The Fall of Big Stone Camp

"Ah... my leg, my leg..."

"Wuwuwu... my neck is broken, it hurts so much."

"Mom, don't die, don't die..."

"Son, where's my son's head? Has anyone seen my son's head..."

Grotesques fell, but Xia Hong showed no joy on his face.

Because all he could hear were the pained wails of the remaining survivors from Big Stone Camp.

The idiom "widespread sorrow and lamentation" had truly materialized before his eyes.

Sigh...

Xia Hong surveyed the tragic scene around him and could only let out a sigh.

"Chun Yu... Chun Yu..."

Shi Qing walked over unsteadily, staggering towards a corpse.

Although the silk threads on his body had been removed, the wounds they left by piercing his flesh were still there. His shoulder blades, lips, and even his limbs and torso had several bloody holes, from which blood was gushing out.

The corpse had been cut in half at the waist by a Grotesque, leaving only the upper body. Judging by the clothing and the name Shi Qing called out, it was clearly his wife.

Beside the body were a boy and girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, crying bitterly.

"Mom, Dad, save Mom, we can't live without her..."

The girl had clearly lost her mind. Seeing Shi Qing approach, she looked up with tear-filled eyes and pleaded with her father.

The sorrowful cries were heart-wrenching. Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and the others who had approached couldn't help but redden their eyes.

Shi Qing first trembled as he picked up his wife's mangled remains. He then looked back at the headless corpse of his brother, Shi Dong. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. Finally, he closed his eyes, his face filled with pain and regret.

Seeing this, Xia Hong sighed inwardly.

The nine people behind him, Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng included, turned their heads away in discomfort.

They could all understand Shi Qing.

Because earlier, a Grotesque had controlled Xia Ding and massacred people from Great Xia.

The Grotesque was able to kill so many people largely because it wore the face of someone everyone was familiar with.

Death was certainly terrifying, but this kind of brutal slaughter orchestrated by someone familiar and close, especially when both the killer and the victims were from their own group, was even more chilling and devastating.

"Leader Shitou... please accept my condolences!"

Xia Hong stepped forward and patted Shi Qing's shoulder. He had intended to offer words of comfort, but what came out was simply a condolence.

Seeing Shi Qing's dazed expression, still lost in grief, he sighed and looked around. "Leader Shitou, time is precious. That Grotesque could return at any moment. Many people are still alive in your camp. If you don't pull yourself together, more tragedies could occur!"

Clearly jolted by Xia Hong's words, Shi Qing suddenly came to his senses. He cast a grateful look at Xia Hong, then turned to his son and daughter.

"Ping, go count how many people died and how many survivors there are. Search every part of the cave; some people might be hiding in the lower levels. Hurry and get them out."

"Lu, go inform everyone to pack their belongings quickly. Once they're ready, they should gather here at the cave entrance. We're moving immediately."

"Yes, Father."

Although the two young people were still grieving, they heard their father's command and knew the situation was dire. They quickly got up to carry out his orders.

After instructing his children, Shi Qing turned his gaze back to Xia Hong.

"Leader Xia..."

Xia Hong met Shi Qing's gaze and immediately understood what he was thinking.

Mainly because the plea in his eyes was too obvious.

Shi Qing's shoulder blades, limbs, and torso had just been pierced by the Grotesque's white threads. His entire body was now covered in blood, and even moving was difficult. He was practically crippled.

Let alone leading the remaining people in the camp to a new, unknown place.

It was uncertain whether he could even lead the others to complete this migration successfully.

Furthermore, with the loss of their only Lumbering Realm fighter, and especially one as pivotal as Shi Qing, it meant:

Big Stone Camp was effectively defunct.

The plea in Shi Qing's eyes was not just for Xia Hong to help them move; his intention was already very clear.

He wanted to entrust the remaining people of Big Stone Camp to Xia Hong.

Shi Qing didn't state it directly, leaving Xia Hong room to refuse.

He also knew that suddenly taking in hundreds of people was no simple matter.

