Chapter 237: The Orc Army! Merit Reward
[Petrification Potion: After drinking, the skin of the whole body will become as tough as granite without affecting flexibility. Duration is five minutes. Exchange price...]
This is the "petrifying potion" given by Qiao Feng, as described in the Reincarnation Watch.
There is no doubt that this bottle of petrifying potion was also refreshed into the exchange list, which made Ni Kun somewhat interested in this battlefield copy.
In this copy, there are potions that can be exchanged for "Merits" to permanently increase strength, agility, and physique.
If he had not been suppressed and weakened by the cubic space, adding a few hundred pounds of strength, a few points of agility and physique would have been dispensable to Ni Kun.
But in his current state, even such a slight enhancement is still very practical. At least it will allow him to avoid having to spend his life every now and then when he is in danger. Although his lifespan is increasing rapidly, he still wants to save up a few thousand years of life to curse the Blood Saint severely.
And this copy, strictly speaking, can only be regarded as a "low-level" copy.
In low-level dungeons, even if attribute potions are used to the limit, they can only increase a few hundred pounds of strength. So in more advanced dungeons, will there be more powerful potions that can increase more strength, agility, and physique?
That would be very interesting.
Adding the potion to the redemption list of the reincarnation watch will not only be useful to Ni Kun himself, but also to the people around him.
As for the conditions for leaving this copy, in Ni Kun's opinion, it is probably not about defeating the enemy.
There were only 3,000 defenders, while the enemy numbered over 50,000.
Moreover, the enemy army was composed entirely of brave soldiers and powerful generals, and they were not afraid of being beheaded or having their food supplies burned, so our side was unable to break out and seek help.
With such a comparison of strength, how could a few reincarnations who had just experienced a formal "copy" and were not a big hacker like Ni Kun help the defenders defeat more than 50,000 enemy troops?
Therefore, the way to leave is definitely not to defeat the enemy, and Qiao Feng has not found the right direction.
Of course, this is not surprising.
After all, Qiao Feng’s ability to solve cases has earned him the reputation of a “mysterious detective”.
When it comes to finding the way, you really can't rely on him.
Ni Kun currently has no idea how to find the "door" to leave, but he is not in a hurry. He will first take a look at the quality of those "demon" enemy forces, gain some merits, and get some attributes and skills to see.
After leaving the barracks, Ni Kun, Zhang Wuji and the other four newcomers saw the barbarian garrison with high noses and deep eyes that Qiao Feng had mentioned.
They were all strong and sturdy men, wearing chain mail inside and full body plate armor outside. Their weapons were either two-handed swords with a blade as wide as a palm, or axes and guns that could be used for both chopping and stabbing.
"These barbarian soldiers are very strong!" Di Yun exclaimed, "The armor and weapons they are wearing must weigh at least 70 to 80 kilograms, right?"
Qiao Feng whispered:
"These barbarian soldiers are indeed very strong. Equipped with such heavy armor and weapons, they can move quickly and fight for a long time. In my time, each of them was a fierce warrior who could fight ten enemies at once. It is precisely because of this that they were able to hold this city for forty-five days with only 3,000 soldiers under the fierce attack of the enemy's 50,000-strong army."
Zhang Wuji asked, "Should we have more dealings with them so that we can take care of each other on the battlefield?"
"It is natural to look after each other and support each other on the battlefield, but there is no need to communicate too much in private."
Qiao Feng whispered, “Although somehow there is no language barrier between us and them, and we can communicate with each other without any hindrance, but… they die and live again, live and die again, and they are not the same kind of people as us.”
At this point, he said with emotion:
“In my first reincarnation, I formed battlefield friendships with many of the defenders and regarded them as my comrades in life and death. When they died in battle, I shed many tears for them.
"In the second round, I was surprised and delighted to see them alive again. I was really happy for them. But in the end, they didn't remember me and died in battle again.
"In the next three rounds, they kept dying and coming back to life, and coming back to life and dying again... After a few times like this, I was tired and finally understood that they were not the same kind of people as us.
“We outsiders are dead once we die, but they can keep dying and reviving, constantly reincarnating on this battlefield.
