Chapter 165 - 165: At the Summit of the Narrow Pass 1
Just like that, after traveling for a while, they stopped at an incredibly narrow mountain pass.
The team of eight, led by Taylor, finally came to a standstill before an extremely narrow mountain entrance.
“My Lord, this is the pass that the half-orc troops came through earlier,” said
Taylor with a rough voice, bending slightly and holding his fists towards Leo
Ray, “I have already investigated this place in detail.”
This narrow pass is the only way connecting our Demonic Shadow Forest with the half-orc tribes on the other side of the Hundred Ranges.”
“So this is the place.”
With a slight nod, Leo Ray walked forward on the uneven, rocky path for a few more steps.
At this point, besides Taylor on one side, the other six subordinates had already dispersed not far away, holding their weapons and keeping an eye on their surroundings vigilantly.
As Leo Ray entered the narrow pass and looked around, he noticed that this place was much more complicated than the unnamed pass they had seen on the battlefield before.
Between the two steep cliffs on either side, the narrowest position could at most accommodate two burly men walking side by side.
Also, the temperature inside the pass was noticeably lower than outside, which was refreshing.
At the same time, Leo Ray found, with the help of a ray of sunlight casting in, that there were still many white scratches left on the cliffs in several narrow areas, caused by scraping.
Judging by the fresh marks, it was clear that they were left by the armor of the half-orc troops rubbing against the cliffs during their passage.
“Steep peaks, towering cliffs… This could indeed be called an impregnable pass,” Leo Ray couldn’t help but exclaim, stroking the solid cliffs around him.
He then shook his head in resignation and revealed a bittersweet smile, “If this were in my former world, it would definitely be a great tourist spot.”
After refocusing, Leo Ray, with a longsword at his waist and donning leather armor, continued to walk deeper into the pass.
About a hundred meters later, the view suddenly broadened.
In front of him now was a mountain trail, about fifty meters wide, which contrasted sharply with the narrow area he had just walked through.
Looking left and right, there were still sheer cliffs on both sides of the mountain path.
However, these steep cliffs were obviously lower than before, and they were densely covered with vegetation, making it easy to hide there. “This really is a good ambush location, just like I thought!”
Upon seeing this, a smile of delight spread across Leo Ray’s face.
Turning to the burly man next to him, he asked, “Taylor, have you explored the top of these cliffs?”
“My Lord, on the night I was here, I had already found two hidden paths leading up to the cliffs on both sides,” Taylor replied respectfully, closely watching their surroundings.
“Very good. Let’s go up and take a look then.”
Hearing this, Leo Ray patted Taylor on the back to show his appreciation and gestured for the other subordinates to follow.Just like that, under Taylor’s guidance, they made their way along a winding path overgrown with weeds, and soon enough, Leo Ray had made a lap around the cliffs on both sides.
“Not bad, the terrain is well concealed, and the path is relatively flat. Not only can we set up a Magic Cannon here, but Tier 1 subordinates can also climb up here with some help.”
With a satisfied nod, a cold glint flashed through Leo Ray’s dark eyes as he said, “It looks like we’ve found the perfect spot for smashing the huge rocks above us.”
“Taylor, if we were to set up an ambush here, what would you do?”
At this time, standing atop a mountain peak, Leo Ray surveyed the indent in the landscape while also addressing the burly man beside him.
“My Lord, this area has a wide road, in stark contrast to the narrow pass we just left. It resembles the shape of a bottle,” Taylor responded after contemplating for a moment with a furrowed brow.
“So, if we consider the enemy as water in the bottle, the wide area as the bottle’s body, and the narrow pass as the bottleneck.”
“We only need to block the bottle mouth’s exit at the moment the water flows through the bottleneck before launching our attack.”
“At that time, as the water backs up, the enemy’s formation will be in disarray, undoubtedly becoming fish in our barrel.”
“Nicely said. Releasing the enemy’s vanguard and allowing the subsequent forces to mistakenly assume safety is indeed the best time for an ambush.”
With a nod of approval, Leo Ray smiled, “However, you’ve overlooked a crucial detail.”
“Oh?”
Showing a puzzled expression, Taylor said to Leo Ray, “Please enlighten me, Lord.”
Meanwhile, the expressions of the other subordinates showed confusion too. As for Scarlett, donning her pointy witch hat, her attention was already focused on some butterflies nearby.
Aside from setting fires, putting them out, and eating, strategies and warfare were too complicated for her.
Seeing that everyone seemed puzzled, Leo Ray narrowed his eyes, re-focused on the road beneath the cliff, and explained, “Naturally, that would be the fact that there is no bottle bottom in this ‘bottle body’ area we’re in.”
“I see! Lord, you are wise.”
On the other side, Gideon Black stepped forward, adjusting his glasses gracefully, and said, “Since our forces are limited, even if the ambush is successful, we will not be able to completely prevent the enemy from retreating.”
“Once the enemy escapes back along the same road, leaving the current ambush area, the effect of our ambush will surely be greatly diminished.”
At this, an expression of sudden realization crossed the faces of the surrounding subordinates.
Even Scarlett followed suit, nodding her head seemingly understanding, with an expression that said she felt it was impressive, though she didn’t know why. “However, creating a solid bottle bottom should not be a difficult task.”
As he spoke, Leo Ray pointed to a nearby area where some loosen boulders precariously perched on the cliff, directly above the wide mountain path.
“Understood, Lord! Leave the task of creating the bottle bottom to me,” Taylor immediately grasped the idea and confirmed with Leo Ray.
“Very well. With this, all our issues are resolved.”
Nodding to Taylor, Leo Ray dusted off his hands and said, “Alright, now that we’ve got a handle on everything here, it’s time to take a look at our opponents
– the water inside the bottle.”
“Understood, My Lord!”
With the sound of respectful and well-coordinated responses, a series of cold gusts of wind blew past as the eight of them transformed into shooting stars speeding into the distance, vanishing from sight and leaving only swirling dust in the air..