Chapter 637.5: The "Corrupted" Army
Mutated Dragonkin beasts?
Traveling under the Crimson Moon?
"So bold... they're bound to fall into the hands of the Crimson Moon..."
"Or maybe, it's just to disgust Bay Territory?"
"180 kilometers... their target might not be us..."
"Still, we can't take any chances!"
Matthew smacked his lips unconsciously, swept his gaze across the distant field ridges, and after taking a deep breath, said:
"Send in the adventurers. Remind them to watch the sky."
"If they spot signs of a true dragon, hide on the spot and send out a signal immediately."
Old John nodded, not finding the command cruel.
Adventurers themselves knew that venturing into the Death Desert was always deadly.
Bay Territory offered high pay and the fastest possible support.
As for the rest—it all came down to their own skill and luck.
Old John hesitated briefly. Noticing Matthew had issued no further orders, he quickly realized the Lord had other plans.
The special combat mission quickly spread among the adventurers.
Upon learning who their enemies were, not only did they show no fear, they even seemed fired up.
Just as Old John expected, the price Bay Territory offered was so high, it made risking their lives worth it.
Of course, Bay Territory wouldn't let adventurers just go die. They had plenty prepared for them.
"Hey, beautiful! Come check this out—purification enchanted scrolls, made specifically for mutated monsters!"
"They not only deal extra damage to mutants but can also remove potential contamination from yourself."
"How do you use it? Simple—just cut yourself lightly mid-fight."
"Hey, handsome! Come take a look!"
"Enchanted weapons and gear that go with the scrolls, all for sale at a bargain!"
"Bay Territory's most popular enchanted bows and crossbows, with matching armor-piercing bolts..."
"Come one, come all! Best prices you'll find..."
After receiving speech training from Bay Territory, Fatty and Big Zhuang were no longer what they used to be.
Many young adventurers, drawn by their cries of "handsome" and "beautiful," unconsciously reached for their gold.
And the gear they sold? Genuinely effective and extremely useful against their foes. Buyers were satisfied.
Before the battle even began, Bay Territory had already pocketed a sizable profit.
Meanwhile, the adventurers got upgraded gear.
Win-win, wasn't it?
"Yeah, let them clash first, snag some loot."
"Then we refine those items and sell them for five times the 'fair' price—at least a 300% profit."
Carefully calculating the "battle budget," Jifan finally cracked a smile.
Now, Jifan truly understood why a territory couldn't walk on one leg—he had new insight into development.
Combat is essential!
A moderate amount of fighting benefits territory growth.
Of course, all of this had a condition: no meaningless battles.
Bay Territory's goals included land development, resource gathering, and resisting enemies and dangers.
They'd never attack someone else's land unprovoked—unless they were an enemy.
They believed more in creating a beautiful life than plundering others.
The mantra "do it yourself, eat your fill" was carved into every Bay citizen's soul.
Beside him, Laura curiously examined the enchanted bow Jifan had given her and asked without hesitation:
"Do you need me for a mission?"
Gently shaking his head, Jifan pondered Matthew's orders, then hesitantly said:
"We're not taking part in the mission. Just observing the enemy, collecting intel for future fights."
Hearing this, Laura nodded thoughtfully, glanced at her camouflaging cloak, and asked expectantly:
"Let's go, then. I've been adventuring for ages and haven't seen a real dragon yet."
Jifan wasn't about to mention Yaya, just nodded and walked toward the operations team.
Midnight.
The mutated army had reached 100 kilometers from Bay Territory.
Numerous and grotesque.
They appeared to be influenced both by "Dragon Frenzy Shackles" and the Crimson Moon—mutations stacked.
Facing such a bizarre enemy was extremely dangerous for most adventurers.
But after Bay Territory's schooling, today's adventurers were a lot more cunning.
They no longer charged blindly but carefully categorized the mutants under the blood-red moonlight.
"Even mutants mutate differently..."
"Don't look at size. Focus on mutated organs."
"Few long-range mutant attackers, but they're big trouble. Take them out first."
"Next, deal with the fast movers. That'll give us more time and distance."
"Finally, go after the big, dumb brutes. Plenty of options for that..."
Adventurers didn't initiate combat.
They were waiting for the enemy to fall into traps and take losses first.
Most of the mutants lacked intelligence.
They dove straight into traps buried in the sand.
Splat!
Glug!
The fastest ones fell first.
Into a deep trench.
Murky, foul-smelling liquid.
Struggling to escape, they were met with roaring flames from afar.
Fwoosh!
