Chapter 48: After modification: Chapter 48 Challenging Biological Limits【Seeking Follow-Ups!】 On the eastern side of Tower Mountain, Xia Hong continuously groped along the mountain wall, occasionally looking toward the middle of the mountain, a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes. Soon, Xia Chuan and Yuan Chuan, each leading two people, ran over from the south and north sides. "No entrance found on the south side." "Can’t find it on the north side either." Xia Hong’s face darkened; he had searched the east side thoroughly as well, and still couldn’t find the entrance to Da Shi Camp. Now only the west side remained. In a while, Yue Feng also came running with Lu Yang and Qiu Peng. "Couldn’t find it on the west side either, and there are no traces; it shouldn’t be over there." Xia Hong frowned deeply; it was impossible that they couldn’t find the entrance to Da Shi Camp from the four directions of east, south, west, and north. "It makes no sense, the camp of Da Shi should be here at Tower Mountain; I’ve heard my father say this before, how can we not find it." Hearing Xia Chuan’s words, Yuan Cheng nodded and said, "I’ve also heard my father say that it should be here at Tower Mountain, and we’ve searched the walls in all four directions. Could they possibly fly up into the sky?" When Xia Hong heard the words "fly up", he was initially taken aback, then he looked up, suddenly coming to a realization. "I see!" Tower Mountain was unlike other mountains, shaped like a pyramid; instead, it was a straight, upright small mountain with the top being only slightly narrower than the base. Xia Hong’s gaze made the others also realize. Everyone looked upwards, and the sharp-eyed Yue Feng was the first to make a discovery: "Leader, there’s a vine here, it seems to be connected to the top." Xia Hong quickly walked over, took the vine from Yue Feng’s hand, and gently tugged it, causing some snow above to slide down. "It’s here, follow me up, be careful." After testing the vine’s strength and finding it reliable, Xia Hong climbed up immediately, with Xia Chuan, Yuan Chuan, and the others following closely behind. The five-meter-wide wooden plank on the snow-covered mountain top was exceedingly conspicuous. Xia Hong casually scanned the area and immediately noticed it, quickly walking over to stand on top of it. "Ah......" As he approached, he faintly heard screams coming from inside, causing Xia Hong’s expression to change instantly. He hurriedly took out a fist-sized black chunk from his chest. "Everyone, come here and take out your stone axes!" Seeing the nine people take out their stone axes, Xia Hong quickly smeared the black chunk onto the axe blades. The black chunk was miraculous; it seemed incredibly hard, yet upon contact with the axe blades, it appeared to melt into liquid. After coating the nine axe heads, it was only the size of a marble. The black chunk was naturally the solidified fire oil that ignited upon touching deceitful monsters. Xia Hong drew out his small dagger and applied the last bit onto it. Then he turned to the others and commanded, "Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, you two come down with me to assess the situation first. The rest stay above. If I call for help, no matter what comes up, you hit it with the axe immediately, no matter who it is!" Everyone nodded. Xia Hong took a deep breath; he didn’t know what was inside, so this was the best arrangement he could make for now. He stepped forward and lifted the wooden plank. "Ah......" "Shi Dong, have you gone mad, don’t kill me." "Spare me, Shi Dong, don’t kill anymore, please stop killing." ...... The three-meter-wide hole was exposed, and the unending screams became clear. Sure enough, he was right; Shi Dong was indeed controlled by a deceitful monster. Xia Hong jumped directly into the hole, immediately followed by Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng. Upon entering the cave, a strong smell of blood rushed into their nostrils, overwhelming the three of them, causing a moment of nausea. "Wuu wuu wuu wuu......" Whimpers came to their ears. Xia Hong resisted his discomfort, looked down, and surprisingly saw Shi Qing lying on the ground, struggling wildly, gesturing with his eyes towards the bonfire, clearly signaling him to quickly go and save people. His mouth was sealed by something unknown, and his body was wrapped with countless white threads. These threads weren’t binding him externally but pierced through his flesh, holding him tightly. "You guys untie Chief Shi, I’ll go save people first!" From the moment he entered the cave, Xia Hong had seen the massacre happening by the bonfire. With Shi Qing signaling, he naturally didn’t hesitate, rushing directly towards the deceitful monster who was fervently slaughtering. Perhaps frenzied by the excitement of killing, the deceitful monster seemed not to notice Xia Hong’s arrival, continuing its slaughter of ordinary people. It wasn’t until Xia Hong rushed beside it that it tossed aside the head it had just removed, turned its head fiercely, and stared at Xia Hong with malice. "You again, you little bastard, ruining my plans over and over." Xia Hong quickly scanned the area, his brows furrowed, and his anger surged. His anger wasn’t triggered by the deceitful monster’s curses, but by the sight of human bodies, mutilated limbs surrounding the bonfire, and those grievously injured ordinary humans writhing in agony on the ground. With just a rough glance, Xia Hong estimated that nearly a hundred people had died. Among the dead were men and women, adults and children. Even suckling infants were not spared. Many fatally injured people lay on the ground, wailing, clearly dying, some even sliced in two with terror and pain still etched on their faces as they struggled. In contrast, those who died instantly almost seemed fortunate. Xia Hong’s fists clenched tight, his chest filled with rising fury. Although it was his second time witnessing the deceitful monster’s carnage, this scene was far bloodier, more horrifying, and ruthless than the one he’d encountered at the Great Xia Camp. These deceitful monsters that attacked humans indiscriminately had no emotions, let alone any conscience. Their existence was an outright challenge to the core of biological ethics. The earlier deaths of Xia Ding and the lumber team, along with the massacre of seventy-two lives during the first attack on the camp, combined with this current horrific scene. Old and new hatred intertwined, Xia Hong was furious beyond measure, glaring at the deceitful monster controlling Shi Dong, he almost snarled: "You vile creature, I know you like hiding behind the scenes. You’d better pray I won’t catch you. Once I do, I’ll burn you day and night on a fire until you’re reduced to ashes!" Xia Hong knew that Shi Dong in front of him wasn’t the true form of the deceitful monster. So after saying this, he didn’t waste more words. He drew his small dagger and in a flash dashed towards the deceitful monster. The monster’s face was already sinister upon hearing Xia Hong’s words, and seeing Xia Hong rush over made it furious. It shot several transparent white threads from its hands directly at him. Seeing the white threads, Xia Hong suddenly remembered how Shi Qing was bound by them and realized he couldn’t be careless. He dodged several strands and then quickly used his dagger to slice at the closest one. Shhh... To Xia Hong’s delight, as soon as the dagger touched the white thread, sparks shot out. Xia Hong immediately realized that these white threads also contained deceitful monster properties. So now, he was without burdens, raising his dagger, no longer dodging, continually slashing through the threads charging at him, reaching the deceitful monster’s side in just three or four seconds. "Let me collect some interest first, vile creature, wait for it, you’ll die by my hands sooner or later!" Xia Hong’s eyes were wide with rage, and his dagger slashed through the air. Though he had just broken through to the Earth-digging Realm, with basic strength of just over ten thousand pounds, the Taizhan Boxing combined with weapons allowed Xia Hong to unleash a terrifying force two-tenths beyond his basic strength. With this blow, everything was utterly destroyed. The deceitful monster, hastily raising its arms to block, had its arms and head sliced apart, and due to the tremendous force, even after the head flew off, the rest of its body hadn’t fallen yet. Only after four or five seconds, at the spot where it touched the solidified fire oil, did a small flame slowly ignite at the neck. The small flame gradually spread, burning brighter and brighter, much like the towering inferno of fury in Xia Hong’s heart at that moment.