Chapter 0006: The Fatal Arrow

More than 3,000 soldiers fell victim to the sharp volley of arrows, with over half of them perishing in an instant

The densely arranged and gleaming armor, under the reflection of the sun, resembles a gigantic mirror, so bright that it is difficult to look directly at it

It was very painful, causing him to sweat profusely and tears to flow continuously, yet he did not dare to cry out, not even making a sound.

Soon, the rubble of the activity was dug open by him, revealing a hole the size of a dog hole at the base of the wall, which was pitch black inside, making it impossible to see anything clearly. Due to the small size of the opening, he wanted to enlarge it, but the surrounding cliff walls were too solid; even after breaking the tip of his spear, he could not make any progress.

The cave is a circular passage, and he cannot clearly discern how deep it is inside; however, the fresh blood flowing in from the entrance continues to stream inward.

At the same time, an invisible yet undeniably real pressure surged forth, causing anxiety and making it difficult to breathe.

Upon discovering this, Tang Yin appeared as if he had found a new continent, his face displaying surprise. He seized a half-length spear and forcefully thrust it into the crack. With a sound of "puff," the entire spearhead sank into it. If it were truly stone, with his current strength, it would be impossible for him to drive the spear in so deeply.

He wanted to catch his breath and take a break, but the other party did not give him that opportunity

He dared not take risks and could only grit his teeth and endure

Tang Yin glanced at the small cave, which was only about one foot long, then turned to look at the approaching square formation of the enemy. There was no time to hesitate; he lowered his body and forcefully burrowed into the cave.

Oh... Tang Yin, such a strong person, at this moment also let out a muffled groan in pain, and his half-squatting body was knocked down to the ground.

Tang Yin had never experienced such pressure

Tang Yin sat weakly on the ground, gasping heavily while examining the cave. With the faint light filtering in from the entrance, he discovered that the cave was quite spacious, though this spaciousness was only relative to the narrow entrance.

When he finally managed to pass through the opening and enter the cave, he felt utterly exhausted, with sweat streaming over the fresh wounds, causing a stinging pain.

The valley was strewn with stones, devoid of any grass, and lacking soil; how could there possibly be a soft sensation? He hurriedly looked down and noticed numerous cracks in the cliff behind him, through which the blood that had flowed in was seeping into the gaps. It was evident that there was emptiness within.

This is not a solution! Tang Yin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and turned his head to see that the base of the cliff in the valley was less affected by the rain of arrows. He made a quick decision, grabbed the clothes of the middle-aged man beside him, and said urgently, "Let's hide over there!" In his moment of desperation, he no longer cared about pretending to be mute, nor did he consider whether the other person could understand him. He just pulled the middle-aged man's clothes with all his strength and ran towards the base of the cliff. However, after pulling a few times, the middle-aged man did not move an inch, as if he had no intention of following him at all. Tang Yin was in a panic, turned around, and shouted, "Why aren't you moving? Are you going to stay here and wait to die..."

Splash, splash

Cough, cough—he coughed violently while quickly feeling the cave walls, hoping to find a way out. After searching for a while, he became desperate; the cave was a dead end, with no other passages at all. Finally, Tang Yin, both helpless and exhausted, slowly sat down on the ground. The arrow wound on his shoulder continued to bleed, gradually draining his strength.

Halfway through his words, the rest was swallowed back. The middle-aged man did not hesitate to follow him, but rather found himself unable to move. At some point, a black arrow had struck his helmet, the tremendous force piercing through the metal and penetrating his skull, with the arrowhead protruding from the back of his head, crimson blood dripping steadily.

The enemy's soldiers are already very close. Due to the dimness of the valley and his position at the base of the cliff, they may not have seen him yet. However, as soon as he makes a sound, it will surely attract their attention.

Boom, boom, boom—an orderly and rhythmic sound came from the direction of Taniguchi, causing the entire ground to tremble and shake.

When he successfully hid beneath the cliff, he finally let out a long breath of stale air. Just as he had assessed earlier, there were not many arrows shot down to the base of the cliff; many feathered arrows were intercepted by the protruding rocks of the cliff while still in mid-air. The occasional arrows that flew over no longer posed a significant threat to Tang Yin.

He darted down like a cunning rabbit, suddenly pouncing towards the base of the cliff

Tang Yin believed that even though he was a ruthless person, the soldiers outside were even more cold-blooded and vicious, resembling emotionless killing machines. The cold light emanating from the soldiers' eyes made even the bloodthirsty Tang Yin feel uncomfortable

The opposing archers do not know how many rounds they have already fired; the entire valley is covered with a dense array of arrows. Countless arrow feathers are haphazardly embedded in the ground, creating a dark and oppressive scene, simultaneously concealing the bodies of the soldiers. However, it cannot cover the bright red blood, which flows through the crevices of the stones, gathering into small streams that are piercing to the eye

Tang Yin's face flashed with a hint of surprise. He turned his head to look towards the valley entrance. It was better not to look, but once he did, Tang Yin's heart sank. At the valley entrance, a large number of soldiers clad in silver armor formed a neat square formation, marching in unison, advancing step by step.

