"Go back?"
Zhou Mo didn't grasp the words immediately; his legs were still trembling uncontrollably. He looked toward the sky, gradually darkening—now just over half a shichen until the Perpetual Night descended.
Time was tight.
What's more...
He knew the station master was a highly promising Architect, but An Architect's means largely revolved around fortifying a camp. Their combat capabilities outside the camp were negligible. How could they fight anyone back?
"How far are those Pseudo-Human Ghosts from the camp?"
"Not far, just behind that hillside, near Wang Kui's old camp."
"Let's go."
...
"..."
Chen Fan descended from the city wall and made his way to the outskirts of the camp. Gazing at the "wooden tricycle" parked there, he immediately constructed an Archery Tower and placed it on the flatbed.
He continuously upgraded it, raising it all the way to level 4 in one go.
When reaching level 3, the chosen upgrade direction was:
"Bolts imbued with lightning element, paralyzing enemies and dealing chain damage to up to three creatures near the target."
He knew a little something about Pseudo-Human Ghosts.
Their defense wasn't strong.
Their abilities focused on disguise, and this upgrade would work well against them.
Upon reaching level 4, he chose to increase the firing speed.
Soon—
The Archery Tower transformed into an "Archery Fort," shrinking down noticeably and fusing with the "wooden tricycle."
This was a fusion of the "Archery Tower" and the "tricycle."
He called it the "Archery Chariot."
"Get on. You operate the power lever."
Chen Fan leaped onto the vehicle first, standing in front of the control lever. He glanced at Zhou Mo, who was still standing there in a daze. "Time is tight; don't just stand there."
"Right!"
Zhou Mo wasted no more time and jumped onto the flatbed. Witnessing his companion's death had left his eyes red. The veins bulging on his hands, he gripped the "power lever" tightly and, once the station master had adjusted the direction, pushed it with all his might.
As the 'engine' came back to life, the Archery Chariot slowly rolled out of the camp and disappeared into the drizzling rain.
...
"Young master..."
Chen Fan had departed too quickly, without saying much to them, leaving them all behind in the camp, but...
"What a genius idea."
Crippled Monkey stared in the direction the young master had gone, murmuring distractedly, "You see, mounting an Archery Tower on a vehicle creates a mobile Archery Tower. Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?"
"Actually, some have, but it never became widespread. There are many reasons for that," Wang Kui replied with a complicated expression. "For example... Archery Towers can't attack creatures outside the camp."
"That's true... Wait, then how can the young master's Archery Chariot attack creatures outside the camp?"
"I don't know, but I believe the station master must have thought of that."
"What if he hasn't?"
Crippled Monkey paced uneasily back and forth. The young master had left too quickly, without even telling them the location of those Pseudo-Human Ghosts. Even if he wanted to catch up to him, he wouldn't know where to find the young master.
...
The Rivernorth Chen Clan Station 37 and Wang Kui's old station weren't far apart.
After topping a hillside, they saw the group of Pseudo-Human Ghosts gathered within Wang Kui's old station.
Over twenty Pseudo-Human Ghosts were engaging in chaotic mating in the drizzle, their expressions extremely strange, bordering on madness.
"..."
Chen Fan stood at the front of the tricycle, silently watching the scene with an expressionless face. He was actually somewhat angry. Stranded in the rainy season wasteland, every man was incredibly precious—
Absolutely non-renewable resource.
To him, the value of a single person far exceeded 100 Eerie Stones.
With one person dead now, he'd have to pull someone from another duty to assist Zhou Mo.
Originally, there were ten people in the camp; now there were only nine.
Just then—
Those Pseudo-Human Ghosts noticed them. With a piercing shriek, the Pseudo-Human Ghosts hiding inside the wooden hut also rushed out, joining those outside as they all roared and charged toward the two of them!
They were slightly faster than a middle-aged man running at full sprint.
Unlike the mother-daughter pair he had encountered, these Pseudo-Human Ghosts didn't bother with any disguise, roaring along with madness flashing in their eyes.
A hundred meters.
Eighty meters.
Fifty meters.
In the blink of an eye,
They were less than thirty meters away. Yet, the Archery Fort integrated into the tricycle showed no reaction. Since it was outside the camp, the Archery Fort couldn't be activated at all.
Chen Fan didn't wait any longer.
Crushing three Eerie Stones in his palm, a surreal shape of Eerie Fire framed by white lines gradually materialized on the flatbed.
By now, the Pseudo-Human Ghosts had already entered the camp's range.
The Archery Fort, unresponsive earlier on, finally showed a glint of white light within its pitch-black opening.
The next moment—
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!"
Bolts wrapped in lightning, like spears hurled by the Thunder God, shot out at incredible speed toward the Eerie Creatures about to reach the tricycle.
The first Pseudo-Human Ghost hit froze almost instantly, its body charred black. Staggering a few steps forward, it collapsed to the ground. At the same time, a bolt of lightning surged from its body, shooting toward the three nearest Pseudo-Human Ghosts.
In the blink of an eye,
These three affected Pseudo-Human Ghosts also turned into charcoal.
This was the upgrade direction chosen when the Archery Fort reached level 3:
Upon hitting a target, it would deal chain damage and paralysis to up to three nearby creatures.
Paralysis was the main effect, and the damage was low. However, since the Pseudo-Human Ghosts' defense was quite weak, even the low damage was enough to kill them instantly.
Each bolt could easily take the lives of three Pseudo-Human Ghosts.
Yet...
"..."
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, gazing through the drizzling rain as more Pseudo-Human Ghosts emerged from the wooden hut. There were far more than just thirty Pseudo-Human Ghosts here. And this horde streaming out was noticeably younger.
If the Pseudo-Human Ghosts outside earlier were all middle-aged, then these scurrying from inside were young adults.
"I see."
Giving a middle-aged female Pseudo-Human Ghost a thoughtful glance, he turned the vehicle around. While distancing himself from the Pseudo-Human Ghosts, he ensured they remained within the Archery Tower's attack range, relentlessly eliminating those charging at the forefront.
After wiping out all the middle-aged Pseudo-Human Ghosts, the Archery Tower ceased firing.
He didn't continue the attack.
Instead, he began crafting multiple Animal Traps, laying them along the path the Pseudo-Human Ghosts were following the tricycle. He intended to capture them alive.
Pseudo-Human Ghosts possessed some intelligence, but not much. One after another, while chasing the tricycle in circles, they stepped into the Animal Traps, becoming immobilized and roaring helplessly.
...
About a pot of tea's time(the time it takes to savor a pot of tea, about 15 minutes) later,
The tricycle came to a halt.
Not a single Pseudo-Human Ghost remained standing. The older Pseudo-Human Ghosts were all dead, while the younger ones were all trapped in the devices, their eyes flashing with savagery and madness as they struggled incessantly.
"..."
Chen Fan stood on the tricycle, looking toward Wang Kui's camp hut in the distance. He had circled the hut several times, but no more Pseudo-Human Ghosts had rushed out. He turned to Zhou Mo behind him and said softly,
"There should be some Pseudo-Human Ghost offspring inside the hut. Go check the place."
"I'll cover you from outside."