Hurry to Rescue

Mount Ao's southern foothills, North Town, a large camp with over 100,000 people, the Ice Abyss, the Ancient Abyss Era, the Five Types of Grotesques, the Artisan Grotesque, the Wood Puppet Grotesque, Yang Ning, Li Hu, Luo Ming...

Shi Qing's explanation was long, and he hadn't finished even after the three of them had descended Tower Mountain.

However, what he was recounting truly opened Xia Hong's eyes.

Despite Xia Hong having been in this world for over four months, he still knew nothing about the outside world beyond his immediate surroundings.

He didn't even know the current year.

Of course, with humanity in such a dire state, there probably wasn't any proper calendar system.

It wasn't until today, hearing these things from Shi Qing's mouth.

A large camp with over 100,000 people, North Shu Town, and eight other towns.

And those two great lords from North Shuo Town, Yang and Li, and their mention of the great Lord Yang Zun, just what level of expert was he...

Upon hearing this, a flicker of longing flashed in Xia Hong's eyes.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten the main business.

Learning that Shi Qing had encountered the Puppet Xia Ding that night, but was later rescued by Yang, Li, and Luo, and had then seen the Wood Puppet Grotesque, he quickly inquired:

"What exactly did that Wood Puppet Grotesque look like?"

A trace of hatred flashed in Shi Qing's eyes, and he said in a low voice, "It looked like an old man, with blood-red pupils, devoid of normal human emotions. It held a small knife in its left hand and a ball of transparent thread in its right. Both were its weapons."

Xia Hong firmly etched the features into his mind and glanced ahead.

They were migrating at night, and the group of nearly two hundred people was too large. Coupled with their fear of making too much noise, their progress had been very slow.

Fortunately, Tower Mountain was less than a kilometer from the Great Xia Camp's location on the dirt slope, so it wouldn't take too long even at their slow pace. They expected to arrive in about fifteen minutes.

Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and the others maintained vigilance around the perimeter, while Xia Hong trailed at the very back of the group with Shi Qing and his son.

Recalling what Shi Qing had just said about the events on Great Xia's territory, Xia Hong's brow furrowed slightly, and he continued to ask, "You said earlier that eight people died that night, including Wang Ming and the other three. That should leave five of you. How did only you and Shi Dong return, and when was Shi Dong swapped out by the Wood Puppet Grotesque?"

Shi Qing then recounted how Luo Ming had gathered everyone and cooperated with Yang and Li to deal with the Wood Puppet Grotesque, including the matter of various camps sending people as bait.

Hearing that people were used as bait to lure the Wood Puppet Grotesque out, and that it had failed four times, Xia Hong's expression turned grim.

And when he heard that Shi Dong was swapped out during the baiting process, and had even entered the Rogue Camp with Shi Qing, his expression immediately changed.

It wasn't just him; as Shi Qing reached this point, he also clearly realized something. His expression suddenly changed, and he looked north with a look of terror on his face.

"Are you saying that the Wood Puppet Grotesque not only infiltrated the Rogue Camp through Shi Dong, but also watched you discuss how to deal with it the entire time..."

"It's over, the Rogue Camp is in trouble... trouble...!"

Shi Qing didn't hear what he was asking at all. He just kept staring at the Rogue Camp to the north, muttering "trouble" incessantly.

A look of urgency also appeared on Xia Hong's face, and he asked loudly, "How many people are in the Rogue Camp?"

Shi Qing was startled awake and quickly replied, "I'm not sure exactly, over a thousand."

Over a thousand...

Xia Hong's scalp immediately went numb, and a struggle flashed across his face.

As Shi Qing had said, when they decided on the final attempt to lure the Wood Puppet Grotesque out, Yang Ning and Li Hu had taken nearly ninety percent of the strong individuals from several camps with them.

This meant that those remaining in the Rogue Camp were basically ordinary people.

