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Thank you again, Melonpan, for the sponsorship
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Fu Shiwu was astonished by this guess: dead?
Previously, when gathering the extraordinary individuals, he had seen Liao Ke following Prince Ping, observing. How could he be dead in just a few days?
Did he die on the night the evolved alien infiltrated?
Olande said, "Prince Ping gave me this crossbow during the alien invasion of the warehouse. Perhaps at that time, the previous owner had already passed away, and I happened to be skilled in archery."
"Why didn't you stay with Prince Ping?" Fu Shiwu couldn't help but ask. "Why did you actively come to our side?"
"That guy..." Olande shook his head. "In times of peace, perhaps he could gain more benefits for those in agreement. But in this post-apocalyptic survival scenario, as a leader, he's someone who can't win people over. The future following him can be easily predicted."
Olande was born in a different country with different values from Huaxia, making his words exceptionally straightforward due to differing perspectives. While most people might hesitate after gaining benefits from others and then switching sides, he chose to leave without hesitation.
Fu Shiwu felt conflicted about how to evaluate Olande, so he chose to stay silent.
Olande's strong favor towards Fu Shiwu was apparent. Despite Fu Shiwu's distant attitude, Olande continued chatting. He shared various anecdotes from his arrival in Huaxia and even introduced details about his company.
Olande spoke Mandarin fluently, even understanding some idioms and slang. Initially unresponsive, Fu Shiwu eventually managed to exchange a few words, letting go of the awkwardness he felt at the start.
When Tang Xuhai was called to take over, Fu Shiwu realized Olande's social skills, unknowingly dissipating his awkwardness.
Fu Shiwu sighed internally, wishing he could chat as effortlessly as they did.
When he woke again, the sky was faintly bright. Tang Xuhai called him up.
Gathered around the campfire, they ate thin millet porridge and dried meat.
Huo Hengting was a water-based supernatural ability user, allowing them some ease in water usage and personal hygiene.
Under Tang Xuhai's guidance, Ma Dong began sandifying the lower mountain paths, making the ground unsuitable for traction. The location Tang Xuhai chose was already easily defensible, with a narrow angle for combat. By setting traps along the road, the temporary squad stationed atop the mountain felt more secure.
With a piece of grass stem between his teeth, Tang Xuhai squinted, watching the rising sun.
"Contact in 5 kilometers!" Miao Jia reported loudly.
"Prepare for battle!" Tang Xuhai said gravely.
When choosing this route, Tang Xuhai had mentally prepared for the onslaught of evolved aliens. Miao Jia's joining made his plan much smoother.
The aliens approaching from this direction had been attacking villages along the road. Despite fewer trees compared to other highways and expressways, this swarm still numbered over a thousand.
Tang Xuhai hardly needed to think; among them, there must be evolved aliens. While other swarms might scatter, the evolved ones could control the ordinary aliens that were inferior to them. Therefore, within these large swarms, there were bound to be evolved aliens! These aliens had become extremely cunning, even hiding among the ordinary ones and suddenly attacking.
Their presence was conspicuous; aliens turning the corner immediately spotted them.
"Hiss—" A sharp alien screech pierced the air, and the previously sluggish group of aliens immediately rushed forward.
The hissing sounded in succession, and the swarm of aliens charged vigorously.
Fu Shiwu's heart pounded wildly, his mouth dry, feeling tense.
Though they had recently battled aliens, it was in the relatively open warehouse center, with a large number of combatants. Now they faced not one or two aliens, not even a dozen or twenty, but a continuous stream, hundreds and thousands!
With a clear sky and good visibility, he could see the aliens waving their hooked tentacles and constantly moving mandibles.
Calm down!
Fu Shiwu looked at Tang Xuhai beside him, focused, and Wen Zhaoming, intensely focused ahead. He wasn't alone; he had reliable friends by his side!
"Attack!" Tang Xuhai roared, drawing his dual blades.
Wen Zhaoming promptly released fireballs, whooshing towards the aliens.
Caught in a difficult trek, the fireballs landed among the aliens, impossible to dodge. Several sparse trees on the hillside immediately ignited, the fire growing rapidly, burning fiercely.
"Will this cause a forest fire?" Fu Shiwu nervously asked.
If the fire spread, they were in big trouble.
"Don't worry, I had Ma Dong create a barrier." Tang Xuhai nodded downwards. "It won't reach us. It won't even cross over to the other hills."
Sand was the best barrier. The bare ground prevented anything from passing through, so the flames could only burn the aliens above.
The aliens screamed in agony, but these hungry creatures wouldn't falter. Instead, they became fiercer, trampling over their companions, forcibly forging a path.
