Steve immediately felt something was off after hearing Wen Yi's report.
"They're coming just like that?"
Steve wasn't deeply familiar with the white-eyed monster, but after several encounters, he'd formed an impression.
The white-eyed monster was cautious. From its reaction after first meeting Steve, to how it avoided alerting other monsters after encountering Brother Mang, everything indicated this.
But now, was it seriously approaching so brazenly?
Could it be that it didn't anticipate resistance from the players?
Steve's thoughts were interrupted by the noisy clamor of the players around him.
"What now? Do we hold the gate or what?"
"Why aren't we shooting from the watchtower? What are you waiting for?"
"Did it bring Creepers? Can we even defend the walls against that?"
"..."
Seeing the players' panicked reactions, Steve frowned.
With them like this, they expected to handle the white-eyed monster?
A few small minions could throw them into disarray.
Sighing, Steve decided not to think too much about it. Regardless, the monster was here. It was time to face it.
With that, Steve took command.
"Wen Yi, report on the monsters below!"
Hearing Steve's order, Wen Yi glanced over the wall, hastily counted the approaching creatures, and immediately reported.
"There are about 60 zombies, 20 or so skeleton archers, and 11 Creepers!"
Upon hearing this, Steve began issuing orders.
"Wen Yi, you and the others on the watchtower shoot downwards. Conserve arrows, they're limited! Target the Creepers first!"
"You there, take your team to guard the steps along the wall. Keep high enough so the zombies can't reach you!"
"Xiao Li, keep a team on standby to repair the walls. If they get blown up, fix them immediately, and only let one monster in at a time!"
"Those with bows, aim at the gate. If any skeleton archers get through, shoot them down!"
Steve remained sharp and composed. His command skills were impressive. But he knew this strategy would only hold off the ordinary monsters.
There was no way it would trap the white-eyed monster.
Still, if they could whittle down the lesser creatures, the white-eyed monster would eventually show itself, giving Steve a chance to study its abilities.
Under Steve's leadership, the disorganized group of players quickly pulled together, taking up their assigned positions efficiently.
Viewers watching the livestream couldn't help but admire the scene.
"Steve really knows his stuff! Clear-headed and precise in his commands."
"Looks like this strategy will stop the flood of monsters. They should be able to take them down quickly."
"Why don't they just shoot the white-eyed monster from the watchtower? Kill it from a distance, problem solved, right?"
"Yeah, like it's that easy. That monster's got some tricks, it's bound to dodge."
"True. Steve's plan is the best option right now. Taking out the Creepers first prevents them from blowing up the walls."
The audience approved of Steve's commands. With such an astute leader at the helm, the players grew more confident. This battle seemed all but won.
Following Steve's orders, Wen Yi immediately drew his bow and aimed at one of the Creepers in the monster horde. Calculating the trajectory and distance, he pulled back fully, then released the arrow with a sharp twang.
The arrow whistled through the air, on course to strike.
From this height, as long as Wen Yi's aim was true, he could definitely take down a Creeper in one shot.
Archery was Wen Yi's forte, and he was proud of his skill. He had no doubt this shot would land.
But just as the arrow was about to hit, the white-eyed monster suddenly moved in front of the Creeper.
Wen Yi's eyes lit up.
"He's handing himself over on a silver platter!"
Before his grin could fully form, it turned into a wide 'O' of shock.
The arrow struck the white-eyed monster—but it did no damage at all.
The moment it made contact, the arrow was deflected!
"???????"
"Did I just see that right?! He deflected it?!"
Wen Yi stood frozen, unable to believe what he had just seen.
The audience in the livestream saw it too. Though they couldn't make out the monster's features, they clearly saw the arrow being knocked aside.
For a brief moment, the entire chat froze in shock, before exploding.
"???????"
"What the hell??? Deflected it?!"
"Immune to arrows? That's insane!"
"What, is he wearing some kind of magic armor or what?!"
"Holy crap… How many skills does this monster have?!"
"I'm less surprised by the deflected arrow. What's freaking me out is that he's protecting the Creepers from the arrows..."
"Yeah… that means he's thinking tactically. He knows how crucial the Creepers are to this battle!"
"This fight… might be tougher than we thought…"
While the arrow deflection was shocking, it wasn't entirely unexpected. The white-eyed monster was practically a boss-tier creature.
It having multiple skills, including arrow immunity, wasn't surprising.
What truly alarmed the players was its tactical awareness. The fact that it was actively shielding the Creepers from harm demonstrated intelligence far beyond that of an ordinary monster.
If it were just a regular creature, it wouldn't have bothered. This action confirmed what Steve had suspected—it could think.
It knew how important the Creepers were in this battle, so it had made protecting them a priority.
Moments earlier, the players had felt optimistic, buoyed by the strong defenses and Steve's leadership. But now, doubts crept in.
The white-eyed monster's abilities seemed bottomless, and no one knew how many tricks it still had up its sleeve. Combined with its tactical mind, this battle was shaping up to be brutal.
As the viewers continued to discuss, Wen Yi finally snapped out of his daze.
He yelled down into the fortress, "We can't kill the Creepers! The monster is shielding them, and it can reflect arrows!"
The players inside the walls gasped.
"It can deflect arrows?!"
"If we don't kill the Creepers, they're going to blow a hole in the wall!"
"Damn! This monster is OP!"
"…"
Steve wasn't particularly surprised by the news.
All of this was within his expectations.
The white-eyed monster had intelligence, and of course, it would understand the importance of the Creepers.
After a brief moment of thought, Steve issued new orders.
"Those in the watchtower, fire in sync! Even if it can block, it can only shield one Creeper at a time!"
"If you can't kill the Creepers, kill whatever you can!"
There were three skilled archers in the watchtower. Hearing Steve's command, they immediately coordinated their shots.
Three arrows flew simultaneously, targeting a zombie, a Creeper, and a skeleton.
As expected, the white-eyed monster only managed to block the arrow aimed at the Creeper.
The zombie and skeleton were instantly killed by the remaining arrows.
The archers cheered.
"It worked!!"
"Want to keep blocking? Let's see you split in two!"
"Keep at it! Aim for the Creepers!"
With Steve's strategy proving effective, the players were thrilled. They launched another round of attacks.
In the next volley, two Creepers were eliminated.
Just as the archers prepared to fire again, they realized that the monsters had already reached the base of the walls.
The horde had entered the watchtower's blind spot.
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