Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

57: Chapter 57 Solidified Fire Oil is Used Up 57: Chapter 57 Solidified Fire Oil is Used Up When the solidified fire oil was taken out of the iron refining furnace, it was only the size of a fist.

Although it appeared solid, a gentle force could liquify it.

Xia Hong wasn’t sure how many deceitful monsters one portion of solidified fire oil could kill, but he knew for certain that it wouldn’t be enough to test on all the five to six hundred people in front of him.

While Xia Hong’s mind was racing with thoughts, the stream of people rushing out of the room already reached the five of them.

The problem was, some of these people were real, and some were not, making it impossible to guard against.

The issue was that even the real ones were indistinguishable from the fake; they only knew to run towards the five of them, trying to hide behind them.

In this critical situation, Luo Ming couldn’t even spare a moment to mourn his eldest son’s death.

Leading Shang Ping and the other two, he had to distinguish the real from the fake while guarding against sneak attacks by the impostors.

“Move back, don’t come any closer!”

Seeing many people heading his way, Xia Hong’s expression tensed up as well.

He raised his stone axe, commanding those people to retreat.

It wasn’t out of a lack of sentiment for the people of Rogel Camp, but the key was, among these people, there were puppets controlled by the Wood Puppet Monster, and if he wasn’t careful, he could die.

Of course, he wouldn’t gamble with his life.

The real people were naturally scared by him.

But the fake ones couldn’t hold back.

Whizz…

A gust of wind came from his right side, Xia Hong’s eyes flickered, and he swiftly sidestepped to the left, swinging his axe horizontally to block the weapon of his attacker.

Clang…

On the left was an iron short sword, evidently a former item from Rogel Camp.

The sword, almost without suspense, cut through his stone axe and then aimed upwards at his chin.

“The strength of these puppets is Earth-digging Realm!”

The moment Xia Hong caught the stone axe, his face changed, not because of the sharpness of the weapon, but because the puppet attacking him was exerting a force almost equal to his own.

No time for shock, Xia Hong continued to retreat, avoiding the short sword aimed at his chin.

He jumped backwards, pushed off the door panel behind him, and then lunged to grab the person who had ambushed him.

Almost instantly, the solidified fire oil in his hand took effect.

“Ah…”

The one who attacked him was a puppet in the form of a woman, the flames from the solidified fire oil burned her fiercely, making her scream piercingly.

Yet even so, she kept waving the short sword in her hand, trying to stab the gripping Xia Hong.

Xia Hong moved nimbly, pulling the woman to the wooden wall, dodging her short sword while staying alert for other possible ambushes.

The solidified fire oil was potent, reducing the woman to ashes in a short while, and once the woman’s puppet turned to ash, the remaining flames would extinguish instantly even if they touched Xia Hong’s body.

The solidified fire oil, while igniting upon contact with deceit, was completely harmless to humans.

However, watching the solidified fire oil burn the woman’s corpse to nothing, Xia Hong’s face didn’t show any relief but turned more solemn than before.

A woman?

Around the camps of Redwood Ridge, even adult men couldn’t get any Cold Beast meat, let alone women; all the women in the camps were absolutely ordinary people.

But this woman who just ambushed him possessed the strength of the Earth-digging Realm.

What does this mean?

This means that the puppets manufactured by the Wood Puppet Monster already wield the power of the Earth-digging Realm!

“Leader Xia, we’re out of solidified fire oil, can I get a bit more?”

Luo Ming’s voice came, and Xia Hong turned to look, immediately feeling a tightness in his heart.

Shang Ping and the other two were still strenuously distinguishing between real and fake; each of the three had saved more than a dozen people, but the solidified fire oil on their hands and weapons was running low, and they were all carrying some injuries.

And Luo Ming, who was seeking help from him, was surrounded, even taking a blow to his waist in a sneak attack, blood continually trickling down.

Luo Ming, along with the three, had broken through to the Earth-digging Realm not just a day or two ago.

Xia Hong had observed before that all four of them had a basic strength superior to his own.

With his solidified fire oil, the four of them ended up like this, which could only mean that those puppets mixed among the real ones were indeed, as he suspected, all of the Earth-digging Realm.

“Leader Luo, catch this!”

