Wang Feifei looked completely bewildered, unsure what everyone was talking about. She quickly asked what was going on. Jackson had told her about the 'Chu' and 'Zhi Bing,' and after he spoke a few words in French, Wang Feifei's expression shifted, and she became instantly wary.

These bugs usually appeared in swarms, and water was the only way to deal with them. Everyone’s water was strapped to the camels, but at this point, they couldn't worry about that. They urgently called for old man Kramar to retrieve the water from the camels.

Young Master Liu demanded it, but Kramar didn't respond. Liu turned back and saw, "Damn it!" the old man had vanished. Liu cursed inwardly, "That damned old man, running off at the first sign of danger. What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

Fan Debiao spat out loud, "For the love of the donkey's egg, that little old man abandoned us to save his own skin. What do we do?"

The moment Fan Debiao finished speaking, they heard a rustling sound—a sound that Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao knew all too well. They both turned their heads toward Tiao Zi and Sun Li.

The two of them had already been gnawed down to skeletons by the 'Chu,' and a massive number of 'Chu' were surging toward them, pouring continuously from the hole Sun Li had made.

"We can't handle these things. Let's get to that high ground over there," Fan Debiao suddenly declared, throwing his rifle onto his back and turning to run backward.

Young Master Liu followed the direction Fan Debiao was running. Not far away stood a dirt wall resembling a beacon tower, quite tall; getting to the top and defending with entrenching tools might buy them some time.

Liu also turned to flee but saw that the kid Wu Bai had fainted from fright. Liu cursed under his breath, "Damn it, this useless idiot always messes up at the critical moment. He was acting crazy just now, and now he's passed out." Liu genuinely wanted to kick him a couple of times, but time wouldn't allow it. They were all together, and he couldn't just leave him; he quickly beckoned Jackson over to help carry him.

Jackson uttered a phrase in French, then ran over, and together he and Liu slung Wu Bai up by an arm each and ran.

The 'Chu' were closing in fast. Liu and Jackson couldn't afford to care about anything else; they just kept their heads down and ran. Wu Bai's feet scraped against the sand, sending up smoke, and the pain woke him up, causing him to scream loudly.

In no time, the group charged onto the "high ground." Wu Bai sat down, having kicked off his shoes, revealing a shocking amount of missing skin. Lin Miaoke and Wang Zhicai hurriedly rushed to tend to him.

Fan Debiao handed Liu and Jackson each an entrenching tool, telling everyone to guard a foot of the structure and strike any 'Chu' that approached. He said their only chance was to wait for Hu Da to send a heavy rain, but Liu looked at the sky and thought rain was almost impossible. Still, the will to survive relentlessly drove Liu to continuously strike the 'Chu' climbing onto the "high ground."

Seeing that everyone was struggling, Wang Feifei picked up her whip and began to swing. Her whip seemed more effective than everyone’s entrenching tools; one lash could sweep away a large cluster of 'Chu' halfway up the "high ground."

After several minutes, everyone’s strength was nearly exhausted. Wang Feifei’s whipping also lost its initial vigor, yet the 'Chu' kept coming in greater numbers.

Liu said to Fan Debiao, "Bastard, we're out of strength. What now? The rain hasn't come. Looks like Hu Da isn't helping us."

Fan Debiao replied, "It seems Hu Da is just hot air. The flame of revolution must burn to the very end. Use your last bit of strength to strike!"

Wang Feifei shook her head helplessly when she saw Liu and Fan Debiao still chatting and joking at a moment like this. She swung her whip and continued to fight.

Whether due to everyone’s exhaustion or the sheer increase in the number of 'Chu,' a swarm twice the previous size surged toward them. Instantly, every vein in their bodies bulged; they didn't know where to begin striking.

"Everyone, hold on just a little longer!" Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from behind them. The group turned around to see old man Kramar charging toward them.

Old man Kramar was carrying two large sacks, running erratically, leaning left and right, his movements quite comical, but his expression showed extreme tension.

Kramar’s vigorous running caused significant jolting, and water splashed out of the bags intermittently. The group immediately realized those two sacks were full of water. It looked like the 'Chu' at their feet were about to get a harsh lesson.

