It's a pity that although Zhu Ba had been a bandit for a few years, he didn't have any outstanding martial arts skills. He only became a bandit leader because of his tall stature and brute strength. His joining did not change the battle situation much.
The entire Thousand Machine Battalion consisted of highly skilled martial artists. Even the burly man opposite them, a master, was no match for them, let alone the nameless soldier Zhu Ba.
Before they had even exchanged a few blows, Zhu Ba was already covered in bruises, blood was flowing down his chest, and his arms were also cut.
Of the burly men in coarse cloth, only two remained, struggling to hold on.
The ground where the battle was taking place was now completely covered in alcohol. The strong smell of alcohol and blood filled Zhu Ba's nostrils, and he accidentally slipped and fell to the ground.
"Hmph! You're incompetent but try to be a hero! You're asking for death!"
A man from the Thousand Machines Camp shouted and swung his knife at Zhu Ba's head.
Just when Zhu Ba thought his life was over.
In the blink of an eye—
Of the two surviving burly men in coarse cloth, one of them leaped forward and blocked the blow for Zhu Ba!
The cold, long blade slashed into his chest, the tip piercing through his body, and the man's blood spurted out, raining down on Zhu Ba's pale face.
The blood was warm, but Zhu Ba's heart had already turned to ice.
The burly man did not die. He weakly murmured, "Good...good brother, you're a good man, you really deserve...you really deserve..."
Before he could finish speaking, his head lolled to the side, and he died.
The burly man in coarse cloth behind him was furious. He kicked the table leg and broke it, then picked up the table and smashed it down on the men of the Thousand Machine Battalion.
The members of the Thousand Machine Battalion hurriedly jumped away, but the man was incredibly strong and kept picking up tables and smashing them at them.
In the midst of the chaos, a wooden box fell to the ground with a "thud," and the contents inside rolled around on the ground, but no one noticed at the time.
After throwing the tables away, the man seemed to have exhausted his strength. He wearily lifted the large knife, panting heavily...
The men from the Thousand Machine Battalion were in the same boat, panting heavily as they said, "Hmph, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot! You think you can hinder our work!"
"I'll send you to meet the King of Hell right now!"
Zhu Ba, who was covered under the table, was pale. The intense pain made him tremble all over. He had lost a lot of blood and his fingertips were starting to feel cold.
He had been stabbed several times, and a chill was spreading through his body.
At this critical moment of life and death, a fragment suddenly appeared in his mind.
That was a scene from many years ago, before he left home, where he, his younger brother, and his mother sat around the stove, warming themselves by the fire. A stew of various vegetables was placed on the fire, and his mother would always put one or two sweet potatoes next to the fire.
Roasted sweet potatoes are very fragrant, with a caramelized aroma, yet they taste sweet.
He and his younger brother would each eat one, enjoying it immensely, while their mother would always stir the pot with a large spoon, saying with a hint of reproach, "Eat slowly, eat slowly, or you'll get blisters on your lips."
Looking back now, it was truly a wonderful thing to sit around the fireplace with family on a winter's day, eating a hot meal and warming ourselves by the fire.
Yes, we need fire!
Now, only fire can kill these sons of bitches!
The next moment, Zhu Ba shakily took out a tinderbox from his pocket and blew on it a few times.
With a "poof" sound, a cluster of sparks lit up.
Although Zhu Ba was covered in strong liquor, he had already made his decision!
Without the slightest hesitation, he tore off a strip of cloth and lit it.
"puff".
A spark ignited the strip of cloth, the fire from the cloth ignited the strong liquor scattered on the ground, and the flames then ignited the wood chips scattered everywhere.
Then, a raging flame burst into flames inside the shop.
Beneath the raging flames, everyone was engulfed in fire, and screams of agony rang out instantly.
The burly man in coarse cloth was also surrounded by flames. He was already covered in injuries, and now he could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground in front of Zhu Ba.
He said weakly, "Uncle Zhu... if I had met you sooner, I, Li Hai, would definitely have become sworn brothers with you and taken you into the Crimson Tide Alliance to accomplish great things."
"You're great!"
Zhu Ba was engulfed in flames and had no time to listen to a single word. He was pinned down by the table and kept twisting his body, desperately trying to extinguish the flames on his body.
He didn't want to die so soon; he hadn't even gone home yet.
Although the members of the Thousand Machine Battalion were engulfed in flames, they had already begun to run away...
but--
At this very moment.
A loud "bang"!
However, an item that fell from the wooden box was ignited by the flames, which then caused an explosion!
Countless pieces of iron shot out, and the blast wave swept through the entire store, knocking everyone over. The members of the Thousand Machines Camp were even blasted headfirst into the wall.
The aftershocks of the explosion gradually extinguished the flames...
——
The broken table was pushed aside, and Zhu Ba crawled out shakily. His face was pale, blood kept seeping from the corner of his mouth, and his hair was charred black.
He walked slowly and laboriously toward the outside of the shop. The road wasn't long, but it took him a long time.
Once outside the shop, he shakily untied the horse's reins, then gritted his teeth, forced back the blood in his throat, and mounted the horse.
But by then he could no longer sit up. He could only lie on the horse's back, gently patting its body, uttering incoherent words, blood flowing from his mouth, and the horse's body was covered in blood.
"Old buddy, home...home..."
The black horse lowered its head and walked forward step by step.
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