Chapter 43: Abominations—Humanity’s Common Enemy |
The Wood Puppet Abomination was a problem every camp around Redwood Ridge had to face; none could escape it.
If left unresolved, everyone was just waiting to die—there was no doubt about that.
Hong Gang and his three companions understood that even if they left, Luo Ming would not just stand by.
So when the four proposed leaving, they hadn’t ruled out hoping that the Rogge Camp would take on the burden of dealing with this trouble.
But Luo Ming was obviously not stupid.
Shi Qing wanting to leave was understandable.
Too many people had died at Boulder Camp; if the two didn’t leave soon, the hundreds of people there would starve or freeze to death.
But for the other four camps, the losses were still within an acceptable range.
Luo Ming certainly wouldn’t let them go, but he wasn’t overbearing either; he wouldn’t force them to stay, which is why he said what he did.
When that Wood Puppet Abomination causes trouble, in the end, we’ll all suffer together.”
Hong Gang and his three companions clearly understood what Luo Ming meant, which was why their faces all changed at once.
The last sentence from Luo Ming, about taking the camp elsewhere to find another way to survive, was basically just an angry remark—they could ignore it.
Not to mention, how far could they really get in one night?
Once they left Redwood Ridge, outside, they were completely blind.
In an unfamiliar environment, Frost Beasts, Abominations, and extreme cold—any one of those alone could kill them all.
If escape were really possible, these people wouldn’t still be stuck here.
“Leader Luo, we all respect you. Let’s cut the nonsense. We’re willing to keep helping deal with the Wood Puppet Abomination, but if it’s going to be like the previous four times—sending people as bait, letting our brothers die needlessly—that’s impossible!”
Hong Gang, always straightforward, spoke first.
The other three leaders all nodded in agreement at Hong Gang’s words, showing their support.
In fact, not just these three leaders, Luo Ming himself also agreed with Hong Gang’s stance, but he didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked troubled and turned to Yang Ning and Li Hu, who were seated above.
Though it was a bit frustrating, Luo Ming had to admit that when it came to dealing with the Abominations, it wasn’t up to him—it was up to Yang Ning and Li Hu.
Whether or not the two had ulterior motives regarding the Abomination, they were genuinely helping, and at present, only they had the strength to handle it.
After a moment of thought, Luo Ming reluctantly bowed first to the two and then lowered his head, speaking respectfully:
“I, Luo Ming, first thank you two for your righteous assistance. I believe the other leaders feel the same and are grateful that you would help without regard for gain or loss.
But the previous four times, too many have died. You two also witnessed this firsthand. Hong Gang and the other three are from small camps; their Lumberjack Realm combat power is limited. Losing even a few more could truly endanger their survival.
Could you two consider another way to lure out that Wood Puppet Abomination?”
After finishing, Luo Ming quietly waited for a response from the two.
The other four leaders also waited silently for Yang Ning and Li Hu to speak, hoping they could find another method and stop sacrificing people as bait.
However, what no one noticed was that from the moment their conversation began, Li Hu’s expression had already become extremely impatient.
Even Yang Ning, who was usually calm in contrast, now furrowed his brow with a grim expression.
Li Hu couldn’t hold back and was about to speak. Judging by his personality, he was probably going to vent at everyone.
But before he could say anything, Yang Ning stood up from his seat, stopped him, then turned to face the group. After thinking for a moment, he quietly asked:
“Do you all think using people as bait to lure out the Abomination is too cruel? That after four attempts with no results and so many deaths, it’s just not worth it?”
Luo Ming didn’t answer, and the four leaders exchanged glances without speaking.
Of course, silence was also a kind of answer.
Yang Ning naturally understood this. After scanning the five of them, he suddenly chuckled softly and shook his head repeatedly, his face full of helplessness.
“Do you know what it means once the Wood Puppet Abomination in Redwood Ridge evolves from the primary to the intermediate stage?”
When he asked this, Yang Ning’s tone was already clearly angry. He didn’t expect an answer and continued speaking:
“An intermediate Abomination, even if a Warmth Realm expert arrives without any knowledge of it, is extremely likely to be killed. Humans at the Earth Digger level are nothing but ants to it—swatted away with a flick.
So once it evolves, it means not only your small group in Redwood Ridge, but all the nearby large and even huge camps will become its hunting grounds.
And if luck runs out and it evolves to the advanced stage, even my Beishuo Town will have to pay a huge price to deal with it.
Do you really think the two of us stayed here just to save your worthless lives?”
Yang Ning’s first outburst, sharp and biting, sent a chill through Luo Ming and the others. The hall fell into a deathly silence.
He hadn’t finished:
“Abominations, these evil creatures that evolve by killing, are humanity’s common enemy. If we weren’t worried that their growing strength would bring disaster to even more camps, would we care about the two or three thousand lives across your camps?
These Abominations have no humanity. They kill and evolve on instinct, never stopping. If we don’t eliminate them while they’re weak, the harm will be endless.
Do you think the method I use is meant to harm you deliberately?
Abominations are bloodthirsty; aside from using people as bait, there’s no other way to draw them out. That’s the consensus among Ice Abyss humans.
Twenty-nine lives may seem like a lot to you, but to me, if we don’t remove that Wood Puppet Abomination early, the death toll could be two thousand nine hundred, twenty-nine thousand, or even more.
Not to mention Beishuo Town—across the nine towns of Mo’ao Mountain, thousands have died fighting Abominations. I personally witnessed over a hundred Earth Digger-level humans volunteering as bait to trap a single intermediate Abomination.”
At this point, Yang Ning seemed to recall something. He pointed to Li Hu behind him and loudly said to everyone:
“Li Hu’s father sacrificed himself by volunteering as bait to hunt an Abomination for Beishuo.”
Hearing this, Li Hu’s face showed no sadness, only pride and deep hatred toward the Abominations.
The group fell silent.
Yang Ning seemed to feel he had said too much. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and sighed:
“Enough. I’ve said all I need to. Tomorrow, we’ll try one last time. If we can’t kill that Wood Puppet Abomination, Li Hu and I will return to Beishuo to seek reinforcements.
At that point, you’ll just have to fend for yourselves.”
At this point, neither Luo Ming nor the other four leaders could argue anymore. Even if they wanted to, Yang Ning’s words had forced them back.
They were all leaders of their respective camps. Even if not exceptionally clever, they had some skill in reading people.
Yang Ning’s emotion had clearly been genuine.
With things said to this extent, no one dared to refute him.
At worst, they’d try one last time tomorrow. If they really could kill that Wood Puppet Abomination, everyone would be happy.
The meeting ended, and everyone returned to the rooms Luo Ming had arranged to rest.
The accommodation at Rogge Camp was decent; each person got a room. Shi Dong and Shi Qing, the two brothers, were placed next door to each other.
It was already dawn outside. Everyone was exhausted from the night and almost immediately fell asleep upon returning to their rooms.
At midday, when everyone was in their deepest sleep and the outside temperature was coldest,
Shi Dong suddenly opened his eyes from the bed.
He quietly got up, opened the door, and walked outside the wooden house.
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