Raging fire erupted from the trench.
Most mutated draconic beasts showed zero fear of fire, charging straight in.
They were quickly engulfed, burned to ash.
The rest pressed forward, fearless.
That assured the adventurers—mindless enemies meant lower risk.
They didn't linger. Instead, they closely observed the flying mutants and hulking beasts.
After gathering intel, they quickly retreated.
This was just a probe. The real fight hadn't begun.
"Team 2, keep digging traps. Lay more fire oil."
"Do it underground, so skyborne enemies don't spot us."
While ordering the retreat of engineering golems, Alice coordinated the adventurers' battle formation.
A team would tally mutant casualties from this trap wave.
Contribution points would be handled separately.
Large-scale adventurer coordination might be hard elsewhere.
But for Bay Territory, experience and examples abound.
"About 3,000 mutated dragonborn down. Enemy forces still number 70,000..."
"Roughly 500 fliers and 700 big dragonborn..."
"Second wave incoming: 300,000 strong, 20 km behind the vanguard..."
"..."
All data reached adventurer wristbands, giving them a powerful sense of situational awareness.
Alice quickly updated tactics, directing the adventurers with real-time image maps.
She didn't dare let them bunch up—might provoke the true dragon's wrath.
If the dragon struck, most adventurers wouldn't even get the chance to run.
The enemy was a Blue Dragon!
In the desert!
Blue Dragons are desert kings!
Masters of burrowing and sand ambushes!
But a nagging thought lingered in Alice's mind.
"Hope the Blue Dragon shows early... we need intel."
In battle, knowledge and trump cards are everything!
Funny enough, Kalecgos had no intention of joining in.
While adventurers nervously battled mutated dragonborn through the night—slaying over 20,000—
The Blue Dragon never appeared.
Most adventurers sighed in relief.
They weren't green rookies dreaming of slaying dragons overnight.
Anyone who's fought dragonkin or dragonblood beasts knows the gap.
It's wider than a rabbit trying to fight a lion!
Laura, upon learning this, looked at the sunrise without a trace of fatigue—only a hint of regret.
Jifan glanced at her subtly, marveling at her "boldness" and "ignorance."
After relaying intel back to HQ, he calmly told Laura:
"Let's rest. The daytime adventurers will be more cautious."
"And if something unavoidable happens, their survival odds are better."
Laura agreed. She didn't know Kalecgos' motive, but she knew nighttime, under Crimson Moonlight, was his turf.
That's when adventurers' fear would be magnified several times.
Still, she was curious about Bay Territory's response.
It was like they'd been waiting for him all along!
Could Bay Territory really go toe-to-toe with a legendary true dragon?
Bay City.
Underground Research Lab.
After glancing through the battle report, Matthew set it aside.
Before him, surgery was underway.
The test subject had lost consciousness, waiting on drugs to start repair.
Matthew reviewed the data and shook his head regretfully.
Even with supernatural regeneration and tuned states, the subject still couldn't boost kidney function under energy wash.
Yet Matthew wasn't discouraged. He continued gathering data, prepping for surgical failure or emergency care.
Thanks to the messing around by the Cole Elves, Matthew naturally started with them as test subjects.
Plus, Cole Elves had high innate energy affinity.
They had the best shot at successful secondary kidney enhancement.
Matthew tweaked procedures step by step.
Most test subjects survived the table—though some were missing parts.
Luckily, they had supernatural healing, so they could recover painfully in nutrient baths.
After around fifty surgeries, he had a grasp on most modification issues.
He became well-versed in handling surgical emergencies.
Only then did he begin using Fate Power to refine and enhance each step.
Matthew's goal was simple: make every step flawless.
That way, he could eliminate unexpected variables and guide outcomes toward his goals.
Fate Power proved extremely effective.
On the 132nd procedure, kidney enhancement finally worked.
Matthew immediately dove deeper into the details.
Four days passed.
Over a thousand Cole Elf test subjects processed.
At last—his first success!
But the super kidney's emergence put heavy strain on other organs.
Unlike Matthew, it couldn't maintain internal balance.
Thus, the second major hurdle to mass-producing the super kidney revealed itself.
Having made a breakthrough, Matthew paused. He placed the screaming test subject in a time-stop cage.
"Sometimes, stop staring at a dead end. Look from another angle—you might gain more."
This wasn't just self-consolation. Jifan's recon team had finally reported back:
"Kalecgos made a move! He's revealed himself!"
Matthew could hardly wait to collect his "data!"
A legendary Blue Dragon... its organs must be incredible!