The more people the Wood Puppet Grotesque killed, the stronger it became.

And based on Xia Hong's observations several times, its control over puppets was also rapidly increasing in both quantity and quality.

"They're going to be slaughtered! No, I have to go save them."

This thought flashed through Xia Hong's mind, and the struggle on his face abruptly ceased, replaced by a look of determination.

Regardless of whether they were slaughtered or not, he had to go quickly.

The Wood Puppet Grotesque had already made an enemy of Great Xia. If they let it continue to grow stronger, both he and the camp would surely face great misfortune.

But he couldn't just rush in blindly.

Xia Hong carefully sorted through his thoughts and then turned to ask Shi Qing:

"You said earlier that Yang Ning and Li Hu are very powerful and can definitely deal with that Wood Puppet Grotesque, right?"

Shi Qing nodded. Seeing the expression on Xia Hong's face, he immediately realized that he wanted to go to the Rogue Camp. He quickly added from behind, "No, Leader. Although Yang Ning and the other two are strong, the Wood Puppet Grotesque has escaped them four times already, and it even infiltrated the Rogue Camp. This shows that it's not only powerful but also cunning and deceitful. We'd best not go..."

"Not go? And just watch everyone in the Rogue Camp get slaughtered?"

Xia Hong directly interrupted Shi Qing, let out a sigh, and looked at him seriously:

"Whether we can save many people or not remains to be seen, but at least we can't just let it kill indiscriminately. Didn't those two lords, Yang and Li, say that once that Grotesque advances to the intermediate level, there will be no humans left alive in the vicinity of Redwood Ridge."

"But, that Grotesque's strength..."

"Don't worry, I have a way to deal with it!"

After saying this, Xia Hong didn't continue talking with Shi Qing. Instead, he called over the nine people from Xia Chuan who were keeping watch around them.

Ignoring the confused expressions of the nine, Xia Hong directly began to give instructions:

"Xu An, Liu Yuan, and Li Yuankun, the three of you take the rest of the team and continue towards the camp. You'll be there soon, and this short distance shouldn't cause any problems. Once you get back to camp, seal the cave immediately, just like before. Anyone who doesn't recite the password, no matter who they are, absolutely cannot be exposed."

Xu An, Liu Yuan, and Li Yuankun had only just broken through to the Lumbering Realm, and their strength wasn't stable yet, so they were being left behind at the camp.

"Yes, Leader!"

Although the three were curious, they quickly nodded and obeyed.

"The remaining six of you, all come with me to the Rogue Camp. If nothing unexpected happens, that Wood Puppet Grotesque should be causing trouble there right now."

"Yes, Leader!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and the other six nodded without the slightest hesitation.

No, it wasn't just that they didn't hesitate.

They even seemed... somewhat excited?

Shi Qing, who had been lying on Shi Ping's back and quietly observing everyone, thought he was mistaken. When he confirmed that Xia Chuan and the others genuinely showed no fear on their faces, but rather a hint of excitement, he felt a sense of confusion. Only one thought occupied his mind.

Were these young people ignorant of the world's dangers, or did they truly have a trump card?

"Leader Shi, tell me the exact location of the Rogue Camp."

Shi Qing knew he couldn't dissuade Xia Hong, but at the same time, a sliver of anticipation rose in his heart for the group before him. He quickly relayed the precise location of the Rogue Camp.

After speaking, Shi Qing saw that Xia Hong was already preparing to depart. He hurried to pat his son's shoulder, signaling him to retrieve the backpack they had just packed.

He quickly took out two recurve bows and two quivers of arrows from the backpack, then called out to Xia Hong:

"Leader, these two bows and arrows won't be of much use to me. Please take them and see if they can be of any help."

Xia Hong's face immediately lit up with joy upon hearing this. He quickly took the bows.

"Thank you, Leader Shi!"

Without further ado, he led Xia Chuan and the other six, first heading into Redwood Ridge, and then speeding north.