Chapter 57: The Concentrated Fire Oil Runs Out |
When extracted from the smelting furnace, each portion of Concentrated Fire Oil was only about the size of a fist.
Though solid in form, it liquefied with the slightest pressure.
Xia Hong couldn't determine how many Abominations one portion could eliminate, but he was certain it wouldn't be enough to test all five or six hundred people before them.
As chaotic thoughts raced through Xia Hong's mind, the crowd surging from the building had already reached the five of them.
The deadly problem was that this group contained both real humans and imposters - impossible to distinguish at a glance.
The genuine people didn't know who was real either; they only knew to rush toward the five men, seeking shelter behind them.
In this crisis, Luo Ming had no time to mourn his eldest son's death. With Shang Ping and the other two, he struggled to identify the real humans while guarding against the fakes' ambushes.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" Xia Hong grew tense as many rushed toward him, raising his hand axe to command their retreat. It wasn't that he lacked compassion for Rogge Camp's people - the danger was that Wood Puppet Abomination-controlled puppets hid among them. One mistake could cost him his life.
He certainly wouldn't gamble with his life.
But the fakes couldn't restrain themselves.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind came from his right. Xia Hong's eyes widened as he dodged left, swinging his axe horizontally to block the attacker's weapon.
Clang—
The iron shortsword from his left - clearly Rogge Camp's property - cleaved through his stone axe without resistance, then thrust upward toward his jaw.
"This strength... these puppets are at Digging Realm!" Xia Hong's expression changed the moment he blocked. It wasn't the weapon's sharpness - the ambushing puppet's strength nearly matched his own.
No time for shock. Xia Hong kept retreating, evading the sword thrust at his jaw. Pushing off a door panel behind him, he lunged and grabbed his attacker.
Instantly, the Concentrated Fire Oil on his hand took effect.
"Ah—!" The puppet, shaped like a middle-aged woman, screamed as flames seared her to the core. Yet she kept slashing wildly with her shortsword, trying to stab the gripping Xia Hong.
Dodging side to side, Xia Hong pinned the woman against the wooden wall while avoiding her blade and watching for other ambushers.
The oil proved merciless. Soon the woman burned to ashes, the flames extinguishing instantly when they touched Xia Hong's skin.
Though it ignited upon contacting Abominations, the oil was harmless to humans.
Yet watching the woman's corpse burn away didn't ease Xia Hong's tension - his expression grew graver.
A woman?
Around Redwood Ridge, even grown men struggled to get Frost Beast meat - women stood no chance. All camp women were ordinary people.
Yet this female attacker had Digging Realm strength.
What did this mean?
It meant the Wood Puppet Abomination's puppets could now wield Digging Realm power!
"Leader Xia! We're out of Concentrated Fire Oil! Do you have more?" Luo Ming's shout made Xia Hong's heart clench when he turned.
Shang Ping and the other two were still struggling to identify real people. Though they'd each saved over a dozen, their remaining oil was nearly gone, and they bore various wounds.
Luo Ming, now surrounded and bleeding from a waist stab, looked to Xia Hong desperately.
Having broken through to Digging Realm long ago, all four men's base strength surpassed Xia Hong's.
That they'd been reduced to this state despite the oil proved his fear - the puppets hidden among the crowd all possessed Digging Realm strength.
"Leader Luo, catch!" Seeing Luo Ming's predicament, Xia Hong tossed his remaining oil chunk.
Luo Ming caught it midair, splitting it into four pieces for his men before hastily applying it to hands and weapons.
The oil worked flawlessly.
Any puppet that touched it burst into agonized flames. Even with Digging Realm power, they couldn't match the four armed men.
Replenished, Luo Ming's group became unstoppable, rescuing dozens more within moments. Nearly a hundred verified humans now stood behind them.
For the first time since entering camp, hope flickered across their previously despairing faces.
Though less than a tenth of the total population, these lives represented their first success.
But there were too many people. Not enough oil.
"Leader Xia, more oil! We could save many more!" Luo Ming pleaded as his supply ran dry, eyes desperate for another portion.
Xia Hong's expression shattered that hope.
"Leader Luo, this isn't common stuff. I only carried two portions - one's gone, the other's with you. Can we even screen all those remaining people? The Wood Puppet Abomination still hasn't shown itself!"
Luo Ming glanced back at the several hundred still inside, face darkening.
He knew Xia Hong was right. The oil couldn't identify so many. And the Abomination's absence likely meant it feared the oil.
If they exhausted their supply before it appeared, what then?
"Leader Luo, give up. Use the oil to breach the hut. The people outside are in danger too - if they fall, things worsen!"
Clenching his fists, Luo Ming wrestled with the decision before choosing instantly.
"Shang Ping! Coat your blades! Break the wall to let these people escape!"
"Yes, leader!"
Seeing Luo Ming's decisiveness eased Xia Hong's mind. He'd feared hesitation might doom them.
Though many remained inside, saving them all was impossible. Continuing would waste precious oil and invite disaster - they had no idea how many puppets lurked within.
Moreover, lingering endangered those outside.
All Lumberjack Realm warriors from both Rogge and Great Xia Camps, plus those from Huang Zhao and Hong Gang's four allied camps, were out there. Losing them would render any victory over the Abomination meaningless.
While their current wooden prison seemed only confining, the other four huts' dangers remained unknown.
As Xia Hong pondered, Luo Ming's group applied their last oil and struck the resealed wall together.
Crack—
Like before, their blades embedded without fully breaking through. But this time, sparks erupted upon impact.
The flames eagerly spread across the animated wood, rapidly burning a large hole.
The wall recoiled from the fire as if facing a mortal enemy, abandoning the burning section rather than regenerating.
Soon a four-to-five-meter-wide fiery gap appeared.
"Everyone out! Now!" Luo Ming commanded. The rescued poured through the opening.
Xia Hong didn't join the rush. Peering outside, his face twisted with urgency.
"Leader Luo! We must help out there!"
Without waiting for the last evacuees, he shouted to Luo Ming and charged past the civilians.
Luo Ming hesitated briefly, wanting to save more inside. But one look outside erased all doubt.
Face tightening, he immediately led Shang Ping's trio in pursuit.