Liu was puzzled. How did old man Kramar know water could subdue the 'Chu'? But what surprised him was that the old man was actually loyal. He had thought Kramar had abandoned them, only to realize the man had gone to find a way to help them break the siege. Frankly, Liu now felt a deep respect for him.

Fan Debiao was overjoyed and shouted toward Kramar, "Hurry up, old man! One second slower and we’re done for!"

Upon hearing Fan Debiao’s shout, Kramar sped up, taking two steps where there should have been three, rushing toward them as if mad. He was moving so fast that foamy spit flew from his mouth.

At this moment, everyone realized there was hope for survival and grabbed their entrenching tools. Wu Bai fumbled around, finding nothing suitable, so he simply snatched up his hiking boots, climbed to the edge of the "high ground," and began striking frantically. The "high ground" instantly erupted into chaos.

This is how humans are: when there is absolutely no hope of survival, they just sit and wait for death. But as soon as even the slightest glimmer of hope appears, they fight desperately for it. This is what hope for survival means.

The swarm of 'Chu' that was moments away from engulfing them was forced into a tactical retreat by the group's sudden frenzy. Even if the water had arrived an hour later, they could have held on—this was the power of unity.

Soon, old man Kramar finally reached them, his face flushed crimson. He gasped, "Pour the water down from the top! Quickly!" As soon as he finished speaking, he nearly blacked out from the exertion.

Liu told Lin Miaoke to look after old man Kramar, then he and Fan Debiao each grabbed a sack, twisted off the stoppers, and poured the contents onto the "high ground," instantly creating a small waterfall flowing down the slope.

The moment the water flowed down, a large amount of white smoke billowed upward from beneath the "high ground." Liu and Fan Debiao both yelled out their satisfaction.

Suddenly, all the 'Chu' scattered to the areas around the high ground where there was no water. They stopped attacking blindly. At this, Liu remembered the sensation of being buried by the 'Chu' and 'Zhi Bing.' Could these bugs truly possess intellect?

If so, they couldn't rely on just this small amount of water to eliminate all the 'Chu.' He realized they hadn't carried this much water with them when they set out. Where did old man Kramar get so much water? He immediately asked Kramar about the source of the water.

Old man Kramar explained that there was a small oasis not far ahead, containing a water pool, and he had obtained this water from there.

Hearing Kramar’s words, Liu immediately formulated a plan: use the remaining water in his and Fan Debiao’s sacks to clear a path, then the group would follow this path straight to the oasis and jump into the pool. That way, they would be completely rescued. However, they didn't know how far the oasis was from their current position, making the quantity of water a serious concern.

Liu explained the plan to everyone and then asked old man Kramar to estimate the distance to the mentioned oasis. Liu weighed the water remaining in his and Fan Debiao’s bags and realized rushing to the oasis was impossible.

Furthermore, two people in the group couldn't run. Even if they had enough water, they couldn't guarantee everyone would reach the oasis safely. This situation plunged them back into danger.

Fan Debiao spat and said, "Let's use this water to break through the siege first, then ditch the bags and rush for the oasis, won't that work?"

Fan Debiao's idea was somewhat reckless, and Liu hesitated to try it lightly. But Liu looked around. The water spilled earlier had already been absorbed by the sand, and the surrounding 'Chu' were closing in on them.

They couldn't afford to think anymore; they had to steel themselves and use Fan Debiao's method.

Liu roughly arranged the formation: Jackson would take one water sack to the front to cover the path they came from, while simultaneously supporting Wu Bai with Wang Zhicai. Liu, Wang Feifei, and Lin Miaoke would be in the middle. Fan Debiao would carry old man Kramar on his back and take the final water sack to cover the rear.

Following this formation, they began to jog slowly, pouring water on the ground as they moved. The 'Chu' made way for them along the path they cleared.

Though jogging, their steps were lighter than a thief's, fearing any large movement might provoke the 'Chu.' The atmosphere became extremely tense. Everyone moved forward in absolute silence.

This silence was abruptly shattered by Fan Debiao's shout: "End point reached!" Everyone snapped to attention, and they all charged toward the oasis Kramar had spoken of.

Running, Wang Feifei suddenly shrieked, "Oh no, the compass fell off!"