After a moment of silence, the warhorse curiously lowered its head again, likely trying to confirm the identity of the fluffy ball.
When such a large creature suddenly came down, Shu Bao immediately withdrew underground.
The fluffy ball disappeared, and the warhorse stared at the hole in confusion for a while. When the hole remained still, the warhorse’s attention shifted back to the grass it was munching on.
Listening to the chewing sounds above, Shu Bao realized he hadn’t attracted any particular attention. Perhaps the Hidden Orchid had done their job well, or maybe the warhorse wasn’t inclined to attack living beings. In any case, it was a close call but nothing serious.
Shu Bao dug a bit further away underground. After confirming that there was no activity above, he carefully peeked out again.
The mouse still used a small patch of grass for cover and quickly checked that there were no warhorses around, feeling relieved to continue observing.
At this point, the necromancer legion’s camp had its own light sources, including campfires and torches lit by the necromancers. However, the light was not the warm yellow of normal flames but rather a chilling, eerie green. Additionally, there was the dark red hue that enveloped the entire area.
These strange lights illuminated the camp, allowing Shu Bao, who lacked night vision, to see the outlines of things. He observed that the necromancer soldiers were sitting around the campfires. However, they remained completely still and silent. There was no interaction or movement among them.
In this oppressive silence, the scene appeared exceptionally eerie. However, when a nocturnal bird flew over the camp, all the necromancer soldiers instantly lifted their heads, their hollow eyes fixated on the distant bird. They tightened their grip on their weapons, ready to attack if the bird landed.
Shu Bao was startled; the soldiers in the legion were so uniform in their actions, all fixated on the bird that even startled it into speeding away.
After hesitating for a moment, Shu Bao decided to quietly climb up and search for the general’s presence in the camp. However, before the mouse could act, it heard a series of cheerful hoofbeats approaching.
Realizing the danger, the mouse quickly turned around and saw the warhorse approaching happily.
Shu Bao mentally reassured himself that it must be a coincidence and that the warhorse hadn’t noticed him. He needed to stay calm—stay calm!
The next moment, the pressure on his head lightened as the warhorse once again nipped away the patch of grass covering Shu Bao’s head. This time, the warhorse chewed the grass while curiously staring at Shu Bao.
When the warhorse finished eating the grass and lowered its head again, Shu Bao quickly retreated underground.
This time, the nimble mouse dug a greater distance, even managing to dig to the other side of a nearby tent based on memory. With the tent blocking the warhorse’s view, Shu Bao hoped he could move more freely.
However, just as Shu Bao peeked out and was observing his surroundings, he heard the familiar sound of hoofbeats approaching.
The warhorse was incredibly quick; almost as soon as the sound was heard, it was already by Shu Bao’s side and snatched away the patch of grass he was using for cover. It continued to chew the grass while staring at Shu Bao.
Shu Bao couldn’t help but cross his paws and frown at the warhorse in front of him. He hadn’t heard of warhorses having a penchant for hunting moles. What was going on? As a warhorse, and especially a necromancer’s warhorse, it was not only engaging in feline activities but also eating grass!
This time, when the warhorse lowered its head again, Shu Bao did not retreat but instead extended his little paws in a gesture of refusal and said, “Stop. Please don’t come too close to this mouse.”
The warhorse’s nose was pushed away by the mouse’s paw. Despite the gentle force, the warhorse actually stopped, curiously retracting its head. It then surprisingly made a nodding motion toward Shu Bao, as if it understood.
Shu Bao was somewhat taken aback. Did even the warhorses in the necromancer’s army possess such intelligence? The mouse glanced at the nearby campfire, where the greenish-blue flames illuminated the unmoving necromancer soldiers, who appeared as if they were armored dummies.
The mouse was puzzled, wondering why the warhorses in this army seemed much smarter than the soldiers.
Before Shu Bao could ponder further, the field hunters took advantage of the army’s encampment to begin their assault.
Shu Bao hadn’t noticed immediately, but the warhorse suddenly lifted its head and looked toward the north. The next moment, the warhorse galloped away with such speed that Shu Bao felt a gust of wind rush by him.
By the time the mouse realized what had happened, the warhorse was already out of sight.
Seizing the rare opportunity, Shu Bao quickly jumped out of the hole and darted into a nearby tent.
Outside the tent, more greenish-blue flames flared up, casting eerie light over the area. The flames in the field were all this strange greenish hue, accompanied by the sounds of metal clashing from the necromancer army’s rapid movements.
Soon, the sounds of battle and clashing weapons reached Shu Bao’s ears.
Following the noise, Shu Bao used the tent for cover and observed the chaos outside. The hunters who had planned a direct assault had united, including knights, mages, and many with peculiar skills.
The field hunters’ attacks were ferocious. They used surprise tactics and their formidable abilities to swiftly break through the defenses, pushing straight toward the center of the camp.
The necromancer soldiers remained expressionless. They felt no pain, no fear, and fought back with their weapons against the ambushers.
