Chapter 7: The Operational Issues of the Fortress
The main tunnel of the mine, usually so noisy, was unusually quiet today. The pig-headed men had all put down their mining tools and gathered inside Mine No. 3.
Guarding them were their former colleagues, a 36-man pig-headed rebel force led by Pig-headed Man·Hausman.
For some reason, when Baha called these pig-headed men rebels, Su Xiao suddenly thought of the rebel Old Smoke he had encountered in the Hunter World.
Including Hausman, a total of 36 pig-headed men had shown signs of resisting the Vassal Clan. The total number of pig-headed men in the mine was 673.
That wasn't even ten percent. It was only to be expected. The Vassal Clan had used every trick in the book to make the pig-headed men willingly work as laborers.
If it weren't for the pig-headed men's bestial nature and the Vassal Clan's brutal methods, out of over 700 pig-headed men, having five or six dare to stand up and resist would have been a good result.
Su Xiao had never thought that a few words of encouragement, or having the pig-headed men kill one overseer each, would be enough to make them stand up completely. That was impossible. They weren't just kneeling; they had been buried in the ground by the Vassal Clan, with only their heads showing. In that situation, asking them to get up and punch a Vassal Clan member was pure fantasy.
Under these circumstances, how could the pig-headed men be turned into a fighting force? Simple: grab them by the ears and yank them out of the dirt. The process would be agonizing and bloody.
After that, they needed one of their own to lead. Pig-headed men also had a herd mentality. After long-term oppression, they would instinctively obey.
They were submissive, scraping by, but also numb and accustomed to following orders.
This was good. It was like playing a game. If you got matched with a dumb teammate, your chances of winning were much higher than if you got matched with someone who was bad, showy, and had weird ideas. The former would follow orders; the latter, if you tried to command him, would think you were an idiot and curse your ancestors.
Following the crowd, high obedience to orders, plus some other tricks, and finally the morale boost from the War Lord title—the pig-headed men would have no problem charging in to die.
That's right, Su Xiao planned to have the pig-headed men form a large force and then charge in to die. These pig-headed men were fundamentally different from the insect race, wolf cavalry, and Demon Sea water ghosts. Those three types of soldier units each had their own strengths.
As for the pig-headed men, aside from their exceptionally large appetites, they were also tough. That was it.
So, they would be sent to the battlefield in large numbers to die. Since they were tough, the battlefield, like a meat grinder, was the most brutal and efficient teacher. With the unique characteristics of the War Lord title, after being ground in the 'meat grinder' for a while, individual pig-headed warriors or elite individuals would emerge.
"Hausman, are you afraid of death?"
Su Xiao looked at Pig-headed Man·Hausman. Hausman hesitated for a moment, then nodded vigorously, indicating that he was afraid of death.
"Good. In half an hour, take the other 35 of them to the upper level to break through the defense."
"Okay."
Hausman's agreement was firm. Seeing this, Su Xiao decided to let Hausman be the temporary leader of the pig-headed men. If nothing else, he had courage.
The reason Su Xiao wanted these 36 pig-headed men to break through the defense and seize control of the fortress on the second and third floors was that he needed a few pig-headed men with relatively independent thoughts.
How many of these 36 would survive was unknown, but it was their own choice. Choosing to stand up and resist wasn't a game; it required blood and life.
On the other hand, those who didn't stand up, like the other pig-headed men, were much safer. They would most likely continue mining in the future.
"Hey, wake up," Baha said, nudging the overseer who had been electrocuted and was lying on the ground. Seeing no response, Baha looked around and asked, "Who has yellow urine? Piss on him to wake him up."
The pig-headed men looked at each other. Finally, a pig-headed man who looked very irritable, with a mouth full of steel teeth, stepped forward. His name was Steel Tooth, a name he had racked his brains to come up with. He had originally wanted to be called Steel Egg, but someone else had taken it first.
Steel Tooth strode up to the electrocuted overseer. Just as he was about to unbuckle his wide pig-leather belt, the overseer on the ground twitched his cheek, struggled to sit up, and pulled off his helmet, revealing a face full of scars and pockmarks, looking quite fierce.
Seeing this, Steel Tooth could only stand aside, in line with Hausman.
"Does what you're doing have any meaning?"
The scar-faced overseer knew his time was short, so he was fearless, ready to be tough before he died.
"Of course it has meaning. Look how strong these pig-headed men are. They'll be great at carrying shit."
Baha spoke. His words stunned the scar-faced overseer for a moment. Then, with a slightly sarcastic tone, he said:
"Do you really think these pig-headed men dare to resist us? You, come here, kneel."
The scar-faced overseer had originally wanted to point at Hausman, but Hausman's gaze was somewhat gloomy, and his vest was stained with blood. The scar-faced overseer instead pointed at Steel Tooth and repeated:
"You, come here, kneel."
Steel Tooth hesitated for a moment, then strode forward. He swung the iron rod in his hand and aimed a blow at the scar-faced overseer's head.
