Child of Destiny

Chapter 2280: Operation Starts!

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While observing the fortress from a distance, Shin suddenly turned his head to the side.

A player slowly emerged from the shadows of the surrounding rock formations, deactivating his stealth.

He immediately approached Shin and bowed respectfully. "Young Master."

Shin clicked his tongue upon hearing the greeting.

He had already grown accustomed to being addressed that way after living with the Springfields for quite some time. Even so, he still couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling whenever their people treated him like a true young master.

After all, he was only an adopted member of the Springfield Family.

Being treated this way in front of his friends always left him feeling somewhat awkward.

Shin ignored the teasing look Owen was giving him and nodded at the elite member of Deicide. "Report."

The scout immediately straightened his posture. "Yes, Young Master Shin."

He began his report in a calm and orderly manner. "We have completed our reconnaissance of the area. The outer perimeter is lightly guarded, with only a limited number of NPC forces stationed around the surrounding terrain."

"However, the fortress itself is under a significantly higher level of security. Infiltration will be difficult."

"There are multiple patrol units stationed along the walls, with dozens of guards maintaining constant surveillance. The watchtowers are likewise manned around the clock by dedicated sentries."

He paused briefly before continuing. "A direct assault would also be highly unfavorable. The fortress walls are equipped with numerous firing ports, through which magic cannons have been deployed."

"The defensive installations appear to be fully operational and well maintained. Based on our observations, the fortress is prepared to withstand a large-scale siege."

He lowered his head slightly. "That concludes the initial reconnaissance report."

Shin nodded slightly before asking, "What about the size of their forces?"

The scout immediately replied, "Based on our initial observations, the fortress appears to remain fully operational at all times."

"We estimate that there are at least seven hundred combat NPCs stationed within the fortress, with their levels ranging from Level 200 to Level 250."

"All of them appear to be at least Elite-ranked NPCs."

"As for the number of Captain-ranked NPCs, we have yet to determine an exact figure, but our current estimate places their number at several dozen."

"We have also confirmed the presence of four Commander-ranked NPCs. They are constantly stationed on the observation decks overlooking each of the fortress walls."

"There is also a Grand Marshal who appears at regular intervals, although we have yet to confirm the presence of any NPCs of an even higher rank."

The scout lowered his head slightly. "That concludes the current assessment of their forces."

Shin fell into deep thought after hearing the report, rapidly formulating a series of plans in his mind.

He wasn’t too concerned about the size of their army. If there were only around this many forces stationed inside the fortress, their numbers alone wouldn’t pose much of a problem.

He was also confident that their group wouldn’t encounter too much trouble even if all the Commanders and the Grand Marshal joined the battle.

Given the size of the oasis, contaminating the entire water source would require far more than a few dozen doses of poison.

Shin understood this as well, which was why he had already prepared an alternative plan.

He turned toward the Deicide scout and asked, "What is their routine around the oasis? When do they collect water from it?"

The scout immediately reported, "They collect water from the oasis twice a day—once at five in the morning and again at four in the afternoon."

The scouts had been observing the remnants of the Silver Knives long before Shin decided to launch the raid, so they had already mapped out their regular routines.

"Those are also the times when their security around the oasis is at its heaviest," the scout added, concluding his report.

Shin then glanced at the digital clock in the corner of his vision, paying particular attention to the in-game time. "We still have plenty of time."

Hearing this, Alucard and the others immediately realized what Shin was planning.

He wasn’t planning to contaminate the entire oasis.

He intended to poison the water after it had already been collected and before it was transported into the fortress.

"Are we going to use their water caravans to infiltrate as well?" Diablo asked, seemingly thinking a step ahead.

Shin shrugged. "If possible, why not?"

"That would make it easier for us to disable their defensive systems once we manage to get inside," he added.

He then turned toward Felix and Felicia. "Once the battle begins, use the area around the oasis as your main battlefield. After I give the signal, draw as much attention as possible."

Shin had already taken the twins’ strengths into consideration. Their respective races and classes were particularly well suited for fighting near large bodies of water.

He then turned toward Owen. "Owen, take Samael and protect the magic cannons together with the Deicide operatives."

"Once the mana dome is taken down, you’re free to do whatever you want," he added, already knowing that Owen wouldn’t be satisfied with simply standing on the sidelines while everyone else enjoyed themselves.

Finally, Shin turned toward Alucard. "You’re a free unit this time. Move as you see fit, but prioritize eliminating the Commanders as soon as possible. That should make things much easier for us later."

Although Shin was confident they could handle such a large NPC force even with their limited manpower, breaking the enemy’s chain of command remained the best possible outcome.

After all, fighting a disorganized force was far easier than fighting one capable of maintaining a coordinated formation.

"We’ll assassinate as many commanding personnel as we can if we successfully infiltrate the fortress," he added before signaling everyone to move.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Everyone immediately moved according to the instructions given to them.

Owen moved alongside the Deicide scout while bringing Samael with him.

Seeing that he had been assigned to protection duty, Owen couldn’t help but complain. "Tsk! Tsk! Why am I on babysitting duty again?"

The scout running beside him felt like punching the man after hearing those words. ’What babysitting? This is a military arrangement!’

Meanwhile, Alucard disappeared among the surrounding rock formations, searching for a suitable vantage point from which to snipe.

Assassinating NPCs was much easier than dealing with monsters. After all, the vital points of humanoid creatures were far easier to identify than those of most other types of enemies.

On the other side, Shin moved with Diablo, Felix, and Felicia as they rushed toward the oasis located west of the fortress.

As they ran, Diablo couldn’t help but ask, "Why not contaminate the oasis with the corpses of the monsters we can hunt in the area?"

It was a viable tactic. Dumping the monster corpses into the water could create even greater chaos, which they could then use to infiltrate the fortress.

It was also a fairly standard tactic when dealing with situations like this.

Shin had naturally considered it as well, but he refused to take such drastic measures. "We could use that strategy, but it would permanently damage the oasis."

He then turned toward Diablo. "We’re planning to wipe out this remnant faction, not destroy the entire region."

Diablo immediately understood what Shin was implying. "So, you’re planning to annex this place as a new strategic base."

If that was the case, then it made sense not to permanently destroy the oasis. It could potentially become their primary source of water in the future once they took control of the area.

Shin smiled beneath his mask. "It’s just something that crossed my mind on the spur of the moment."

"Since Big Sis is considering establishing a branch in this kingdom, why not give her another present later?" he chuckled.

"This would be a good place for another base, don’t you think? Not only is the environment suitable for high-level players, but it’s also located right beside another high-level neutral region."

"It has the potential to become another Gold Mountain," he added, seemingly treating the place as their new territory already.

Little did he know that Shiella would most likely beat him up the moment she learned that he was planning another major project after dumping the previous ones on her that she was still dealing with.

Diablo merely shrugged, refusing to comment.

Felix and Felicia, on the other hand, couldn’t help but look at Shin strangely.

They had also been leaders of their previous guild before it was disbanded, so they were quite familiar with this kind of operation.

However, the scale at which Shin viewed high-level resource regions was completely different from the way they had been accustomed to thinking.

Normally, guilds would consider securing control over a valuable hunting or resource map so that they could use it to strengthen their forces.

Shin, however, was clearly thinking on an entirely different level.

He wasn’t merely considering how to secure access to the region. He was considering how to place the entire region under their control and monopolize its resources.

That was when the twins realized that the people standing at the peak of the game truly operated on an entirely different level.

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