Chapter 2590: Chapter 2590
"How do we demonstrate our sincerity?" asked Lie Du, the alliance leader and elder, immediately turning to Zhou Qiang for an answer.
"By wiping out the alien forces, of course," Zhou Qiang replied. "The nearest enemy stronghold holds about a million of their troops. With your three-million-strong army, you should have no problem crushing them.
"Previously, we repelled an invasion of ten million alien soldiers. If you can completely eradicate this remaining force, we’ll take it as proof of your goodwill."
Lie Du promptly consulted with the commanders of the three allied armies, and they all agreed that a mere million aliens posed little threat.
Thus, they accepted the task, redirecting their forces toward the nearest alien stronghold.
Zhou Qiang even sent a tribal elder to accompany them under the guise of observation—though in reality, it was to facilitate leaking the army’s movements and intelligence to the enemy.
Meanwhile, the aliens, assessing the strength of the approaching force, began summoning elite warriors and reinforcements from other strongholds, intending to annihilate the three-million-strong alliance before Ye Liuyun could intervene.
Ye Liuyun, upon receiving updates, saw no issue with the plan. Three million against one million aliens seemed manageable. Whether the eastern tribes agreed to an alliance or not, fighting the aliens was inevitable.
Still, he took the opportunity to question Lie Du about the Zhou Tribe’s true scale and strength.
Lie Du explained, "Their exact numbers are unclear, but from what we’ve observed, they have at least seven to eight million people—far from the small tribe we initially assumed. They’re practically on par with an entire kingdom.
"They also boast numerous Dominator-level experts—more than we’ve brought with us. So their claim of defeating ten million alien troops might well be true."
"Hmm..." Ye Liuyun pondered for a moment before asking, "If they’re so powerful, why haven’t they wiped out the remaining alien forces themselves?"
Lie Du had already considered this, but Zhou Qiang had brushed it aside, citing recent tribal mergers as the reason.
Finding no glaring red flags, Ye Liuyun let the matter drop and allowed Lie Du’s forces to proceed with their attack.
Besides, their recent campaigns against alien strongholds had gone suspiciously smoothly. He assumed the enemy’s current garrisons were weakened—even if a few Dominator-level aliens remained, Lie Du’s forces could handle them.
Moreover, they had brought 60,000 Flying Swallows along with numerous war chariots, puppet beasts, and energy cannons, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.
When Lie Du and Liu Kui arrived at the alien stronghold with their three-million-strong army, they found no signs of unusual activity. Only about a million enemy troops were stationed there. The defensive base was heavily fortified with layers of magical formations, and even when their forces landed at the stronghold, the aliens made no move to intercept them, allowing the alliance to establish their base without resistance.
Assuming the aliens had indeed been intimidated, they deployed half their forces to launch an offensive. But to their surprise, the enemy countered with numerous Dominator-level powerhouses and their entire million-strong army, engaging in a brutal, head-on clash.
The battle left the allied forces with half their soldiers dead, while the alien army was nearly wiped out—ending only when their strongest warriors were defeated. Though the alliance technically won, they lost six Dominator-level fighters and over 700,000 troops.
Afterward, the two sides fell into a stalemate. The aliens holed up in their base, refusing to engage further. Lie Du and the others, though acknowledging the heavy losses, took comfort in their victory and continued tightening the siege. They even had formation masters set up teleportation arrays to bring in more reinforcements—both soldiers and elite warriors.
Yet the aliens employed the same strategy. Days later, another battle erupted with similar results: the alliance lost over 500,000 soldiers and six or seven more high-ranking fighters. Still, the outcome remained unchanged—the aliens retreated, and the alliance claimed victory.
This time, however, the alliance hesitated to send more reinforcements. Instead, they relied on their superior equipment to intensify assaults on the enemy formations, hoping to deny the aliens any breathing room to call for backup.
But just days later, the aliens attacked again. Though they left behind over 200,000 corpses, their Dominator-level fighters gained the upper hand—so much so that Lie Du himself was nearly trapped. Forced to retreat, the alliance suffered their first defeat, though their losses were no worse than the enemy’s.
They held the advantage in equipment, consistently inflicting heavier casualties on the alien forces. Overall, they were still coming out ahead.
The alliance swiftly retaliated, throwing their entire remaining army into an all-out assault on the alien stronghold.
This time, the aliens dispatched an equal number of Dominator-level warriors, engaging in a brutal war of attrition. Initially, they deployed only 500,000 soldiers, seemingly short on manpower. But as the battle raged on, reinforcements arrived in waves—another 100,000 troops at a time—until the allied forces were whittled down to a mere 50,000, forcing them to retreat.
The aliens didn’t pursue, maintaining their defensive stance.
Now the alliance was at a loss. Should they press on? Continuing the fight would mean committing even more troops. But if they withdrew now, all their previous efforts—and their alliance with the Zhou tribe—would be for nothing. The aliens seemed to be barely holding on, after all.
So they began recruiting again, replenishing their forces to a staggering three million.
Since the aliens never took the initiative to attack, the alliance had ample time to reorganize and train their new troops.
What they didn’t know, however, was that every reinforcement, every loss, was being meticulously tracked by the enemy.
This was the aliens’ strategy—to lure them in, wear them down bit by bit, and keep them pinned. They understood that if these human forces weren’t depleted now, they would eventually become a threat to their homeworld.
Among the allied commanders, none—not even Liu Kui—suspected the aliens’ scheme. In fact, Liu Kui was the most vocal advocate for increasing their numbers. Eager to prove he could achieve a decisive victory without Ye Liuyun’s help, he pushed relentlessly for another offensive.
As soon as the new troops were ready, Liu Kui urged the entire army to strike, determined to wipe out the aliens in one fell swoop.
And so, the alliance launched another full-scale assault. Skyhawks, war chariots, and energy cannons bombarded the alien defenses relentlessly, exhausting nearly all the resources they had stockpiled.
For nearly two days, the bombardment continued, layer after layer of the alien formations crumbling under the onslaught. Only then did the aliens finally emerge to fight.
This time, however, they fielded even more Dominator-level warriors. While some engaged their human counterparts in battle, the rest targeted the Skyhawks, leaving the allied forces and their elite fighters with surprisingly little pressure.