Although the incident of Xia Hong eliminating the Grotesque suggested that Great Xia Camp was in a much better state than before, Shi Qing didn't believe Xia Hong would so easily accept so many people.

Moreover, all that remained of Big Stone Camp now were ordinary people.

Even he, their only Lumbering Realm fighter, was incapacitated.

As Xia Hong remained silent for a long time, the plea in Shi Qing's eyes gradually faded, his hopes extinguishing one by one, replaced by despair.

"First, come back to the Great Xia Camp with us. We'll talk about what happens next!"

Upon hearing Xia Hong's words, Shi Qing's body trembled. He looked up at Xia Hong sharply.

Confirming that Xia Hong had indeed agreed, Shi Qing was so excited he couldn't speak. He could only look at him with eyes full of immense gratitude and nod heavily.

"Father, 132 people died in the camp, and 187 remain. Sister has already notified them to pack their things, and it should be done soon."

Shi Ping walked over at this moment, with Shi Lu following closely behind him. Some people who had already finished packing also slowly gathered around.

"Chuan, you and your nine men organize everyone. When the time comes, have people ready at the cave entrance to help. First, get all the children up, then lead them down the mountain. Let the older ones climb on their own; it'll be faster that way."

"Yes, Leader!"

Xia Chuan, along with his nine men, began organizing the orderly evacuation of the crowd.

Although the previous relocation of the Great Xia Camp was organized and led by Xia Hong, Xia Chuan had been by his side assisting then. Thus, he had accumulated some experience. With him and eight others helping to organize, the efficiency immediately increased significantly.

In a short while, the children were arranged at the very front. Yuan Cheng and his men at the cave entrance used ropes to pull them up one by one. The adults, carrying their belongings and supplies, followed closely behind.

Seeing everyone from the camp evacuating in an orderly fashion, Shi Qing's emotions eased considerably.

"Leader Shi, come on. You have trouble moving, so I'll carry you."

When Shi Qing saw Xia Hong approaching to carry him, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. Immediately after, he was touched and waved his hands repeatedly, saying with a wry smile, "Leader, please don't joke. I'm a cripple now. How can I trouble you? Just let Shi Ping carry me."

Hearing Shi Qing's address to him, Xia Hong raised an eyebrow.

He naturally understood Shi Qing's subtle intentions. It was simply to ensure he wouldn't abandon the nearly two hundred people from Big Stone Camp and to solidify his position as leader.

Although he hadn't intended to abandon them anyway, seeing Shi Qing's cautious probing made Xia Hong feel inexplicably heavy-hearted.

Shi Qing's reaction revealed the dire situation of small camps. Due to resource limitations, merging wasn't feasible. To be absorbed by a stronger camp, one needed to offer sufficient value, and the stronger camp also needed to have surplus resources. Without meeting these two prerequisites, they likely wouldn't accept.

In reality, with Great Xia's current strength, absorbing these nearly two hundred people wasn't justifiable. However, Xia Hong couldn't bear to abandon so many people, letting them become food for the Grotesques and Frost Beasts. Furthermore, coupled with the look of despair and pleading in Shi Qing's eyes just now, he had forcefully taken them in.

"Don't worry, Leader Shi, I won't abandon them. Let's go back to the Great Xia Camp first."

Hearing Xia Hong's words, Shi Qing's expression finally relaxed. He even forced himself to stand and bowed deeply to Xia Hong.

Of course, Xia Hong didn't let him kneel and reached out to help him up.

Just then, Shi Ping arrived. Xia Hong helped Shi Qing onto his son's back. While leading them towards the cave entrance, he asked Shi Qing:

"Leader Shi, when you encountered the Grotesques in Great Xia's territory before, how did you escape? Besides Wang Ming and the other three, did everyone else die?

How was Shi Dong swapped out without you noticing?

And, did you personally see that Grotesque?"

Xia Hong asked several questions, but the most important one was the last.

He wanted to understand more about that Grotesque.

Shi Qing, who was on his son's back, first showed a flash of pain in his eyes upon hearing these questions, but he quickly composed himself and began to answer Xia Hong.