Chapter 53: Method to Break the Situation

Chapter 53: The Solution to the Predicament

Thump, thump, thump... Amidst the short, rapid footsteps, the Ashamed Father lowered his body and broke into a sprint, slamming his shoulder and back hard against the steel physique of the Car Man.

His physique, capable of collapsing a wall, only managed to make the Car Man stagger.

“Click, click, click…”

The chainsaw grazed past Xie Lingxi’s side and struck the concrete ground. The high-speed saw blade carved a deep, thin line into the floor.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing also reacted. The muscles in his legs swelled, unleashing unprecedented speed. He rushed to Xie Lingxi’s side, grabbed the young girl’s shoulder, pulled her back, and tossed her to Xi Shi behind him. At the same time, he seized the arm of the Car Man holding the chainsaw and roared,

“‘Rush him together! Take his weapon!’”

His voice was like a bell tolling, awakening the panicked Fire Fiend and the Monkey King. The two simultaneously lunged at the Car Man. The irate Fire Fiend slammed into the Car Man’s back, while the Monkey King joined Zhang Yuanqing in gripping the chainsaw, attempting to wrench it away.

“‘You will all die, you will all die…’”

From the speaker on the Car Man’s chest came a loud declaration. With a sizzle of electric current, the car’s mechanical arm clicked and turned, then swung violently, flinging Zhang Yuanqing and the Monkey King away.

The former landed heavily like a sandbag, stunned and disoriented.

The latter adjusted his center of gravity midair, performed two backflips to absorb the force, and landed steadily.

Wood Sprite? This guy is a Wood Sprite? Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing immediately identified the Monkey King’s class.

In the Transcendent stage, a Level 2 Wood Sprite is also called a Wood Ape, endowed with innate climbing talent and extreme agility.

The scene of absorbing force just now could not have been done by physical strength alone; it required special techniques. After thinking it over, Wood Sprite was the most fitting.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

The Ashamed Father’s fists rained down incessantly on the Car Man’s steel body.

But the Car Man simply swept his arm and sent him flying, then picked up the chainsaw and gave chase.

In the midst of danger, the outwardly plain middle-aged man displayed combat prowess and agility that belied his demeanor. A ferocity gathered in his brows. Using the parked cars around, he would sprint, dive, or roll, dodging the chainsaw’s slashes time and again.

Danger lurked at every turn.

“‘Fuck your grandpa!’ the Fire Fiend cursed as he took a running start, leaped into the air, and kicked the Car Man in the back with both feet together.

However, the Car Man’s foot had a braking system like a vehicle. His steel body trembled, but his feet remained rooted, and he quickly turned back, swinging the arm holding the chainsaw in a backhand sweep.

The Fire Fiend instinctively raised his arm to block.

Thud!

His right hand was instantly severed and fell to the ground with a splat.

The Fire Fiend then crashed to the ground, letting out a heart-wrenching scream.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing and the Monkey King came charging back. One engaged the Car Man, while the other dragged the injured Fire Fiend back.

“Clang, clang…”

Zhang Yuanqing pounded his fists against the steel chest, feeling as if his bones were cracking from the pain. His own iron fists, which could beat an old man to death, had become mere love taps.

The target of the pursuit had changed from one person to two.

Relying on his Nightwalker physique, Zhang Yuanqing laboriously evaded the deadly attacks while quickly racking his brains.

We can’t beat it, we can’t escape. This is basically a party-wipe instance. With skills sealed, how can we survive under the Car Man’s assault?

But even an S-rank Spirit Realm wouldn’t arrange a completely hopeless mission. There must be a solution; I just haven’t found it yet... If only there were a sanctuary like in the Mountain God Temple...

A flash of inspiration struck Zhang Yuanqing, and he shouted,

“‘Get into the cars! Get inside the cars!’”

Everyone present was startled, then suddenly understood. The Monkey King, like a drowning man grasping at a straw, quickly took out his car keys and pressed the unlock button.

About ten meters behind him, the car that had just been opened let out two beeps.

The Monkey King instinctively dashed toward it, but after a few steps, he remembered the Fire Fiend. He turned back, helped him up, and rushed toward the car.

