Crossing the wilderness to survive, starting with a broken kitchen knife.

Zhang Shi watched helplessly as his soldiers struggled and collapsed in the flames, his heart filled with remorse and anger. Desperately, he rushed towards the two Lizardmen leaders, using Shadow Steps to close the gap, attempting to stop them from unleashing more flames. However, the fearless Lizardmen guards surrounded him in layers, making his advance difficult. Zhang Shi often found himself surrounded by the Lizardmen army from behind as soon as he turned.

Ge Dalong and Zhao Feng also realized the critical situation. They attacked from both sides, attempting to clear a path for Zhang Shi. Ge Dalong unleashed an ice blizzard, sending massive cones of ice appearing out of thin air above the lizardmen, each strike clearing a gap in their midst. Zhao Feng, with his nimble movement and masterful axe skills, cut through the enemy ranks, gradually closing in on Zhang Shi.

Just as Zhang Shi was about to approach the two lizardmen leaders, one of them seemed to sense his intention and pointed the red bead at him, sending a raging flame hurtling towards him. Zhang Shi quickly dodged to the side, but the heat still burned his arm. Even with the protection of his black light armor, he still felt an unbearable burning sensation.

The sudden attack by the Lizardmen, coupled with close combat with the soldiers, rendered the magic cannons useless. Old White, in a desperate move, fetched a batch of heavy crossbows. The first group of soldiers to evacuate had already taken up advantageous terrain, setting up their heavy crossbows to cover the evacuation of the rest of their team. Gradually, order was restored, and they finally successfully withdrew from the flame zone.

However, the lizardmen's offensive continued unabated, with more of their kind constantly pouring onto the island from the sea. Zhang Shi knew this wasn't going to work. He looked around, his gaze settling on a nearby forest. The dense, lush trees, with their tall, closely spaced branches, might serve as a natural barrier against the lizardmen's advance.

"Everyone, retreat to the woods!" Zhang Shi shouted, his voice remarkably resolute amidst the chaotic battlefield. Upon hearing the order, the soldiers began fighting and retreating towards the woods.

The lizardmen seemed to sense Zhang Shi's intentions. The two high-ranking officers commanded the army to accelerate the pace of the attack, and the flame beads continuously spewed out pillars of fire, trying to cut off the soldiers' retreat. However, under the suppression of the heavy crossbows and the soldiers' desperate resistance, most of the soldiers successfully retreated into the woods.

Once inside the woods, Zhang Shi immediately ordered his soldiers to disperse and use the trees for cover. He knew that while this was a temporary safety, it was not a long-term solution and he had to find a way to strike back.

"Old Ge, you take some men on the left wing and use ice magic to create traps and obstacles to slow down the Lizardmen's advance. Zhao Feng, you'll be on the right wing, leading soldiers skilled in close combat and looking for opportunities to raid the Lizardmen's flanks. Old Bai, organize the magicians and crossbowmen in the rear to provide long-range support." Zhang Shi gave orders quickly, his eyes revealing a hint of determination.

Everyone followed the order and began to prepare. Zhang Shi stood alone in the center of the woods, Old Duan tightly grasped in his hand, watching the Lizardmen approaching from outside the trees. He silently calculated the strength of both sides and the possible variables. The Lizardmen's strength far exceeded the survivors' expectations. Even for a top-tier force like him, this battle had reached a critical juncture of life and death, and he had to make the right decision.

After entering the woods, the lizardmen's movements were noticeably restricted, their massive bodies awkwardly weaving between the trees. Ge Dalong's ice traps frequently caused the lizardmen to slip and fall, creating numerous opportunities for the soldiers to attack. Zhao Feng, in turn, led his soldiers in a sudden flank attack, their axes striking the lizardmen repeatedly, sending sprays of blood splattering across their bodies.

However, the lizardmen were too numerous, and they gradually adapted to the forest environment and began to launch more fierce attacks. The two high-ranking lizardmen also entered the forest cautiously, fearing that they would accidentally injure their companions, so they did not attack with the flame beads in their hands.

Seeing this, Zhang Shi took a deep breath and decided to take the initiative. He unleashed Shadow Slash, sending a stream of black sword energy flying towards the Lizardmen leader. At the same time, he used the speed of Shadow Step to quickly shuttle through the trees, closing in on the Lizardmen leader.

The Lizardmen's guards gathered around him, trying to stop Zhang Shi. But Zhang Shi was undeterred. His swordsmanship became increasingly fierce, and each swing of his blade could take the life of a Lizardmen. In the fierce exchange, Zhang Shi gradually approached the two Lizardmen leaders.

Just as he was about to succeed, several gigantic ground lizards suddenly emerged from the ground, their maws gaping as they bit Zhang Shi. Zhang Shi quickly retreated, a feeling of unease brewing in his heart. These ground lizards were clearly the lizardmen's secret weapon, and their appearance had once again made the situation more dire.

Zhang Shi dodged the attacks of the ground lizards while thinking about how to deal with them. He found that although these ground lizards were huge, they moved relatively slowly and seemed to be more sensitive to magical attacks.

"Those who know skills, concentrate your firepower on attacking the ground lizards!" Zhang Shi shouted loudly.

After hearing the order, the soldiers with special skills, led by Ge Dalong, cast magic to attack the ground lizards. Fireballs, ice cones and other magic spells continuously fell on the ground lizards, making them roar in pain.

Seizing this opportunity, Zhang Shi rushed towards the Lizardmen leaders again. This time, he successfully avoided the attacks of the ground lizards and arrived in front of the Lizardmen leaders. He raised his old sword and slashed at one of the Lizardmen leaders fiercely.

The lizardman leader quickly used the flame bead in his hand to block, but he didn't expect that the blazing flame could actually block Zhang Shi's attack. However, he was still shocked by Zhang Shi's powerful force and took a few steps back. Zhang Shi took the opportunity to launch a series of attacks, not giving the lizardman leader a chance to breathe.

In the fierce battle, Zhang Shi finally found a flaw and slashed the arm of the Lizardman leader, causing the flame bead in his hand to fall. The bead fell to the ground, and the power of the flame was instantly weakened.

Seeing this opportunity, the soldiers on the island were greatly encouraged and rushed out of the woods, launching an even more fierce counterattack against the Lizardmen. Seeing the situation was not good, the Lizardmen began to retreat. On the north shore, several submarines that resembled giant turtles were already waiting, and it was clear that they had a complete battle plan.

Zhang Shi did not let down his guard. He sent people to patrol the coast and did not feel relieved until dawn. However, he knew that this was only a temporary victory and the lizardmen would definitely come back again.

After the battle, Zhang Shi counted the casualties. Of the thousands on the island, over half had been killed in this night raid, most of them wounded by the lizardmen's flames. Zhang Shi was filled with grief. This battle had made him realize that relying solely on the island's existing forces would be difficult to completely defeat the lizardmen.

He decided that he must get in touch with other forces as soon as possible to discuss a joint fight against the Lizardmen, otherwise the island and even the entire survivor world would face a catastrophe.