It could only be said that the scar-faced overseer had chosen poorly. Among the over 700 pig-headed men present, Hausman was the best at reading the situation, fierce but steady. Steel Tooth, on the other hand, was a complete iron-headed fool. He had never been very bright since he was a child, and now he was showing this advantage to the fullest. He didn't understand labor or virtue. If he didn't mine, he didn't eat, and he was hungry. That was the core reason Steel Tooth worked.
Hausman had already promised that as long as Steel Tooth dared to hit the Vassal Clan, he wouldn't have to work and would still get food. Steel Tooth weighed it up. Although he was a bit afraid of the Vassal Clan, compared to the repetitive swinging of a mining tool, hitting the Vassal Clan was clearly easier. In his simple understanding, the Vassal Clan beat them, on average three or four times a week, which was much easier than mining underground.
Bang!
The scar-faced overseer took a solid hit. His entire upper body shook. He slowly raised his head, looking at Steel Tooth with a very puzzled expression, and asked in a weak voice:
"Are you stupid?"
Hearing this, Steel Tooth grinned and raised his iron rod again, intending to give the scar-faced overseer a 'combo' based on the beatings he himself had received.
Steel Tooth didn't get to land the combo; Baha stopped him. Undoubtedly, this Steel Tooth was a rare talent among the pig-headed men. Regardless of his intelligence, just his bravery, if cultivated, would make him a good vanguard.
The scar-faced overseer, who had almost had his skull smashed in, was dragged by Hausman to Su Xiao. He still hadn't recovered from the blow Steel Tooth had given him.
"I ask, you answer."
"You..."
Before the scar-faced overseer could finish, Su Xiao signaled Hausman to take Steel Tooth and drag the scar-faced overseer into Mine No. 2 to beat him. Just leave him breathing.
A few minutes later, the scar-faced overseer was brought back and sat on the ground.
"I ask, you answer."
"O... okay."
The atmosphere for negotiation immediately improved. From the scar-faced overseer's account, Su Xiao gained a more comprehensive understanding of the Doom Fortress and the higher-level Vassal Alliance.
On this continent, there were also territorial disputes. Hunters and Scavengers only dared to bully scattered forces. When they encountered the Vassal Alliance, they ran faster than anyone.
The Vassal Alliance was the largest territorial force on this continent. The second largest was the Aurora Council, followed by the Watchtower, and then the territory of the human forces.
The Vassal Alliance was aggressive, while the Aurora Council, also a Vassal Clan force, was conservative. The two sides didn't get along and had some conflicts.
The T5·619 Fortress, also known as the Doom Fortress, where Su Xiao was currently located, was a mobile fortress attached to the Vassal Alliance.
It wasn't a subordinate force of the Vassal Alliance, but more like a hanger-on. The Doom Fortress had to pay 80% of the Living Ore it mined to the Vassal Alliance. This allowed it to receive a certain degree of protection from the Vassal Alliance and also to mine veins on their territory.
After learning this, Su Xiao confirmed one thing: if he wanted to use the many pig-headed men to support a human wave tactic, he would inevitably be hostile to the Vassal Alliance. His relationship with the Aurora Council wouldn't be good either. The neutral Watchtower could engage in close trade, but cooperation was absolutely out of the question. After all, it was still a Vassal Clan force. He had to be on guard, limiting interactions to mutual trade.
Having made up his mind, Su Xiao signaled Baha and Tide Hunter that they could begin the assault upward.
Taking the elevator to the first floor, Li Xiniwei's men were still holding the second floor. These Vassal Clan members were hired by Li Xiniwei. They were fine for supervising the pig-headed men and for repelling attacks from Hunters and Scavengers when the fortress was stationary.
But the cooperation agreement didn't mention having to deal with a notorious hard case like Su Xiao. This wasn't a job that could be taken just by paying more.
On the open ground of the first floor, the 36 pig-headed men led by Hausman walked at the front. Some held mining tools, some held iron rods.
Just as they stepped onto the metal staircase leading to the second floor, a signal pole with a pink flag poked out from around the corner, waving at a steady pace. The Vassal Clan overseer hiding opposite shouted to Su Xiao:
"Hello, sir. We surrender."
The loud shout came from around the corner, causing Hausman, who had been about to let out a roar and charge forward, to choke back his cry.
Most of the overseers on the second floor chose to surrender. This was both unexpected and normal.
Su Xiao's current reputation included single-handedly killing several hundred Vassal Clan members. Even if you added up all the Vassal Clan members in the Doom Fortress, there were only about two hundred. In this situation, the Vassal Clan overseers on the second floor choosing to surrender was only human nature.
After passing the corner, a slightly amusing scene appeared. Over thirty Vassal Clan members in combat uniforms, holding various firearms, surrendered their weapons to the approaching pig-headed men.
The pig-headed men stepped over the various firearms, still carrying their unfamiliar melee weapons as they marched forward. Why didn't they use the guns? Because they didn't know how.