The pale-faced Xie Lingxi took out her car keys from her pocket and pressed the unlock button. A few meters away, a black SUV beeped and its taillights flashed.

“‘So it’s here... Sister Xi Shi, let’s go quickly!’” Xie Lingxi exclaimed in delight.

Xi Shi sprinted toward the car. Xie Lingxi, holding her waist, stumbled after her, not forgetting to look back and shout,

“‘Over here, over here...’”

“‘You go first,’” said the middle-aged man as he ducked to avoid the chainsaw’s slash, his voice low.

Seeing Zhang Yuanqing hesitate, he frowned and said,

“‘Your moves are too green; you don’t seem like an experienced realm walker at all. If I leave, you will certainly die.’”

Couldn’t it be that I’m just a class not suited for combat... Zhang Yuanqing muttered a disgruntled retort in his heart, but he didn’t act tough. He turned and ran.

He rushed to the SUV, pulled open the rear door, and climbed in. Sticking his head out, he called,

“‘Hurry!’”

The Ashamed Father immediately broke away from the Car Man and sprinted over.

“Roar, roar…”

A high-pitched engine roar emanated from within the Car Man, and the rollers on his feet propelled him forward.

The Ashamed Father’s face was taut, veins bulging on his forehead, his expression ferocious as he ran, but he still couldn’t outrun the Car Man.

Zhang Yuanqing shouted, “‘Switch sides!’”

He slammed the car door shut and opened the door on the other side.

The Ashamed Father dove to the left, dodging the sweeping chainsaw, then scrambled around to the other side of the car and quickly slipped into the door.

Bang!

The car door closed.

Gas hissed from the vents near the Car Man’s ankles as it absorbed its momentum. Holding the chainsaw, it stopped beside the car.

At this moment, the four people in the car couldn’t help but hold their breath.

Half a minute passed in silence. Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the Car Man standing outside, looking around, he smiled and said,

“‘It seems my judgment was correct.’”

Xi Shi immediately cast an admiring glance at him. “‘You’re amazing! Truly worthy of an experienced realm walker.’”

The Ashamed Father shot him a look.

He seems to have seen through that I’m a newbie? Zhang Yuanqing smiled slightly and said,

“‘I’m just good at observing.’”

Xie Lingxi blinked her sparkling eyes. “‘Are you a Scout?’”

Of course not. How could I be a pair of eyes worth 75 gold coins! Zhang Yuanqing smiled without speaking.

Xie Lingxi did not press further. In a sweet voice, she said, “‘Thank you, Uncle, and thank you, Brother Wang Tai, for saving me just now.’”

The Ashamed Father nodded slightly.

“‘We are companions. Only by helping each other can we get through this ordeal.’” Zhang Yuanqing’s response earned the young girl’s gratitude and admiration.

The motorcars outside haven’t left yet, and the group dares not leave the vehicle for the moment. Zhang Yuanqing takes the opportunity to close his eyes and rest, reviewing the details after entering the parking lot:

“Xie Lingxi doesn’t seem to be a profession good at close combat. Xishi is rather cautious, can’t tell her profession for now. Fire Demon is highly likely a Fire Mage. A hot temper can be faked, but it’s impossible to fake without any flaw.”

“The feeling ‘Ashamed to Be a Father’ gives me... hmm, a bit like Ou Xiangrong...”

He hadn’t discerned the middle-aged uncle’s profession before, but through the recent battle, Zhang Yuanqing sensed a strong aura of ferocity from “Ashamed to Be a Father”, and he was skilled in close combat.

It instantly reminded him of Ou Xiangrong; the two gave him a similar feeling.

“If he is a Deceptive Demon, isn’t he too gentle? Well, Ou Xiangrong was mentally troubled at that time, can’t be used as a benchmark. If the uncle is a Deceptive Demon, considering the opposing factions, he is likely an evil person. After the mission, should I kill him?”

“To clear the underground parking lot, we need hands to search for keys and cooperate against the Motorcars. Under such circumstances, the possibility of someone killing others is greatly reduced...”

Just as he was thinking, he heard Xie Lingxi say cheerfully, “Oh, I found another card.”

