The area was full of mountains, though most were only a few dozen meters high.
The other team members were quietly infiltrating the area. The taciturn female knight, Nancy, led the way, at least a kilometer ahead of the others.
Her armor was very distinctive—almost no visible armor plates or protrusions. What should have been a smooth armor was instead mottled with gray and brown spots, making it hard to spot.
This armor, called the Green Iguana, was exclusively for scout knights. Its combat capabilities ranked low among battle armors, excelling only in speed.
Its true purpose was intelligence gathering. If needed, the knight inside could see a crawling ant five kilometers away, magnified to the size of a fist, and hear its sounds.
Nancy carefully scouted, wary of enemies like herself, as a scout knight's main adversary was always the enemy's scouts.
Turning past a series of hills, she saw a valley ahead, a likely hiding spot and thus a critical area to monitor.
She slowed her pace even further, scrutinizing every rock and tree, as they could all conceal an enemy scout.
Amplifying the surrounding sounds, she was bombarded with a cacophony—the rustling leaves now sounded like drums, and the howling wind like thunder.
Nancy sifted through the myriad sounds.
Suddenly, she caught a faint conversation. Though not clear, it was definitely in Valerian.
Just as she was about to notify the others, she heard a branch snap and felt the unmistakable sensation of being watched.
Instantly, Nancy reacted, looking toward the source of the sound and zooming in on the scenery in that direction.
Jefferson, clad in his armor, had been braving the cold wind for over four hours. He felt increasingly cold; although the wind couldn't penetrate, the metal's thermal conductivity made it unbearably chilly inside.
He finally realized that being a knight was a tough job. In such cold weather, he couldn't wear too many clothes, as excess layers would slow down his armor's reactions.
Just as Jefferson was thinking about when he could get back to the vehicle, he suddenly heard his master Eileen's voice: "Christine, Jefferson, listen up. The captain has encountered the enemy. The enemy consists of seven heavy cavalry, fifteen light cavalry, and at least one scout. Retreat immediately and relay this information back. I need to fetch the others."
Being able to retreat was definitely good news, but it wasn't what Jefferson wanted to hear.
"Let's go." Christine didn't hesitate at all. She didn't even wait for Jefferson to get in the car before starting the engine.
Jefferson leapt onto the vehicle, which was only as high as a person, making it easy to jump on. This was also a safety measure.
The trees on both sides quickly flew past. There was no road here, and as the car sped up, it swayed violently. Jefferson could only kneel halfway down, gripping the roof tightly.
After driving only a few kilometers, a rustling sound came from both sides, followed by two figures emerging from the woods.
Christine's voice commanded in Jefferson's ear: "Find a way to block them. Those two are 'Hunters,' and their armor is Valerian's 'Leopard,' a speed-type light armor. Apart from the slightly thicker chest and back armor, the rest is just a thin layer of iron."
Jefferson looked ahead and then at the two pursuers behind, feeling a wave of fear.
The road here was rugged and bumpy; there was no way to escape the pursuit of speed-type light cavalry.
Gritting his teeth, he rolled off the car. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he quickly turned around.
With a loud bang, a gunshot echoed through the mountains.
From under Jefferson's right-hand giant shield, a large gun barrel protruded, with smoke billowing out, concealing Jefferson behind it.
This special firearm was prepared by Christine for him, not to fight knights but to create chaos and escape in critical moments.
Unexpectedly, when the smoke cleared, one of the pursuing Hunters had fallen, the bullet having shattered his helmet. The thin iron face armor couldn't stop the bullet.
How did that guy not dodge?
Jefferson felt his mind was in a fog. Even if ambushed, a knight shouldn't be so vulnerable.
Fortunately, he immediately remembered there was still one enemy left. Almost simultaneously, attacks were launched from both sides. The Hunter wielded a slender long spear, thrusting it forward.
Seeing the attack, Jefferson was relieved not to see any arcs or shockwaves.
This one's a novice too.
He wasn't afraid of novices. The opponent's spear made him even happier.
Miss Eileen used a stick when sparring with him, as did the three sisters who also beat him with sticks. Now he had a special knack for dealing with sticks; a spear was similar, just with a pointed tip.