Arriving near the center of the second floor, a corridor about 4 meters wide appeared ahead. To reach the stairs to the third floor, they had to pass through here, or break through the ceiling. But the damage that would do to the mobile fortress was unknown. The interior was a weak point of the mobile fortress.
Just as a pig-headed man stepped in front of the corridor, a dull thud came from inside. A silver-white 'lead bullet' shot out, hitting the pig-headed man's chest and causing his skin to slightly cave in.
Were the guns in this world so backward? Although the Vassal Clan and humans had mastered supernatural powers and didn't value firearms much, they weren't this weak.
The 'lead bullet', slightly embedded in the pig-headed man's chest, suddenly expanded, turning into irregularly shaped metal blades that twisted and cut, leaving trails of wind.
When the metal blades finally stopped in a spiral shape, the pig-headed man they had enveloped had been reduced to minced meat on the ground, instantly turned into filling.
This was the Vassal Clan's metal-type supernatural ability. Its control, lethality, and growth potential were all excellent.
Su Xiao estimated that if he sent the remaining 35 pig-headed men charging in now, they wouldn't be selecting pig-headed men who dared to resist; within 5 seconds, they would be turned into minced meat on the floor of the corridor, or evenly distributed on the walls.
Su Xiao tossed a metal arrow to Tide Hunter. Tide Hunter had used this type of arrow in the Alliance World and immediately aimed at the wall inside the corridor.
Clang, clang, clang...
A series of metallic bouncing sounds were heard. With a bang, a blinding white light filled the corridor. Baha merged into the alternate space, circling around to the other side of the corridor for an assassination.
2 seconds later, a scream came from the far end of the corridor. Tide Hunter immediately leaned out from the wall and fired two arrows into the corridor.
After a moment, Su Xiao commanded all the pig-headed men to swarm in.
If he couldn't even capture a T5-level fortress like the Doom Fortress, then the more troublesome T4 and T3 level fortresses were hopeless.
Most T5-level fortresses followed a model: first, lease a T5 fortress, buy a few hundred pig-headed men, hire some Vassal Clan scavengers, and finally, under the leadership of the fortress head, jointly exploit the pig-headed men for mining and reap huge profits.
The Doom Fortress was the most brutal and best-run among the many T5 fortresses in its treatment of other races. But that still didn't change the fact that it was a T5 fortress.
Bang!
A blood spear pinned a pig-headed man, whose body was covered in armor plates, to the wall. One meter beside him was the door to the main control room. Su Xiao had seen this pig-headed man before; he was the guard of the fortress leader, Li Xiniwei.
This pig-headed man, with a chip implanted in his brain, had bloodshot eyes. He grabbed the blood spear, trying to pull it out, but in the next instant, another blood spear pierced his head.
Blood spread beneath the pig-headed guard, flowing forward across the floor. Su Xiao stepped over the bloodstains, arrived at the door of the main control room, and prepared to kick it open. But he hesitated and chose to knock instead. He would probably be living here for the next few days, so of course, he couldn't kick the door down.
According to the Law Destroyer's property ownership formula, this door was about to become the door to Su Xiao's bedroom. How could he damage his own property?
"Who is it?!"
Li Xiniwei's voice came from inside the main control room, tinged with three parts panic and seven parts confusion. He really couldn't imagine who would knock at a time like this.
One of his own? Impossible. Those Vassal Clan overseers had either surrendered or been killed. An enemy knocking? Li Xiniwei felt that was even more impossible.
Just then, a voice came from outside the door.
"I've come to negotiate peace with you, as agreed."
"Are you kidding me?! I don't accept negotiations!"
When Li Xiniwei shouted this from inside the main control room, his expression was twisted.
30 seconds later, Li Xiniwei opened the door to the main control room, his face now much warmer. It was no wonder; Baha was perched on his shoulder, one eagle claw resting on his head, ready to open a few holes in his skull at any moment.
"Let's talk about the operational issues of this fortress."
Su Xiao spoke, signaling Li Xiniwei across from him to relax and find a seat.
Su Xiao chose to take over this fortress, not to immediately become hostile to the Vassal Clan. On the contrary, he wouldn't break this balance; instead, he would strengthen it and develop as quickly as possible.
Going to war with the Vassal Alliance at this stage was suicide. He would first hide and develop. When he finally bared his fangs, it would be when he could tear a large chunk of flesh from the Vassal Clan and swallow it in a few bites to strengthen himself.
The seed for development had finally been found: this fortress.
At the same time, several hundred kilometers away, over 200 meters underground, there was a space of over 100 square meters. The air circulation system was activated. Due to the height being over 5 meters and the proper layout, there was no oppressive feeling of being underground at all.
Yueshitu sat on the sofa, holding a cup of black tea. Her unique survival-and-development playstyle had officially begun. This time, she would sweep through this World Battle Royale and show everyone that she was no longer a silly girl, but a team-fight phantom!
PS: (Updated on time within ten minutes of the power coming back. Scared me just now; I thought the power wouldn't come back today.)