Seeing Luo Ming in a dire situation, Xia Hong tossed the remaining piece of solidified fire oil he’d been using on his weapons to him.

Luo Ming caught it, quickly breaking it into four pieces, handing one to each of Shang Ping and the other two behind him, then immediately applying it to their hands and weapons.

Solidified fire oil, indeed, was effective.

Any puppets intending to sneak attack them would scream in agony upon contact, even if they wielded Earth-digging Realm strength, they’d gain no advantage over Luo Ming and the other three.

Having replenished their supply, Luo Ming and the others were reinvigorated.

In just a moment, they’d rescued dozens more people, and in this little time, they’d distinguished nearly a hundred people behind them.

Since entering the camp until now, the look of despair plastered on the four’s faces finally started to show some change at this moment.

Though the number of people they saved was less than one-tenth of the total population, at least it was some salvage.

However, there were simply too many people, and the solidified fire oil was running out!

“Leader Xia, give us a bit more solidified fire oil, and we can save more people.”

Seeing his solidified fire oil running out, Luo Ming looked toward Xia Hong with immense hope, expecting him to offer more.

Yet, Xia Hong’s expression shattered his hopes immediately.

“Leader Luo, solidified fire oil isn’t something you find lying around.

I only had two pieces in total.

We’ve already used one, and with this last piece for you all, can we discern everyone at the back?

That Wood Puppet Monster hasn’t shown itself so far either!”

Luo Ming glanced at the interior of the wooden house, estimating roughly three to four hundred people still left, making his face turn grim.

He knew Xia Hong wasn’t wrong; it was impossible to identify so many people with solidified fire oil, and the Wood Puppet Monster wasn’t showing itself, probably fearing the solidified fire oil.

Once they ran out of solidified fire oil, what would happen if the Wood Puppet Monster reappeared?

“Leader Luo, let’s give up.

Use the solidified fire oil to open the wooden house.

The crowd outside is also very dangerous, and if something happens to them, the situation will only worsen!”

Luo Ming clenched his fists, looking at the crowd inside the wooden house and those crawling on the ground nearby.

Though his heart wavered, he immediately made a decision.

“Shang Ping, apply the solidified fire oil to your weapons and break open the wooden house.

Let these people escape safely first.”

“Yes, leader!”

Seeing Luo Ming so decisive, Xia Hong immediately felt relieved.

He feared that the other would be indecisive and unwilling to give up on the people inside the wooden house.

There were many people inside the wooden house, but saving them all just wasn’t possible, and continuing to try would not only waste solidified fire oil but also pose risks.

After all, they had no idea how many puppets were controlled by the Wood Puppet Monster.

Moreover, staying inside longer would endanger those outside.

All the Logging Realm individuals of Rogel and Great Xia, along with the Logging Realm forces of the four factions, including Huang Zhaohong and the others, were outside.

If anything were to happen to these people, defeating the Wood Puppet Monster today would be meaningless.

The wooden house imprisoning them seemed only to confine people at the moment, with no other apparent function, but the other four houses were unclear.

As Xia Hong pondered, Luo Ming and the other three had applied the last bit of solidified fire oil to their weapons and pulled together with all their might to chop at the newly sealed wooden wall.

Crack…

Just like before, their blades all sunk in without immediately breaking open the door, but unlike before, once the blades embedded into the wooden wall, sparks burst forth.

The sparks, meeting the moving wooden wall, grew excited and rapidly expanded the flames, burning a large hole in the wooden wall with remarkable speed.

The wooden walls, originally trying to close up again, hesitated upon contact with the flames from the solidified fire oil, relinquishing the burned parts instead.

In no time, a flaming hole of four to five meters in diameter was burned into the wall.

“Everyone, escape quickly!”

At Luo Ming’s command, the rescued people scrambled through the fire-lit hole.

Xia Hong didn’t rush ahead with those people; he merely observed the situation outside through the hole, and what he saw made his face grow increasingly anxious.

“Leader Luo, hurry up and help!”

Xia Hong ignored the remaining people inside, shouting to Luo Ming, then darted out first, bypassing those ordinary people.

Luo Ming gritted his teeth, originally intending to stay and rescue more people inside the wooden house.

But upon seeing the situation outside, his face tightened, and he dared not hesitate any longer, leading Shang Ping and the others to rush out together.