"Leader, what's wrong with you?"
"Barry, what did you do?"
The few people who had just come up were completely confused, with some trying to help William from the ground, while others questioned Barry about what had happened.
"Heeh heeh heeh heeh..."
Barry didn't speak but suddenly lowered his head, letting out a rasping, grating laugh that resembled wood chips scraping, filled with a sinister delight.
This laugh was not only eerie but also terrifying, enough to make one's skin crawl.
Hearing this familiar yet horrifying laugh, William, still on the ground and not yet lifted, suddenly changed his expression drastically, quickly turning his head to look at Barry.
"Thanks to you for bringing me over, or else, where would I find so many people? Heeh heeh heeh heeh heeh..."
William immediately realized that this Barry was fake.
The fourth time, during Aiden and Mason's pursuit of Barry, yes.
They all thought only Aiden and Mason had been replaced, but actually, even Barry had been replaced.
This Mimicking Monster acted out a bitter plot, deliberately setting up a scene where Aiden and Mason chased Barry, then controlled Barry to blend in with them.
Doesn't that mean that when they were in the Rogel camp hall, discussing strategies to lure and encircle it, it had already understood everything clearly?
Pitifully, George and the others are now still following Lex and Matthew, trying to lure out the Wooden Puppet Monster again.
It turns out the enemy had already infiltrated their ranks.
It's over, all over!
"Run, run, everyone, run!!!"
William abruptly turned, shouting nearly red-faced and hysterically in the direction of the people in the campfire camp.
He didn't know how the Wooden Puppet Monster controlled Barry, but it was certain that he couldn't move at all now.
With more than three hundred people in the camp, unless something unexpected happened, they were all doomed!
Run, run, all of you run together, perhaps there is a slim chance of survival.
Holding this thought in his heart, William wanted to continue speaking, urging everyone to escape as soon as possible, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the white threads wrapped around him pierced through his lips, sewing his lips shut.
"Mmm mmm mmm mmm..."
Only able to make muffled sounds, William saw everyone in the camp still bewildered and clueless, his face instantly flushed red, his pupils filled with urgency and bloodshot.
But the "Barry" had already moved.
In a sudden lunge, he punched the nearest person's head.
The person hadn't had time to speak, and his head was smashed like a watermelon, yellow and white substances splattering everywhere, creating a gruesome scene.
And it wasn't over.
With a sinister face, "Barry" grabbed two people trying to run away, fingers suddenly strengthening, nearly piercing into their necks.
These two people also didn't have time to speak before they died, bleeding from all their orifices.
"Heeh heeh heeh heeh heeh..."
As the bloodshed began to spread, the smile on "Barry's" face grew even more wantonly twisted, as if slaughtering these lives was a great enjoyment for it.
In a blink of an eye, three lives were lost just like that.
Every other person initially bewildered around the campfire immediately understood that the person in front of them was not Barry but a demon.
"Ah..."
"Barry's gone mad."
"Run, run…"
"Leader, save us!"
---
The terror of the crowd seemed to be the Mimicking Monster's stimulant, and it rushed into the people, continuously and brutally claiming lives in a twisted manner.
Feeling punching to death was too slow, it even picked up a stone axe nearby.
Watching as family, friends, wives, children, everyone in the camp was wantonly massacred, lying on the ground, William was driven to the brink of rage, his eyeballs almost bulging out.
Yet at this moment, he couldn't even talk, let alone move.
There was nothing he could do.
Seeing his wife tragically die in the crowd, William wept bitterly.
The immense pain gradually turned into deep despair.
---
On the eastern side of Tower Mountain, Bruce continuously groped along the mountain wall, occasionally looking toward the middle of the mountain, a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes.
Soon, Charlie 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."
Bruce's face darkened; he had searched the east side thoroughly as well, and still couldn't find the entrance to Taylor Camp.
Now only the west side remained.
In a while, Clark also came running with Nick and Clint.
"Couldn't find it on the west side either, and there are no traces; it shouldn't be over there."
Bruce frowned deeply; it was impossible that they couldn't find the entrance to Taylor Camp from the four directions of east, south, west, and north.
"It makes no sense, the camp of Taylor should be here at Tower Mountain; I've heard my father say this before, how can we not find it."
Hearing Charlie's words, Tony 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 Bruce 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.
Bruce's gaze made the others also realize.
Everyone looked upwards, and the sharp-eyed Clark was the first to make a discovery:
"Leader, there's a vine here, it seems to be connected to the top."
Bruce quickly walked over, took the vine from Clark's hand, and gently tugged it, causing some snow above to slide down.
"It's here, follow me, be careful."
After testing the vine's strength and finding it reliable, Bruce climbed up immediately, with Charlie, Yuan Chuan, and the others following closely behind.
The five-meter-wide wooden plank on the snow-covered mountain top was exceedingly conspicuous.
Bruce 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 Bruce'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, Bruce 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 Mimicking monsters.
Bruce drew out his small dagger and applied the last bit onto it.
Then he turned to the others and commanded, "Charlie, Tony, 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.
Bruce 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..."
"Barry, have you gone mad, don't kill me."
"Spare me, Barry, 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; Barry was indeed controlled by a Mimicking monster.
Bruce jumped directly into the hole, immediately followed by Charlie and Tony.
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.
Bruce resisted his discomfort, looked down, and surprisingly saw William 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, Bruce had seen the massacre happening by the bonfire.
With William signaling, he naturally didn't hesitate, rushing directly towards the Mimicking monster who was fervently slaughtering.
Perhaps frenzied by the excitement of killing, the Mimicking monster seemed not to notice Bruce's arrival, continuing its slaughter of ordinary people.
It wasn't until Bruce rushed beside it that it tossed aside the head it had just removed, turned its head fiercely, and stared at Bruce with malice.
"You again, you little bastard, ruining my plans over and over."
Bruce quickly scanned the area, his brows furrowed, and his anger surged.
His anger wasn't triggered by the Mimicking 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, Bruce 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.
Bruce's fists clenched tight, his chest filled with rising fury.
Although it was his second time witnessing the Mimicking monster's carnage, this scene was far bloodier, more horrifying, and ruthless than the one he'd encountered at the Harper Camp.
These Mimicking 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 Thomas 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, Bruce was furious beyond measure, glaring at the Mimicking monster controlling Barry, 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!"
Bruce knew that Barry in front of him wasn't the true form of the Mimicking monster.
So after saying this, he didn't waste more words.
He drew his small dagger and in a flash dashed towards the Mimicking monster.
The monster's face was already sinister upon hearing Bruce's words, and seeing Bruce rush over made it furious.
It shot several transparent white threads from its hands directly at him.
Seeing the white threads, Bruce suddenly remembered how William 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 Bruce's delight, as soon as the dagger touched the white thread, sparks shot out.
Bruce immediately realized that these white threads also contained Mimicking monster properties.
So now, he was without burdens, raising his dagger, no longer dodging, continually slashing through the threads charging at him, reaching the Mimicking 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!"
Bruce's eyes were wide with rage, and his dagger slashed through the air.
Though he had just broken through to the Earthripper Realm, with basic strength of just over ten thousand pounds, the Tyler Boxing combined with weapons allowed Bruce to unleash a terrifying force two-tenths beyond his basic strength.
With this blow, everything was utterly destroyed.
The Mimicking 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 Bruce's heart at that moment.