CHAPTER 443: CHAPTER 238: A DIFFERENT CITY WALL! (5/5)_1

"We’re about to approach the enemy’s fortress. Maintain a distance of at least one kilometer from us. Do not come closer until I give the command. Understood?"

Chen Mo issued a preemptive order to the group. This was to prevent them from acting rashly on their own accord. He had previously experienced the pitfalls of disobedient teammates in the Divine Training Tower.

"Yes! We will obey The Leader!"

A few junior leaders responded first, and then the entire twenty-thousand-strong unit roared in unison, "We will obey The Leader!"

Seeing everyone’s compliance, Chen Mo finally nodded in satisfaction.

However, a junior leader quickly stepped forward and said, "The Leader, since we’re going to attack the enemy’s fortress, shouldn’t we send out a few scouts first to investigate? How can we let you two risk yourselves at the front? If we encounter an ambush or something similar, you two would be in grave danger."

Chen Mo and Alina’s decision to proceed at the front also concerned two other junior leaders, who hurried forward to voice their dissent. "The Leader, we also feel it’s best to send out scouts for reconnaissance before making a decision. We are very worried for your safety."

"Yes, The Leader, we can’t let you two take such risks at the front," another junior leader chimed in.

Chen Mo smiled faintly and raised his hand to silence them. "You are right; ordinarily, we should send out scouts first. But our route is the shortest, and time is of the essence. We must act quickly to achieve victory and thereby find time to support the other two teams and alleviate their pressure. We’ve carefully studied the enemy’s intelligence and have countermeasures in place. We won’t put ourselves in a perilous situation. Besides, it’s our duty as leaders to charge at the forefront and bring victory to everyone. You don’t need to worry about our safety. We can protect ourselves. Please rest assured."

Hearing Chen Mo’s words and seeing his determined gaze and composed demeanor, the junior leaders couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration. They hadn’t expected The Leader to possess such courage, willing to face danger himself rather than expose his troops to it. This exemplary behavior instantly earned the deep respect of the junior leaders.

Chen Mo and Alina soon received a notification from the Heavenly Dao.

[The Heavenly Path’s Hint: Your actions have raised the morale of the entire team. The current morale is at 100 points, granting a special effect—All-army Morale Boost! This buff affects the entire army. As long as morale remains above 80, it will stay active, increasing the attack power and attack speed of all units by 100%.]

"Wow, Chen, you’re amazing! With just a few words, you’ve snagged us a powerful buff for free."

Upon seeing The Heavenly Path’s Hint, Alina turned to Chen Mo with a bright smile.

Chen Mo just smiled without saying much. He’d used this tactic before in the Rift Dungeon. That experience had taught him that his words and actions could indeed affect the characters within it. This time, however, he had merely intended to convince these men to stay back and hadn’t expected to receive such a potent buff. It was an unintentional gain.

After persuading the junior leaders to fall back, Chen Mo turned to Alina and said, "You should stay back as well. I alone am enough at the front."

Although he had cast a shield on everyone, Chen Mo still didn’t want others at the front, in case some special insta-kill ability might appear within the dungeon.

Alina laughed. "No problem. As long as that group doesn’t come over, even an SSS-level dungeon BOSS won’t find it easy to kill me. And if I’m with you, I can help by creating a large number of mirror images."

Hearing this, Chen Mo glanced at the map, noting the position of the hundred members from the Yongming Star System. They seemed too far away to join them. Seeing this, Chen Mo no longer objected to Alina accompanying him.

As the two of them led the way, the other two teams proceeded with more conventional caution. They weren’t as daringly skilled as Chen Mo. Both other groups first dispatched scouts to survey the path ahead, only continuing their advance after confirming it was clear.

「Over an hour later.」

Chen Mo and Alina stood before a massive fortress.

The fortress appeared incredibly solid. Through his senses, Chen Mo discerned that it was constructed from a material called Spirit Iron, which could negate any bonus siege damage. Furthermore, a vast Flying-Restricted Domain enveloped the entire fortress. Its core was hidden deep within the structure, meaning the domain couldn’t be dispelled until the fortress itself was breached.

The fortress was enormous, assembled from massive, square blocks of iron. Each block was incredibly thick, seemingly capable of withstanding any attack. The main entrance was situated directly in the center: an exceedingly heavy iron door, its surface intricately inlaid with numerous runes that pulsed with strong magic waves—clearly a high-level defensive measure.

In addition to the central entrance, several apertures, likely for ranged attacks, were set into the fortress walls.

A massive army guarded the fortress, estimated by Chen Mo’s perception to be about ten thousand strong. They were stationed throughout the fortress, some patrolling the walls, others maintaining vigilance within.