Unfortunately, behind him is a hard and cold cliff, leaving no way to retreat

Tang Yin's skills are commendable, but even the best abilities become insignificant under such a dense array of arrows. He crouched low to the ground, minimizing his body as much as possible, gripping a half-length spear tightly in one hand, knocking down the eagle feathers that flew towards him from time to time. In just a short while, he was already drenched in sweat.

It seemed as though a century had passed, and the formation of arrows finally came to a halt

There was simply no time to catch his breath, as several sharp arrows flew in next. Tang Yin did not think twice; he reached back and grasped the arrow shaft that was protruding from his shoulder, and with a fierce tug, he pulled it out. With a whoosh, the arrow was forcefully extracted, accompanied by a jet of blood. In that moment of excruciating pain that pierced to the bone, he did not even furrow his brow; instead, the corners of his mouth lifted in a high smile.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—three sharp arrows whizzed past his body almost grazing it

He was startled and quickly crouched down on the ground, peering through the hole to sneak a look at the situation outside

A total of three thousand people fell in the blink of an eye, their bodies strewn across the valley; this is the brutality of war

The fatal arrow struck, and the middle-aged man did not even have time to utter a sound before he died

He sat on the ground for a short while when suddenly he heard a series of anguished cries coming from outside

There is no need to rush forward to count them; simply observing from a distance and listening to the soul-stirring sound of footsteps makes it easy to guess the number of opponents. This formation has had as few as ten thousand people; with so many individuals, without even wielding weapons, if each person were to strike themselves with a punch or a kick, one would inevitably be reduced to a pulp.

Just a moment ago, the lively and robust man, the 'uncle' who had saved his life not long before, had died in the blink of an eye. Tang Yin was momentarily at a loss, staring at the corpse with wide eyes, lost in a daze.

Indeed, it is empty; there is actually a cave here. His heart raced as he gritted his teeth and propped up his weary body, using both hands and feet to desperately dig at the rubble beneath the wall.

Although he was slender, the cave was still too narrow for him. As he burrowed inside, the jagged stones around him cut into his clothes like knives, deeply slicing into his flesh.

Thick black smoke poured in from the cave entrance, causing Tang Yin to see stars before his eyes. He wanted to block the entrance, but there was not even soil inside the cave, let alone stones. In desperation, he could only brace himself and walk deeper into the cave. However, the cave was not as deep as he had imagined; after walking less than twenty meters, he reached the end of the cave.

He is a person who has weathered many storms; in the past, no matter how dire the situation, he could remain composed and calm. However, now he is panicking, and thoroughly so, because he knows very well that under the current circumstances, he has no chance of survival. Tang Yin licked his cracked lips, and large beads of sweat continuously dripped down from his temples. Out of instinct, he forcefully scooted his body backward while sitting on the ground

There was no wind in the valley, yet Tang Yin felt a chill running through his body. He reached out to touch his clothes, which were already soaked with sweat, as if he had just been caught in the rain

Tang Yin moved swiftly, launching himself forward with great force, leaping three meters into the air. Upon landing, he did not pause for a moment and continued to roll forward. In a mere twenty meters, he successfully blocked five sharp arrows, while evading no less than twenty others.

The entrance of the cave where Tang Yin was hiding was narrow and located at the corner of a cliff, making it extremely difficult to discover. He thought he could escape this calamity, but soon he realized he was mistaken. After sweeping through, the other party did not stop there; they spread kerosene throughout the valley and ignited it before leaving. In an instant, the valley turned into a sea of flames

Suddenly drained of strength, Tang Yin felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded, unable to stand, and slowly sat down against the cliff wall

Sighing, Tang Yin shook his head with a bitter smile, truly unexpected. He had managed to survive the hail of bullets in the underworld, yet now he was to die on this damned battlefield of cold weapons. Even more ironic was that he had no idea how he had gotten entangled in this situation, dying without any clarity.

The soldiers clad in silver armor have already descended into the valley, a formation of tens of thousands resembling a colossal steel beast, ruthlessly trampling the corpses on the ground. Once they discover any surviving soldiers, regardless of whether they are injured or not, their spears will fall in unison, piercing them into a mass of wounds.

But just at the moment he was lost in thought, a sharp arrow, accompanied by a hissing sound of the wind, struck fiercely into his shoulder. With a muffled thud, his clothing and flesh were instantly pierced, and the iron tip of the arrow burrowed deeply into his flesh.

Strangely, blood continued to flow towards him, yet Tang Yin paid it no mind, merely attributing it to the lower terrain on his side.

Could this be the punishment from heaven for his heavy sins of killing? He pondered self-deprecatingly, and at that moment, he suddenly realized that the hand pressed against the ground felt somewhat soft.

Only at this moment did he seize the opportunity to carefully observe the situation in the valley

The soldiers who narrowly escaped the rain of arrows were still moaning in agony, their cries piercing and chilling, as if they were emanating from hell, or rather, at this moment, the valley had already transformed into hell

Am I really going to die here? Die inexplicably in an inexplicable place? Tang Yin lifted the hem of his garment, covered his mouth and nose, and lowered his head with a bitter smile