Free Web NovelChapter 123: Chapter 123: The East Breach Kill Zone
The east breach was not repaired.
That decision troubled many defenders.
Qin Yuheng saw it in their eyes when they carried spike barricades, oil jars, broken shields, and rope nets toward the shattered section of wall. To soldiers trained to defend fortresses, an open breach felt like failure. A wall existed to keep enemies out. Leaving a hole felt like inviting death.
But Qin Yuheng was not defending an ideal fortress.
He was defending a dying one.
Resources were limited. Time was limited. Soldiers were exhausted. The Iron Rain Shield Array barely held. If they tried to repair everything, they would repair nothing well enough.
So the east breach became a trap.
Qin Mo hated how much he liked the idea.
"This is ugly," he said while drawing formation marks beneath mud and broken stones. "But efficient."
Qin Yuheng looked at the narrow approach between two collapsed wall sections.
"Can you slow them here?"
"Yes. If they step on the first line, the ground hardens around their ankles. Second line triggers spike rise. Third line releases stored thunder if you charge it."
"I will charge it."
Qin Mo looked up.
"You enjoy making my formations more dangerous."
"They work better that way."
"They explode more that way."
Qin Lian returned from scouting the trench network outside the breach.
"East force is waiting. Smaller than south wave but more disciplined. Smoke unit confirmed. They may attack during next iron rain surge."
Qin Yuchen asked, "Assassins?"
"Likely."
Hao Jun, standing nearby, frowned.
"East breach leads toward the medical post if they break through."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
"That is why they will choose it."
He turned to the defenders assigned to the breach.
"Listen. You are not holding the broken wall. You are holding the second line. Let them enter the mouth. Do not panic when they cross the stones. Do not break formation to chase. When I give the signal, shields close, oil drops, formation triggers."
One young defender swallowed.
"What if they rush too fast?"
Qin Yuheng looked at him.
"Then Qin Yuchen cuts the front. Qin Lian cuts the rear. I cut the center. Your job remains the same."
The young defender stared at him, then nodded.
Gate Thunder Command Field pulsed faintly.
Not strong.
Just enough to stabilize timing.
The second attack came at dusk.
The iron rain thickened first.
Black blades screamed from the clouds and hammered the walls. The shield array flickered. Defenders ducked beneath reinforced awnings. For several breaths, visibility dropped.
Then smoke rolled through the east trenches.
Qin Lian’s jade pulsed.
Movement. Low. Fast.
Qin Yuheng sent back.
Hold.
Dark figures emerged from smoke, not charging loudly like the south wave. These enemies wore segmented black armor and carried curved short spears. Behind them moved thinner shapes with climbing hooks.
[Iron Veil Striker]
[Level: 25]
[Iron Veil Smoke Runner]
[Level: 24]
They crossed the broken outer stones.
The defenders tensed.
Qin Yuheng raised one hand.
Hold.
The first enemy stepped over Qin Mo’s first formation line.
Then the second. frёewebnoѵēl.com
Then the third.
"Now."
Qin Mo activated the formation.
Mud hardened around ankles. Spikes erupted through broken stone. Qin Yuheng drove thunder into the third line, and violet-gold arcs spread through the breach mouth. Several enemies froze mid-charge.
The shield defenders closed both sides.
Oil dropped.
Fire rose.
Qin Yuchen struck the front rank with clean, precise cuts, targeting knees and throats. Qin Lian appeared behind the smoke runners, cutting hook ropes and preventing them from reaching the medical post path.
Qin Yuheng stepped into the center.
War Thunder Advance.
His sword moved like controlled lightning, cutting through armor joints, spear shafts, and smoke masks. He did not overuse Thunder Shadow Flash. In the narrow breach, heavy forward pressure mattered more than speed.
The enemy commander revealed himself only after the first trap killed half his unit.
He came through the smoke wearing a black iron mask and carrying a long chain spear.
[Iron Veil Breach Captain]
[Level: 27]
[Elite Siege Officer]
The chain spear shot toward Qin Mo first.
Smart.
The enemy had identified the formation source.
Qin Yuheng intercepted.
His sword caught the chain, but the Breach Captain twisted, making the spearhead curve around the blade.
Qin Yuchen stepped in and deflected the spearhead at the last breath.
Qin Mo’s face paled.
"I dislike intelligent enemies."
The Breach Captain pulled the chain back and released smoke from his armor. For a moment, three copies appeared in the haze.
Qin Lian’s voice came through the jade.
Left false. Center delayed. Right real.
Qin Yuheng moved right.
The Breach Captain was already attacking.
Their weapons clashed.
The captain’s strength was lower than the Flame Horn Rhino or Tri-Gate Guardian, but his technique was cruel. Every chain movement aimed to bind, trip, or pull Qin Yuheng into the path of falling iron rain.
Qin Yuheng adapted.
He used Gate Thunder Command Field more precisely, not broadly. The field connected Qin Yuchen’s support angle, Qin Lian’s shadow position, and Qin Mo’s trap timing.
"Yuchen, pressure."
Qin Yuchen attacked the chain side.
"Lian, mask."
Qin Lian’s dagger flashed, cracking the iron mask.
"Mo, second line."
Qin Mo activated a delayed spike formation beneath the captain’s rear foot.
The Breach Captain stumbled.
Qin Yuheng stepped forward.
Thunder gathered in a narrow blade line.
One strike.
The chain spear snapped.
Second strike.
The cracked mask split.
Third strike.
The captain’s core rune shattered.
The elite dissolved into black smoke and iron fragments.
The east breach held.
But the victory was not free.
Seven defenders died.
The medical post survived.
The panel updated.
[East Breach Assault repelled.]
[Fortress Integrity: 36% → 33%]
[Defenders Alive: 169 → 162]
[Medical Post: Safe]
[Iron Rain Shield Array: 34%]
The defenders cheered weakly.
Qin Yuheng did not.
He looked toward the command tower.
A new crack had appeared near its base.
Qin Mo saw it too.
"That is not from the east attack."
Hao Jun ran over, face grim.
"Acting Commander, the command tower foundation is failing. The iron rain is hitting deeper through the array gaps."
Qin Yuheng looked at the mission panel.
[Command Tower Integrity: 54% → 41%]
If the command tower fell, the mission would suffer heavily. Worse, the Tower had placed special emphasis on it.
Qin Mo inspected the damage and cursed.
"We need to reinforce the foundation from below."
"Where?"
"Under the tower. Old maintenance tunnels."
Hao Jun’s expression changed.
"No one uses those. They were sealed after the first siege. Things got in."
Qin Yuheng looked at him.
"What things?" fгeewebnovёl.com
The fortress shook again as iron rain hammered the shield.
Hao Jun answered in a low voice.
"Those killed by iron rain sometimes keep moving."
The next phase became clear.
Above, the siege gathered again.
Below, the tower foundation needed repair.
And under Iron Rain Fortress, dead soldiers waited in sealed tunnels.
Qin Yuheng looked at his team.
"We go below."
Qin Mo closed his eyes.
"Of course we do."
