Moreover, Tim is also a hands-on expert. He crafted a simple version of a flamethrower. Although it uses ordinary gasoline, it does indeed look the part.
Speaking of the monsters, they're in a bad situation. These Bat Monsters are indeed carbon-based organisms, and they're equipped with Bat Equipment, which means they lack magical defense and have an obvious weak point due to their large size.
Pamela directly conjured a ring of trees—all ordinary beech trees, but planted more densely and grown taller. It successfully blocked the monsters. The team members tossed Molotov cocktails through the gaps in the trees. Despite the thick fog outside, it didn't affect the burning of the gasoline, and the monsters soon were screaming in agony.
Harley has the only big gun among them, but it's just an old-fashioned shotgun. Tim has a police handgun, which handles well but lacks lethality. They alternated their shots, causing the gasoline barrels outside to explode. Once the fire spread, all that could be smelled was the aroma of barbecue, and it was even natural fruitwood charcoal grill.
The Blue Beetle, Ted, Cassandra, and Lilith didn't strike, but they weren't idle. Pamela needed plants to exert her full power, and she had brought seeds of striking plants beforehand. However, Shiller's backyard was ruined by Merkel's misdeeds, and some biological fertilizer buried without being composted burned the ground, making it difficult to plant anything.
This group salvaged body parts from the monsters—also retrieving some scattered equipment, though much was burned. Their main goal was the monster bodies—to be used as compost for the backyard.
They had dug a large pit in the backyard in advance; Ted made use of holograms to create a cover for warmth, which also kept the stench minimal. After several waves of attacks, they collected all the bodies and tossed them into the pit.
After these waves of attacks, they couldn't salvage equipment, but they left no body behind. Though the composting process might be lengthy, once the striking plants are grown, they can ensure the long-term security of the base.
"I bet Brainiac didn't anticipate our approach," Harley said. "I suspect he has it set so the bodies will respawn after an attack, otherwise, the bacteria and plagues from decomposition would be trouble for us, contaminating the water supply…"
"The bodies are indeed usable," Brainiac said, "but only the bodies players interact with will persist, unmarked bodies will dissipate into fog within at most 24 hours."
"There's something to that setting," Tim said, "I think someone is going to start playing with corpses again."
Gordon peeked out from the doorway; visibility was limited only to the very doorstep, and both sides of the road outside were swallowed by fog, with the shadows of monsters seeming to be slowly approaching.
He glanced at Shiller and was dumbfounded. Because Shiller had already donned a full set of protective gear—Gordon didn't even want to know why such things existed in his house—he was currently putting on gloves.
"You really did it on purpose back then," Gordon said to Shiller, "you plan to wear that to Morson district, so that Batman can find you?"
Shiller said nothing, he just gestured with his eyes for them to take the other sets from the table. Charles picked up a set to have a look; it was very professional, a full-sealed biohazard suit, with a gas mask and breathing path, although somewhat bulky once worn, its protective capacity was maxed.
"I'm not going out," Charles said, "it's not that I don't want to help you, but I suspect there might be a Psyshock, it's better I stay here and guard the house."
The other three didn't object. Ethan glanced at the protective suit and said: "I'm not putting this on, wouldn't want to dirty my hands for killing?"
Gordon hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to wear it. It wasn't fear of dirt, but that he knew if Shiller decided to wear it, it meant the upcoming scenes might require good protection. Especially the mask on the suit, the eye section is fogged plastic, which offers excellent spiritual protection.
When Gordon saw the weapon Shiller picked up was an axe, he realized his bet was right.
Ethan wasn't surprised either; currently, the only gun they had was Gordon's, and it was an old police gun, actually of no great use, destined for close combat. He looked around and took a chopping knife from the backyard.
The backyard did have a chainsaw, but it's not very practical, easy to jam, and might not intimidate monsters, not as handy as a sharp chopping knife.
The fog gradually spread toward the doorway, with some eerie shadows emerging from it. The monsters in the West District were different from those in the South District. As they became more solid and completely detached from the fog, Gordon gasped.
They were all kinds of Stitched Monsters. Human body parts haphazardly pieced together; some are two people sewn together, some with multiple arms, even dozens of people stitched into a quadruped monster, ridden by multiple Stitched Monsters wielding strange weapons.
"Bang!" A gunshot rang out, but not from Gordon—it was the monster on that 'human truck'. What they're holding looks like a grenade launcher, but what it launched were severed heads. When those things hit the ground, they spattered instantly, making Gordon want to puke.
"Brainiac!!!" he roared, "What the hell are you doing playing with corpses too?!!!!"
