in the edge

Chapter 504: Combine vertically and horizontally
Armored goats, brown bears wearing tree armor, tigers wearing leather armor, pythons wearing tortoise shells, and wild boars covered with mud.

Deep in the woods, the five animals were gathered together. Just by looking at each other's eyes, they all understood that they were not ordinary beasts, but powerful beings who came specifically for the fisherman's legacy.

"It's already this point. There's no point in hiding your identity any longer."

The armored goat spoke first, with an expression as disgusted as if he had eaten a fly.

"If you want to avoid being killed by the monkey, you have to make weapons and armor as well. But once you do that, your identity will be exposed immediately... This monkey is really disgusting."

"That's not the case. There are probably some who are planning to continue hiding their identities."

The python in the turtle shell was spitting out its tongue.

"But now that the fight has come to this, there's no point in hiding your identity. Without weapons and armor, the only outcome is death... I know the fisherman, and I don't think that old man will let the loser leave his cave alive."

"yes……"

The other animals also nodded.

Then, they turned their eyes to each other.

Since they know that the loser will die, now is the best time to eliminate the opponent. Whether it is for more inheritance or for their own survival, they have to kill each other.

However, after looking at each other for a few times, they finally decided not to attack each other.

Just because, right now, they still have a common enemy.

"That monkey must be killed!"

The brown bear covered in tree armor roared first.

"And Tan Lang! They are in the same group! They must all die!"

"That's true."

The tiger in leather armor also nodded repeatedly.

"If we don't kill these beasts, we won't be able to fight in peace... We must kill them! All the monkeys must be killed!"

"Kill! Kill them all! Move all the troops over there!"

The python spit out its tongue again.

"Let's join forces and have our beasts charge in with armor on. Even if there are more monkeys and wolves, they won't be able to stop us!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the other animals nodded in agreement.

Yes, no matter how well-armed the monkeys and wolves are, their numbers are limited after all. As long as they work together, with thousands of beasts galloping, wouldn't it be easy to capture the mere monkeys and wolves?

"But...I have a question."

It was at this time that the wild boar, who had been silent all this time, spoke.

"What if that monkey sets fire again?"

……

An awkward silence stretched on.

It seems to be true. No matter how much they gather to attack, as long as that damn monkey sets another fire, no matter how big the attack is, it can never be bigger than the fire in the forest.

Of course, this kind of behavior would definitely kill a thousand enemies and lose ten thousand of your own, but it was obvious that the damn monkey was capable of doing it.

As for putting out the fire... that's even more impossible. You know, the last fire was put out by a sudden heavy rain. Are they going to pin their hopes on rain that may not come this time?

Things seemed to be getting troublesome, and they actually couldn't do anything about that beast.

"So, I have a question."

The muddy boar spoke again.

"Why do we have to follow that monkey's line of thought?"

"You mean..."

At this point, the other animals also reacted.

It seemed to be true. Their current actions of putting on armor and making weapons were exactly the same as that of the monkey. But if they fought in this way, the monkey could use fire to counterattack them at any time - this was obviously a dead end, and they could not defeat the monkey on this route.

So the problem lies here.

Is there a possibility that they don't have to use this method?

"It seems that those who are not wearing armor are actually smarter."

The python in the turtle shell lowered its head in shame.

"I originally thought they were fools who didn't know how to adapt. Now it seems that we who only know how to adapt are the real fools... We took the initiative to put on armor, which is equivalent to revealing our identities in advance. Now we are actually no different from that monkey."

"yes……"

The other animals also looked unhappy.

Although the five of them now knew of each other's existence, it was obvious that they could not be the only ones competing for the fisherman's legacy. There must be more powerful people lurking in the dark, watching their jokes and waiting to deal them a fatal blow.

Just because they can't deal with those armed monkeys doesn't mean that those dormant powerful ones can't come up with a solution. Once the solution is found and those armed monkeys are dealt with, it will be their turn next.

"So...should we do it the other way around?"

It was at this moment that the armored goat suddenly spoke.

"Why don't we just team up with that monkey!"

……

"what are you saying?"

"Do you want to think about it again?"

"Are you crazy?"

After a moment's silence, the other animals began to clamor. Although they had been trying to think of some outrageous ideas, the idea proposed by the goat was obviously too outrageous.

What do you mean by teaming up with the monkeys? Aren't they enemies? Does this mean you want them to surrender?

"It's not surrender, it's an alliance."

The goat tried to explain.

"You all understand, right? Our current situation is similar to that monkey's. We have both jumped out into the open and have become the target of public criticism... So since those powerful people hiding in the dark will always target us, why don't we unite and get rid of them first?"

"you……"

After hearing these words, the other animals were dumbfounded.

But when I think about it carefully, it seems that there is some truth in what he said.

Although it is true that the monkey is the strongest enemy at the moment, no matter how you look at it, those powerful beings lurking in the dark are the most dangerous. They have not yet revealed their identities, let alone their methods, which means that these powerful beings hiding in the dark may use various methods that they cannot imagine at any time.

On the other hand, the monkeys have already laid out all the methods they can use. They just arm their own kind, use excellent weapons and numbers to fight against a single powerful individual, and then when they encounter a large number of opponents, they will directly set fire to the enemy and fight to the death. There are only these two methods, and there will be no new ideas. "What's more, the monkey is actually willing to form an alliance."

The goat added another explanation.

"Think about those armored wolves."

"This...is true."

The other animals nodded.

