222: Chapter 222: A Strong Attack on the Poison Fog Area

The Woman with Goggles leaned against a rock, clutching the fuse of an incendiary grenade.

The detector was broken, its screen black and its casing starting to soften. Shen Xiaochuan flipped it over and tossed it onto the ground; the metal casing landed on the frozen earth with a dull thud. He reached out and touched the copper gear pendant inside his collar; it was still there, feeling slightly cool against his skin.

He closed his eyes, and the mall interface popped up in his mind. His faith points were rising—three points, four points, five points... increasing by 3 points per second. He had just upgraded it and hadn't used it yet.

"We can't wait any longer," he said. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard him.

Rayne looked up. "You want to force our way through?"

"There's no other way." Shen Xiaochuan opened his eyes and looked at the roiling green mist ahead. "The Priest can't hold on, the instruments are broken, and this is the only path left. We can't afford to waste time."

"But we don't know what's inside," the Woman with Goggles said. "That mist can dissolve flesh. Of the two Believers just now, one is dead and the other is still convulsing. Going in now is just suicide."

"I know." Shen Xiaochuan stood up and brushed the snow off his knees. "That's why I won't make everyone go. I'll organize a suicide squad with enough equipment to push forward bit by bit."

As soon as he finished speaking, he opened the mall. He bought ten [Portable Flamethrowers] for 800 points, thirty vials of [Potent Anti-toxin Serum] for 1,500 points, and six sets of [Fireproof and Corrosion-resistant Combat Suits] for 720 points. He spent a total of 3,020 points.

Once the items arrived, his backpack bulged. He took them out one by one: the black flamethrowers looked like fire extinguishers with thick grips and fuel tanks worn on the back; the serum came in small silver vials, three to a pack, which he handed to the Medical Team; the combat suits were dark gray with a textured surface that felt like a mix of rubber and metal.

He laid the equipment on the ground and glanced at everyone. Seven people stepped forward, including veterans from the Azure Dragon Legion and elites from the Evil God Guards. No one spoke; they just took a step forward.

Rayne took off his outer coat, revealing the chemical protection layer underneath. "I'll lead the team."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "Fine. But remember—stop every five meters, check your masks, and report your fuel. If there's a problem, immediately retreat three meters and fire a signal flare. Don't get greedy for speed."

"Understood." Rayne took a flamethrower and tested its weight. "This thing is pretty heavy."

"The fuel only lasts fifteen minutes," Shen Xiaochuan said. "The advance speed must not exceed two meters per minute. Use fire to clear the path in front, scout in the middle, and keep watch in the rear. Stay in groups of three; don't scatter."

The Woman with Goggles walked over and handed an incendiary grenade to a team member. "I'll support you from the outside. Throw it as soon as you see a signal to burn out a safe zone."

"Good," Shen Xiaochuan told her. "Stay outside and keep an eye on the communications. If we lose contact, send a distress signal immediately. Don't come in yourself."

She frowned. "What about you? You're going too?"

Shen Xiaochuan didn't answer, lowering his head to put on a combat suit. He pulled the zipper from his chest to his neck, and the hood automatically adhered to his face, leaving only his eyes exposed. He tucked the copper gear into an inner pocket and patted his chest. "Right now, I'm the one least afraid of death. My points are rising fast; I can afford to die."

The team was ready. The seven members had their suits on, flamethrowers on their backs, and serum and signal flares hanging from their waists. Rayne walked in front, raised his hand, and made a "forward" gesture.

"Move out," Shen Xiaochuan ordered.

The flamethrowers started up with a low growl. Seven tongues of fire pierced the toxic mist, carving a path like knives. The mist emitted white smoke upon contact with the fire, smelling foul, like a mixture of rotten eggs and burning plastic.

"Maintain firepower!" Rayne shouted. "Don't stop!"

They moved forward slowly. The ground was wet and slippery, feeling a bit sticky underfoot. They stopped to check every five meters. Once, someone reported a mask leak; they immediately injected the serum and changed to a new mask.

Twenty meters passed without incident.

