Chapter 20

The flames of the Molotov cocktail danced amidst the beast tide, crackling with sharp pops. The air reeked of burning, blood, and wood ash. Sister Ai Li's short crossbow steadily harvested the elite monsters drawing near; with every azure arrow loosed, a twisted creature fell. Xiang Lingna hid behind her, her small face deathly pale, yet the light crossbow in her hand occasionally fired an arrow. Though her aim was poor, it still served to harass amidst the chaos.

Lin Mo hesitated to throw the last Molotov cocktail in his hand. This was his final trump card; it had to be used where it mattered most. He watched the battlefield tensely. The power of the fire wall was waning; the oil was nearly exhausted. Although the ash belt formed by burning thorns remained scorching, its ability to block those thick-skinned, tough-beasted giants was deteriorating rapidly. A monster resembling an armored rhinoceros, its body engulfed in flames, let out a pained roar as it furiously rammed a section of the fire wall that was about to extinguish with its massive horn!

"Boom! Boom!" Each impact shook the ground, sending ash flying! That section of the fire wall teetered on the brink of collapse!

The gap was about to be breached! Once this "tank" charged in, the beast tide behind it would surge in like a breached dam!

"Xiang Lingna! The bottle!" Lin Mo roared, handing the last Molotov cocktail to Xiang Lingna to ignite. He himself raised the shotgun, which held only two bullets left, and aimed at the relatively fragile eyes of the rhino monster! He had to kill or severely injure it before it broke the gap!

Xiang Lingna trembled as she lit the cloth strip; flames leaped up! She looked at the rampaging giant beast, fear filling her eyes, but she still summoned her courage and hurled the Molotov cocktail with all her might!

The bottle traced an arc, but the landing spot... was off! It smashed onto the ground beside the rhino monster! "Boom!" The flames splashed outward, scorching the rhino's hind legs, making it even more frenzied, yet failing to stop it from ramming the fire wall!

"Damn it!" Lin Mo cursed under his breath, his fingers tightening on the shotgun trigger! Just as he prepared to fire!

"Whoosh—!" An azure crossbow bolt, like lightning, shot with pinpoint accuracy into the soft flesh of the rhino monster's throat, exposed as it reared its head to ram!

"Pfft!" The arrow sank deep!

"Aaaah—!" The rhino monster let out a earth-shattering, agonizing scream; its ramming motion halted abruptly! It shook its head in pain, blood gushing from its throat like a fountain! It was Sister Ai Li! Amidst such a chaotic battlefield, she had still seized that fleeting, fatal opportunity!

The rhino monster's massive body swayed, then crashed down with a thud, blocking the gap that was about to be breached! The subsequent beast tide was temporarily held back by the fallen giant beast and the still-scorching ash!

The crisis was temporarily averted! But Lin Mo knew this was only temporary. The fire wall was about to extinguish, and the madness of the beast tide had not ceased. And on the western ridge, the cold gaze of that sniper rifle still coiled around his heart like a venomous snake.

"Water... it's almost gone..." Xiang Lingna's voice came, thick with tears. She pointed to the metal bucket inside the shack. To maintain the fire wall, the consumption of purified water had been massive; only a shallow layer remained at the bottom of the bucket.

Water! The source of life! Without water, the fire wall could not be maintained, and people would quickly dehydrate and lose their combat ability! Despair struck again.

Just then, Xiang Lingna's gaze inadvertently swept over a broken bowl in the corner of the shack. She suddenly let out a soft "huh."

Inside the bowl, the two mysterious seedlings that had always been listless, their leaves drooping, amidst the scorching air and thick radioactive dust from the surrounding burning flames... the tender leaves at their very tips actually... moved slightly? Extremely faint, but the edges of those withered leaves seemed to glow with a very dim purple halo?

Xiang Lingna seemed to sense something; looking at the murky puddle of sewage at the bottom of the bucket, then at the seedlings, a bold thought sprang to mind. She picked up the bowl, walked carefully to the metal bucket, poured out the little water remaining in the bowl, then scooped a small spoonful of the murky puddle sewage and poured it into the broken bowl, just enough to submerge the seedlings' roots.

A miracle occurred!

The murky sewage, the instant it touched the seedlings' roots, saw its impurities and that faint scent of radioactive dust... decrease at a speed visible to the naked eye? The sewage seemed filtered, its color becoming somewhat clearer! And on those two withered seedlings, the purple veins on the leaves glowed... ever so slightly?

Xiang Lingna's eyes widened; she could not believe what she saw! She hurriedly scooped another spoonful of sewage and poured it in.

The same scene appeared again! The sewage in the bowl became relatively clear, and the seedlings' leaves seemed... a tiny bit more spirited?

"Brother Lin Mo! Sister Ai Li! Look!" Xiang Lingna cried out excitedly.

Lin Mo and Sister Ai Li turned at the sound; seeing the scene in the bowl, their eyes both erupted with disbelief!

Purification?! These two mysterious seedlings could actually purify sewage contaminated by radiation?!

Lin Mo's heart pounded wildly! He immediately instructed Xiang Lingna to continue the experiment! They used every container they could find, filled them with the murky sewage from the puddle, and then carefully submerged the seedlings' roots in them.

A miraculous scene unfolded! Although the speed was not fast, the sewage in the containers did, under the "filtration" of the seedlings' roots, gradually become clear! That nauseating scent of radioactive dust was also weakening! And after being watered with the purified water, the leaves of those two seedlings actually, at a speed visible to the naked eye, slowly unfurled! The purple veins glowed with a faint light again; though still weak, they were no longer in that deathly, listless state as before!

Purified water! A continuous supply of purified water! The lifeline of Hope Outpost had been extended in this very way!

Lin Mo and Xiang Lingna were overjoyed! Even the cold eyes of Sister Ai Li were filled with shock! The value of these mysterious seedlings far exceeded imagination!

Lin Mo immediately organized Xiang Lingna to use the seedlings' purification ability to begin "producing" relatively clean water in small batches, to maintain the fire wall that was about to extinguish, and more importantly, to ensure the drinking water for the three of them!

Hope was rekindled in the direst of circumstances in the most unexpected way!

However, they failed to notice that on the eastern side of the puddle, far from the clamor of the beast tide, atop an extremely high, extremely hidden abandoned water tower, a figure clad in a dark gray tight-fitting combat suit, wearing multi-functional goggles brimming with high-tech feel, lay perfectly still. The lens of the goggles clearly captured the entire process of Xiang Lingna using the seedlings to purify the sewage at the shack entrance, as well as the faint purple light glowing on the leaves of those two seedlings.

The eyes behind the goggles flickered with fanatical and greedy light. A low voice, processed through a voice changer, transmitted via a miniature communicator:

"Target confirmed... 'Life Purification' phenomenon... Grade: B+... Sample activity stable... 'Garden' Project... Key puzzle piece... Capture priority... Elevated to maximum..."

The shadow, like a gecko merging into darkness, slid silently down from the water tower, vanishing into the ruins.

The Black Scorpion's venomous fangs had never truly departed. And the "purification" miracle displayed by Xiang Lingna and her seedlings, like the brightest lighthouse in the darkness, completely ignited the "Doctor's" most burning greed! The greatest crisis facing Hope Outpost was not the beast tide and Blood Claws before their eyes, but that cold covetousness hidden in the shadows, intent on seizing the "miracle" for itself!