Chapter 21: Sniper! Shattered Purified Water and the One-Armed Judgment

The brief surge of hope from the seedlings purifying wastewater was instantly frozen by the cold glint of a sniper scope on the western ridge. Lin Mo’s heart clenched as if gripped by an invisible hand, icy dread spreading down his spine. Cripple Wolf! He’s here in person!

“Take cover!” Ali barked, lunging like a startled civet to pin Xiang Lingna against the farthest corner of the shack! Lin Mo instantly ducked back behind cover, his scalp prickling as if targeted by a venomous snake.

“Sssshhh—!”

A piercing whistle tore through the roar of the beast horde! A high-velocity, spinning sniper round struck with lethal precision, instantly piercing the metal drum at the center of the depression!

“Clang! Splash—!”

The metal drum shrieked as a jagged hole ripped open! The half-full supply of relatively clean water— painstakingly purified by Lingna’s seedlings—mixed with residual sludge, gushed out in an instant, flooding the blackened earth!

The purified water! The very water sustaining their fire wall and their survival—destroyed by a single shot!

“No!” Lingna screamed in despair as the purified water vanished before her eyes. Lin Mo’s heart sank to the abyss! That shot didn’t just destroy their water—it shattered their last hope of holding back the horde!

Without water to cool it, the fire wall visibly dimmed, leaving only feeble flames flickering amid the ashes. The beast horde’s roars surged louder—they sensed the barrier weakening and surged into renewed frenzy! The rhino corpse, its throat pierced by Ali and blocking the breach, was about to be trampled aside by the relentless tide behind it!

What made Lin Mo’s eyes burn with rage was the sniper scope on the ridge shifting again—this time, the cold crosshairs seemed… locked onto the two seedlings flickering faint purple light at the shack’s entrance! Or rather, locked onto Lingna, standing guard beside them!

“Lingna! Down!” Lin Mo roared!

But Ali moved faster! In the instant the scope’s dot shifted, she rolled out from cover like a wraith! With only her good right arm and core strength, she completed the high-difficulty sequence of loading, aiming, and firing her short crossbow mid-roll!

“Sssshhh—!”

A pale blue streak reversed the sniper’s trajectory, carrying Ali’s full fury and resolve toward the western ridge! Her target wasn’t Cripple Wolf himself—but the scope mounted on his rifle!

“Ting!” A sharp metallic clang echoed faintly!

On the ridge, Cripple Wolf’s head snapped sideways! The scope lens exploded into shards—glass fragments even sliced his cheek!

Though not fatal, this pinpoint shot disrupted Cripple Wolf’s aim, forcing him to retreat behind cover!

“Well done, Ali!” Lin Mo growled, thrilled. Ali’s crossbow skill had erupted with supernatural precision in the face of doom!

Yet the crisis was far from over! The sniper threat was suppressed—but the breach in the horde was about to burst open! The fire wall was nearly extinguished!

“Lin Mo! Lei!” Ali gasped, her breath ragged—her ultimate shot had drained her strength.

Lin Mo instantly understood. He lunged to the workshop corner, snatching up the three “incendiary trip mines” he’d placed outside the thorn wall but hadn’t yet retrieved! These crude explosives, originally meant for Bloodclaw, were now their last lifeline!

“Lingna! Torch!” Lin Mo barked.

Lingna, forcing down her terror, grabbed a burning stick and handed it to him.

Lin Mo lit the fuse of one trip mine (his improvised makeshift fuse), aimed at the position of the rhino corpse about to be pushed aside, and hurled the smoking, sizzling “iron melon” with all his strength!

“BOOM!!”

An explosion louder than a hunting rifle erupted amid the horde! Fire erupted, spraying metal shards and scalding grease! Though still limited in power, the deafening blast and sudden shockwave sent the packed beasts at the breach reeling—several monsters were struck by shrapnel or ignited, writhing in agony. The rhino corpse was thrown back by the blast, temporarily blocking the incoming horde, forming a chaotic barrier of blood and flame!

Chaos! That’s exactly what Lin Mo wanted! He replicated the move, igniting and hurling the remaining two trip mines!

“Boom! Boom!”

Continuous explosions detonated along the horde’s flank and rear! Fire roared skyward, shrapnel flew everywhere! The horde plunged into utter chaos—beasts trampled each other, burned creatures screamed and fled, crashing into those behind them! The offensive momentum was utterly shattered by this sudden “minefield”!

The depression gained precious breathing room!

Lin Mo collapsed to the ground, gasping, arms numb from the throws. Ali leaned against the cover, pale, her right hand trembling slightly. Lingna stared at the chaotic horde and burning explosions beyond, her small face filled with dazed disbelief after surviving.

But all three knew this was only temporary. The horde was endless—chaos would fade. Cripple Wolf still watched from the ridge. And worse—the water! The purifier was destroyed; the seedlings’ purification rate couldn’t keep up with consumption!

“We must… find a new water source… or…” Lin Mo’s gaze fell on the wreckage of the destroyed purifier drum, then to the scattered parts in the workshop corner—a mad idea surged again: repair it… or rebuild a purifier.