Buzz!
With the tremor of the heavy crossbow, a massive arrow, like a spear, shot out with a whistle.
In the blink of an eye, it crossed the hundred-metre distance between the carriage and the bandits, plunging into their ranks.
With the unstoppable force of the heavy crossbow, piercing the first bandit’s body at such close range was as easy as slicing through paper. The arrow’s speed barely diminished as it continued toward the next bandit.
It sounded slow, but it happened in an instant.
The arrow passed through several bandits and slammed into a tree with a thud.
The tree, as thick as a man’s waist, was nearly pierced through.
Only then did bursts of blood mist and heart-wrenching screams erupt among the bandits.
The bandits were packed tightly behind the boulder. Jin Feng aimed at their densest cluster, and this single shot killed five bandits on the spot.
Three others were hit in the arm or shoulder. Though not immediately fatal, they were effectively crippled.
“Is this the power of a heavy crossbow?” the bandits thought, their scalps tingling with fear.
“Number Two, take a few men and chop that kid up,” the boss roared through gritted teeth.
“Boss, that thing’s too powerful…” the second-in-command said, nearly in tears.
“You don’t want to go?” the boss said, narrowing his eyes and staring coldly at him.
The second-in-command, who had followed the boss for years, knew his habits well. That squint meant murderous intent.
Glancing at the boss’s trusted men, he saw their hands already gripping their blades.
The second-in-command knew that if he refused, he’d be dead in the next second.
Looking at the carriage, he gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll go, right now.”
Having served in the army, he knew heavy crossbows were slow to reload and cumbersome. By running in a zigzag pattern, he had at least a sixty percent chance of reaching the carriage.
One choice meant certain death, the other a sixty percent chance to take down Jin Feng. He chose the latter.
“Number Seven, Number Nine, you guys come with me,” the second-in-command called, grabbing two of his trusted men and sprinting toward the carriage at full speed.
But the next moment, three arrows flew from above, and all three collapsed to the ground.
Only then did the boss remember the crossbows aimed at them from the hill.
“We’re done for,” he thought.
Hiding behind the boulder meant death by heavy crossbow. Charging out meant becoming targets for the hand crossbows.
Despair gripped many of the bandits.
“What do we do?” the boss thought, his heart turning cold.
Jin Feng didn’t care what they thought. He quickly cranked the winch, adjusted the heavy crossbow’s aim, and fired again.
Buzz!
Another arrow plunged into the bandit group.
This time, after passing through the crowd, the arrow didn’t fly into the forest but struck the boulder at an angle.
Those familiar with military tactics know that bullets hitting hard surfaces like concrete or steel at an angle can ricochet, creating unpredictable stray shots.
Arrows were no different.
After hitting the rock, the spear-like arrow spun into the bandit group, knocking several bandits flying before its momentum was spent.
Though only two of the flung bandits died, the rest suffered at least broken bones, writhing and screaming in pain.
The next moment, arrows from above ended their suffering.
“Boss, what now?” the bandits asked, looking desperately at their leader.
This was Jin Feng’s strategy.
Though the bandits had numbers, their morale and fighting spirit were far inferior to the old soldiers. They were just a ragtag mob.
If they could withstand the bandits’ first wave and then kill a chunk of them, the bandits’ resolve would crumble, leaving them scattered.
Jin Feng’s decision proved correct.
The bandits were now terrified.
The boss was panicking too.
He couldn’t understand how, when victory seemed certain, things had turned out like this.
In such a short time, they’d lost nearly half their men. If this continued, they’d be wiped out.
But as a fierce bandit leader who dared to claim a mountain, the boss forced himself to calm down. With bloodshot eyes, he roared, “Brothers, we have no choice but to charge.”
“Boss, there are sharpshooters up there. Charging is suicide,” the bandits said, none daring to show their faces.
“Staying here is a dead end. If you don’t want to die, charge with me,” the boss shouted, grabbing a bandit’s corpse to use as a shield and rushing out from the boulder in a zigzag pattern.
Using a corpse as a shield was the only way he could think to break the stalemate.
It proved effective.
Two crossbow bolts were blocked by the corpse, and the boss was unharmed.
Seeing this, other bandits followed suit, grabbing their fallen comrades’ bodies and trailing behind the boss.
Hearing footsteps behind him, the boss’s face lit up with excitement, and he ran faster.
Even now, he hadn’t given up on hunting Jin Feng.
If he could take down Jin Feng and gain the support of County Lieutenant Zhao, any number of bandit deaths would be worth it.
“Protect Sir,” Iron Hammer ordered.
The old soldiers and female soldiers immediately turned their crossbows, firing frantically at the boss and the bandits behind him.
Few bandit bodies remained behind the boulder, and they were quickly taken. The remaining dozens of bandits, unable to grab one, seized the moment when the soldiers were focused on the boss to flee the boulder, running to collect the bodies of the earlier fallen bandits and archers.
The scene descended into chaos.
A hundred metres away, Jin Feng had reloaded the heavy crossbow and aimed at the boss.
But just as he pulled the trigger, the boss dodged to the side.
The arrow grazed past him and flew into the forest.
Seeing the bandits closing in, Jin Feng knew there was no time to reload. He swiftly shut the carriage door, whipped the horse, and drove off.
The boss, still carrying a corpse, couldn’t possibly catch up with the carriage.
He could only watch as it sped away.
Not daring to stop, the boss ran another few dozen metres with the corpse, estimating he was out of the crossbows’ range. He threw the body off the cliff and chased after the carriage.
“First Squad, with me. We’re going to save Sir,” Iron Hammer said, stowing his crossbow. “Miss Mulian, you and Second Squad stay here. Watch out for the bandits doubling back.”
The bandits had split into two groups: the boss and a few chasing Jin Feng, and the remaining dozens running in another direction. If they doubled back, it could be trouble.
“Got it. Go protect Sir,” Qing Mulian said. Though she often seemed unreliable, bickering with Iron Hammer and Zhang Liang, she was serious in battle.
“Let’s go,” Iron Hammer said, leading five soldiers from First Squad, taking their horses down the hill to follow Jin Feng and the boss.
But after chasing over two li, they still saw no sign of Jin Feng, the boss, or the bandits.