“It’s called Shura Hell, but every time they are resurrected, they don’t remember what happened in the previous reincarnation. For them, every reincarnation is the first time in their lives…
"On the contrary, we outsiders will not forget any memory. If we cannot escape from this battlefield and continue to fight bloody battles here, that would be called Shura Hell."
As they were talking, Qiao Feng, along with Ni Kun and the others, joined a team, climbed up to the top of the city wall with that team, and came to a section of the city wall.
When everyone looked up, they saw that below the city wall, there was a dark mass of enemy troops that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Although the enemy army did not have any powerful siege equipment, nor did they have any "heavy weapons" such as catapults and crossbows, the huge army, dense phalanxes, and the bright spears standing like a forest reflecting the sunlight still made people feel more stressed.
Zhang Wuji, Di Yun and Yin Li all held their breath involuntarily. Only Ni Kun looked at the enemy troops under the city as if nothing had happened. He narrowed his eyes slightly and focused his gaze to see why those enemy troops were called "demons" by Qiao Feng.
Soon, he understood.
To Qiao Feng, those enemy troops were indeed demons.
Because the huge army below, which was so dense that there was no end in sight, looked just like the orcs in the movie "The Lord of the Rings", all of them were humanoid monsters with dark skin, pointed ears, protruding fangs, and hideous faces.
"So, this instance is based ? Tsk, this instance is too difficult for a reincarnator who has only experienced a formal instance once..."
Ni Kun thought to himself:
“But then again, the first dungeon for a reincarnator is not the same, and the second dungeon may not always be the same. Moreover, a reincarnator does not have to participate in the most brutal battles from the beginning, so there is still time to slowly adapt. As long as they can gain merit and exchange for rewards, the reincarnator can gradually become stronger…”
The reason why the reincarnations were believed to have time to adapt was because the section of the city wall defense line that Qiao Feng brought them to was obviously an extremely unfavorable position for the attacking party.
This military fort was built on the mountain. Although it is not large in scale, the terrain is quite steep.
The section of the city wall where Ni Kun and his companions were located was not very high, only about three meters.
But there is a cliff at the base of the wall, which is about seven or eight meters high. Below it is an uneven stone ground. Many of the stones exposed on the ground have been deliberately smashed, revealing fracture surfaces that are as sharp as a knife and as jagged as fangs.
The ground is rugged, and the city walls and cliffs are more than ten meters high. The orc army will naturally not send a large number of troops here, which will be a thankless task. At most, they will only send a small force to tie down the defenders here.
As Ni Kun observed and assessed the enemy and his own terrain, Qiao Feng also said:
"This is the first wave of city defense, and the pressure is the lightest. You should get familiar with the battlefield atmosphere here first. If you have any long-range abilities, you can try to harvest a few heads and accumulate some merits."
As he was speaking, a thrilling horn sounded, followed by a loud bang.
After the loud noise, there was a sound like a strong wind whistling through the air.
Ni Kun and others saw a locust-like rain of arrows rising from the enemy troops below the city, crossing the front formation, drawing a huge arc, and shooting towards the entire city defense line.
When had Zhang Wuji, Di Yun and Yin Li ever seen such a spectacular rain of arrows?
For a moment, he couldn't help but widen his eyes, his mouth became dry with nervousness, and he almost tried to dodge.
Qiao Feng said calmly:
"Don't panic, trust your comrades in the front row..."
As he spoke, he glanced at Ni Kun, who was calm and composed, and nodded approvingly.
Raise your shield!
Someone on the city wall shouted loudly.
Large shields were raised at the same time, forming an impenetrable shield wall that protected the top of the city.
The defenders standing in the front row of Ni Kun and others naturally raised their large shields to form a shield wall, covering them and their comrades in the rear under the shields.
Boom boom boom…
Amid the dull sound of hail, rain of arrows fell on the wall, bouncing off the bricks, piercing into the cracks in the wall, or getting nailed on the big shield.
Although this first round of arrow rain pierced the shield wall on the city like a hedgehog, almost no one on the defenders was injured.
Only a very small number of arrows managed to penetrate the gaps and hit the defenders.
But the defenders were all wearing strong armor, and it was difficult for this rain of arrows to hit the weak points in their armor. Even if they were hit by one or two arrows, they acted as if nothing had happened.
