After running for about half a day, Jake finally stopped the horse-drawn carriage to let the horses rest for a while. These horses, which were used for transporting food, had average speed and endurance, and by now, they were showing signs of exhaustion.
"Everyone, get off and take a break," Jake said to the people on the carriage. "Adrian, you go on lookout duty. Brenton, gather some grass to feed the horses. Ben, check the surroundings and figure out where we are now."
Jake immediately assigned tasks to the members of his team. During their chaotic escape, he had lost contact with the main force, and they had also lost their sense of direction. Jake sat on the carriage, pondering the impact of the recent events on them.
Jake didn't have a clear picture of the exact situation on the front lines. Neither he nor Eli had the authority to know too much. However, it was certain that the imperial army had suffered a devastating defeat. Jake wondered what this defeat might mean for them.
Originally, Jake and his team were on a three-month military service, during which they were supposed to continually transport food to the army stationed in the wilderness plains to sustain their daily operations.
But now, with this army's defeat, and the fact that they were already withdrawing from the wilderness plains, Jake and his team would no longer need to transport food there.
However, the situation was not set in stone. If the imperial court was not willing to accept this defeat and decided to send more troops to the wilderness plains to attack the dark realm inhabitants again, then Jake and his team might still have to continue their food transport duties.
If the imperial court didn't plan to send troops to the wilderness plains in the near future, then it was possible that Jake's military service would be temporarily ended. The duration of their military service was not fixed, and it would be adjusted based on the actual circumstances.
In light of this, Jake secretly hoped that the imperial court would not rush to send troops to the wilderness plains. If that were the case, his military service might be temporarily concluded, and he would have the opportunity to return to the Village of Hermits and check on the crops he had been growing.
However, Jake felt that the likelihood of this scenario was relatively low. After such a humiliating defeat of the imperial army, both the emperor and General Hank were likely to be uncomfortable and dissatisfied. They would probably want to seek revenge by sending troops to the wilderness plains again, making it more likely that they would continue their food transport duties.
"Let's hope His Majesty the Emperor doesn't rush to send troops," Jake thought to himself.
At this moment, Ben, who was responsible for checking the surroundings, returned and said, "Captain, this is not the same route we took before. This should be in the southwest direction of the wilderness plains, while Pergamon County is in the southeast direction."
Ben was also a member of Jake's team, and he was about the same age as Brenton. He came from a poor family and often had to go into the mountains to gather wild vegetables, which had developed his excellent sense of direction. He could determine their location based on the surrounding environment, essentially serving as a living compass.
"So, are we on the wrong path?" Jake asked.
In fact, when he noticed that the surrounding environment was different from when they had come, he had a suspicion that they might have taken the wrong route. However, at that time, he was solely focused on shaking off the pursuers behind them, and the specifics of where they were escaping to weren't a top priority. Ben nodded in agreement.
Jake said, "It's alright; let's change our direction. We don't need to be so anxious now since there are no pursuers behind us."
However, as soon as Jake finished speaking, Adrian rushed back in a panic, saying, "Captain, something's wrong! There's a group of cavalry coming from behind!"
"Cavalry? Did you confirm their identity? Are they our people or dark realm inhabitants?" Jake asked hastily.
"I couldn't see them clearly, but they're not wearing our military uniforms; they appear to be dark realm inhabitants," Adrian replied.
Hearing this, everyone gasped, their faces turning pale. Even Jake furrowed his brow.
There was only one road in this area, with mountains on both sides. If they continued forward at their horse's pace, it was highly likely that the cavalry from behind would catch up to them. If they abandoned the horse-drawn carriage and attempted to climb the mountains, not only were the mountains dangerous, but they also had no idea where it would lead. Returning to the county would be even more troublesome. Moreover, the enemy could easily track them down, making it even more dangerous.
Thinking about all this, Jake glanced around and said, "Adrian, Ben, use the ropes from the food bundles to make horse tripwires and hide on both sides of the road. The rest of you, grab your weapons and prepare for battle! Let's meet these dark realm inhabitants and see if they really have three heads and six arms!"
"Yes!" Although everyone was nervous, they didn't oppose Jake's orders. They knew that escaping in their current situation would be very difficult, but by confronting the enemy head-on and defeating them, they might have a chance to escape.
If time permitted, Jake would have liked to set up some traps here, just like when they killed the fierce spotted tiger. However, the enemy was already closing in, and he didn't have that much time. Sure enough, not long after they had made preparations, they heard the sound of hooves approaching.
The enemy had arrived! In their field of vision, about a dozen mounts appeared. These mounts were all different, with only two or three horses among them. The rest had various shapes, some resembling giant lizards, some resembling centipedes, and some resembling lions. What they had in common was their large size and a fierce aura exuding from their bodies.
Sitting atop these mounts were individuals dressed in black attire. They were tall and muscular, and even from a distance, Jake could feel the bloodthirsty aura emanating from them.
Were these the dark realm inhabitants? While they were bulkier than ordinary humans, they didn't seem to have three heads and six arms or the appearance of beasts, as Brenton had described.
It seemed that the dark realm inhabitants had also noticed Jake's group. They showed no intention of stopping; instead, they accelerated, seemingly eager to break through Jake and his team.
As for Jake and his team assuming a defensive stance, the dark realm inhabitants paid them no mind. They were confident that a single charge would scatter Jake's group like ants! With the enemy's identity confirmed, Jake didn't waste any time and took the initiative. Arrows whizzed through the air, aimed at the approaching figures.