Hurry to Rescue

"Southern foothills of Mount Ao, nine towns, North Shuo Town, a large camp with over a hundred thousand people, Ice Abyss, Ancient Abyss Era, Five Types of Grotesques, Artisan Grotesque, Wood Puppet Grotesque, Yang Ning, Li Hu, Luo Ming..."

Shi Qing's answer was long. It still had not ended by the time the three of them descended Tower Mountain.

But the things he described truly opened Xia Hong's eyes.

Although Xia Hong had already been in this world for over four months,

in reality, aside from the tiny patch of land around him, he still knew absolutely nothing about the world outside.

He did not even know the exact year.

Of course, with humanity fallen to this state, there probably was no proper calendar anymore.

It was not until today, when he heard all this from Shi Qing,

that he learned about a large camp of over a hundred thousand people, North Shuo Town, and eight other towns.

And the two lords from North Shuo Town—Yang and Li—as well as the great lord Yang Zun they had mentioned. Just what realm had a powerhouse like that reached...

Hearing all this, a trace of yearning could not help flashing through Xia Hong's eyes.

Of course, he had not forgotten the important matter at hand.

After learning that although Shi Qing had encountered the puppet Xia Ding that night, he had later seen that Wood Puppet Grotesque after being rescued by Yang, Li, and Luo, Xia Hong hurriedly asked:

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

A glimmer of hatred flashed through Shi Qing's eyes. He said in a low voice, "It looked like an old man. Its pupils were scarlet, and it had none of the normal emotions of a human. It held a small knife in its left hand and a bundle of transparent threads in its right. Both were its weapons."

Xia Hong firmly engraved the features in his mind, then raised his head and glanced ahead.

They were traveling at night, and the nearly two-hundred-person group was simply too large. On top of that, they did not dare make too much noise, so everyone's pace had been very slow.

Fortunately, Tower Mountain was less than a kilometer from the dirt slope where the Great Xia Camp was located. No matter how slowly they went, it would not take too long. They were expected to arrive in another quarter of an hour.

Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and the others had been keeping watch around them, while Xia Hong followed behind the group with the father and son, Shi Qing and Shi Dong.

Recalling what Shi Qing had just said about what happened on Great Xia's territory, Xia Hong furrowed his brows slightly and continued asking, "You just said that eight people died that night, including Wang Ming's group of four. That means five of you should have remained. So how did only you and Shi Dong return? And when was Shi Dong replaced by the Wood Puppet Grotesque?"

Shi Qing then recounted everything about Luo Ming gathering everyone to join Yang and Li in dealing with the Wood Puppet Grotesque, including how the various camps sent people out as bait.

When he heard that they had sent people out as bait to lure the Wood Puppet Grotesque into revealing itself, only to fail four times, Xia Hong's expression became somewhat strange.

But when he heard that Shi Dong had been replaced during the bait operation and had even entered Rogue Camp together with Shi Qing, his expression changed at once.

It was not just him. At this point, Shi Qing had evidently realized something as well. His face abruptly changed, and he looked north with terror in his eyes.

"You mean that the Wood Puppet Grotesque not only infiltrated Rogue Camp by taking Shi Dong's place, but also watched you discuss how to deal with it from beginning to end..."

"It's over! Something happened to Rogue Camp... Something happened...!"

Shi Qing had not heard what he was asking at all. He merely kept staring toward Rogue Camp in the north, muttering over and over that something had happened.

A trace of urgency appeared on Xia Hong's face as he asked loudly, "How many people are there in Rogue Camp?"

Shi Qing snapped back to reality and hurriedly answered, "I don't know the exact number. Over a thousand."

Over a thousand...

Xia Hong's scalp instantly prickled, and a look of struggle flashed across his face.

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

In other words, the people remaining in Rogue Camp were basically all ordinary people.

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

Moreover, based on Xia Hong's observations, the number and quality of puppets it could control were also increasing rapidly.

They'll probably all be slaughtered! No, I have to go save them.

This thought flashed through Xia Hong's mind. The struggle on his face abruptly vanished, gradually replaced by determination.

Whether they had all been killed or not, he had to hurry over.

The Wood Puppet Grotesque had already formed a grudge with Great Xia. If they simply watched it continue growing stronger, both he and the camp would surely suffer terribly in the end.

But he could not rush over recklessly either.

Xia Hong carefully sorted through everything in his mind before turning to ask Shi Qing:

"You said earlier that Yang Ning and Li Hu are extremely powerful and should definitely be able to deal with that Wood Puppet Grotesque, right?"

Shi Qing nodded. Seeing the expression on Xia Hong's face, he instantly realized that Xia Hong wanted to go to Rogue Camp. He hurriedly added, "No, leader. Although Yang Ning and Li Hu are strong, the Wood Puppet Grotesque has already escaped from them four times. It even infiltrated Rogue Camp. Clearly, it is not only powerful, but also crafty and treacherous. We'd best not go to Ro—"

"Not go? Are we supposed to sit here and watch everyone in Rogue Camp get slaughtered?"

Xia Hong cut Shi Qing off directly. He let out a soft breath and looked at him solemnly.

"Let's set aside how many people we can save. At the very least, we can't let it slaughter people unchecked. Didn't those two lords, Yang and Li, say it themselves? Once that grotesque advances to the intermediate level, there won't be any way for humans to survive anywhere around Redwood Ridge."

"But that grotesque's strength..."

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

After saying this, Xia Hong did not continue speaking with Shi Qing. Instead, he called over Xia Chuan and the other eight people who were keeping watch nearby.

Ignoring the puzzled looks of the nine people, Xia Hong immediately began giving orders:

"Xu An, Liu Yuan, Li Yuan Kun, the three of you take the group and continue toward the camp. We'll arrive soon. It shouldn't be a problem over such a short distance. Once you return to the camp, seal the cavern immediately. Just like before, anyone who doesn't give the correct password—no matter who comes—must not be allowed to expose us."

Xu An, Liu Yuan, and Li Yuan Kun had just broken through into the Lumbering Realm, and their strength was still unstable, so Xia Hong left them at the camp.

"Yes, leader!"

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

"The remaining six will all come with me to Rogue Camp. If nothing unexpected has happened, that Wood Puppet Grotesque should be causing trouble there right now."

"Yes, leader!"

Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and the other four nodded and agreed without the slightest hesitation.

No, it was more than a lack of hesitation.

They even seemed... excited?

Shi Qing had been lying on Shi Ping's back the entire time, quietly watching everyone. Thinking he had seen wrong, he waited until he confirmed that Xia Chuan and the others truly showed no fear—instead, they even looked somewhat excited. He immediately felt disoriented, with only one thought in his mind.

Did these young people not know the immensity of heaven and earth, or did they truly have something to rely on?

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

Shi Qing knew he could not persuade Xia Hong otherwise, but at the same time, a trace of anticipation rose in his heart toward the group before him. He hurriedly gave Xia Hong Rogue Camp's exact location.

Afterward, seeing that Xia Hong was preparing to set out, Shi Qing quickly patted his son and signaled for him to take out the bundle he had just packed.

He swiftly pulled two curved bows and two quivers from the bundle, then called out to Xia Hong:

"Leader, these two bows are of no use to me if I keep them. Take them with you and see if they can help."

Xia Hong's face immediately lit up with delight. He hurriedly accepted the bows.

"Thank you, Chief Shi!"

Without saying anything else, he led Xia Chuan and the other five, first plunging into Redwood Ridge before racing north at full speed.