Volume One: Hell-Level Lord World Chapter 110: Sudden Incident

The success rate of breaching the dike was about seventy percent, while the likelihood of causing a flood stood at eighty percent.

Standing atop the dike, Chen Gu calculated silently.

If the plan succeeded, he had a thirty percent chance to completely destroy that level-nine city in one stroke.

And that thirty percent was enough for Chen Gu to gamble everything on this attempt.

Over the past few hours, Chen Gu had been refining every detail of his plan.

As the plan grew more complete, his confidence in its success steadily increased.

Now, he was already halfway certain he could break through the gates of that level-nine city.

Just as Chen Gu pondered the finer points of his strategy, a blast of horns echoed from the surface of the water.

He lifted his gaze toward the source of the sound and found that a thick fog had risen over the lake, shrouding everything in mist.

Through the haze emerged a massive wooden ship.

The vessel seemed to be a patchwork of fragments from seven or eight different boats.

Dangling along its hull were numerous skeleton soldiers, their bones entwined with waterweed.

When they spotted Chen Gu standing at the water’s edge, the skeletal warriors raised their weapons in salute.

It was clear these were undead troops from the lake.

Yet Chen Gu immediately discerned that they did not belong to any known undead legion; these were wild, unbound spirits.

Despite the ghost ship’s appearance, Chen Gu remained calm and did not hastily retreat.

Instead, he beckoned with his hand, and thirty radiant magma beings appeared beside him.

He did not command them to charge into the lake, but rather to wait along the shore.

If the ghost ship showed no intention of landing, Chen Gu would ignore it. But if they came ashore, these magma warriors would be ready to annihilate the skeleton soldiers dispatched from the phantom vessel.

After releasing the radiant magma, Chen Gu seated himself nearby to replenish his mana.

The challenge ahead was a level-nine undead city.

Any lapse in his magical power could turn the tide against him.

As for the ghost ship before him, if they did not attack, Chen Gu had no reason to strike first.

What surprised him most was that the ghost ship had not been drawn by him.

Rather, it was attracted by the fish he held in his hand.

Chen Gu had been fishing here for some time.

A small portion of the catch had already died, and their death aura had beckoned the ghost ship.

Curious, the vessel came to investigate and upon arrival saw Chen Gu standing along the shore.

This was a pure accident.

But now that the situation was before him, the ghost ship cared little for the nature of the encounter.

The skeleton soldiers dangling from the ghost ship leapt into the water and swam swiftly toward Chen Gu.

“Fire spirit crows, blood-shadow wolves, prepare for battle. Carrion vines, continue your task. Radiant magma, wait to strike until the skeleton soldiers come ashore,” Chen Gu commanded decisively, simultaneously coordinating with the carrion vines to monitor the integrity of the dike.

If the ghost ship recklessly provoked trouble, Chen Gu would resolve the threat first.

Regarding his mana, he could afford some rest here.

After all, the undead city remained just beyond, immobile and not about to flee.

His prior efforts would not be in vain.

As for being overwhelmed by the ghost ship—impossible.

Though Chen Gu could not enter the water himself, defeating a relatively small ghost ship was well within his capability.

Just as Chen Gu gazed confidently at the ghost ship, he suddenly noticed through the fog at least ten more such vessels emerging.

Each ghost ship bore distinct differences.

Though all were cobbled together from wreckage, their size and numbers far exceeded that of the first ship.

Most importantly, the undead aboard were no longer just skeleton soldiers; there were ghosts and waterlogged zombies among them.

It seemed that Chen Gu’s actions had not summoned a single ghost ship, but rather all the ghost ships lurking in the lake.

“Troops, fall back. Carrion vines, withdraw underground,” Chen Gu commanded without hesitation upon assessing the dire situation.

He also calculated the number of undead present—over seventeen hundred in total.

While none were individually more powerful, this constituted a formidable undead force.

If Chen Gu had all his troops gathered here and could lure them all ashore, victory would be assured.

But presently, his forces were scattered, and he had no time to engage in a desperate fight.

A handful of undead could be handled casually; facing so many, retreat was far from shameful.

As Chen Gu withdrew, he made sure to bring along several freshly caught fish.

These were crucial to his plan.

The radiant magma did not leave as he retreated.

As summoned beings, they would fight to the death or vanish half an hour after the battle's end.

Chen Gu had no intention of recalling them yet, so he let them engage the undead to test their combat capability outside the lake.

The undead paid no heed to Chen Gu’s thoughts.

Upon seeing his retreat, they realized an enemy had been found.

They surged toward the shore, and soon a large number leapt onto land.

The radiant magma faced them fearlessly.

For distant foes, they unleashed holy light projectiles; for those nearer, they wielded molten power.

Though attacked from all sides, they showed no fear.

Undead strikes landed upon them, but the magma beings were unfazed.

Even when surrounded and driven near death, they exploded rather than attempted to escape.

Chen Gu retreated steadily, watching the undead closely.

He noticed they could not venture more than three hundred meters from the lake’s edge.

Upon reaching this limit, they ceased pursuit.

Lingering along the boundary for a time, they eventually all withdrew back into the water.

After the undead retreated, Chen Gu did not rush back.

He waited nearly an hour about three hundred meters from the lakeshore until the fog lifted, before returning to the battlefield where the radiant magma had fought.

Though the undead had withdrawn, they left no order to clear the field; the chaotic scene remained.

Upon arrival, Chen Gu immediately saw that all thirty radiant magma warriors had perished in battle.

The ground was littered with nearly three hundred undead corpses.