Chapter Six: Fenghou City

Du Huaishan did not reply; instead, he tightened his grip on the cavalry rifle and the hilt of the saber at his waist.

In these chaotic times, only weapons could give him a sense of security.

The sound of hurried, shuddering footsteps echoed through the forest. No one could say who fired the first shot, but in an instant, the entire convoy resembled beans scattering in a sizzling pan—crackling bursts of gunpowder and the scarlet flare of muzzles sliced the darkness, illuminating the woods in violent flashes of white and black.

By the flickering light, Du Huaishan glimpsed the shadow of a beast—over four meters tall, its form was hyena-like, with forelimbs thick and powerful, hind legs lean and sinewy. It charged madly through the hail of bullets, heedless of the onslaught.

Chang Suian had been right. The demon he had killed earlier was truly one of the smaller ones!

“Disaster Level: Thirteen!” As the monstrous creature lunged toward the convoy, Fat Zhang muttered under his breath and hoisted his machine gun, aiming at the beast’s shadow and squeezing the trigger.

Bullets rained down like a torrential storm, brass casings flying and clattering against the doors of the military trucks before bouncing into the wild grass.

The power of modern weaponry was considerable. The demon’s body was riddled with holes, but its wounds closed with unnatural speed, black blood staining its hide a ghastly blood-brown. Its face was a mask of exposed bone, like a skull—two black hollows for eyes, a mane bristling like porcupine quills, and foreclaws so massive one could smash half a military truck in a single swipe.

It moved with the speed of a leopard, rivalling the swiftest cavalry steeds. One cavalryman failed to dodge in time and was struck full-force by a colossal paw—both rider and horse were hurled into the air, severed limbs spiraling as blood showered down, staining the black earth red.

"Xiao Qi!" a grizzled cavalryman nearby shouted in shock and fury.

But before he could finish, a shadowy claw swept across the darkness. The man's head lolled to the side, and a fountain of blood erupted from his severed neck.

Du Huaishan’s pupils contracted sharply.

No wonder these four-clawed monstrosities could slaughter an entire infantry company. The gulf between humanity and these demons was simply too vast.

A cavalry sergeant on a black steed spurred forward. Suddenly, a phantom burst into view behind him—a massive, flame-red hellhound. With a ferocious bark, the fiery beast surged into the sergeant’s chest, merging with him in a flash of searing red light.

The fusion was instantaneous. Fire blazed in the sergeant’s eyes, his face contorted with bulging veins, neck muscles rippling with such strength that the plates of his armor strained and rustled.

Without hesitation, the sergeant raised his left arm. With a sharp whistle, a steel wire dart shot out, striking the demon in the side.

With a hiss from a high-pressure canister, the wire retracted at astonishing speed, yanking the sergeant from his mount and flinging him straight toward the demon in a single breath—easily exceeding eighty kilometers per hour. Wouldn’t that tear a person’s arm off?

Yet the sergeant showed no discomfort. Instead, he drew his saber with his right hand—the blade sang as it flashed, slashing at the demon’s right hind knee.

A spray of foul blood erupted as the flesh at the joint was ripped open, exposing the white bone beneath.

A fine strike!

Du Huaishan gripped his own saber. The demon’s forelimbs were monstrously strong, but its hindquarters were weak—crippling a hind leg would seriously hamper its movement.

The sergeant rolled to the ground to break his momentum, making no attempt to linger. Rising, he blew his whistle, fired another grappling wire that snagged a distant tree trunk, and, taking advantage of the demon’s distraction, soared away to safety.

Beneath the tree lay a wounded soldier and the mutilated corpse of a horse—the very man struck earlier.

The fire-hound cavalryman easily hefted the hundred-kilogram soldier. At that moment, the thunder of hooves sounded—a black-maned military steed raced toward him. With the unconscious soldier in tow, he swung into the saddle, clamped his legs, and spurred the horse onward.

The rest of the soldiers atop the transport vehicles seized the moment, raising their rifles to concentrate fire on the demon’s wounded hind leg, preventing it from giving chase.

After several exchanges, the convoy widened the gap once more, escaping the forest and emerging onto open grassland.

The drivers floored the accelerators, engines roaring with a savage fury as speed increased again.

But this was far from victory. In the brief exchange, two men had fallen—one dead, one maimed—and the four-clawed demon still pursued them relentlessly.

Fortunately, their destination was not far.

A dozen minutes later, Du Huaishan heard a low rumble in the distance, as if something whistled sharply through the air, soared over the convoy, and fell to the ground several dozen meters behind the demon.

A flash of fire.

Bang!

A violent explosion thundered, shattering the night—a mortar shell!

Just as Du Huaishan identified the weapon in his mind, a second salvo whistled down. With the first shot’s trajectory corrected, the second barrage landed with precision all around the demon.

Explosions erupted one after another, spooking the cavalry horses into frantic whinnies.

A dragon of dust billowed up, swallowing everything behind in a choking haze.

Through the dissipating mist, a colossal silhouette stretched along the horizon.

As the convoy drew closer, illuminated by the gunfire, Du Huaishan finally saw—a city wall of blue brick, towering over a dozen meters high.

Military searchlights blazed atop the ramparts. A line of uniformed artillerymen manned the defenses.

At the center of the wall stood a massive iron-studded gate, freshly painted, with a black plaque overhead. Three bold, calligraphic characters danced across it: “Fenghou City!”

At the city gate, a sizable garrison had already assembled.

A cavalry scout galloped forward, shouting, “Second Battalion Transport Platoon, First Cavalry Brigade! Requesting entry!”

At his cry, soldiers hurried to pull aside the metal barricades.

With a deep boom, the massive gate swung open from within. The lead vehicle roared forward, guiding the convoy inside.

Fenghou City…

Du Huaishan eyed the plaque; he’d never heard of such a place.

Inside the city, a long alley of packed yellow earth stretched ahead. Gray-brick, blue-tiled houses lined both sides. Though the night was dark, several large households had hung yellow lanterns at their gates, mingling with the glare of searchlights to create an eerie brightness.

The convoy did not enter the alleyways, but turned right, following the dirt road eastward.

In less than ten minutes, fires glimmered ahead. Du Huaishan craned his neck to see rows of temporary military tents, draped in army-green oilcloth, with sentries posted throughout.

By the campfires, he glimpsed people in long gowns—dusty, haggard figures shuffling back and forth, huddling for warmth.

The military trucks halted before the tents.

Fat Zhang disembarked, approached a soldier, and whispered a few words before waving Du Huaishan over.

Understanding, Du Huaishan climbed down and approached.

“This area is full of refugees from Xintun City. You’ll stay here for now.”