Chapter 153: A Narrow Escape

The RV sped swiftly along the desolate highway, the few occupants inside weighed down by heavy hearts. Their eyes darted warily around, ever alert for the imminent threat of attack.

Wang Qi and his wife descended from the second floor, cradling the infant Meng’er in their arms. The baby seemed unaware of the danger, her wide eyes fixed on the group before her, then breaking into a clear, bright laugh.

“That child,” Qi Li sighed, helpless at Meng’er’s restless energy. It was because of her that Xie Liu, Wendy, and A2—those usually aloof and distant figures—had all gathered here. Yet the little one showed no sense of caution, as if finding the whole situation amusing.

Earlier, the black shadow had vanished after Xie Liu’s single shot sent him flying. Everyone knew it was merely a probe; more enemies were surely lurking nearby. The RV was moving at a tremendous speed—any attack from the opposition would require perfect timing.

“Wait, hold on,” A2 called from the rear of the cabin. She pulled a small device from her pocket that emitted a series of beeps.

“What’s that?” Ye Ling asked curiously.

A2 frowned in thought before replying, “It’s a ‘Psionic Detector’ developed by our alliance, mainly to track individuals with psychic abilities. Though the technology isn’t fully mature yet, it can still pinpoint the general location and number of enemies.”

She aimed the device forward, and moments later said, “Dead Eye, be alert. There are two fast-moving targets on our right side.”

Xie Liu snapped his head toward the right from the second floor. Beyond lay an endless forest, and he shouted, “I can’t see them! Everyone, be careful—I’m activating my psychic abilities!”

“Don’t worry; I’ll protect you,” A2 said, drawing a sleek black dagger from her back. She scanned their surroundings while Xie Liu crouched in the walkway on the second floor, activating his level-five X-ray vision.

The forest vanished, replaced by a silver-hued world. Xie Liu spotted two shimmering figures darting swiftly between the branches. Judging by their movements, he deduced they were equipped with mobility devices.

“This is tough,” Xie Liu sighed. At such speeds, even knowing their locations made hitting them difficult.

“Wendy, how long to the next exit?” Xie Liu asked anxiously. Wendy checked the map.

“Nine minutes left. I’ve already pushed the speed to the maximum.”

Nine minutes. Xie Liu’s heart sank. That was plenty of time for the enemy to strike. There was no chance to evade the approaching attackers. He shouted down to the others, “Everyone, find a sturdy place and hide!”

Before he finished, A2 called out urgently, “Three more incoming!”

Turning around, Xie Liu saw three figures on the hill to their left—two men and a woman. The man in the center carried a shoulder-fired rocket launcher, already aiming at their RV.

“Not good—it’s a kinetic rocket!” Xie Liu cried, glancing toward Wendy at the wheel.

Wendy grabbed the steering wheel, disabling autopilot. “Got it! Everyone, brace yourselves!”

“The kinetic rocket has automatic tracking, but we can interfere with it,” Wendy said, peeling back a round device beside her that glowed with red and green lights. “This signal jammer will hold for a while, but not for long. Dead Eye, be ready. If necessary, take out those three on the hill!”

As Wendy spoke, a plume of smoke erupted atop the hill. Xie Liu shouted, “Rocket strike!”

“Brace yourselves!” Wendy bellowed.

The rocket came hurtling down at tremendous speed, covering over a thousand meters in mere seconds. The roar filled the air as everyone clung tightly to whatever solid object was nearby.

In the city, rockets could accelerate to over ten times the speed of sound in a short burst. Even a shoulder-fired launcher could strike targets dozens of kilometers away. But since they were relatively close, the rocket hadn’t yet reached supersonic speed, allowing Xie Liu and the others to hear its whistle.

Wendy slammed on the brakes, yanking the handbrake hard. The RV screeched violently beneath them as everyone was flung forward in an instant.

“Hold on!” Xie Liu lost his footing on the second floor and was thrown violently, his hand grasping a door handle just in time. With a loud crash, he tore the entire handle from the door.

Boom! He slammed into the innermost wall, denting the metal with the force of impact.

Wendy’s body also struggled against the powerful inertia, toppling forward. At that moment, she caught sight of a trail of white smoke skimming the windshield—the rocket had narrowly missed them!

Crash! The windshield shattered into fragments. Though not struck directly, the rocket’s sheer velocity shredded the glass.

Wendy instinctively raised her hand to shield her face. The next moment, a fierce gust roared past the front of the RV. Wendy screamed, losing grip of the wheel as the vehicle veered sharply toward the rocket’s path!

“It’s over!” Xie Liu cried, still clinging to the wall. Suddenly, the rear wall was yanked violently to one side.

Any driver would know the consequences of being pulled off course at such high speed.

