly realized its mistake, its face turning grim with regret.

As its morale sank, Qian Ye asked, “What are you doing here?”

“To hunt the Wolf King, of course!” the Arachne blurted out. Under Qian Ye’s calm gaze, its head lowered, and it admitted, “We are here to scout the movements of Lian Gang City.”

Qian Ye nodded, finding this somewhat reasonable. The first two questions were rhetorical, testing if it was telling the truth. The third question was more critical: “Do you have any special orders?”

“What special orders?” The Arachne seemed confused, but its aura fluctuated when it answered, a detail not missed by Qian Ye.

“If you don’t want to say, I’ll ask your comrade,” Qian Ye said, pointing to the unconscious Arachne. “If it tells the truth, you know what will happen to you.”

Though the Arachne was naturally fierce, it wasn’t fearless. After a moment’s hesitation, it said, “We were ordered to note the locations of human settlements and the number of people fleeing to Lian Gang City.”

“Human settlements? Villages and towns?”

“Yes, and large temporary hiding spots.”

Not all the people around Lian Gang City were scattered. Some villages or families built sturdy fortresses to defend during wars. These fortresses were often in remote and rugged areas, making them difficult to capture and of little value. Regular armies often bypassed these small strongholds, dealing with them after the main forces were eliminated.

However, something about this order seemed off to Qian Ye. From his perspective, the villages around Lian Gang City were of little value, just clusters of rudimentary huts. What purpose did occupying them serve? And the fortresses, while military assets, were of minor significance. It made no sense for a reconnaissance team to collect geographic information when a single fast-moving wind spider could do it more efficiently.

Given the oddity, Qian Ye sensed the Arachne was telling the truth. Nevertheless, he knocked it out and revived the other one. After some threats, the second Arachne gave the same answer.

As low-level reconnaissance units, they only executed orders without knowing the reasons. Qian Ye, knowing he’d get no more, knocked the Arachne out again.

In the distance, another pair of eyes watched Qian Ye quietly.

A faint blue light glimmered in Qian Ye’s eyes, aware of the observer. Yet his expression remained unchanged as he searched the squad, gathering valuable loot, and then tied several origin force grenades together, placing them in the middle of the squad.

Qian Ye quickly left. Behind him, a massive explosion sent a dense cloud of fire and smoke hundreds of meters into the air, creating a spectacular scene.

The deputy commander lowered his binoculars, his face grim. The subordinate frowned, saying, “This Zhao Ye is too reckless! Making such a commotion, it’s like he wants everyone to notice. And why doesn’t he capture any prisoners?”

The deputy commander replied, “He has already obtained the necessary information. Moreover, haven’t you noticed why he did this? Look at where he chose to strike.”

“At the edge of the battlefield, unclear if inside or outside the line. But what does it matter?”

“Has the Spider Emperor officially declared us as enemies yet?”

The subordinate understood, gasping, “We… ”

“We cannot initiate an attack, at least not now. So, Zhao Ye’s actions, while striking the enemy, also erased the evidence. Even if I saw everything, I have no grounds to accuse him, as there is no proof.”

The subordinate’s eyes sparkled, and he suggested, “He must have learned something. Should we pursue him and make him reveal what he knows? I feel it’s important.”

The deputy commander was tempted but shook his head, saying, “Let’s go capture a reconnaissance team ourselves.”

“But why go far when the target is near, sir!”

The deputy commander hesitated, then waved, “Continue the patrol.”

After running for more than ten kilometers, Qian Ye finally felt the prying eyes behind him disappear. He looked back and muttered, “Finally given up? Now it’s my turn.”

Qian Ye’s presence slowly faded, becoming indistinguishable from the surrounding wilderness. Only a true expert could detect him through perception, and deception of the eyes was a skill he possessed.

Accelerating, Qian Ye approached the source of the observation, the strange orders of the Arachne still lingering in his mind.