Chapter 30: Reached the Limit

"Fang Heng, meeting you is truly my good fortune."

In the Doomsday Merchant Camp, Wirtel was grinning from ear to ear.

"However, Fang Heng, our camp is no longer short of planks. You can check out other doomsday camps; they are still quite short on them."

Out of stock?

Did he hit the limit?

A flash of disappointment crossed Fang Heng's face.

He opened his task bar to confirm.

The repeatable task for collecting planks within the Merchant Camp had indeed disappeared.

What a pity.

He had originally intended to strip the Doomsday Merchant Camp bare.

He hadn't expected the Main God to prevent him from farming it.

Wirtel continued, "I have mentioned you to the other doomsday merchants. They will certainly welcome your arrival."

"This is my private map. It marks the locations of their camps; you should find it useful."

[Prompt: Your friendship with Wirtel has increased.]

[Prompt: Wirtel has gifted you a map. You can use the map to navigate to the locations of 7 surrounding Doomsday Merchant Camps.]

"Thanks."

Fang Heng took the map and looked it over.

The seven Doomsday Merchant Camps marked on the map were all quite far from here.

Even the closest one in a straight line was over two hundred kilometers away.

His shelter was not yet completed, so he couldn't leave just yet.

Running all the way there to farm wood was somewhat unrealistic.

"Also, I have some good news for you. Your goods have arrived. Come and take a look with me. Hehe, I guarantee, this is a great thing for dealing with zombies."

The merchant Wirtel led Fang Heng into a small hut.

He pulled a wooden crate from beneath the counter and placed it on top with a heavy 'thud.'

"Look at this, it's my absolute prize treasure."

Fang Heng opened the wooden box, revealing a bright red Focused Flamethrower inside.

The shape of the Focused Flamethrower was very similar to a large submachine gun.

The difference was that the front of the muzzle looked somewhat like a water pipe, with a large, thick opening.

Fang Heng tried lifting it.

It was extremely heavy; it had to be carried on the shoulder to be used.

[Prompt: You have obtained Item - Focused Flamethrower M-021 * 1.]

"Zombies have lost their consciousness, but most of them instinctively fear fire. This flamethrower will definitely be useful."

As Wirtel boasted, he placed several blue wooden boxes on the counter.

"Additionally, this is the fuel equipped for you. Be careful, these are explosives, and they are very heavy."

The fuel canisters were a mixture of special gases, sealed under high pressure, making them very heavy.

Finally, Wirtel handed a small booklet to Fang Heng.

"Lastly, this is a complimentary instruction manual. Use it carefully and ensure your safety."

Fang Heng took the booklet.

According to the description in the manual, using the Focused Flamethrower correctly required two people working in coordination.

One would operate the nozzle of the flamethrower, while the other would assist by supporting the heavy fuel canister and controlling the flame intensity.

Zombie movements were too stiff to allow for precise coordination.

He would have to find another "tool person" to help.

Another issue was the cooldown time.

He mentally rehearsed his plan to clear the basement in the near future.

The Focused Flamethrower would overheat after being used for a period of time.

Once it reached a dangerous temperature of 50%, the durability of the flamethrower would accelerate its consumption. Therefore, for safe use, the temperature had to be kept below 50%.

Furthermore, there was the matter of fuel.

Even with proficiency, it would take at least three minutes to change the fuel each time.

Assuming a large number of Spider Zombies were continuously rushing in through the passage, the flamethrower alone might not be enough to hold them back.

They wouldn't have time to change the fuel.

What should he do?

He had it!

Fang Heng looked up.

"Wirtel, please give me twenty more barrels of gasoline."

"No problem, here are the twenty barrels of gasoline you requested."

[Prompt: You have obtained Items - Focused Flamethrower Fuel Canister * 20, Gasoline * 20.]

...

The prison, the entrance to the basement.

Liao Bufan was feeling a bit panicked.

He scanned his surroundings warily and lowered his voice.

"Fang Heng, are we really going in? How about we skip this time? Let's just let them win, okay? Don't push your luck; your life is more important."

"Don't panic, I have a plan."

Fang Heng responded in a low voice. He used a key to open the first two iron doors, leaving only the last one.

Then, he pressed his ear against the door.

Good, there was no sound inside.

The Spider Zombies weren't blocking the door.

Fang Heng pulled the Focused Flamethrower from his backpack.

"Holy crap? A flamethrower!"

When Liao Bufan saw Fang Heng pull such a heavy-duty weapon from his backpack, his eyes went wide.

He was incredibly envious!

Liao Bufan felt an itch in his heart; he reached out to touch the flamethrower, feeling extremely excited.

"This is a treasure! Boss, where did you get this?"

He had been terrified for so long, only to realize that Fang Heng had been prepared all along.

With such a powerful weapon, what was there to be afraid of!

Liao Bufan inwardly complained that Fang Heng hadn't said anything sooner, making him live in fear for nothing.

"It's a secret. Come, give me a hand."

Fang Heng attempted to connect the fuel canister to the flamethrower and placed the canister on the ground.

"Coming!"

Liao Bufan helped shoulder the fuel canister behind Fang Heng and adjusted the flame settings.

Fang Heng, meanwhile, controlled the flamethrower's trigger and direction.

Everything was ready.

"3, 2, 1..."

Fang Heng signaled the numbers with his fingers and carefully pushed open the final iron door of the basement passage.

*Clang...*

Inside the iron door, a straight passage about thirty meters long came into view.

The interior of the passage was empty, ending in a right-hand turn.

Beyond the corner was a blind spot with no visibility.

The two men exchanged a glance.

Liao Bufan turned his head toward Fang Heng.

"How do we do this?"

"Shh."

Fang Heng raised a hand to signal Liao Bufan to be quiet.

He waved his hand.

The five zombie clones following them entered the passage.

They wobbled forward until they reached the end of the straight passage.

The zombie clones stopped, and then slowly pulled wooden frames from their backpacks and placed them on the ground.

"Wooden frames? What is he trying to do with all this commotion?"

Liao Bufan muttered softly as he watched the zombies' actions, his eyes filled with confusion.

It took a full five minutes for the zombies to stack fifty or sixty frames at the corner, nearly blocking most of the passage.

Once the wooden frames were stacked, the zombies pulled out gasoline, opened the caps, and poured it over the frames.

Finally, the returning zombie clones gradually poured the remaining bit of gasoline along the path leading back to Fang Heng's position.

"You..."

Liao Bufan felt like he somewhat understood, yet didn't quite understand at all.

He looked at Fang Heng and asked in a low voice.

"Is this okay? You want to burn this whole place down?"

"Of course it's fine. Uncle Jimmy checked the structure here; it's all bare reinforced concrete. It won't catch fire."

"That's a relief."

Liao Bufan breathed a sigh of relief.

It would be such a waste if the shelter they had worked so hard to build was accidentally burned down.

(End of Chapter)