Sure enough, as the RV’s front shifted, Xie Liu felt the entire vehicle begin to tilt dangerously. A major crash was imminent.

“Wendy!” he shouted, hanging onto the wall.

“Shut up, I know!” she roared back.

She fought the wheel fiercely, trying to correct their trajectory, but it was too late. The RV began to roll over.

“Hold tight! We’re flipping!”

“Ahhhhh!” Ye Ling screamed, clutching an iron bar fixed to the floor. A2 plunged a black contract blade into the floor, anchoring herself. Wang Qi instinctively wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter, but was thrown violently against the side wall, coughing up blood, while his wife and child remained unharmed.

“A2, think of something!” Xie Liu called as he slid down the wall. A2 lowered her head, gripping the black contract. She nodded slightly, then drew a massive sword from her back.

“With a shout, she plunged the white oath blade into the ground beneath the RV. The floor cracked like a spiderweb, spreading in all directions.

The white oath blade weighed ten tons. With microgravity neutralized, A2’s full weight pressed down, threatening to shatter the floor. She twisted the blade back and stabbed it deeper.

With a sound like piercing tofu, the two-meter-long white blade broke through the floor and embedded itself solidly in the earth below.

“Hmph!” A2 grunted, applying force to reverse the blade’s angle. The ground beneath the RV was upheaved, yet the blade’s grip stabilized the tilting vehicle.

“Well done!” Xie Liu praised as he climbed up. He saw A2 half-kneeling, face grim, gripping the sword tightly.

With her aid, Wendy regained control, steering the RV toward the roadside guardrail.

“This is the last impact. Hold on!” Wendy gripped the wheel desperately.

As Xie Liu had just regained his footing, the RV slammed into the guardrail with a tremendous crash. He tumbled down the stairs from the second floor, shouting as he was flung toward the rear door, which had been ripped open. He was moments from being thrown out.

A2 reacted swiftly, grabbing Xie Liu as he rolled past and pulling him close, clutching him tightly.

“Ahhh! Let go! You’re choking me!” Xie Liu gasped, his head buried against something soft, making it hard to breathe.

With a thunderous rumble, the RV smashed along the guardrail, slowing rapidly. Just as it seemed they would come to a complete stop, Xie Liu poked his head out from A2’s embrace and exhaled deeply.

Before he could speak, a shout rang out nearby.

“Airburst grenades!”

Xie Liu instantly understood and yelled, “Get down!”

A2 snorted coldly, withdrew the white oath blade from the earth, and slashed open a hole in the wall ahead. Cradling Xie Liu, she leapt through the gap before the RV came to a full halt.

They barely cleared the vehicle as the RV’s side was pummeled by countless invisible blows, the metal denting inward like a battered sea surface. Roars of impact echoed until, finally, the steel shell was pierced by numerous airburst grenades, turning the RV into a sieve.

Xie Liu and A2 tumbled across the ground, rolling several times before rising. A2 was unscathed, but Xie Liu coughed up blood, battered by the repeated collisions.

“How are the others?” Xie Liu asked, undeterred by his injuries. He looked back at the smoking, battered RV, riddled with holes and tipping to the side.

“I don’t know,” A2 replied, shaking her head. No one had emerged yet.

Xie Liu surveyed the ground, where A2’s blade had torn up a swath of earth tens of meters long—an indicator of their speed.

“They’re coming,” A2 warned, glancing behind toward the forest where two figures lurked. “I’m going to take them out.”

Once outside the RV, A2 was free to fight with full strength. She was confident in defeating the foes. Yet Xie Liu’s concern lay more with those still trapped inside.

“Forget about them for now. Let’s check on the people in the RV,” Xie Liu said, pulling the reluctant A2 toward the wreck on the roadside.

Meanwhile, Wendy forced open the mangled door several meters away, climbing out through the passenger side, cursing loudly. “Those damn bastards! If I catch them, I’ll beat them to a pulp.”

“Wendy, what about the others?” Xie Liu hurried over.

Rubbing her head, Wendy spoke softly, “Don’t worry, they’re fine. That kid Wang Qi’s injured, but it’s not life-threatening. Hurry, let’s get them out before the others catch up.”

“Alright.” Xie Liu nodded, joining Wendy in the rescue.

Far off on the hilltop, the three assailants watched as Xie Liu and Wendy tended to the wounded. The man wielding the rocket launcher spat. “How are they still alive?”

“Do you have any more rockets?”

“I’ve got one kinetic rocket left, and one thermal rocket. But the thermal one is slower—they might dodge it.”

“Never mind, just fire it.”

The man loaded a small red rocket from the woman behind him into the launcher. Ready, he raised his weapon, aiming at Xie Liu and the others below as they worked to save their comrades.