Slightly tilting his shield, he pushed the spear aside and grabbed it.
He knew that thrusting weapons like this were hard to counter. They were too flexible; relying solely on the shield would be a disadvantage and lead to being overwhelmed.
The novice's moves were quick too. The spear tip twisted like a snake, finding its way through a gap.
But this gap was deliberately left by Jefferson. Moving his steps, he shifted half a step to the left, letting the sharp spear tip scrape past him.
With a sharp screech of metal, the armor under Jefferson's ribs was deeply scratched, but he seized the opportunity to clamp the spear with his right arm and rushed forward two steps, delivering a signature shield bash.
Shield bashing was the only attack method of a defensive heavy cavalry. This move had been studied for over a thousand years, nearly perfected.
With a loud "clang," the Hunter was knocked back.
However, the opponent was prepared, releasing the spear and retreating more than ten steps, widening the distance.
Jefferson wasn't surprised. Shield bashing had been studied for a thousand years, with countless ways to counter it.
Jefferson casually took down the long spear he was carrying on his back and twirled it a couple of times before realizing he didn't know what to do next. The two novices stared at each other, neither making a move.
Jefferson, clad in heavy armor and holding a giant shield in each hand, was built for defense rather than offense. The guy opposite him, now without a weapon, dared not approach, relying on his thin iron armor.
At that moment, Christine's voice rang in Jefferson's ear: "I'll count to three, then you attack. One..."
Although Jefferson didn't understand why, he followed the order. Just as the officer shouted "three," he charged forward, thrusting his spear straight ahead.
Strangely, the enemy didn't move, staring blankly as the spear pierced through the vulnerable spot under his ribs and between his legs. In any armor, that area is the weakest.
The bloodied spear tip emerged from the enemy's shoulder, leaving a hole that made it clear the person inside couldn't survive.
Pulling the spear back, Jefferson turned and walked over to the first fallen enemy. He stabbed down in the same manner, this time from the clavicle.
Blood spurted from the wound.
Once he confirmed both enemies were dead, Jefferson picked up another long spear, tossed both spears onto the car roof, and climbed back up.
"What just happened?" Jefferson asked. Although the enemies were novices, it was odd that he managed to kill two of them without getting hurt.
"Don't forget, I'm a psion, capable of some mental shock. It's not that surprising, right?" Christine replied calmly. If she hadn't been confident, she wouldn't have let Jefferson deal with the two pursuers.
After driving over twenty kilometers, Christine finally established contact with Brookfield City.
Jefferson had stayed outside all this time and no longer felt the cold. He began to understand why they said a knight's blood would boil once in battle.
He indeed felt a sense of excitement and even eagerness, thinking he wouldn't mind facing two more novice opponents like the ones before.
At this moment, he heard Christine say, "Jefferson, you can retreat now."
"Have you contacted Brookfield City?" Jefferson quickly asked. He was somewhat concerned, as his parents were there, and he didn't want anything to happen to them.
"Rest assured, the message has been sent. You've completed your mission by safely bringing me here. Now that the captain is not around, I am the highest-ranking officer in the squad, and I order you to retreat," Christine replied.
"And what about you?" Jefferson felt a sense of foreboding.
After a moment of silence, Christine finally said, "The entire squad relies on me to sustain combat. I have to go back."
Having said that, she seemed to relax, the burden lifted. Looking at Jefferson, Miss Christine was no longer the indifferent officer she had been; there was now a hint of determination and a touch of gentleness in her expression.
"I'm part of this squad; there are things I must do. But you, you're not quite there yet."
Jefferson was moved. Legitimately distancing himself from the battlefield was undoubtedly a good thing.
However, in a flash, the image of his master Miss Eileen appeared before him, followed by Michelle and Linda, and finally, the three sisters. He realized he wasn't truly afraid of them; he just didn't know how to face them.
Among the women around him, those three were different because he had taken their virginity.
He climbed back onto the car roof, sitting cross-legged. "The captain's order was to follow and protect you. Wherever you go, I will naturally go too."
Christine said nothing, but after a while, she started the car, turned it around, and drove back along the original route.