CHAPTER 110: CHAPTER 110: SENDING THE HORSE_1

The soldiers driving the carts immediately turned them around to form a circle, then took out breastplates and helmets from within. They helped each other don the Wan Guo Brand armor, which indeed provided some protection.

Next, five men with loaded crossbows took positions on the platforms protruding from the carts, using the cart bodies as cover, ready to shoot. The remaining five picked up spears and extended them through the gaps to fend off bandits trying to charge the wagon formation.

In a short time, the convoy had turned into an armored porcupine—a typical tactic for merchant caravans to deal with bandit raids.

Yet this situation did not concern the leader; he had devoured too many such merchant caravans already.

A few feigned attacks and the death of one or two men would trigger a mutiny among them.

Could they outrun horses after that?

It struck the leader as strange that the Knight hadn’t joined the others inside the cart circle.

What was going on?

The leader did not have time to react, as the man was actually charging toward him on horseback.

Surprise and confusion were not only apparent on the leader’s face but also shared among the other bandits witnessing the scene.

How dare he?

Did he intend to take on over twenty of them alone?

"Crap! Brothers, kill him!" the leader roared, feeling underestimated.

The other bandits’ anger was also stirred. They would make this foolhardy idiot suffer.

I don’t care who you are; you’re going to die here today!

Reynard didn’t let the bandits’ reaction provoke any additional emotion. He remained silent, his calm gaze through his helmet fixed on the enemy as he gripped his longsword tightly.

"Die!"

As the two sides closed in, the leader swung his Warhammer down at Reynard, his face twisted with exertion.

But at the moment of engagement, Reynard, like a volcano erupting from silence, unleashed a terrifying force.

His Knight’s Longsword swung out. In passing, he directly cut the leader down from his horse. But Reynard did not pull back; instead, he charged straight into the midst of the bandits.

The men didn’t panic at their leader’s fall. They all rushed him, attacking Reynard with their weapons.

"BANG!"

A sudden gunshot, and one man fell from his horse—but it was a bandit who hit the ground.

In the confusion, not many paid attention to this, since they also had muskets. That is, until Reynard had cut down two men and broken through the enemy formation.

Then, a continuous barrage of gunshots rang out. As more and more of their companions fell, they began to realize what was happening.

"Musketeers!"

As someone shouted this, another bandit fell with a gunshot. Only then did the remaining bandits realize something was wrong; by this time, their numbers had been halved to just ten.

"Run!"

It was unclear who yelled, but the remaining bandits attempted to flee on horseback. Only then did they see the cart formation blocking their escape. To leave, they had to break through the wagons—an impossibility for the fewer than ten men remaining.

That’s when they realized the true purpose of the wagon train.

These bandits, accustomed to licking blood off their blades, hesitated for only an instant before turning their horses and charging at Reynard again.

The first charge had been an attack, while the second turned into a desperate flight. Their earlier arrogance was gone, and they couldn’t even speak when facing Reynard alone, whose very presence suppressed their morale.

But the sound of gunfire did not cease. The musket’s superior armor-piercing capability was on full display as bullets, fired from the dense woods to one side, pierced through breastplates and tore into muscle.

One after another, bandits were struck down by bullets, further fueling their fear, but it was to no avail.

The distance of less than a hundred meters seemed like an insurmountable chasm separating them from survival.

By the time they approached Reynard again, only one remained.

This time, Reynard did not kill him outright. Instead, he used the flat of his sword to knock the terrified bandit off his horse. Before the bandit could flee, the tip of Reynard’s sword was already at his throat.

The situation was completely under control. The battlefield was littered with only lonely, dazed horses, while all the men lay on the ground. Some were still alive, emitting painful groans.

It was then that Lance and Dismas emerged from the wilderness beside the road.

They didn’t appear to have many firearms. How were they able to fire so many shots in such a short period?

Of course, they relied on the Exhibition Room.

Typically, Flintlock Guns are only loaded in preparation for battle. They are not kept loaded, waiting to fire, as that risks accidental discharge, and gunpowder can sometimes fail for various reasons.

But Lance had no such worries. He simply kept the loaded guns in the Exhibition Room and took them out when needed.

He had kept thirty muskets after capturing them earlier. In an era where ammunition had to be front-loaded, he alone could provide suppressive firepower.

And after practicing for some time, as his feel for the weapons improved, so did his accuracy.

Upon emerging, Lance headed straight for the horses—twenty-two in total, with three accidentally hit by stray bullets.

There was no helping it. The accuracy of smoothbore firearms was poor, and in such chaotic shooting, accidental injuries were common.

This was precisely why he longed for talent in firearm manufacturing; he was very dissatisfied with these current weapons.

He went up and pressed directly on the wounds. Under the effect of "Flesh Reconstruction," the bullet fragments were expelled by the muscles. Although the horses became agitated with pain, they were still controllable.

All three horses were saved by him. At such a distance, the ordinary soldiers could not see what was happening here.

Their orders were to hold their ground and stop any enemies. A soldier’s paramount duty is to obey orders—the most important lesson learned during training.

If possible, Lance still wanted to conceal his Supernatural Power from the public. This was a consensus among all rulers.

For example, both the Empire and the Church were covering up the matter of the evil cult. Even someone like Barton, a Non-commissioned Officer, was not privy to it.

Knowing too much was too great a psychological burden for them. The high pressure would lead them to despair. Then, whether they collapsed or fled, it would halt the development of the territory, which would be troublesome for him as the Lord.

Only those whose will had been tested and was strong enough had the right to know these things.

Perhaps this is why the game depicted the enhancement of abilities as based on "Determination."

"Dismas, take him away. I want to know their situation," Lance commanded.

Dismas skillfully grabbed the surviving bandit and dragged him into a small grove, while Lance began to direct the soldiers to clean up the battlefield.

With so few people, those not yet dead were quickly dispatched with a spear. Their belongings were stripped and thrown onto a wagon, and the horses were tied together with a rope, strung along. The entire operation was completed in less than five minutes.

"Don’t remove your armor yet. Reynard, you lead the team to the town. Dismas and I will follow," he ordered.