Bang bang bang!
The enemy kept launching arrows in turns, and the arrows were like hail, one wave after another, falling on the top of the city almost without any gaps.
Under the cover of rain of arrows, the front line of the Orc army pushed ladders towards the city wall.
The rain of arrows only stopped when the attacking army was only ten steps away from the city wall and some orcs were accidentally injured by their own arrows. They fell screaming at the foot of the city and were ruthlessly trampled by their comrades in the rear until they were crushed into a pulp.
The Orc army let out an earth-shaking howl, rushed over the last short distance of ten steps, and placed the ladder against the city wall.
It was only at this point that the defenders withdrew their shields and counterattacked.
For a moment, arrows rained down from the top of the city walls, shooting down the attacking orcs in droves...
There were only two and a half hundred orcs attacking the section of the city wall where Ni Kun and his team were, with two ladders.
"You can start using any long-range means you have. Any means will do. The defenders will not doubt you just because your means are bizarre. They will take all means for granted. The more enemies you kill, the more they will trust and respect you. If necessary, they will even protect you with their own lives."
Qiao Feng reminded: "Although there are not many enemies under the city, we still have to be careful. A hidden arrow can also kill people."
Zhang Wuji, Di Yun, and Yin Li looked at each other and took out their long-range weapons.
Zhang Wuji has a small crossbow. It looks small, but it is powerful. The arrows it shoots are no less powerful than those of a heavy crossbow. It can break armor within ten steps. It is easy to kill an unarmored target within thirty steps. It can load five crossbow arrows at a time and fire continuously. However, it is a bit troublesome to reload after shooting.
Di Yun used his longbow, which could correct the trajectory of the arrow to a certain extent after it left the bow, greatly improving the hit rate. Yin Li took out the pistol he got in the white room.
Ni Kun also took out two revolvers, ready to harvest some heads and earn some merit points.
Qiao Feng did not take action, but held up his shield and sword, ready to help them block the arrows.
For Qiao Feng, he has already strengthened himself to the limit and has learned a lot of permanent skills, so merits are dispensable to him.
Therefore, his mission today is to protect these newcomers and help them survive.
whoosh!
Zhang Wuji fired his crossbow, and the short crossbow arrow accurately penetrated the eye socket of an orc who was pushing a ladder truck. The orc fell down without a sound.
Just as an orc nearby was about to move forward to fill the position, Di Yun shot another arrow, hitting the orc right in the throat and killing him on the ground.
Yin Li held the pistol in both hands, aimed for a while, and with a bang, he hit an orc between the eyebrows and shouted excitedly: "I hit it, I hit it!"
clang!
Qiao Feng raised his sword and knocked away an arrow that was heading straight for Yin Li's face. He said in a deep voice:
"The top of the city is not absolutely safe, don't get carried away!"
Yin Li was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. She nodded tremblingly. Zhang Wuji thanked Brother Qiao and pulled Yin Li to the back. He gave her a rare serious reprimand before letting her go forward and continue firing.
Di Yun was fully focused and not distracted by the outside world. He shot the orcs arrow after arrow. Even the orc who shot a sneak attack on Yin Li was killed by him with one arrow.
While concentrating on killing the enemy, he could still remain highly alert and dodge hidden arrows, showing great potential on the battlefield, which made Qiao Feng nod his head repeatedly.
Ni Kun didn't need to worry about Qiao Feng at all. He fired two revolvers continuously, and every shot he fired would surely knock down an orc. When an arrow occasionally came, he would easily block it with his arm shield.
Soon, Ni Kun had used up all the bullets seized from Yun Zhonghe, as well as the bullets he got from killing monsters when he first entered the cube space. He had shot and killed more than twenty orcs in total.
Di Yun also shot and killed ten people, and Yin Li also shot and killed seven or eight orcs. Only Zhang Wuji devoted some of his attention to protecting Yin Li and only shot and killed five orcs.
Ni Kun and his four companions shot and killed more than forty orcs. Together with the arrows fired by other defenders on the city wall, the two hundred orcs retreated before they could even set up the ladders, leaving behind a field of corpses.
After the orcs in front of them retreated, the defenders on the city wall really did what Qiao Feng said, and looked at Ni Kun and others with a little more surprise and admiration in their eyes.