The number of aliens increased, getting closer. Fu Shiwu raised his hand.
But Tang Xuhai held his wrist, saying, "You don't need to worry about these; focus on identifying the evolved ones. Save your bullets for them."
"Understood." Fu Shiwu nodded seriously, gripping the gunstock tightly.
Tang Xuhai wanted to laugh seeing Fu Shiwu's overly serious expression. He patted Fu Shiwu's clean hair, receiving a puzzled look in return.
"Cough—" Tang Xuhai addressed the others. "You can also start attacking."
Huo Hengting hesitated. Although he had joined the battle on the rainy night, the rain was heavy, intensifying his abilities. But in this daylight, he doubted his own abilities.
Huo Hengting released water balls from his hand, hitting the aliens but not doing much. Then he switched to water pillars but hesitated to spray further, fearing extinguishing Wen Zhaoming's fire.
Glancing at his water pillars, Fu Shiwu couldn't help but ask, "How much water can you release at max?"
"About 10 tons of water, no more." Huo Hengting replied.
"10 tons..." Fu Shiwu pondered. "Your water attacks, either release it all at once to wash away the aliens or concentrate it into water arrows."
"I've tried water arrows, but they don't work well." Huo Hengting said. Unhappy with the ineffective results, he ceased using his ability, causing the water to seep into the sandy ground, making it even more solid and unhelpful!
"Your water is very pure. Imagine if it were sulfuric acid or aqua regia." Fu Shiwu mused.
Huo Hengting sighed at the joke. Once these aliens were awakened, it was all set; sulfuric acid and aqua regia would corrode him first.
But Fu Shiwu was quite serious, saying, "Tang Xuhai's metallic ability can alter the arrangement of metals. Perhaps water can transform into other liquid compositions, even becoming sulfuric acid is not impossible."
Huo
Hengting's eyes lit up, starting to seriously consider the idea.
After all, sulfuric acid was still a liquid. Why not?
While discussing, whenever supernatural abilities were mentioned, Fu Shiwu's mind would bubble with various ideas, just like when he made Tang Xuhai change the structure of the vehicle itself instead of its appearance.
"My water arrows are somewhat similar," Huo Hengting snapped out of his thoughts, extending his fingers, shooting a water arrow that stung the aliens' skin.
"Maybe the pressure isn't enough," Fu Shiwu remarked. "Increase the pressure."
"It's challenging," Huo Hengting shook his head.
"Can't do it?" Fu Shiwu was disappointed.
Huo Hengting hesitated. It wasn't that he couldn't, but it was exceedingly difficult...
"I'll try," Huo Hengting grimaced, focusing on the aliens.
Their exchange lasted only a few minutes before the aliens struggled closer. Tang Xuhai wielded his dual blades, sneering as he struck the aliens daring to confront him.
Fu Shiwu focused on Tang Xuhai's battle with the aliens, guarding his side firmly, preventing any aliens from advancing.
Liu Zhao and Wu Shan coordinated, stabbing at the aliens with steel rods shaved into spears, their chosen weapons.
Meanwhile, Wang Dan continuously flew up, kicking the aliens in succession. Ma Dong and Liu Peiqi charged, thrusting sharpened branches at the aliens' exposed chests.
Wen Zhaoming couldn't release his abilities at close range, fearing he might harm his own team. So, he concentrated on attacking the distant aliens.
As they ascended the mountain, the area became smaller, offering less space to stand. Tang Xuhai and his group were cornered, forcing the aliens to form a long line, unable to bypass their comrades to attack.
The fire set by Wen Zhaoming was scorching, instinctively making the aliens dodge, but the high-level aliens pushed through the difficulty. The ground turned into glassy crystals due to the fire. Seeing this, Fu Shiwu instructed Ma Dong, "Continue sandifying!"
Ma Dong hesitated, but Wang Dan said, "Go do it. Liu Peiqi and I have enough here!"
Ma Dong nodded and began sandifying the ground.
The ground beneath the aliens started sinking again, making them struggle to stand.
All these aliens had gathered at the foot of the mountain, pushing and shoving, some climbing over their kind, attempting to breach the crowded aliens.
Fu Shiwu's gaze sharpened, raising his hand to shoot the alien standing on a companion's head.
Just then, a figure suddenly flew out from the midst of the aliens, swinging its tentacles to attack Tang Xuhai.
Tang Xuhai was busy dealing with the aliens in front of him. In this critical moment, he only managed a quick glance, unable to act.
Fu Shiwu remained composed, firing both hands simultaneously.
A series of crisp shots rang out. The alien rushing towards them fell with a bullet-riddled head, while the airborne alien's arms were splattered with blood from the bullets.
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