Chapter 29: Waiting for the Prey to Walk Right Into the Trap

After a brief rest, the group set off once again. Two dozen warhorses carried the wounded and the supplies, while the others followed closely on foot. With not enough horses to go around, everyone took turns riding. Zhao Ergou refused any special treatment, choosing to share the hardships with his brothers, a gesture that went a long way in winning their loyalty.

As dusk fell, they found a wind-sheltered hillock and prepared to make camp. "Tonight, we drink until we drop!" Zhao Ergou announced loudly, lighting a bonfire that illuminated the smiling faces of his men. As night descended, the vast grassland fell into a deep silence, save for the crackling of the bonfire reflecting the excitement and anticipation on everyone’s faces.

Zhao Ergou sat cross-legged by the fire, the roaring flames casting sharp shadows across his angular face, a sense of domineering ambition rising within him. "It’s time to check the spoils of war!" He curled his lips into a wild, arrogant grin.

A light screen appeared out of thin air before his eyes, clearly displaying his status: Name: Zhao Ergou; Race: Human; Realm: Early-Stage Martial Artist (+); Techniques: "Crouching Dog Power" (Minor Achievement) (+), "Wild Wolf Triple Blade" (Minor Achievement) (+); Strength: 2,900 catties; Talent: Silver Archer (+); Killing Intent Value: 193.

"Haha! Twenty-eight Rongdi pups, and they only gave me twenty-eight points of killing intent! So stingy!" Zhao Ergou laughed heartily, his voice echoing across the silent plains. "But hey, even a mosquito's leg is meat. It adds up; sooner or later, I'll be invincible under the heavens!"

Without hesitation, he invested one hundred points of killing intent into improving his cultivation.

"Haha! I can feel the power surging through my body like a raging tide! I'm going to smash a Rongdi dog's head in with one punch! I'll make them regret ever crossing me!"

The surging power coursed through him, unstoppable as a volcanic eruption. His muscles coiled, and his bones popped with a thunderous crack, as if a slumbering dragon were awakening.

"Strength is the absolute truth! One word: exhilarating!" Zhao Ergou roared at the sky, unleashing the skyrocketing power within.

The light screen updated: Name: Zhao Ergou; Race: Human; Realm: Mid-Stage Martial Artist; Techniques: "Crouching Dog Power" (Minor Achievement), "Wild Wolf Triple Blade" (Minor Achievement); Strength: 4,368 catties; Talent: Silver Archer (+); Killing Intent Value: 93.

"Mid-Stage Martial Artist! This is only the beginning! I will be the strongest man on this grassland!" Zhao Ergou’s eyes burned with a fierce fire, as if he intended to set the entire prairie ablaze.

"4,368 catties of strength! Haha! Let any Rongdi pup dare to come and die, and I'll send him to the afterlife with a single blow!" He clenched his fists confidently, already envisioning countless Rongdi cavalry trembling at his feet.

"It's a pity I'm out of killing intent, or I could be even stronger!" Zhao Ergou licked his lips, a glimmer of bloodlust in his eyes. "But it doesn't matter. The Rongdi grassland is vast—surely there will be more pups to slaughter."

He looked toward the horizon, his gaze piercing, a grand plan flashing through his mind.

At the first light of dawn, Zhao Ergou jumped up, impatient. "Brothers, time to move! I’m going to show you what a real battle looks like!" The men were energized and high-spirited, filled with a blind devotion to Zhao Ergou.

"This time, we'll change direction and go meet those sheltered Rongdi tribes!" Zhao Ergou waved his hand, his spirit soaring. The twenty-plus warhorses galloped across the vast grassland like arrows released from a bow, kicking up clouds of dust.

After traveling a dozen miles, the scout returned, breathless and somber. "Squad Leader, we have a situation!" Zhao Ergou’s heart tightened as a sense of foreboding washed over him.

"We’ve spotted a Rongdi enemy unit ahead, about five hundred strong. They seem to be transporting supplies to the main Rongdi camp before the pass."

"Oh? Transporting supplies?" Zhao Ergou’s eyes lit up as if he had seen shimmering gold.

"Luo Datong, lead the team and wait here. I’m going to scout the situation," Zhao Ergou ordered decisively. Luo Datong saluted. "Understood, Squad Leader!"

Sun Liu volunteered, "Ergou, I'll go with you. I used to be a scout!"

"Fine, let's go!" Zhao Ergou waved his hand, taking Sun Liu and two other scouts to sneak forward silently. They crawled through the dense grass like leopards, observing the enemy from afar. A line of Rongdi soldiers stretched out like a winding snake, moving slowly as they hauled heavy cargo.

"Ergou, this is a Rongdi supply battalion carrying goods for their main army. The scout was right. What do we do now?" Sun Liu asked, his experience showing.

Zhao Ergou stared at the supplies with satisfaction, his eyes flashing like a hungry wolf catching the scent of prey. Sun Liu noticed the greed in Zhao Ergou’s gaze and felt uneasy. "Ergou, don't tell me you're thinking of hitting this supply battalion?"

"Why not?" Zhao Ergou flashed a cunning smile.

"This Rongdi force must have at least six hundred men. Are you sure our seventy people aren't just throwing our lives away?" Sun Liu thought Zhao Ergou was being reckless beyond belief.

"Six hundred? What's there to be afraid of? It's not a thousand! How strong is the highest-ranked person in that unit?" Zhao Ergou asked dismissively.

"Usually, in a transport unit of six hundred, the strongest would be at the Great Perfection of the Martial Artist realm. I just don't know if their commander is at the Great Perfection or the Late Stage," Sun Liu analyzed based on past experience.

"Why overthink it? Let's just do it! Come on, let's head back, get ahead of them, and set an ambush!" Zhao Ergou made the final decision, his eyes alight with excitement.

He led his team like a bolt of lightning to the path the Rongdi transport unit was destined to cross.

"Squad Leader, we're seventy against five hundred. This won't be easy," Luo Datong warned, full of concern.

"What's there to fear? I say we can do it, so we can!" Zhao Ergou’s tone was firm and beyond questioning. He had decided that this Rongdi supply unit was his for the taking.

"All who can ride, step forward!" Zhao Ergou commanded. Over thirty soldiers stepped out, including Sun Liu, Luo Datong, and Tu Dakang.

"Sun Liu, Tu Dakang, pick nineteen men each to form the cavalry. We'll charge from the left flank later," Zhao Ergou began deploying his battle plan.

Fifty meters on either side of the road, Zhao Ergou ordered his men to dig pits, preparing traps. Since the open grassland was difficult to ambush in, he would create the conditions himself!

Small pits, just large enough for a man to crouch in, were cleverly camouflaged, waiting like the gaping maws of beasts for their prey to walk straight into the trap. Everything was ready; they waited in silence for the arrival of the Rongdi supply unit.