"I only know for now that the Beast Tribe Queen is here, but I haven't seen any other leaders," York replied.
"What a strange management style. Without anyone in charge, wouldn't the beast army fall into chaos?" Inanna asked.
"No, these beasts are managed hierarchically. Each type of beast has its own leading commander, and they obey their commanders unconditionally. Before returning, the Queen will convey her will to the beast commanders. If they exceed the time limit set by the Queen, they will return to their dens on their own," York said.
"It seems beasts are just beasts; they can never stray too far from their dens. York, how long did it take you to get here from their dens?" the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens asked.
"I walked here, taking about a day and a night. The Queen is carried back and forth by the Beast Soldiers in rotation; the time is about the same for me," York replied.
"No wonder the Queen asked you to deliver a message saying she would raze the city if we didn't surrender in three days. She took two days for the round trip, plus the arrangement time, it's about three days. A large part of the day has already passed. It looks like we can't wait any longer; we have to take the initiative to attack," the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens said.
"Take the initiative to attack? Can you find the Queen? They move stealthily through the jungle; how will you find them?" York asked.
"York, we don't care about the beginning or the middle of the journey. Can you recognize the path near their dens?" the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens asked.
"Of course, I can recognize it! What? You want to go deep into their dens? Are you crazy? Besides, if we get too close to the dens, I'll be under their control, which won't be good for you either," York said.
"York, we're not asking you to lead us there personally. I'm thinking of having you use the drone footage to show us the last stretch of the path leading into their dens. We'll handle the rest!" the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens said.
"I can show you the last stretch of the path leading into their dens. However, I think you're crazy to go to their dens yourselves; it's walking into a trap! But, it seems the beast army has already gathered near our capital, so their rear is unguarded," York said.
"Your Highness the Princess, please prepare the drones and the airship as soon as possible; we don't have much time left. We must eliminate the Beast Tribe Queen before she returns to her den," the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens declared resolutely.
"Your Excellency the State Preceptor, it seems we can only make a desperate counterattack! I am truly grateful to have a heroic figure like you supporting us during such a perilous time. Our Sumer and I, Inanna, are immensely grateful to you! Let's go and defeat them thoroughly today!" Inanna exclaimed heartily!
With York's help, the drones quickly located the entrance to the monster's den.
A Maglev Airship from Sumer, carrying Princess Inanna and her chosen special forces, along with King Xuanyuan and his retinue who had come to support, as well as the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens, General Hou Yi, and the soldiers from Loulan Kingdom, sped rapidly towards the ambush site in stealth mode.
Finally, before dusk, the airship arrived above the ambush location. To ascertain the situation below, a small disc-shaped drone was launched from the airship to survey the ground.
No abnormalities were found on the mountain slopes on either side of the riverbed, but an anomaly was discovered on the riverbed itself.
A dozen people wearing black robes were standing on the riverbed; their faces were hidden by masks, making them unrecognizable. Walking towards these people was a man and a woman, surrounded by a group of monsters.
These black-robed individuals seemed to be waiting specifically for the approaching group. Watching the footage transmitted by the drone, everyone was stunned. Who was this additional group of unknown individuals? It seemed we had to watch the play before acting.
"Let's not delay; let's go down and set up the ambush. The real show is about to begin," General Hou Yi urged.
"You ignorant fools, how dare you trespass into my Tiamat's territory and dare to wake us? You are truly overestimating yourselves." Tiamat said.
"Respected Goddess, I believe you are mistaken. I and the group ahead are not allies," the black-robed man said.
"Hahaha, not bad. You know there's another group ahead? It seems you have a purpose after all? State your purpose, or you will all become snacks for my Beast Soldiers," Tiamat said.
"Respected Goddess, we are here for cooperation. We are willing to be your servants and at your beck and call."
"Hahaha, be my servants? With so many of my Beast Soldiers and Beast Generals, what use do I have for useless people like you? It would be more useful to directly transform you into our Beast Soldiers and Beast Generals.
You carry a much stronger aura than the previous group. Come, transform into my powerful generals and conquer this world with me. This is our best cooperation. Hahahaha..." Tiamat laughed menacingly.
Immediately, a string of incantations flowed from Tiamat's mouth, and the monsters surrounded the thirteen individuals. "Oh, so this Tiamat uses Witchcraft to control these monsters. Perhaps I've found a way to counter her," Feng Hou whispered.
"Can you be sure?" the Great General Hou Yi asked softly.
"Pretty much. Let's see how they fight first and then find their weaknesses," Feng Hou said. Everyone then fell silent again.
"Apsu, go and subdue them with the generals." As soon as the words fell, a tall man standing beside Tiamat, with bull horns on his head and holding a trident, burst into laughter. "This is my favorite job. Come, join us."
Tiamat's incantations continued without pause, and over twenty monsters encircled the thirteen black-robed individuals.
"How about it? Will you join us or perish here?" Tiamat taunted.
"We'll see about that based on your abilities," one of the black-robed men replied.
"Courting death!" Apsu roared. Immediately, he opened his mouth, and a stream of fire spewed out. The black-robed man, completely caught off guard, and the one closest to Apsu was engulfed in flames, writhing and howling in pain on the ground.
The others hastily retreated, but their escape route was cut off by the monsters. At this point, the black-robed men drew their weapons and began to fight back. Several black-robed men started attacking the approaching monsters with weapons similar to Laser Guns. Pale green laser beams shot towards the monsters in front of them. Those hit either fell twitching to the ground or dissolved into a pool of dark brown liquid.
However, these monsters showed no fear and continued to press forward, surrounding the group. At this moment, Tiamat's incantations intensified, and monsters previously ambushed on the hillsides on both sides charged down.
Some of these monsters resembled Leopard-men, with leopard-like tails and bodies covered in leopard spots, capable of running upright at extreme speeds. They could leap over obstructing rocks and uneven terrain, indicating considerable strength. Others resembled Tiger-men, Bear-men, or Wolf-men, and there were also smaller monsters wielding shields.
The small monsters with shields moved forward rapidly, blocking the attackers with their shields, while other monsters followed closely behind. The black-robed men fought and retreated. At this point, dozens of monsters that had charged down from the hillsides had completely surrounded the black-robed men, forming multiple layers of encirclement.
At this moment, the individuals who had prepared the ambush, watching the black-robed figures within the beast encirclement, all began to wonder: Who were these people? Were they friend or foe? Should they watch the tigers fight from the mountain, or should they lend a hand?"