C513 Testing The Wall

Cipher turned toward the direction from which Stacy's voice had come. For a moment, she studied Stacy's expression before responding. "I respect your opinion, but I say we wait. So we will wait." Her answer was firm. Whispers immediately spread among the army. Some soldiers exchanged doubtful looks, while others shook their heads. They had fought in battles before, and to them, standing in the open while the enemy approached seemed like a terrible decision. However, Cipher did not appear concerned about their reactions. I slowly moved closer to her. "Cipher, what's your plan?" She turned toward me and smiled. "To test our wall." I stared at her. "Test the wall?" "Exactly." Before I could ask another question, Cipher turned toward the army. "Everyone, prepare your shields!" The soldiers immediately began making their preparations. Within minutes, the enemy finally came into view. They appeared in the distance, advancing toward the border in large numbers. Their weapons reflected the light as they moved, and the sound of their marching gradually grew louder. I tightened my grip on my weapon. We had known an attack was coming, but seeing the enemy approaching was different. There were so many of them that I couldn't immediately determine how far their forces extended.

Beside me, Bighead adjusted his shield. "This is going to be interesting," he muttered. "Interesting?" Chipmunk looked at him. "Is that the best word you can find?" He glanced at her. "What would you prefer?" "Terrifying would be a good start." I shook my head. "Both of you, focus." They fell silent, although Bighead still managed a small smile. Meanwhile, Cipher stood at the front, watching the approaching army. One of the soldiers stepped forward. "Boss, we should be attacking! Why are we waiting?" Another soldier immediately supported him. "Boss, with all due respect, you lack experience in fighting wars. Please listen to those of us who have real experience." The surrounding soldiers became quiet. It was clear that some of them shared his opinion. They had accepted Cipher as their leader, but that didn't mean they trusted every decision she made. Cipher slowly turned toward the soldier who had spoken. "Everyone, listen carefully." Her voice carried across the formation. "I will say this only once. I am your leader, and you must trust me and my judgment." She paused, allowing her words to sink in. "Right now, I want everyone to prepare their weapons. We will move toward the enemy together. Do not break formation, and do not act independently." She pointed toward the wall behind them. "When I give the order to retreat, everyone will turn around and return inside the wall. You will not stop to argue, and you will not wait for another command. Is that understood?"

Some soldiers frowned. One of them finally asked the question that had been troubling several others. "You want us to retreat?" Cipher's expression changed. "Are you going to question every instruction I give?" Nobody answered. She stepped closer to the soldiers. "If you are unhappy with my leadership, why didn't you challenge me before? Why did you accept me as your leader if you refuse to trust my decisions?" The soldiers lowered their eyes. Cipher looked across the formation. "I don't expect you to understand every decision I make before you see the results. But when I give an order during a battle, hesitation can cost lives. You can question my decisions when we are safe. Out here, I expect you to follow instructions." Her words silenced the remaining objections. She turned toward the enemy. "Everyone, move forward!" The army began advancing. The Lions moved with them. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. Despite everything we had experienced during our training, this was different. We were standing among soldiers who had their own methods of fighting, facing an enemy whose numbers and capabilities we could only estimate. I glanced at Cipher. She was walking ahead of us, her attention fixed on the battlefield. She didn't look frightened. Instead, she looked as though she were waiting for something. That made me wonder what she had planned.

We continued forward. Then Cipher raised her weapon. "Open fire!" Gunshots erupted across our formation. The soldiers fired as they advanced, using their shields for protection wherever possible. Arrows flew through the air from both sides, and the battlefield quickly filled with the sounds of gunfire and shouting. The enemy responded immediately. Their weapons roared, and bullets struck the ground around us. I raised my shield as another round of gunfire came toward our position. "Keep moving!" someone shouted. We continued firing. Bighead moved beside me, using his shield to protect himself while returning fire. Chipmunk remained focused on the enemy, and the other Lions maintained their positions as best they could. But the enemy was getting closer. Suddenly, a soldier near the front cried out and collapsed. Another fell moments later. Then another. Our army was taking casualties. I looked toward Cipher, wondering how much longer she intended to keep us outside the wall. She continued watching the enemy. For a few seconds, she said nothing. Then she raised her voice. "Everyone, retreat! Get back inside the wall!" The command rang across the battlefield. We immediately turned and ran. "Move!" Bighead shouted. I ran beside him, keeping my shield raised as bullets struck the ground around us. The soldiers followed Cipher's order, retreating toward the gate without stopping to argue. Some helped wounded comrades, while others covered the retreat with their weapons.

