Ratmen. Their Life Value was as high as 36 points, even higher than the Forest Wolves and Fire Foxes he had recruited.
But the gap in their other Attributes was just too large.
As a result, their Combat Evaluation was far inferior to that of the Forest Wolves and Fire Foxes, only on par with the villagers and Woodcutters responsible for resource production in his territory.
Of course, you could say they were slightly better, as their minor advantages in Attributes and equipment allowed them to barely win one-on-one duels against the villagers.
'So, it seems the villagers' combat strength isn't that bad after all, huh?'
With this in mind, Qin Feng ordered the villager on guard duty to ring the alarm bell in the Lord's Hall, urging the villagers resting in their Residential Buildings to get up immediately and prepare to repel the impending enemy attack.
DONG!
DONG! DONG! DONG!
The heavy toll of the bell suddenly shattered the night's silence. Villagers who had already gone to bed leaped from their beds at the sound. They immediately began to hurry through a pre-dug tunnel beneath the Residential Buildings, which led directly into the Lord's Hall.
As they moved, their steps were orderly and their actions calm and efficient, just like a highly disciplined army.
This scene was captured in its entirety by Qin Feng, who possessed the "Eagle Eye" skill.
'Incredible!'
'If I gave them a set of armor and some sharp weapons, wouldn't they basically be a real army?'
But after that brief moment of amazement, Qin Feng quickly came back to his senses.
'Alright.'
'Not that it really mattered.'
In a high-pressure world like this, one with Extraordinary Power, it didn't matter how well the villagers coordinated or how disciplined their formations were. Without high enough Attributes, they were just cannon fodder, destined to be instantly crushed on the battlefield.
Aside from bullying other common, low-tier creatures, they couldn't beat anything else.
'So, instead of getting hung up on these minor details, I should focus more on a strategy to defeat the enemy.'
'Hmm... First, the enemy has a total of fifteen Forest Wolves, all with Zero-star (White) attribute panels.'
'Eight Ratmen: seven are Zero-star (White), and one is Zero-star (Green).'
Judging by its appearance, the Zero-star (Green) Ratman was clearly more robust than its kin. Its grayish-green fur had an oily sheen, and its foreclaws glinted coldly under the Moonlight.
Furthermore, it wore old, scratched leather armor and a necklace of smoothly polished beast teeth. Its gnarled right paw tightly gripped a sharp Bone Blade inlaid with Obsidian.
'No doubt about it!'
'This has to be the Ratman Leader!'
'In that case, according to the information MC provided earlier, all creatures in the Lord World possess true sentience.'
'If I can just focus fire and kill this Ratman Leader, the remaining Ratman Warriors' morale will surely collapse. They might even surrender on the spot and become captured units controlled by the Riding and Cutting system.'
'Of course...'
'a head-on fight isn't out of the question.'
'But the enemy's overall numbers are not small. Once our forces are locked in a large-scale melee, the subjects in my territory who are responsible for gathering resources will likely suffer accidental casualties in the Chaos.'
'I have to remember, I spent a lot of Food to convert these production subjects from basic villagers, and there's a weekly limit of just ten.'
'Once they're sacrificed, they're gone for good. There's no way to get them back.'
'Therefore...'
'I must avoid needless sacrifices.'
'But if I keep the production subjects out of this battle to protect them, relying only on me and my few "Zoo" soldiers would likely lead to heavy losses, maybe even a total defeat.'
'Sigh.'
'I guess this is the only way.'
'Prioritize killing the Ratman Leader to shatter the enemy's morale, and try to make them retreat on their own.'
Having made up his mind, Qin Feng immediately issued orders for all villagers and subjects to quickly occupy the defensive chokepoints in the Lord's Hall. The moment the enemy charged in, they were to engage and harass them, creating an opportunity for him to take down the Ratman Leader alone.
Meanwhile...
The deep tolling of the bell that suddenly rang out from the Lord's Hall made Bakadi halt in his tracks, his claws tightening around his Bone Blade.
Clearly, their surprise attack had been discovered. It seemed the enemy was gathering the territory's forces in an attempt to mount a final, desperate resistance.
A vicious glint flashed in Bakadi's scarlet eyes. He roared at the Ratman Tribesmen huddled around him:
"Don't be afraid!"
"Charge in!"
"Take that castle!"
"Capture the castle's Lord hiding inside alive!"
Before his roar had even faded, Bakadi yanked on the Bone Whistle hanging from his chest. A sharp whistle tore through the air.
In an instant, the tamed Forest Wolf Pack surged forward like a black tide, pouncing on the buildings surrounding the Lord's Hall. The loud crash of fangs Tearing through wooden doors and the roars of the beasts wove together into a prelude of death.
The mission of these Forest Wolves wasn't to capture Qin Feng, the Divine Chosen Lord, alive. It was to slaughter every threatening creature inside the other buildings.
At the same time, they were to form a black barrier outside the castle, using their claws and fangs to hold off any soldiers who might come to reinforce Bakadi and the others. This would tear open a bloody path for the main Ratman force's Strong Attack on the Lord's Hall.
Unfortunately for them, there were no villagers in the other territory buildings. They had all already followed the winding, secret passage to gather in the Lord's Hall, which possessed the power of "Shelter."
And that long, dark tunnel, buried deep underground, was protected by a mysterious energy. It formed an invisible barrier against all creatures not belonging to Qin Feng's territory, preventing them from setting foot inside, no matter how much chaos raged outside.
"AWOO—?!"
Watching the Wolf Pack return dejectedly, Bakadi's brow twitched violently, his murky eyes filled with confusion.