Chapter 94: Glimmer of Embers, Hunting Grounds of the Rotting Dragons, and the Wrench's Choice

The smoke of destruction, like Thick shrouds, covered the once-fortified walls of the Heart of Thorns. The massive crater formed by the furnace core's explosion still billowed thick, rolling smoke; scorching molten metal flowed slowly at the crater's bottom, emitting a dark red glow like a bleeding wound in the earth. Burning thornwood and fractured metal structures lay everywhere, while the air was thick with a pungent smell of char, the sulfuric odor of molten metal, and the stench of withered monster carcasses.

Dead silence. Except for the crackling of flames and the twisting sounds of cooling metal, the battlefield fell into an eerie stillness. The vast withered tide, struck by both the internal explosion of the corrupted giant scorpion turrets and the collapse of the walls, was finally utterly crushed. The few remaining monsters, their courage shattered, howled as they fled back into the depths of the Withered Forest.

Yet, this ruin, where embers had not yet cooled, was no place of safety.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Wrench struggled to crawl out from beneath a pile of rubble and semi-melted thorn-steel fragments. His swollen probe-box casing was scratched beyond recognition, and one mechanical arm was twisted and deformed. Ignoring his own injuries, his bean-sized eyes filled with terror and anxiety, he immediately lunged toward the position of the Vine Bag.

"Boss! Boss, hold on!"

The sight before him shattered his heart and courage. Several burning chunks of furnace debris, each the size of a millstone, had landed squarely on the edge of the "Earth-Fire Vine Bag"! The resilient vine buffer net was severely deformed by the impact, with several sections completely severed, its edges still burning. Lin Mo's charred body was buried under rubble and ash, revealing only the upper half of a scorched chest and his right fist, tightly clutching the Stardust Crystal. That faint blue-white light of life flickered stubbornly amidst the smoke, like a dying candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.

"Hold on! I'll dig you out right now!" Wrench frantically began clawing at the rubble, the scorching stones burning his palms without him even noticing.

Just then—

"Gah—!"

A piercing, greedy screech came from overhead! Wrench snapped his head up to see three relatively small but unnaturally agile rotting dragons piercing the lingering smoke, circling above the ruin like vultures! Their scarlet compound eyes locked onto the scene below—onto Wrench digging out Lin Mo, and onto Xiang Lingna, buried under scorched earth near a nearby leyline fissure, with only a corner of her blood-stained garment visible!

These cunning beasts had survived the previous explosion by sheer luck; now they smelled the scent of "food" and "weak prey"!

"Damn it!" Wrench's face turned deathly pale. He was unarmed, and his only weapon, the probe box, was severely damaged. He glanced at Lin Mo's buried position, then at Xiang Lingna's direction, and finally swept his gaze over the massive slope formed by the distant wall collapse—where Sister Ai Li had fallen, her fate unknown. Despair gripped his heart once more.

One dragon could no longer restrain itself and dove first! It opened its mouth, dripping with acidic, rotting saliva, aiming directly at the immobile Wrench!

Wrench's pupils shrank instantly! Survival instinct made him roll to the ground!

Ssshh-rraa!

The dragon's sharp claws grazed his back, tearing a large gash in the already damaged casing of his probe box, scattering parts and wires! Burning pain shot through him, and Wrench let out a muffled groan.

"Get lost! You stinking bugs!" Wrench grabbed a scorching stone and hurled it at the dragon, but the creature dodged it effortlessly.

The other two dragons also dove, their targets clear—one lunged toward the buried Lin Mo, while the other headed for Xiang Lingna's direction! They intended to seize the only "spoils" remaining in this ruin!

"No!" Wrench's eyes bulged with rage! He was closest to Lin Mo and instinctively lunged forward to block the dragon attacking his boss! But he was too far from Xiang Lingna's side! He could only watch helplessly as that dragon extended its claws, reaching for Xiang Lingna's buried position!

Just at this critical moment—

"Aaaah—!"

A roar, not from a dragon but filled with fury and pain, erupted from beneath the massive slope formed by the wall collapse!

Immediately, a figure blazing with orange-red embers of earth-fire shot skyward from a pile of rubble and debris! It was Copperbeard!

The dwarf's current appearance was truly pitiful. His entire body was charred black, his mechanical prosthetic arm twisted and deformed, smoking black; one leg also seemed injured, making his gait somewhat unsteady. Yet the massive forging hammer in his hand remained tightly gripped! On the hammerhead still clung the searing white molten metal from the furnace core explosion, not yet cooled!

Copperbeard's target was precisely the dragon lunging at Xiang Lingna!

"Get the hell down!" Copperbeard let out a hoarse roar, summoning all his strength to hurl the burning forging hammer!

The burning hammerhead became a streak of orange-red light, carrying the dwarf's unyielding fury, and struck the dragon's spine with perfect precision!

Crack!

A bone-crushing sound, grating on the teeth, rang out! The searing white molten residue on the hammerhead instantly ignited the dragon's rotting flesh! The dragon let out a shriek of extreme agony, tumbled to the ground, and frantically beat its burning wings before falling silent.

This thunderous strike stunned the other two dragons! They hesitated, raising their circling altitude uncertainly.

Copperbeard landed heavily, stumbling a few steps before steadying himself. He gasped violently, his charred face etched with exhaustion, yet his bloodshot eyes still burned with fury, staring at the dragons in the sky. "Wrench! What are you staring at! Save people!" he roared.

Wrench jolted awake, roused by Copperbeard's ferocity! Without further hesitation, he frantically cleared the rubble from Lin Mo while shouting, "Master Copperbeard! The girl Xiang Lingna is over there! She's buried!"

Hearing this, Copperbeard's heart tightened. Immediately dragging his injured leg, he limped toward the leyline fissure. Ignoring the threat from the sky, his massive mechanical prosthetic arm (though twisted) began digging furiously at the scorched earth.

The two dragons in the sky, stunned by Copperbeard's life-risking strike, dared not dive lightly for now, yet they continued to circle at low altitude, issuing threatening screeches as they searched for an opportunity.

Wrench finally dug Lin Mo out from the rubble. His charred body was horrifying to behold, yet the faint blue-white starlight on his chest remained stubborn. Carefully, Wrench pried open Lin Mo's tightly clenched right fist and retrieved the pure Stardust Crystal. The crystal's light seemed slightly dimmer than before, yet it remained pure.

"Boss... hold on..." Wrench gently placed the crystal on the spot of starlight on Lin Mo's chest, hoping it might help. He looked up toward the direction where Sister Ai Li had fallen, then at Copperbeard digging for Xiang Lingna, then at the circling dragons in the sky, and finally at the silent ruin around them, where other dangers might still lurk. A heavy sense of helplessness surged in his heart.

Copperbeard finally broke through the scorched earth, revealing Xiang Lingna's small body. Her face was as pale as paper, her breath faint, and the fragment of the Emerald Heart on her chest held no luster. Trembling, Copperbeard used his relatively intact hand to check her breath; feeling a faint trace of life, his tightly strung nerves relaxed slightly.

"The girl Xiang Lingna is still alive..." Copperbeard's voice was hoarse and low.

Just then—

"Hhh... hhh..." A difficult, painful wheezing, like a broken bellows, came from beneath the rubble slope where Sister Ai Li had fallen!

Copperbeard and Wrench snapped their heads to look!

They saw the pile of rubble, mountain-high, trembling slightly! A hand, covered in grayish, horn-like keratin with claws sharp as blades, suddenly thrust out from a crack in the stones! Beneath the skin of that hand, dark purple vein patterns writhed like living creatures, emitting an ominous aura!