"Yes."
Then Zhou Yan ordered the soldiers to bring out the prisoners. Seeing them, Zhou Yan wished he could kill them all, but he ultimately restrained himself. Not only did he give them food, but he also set them free.
"Lord, what should we do now?" the adjutant asked, looking at the people held in cages in the distance.
"Continue reinforcing the defenses and dispatch scouts to probe the forest. We also need to replenish our supplies as quickly as possible. If those demons emerge from the forest, we must be ready to meet the enemy!" Zhou Yan said, sitting in his chair and pressing his hands to his head.
Upon hearing Zhou Yan's words, the soldiers began to busy themselves, while Zhou Yan sat in contemplation. After about half an hour, he suddenly stood up and shouted to the soldiers still working on the defenses, "Stop reinforcing! Everyone, out for patrol with me!"
The soldiers froze, not quite processing what they had heard. Only the adjutant, understanding Zhou Yan's command, immediately roared at the soldiers, "Stop gawking! Pack up quickly and go on patrol!"
The soldiers finally snapped back to attention and began gathering their gear. Zhou Yan, meanwhile, rushed to the gate, summoned his mount, and began patrolling along the city walls.
As he patrolled, Zhou Yan pondered the current situation.
Although he now controlled all three cities in the Kalta Desert, the desert remained fraught with peril.
The forest, in particular, was a place Zhou Yan dared not enter lightly.
In fact, Zhou Yan was beginning to doubt where these demons had come from. Why were there so many of them, and why were they so formidable? The giants he had encountered before were one thing, but the demons in the forest, whose numbers he couldn't even estimate, were undeniably vast, both on land and within the woods.
Furthermore, Zhou Yan had noticed something peculiar: the area was rich in resources. He had also captured a group of women and children from nearby villages and sent them into the forest. Surprisingly, the demons had not pursued them.
Zhou Yan found this highly strange. Therefore, he decided to lead his men into the forest to investigate and search for any clues.
"My Lord, there are demons ahead, about a dozen. Should we ignore them?" a soldier on a tall horse asked an armored officer as they marched about two kilometers forward.
"No need to bother with them. Take a few men and eliminate them. The rest of you, hold your positions. Remember, if you encounter a demon horde, do not charge blindly. Ensure your own safety!" the officer commanded.
"Yes!" the knight replied and immediately turned his horse, charging towards the demons.
"Hmph, so many demons. Let's see how you deal with them!" Zhou Yan said with a cold sneer, watching the demons. The demons had also spotted the approaching figures.
"Chirp! Chirp!" One demon called out to the sky twice, and the others leaped from the branches, rushing towards the approaching knight. At the same time, the knight raised his long sword and slashed at the demons before him. In an instant, the knight became a flurry of severed limbs and flying gore, while the remaining demons continued their charge towards the knight.
"Mayday, run!" The knight, seeing the demons closing in again, screamed in terror. The soldiers behind him immediately turned tail and fled, not a single one staying to help him!
"Bastards! Who told you to run? Stop those demons!" the general roared in anger upon hearing the knight's screams. But it was too late; the knight was already swarmed by the demons.
"Retreat! Retreat! We cannot die here! Retreat!" Seeing the knight perish, the general no longer bothered with rescue and, shouting to the soldiers, he too spurred his horse and fled.
The soldiers, hearing his command, immediately bolted.
Meanwhile, deep within the Kalta Desert forest, a demon lay on the ground, gazing at the green vegetation and reaching out to touch it.
"Chirp! Chirp!" Seeing their comrade touching the green plants, the other demons followed suit, reaching their hands into the flowers of the plants to search.
"Chirp!" The demons pulled out fist-sized fruits and shouted with joy.
"Quick, get me some water to drink, quickly!" the demon exclaimed excitedly upon noticing water within the plants.
"Okay!" The demons were not foolish. They had already realized the plants contained water, and it was a very sweet kind, which is why they thought of picking the fruits.
Carrying the fruits, the demons headed back. Soon, they found a cave and, crawling inside, began to drink the fruit's juice.
Within the forest, demons had typically established hidden strongholds. This was precisely why these demons had evaded Zhou Yan's search and remained undiscovered.
"Ah! So comfortable. I never thought the water source here would be so much better than outside!" one demon said with a look of bliss.
"Indeed. Who would have thought such a good water source could be found in this wretched place? Was there once a human kingdom here?" another demon asked in surprise.
"Haha, who cares? We're not planning on going back anyway. Since there's good water, let's drink plenty of it," a demon said gleefully.
The demons were currently enjoying their fine wine, but they had forgotten that this wine was not just for their consumption.
At this moment, in another part of the forest, a demon was resting in a tent, surrounded by campfires.
"Report! We just received word that all our kin have perished. We are now only 30,000 strong. At this rate, we will still be annihilated by the humans. What should we do now?" a disheveled demon knelt beside the other demon and reported.
"Useless! We sent how many people? And you all came back? You dare ask me what to do!" the demon roared in anger.
"No, Your Demon King, those humans are too cunning."