Unable to resist, I looked down at the unconscious Barbara in my arms again: "You want me to take you away with so many enemies around?!"
This isn't about whether I want to rescue her.
It's about whether I can rescue her!
After assessing the current situation clearly, Andrew was basically certain: If he could indeed take Barbara and break through this "fire net"-like encirclement, undoubtedly, it would still adhere to the Fire Extinguishing Upgrade Method. The idea of helping people extinguish fires wasn't completely out of the picture.
After all, there were just too many people, so even if I don't "extinguish" them, just taking Barbara "to escape" would still be considered "helping to extinguish a fire!"
The premise being: if I can truly take Barbara away!
"Water Spirit Sensing" brought more than just the "Panoramic Image."
It also enhanced the faint sixth sense that comes with the Water Soul Constitution, making it clearer.
It's a type of "water-like sixth sense."
This sixth sense was saying: "I can do it!"
Yet Andrew felt like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and immediately cursed in his mind: "Do it? Do it, my ass! Didn't you see how many Humboldt people are in town now?
Don't think you can brainwash me with some damn sixth sense gimmick, you bastard!"
"Um..."
A weak voice suddenly came through.
Andrew froze, turned his head to look.
He saw the girl he had saved earlier, now draped in Barbara's clothing, had woken up again.
Andrew was so focused on his rounds of confrontation with Barbara that he almost forgot the girl he and Barbara had jointly saved from Raymond's hands.
The girl stared at the scene before her, now completely different, and was stunned for a long time before she reacted, saying to Andrew: "Thank you, thank you, Andrew! Boo hoo..." She began to cry softly, still scared.
She thought Andrew had chased away Raymond and his people, not knowing Raymond's people were already gone; only a lone shoe was left behind.
"You don't need to thank me."
Andrew shook his head, took a deep breath, his voice somewhat cold, "She saved you; the clothes you're wearing were also given to you by her." He pointed at Barbara.
"Huh? What?"
The girl was a bit confused and couldn't cry anymore.
She thought to herself, I distinctly remember you jumped out and shouted, "Let go of that girl."
She looked at Andrew in some confusion.
The girl was very sensitive and sensed something different in Andrew compared to when he shouted "Let go of that girl."
She watched as Andrew bent down and put Barbara on the ground.
Seeing Barbara seemingly unconscious, the girl hurried over and embraced Barbara, letting Barbara's head rest on her lap.
She was indeed a very kind girl.
She looked up at Andrew again.
Yet she saw, after putting down Barbara, Andrew looking around, searching for something on the ground.
A moment later, Andrew bent down again and picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground.
Staring at the stone in his hand, Andrew's gaze was vicious, seemingly wrestling with either the stone or himself.
Suddenly, he raised his voice, filled with murderous intent, and said, "Enough, stop pretending!"
The scene went silent for two or three seconds.
Then, under the incredibly shocked gaze of the girl holding Barbara—
A figure suddenly sprang up from the ground, charging at Andrew.
It was the henchman who Raymond had knocked unconscious earlier!
Also, the very henchman who struck Andrew with a stone during the day.
Having fainted earlier, he was the only one among Raymond's associates who hadn't escaped.
This fellow had been awake for a while.
And almost managed to fool Andrew by playing dead.
Yet ultimately couldn't hide from Andrew's newly acquired "Water Spirit Sensing!"
Hearing Andrew's murderous "stop pretending," this person hesitated for a few seconds but couldn't resist standing up!
It must be said that people's explosive strength in dire situations is indeed very strong.
Seeing him about to reach Andrew,
The girl holding Barbara almost screamed at the sight again—
Andrew didn't say a word, his wrist flicked, and the stone he just picked up was thrown.
With a slap,
It hit the person's face with incredible precision.
This stone throw still followed the residual feeling of "Water Needle."
At the same time, he maximized the control of the new strength given by the Water Soul Constitution!
The Water Soul Constitution enhances Perception, as well as overall movement ability, hand-eye coordination, static strength, small muscle group control... basically, except for Explosive Power and absolute strength, pretty much every other aspect of physical fitness has seen considerable improvement.
The result is, once hit by the stone, the man didn't even utter a groan, his body instantly losing all power.
Earlier, Andrew needed to consume a Water Needle Prop to take down this henchman, but now just a flick of the wrist did the trick.
With a thud, the man fell to the ground like a ragged bag, landing at Andrew's feet. His fingertips just barely touched Andrew's toes. This time, he wasn't pretending; he was really dead.
Andrew silently brushed the dust off his hands.
Then he returned to the girl holding Barbara, saying, "It's over. Now hand her over to me." He pointed at Barbara.
His mind was already made up.
Andrew considered himself an ordinary guy without particularly noble virtues.
Helping people extinguish fires requires the premise of "able to extinguish." If the cost is to wipe out all his own people, Andrew couldn't do it. He wasn't some great flame-hero firefighter. Although he truly respects those great firefighter warriors, Andrew asked himself, he really found it hard to do the same.
Honestly, if Barbara hadn't helped him earlier, Andrew felt he might have hardened his heart and left her behind.
"But... she did save me once just now."
Andrew muttered to himself, somewhat helpless.
A girl, despite being severely injured, helped him, and before becoming unconscious, asked him to take her away.
She entrusted her life to him!
If he could still harden his heart and leave her behind, then Andrew felt he might as well not extinguish fires anymore.
Because his actions would be no different in essence from the unbridled malicious flames of this Flame Realm.
Since you've entrusted your life to me, then... I absolutely won't let you die.
Or perhaps the big thigh I decided to hold onto should be held to the very end, even with tears!
If that thigh is broken, I'll personally connect it and hold on tightly!
That strong "I can, I can do it" water-like sixth sense had already disappeared.
This time, Andrew completely told himself: "I can do it!"