In such a humid and foggy day, marching seemed to become a kind of torture.
The road is wet everywhere, the ground is wet, the plants are wet, and even the air is wet. Unconsciously, drops of water condensed on the carapace of the ant's body, which were also wet.
The water droplets gather together under the action of gravity, growing from small to large, until the resistance is no longer enough to overcome gravity, and the water droplets begin to slide down the body.
Some water droplets slid to the ground along the joints, adding moisture to the mud on the march; some gathered at the bottom of the ant's chest and abdomen, dangling like larvae clinging to the belly, until they were impatient. The ants scrape it off with their arthropods; the most troublesome thing is the water droplets flowing to the stomata. Even if the ants do not choke on the water due to the tension of the water film, they will block the respiratory tract and make the already tired ants even worse due to lack of oxygen. Uncomfortable.
The march was noisy and noisy. The ants didn't speak. They marched hard, and the sounds of slipping and struggling in the mud converged into a mistuned symphony, like the most depressing movement.
Zhu Jue, like other ants, was covered in wet mud and was in a miserable state.
After walking for a long time, the large rock crevice on the left still looks like an abyss. In the fog, there are no flying knights to guide and deliver messages, and I can't see the landmarks in the distance. Just walking around like this always feels like going in circles, and I don't know how long it will take to reach the destination.
If Zhu Jue hadn't firmly believed that the big stone cracks could guide the large troops to the [West Stone Castle] fortress, such a long and monotonous hard march with no end in sight would be enough to make most commanders and soldiers despair!
As the supreme commander, Zhu Jue not only had to keep up with the large troops, he also had to rush to the front of the troops from time to time. Standing on a high place, he looked at the ant warriors emerging from the fog and cheered them on. Encouragement.
Whenever the soldiers saw their commander there, they would feel more at ease and continue on their journey without complaint. Zhu Jue used his conscientiousness to gradually create a higher image in the minds of other civilized ant tribe soldiers.
Just like what a female honeypot ant commander who always followed Zhu Jue once expressed in the information package: Ever since the fall of the honeypot ant kingdom, we were heartbroken until we followed the great envoy king. Consider yourself a new clan under the command of the Divine Envoy King, and swear to fight with the Divine Envoy King to the death!
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It is estimated that it is already afternoon, the fog has not dissipated, but has become thicker.
The army actually only marched for two or three hours, but it felt like several days had passed. In fact, due to the slippery road, the army only traveled an hour or so.
Such a wonderful contrast adds to the sense of hardship on the march.
For Zhu Jue, what he was more worried about appeared - in the mist in the distance, some figures would occasionally appear vaguely, and they would disappear in an instant. They did not look like ordinary bugs, but like ants clumping together...or...destruction By! ! !
Only Zhu Jue's extremely sensitive vision and hearing could detect abnormalities in the fog as thick as a curtain. Even the scouts sent out to circle around not far away reported that they found nothing unusual!
Guided by short-acting pheromones, these thin-footed ants and hunter ant scouts dare to go deep into the deepest part of the mist alone, and then follow the pheromones back. They all reported: Not far from the flat land next to the big rock crevice, there is a complex and rugged terrain. Many places have turned into swamps after the rain. It is difficult for large troops to pass through. There will be no threats from these directions.
Zhu Jue finally relaxed a little. In this way, even if there are Destroyers nearby - maybe the 60,000 to 70,000 Destroyers that were previously contained in the [East Stone Castle] Fortress, it will be difficult to take advantage of the muddy terrain. Attack the coalition forces.
However, Zhu Jue still made the necessary preparations and sent messengers to inform all armies to pay attention and be ready for battle at any time. At the same time, he accelerated his approach to the [Xishibao] Fortress.
Zhu Jue's worries and preparations are necessary.
When the big stone crack finally narrowed significantly - this was a sign that they were about to arrive at the [Western Stone Fort] fortress at the end of the big stone crack. There were bursts of noise from the troops in front. They couldn't see clearly through the fog, only the sound waves vibrated. , even the fog was stirred.
Soon, a messenger came to report that the vanguard troops had encountered more than a dozen Destroyers and had completely wiped them out after a battle.
Zhu Jue hurried over to check and saw the corpses of the Destroyers placed on the side of the road. They were all dirty and covered with mud, as if they had just crawled out of the mud pit. They did not know how many times they had fallen to get there. This look.
These destroyers appeared from the north. They actually passed through the newly formed swamps full of mud, found the coalition march route, and launched a ferocious attack!
Zhu Jue had a bad premonition again. If a few Destroyers could pass through the quagmire, then a large army of Destroyers might also attack! ? Now the civilized ant coalition is very tired. If a large group of destroyers attacks, it will not be a good opportunity to fight!
Fortunately, the [Xishibao] Fortress was close at hand, and Zhu Jue dispatched a large number of messengers to order all armies to speed up and make sure that all the troops entered the [Xishishibao] Fortress before nightfall.
When the time comes, he will be stationed in the fortress and protected by city defenses. Even if the 60,000 to 70,000 Destroyers take advantage of the heavy fog to reach the vicinity, Zhu Jue will have nothing to fear.
The dim red sunset has dyed the fog into a rose pink color. The scenery looks extremely beautiful and strange.
Zhu Jue couldn't care less about admiring it. News came from the front just now. The vanguard had just exchanged fire with hundreds of Destroyers and managed to repel them.
How come so many Destroyers appear right ahead! ? They can literally walk through bogs! ? This news made Zhu Jue's heart skip a beat. If there was really a large group of Destroyers blocking the only way to the [West Stone Castle] Fortress, the civilized ant coalition, which had been hungry and exhausted for the past few days, would have to fight in an extremely unfavorable situation. Fighting and breaking out under such circumstances can be troublesome!
Fortunately, this group of destroyers was quickly repelled. Zhu Jue came to the vanguard and could vaguely make out the appearance of the three tall ant mounds of the [West Stone Castle] fortress from the thick fog!
The destination was finally close at hand, and the other ants could not see clearly yet, but Zhu Jue's joyful mood had been conveyed, making the army relax and speed up their pace.
Some Slender-legged Ants and Scythe-hunting Ant scouts were ordered to move faster and prepare to connect with the fortress defenders so that they could be prepared to receive the army.