Behind us, the enemy appeared confused. They had expected us to continue fighting. Instead, we were running away. For a brief moment, they hesitated. Then one of their leaders shouted an order. The enemy surged forward, chasing us toward the wall. I glanced over my shoulder. "They're following us!" I shouted. "Keep running!" Survivor answered. We reached the gate and rushed inside. The moment I crossed the entrance, I turned around to see where Cipher was. She was already inside, standing near the defensive position she had prepared. "Do not close the gate!" she ordered. The soldiers responsible for the gate stopped immediately. "Prepare your archers and guns! Everyone take your positions and wait for my order!" The army quickly reorganised itself. Archers moved into position, while soldiers with guns prepared to fire. Others stood ready behind their shields. I finally understood that our retreat had not been an attempt to escape the battle. Cipher had deliberately brought the enemy toward the gate. She was waiting for them. The enemy soldiers continued rushing forward. They had seen us retreat and believed they had forced us to abandon our position. Their confidence appeared to grow as they approached the entrance. The first group reached the gate. Then the next. More soldiers poured toward the opening, eager to pursue the army they believed was running away.

Cipher watched them enter. She waited until enough of the enemy had moved into the prepared firing zone. Then she raised her hand. "FIRE NOW!" The battlefield erupted. Our guns fired together. Rifles roared from behind the defensive positions, while arrows flew toward the advancing enemy. Soldiers who had rushed through the gate suddenly found themselves under attack from multiple directions. They had expected to chase us. Instead, they had entered a trap. The first wave of attackers fell. The soldiers behind them struggled to understand what was happening. Those at the front attempted to advance, while others tried to retreat through the crowded entrance. But the concentrated attack disrupted their formation. Our soldiers continued firing. I stood behind my shield, watching the enemy's advance collapse. "Keep firing!" someone shouted. The archers released another volley. Gunfire continued until one of the enemy commanders finally recognised that they could no longer advance without suffering more casualties. "RETREAT!" he shouted. The order spread through their formation. The surviving attackers began withdrawing from the gate. Some dragged wounded comrades away, while others ran back toward their original positions. Cipher raised her hand. "Hold your fire!" Our soldiers gradually stopped shooting. For several seconds, we watched the enemy retreat into the distance. Then cheers erupted across the wall. "We did it!" "They're retreating!" "We drove them back!"

Soldiers embraced one another, while others raised their weapons in celebration. Even some of the men who had questioned Cipher's decision earlier appeared relieved. We had suffered casualties, but we had stopped the enemy from advancing through the gate. More importantly, the wall had served its purpose. Hammer approached Cipher, his expression filled with surprise. "Madam, how did you think of that?" Cipher smiled. "What do you mean?" "You knew they would follow us." "I suspected they would." Hammer shook his head. "You deliberately made them believe we were retreating." Cipher nodded. "They were confident because they believed they had forced us to withdraw. Once they saw us running toward the gate, they thought they had an opportunity to break through our defences." She glanced toward the entrance. "They didn't realise we were leading them exactly where we wanted them." Hammer smiled. "That was a clever strategy." The soldiers who had challenged Cipher earlier remained silent. None of them attempted to question her again. Cipher turned toward the army. "Listen, everyone. We managed to force the enemy to retreat, but that doesn't mean the war is over." The celebrations gradually quietened. "They now know that the wall is not going to be easy to penetrate. They will return with a different strategy, and we must be prepared for that."

A soldier raised his hand. "Boss, if we can do this whenever they attack, why do we need to set up the traps you mentioned earlier?" Several others nodded in agreement. Cipher smiled. "Because the enemy will learn from this battle." She walked toward the gate. "Today, they followed us because they believed we were retreating. Next time, they may not make the same mistake. They could send their archers forward first, attack us from a distance, or find another way to force us out of our positions." She turned back toward the soldiers. "If we rely on the same strategy every time, we will eventually lose." Her expression became serious. "That is why we need the traps. The wall, the gate, our weapons, our archers, and the traps must work together. Each defence should make it more difficult for the enemy to advance." She paused. "We are not building these defences because we expect every battle to go our way. We are building them because we must be ready when it doesn't." Nobody argued. Hammer nodded in agreement. "Understood, Madam." Cipher looked across the army. "Good. We will return to the forest and continue preparing our defences." The soldiers responded together. "Yes, Leader!" After resting for a while and treating those who had light injuries, We then left the camp and headed back toward the forest. By the time we returned back to the camp, the exhaustion had returned with full force. The battle had been short compared with the construction work, but the tension and physical effort had drained whatever energy we had left. Some soldiers immediately went to rest in their tents, while others searched for water and food.

The Lions went to their tent as well. Inside, I lowered myself onto the ground beside Bighead. He let out a long sigh. "I think I need a holiday." Pixel sat down nearby. "You can have one after we finish protecting the border." Silver looked at her. "You really know how to encourage a man." She smiled. "That's what I'm here for." I laughed quietly, but my thoughts soon returned to the battle. We had driven the enemy back, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. Cipher had warned us that the enemy would return with a different strategy. And if they did, we needed to be ready. I leaned back and closed my eyes, hoping to rest for a few minutes. I didn't know how much time had passed when a vibration interrupted the silence. Cipher's phone. She rubbed her eyes, took out the device, and read the message. Her expression immediately changed. She sat up. "The Lions woke up." I sat up. "What happened?" Cipher looked around at the Lions. "Guys, Trojan Horse has an update." Everyone immediately became alert. Bighead straightened. "What's the update?"