Then he turned to Shiller with fury, "It's all your doing! Brainiac learned these bad things from you!! Argh!!!"
Shiller didn't blink, he stared at a Stitched Monster approaching him, seemingly studying how it was stitched, and whether its body structure allowed it to move effectively.
It turns out, the current human body structure is best suited for upright walking, any additional parts are mere interference. These Stitched Monsters indeed walk rather sluggishly, Shiller grew impatient and walked up directly, landing an axe on the leading double-headed monster.
This axe swing isn't particularly strong, but the stitching of this thing is indeed lacking. With one swing, a head drops off. Shiller kicks it with his foot, and it topples over crookedly.
Shiller is speechless; if this monster is of such caliber, they actually don't need to come out to defend. They just need to destroy the road and make a big pit. These things couldn't get through.
Just as Shiller was considering whether to dig a moat, he heard the sound of gunshots behind him, and turned to hear Gordon's swearing. Shiller looked up and finally reacted when he saw the big truck.
The monsters on it wield guns that are somewhat like skull launchers, but they aren't as portable; two people are required, one to load and the other to fire.
"James," Shiller's voice under the protective suit is a bit muffled, "target their grenadiers."
Gordon, disgusted as he was, had tactical skills developed over many years as a sheriff in Gotham. He raised his hand and shot the grenadier in front, but as the distance was fairly far, the impact wasn't strong enough. These monsters were dead to begin with, and had no vital points, so the attempt was unsuccessful.
Shiller sighed and turned to Ethan, "Can you rig a tripwire?"
Ethan was about to say it was too late, but noticed that this large truck was moving very slowly. These six legs, made from stitched-together corpses doing sit-ups, didn't move well. The human race had become this monster's muscles, but without full-body activity coordination, they shuffled left and right without harmony.
Moreover, this thing has no head, nor could it have eyes or other sensory organs, so it doesn't require a professionally set tripwire. Ethan returned inside to fetch a rope, and tied one end to a tree in front of the corpses, holding the other end himself to obstruct the truck.
During this time, Shiller handled the nearby monsters, generally taking them down with one axe, splitting them in half, and continuing to chop, ensuring they wouldn't rise again.
Gordon's gun was effective against these small monsters, although unable to break them apart, it could drive them back. Thus, the truck slowly approached the tripwire's location.
As expected, when the front leg rose it got caught, causing the entire structure to collapse with a crash.
Technically, this tactical move succeeded and should bring joy. However, this large composite human structure falling made the scene indescribably contaminated by spiritual pollution. Gordon directly opened his protective suit's visor and began vomiting on the spot.
"Calm down, Chief." Charles began playing mental purification images in his mind, like the Hawaiian ocean, Himalayan snow, Alps grass...
"Thanks," Gordon gasped for several breaths.
He looked up at Ethan, expecting some reaction from him too. Unfortunately, Ethan remained unmoved. It could be said that the combination of veteran and doctor provided him with doubled resistance to things built from corpses.
Subsequent attacks were similar. The group already identified that monsters consisted mainly of three types. Melee monsters had clumsy limbs; by timing attacks, melee defenses could completely fend off. Ranged monsters posed a challenge, with skull launchers of high firing frequency. Impact may not cause high physical harm but loaded with full spiritual damage.
Then there were troop carriers; their sturdiness varied. The first was easily toppled, but two more arrived afterward. One used flesh tracks, the other had a multi-legged structure; neither could be tripped easily. Fortunately, like real-world cars, they couldn't move independently and required a driver, making it manageable if the driver was dealt with.
"I really should've worn a protective suit," Ethan said, looking down at his clothes drenched in blood and various corpse fluids.
"There's a lake over there; you can wash up," Shiller pointed, "We're going that way anyway. James, come help drag this truck into the lake."
Gordon was stunned: "What the hell are you doing?"
"We can't leave the bodies here," Shiller explained, "If they rot, the smell could be tough, and it'll also affect our visibility."
Shiller's point was indeed valid, although Gordon felt he was merely fixated on disposing bodies the same way at different occasions. Despite this, Gordon held his nose to help, fearing Shiller might turn the pile into a defensive structure right before his eyes.
Ethan jumped into the lake to rinse off, removing most of the grime. Seeing Shiller tossing bodies into the water, Ethan frowned and asked, "What if it pollutes the lake?"
"Thank goodness you care about that," Gordon said, moved.
"It won't; this lake is deep," Shiller replied, "and connects to an underground water system. The water self-cleans quickly."
Ethan was persuaded and nodded. Gordon entered a new level of despair. But Shiller looked at him and said, "Think of it positively, maybe if luck aligns, we might not have to fight the monsters ourselves."