The more distant necromancer soldiers mounted their warhorses and charged into the battlefield with great speed.
The necromancer army had a numerical advantage, while the field hunters had the upper hand in preparation and their unpredictable skills. The battle briefly reached a stalemate. However, Shu Bao felt something strange as he noticed that the warhorse with the cat-like tracking ability was missing from the battlefield.
The confusion was soon resolved when a warhorse’s whinny echoed across the field. The warhorse carried a tall figure who charged into the fray.
The warhorse moved with incredible speed. The towering figure on its back swung a weapon, delivering a powerful shockwave that instantly injured several field hunters. Before the others could launch their attacks, the general on the warhorse brandished his weapon like a descending war god, easily wounding two more.
As rumored, the necromancer general’s power was indeed terrifying. No wonder it was called a lord-level monster!
Although the field hunters were wounded, they refused to give up. They unleashed numerous spells and weapons against the necromancer general, starting a fierce fight for survival.
After a few minutes of battle, one of the mages among the hunters found an opportunity to cast a large-area control spell. Countless vines erupted from the ground, binding all the necromancer soldiers within the area.
Seizing the chance, a blinding white light struck the necromancer general. Shu Bao was momentarily stunned to see the rare light magic, which, unlike other spells in this realm, did not turn into a greenish-blue hue.
Light magic was a natural counter to undead beings, so even the necromancer general was overwhelmed by its brilliance. With a clanging of metal armor, the general turned into nothingness, leaving only the scattered armor behind.
A small cheer erupted from the field hunter team, but most remained on high alert. Because, according to rumors, the necromancer general was immortal!
As expected, the pile of armor soon began to tremble. The armor levitated, and the necromancer general was resurrected, just as the rumors had described.
Seeing this, the field hunters’ spirits sank, but they did not give up. They continued their assault. With a coordinated effort of various spells and attacks, they managed to kill the necromancer general once again.
However, the general resurrected once more, now even stronger than before, as if each death only served to enhance its power.
The situation was becoming increasingly bizarre. Without a solution in sight, the field hunters eventually used a group teleportation spell to vanish from the camp.
The necromancer army, having lost their target, wandered aimlessly for a while before dispersing.
In the aftermath of the battle, over ten people had died, their corpses lying not far away. They were abandoned by their kind, ignored by the undead, and now resembled cold, lifeless stones—having lost both warmth and value.
This is the way of survival for field hunters, or rather, for everyone in the chaotic world: living on the edge and struggling to survive.
The camp fell silent again as the necromancer general, victorious, rode back on a warhorse stained with blood.
Shu Bao, hiding behind a rock, watched quietly until he was terrified to see that the warhorse carrying the necromancer general began to trot directly toward his hiding spot. In a panic, Shu Bao quickly dug a hole and hid inside.
The warhorse carrying the general was a formidable force, far beyond the strength of Shu Bao alone.
He crouched down. After a moment, he heard a surprisingly pleasant voice from above, “What’s wrong, Feng Shou?”
In response, there was a series of whines from the horse.
Shu Bao quickly understood that Feng Shou was the name of the warhorse that had a peculiar habit of targeting moles. The name was somewhat auspicious, though its preference was rather unusual.
The warhorse circled the hole twice, confirming that no fluffy creature was poking out before reluctantly moving away.
Shu Bao let out a sigh of relief and cautiously peeked out.
However, the next moment, the sound of hooves returned. Feng Shou had swiftly arrived at the edge of the hole again, happily whinnying at Shu Bao.
“Feng Shou.” The pleasant voice called out the warhorse’s name, clearly indicating that the general was also nearby.
Shu Bao stiffly raised his small head and forced a friendly smile, hoping to leave a good impression on the fearsome necromancer general.
However, when Shu Bao clearly saw the general’s face, he was instantly stunned. The general had a face that perfectly matched the pleasant voice—a tall, strong figure with shimmering silver armor splattered with blood. Despite this, his handsome appearance remained unaffected.
But there was no expression on his face; rather, it bore the expression of a corpse—eyes wide open, as if unable to rest, with a hollow gaze devoid of any warmth.
“What’s wrong, Feng Shou?” The pleasant voice continued, but Shu Bao could clearly see that the general’s mouth didn’t move. The expression on his face never changed; the voice was clearly not coming from the necromancer general.
Yet the warhorse seemed unaware of any anomaly. It continued to whine cheerfully, lowering its head repeatedly towards Shu Bao as if urging the general to look down. If translated, it might be something like: “Look here. There’s a fluffy little creature I just found.”
“Feng Shou,” the pleasant voice called out.
The warhorse responded with a whine.
“What’s wrong, Feng Shou?” The pleasant voice still carried a hint of amusement.
The warhorse happily whinnied and circled around Shu Bao, showcasing its new discovery.
“Feng Shou.”
The pleasant voice continued, and the warhorse responded contentedly.
Shu Bao stood there, bewildered, watching the warhorse’s one-horse show.
