"Giddyup!" On a wide official road west of Shadowmoon Valley, four people on four horses were galloping at top speed. The closer they got to Anyang Town, the more desolate the scenery became, with bleached bones scattered everywhere along the roadside! "Jiang Yuan, were these all humans killed by the魔族? It's terrifying!" Hamster Pudding looked at the scattered bones on both sides of the road, fear written on her face, and her hand, held by Jiang Yuan, tightened unconsciously. "They should be townspeople who fled Anyang Town and were killed by the魔族 halfway." Jiang Yuan glanced at the grim scene on both sides, felt a pang of pity, turned his head away, and said to Hamster Pudding. "Jiang Yuan, we should reach Anyang Town in less than ten minutes." Wending Cangsheng opened the map, searched for Anyang Town's location, spurred his horse forward, and said to Jiang Yuan, who was holding hands with Hamster Pudding. "Jiang Yuan, I've gotten used to it now. You, you can let go." Seeing Wending Cangsheng approach, Hamster Pudding felt a bit embarrassed, blushed, and said to Jiang Yuan. "Brother Cangsheng, let's speed up and try to enter Anyang Town as soon as possible." Jiang Yuan nodded, released Hamster Pudding's hand, and then looked at Wending Cangsheng. "Alright!" Wending Cangsheng nodded, slapped his cloud horse's rump hard. The horse neighed in pain, suddenly accelerated, and shot past Jiang Yuan and Hamster Pudding. About five or six minutes later, Jiang Yuan and his group finally reached their destination—Anyang Town! Looking at the ruins and broken walls everywhere, Jiang Yuan could imagine the brutal war that had taken place here. He took a deep breath, jumped off the Dragon Beard Tiger's back, and casually cast a "Soul Sacrifice," causing the tiger to vanish. The other three also dismounted, pulled out their horse tokens, tapped them with their fingers, and the three cloud horses shrank in size, flying into the backpacks of Wending Cangsheng, Hamster Pudding, and Ding Ye, disappearing from sight. After the魔族 invasion, the entire town of Anyang was on high alert. The soldiers guarding the city gate spotted three men and one woman approaching from afar and immediately raised their weapons, shouting, "Stop! Who are you?" "We were sent by City Lord Song of Ping'an City to help Anyang Town resist the魔族 invasion." Jiang Yuan stepped forward from the group, approached the speaking soldier, and said politely. "Words are empty. What proof do you have that you're reinforcements from City Lord Song and not魔族 spies?" The soldier guarding the gate was cautious, eyeing Jiang Yuan and the others warily, with no intention of letting them through. "Where's your garrison captain, Mao Cheng'an? Call him out." Jiang Yuan recalled the garrison captain mentioned by Song Shichang when he gave him the token and immediately said to the soldier. "Captain Mao isn't someone you can just demand to see. What if you're魔族 spies trying to assassinate him?" From the soldier's tone, Jiang Yuan could tell that this garrison captain seemed to be well-loved by his men. "Here! Take a look at this!" Seeing that they still didn't believe him, Jiang Yuan had no choice but to pull out the token Song Shichang had given him, waved it in front of the soldier's eyes, and said. "What! The City Lord's Token!" The soldier stared at the token in Jiang Yuan's hand, shocked, then fell to his knees with a thud, shouting, "Greetings, my lords!" Seeing the City Lord's Token was like seeing the City Lord himself, the two soldiers finally dropped their suspicions, not only clearing the way but also personally escorting Jiang Yuan and the others into the town. "This thing is actually the City Lord's Token!" Jiang Yuan looked at the token in his hand in surprise, not expecting Song Shichang to trust him so much as to hand over the token symbolizing the highest authority in Ping'an City! Soon, the soldiers led Jiang Yuan and his group to find the garrison captain, Mao Cheng'an, who was patrolling the town. "Captain Mao, this lord is sent by the City Lord and holds the City Lord's Token personally bestowed by him." The soldier finished speaking, glanced at Jiang Yuan beside him, and gestured to Mao Cheng'an. "Captain Mao, this is the token given to me by City Lord Song. Please take a look!" Jiang Yuan handed the token he had been clutching to the burly, bearded middle-aged man before him. "Your subordinate pays respects to the lords!" Mao Cheng'an took the token, examined it carefully, then knelt and bowed with clasped hands to Jiang Yuan and the others. Anyone holding the City Lord's Token was to be treated as the City Lord himself, so Mao Cheng'an had to follow protocol. "Captain Mao, please rise!" Jiang Yuan quickly helped Mao Cheng'an up, signaling him not to be so formal. "Captain Mao, we're new here and unfamiliar with the situation in Anyang Town. Could you brief us on the current state of affairs?" To quickly grasp the situation in Anyang Town, Jiang Yuan skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Alright! Let's talk as we walk!" Thus, Jiang Yuan and his three companions followed Mao Cheng'an, inspecting the defenses while listening to his account of the battle. "Here's the latest: the魔族 have occupied Anbei Mountain to the north and Annan Mountain