At this moment, Connor spoke up: "Please don't panic. This is just the skill of a bottom-dwelling demon fish called 'Shadow Barrier'. It's not scary and cannot directly cause physical harm. It only affects your mind, magnifying the demons that were originally hidden deep inside you. For example, greed for money, lust for sex, love of power - when you have evil thoughts, you also have weaknesses that illusions can take advantage of."
"What should we do then?"
"Positive energy. We must not only think about our own selfish desires but fill our hearts with positive energy to prevent external evil from invading. You should all have blunt tools like shovels in your hands, tie them around your waist and hold hands while singing. It's best to sing uplifting songs that inspire fighting spirit."
"At the same time, everyone should pay attention to their colleagues on their left and right sides at all times. If someone suddenly stops singing, it means they are being tempted by demons and should be immediately knocked unconscious with a blunt weapon."
"Will it disturb other monsters?"
"No. The Shadow Barrier is a range skill that temporarily isolates us from the outside world."
Cole Garrison nodded: "I understand. Let's start singing as Connor said."
Connor asked: "What song should we sing?"
Without hesitation, Cole Garrison said: "Since we need to sing positive songs, let's sing the national anthem of the Wind Country - 'The Great Wind Song'."
Connor nodded and began to sing:
"The great wind rises high,
Clouds fly across the sky.
It dominates land and sea,
Bringing me home safely.
Where mighty warriors stand,
Defending every inch of land."
"What kind of 'Great Wind Song' is that?"
Confused, Cole Garrison looked at Connor before turning to face the soldiers holding hands and lightly waving his right hand.
He had an air of a conductor.
"Ready – set – go!"
The soldiers sang together:
"How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand
How many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea
How many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free
How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
How many times must a man look up
Before he really see the sky
How many ears must one person have
Before he can hear people cry
How many deaths will it take
Till he knows that too many people have died
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind."
Each person stared at the person next to them, and no one dared to stop singing. The song echoed through the thorn forest continuously.
...
After sailing for a while, a glimmer of light appeared at the end of the Desperate Swamp. It was the exit of the thorn forest, where the Crimson Standard Gang had already set up another ambush to finish off any remaining enemies.
Nicholas Gates felt that it was all unnecessary. When the horn of the Demon King resounded through the sound array and various ethnic monsters in the thorn forest emitted an unknown roar, he knew it was Cole Garrison's caravan being destroyed.
As he always said, victory or defeat in war is predetermined before it begins.
"Report."
"The caravan has left the thorn forest."
"Very good. Everything is under control. It wasn't a waste of time for me to lay this ambush for so long." Nicholas Gates licked his dry lips from prolonged exposure in sunlight and sneered: "As expected, they suffered heavy casualties and fled like defeated dogs abandoning their armor?"
"They..."
Seeing that there was something wrong with the scout's expression, Nicholas Gates urgently asked: "What happened to them?"
"They are unharmed with excellent equipment, tight formation and high morale. They are even still singing! Something about answers floating in the wind..."
Nicholas Gates slapped his desk: "How is this possible?!"
He had intended to swallow up the military supplies and then burn the corpses to cover his tracks. Not only would he complete Aaron Gates' revenge mission, but also make the Crimson Standard Gang have a power that could rival regular troops.
The members of the Crimson Standard Gang were originally street thugs and bullies from various villages, as well as fugitives and villains who escaped from prison. They already had strong combat capabilities, and with military-grade equipment, they were even more powerful. In the future, they would be an elite force left outside the city by the Gates family, so his father had to take them seriously.
As for Cole Garrison's caravan, every encounter they faced with wolves, beasts, and fire was a natural disaster that couldn't be clearly traced back to the Crimson Standard Gang.
Even if members of the military wanted revenge on them, they wouldn't know where to start.
Furthermore, Nicholas Gates had spread rumors beforehand that all members of the Crimson Standard Gang were out these days and not in the mountains. He arranged perfect alibis for himself so that he wouldn't leave any evidence behind.
Nicholas Gates planned it perfectly.
But now Cole Garrison's caravan seemed to pass through the thorn forest without any difficulty or harm as if it were just taking a walk in nature.
Wasn't the horn of Demon King already blown? What about all those monsters in Thorn Forest? Were they just accompanying playmates?
The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.
There was a rustling noise coming from trees in the distance - it was probably from wheels passing over fallen leaves.
Without further ado and with time running out, "Archers ready!"
The Corrupted Land was different from the previous ambush spot. It was a large flat ground, and the archers did not have any geographical advantage. However, the key to an ambush was to strike first and avoid being hit.
Nicholas Gates said in a low voice, "Attack."
The captain of the archers received the command and signaled with flags.
"First volley, fire!"
Arrows rained down from the sky.
"I hit! I hit!"
Seeing that many soldiers in the front row were struck by arrows, the archer captain's face flushed with joy.
But his smile froze at his lips when he saw those soldiers pulling out arrows from their bodies as if it didn't hurt at all.
We also have strong bows! Is there such a big difference in equipment?
...
The singing in Cole Garrison's camp stopped suddenly, and soon after, hidden arrows were shot at them. Thanks to Connor's warning, everyone remained highly vigilant and effectively countered the attack.
Although some of the soldiers in the front were hit by arrows, shield walls quickly blocked further damage. The rear guard was ready to move up and provide cover while the frontline retreated.
They noticed that those hit by arrows were pulling out the arrowheads from their chests and thighs with only minor bruises left behind.
"This... how am I still alive?" said a soldier who was struck in the chest by an arrow but still standing.
"Oh right. Didn't Mr. Connor tell us to wear Silkworm Armor?" another soldier replied.
"No wonder when the arrow hit me, I only felt impact but not pain," another remarked.
"Of course! Silkworms are third-level monsters that produce silk with extremely high defensive properties. Moreover, this particular Silkworm Armor is made by Dwarven Master Smith Luo Chui Zi and is worth more than a thousand gold coins per piece."
"What's more, each of us wears over ten layers of armor so ordinary weapons can't break through," added another soldier.
"So Mr. Connor knew there would be an ambush and warned us to be cautious!" someone exclaimed in realization.
"Wow! No wonder he's Mr. Connor! He knows everything!" another said admirably.
"I'd like to call him Mr. Prophet!"
Cole Garrison ordered his troops to form a charging formation and attack Crimson Standard Gang's bandits with weapons raised high.