Fan Debiao looked at Cai Qingchong and suddenly smiled, “You think I stink the most? Then you’re wrong! Haha! Haven’t you noticed how much more sweat Big Liu has on his face than me? It must be Big Liu who stinks the most!”
“…” Honestly, at that moment, Liu Dashao really felt like kicking these two guys over like meat cans to feed the Axolotl King.
“You two don’t need to fight over it—I’ll go!” Yang Weidong suddenly said.
Everyone stared at Yang Weidong in shock. “Old Yang, you’re not joking, are you?”
Yang Weidong gave a bitter smile and replied, “I’ve practically died several times already. If I can satisfy the Axolotl King’s appetite, you’ll all be saved. You’re still young, you’ve got a long life ahead of you! Besides, since my old comrades fell during the Korean War, living alone hasn’t meant much to me anymore…”
“Oh my God, Old Wang, you really are a hero of the people! So touching, so moving!” Fan Debiao rushed forward and shook Yang Weidong’s hand vigorously.
“I have just one request!” Yang Weidong said.
“What is it?” Both Cai Qingchong and Fan Debiao asked in unison.
“No matter what it is, we’ll agree to it!” Cai Qingchong said.
“That’s right! We’ll definitely agree!” Fan Debiao quickly added.
“I only wish for you to erect a tombstone beside my comrades’ graves and place one of my belongings inside!” The old man tore off a military badge from his already tattered clothes and handed it over.
Cai Qingchong took the badge and said, “Old Yang, rest assured, we’ll definitely fulfill your last wish!”
“Yes, absolutely! We’ll always remember you in our hearts because you were truly great! I always thought that nowadays, selfless people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for others no longer existed. But you, Old Yang, have completely changed my view. I’m proud of you! I’m honored for you!” Fan Debiao said, visibly moved.
“Old Yang, stop!” Both Dashao and Jia Zhuangyuan shouted simultaneously.
Dashao yanked Yang Weidong back and said seriously, “It’s not time to give up yet. As your team leader, I order you to stay put right here—don’t go anywhere!”
“Big Liu…” Cai Qingchong and Fan Debiao were about to say something, but Jia Zhuangyuan interrupted.
Jia removed his old landlord’s hat and, like a judge interrogating a criminal, coldly glared at Cai Qingchong and Fan Debiao and said, “You two, neither human nor ghost, look at yourselves! Look! Are those even words a human being would say? Do you still have any conscience left? Are you even human anymore? Absolutely inexcusable!”
Cai Qingchong and Fan Debiao hung their heads and mumbled, “Actually, we do still have some conscience left. At least we were thinking about arranging your funeral!”
“Get out of the way!” Dashao suddenly shouted fiercely.
Whoosh! Amid a gust of wind, a massive shadow swooped down toward them.
Liu Dashao threw himself to the ground while Jia Zhuangyuan simultaneously pulled Yang Weidong backward to safety. Cai Qingchong and Fan Debiao weren’t slow either—they cried out “Oh my God!” and rolled aside to dodge.
With a thunderous boom, the Axolotl King’s front claw smashed a large crater into the ice where they had stood moments ago, sending shards of ice flying and painfully pelting everyone.
“Damn it! Let’s fight it!” Fan Debiao grabbed his entrenching tool and charged forward.
“Debiao, come back!” Liu Dashao yelled anxiously.
Before he could finish speaking, Fan Debiao had already returned, panting heavily, “That thing gave me one glare and scared the hell out of me!”
“…” Everyone fell silent in disbelief. Fan Debiao’s heroic image had instantly crumbled.
Cai Qingchong grabbed the entrenching tool and said, “Look at you, what a wimp! Watch me carve a piece of flesh off it!”
Truth be told, Cai Qingchong was actually pretty brave. In a flash, he leaped twice and reached the Axolotl King. Then, with a quick flip, he dodged its gaze and darted to its tail, swinging the entrenching tool down hard.
Slicing through the Axolotl King’s skin, the sharp blade caused the creature to roar in pain, and it violently swung its tail.
With a loud thud, Cai Qingchong was struck and rolled backward like a bowling ball. If it hadn’t been for Liu Dashao’s quick reflexes and his grabbing Cai mid-roll, he would’ve tumbled straight into the abyss.
“Are you okay?” Liu Dashao asked anxiously.
Cai Qingchong shook his dazed head and stared blankly at him, “Beautiful girl, have we met before?”
A chill ran down Liu Dashao’s spine, and he immediately let go of Cai Qingchong. Clearly, the guy had a concussion.
The Axolotl King, wounded by Cai Qingchong’s shovel, grew furious. Its tail swung wildly, sending shards of ice flying in all directions.
Now, the group had been pushed back to the very edge of the chasm. Liu Dashao glanced behind him at the seemingly bottomless abyss and swiftly pulled out his tungsten steel dagger. “Damn it! I bet it’s not tougher than steel!”
The cold gleam from the dagger reflected in the Axolotl King’s eyes. It suddenly turned its head and stared coldly at Liu Dashao—or rather, at the dagger in his hand. From its expression, it seemed to recognize that this weapon was no joke.
Without hesitation, Liu Dashao gripped the dagger tightly and charged forward. According to Fan Debiao, Liu’s running posture at that moment was particularly impressive, like a leaping monkey.
As Liu Dashao approached, the Axolotl King raised its front claw and swung it down toward him. Liu quickly dodged and rolled beneath its claw just as it struck.
“Ah!” From a distance, Fan Debiao gasped in alarm.
Boom! Flying ice shards struck Liu Dashao, but he endured the pain and kept running.
The Axolotl King probably thought it had crushed him, so it didn’t move its claw for a while. Taking advantage of this moment, Liu Dashao leapt onto the creature’s back and slashed downward with his knife, cutting deep into its flesh. Black blood spurted out.
“Roar!” The Axolotl King roared in pain and violently shook its body, throwing Liu Dashao off its back. The creature’s strength was immense, sending Liu crashing down dazed and disoriented, his backpack falling to the ground and scattering its contents.
As Liu Dashao rubbed his bruised rear and prepared to rise, he suddenly caught sight of two objects—two climbing ropes. They had been tucked inside his backpack unused for so long that he’d practically forgotten they were there.
At that moment, seeing the ropes, Liu Dashao immediately came up with an escape plan.
He quickly crawled over, grabbed the ropes, and shouted to Cai Qingchong and Fan Debiao, “Distract the Axolotl King for now—I’ve figured out how to get us out of here!” He waved the ropes joyfully.
“What?! Climbing ropes?! Why didn’t you take them out earlier?!” Cai Qingchong suddenly snapped out of his daze and shouted at Liu Dashao, looking as if he wanted to tear him apart.
Liu Dashao scratched his head sheepishly and replied, “I just forgot!”
Fan Debiao grabbed his entrenching tool and charged forward, “Who knows what you were thinking! You almost got us all killed!”
Cai Qingchong and Fan Debiao worked together in a duet of blame, making Liu Dashao feel like a terrible criminal. Even Jia Zhuangyuan shot him a glare and muttered through clenched teeth, “Idiot!”
Cai Qingchong and Fan Debiao ran behind the Axolotl King, waving their entrenching tools and shouting, “Hey, ugly beast! We’re right here! Come bite us if you’ve got the guts!”
Hearing their shouts, the Axolotl King indeed turned its head and lunged at them with its jaws. Cai Qingchong and Fan Debiao dodged its attacks while engaging it in a game of hit-and-run.
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