to the south, giving them a high-ground advantage and putting us in a pincer. Just two days ago, we repelled another魔族 assault, but we lost dozens more brothers!" Mao Cheng'an's eyes reddened as he recalled the comrades who had fallen in battle. "How many troops do the魔族 have now? How many soldiers in Anyang Town are still fit to fight?" Though Jiang Yuan had never been in a war, he understood the principle from *The Art of War*: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." So his first question was about the troop comparison. "According to intelligence from our scouts, the魔族 on Annan and Anbei Mountains total about two thousand. We have fewer than five hundred soldiers left who can fight. If the City Lord doesn't send reinforcements soon, I fear the next魔族 assault will be the day Anyang Town falls!" Mao Cheng'an's armor was stained a dark red with blood, a testament to the countless battles they had fought! "Two thousand? That means only twenty魔族 centurions. Captain Mao, have you seen the魔族 Grand Commander show up?" Jiang Yuan had encountered the魔族 in the Abyss Rift before and knew their military structure. His only concern was if a Grand Commander was leading them, as that would be troublesome—he had firsthand experience of how terrifying a魔族 Grand Commander could be! "Yes! The one commanding the魔族 army is a Grand Commander named Guma." "What? Him?" As Mao Cheng'an finished, Jiang Yuan's face showed shock. "Brother Jiang Yuan, have you met their Grand Commander?" Seeing Jiang Yuan's expression, Wending Cangsheng, the guild leader of Wending, immediately asked. "Brother Cangsheng, I have. But back then, I didn't even have the courage to fight him and just fled." Jiang Yuan looked at Wending Cangsheng with a bitter smile, not caring about saving face, and recounted his embarrassing experience in the Abyss Rift. "Oh! Then this魔族 Grand Commander must be a really tough boss. We probably can't beat him, right?" Jiang Yuan's strength was evident to everyone. Hearing that even he wasn't a match, Hamster Pudding said with a dejected face. "Not necessarily. When I first met Guma, I was under level 85. Now I'm level 91 with a full set of mythical gear. Taking him down shouldn't be too hard." In front of Mao Cheng'an, Jiang Yuan didn't dare say anything that might "boost the enemy's morale and dampen his own," so he patted his chest casually and said to Hamster Pudding. "Really? I didn't expect Lord Jiang to be so powerful! This is great news for the people of Anyang Town!" Mao Cheng'an was overjoyed at Jiang Yuan's words, grabbing his hand and speaking excitedly. "Captain Mao, the situation is urgent. Please assign us tasks quickly!" Jiang Yuan wanted to finish the main quest in Anyang Town as soon as possible, so he urged Mao Cheng'an. "Alright! Everyone, follow me!" As Mao Cheng'an finished speaking, Jiang Yuan, Wending Cangsheng, Hamster Pudding, and Jiang Yuan's close friend Ding Ye all received a system prompt. "Ding! New series main quest triggered: 'Defend Anyang Town.' Do you accept?" They all accepted without hesitation and followed Mao Cheng'an. First stop, Mao Cheng'an led them to the south side of Anyang Town. This area, facing away from Annan and Anbei Mountains, had less pressure, so Mao Cheng'an had stationed fewer troops there. "The defensive pressure here isn't great. Just one person is enough to hold it!" Mao Cheng'an turned and said to Jiang Yuan and the others. Jiang Yuan shook his head slightly at Mao Cheng'an's suggestion and said, "Captain Mao, leave the low-pressure areas to the garrison soldiers. Give us the most dangerous spot!" Mao Cheng'an was moved to tears, grabbing Jiang Yuan's hand and saying emotionally, "I didn't expect Lord Jiang to choose the most dangerous place! Your spirit deeply moves me! But for your safety, let me guard the most dangerous north gate, while you lords guard the west, east, and south gates!" Jiang Yuan found this a bit amusing. His original plan was to bring Wending Cangsheng and the others along to gain experience. If they were separated, how could he help them level up? "Captain Mao, rest assured. With the four of us guarding the north gate, even a thousand魔族 troops won't break through!" Jiang Yuan patted his chest to assure Mao Cheng'an, even offering to sign a military pledge, which finally convinced him. "My lords, this is the north gate. Once the魔族 attack, this will be the main battlefield. Please be careful!" Mao Cheng'an led Jiang Yuan and the others to the north gate but still worried, repeatedly cautioning them. "Captain Mao, don't worry. If we really can't hold out, we'll definitely ask for your help!" Jiang Yuan was sensible. They could die and respawn, but if the north gate fell, the people of Anyang Town would have no hope! Seeing that Jiang Yuan wasn't being reckless, Mao Cheng'an relaxed, nodded to them, added a few more words of caution, and then left. Thus, Jiang Yuan, Wending Cangsheng, Hamster Pudding, and Ding Ye climbed the north gate tower and sat against the wall. Night had fallen, the sky shrouded in darkness. Annan and Anbei Mountains ahead were silent, and the area around Anyang Town was eerily quiet. Jiang Yuan gazed at the silent, empty wilderness ahead and sighed inwardly, "Perhaps this is the calm before the storm."