When they reached thirty meters, a sudden "crack" came from the left, sounding like a bone breaking.

"Stop!" Shen Xiaochuan yelled.

The team stopped immediately. The firelight could still illuminate five or six meters ahead. The mist was forced back, revealing some protrusions on the ground that looked like something was buried there.

"Continue," Rayne waved his hand. "Be careful."

Just as they were preparing to stop again, the toxic mist on the right surged violently, and a dark shadow pounced out from the ground!

The creature had four legs and was two meters long, with a grayish-green hard shell and lumps on its back. Mucus dripped from its mouth. It didn't cry out, jumping straight up to grab someone.

"Fire!" Shen Xiaochuan roared.

Two people immediately turned their nozzles and swept the fire across. The Mutant Beast caught fire and rolled on the ground, letting out a piercing scream. But it didn't die; it flipped over and pounced at someone else.

"Scatter!" Rayne rushed forward, swinging his axe to strike its flank. The hard shell cracked, and black blood sprayed out, smoking as it hit the ground.

Another person fired a finishing shot, and flames engulfed the Mutant Beast. It twitched a few times and then went still.

"Check for casualties!" Shen Xiaochuan ran forward.

No one was dead. However, one person's mask had been slashed, and they had inhaled toxic gas; they began to cough, their lips turning green. The Medical Team immediately injected the serum and helped them back.

"Can you still walk?" Shen Xiaochuan asked.

The man shook his head, his eyes already starting to blur.

"Carry him back," Shen Xiaochuan said. "Don't force it."

The team continued. At fifty meters, they were attacked again, this time by two Mutant Beasts in a pincer movement. They barely managed to hold them off, but one person's arm was splashed with mucus; their clothes were corroded with holes, and their skin turned black. He gritted his teeth and held on until they reached a safe zone, only stabilizing after injecting two vials of serum.

At seventy meters, with thirty meters left to the target, the third attack came.

This time, three Mutant Beasts rushed out in a triangular formation. The flamethrower fuel was only half-gone, but the firepower was insufficient. One Breakthrough the defense line, pinning someone down and spraying mucus on their face. The mask melted, and the skin festered. He let out a cry, convulsed a few times, and then went still.

"Retreat! Back five meters!" Rayne roared.

The team retreated with difficulty, re-establishing their defensive line. The flames swept out again, driving away the Mutant Beasts. But the dead team member still lay where he fell; no one dared to go and drag him back.

"One dead," Shen Xiaochuan looked at the corpse, his voice flat. "Three seriously injured, two lightly injured. The remaining people won't last many more rounds."

The Woman with Goggles shouted through the communicator from the rear: "Fuel is down to an average of four minutes, and there are only seventeen vials of serum left. Going further is too dangerous!"

Rayne was panting, the clothes on his left arm corroded to reveal red, swollen skin. He didn't take them off, nor did he cry out in pain; he just stared at the mist ahead.

"We have to change our approach," he said. "If we keep charging like this, we'll all die."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't speak. He crouched down, picked up a stone, and threw it into the mist. The sound was very muffled, as if it had fallen into mud. He took out the last detector; it flashed once and then went black.

He felt his inner pocket; the copper gear was still there.

His faith points were still rising. Three thousand two hundred and fourteen, three thousand two hundred and fifteen...

He stood up and began to take off his outer clothes.

"What are you doing?" Rayne asked.

"Switching out." Shen Xiaochuan tossed his clothes aside, revealing the eighth combat suit underneath—this was one he had just bought and hadn't used yet. It was dark gray with gold patterns, the [Heavy Fireproof and Corrosion-resistant Combat Suit] priced at three hundred points, offering even stronger defense.

He put on the largest flamethrower, which had twice as much fuel as the others. He hung serum and signal flares all over his waist and held an extended Alloy Rod in his hand.

"You're the commander, you can't take risks!" the Woman with Goggles raised her voice.

He walked toward the remaining six people. "I'll take four Evil God Guards inside to form a squad. Rayne, you take two people to hold the front and draw the Mutant Beasts' attention. We'll enter from the side, aiming to clear two paths and meet at a depth of one hundred meters."