…

【Ding! Your condition has been met. Do you wish to eliminate one team member? If no choice is made within thirty seconds, it will be considered as forfeiting this opportunity.】

【Ding, you have forfeited this opportunity.】

…

Inside the car, everyone’s attention fell on Xie Lingxi as she pulled out a metal-like card from the passenger seat’s sun visor.

On the surface painted with gold lacquer, a sentence was written:

【You have obtained one opportunity to use a prop.】

An opportunity to use a prop? Zhang Yuanqing saw Xishi, Xie Lingxi, and the middle-aged uncle’s eyes slightly light up.

Compared to the Life Concentrate, the card that allows use of a prop seems more important.

A prop used well can solve a problem; Life Concentrate can save a life, but cannot resolve a crisis.

At that moment, the Motorcar outside, while shouting “Everyone will die,” slid away reluctantly.

At the same time, everyone saw the countdown appear again, but this time, the time limit was two minutes and forty seconds.

It had been shortened by twenty seconds.

“What’s going on? We lost 20 seconds.” Xishi widened her beautiful eyes. “Does each appearance of the Motorcar reduce 20 seconds?”

“There’s another possibility,” Xie Lingxi gave her own opinion. “Opening one car costs 10 seconds.”

The four people all fell silent.

Either way, it was not good news.

Xishi looked pale. “S-level dungeons are too hard. I don’t want to experience this a second time in my life.”

Ah? Are there dungeons besides S-level in the world... Zhang Yuanqing joked bitterly.

The four opened the car door and just saw Qi Tian Dasheng supporting Fire Demon as he approached. The latter’s wrist had been simply bandaged with a short sleeve, but that could not effectively stop the bleeding.

During the few minutes hiding in the car, blood had soaked Fire Demon’s pants. Due to excessive blood loss, his face was deathly pale.

“His condition is not good...” Qi Tian Dasheng approached the group, indicating the wound.

Fire Demon, seeing that he was unwilling to speak, said in a weak voice:

“Little girl, that card of yours, take it out and give it to me.”

Xie Lingxi wrinkled her nose. “I need to keep it to save my own life. Why should I give it to you?”

Fire Demon raged, “I knew you were faking it. Cut you open and you’d be black-hearted.”

Xie Lingxi pouted, aggrieved. “How can you say that about me? I’m still underage.”

What’s wrong with this girl? Does she want to reduce the team at a time like this? Zhang Yuanqing looked at her, then at Fire Demon.

The underground parking lot mission was not over; searching for keys required manpower. If they didn’t save Fire Demon, he would surely die, which would both delay progress and reduce the team.

After a brief thought, Zhang Yuanqing said:

“Let’s vote.”

The result of the vote was that, except for Xie Lingxi, everyone else voted in favor.

“Hmph!” Unwillingly, Xie Lingxi tossed the Life Concentrate card to Fire Demon.

【Ding! Detected that you are injured, do you wish to use “Life Concentrate”?】

“Yes.”

The metal card surged with illusory spring water, covering the break in Fire Demon’s wrist. After a few seconds, the flesh regenerated, and a new hand slowly grew out.

The pale-faced Fire Demon became radiant.

Seeing the wounded taken care of, Qi Tian Dasheng immediately said:

“I noticed the time to find the keys has shortened. What’s going on?”

Xishi then told him the speculation from the car. Qi Tian Dasheng frowned, and Fire Demon yelled:

“Damn, if this happens a few more times, won’t that Motorcar just stay and kill us all until we wipe out?”

Given the difficulty of S-level, it was probably like that. Zhang Yuanqing sighed.

Everyone recalled the combat power of the Motorcar and felt a chill of fear.

Xishi swallowed, said urgently: “Don’t waste time. We must find the controller and shut off the Motorcar’s power before the worst happens.”

Xie Lingxi glanced at the dense rows of vehicles—immediate, distant, and beyond sight—and frowned: “How can we search them all...”

Anxiety and despair rose in everyone’s heart.

Search for keys first, then find the controller; after a few rounds, the three-minute interval will be exhausted.

Alas! Zhang Yuanqing sighed and spoke up:

“I have a method. If it works, we should be able to clear the parking lot successfully.”

What?!

These words sounded like heavenly music to the team members. They all turned their heads abruptly and looked at Wang Tai with surprise and delight.