Fire Attack

"Fire attack?" Everyone looked at Yang Xiao.

"These are mutant hornets, sparrow-sized with amazing attack power. And they're flying everywhere. How to burn them?"

"Yeah, in the past, when dealing with regular hornets in rural areas, people would wait until the hornets had all returned to their nests in the evening and then used a big fire to directly burn their nests to clear them out. But now, these mutant hornets don't have nests like that. They're flying all over the playground. How do we deal with them?"

...

Everyone voiced doubts.

Yang Xiao smiled. "I have my own method, and if you trust me, you can join me. In any case, if we succeed, you'll all receive genetic fragment rewards. If you don't want to participate, consider it unsaid, and everyone can go back to sleep. Tomorrow, we'll continue being blocked here by the hornets until everyone starves to death."

These people now understood what genetic fragments were. Xiao Zhe killed some mutant ants yesterday and obtained some genetic fragments. They took them to the Gene Store and synthesized some gene potions. Some people, like Yang Xiao, also purchased simple weapons.

Everyone craved more genetic fragments. There were over a hundred of these hornets. If what Yang Xiao said about burning them was true, there should indeed be a significant number of genetic fragments as a result.

And no one wanted to die trapped.

Xiao Zhe gritted his teeth and said, "Yang Xiao, if you can drive off the d*mned hornets, we'll follow your lead."

With Xiao Zhe agreeing, the rest made no more objections.

Yang Xiao nodded. "Alright, let me assign the tasks now. During this apocalypse, there are many cars parked on the roads around the academy, and most of these cars haven't been damaged. Of course, we don't have the keys to start them. My goal is to get the gasoline from the cars' fuel tanks."

"Gasoline? To burn the hornets?" Xu Hua's eyes lit up. Why hadn't he thought of that? Then he hesitated. "While gasoline is a good weapon against the hornets, they are flying all over the place. How do we burn them?"

"Leave that to me. You get gasoline. I know you're all quite strong now. If possible, rip out entire tanks and bring them here."

"No problem, Yang Xiao. How much do we need?"

"About ten tanks should do. No need to go far, dozens of cars are on the road near the playground. It's night, the hornets are probably resting. Carefully stay away from them and remove tanks. For safety reasons, I suggest we form groups of five."

"Okay, easy enough. Want to join us?" Xu Hua asked and looked at Yang Xiao.

"Of course, I'll bring them." Yang Xiao indicated Chen Fei's group.

So, Yang Xiao, Xiao Zhe, and the others quietly led everyone to the other side of the playground, taking advantage of the cover of the night to exit the playground.

Close to the playground, there were dozens of cars parked on the road, all of which had become ownerless after the apocalypse.

Yang Xiao approached one of the cars, while Chen Fei and the other three stood nearby to watch out for any mutant creatures. Yang Xiao flipped the car over and felt around the area of the fuel tank. He found several metal bars securing it and, with a strong tug, snapped them off.

In just over ten minutes, Yang Xiao had dismantled two fuel tanks. He shook one of them and estimated that it contained at least half a tank of gasoline.

On the other side, Xiao Zhe led a group of twenty boys, and each of them had dismantled at least two fuel tanks as well.

Under night's cover, they quietly returned to camp with the tanks.

"We got the gasoline, Yang Xiao, but how will we burn them?"

"Alright, let me briefly explain my plan, and you can fill in any gaps. Tomorrow early morning, we'll pour the gasoline here."

 As Yang Xiao spoke, he used his hand to draw a simple diagram on the ground.

"We'll use gasoline to create a large circle with a diameter of about 30 meters. Try to cover the ground inside the circle with gasoline as well. Then, we'll send people to attract the hornets to fly over. Once the hornets enter the circle of gasoline, we'll ignite it immediately. The gasoline's flames will erupt in an instant. To enhance the explosion effect, we'll open three gasoline drums and place them inside the circle. Once it ignites, these gas cans will explode, covering a much wider area, at least several hundred square meters. Even if these hornets are fast, most of them will be eliminated…"

Yang Xiao's plan was clear, and everyone understood it well. They believed it was feasible, and the thought of wiping out the hornets in one go tomorrow and obtaining a good amount of genetic fragments had everyone feeling excited.

Xiao Zhe patted his shoulder. "Good plan, Yang Xiao!"

"But who will lure them over?" Huang Wen timidly asked.

They fell silent. They not only needed to be fast but also capable of withstanding the hornets' attacks. Additionally, they had to be cautious about the explosion caused by the gasoline. Who was willing to take on such a heavy responsibility?

Yang Xiao smiled at Xu Hua.

Xu Hua's heart sank. "Don't tell me you expect me to lure them?"

Yang Xiao just kept smiling, nodding.

Anxious, Xu Hua said, "Isn't that shafting me into the fire? I can't withstand so many stings."

"I've chosen you to lure the hornets for a reason. Among all these people, you're the only one with a bronze skin mutation, which gives you exceptional defense. Ordinary people will collapse from a single hornet sting, but I think you can withstand seven or eight without much trouble."

Xu Hua swallowed. "Who said I'd be fine after getting stung seven or eight times? Look, I got stung once during the day, and it still hurts now."

Xu Hua rolled up his sleeve and pointed to a small red bump on his forearm.

Grabbing Xu Hua's arm, Yang Xiao exclaimed, "Wow, you've exceeded my expectations entirely. When ordinary people get stung, they die from the venom, but you've just got these tiny bumps, almost like mosquito bites. You could probably handle being stung twenty or thirty times without any issues."

Xiao Zhe added with a smile, "I have a fist-sized sting bump still not gone. Yours is a dot. Xu Hua, your skin really is amazing."

The crowd praised him, putting him in an awkward situation.

As Xu Hua thought about it, he realized there was no way out of this situation, and he reluctantly accepted his role in the plan.

Yang Xiao added, "To ensure absolute safety, you can go to the Gene Store and buy a piece of armor that adds 2 defense points. It will help you resist the hornets' attacks. The armor in the Gene Store is much tougher than denim, so it can reduce most of the stings."

Xu Hua said, "What you're saying is easier said than done. I asked Gu Bo and even the cheapest armor costs 10 crystal coins. Where are we going to get so many crystal coins?"