"That's too deep," Rayne said. "You can't see anything over there."

"Precisely because we can't see, someone has to go." Shen Xiaochuan patted his shoulder. "Your arm is injured; don't force yourself. Hold this position and wait for my signal."

He chose the four people in the best condition, each carrying double fuel tanks and reinforced masks. The five of them formed a wedge formation.

"Move out," Shen Xiaochuan said.

The flamethrowers fired again, but the direction had changed. The frontal team continued to push forward, making noise. Shen Xiaochuan's squad stuck to the left, keeping low and moving lightly. They didn't use large fires to clear the way, only short bursts of two or three meters, moving only after they could see clearly.

At forty meters, the ground subsided, feeling soft underfoot. Shen Xiaochuan used the Alloy Rod to scout the path and found that it was hollow underneath, possibly a pit.

"Bypass it," he whispered.

They veered five meters to the right and continued.

At fifty meters, they heard the low growl of Mutant Beasts. It wasn't directed at them; it sounded like they were communicating. Shen Xiaochuan waved his hand, and the whole team dropped to the ground. They turned off the flames, leaving only the sound of their breathing.

Three Mutant Beasts ran past them, crawling along the ground. They didn't notice the squad and headed straight for the frontal battlefield.

"They know how to coordinate," a team member whispered.

"I know." Shen Xiaochuan watched them leave. "Ignore them; continue."

At sixty meters, they encountered an obstacle—a large tree had fallen across the path, covered in vine-like toxic fungi. When touched by fire, the fungal filaments exploded, releasing even thicker green mist. The squad retreated and changed their route.

At seventy meters, cracks appeared in the ground, wide enough to trap a leg. They used Alloy Plates to build a bridge and crossed slowly.

At eighty meters, a larger Mutant Beast appeared. It had a black hard shell, spines on its back, and glowing red eyes. It crouched in front of a narrow passage, its tail swishing gently.

Shen Xiaochuan signaled to stop. He took a High-explosive Incendiary Grenade and handed it to a team member. "Throw it above its head, don't hit it. I want it to move."

The team member threw it. The incendiary grenade exploded in mid-air, and a fireball fell. The Mutant Beast was startled and darted to the right.

"Now!" Shen Xiaochuan rushed out, his flamethrower at full blast. The tongue of fire swept across, forcing it back. The others took the opportunity to rush through the passage.

The Mutant Beast roared and pounced at Shen Xiaochuan. He dodged and struck its head with the Alloy Rod. The hard shell cracked, and black blood flowed out. His teammates fired two shots, and flames engulfed it.

"Hurry!" Shen Xiaochuan wiped his face. A trace of green mist had seeped into the edge of his mask, and his skin felt a bit stinging.

They continued. Ninety meters, one hundred meters... Rayne's voice came through the communicator: "We're surrounded! On three sides! Requesting backup!"

"Hold on!" Shen Xiaochuan replied. "We're almost there!"

The mist ahead suddenly thinned, as if it were being pushed aside. Shen Xiaochuan looked up and saw a blurry outline—it looked like a building, half-buried underground.

"There's something there," he said. "The objective has changed. Go there first."

The five of them quickened their pace. As they neared the Ruins, the ground vibrated. Crawling sounds came from all around, growing more numerous.

"There are too many," a team member whispered. "At least ten of them."

Shen Xiaochuan pulled the pin on a signal flare and held it above his head.

"Burn all the fuel," he said. "Let Rayne know we're still alive."

Flames erupted again, illuminating the area ahead. In the firelight, a corner of the Ruins appeared—crumbling walls and debris, looking like the foundation of an ancient Watchtower. Blurry symbols were carved on the walls, looking like corroded characters.

Shen Xiaochuan stared at those symbols, suddenly finding them familiar.

He reached into his inner pocket; the copper gear was against his palm, slightly hot.

She had said before: "All the instruments are completely useless."

In the distance, Rayne's voice came through intermittently: "...can't hold out! Come quickly!"