Although they were talking about monkeys just now, they all remembered that Tan Lang was originally the most dangerous competitor - after all, Tan Lang was personally enlightened by the fisherman, and he usually appeared in the form of an animal, which meant that Tan Lang had the greatest advantage.

Of course, it was precisely because his identity was exposed too early that this greatest advantage also became his greatest disadvantage. If nothing unexpected had happened, that Tan Lang should have been the first to be eliminated.

The other powerful ones may not be able to tell which wolf is the real Greedy Wolf, but they don’t actually need to tell. They just need to kill all the wolves, and Greedy Wolf will naturally die.

However, that damn monkey actually formed an alliance with Greedy Wolf, and things started to become extremely disgusting.

Those armored wolves don't even have to do anything. They just need to put on armor to ensure that they don't die. As long as they are not killed immediately, these armored wolves will have the opportunity to howl, and then the armed monkeys will throw their flying axes at them like they are free and bury the attackers alive on the spot.

From this perspective, forming an alliance with that monkey doesn't seem like a bad thing?
"And that monkey does need to form an alliance with us."

Thinking of this, the mud-covered wild boar also spoke.

"Although we are now at war, from the perspective of winning, he actually needs us. He needs us to help him eliminate those powerful people hiding in the dark. He cannot do it quickly on his own... and we do have a basis for cooperation. After all, we have already jumped out into the open."

Yes, although it is dangerous to do this in the open, it is also a proof of mutual trust. After all, if something really happens, they only need to fight head-on without having to worry about being stabbed in the back.

"Then let's do it!"

After reaching a consensus, the five beasts began their actions.

It was impossible for them to show up themselves, after all, they were also worried that they would be surrounded and killed by the armed monkeys. However, if they just wanted to pass on the message, they had their own way - so, after pulling out a few tiger hairs to make pens, the brown bear scraped the bark from the tree, the wild boar and goat spit out some blood as ink, and the python used the red ink to write the words.

A total of fifteen bark letters were intercepted by the armed monkeys and then sent to Du Chengfeng along with the carcasses of the hunted animals.

"What is written on it!"

Du Chengfeng became furious when he saw the words.

"Are you bullying me because I can't read? You're looking for death!"

"No, this is an ancient character, it is definitely different from the characters used in the Chen Kingdom..."

The coyote on the side didn't know what to say for a moment. He also didn't expect that those powerful people hiding in the dark would actually send him a letter.

"Forget it, let me read it for you. The content is...they want to form an alliance?"

The coyote suddenly felt dazed. He didn't know what he was seeing.

How did things develop into this? Isn't it a matter of survival of the fittest? How come something like an alliance has even come up?
"What? You said they surrendered?"

Du Chengfeng was also stunned. He had never expected that things would turn out like this.

"Then what about my newly made stone tool? I just figured out how to fix the spear head... How can they surrender? If they surrender, who should I kill?"

"What they mean is that we have a common enemy."

Coyote explained the contents of the letter to Du Chengfeng with a look of pain on his face.

"Those powerful people who are hiding in the dark and haven't revealed their identities yet are the real threat. The seven of us who are out in the open are in the same danger, so we should stick together and get rid of those powerful people who haven't shown their identities yet... That's what they said in the letter. This is not surrender, but an alliance."

"No, this is surrender."

Du Chengfeng shook his head.

"They have given in. They don't dare to fight anymore, so they chose to come to us for a ceasefire agreement... They are afraid!"

"That's not the case..."

Coyote's expression was a little subtle. He didn't know where Du Chengfeng got such confidence.

Indeed, the combination of armed monkeys and armored wolves did have a fruitful record, allowing them to hunt a lot of meat and even achieve freedom to eat meat for a time - but after several other beasts also began to wear armor and even forge weapons, they were not necessarily able to win.

Now that the other side is willing to form an alliance, it is actually a good thing for them. At least they can unite first and eliminate more potential opponents, and during the period of alliance, they can also gain more time for development.

“So I think alliances are actually a good thing.”

After making his case, Coyote concluded.

"At least it's a good thing for us now."

"What good news? How can this be a good thing?"

Du Chengfeng was immediately unhappy.

"If they give in and we don't fight, then all the weapons I've made during this period of time will be wasted? How can such a cheap thing be possible?"

"you……"

Seeing Du Chengfeng so persistent, Coyote didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"Ah this."

Feeling that there was something wrong with Coyote's tone, Du Chengfeng also realized that there was a problem in communication.

It was obvious that Coyote was the one who really wanted to form an alliance. Although Du Chengfeng couldn't quite understand why he had to form an alliance with a group of opponents who had shown their weakness, since Coyote was so insistent, he naturally would not go against him.

After all, he came here to help, and he never had the idea of ​​taking over the main role.

"If we form an alliance... it's not impossible."

Du Chengfeng thought about it and then spoke.

"But we can't just accept whatever they say. What do they think of us?... How about this? You write a letter back and tell them that we are willing to form an alliance and provide weapons and armor to our allies..."

"Are you crazy?"

The coyote was dumbfounded.

It’s true that he wanted to form an alliance, but he never thought that it would be this kind of alliance that would require him to provide weapons and armor to these opponents... Did he say this while still asleep?

Weapons and armor are the basis of their advantage. Can they be given away easily?
"Just hear me out."

Du Chengfeng continued.

"You should also write that because we provided weapons and armor, we are also worried that they will gang up on us. For this reason, we will only form an alliance with three of the five families."

Having said that, Du Chengfeng knocked on the bark in front of him.

"Let them decide which three companies they will choose."

(End of this chapter)