Zhou Mo would no longer be unknown.

"..."

Chen Fan quickly glanced at the few stragglers that had slipped past the City Wall and sped through the Western Side of the Camp. Once these Meatworm Wraiths plunged into the Gray Fog, the pained expressions on their human faces vanished, replaced by the same cheerful looks they had worn at the start.

But it wasn't over!

Meatworm Wraiths continued pouring into the Camp. Countless more rolled through the Gray Fog, while still more surged out of Eternal Night into the black mist. There was no telling how many remained.

Standing beside the Level-3 Arrow Tower, its Crossbow Mechanism studded with runes, he wasted no time pushing another Eerie Stone into the socket. He patiently waited a few seconds, only activating the skill again once enough Meatworm Wraiths had entered its Rain of Arrows range.

"Arrow Rain Storm!"

The runes on the bolts lit up again, floating in the air around the Arrow Tower.

Countless arrows of light shot high into the sky, raining down through the raging wind and Torrential Rain to wipe out every Meatworm Wraith within range!

Eighteen Eerie Stones remained.

He quickly checked his remaining Eerie Stones. He could activate Arrow Rain Storm eighteen more times at most.

Activating "Arrow Rain Storm" required a whole Eerie Stone. The slightly depleted stone originally inside this Arrow Tower couldn't activate its active skill, so he had removed it and set it on the stone bricks of the City Wall's walkway.

One stone.

Two stones.

Three stones.

This rather crude-looking Camp displayed extraordinary resilience amid the raging storm. One Arrow Rain Storm after another slaughtered the Meatworm Wraiths charging inside like wolves tearing through sheep!

It was a staggering sight.

Yet not one of Chen Fan's group was smiling. Their faces were grim, because everyone knew they didn't have enough Eerie Stones...

Only six Eerie Stones remained.

Enough for six more Arrow Rain Storms.

Yet the "Meatworm Wraiths" continued pouring out of Eternal Night into the Gray Fog, then from the Gray Fog into the Camp!

Thirty-seven years ago, the Rainy Season had arrived early, and the Strange Tide had run rampant.

Every Camp in the Wasteland had been wiped out.

"Northbank City" had fallen, its people slaughtered. Fewer than one in a thousand had survived.

Everyone present knew that history, even had it etched into their hearts. Those with elders in their families who had survived by sheer luck could hear from them about the cruelty and despair of that Rainy Season thirty-seven years ago.

But...

Hearing about it was one thing.

It could never compare to seeing it with their own eyes.

At that moment.

Everyone present truly understood what a "Strange Tide" was: an endless flood that knew no fear of death, attacking without cease until the Camp was destroyed.

And at that moment, they finally understood that even with a Builder to rely on, surviving the Rainy Season—especially one that had arrived early—was an almost impossible dream.

There was no way out.

Death was certain.

Thud.

A faint impact sounded as a Meatworm Wraith that had slipped through struck the City Wall. Its ball of flesh instantly burst, turning into thick green liquid that steadily corroded the wall.

They had already lost count of how many had slipped through.

The fifth, or the sixth?

Even with "Arrow Rain Storm," stragglers occasionally made it through the Rain of Arrows and crashed into the City Wall.

They had held out long enough.

But instead of hope, all that had come was utter despair.

At first, there hadn't been that many "Meatworm Wraiths," but the swarm soon grew dramatically in both numbers and breadth. They could only kill the ones charging toward the City Wall, while even more passed through the Camp on the Western Side and rolled into the darkness.

That was also the side from which the female Strange Entity had charged earlier.

They were on the edge of this Strange Tide.

A closer look revealed it.

The entire expanse of Gray Fog to the west was already filled with "Meatworm Wraiths." No other Strange Entities could be seen. Like a swarm of locusts, they swept through the entire Camp.

To the east, however, there were only two or three strays.

The Camp wasn't this swarm's target.

Even more Meatworm Wraiths passed the Camp through the dark Gray Fog outside, heading deeper into Eternal Night. The Camp was merely caught in their path. These Meatworm Wraiths weren't even trying to kill him, yet even so, they had driven him into a situation where death was almost certain.

"Could we hide by digging a hole?"

Chen Fan pushed another Eerie Stone into the Arrow Tower and spoke a little faster. "Abandon the entire Camp. These Meatworm Wraiths don't seem like they'll attack us, and other Strange Entities won't come near while they're passing through. We can hide underground, then build another Eerie Fire once they've passed."

"No."

Wang Kui quickly rejected the plan. "Builders can't create Eerie Fire in Eternal Night."

He didn't understand why the Station Master didn't know this, but now wasn't the time to think about it.

"I'll go!"

Little Qiu stepped forward again, looking up at the arrows shooting into the sky for who knew which time. He gripped the hem of his clothes so tightly his knuckles turned white, speaking rapidly. "We've killed plenty of Meatworm Wraiths. They've dropped a lot of Eerie Stones down there."

"I'll go out and throw the Eerie Stones back over the City Wall."

"When we talked tonight, I didn't say what my wish was. I wanted to go home and see it again. Brother King knows where I live. If you get the chance someday, take my ashes home and bury them under the big pagoda tree at the village entrance."

Little Qiu had stepped forward once again.

This time was different.

There were far too many "Meatworm Wraiths" in the tide. When "Arrow Rain Storm" struck, there was indeed a brief opening, but the "Meatworm Wraiths" behind them quickly filled it.

Only an instant.

That wasn't enough time to return behind the wall. The Meatworm Wraiths coming up behind would engulf him.

That instant would only give Little Qiu enough time to snatch up a dozen or so Eerie Stones, stuff them into a sack, and hurl it over the City Wall.

The Eerie Stones could make it inside.

The person carrying them certainly couldn't.

If the previous mission had merely been extremely dangerous, this one meant certain death.

The moment he finished speaking.

Zhou Mo, who had been standing to one side, suddenly patted Little Qiu's shoulder and pushed the Great Knife he always carried into his arms. With a calm expression, he said, "You're still young. Take good care of this knife. It's been with me for years."

Then, before anyone else could react, he vaulted over the parapet in the Torrential Rain and landed firmly on the barren ground outside the City Wall.

Just then, Arrow Rain Storm struck.

A brief opening appeared in front of the City Wall. Without a moment's hesitation, Zhou Mo stumbled through the thick green liquid, ignoring its searing burn as he hurriedly stuffed Eerie Stones into a cloth sack. He looked up at the mass of Meatworm Wraiths rushing toward him.

A trace of fear welled up in his eyes despite himself.

He drew a deep breath and, with every ounce of strength he had, roared as he hurled the cloth sack over the City Wall.

Only then, as though all his strength had drained away, did he stand still and look up at the relentless Torrential Rain overhead. He raised his head high, spread his arms, closed his eyes, and waited for death. A smile slipped onto his face.

He hadn't smiled like that in a long time.

"Not bad. Fulfilled my dream before I died."

"Finally got to be a hero."

"That felt good."