The forests on both sides of the valley hid presences so dangerous that even Chen Mo had to be cautious.
With no human destruction, the trees here grew tall and lush. The dense leaves concealed everything beneath them, yet Chen Mo's sharp senses pierced through the gaps and clearly saw the large number of werewolves hiding among the treetops.
Many more werewolves lurked deeper within the woods where even he couldn't see them, but their heavy breathing and powerful heartbeats were captured by his sharp hearing.
From the information he detected, there were at least over a hundred werewolves hidden in the trees.
A number like that would be extremely dangerous even if Chen Mo encountered them alone.
Although he had the Adamantium combat suit that could withstand most werewolf attacks, the number was simply too overwhelming. If they swarmed him, even the King's Sword wouldn't be enough to hold them all back.
Once they got close, with strength three to four times that of an ordinary human, a dozen of them pressing down together could suppress him entirely — and then he would truly become a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
This armor wasn't Iron Man's suit. Its localized defense was strong — Adamantium plates could resist any attack — but the connections between the plates remained the weak points. Though Chen Mo's special design minimized the gaps, and the ballistic fibers could block blades, it still didn't provide the structural support of real powered armor.
Meaning pressure from the front or back couldn't be absorbed or neutralized by the suit.
If he were pinned down, the werewolves' terrifying bite could break an arm or snap his neck even through the armor. Or claws could slip into the only unarmored place — his eyes.
A group this large could absolutely threaten his life.
As for the knight regiment, they were in even greater danger. Though numerous and well-equipped, far stronger than ordinary knights, such a number of werewolves still posed extreme danger.
Their armor, while sturdier than the common knight's, still couldn't fully withstand werewolf teeth and claws. Even if they won, casualties would be heavy.
Normally, when sending knights to eliminate werewolves within the territory, Chen Mo always sent five to ten times the number of knights compared to the werewolves, to guarantee safety. One Black Iron Knight leading four fully armored squire knights was needed to eliminate a single werewolf without loss.
If that ratio shrank to the current three-to-one, heavy casualties were inevitable. Much less now — they were in a valley, with werewolves attacking from above, hidden in the woods. The knights couldn't use their speed or charge advantage at all. If battle broke out, losses would be severe.
In truth, Chen Mo wanted to fight these werewolves alone.
During the first rescue of Andrew and the others, there had been dozens of werewolves, but they were scattered and easily cut down. Only the last group of over ten had pressured him, and that brief, intense fight had given him some improvement.
Subsequent fights helped too, but the largest group he had faced was barely over twenty. Enough to pressure him, but not enough to endanger him — so the rise in strength was small and his mental power increased only slightly.
This time, with over a hundred gathered here, Chen Mo believed the battle would give him greater improvement.
Though dangerous, both combat ability and mental power — directly tied to his space-time travel ability — improved slowly through training. Only life-and-death battles brought rapid growth.
Besides, he wasn't blindly reckless. Even if danger arose, he still had backup plans.
If he were alone, he would draw his sword without hesitation.
But he wasn't. He had three hundred knights with him.
If battle erupted, he couldn't protect them all. Surrounded by such a huge number of werewolves, the knight regiment would suffer disastrous losses — something he would never accept.
He had spent too much time and effort training these loyal subordinates. Their loyalty and strength were exactly what he wanted. He had no patience to start all over.
And in this chaotic world, werewolves were plentiful. Missing this chance was nothing — more would appear. Compared to that, his limited number of subordinates were far more valuable.
Thoughts flashed quickly through Chen Mo's mind, and he soon made his decision.
Looking at the werewolves hidden in the treetops, he shook his head regretfully, reached into his robe, and drew two sleek silver pistols.
"There are werewolves! Form a circular defense!"
With his shout, the already alert knights were startled. From his tone, the number of werewolves must be large. Being ambushed in the forest was extremely disadvantageous.
Cavalry couldn't use their speed or charging power. Agile werewolves could leap from trees to attack. Their advantage increased.
Though fear lingered in their hearts, the knights followed orders and quickly tightened formation, forming a defensive circle.
Knights on the outer ring raised shields and swords to block attacks. Behind them, knights sheathed swords and lifted long spears with both hands, pointing upward, ready to strike.
Knights in the center grabbed the heavy crossbows on their saddles, loading bolts and aiming at the slopes.
Just as everyone stood ready, gripping weapons and watching the surroundings closely—
Chen Mo acted first.
Before the lurking werewolves attacked, a blinding blue beam shot from his pistol, crossing dozens of meters instantly, hitting a werewolf hidden in the thick branches.
Before the stunned knights' eyes — as though witnessing a miracle — the massive werewolf turned to ash on the spot, its remains scattered by the wind.
Immediately, even denser beams of blue light burst from Chen Mo's hands, illuminating the trees and revealing the hulking silhouettes of hidden werewolves.