"Excellent!" Allen Adhan estimated that the troop strengths were roughly equal and could engage in a fight, a fifty-fifty chance.
However, to his utter surprise, before the two sides could engage head-on, a downpour of icy rain descended from the sky, drenching Allen Adhan's main force and causing their health bars to deplete rapidly.
"Blizzard!" Allen Adhan exclaimed. Huang He's mages had actually learned the second-tier Blizzard! Although the damage wasn't excessive, it was enough to strip the thinly-armored Night Elves of about a quarter of their health. Facing the charging, full-health Human forces, there was virtually no chance of winning!
"Retreat!" Allen Adhan immediately realized he needed to withdraw. But as he prepared to disengage, he sadly discovered that in his pursuit of Huang He's peasants, he had become trapped near the gold mine. The mine was flanked by forests, and the frontal exit was blocked by the Town Hall and two Farms. The only way out was the path he had just charged through.
In other words, Allen Adhan's troops were completely sealed in their base by Huang He, unable to exit.
And as Allen Adhan attempted to use a Town Portal Scroll to escape, he discovered even more agonizingly that his scroll had already been used. He had lost all means of retreat and could only be cornered and slaughtered within his base by these Human troops.
Although Huang He's operations seemed somewhat lacking, having secured a significant advantage, Allen Adhan still managed to trade all his infantry units.
But Allen Adhan's main force was also wiped out, while Huang He still had seven or eight riflemen remaining.
The subsequent battle was anticlimactic. Huang He didn't even upgrade to a second tier, simply continuously producing footmen and riflemen, blocking the Night Elf Barracks and killing Allen Adhan's peasant sprites. Although Allen Adhan managed to scrape together the funds to establish an expansion, before the Ancient Protector could even get up, it was discovered by one of Huang He's peasants. A squad of riflemen was then called in. Enraged, Allen Adhan directly quit the game and chose to surrender.
"It seems I have won!" Huang He said with a smile.
"Mr. Huang, do you have no confidence in your company?" Allen Adhan huffed, his mustache bristling. "Besides, while Warcraft III has undergone significant changes compared to the second installment, it fundamentally follows the basic rules of real-time strategy games. I just need to adapt!" Huang He chuckled.
Allen Adhan considered this, feeling the possibility of a leak was unlikely. This was because the game was still in its beta version, having been released for less than a month. Moreover, internal company security was stringent, the external network was strictly monitored, and private devices like discs were prohibited. The probability of a leak was exceedingly low.
"It seems this guy really has some skills," Allen Adhan muttered, though a deep sense of dissatisfaction gnawed at him. "Let's play again!"
"That can be arranged, but what you promised me..."
"Don't worry, I'm a man of my word. I agree to the previous conditions. And if you win this round again, I'll send programmers to help you set up Battle.net!" Allen Adhan declared.
"Then I won't be polite!" Huang He grinned and the two entered the second game. This time, Allen Adhan, filled with unwillingness, decided to give Huang He a harsh lesson by unleashing a berserker ghoul rush, aiming to end the game within five minutes.
Therefore, Allen Adhan chose the Undead race and, at the cost of economic development, quickly amassed an army of ghouls, a ghoul horde.
Because the Undead ghouls also performed lumber tasks, if Allen Adhan sacrificed lumber economy, he could indeed field a high-quality force earlier.
And Huang He was still playing as the Human. Seeing this, Allen Adhan felt reassured. Among the four major races, only the Orc could withstand a berserker ghoul rush in the early game. Others, unless exceptionally well-prepared, stood no chance.
Thus, Allen Adhan, leading a squad of 12 ghouls, aggressively advanced towards Huang He's base. At this point, the Human player would, at best, have a few footmen or riflemen. Without prior preparation, they would be unable to stop his 12 ghouls. If these ghouls could eliminate all of Huang He's peasants, Huang He's economy would be crippled.
Allen Adhan's strategy was sound; this was a classic ghoul rush tactic that had previously led professional players to surrender within five minutes on the competitive stage.
However, when Allen Adhan reached Huang He's base, a repulsive sight greeted him. Huang He had completely sealed off his base with two Farms, a Lumber Mill, and a Barracks, leaving no gaps. The peasants were all working within the enclosed area. To kill the peasants, one would have to destroy a building first.
But while berserker ghouls could kill, they couldn't dismantle bases. Yet, having come all this way, they couldn't leave empty-handed. Allen Adhan was forced to command his troops to attack the base, at least trying to kill all the peasants.
But just then, Allen Adhan suddenly heard the sound of something landing. Glancing behind him, he saw that, without his knowledge, three Watch Towers had been erected nearby and were in the process of transforming into defensive towers.
Once an arrow tower transformed, it could fire arrows, and the fragile ghouls, needing about four hits to take down one. Twelve ghouls surrounding an arrow tower couldn't destroy a heavily defended tower within four hits. These three defensive towers, once erected, would be enough to eliminate all the ghouls present.
Allen Adhan found himself in an extremely awkward predicament. If he attacked the defensive towers immediately, he might be able to destroy one, but the remaining two arrow towers would then kill at least eight ghouls, effectively ending his early game.
If he retreated now, Allen Adhan would have essentially conducted an armed parade, achieving nothing. He had wasted a significant amount of lumber-gathering time. He and Huang He were already deficient by at least 300 lumber, and this number would likely increase to around 500 upon his return.
This situation left Allen Adhan in a quandary. At that moment, the previously seen white-bearded old man appeared in Allen Adhan's sight – it was Huang He's hero.
These three defensive towers had been placed by this old fellow!
Allen Adhan's gaze turned menacing. The hallmark of the Human shop was the ability to purchase defensive towers. These towers did not require peasants to build; they could be dropped directly onto the ground and quickly solidified. This was a balancing design to compensate for the Human race's early-game weakness, a weakness that Allen Adhan himself had fallen victim to.