However, this efficient method of killing enemies only applies to this wave.
Yin Li and Ni Kun had already used up all their bullets, and Di Yun's continuous and accurate shooting, with every arrow hitting its mark, began to wear him out. The orcs were no fools either, and when they saw Ni Kun and his men's efficient killing, reorganization and attack, and when they came back again, they would definitely be on guard.
Sure enough, the orcs who launched the attack again were very careful. Not only did they all protect their heads and faces with shields, they also spread out their formation, trotted with their backs bent, and did not rush forward with their heads held high as before.
The orcs pushing the ladders were protected by several orc shieldmen, and a dozen archers, under the protection of the shieldmen, crouched and followed the team in scattered groups, approaching the city wall, shooting arrows from time to time to threaten the defenders on the city wall.
However, although the efficiency of killing the enemy dropped sharply, the terrain of the section of the city wall where Ni Kun and his men were located was steep and not conducive to attack. The orcs organized several waves of offensives, but failed to send a single orc to the top of the city for hand-to-hand combat.
The only role it played was to tie down the defenders on this section of the city wall, preventing them from easily sending out too many troops to support some of the most intense and bloody defense lines.
Ni Kun and his men stayed on the city wall for half a day. At noon, they changed shifts and went downstairs to eat and rest.
After dinner, Qiao Feng took them to the Government Affairs Hall to redeem their merit rewards.
"Brother Aniu, I have earned more than 60 merit points!" Yin Li said excitedly, "I wonder what good things I can exchange for."
After she ran out of bullets in her pistol, she took a crossbow and shot. After half a day, she shot and killed many orcs and earned more than 60 merits in total.
Di Yun earned even more. In half a day, he killed more than thirty orcs with a bow and arrow, earning over a hundred merit points. This once aroused strong hostility from the orcs, who sent two archers to shoot at him, causing his efficiency in killing the enemy to drop sharply in the second half.
Ni Kun used up all the bullets in his pistol and shot with a bow and arrow for a while. He killed more than 20 orcs quietly. Including those killed with the pistol, he earned more than 140 merit points in total, and did not alert the orcs at all.
Ni Kun had never used a bow and arrow.
The reason why he had such superb archery skills was that he had killed tens of thousands of Japanese, many of whom were archery masters known as "Mr. So-and-so's One-Gun Master".
By spending a little money, you can instantly learn the art of archery and hit the target from a hundred paces away.
Because Zhang Wuji had to worry about Yin Li, he gained the least, but he still earned more than fifty merit points.
"Brother Qiao, do you have any suggestions on redeeming rewards?" Zhang Wuji asked Qiao Feng.
"In the early stages of the war, we are not under too much pressure, and we mainly kill the enemy with long-range means. It is also the best time to gain merits relatively safely. If you are not good at bows and arrows, I would suggest that you exchange for archery skills, but since all of you are quite good at archery, you can save this expense."
Qiao Feng smiled and said, “So my suggestion is to exchange the armor first and ensure your own safety so that you can kill the enemy more efficiently.
"I calculated that with your gains, you can exchange them for some armor that has a limited number of uses but is indeed very useful. For example, there is an amulet that can defend against arrows. It can deflect arrows that are shot at vital parts that are not covered by armor and are fatal. Although it can only be effective three times, the price is not expensive, only thirty merit points.
"There is also a more effective amulet that can block arrows six times. It is more expensive and requires 55 merit points..."
Yin Li couldn't help but ask:
"What about those potions that permanently increase strength, agility, and physique? Can't we afford them?"
Qiao Feng shook his head: "Permanently effective potions are very expensive, at least 300 merit points. And that kind of potion, at this stage, is really not as useful as the amulet.
"Not only at this stage, but also when it comes to close combat, there will be spears and swords stabbing and slashing from all directions. To be honest, an extra 100 or 200 pounds of strength is not as useful as a set of armor that is invulnerable to swords and spears.
"Agility is useless. When fighting hand-to-hand, there is no room for maneuver. Physical fitness is the most useful..."
Talking and walking along the way, Qiao Feng soon brought everyone to the Government Affairs Hall and met the clerk who was responsible for recording merits and exchanging rewards.
