*Thud, thud, thud.* Amid a flurry of hurried footsteps, Ashamed to Be a Father ducked low and burst into a wild sprint, slamming his shoulder and back hard against the Autobot's steel frame. Yet his constitution, powerful enough to bring down a wall, only managed to make the machine stumble.
*Whirrr—*
The chainsaw grazed Xie Lingxi's flank and struck the concrete floor. Spinning at blinding speed, the blade sliced a deep, thin line into the ground.
By then, Zhang Yuanqing had reacted as well. The muscles in his legs swelled, unleashing unprecedented speed as he dashed to Xie Lingxi's side. Grabbing the young girl by the shoulder, he dragged her back and hurled her toward Xi Shi behind him. At the same time, he lunged forward, locking both arms around the Autobot's chainsaw-wielding hand, and roared:
"Together! Strip him of his weapon!"
His voice rang out like a tolling bell, snapping the panicked Huo Mo and Great Sage Equal to Heaven back to their senses. Both pounced on the Autobot at once. The irascible Fire Master rammed the machine's back, while Great Sage Equal to Heaven joined Zhang Yuanqing in gripping the chainsaw, trying to wrest it away.
"You will all die! You will all die!"
A blaring declaration erupted from the speaker on the Autobot's chest. With a sharp crackle of static, its mechanical arms twisted with a series of metallic clacks, swinging violently to fling Zhang Yuanqing and Great Sage Equal to Heaven into the air.
Zhang Yuanqing hit the ground like a heavy sandbag, left dizzy and bruised all over.
Great Sage Equal to Heaven, however, shifted his center of gravity midair, pulling off two backflips to shed the impact before sticking a steady landing.
*A Wood Demon? Is this guy a Wood Demon?* Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing immediately pinned down Great Sage Equal to Heaven's class.
During the Transcendent stage, a level 2 Wood Demon was also known as a Wood Ape, naturally gifted with climbing talents and extraordinary agility.
The way he had diffused that kinetic force was something raw physical strength alone could never achieve—it required specialized technique. Thinking it over, only a Wood Demon fit the bill.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Ashamed to Be a Father's fists rained down incessantly upon the Autobot's steel chassis.
Yet the Autobot simply swatted an arm, knocking him flying, before brandishing the chainsaw to give chase.
Facing this crisis, the plain-looking middle-aged man displayed a fighting prowess and agility that completely defied his unassuming demeanor. A fierce, murderous edge sharpened his gaze as he used the surrounding parked cars for cover, sprinting, diving, and rolling to dodge chop after chop of the chainsaw.
Dangers lurked at every turn.
"Fuck your ancestors!" Huo Mo cursed as he took a running start, leaped into the air, and planted both feet square into the Autobot's back.
Yet the Autobot seemed to have a braking system built into its soles. Its steel frame merely shuddered while its feet remained rooted to the ground. Whirling around in an instant, it swept the arm holding the chainsaw in a vicious backswing.
Huo Mo instinctively raised a hand to block.
*Splat!*
His right hand was severed in an instant, smacking onto the pavement.
Huo Mo crashed down right after, letting out a soul-tearing shriek of agony.
By this point, Zhang Yuanqing and Great Sage Equal to Heaven had charged back into the fray. One moved in to tangle with the Autobot, while the other dragged the wounded Huo Mo in retreat.
*Clang! Clang! Dang...*
Zhang Yuanqing slammed two punches into the steel chest, only to feel pain so sharp his bones felt ready to crack. The iron fists he had thought could pummel an octogenarian to death had been reduced to puny pats.
The Autobot's target switched from one person to two.
Relying on his Night Wanderer physique, Zhang Yuanqing narrowly evaded the lethal strikes time and again while his mind worked at top speed.
*We can't beat it, and we can't outrun it. This is practically a team-wipe instance. With our skills sealed, how can anyone survive this Autobot?*
*Still, even an S-rank Spirit Realm wouldn't assign an outright impossible quest. There must be a way to crack this—I just haven't figured it out yet... If only there were a shelter like the Mountain God Temple...*
A spark of inspiration flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, and he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Get in the cars! Get inside the cars!!"
Everyone froze, and then realization hit them. Like a drowning man catching a lifeline, Great Sage Equal to Heaven hastily pulled out his car key and pressed the unlock button.
A dozen meters behind them, the car that had just been unlocked chirped twice.
Great Sage Equal to Heaven dashed toward it on instinct, but after a few paces, he remembered Huo Mo. Veering back, he scooped up the man and ran for the vehicle.
A pale-faced Xie Lingxi pulled a car key from her pocket and pressed the unlock button. A few meters away, a black SUV chirped twice, its taillights flashing.
"It's over here! Big Sister Xi Shi, hurry!" Xie Lingxi cried in pleasant surprise.
Xi Shi bolted toward the vehicle. Xie Lingxi clutched her hip and hobbled along behind her, not forgetting to glance back and call out:
"This way! Over here!"
"You go first," the middle-aged man said in a low voice, ducking beneath a sweeping blow from the chainsaw.
Seeing Zhang Yuanqing hesitate, he frowned. "Your moves are far too green—you don't look like an experienced Spirit Realm walker at all. If I leave, you're dead for sure."
*Can't I just belong to a class that isn't good at combat?* Zhang Yuanqing protested inwardly, but he didn't insist on acting tough. Turning on his heel, he sprinted away.
He rushed to the SUV, pulled open the rear door, slipped inside, and poked his head out to yell:
"Hurry!"
Ashamed to Be a Father immediately broke away from the Autobot and bolted toward them.
*Vroom, vroom...*
A high-pitched engine roar erupted from within the Autobot as the roller wheels beneath its feet propelled it into a charge.
The muscles on Ashamed to Be a Father's face tightened, veins bulging across his forehead as he ran with a ferocious grimace, yet he still couldn't outpace the machine.
Zhang Yuanqing shouted, "Switch sides!"
He slammed the door shut and pushed open the one on the opposite side.
Ashamed to Be a Father dove to the left, narrowly dodging the sweeping chainsaw. Scrambling on all fours, he circled around the vehicle and scrambled through the open door.
*Bang!*
The car door snapped shut.
Vents near the Autobot's ankles hissed as they released compressed air to cancel its momentum. Holding the chainsaw, it came to a halt right beside the car.
At that moment, all four people inside held their breath.
After half a minute passed in dead silence, Zhang Yuanqing let out a sigh of relief. Looking at the Autobot standing outside, glancing left and right, he smiled.
"Looks like my hunch was right."
Xi Shi turned an admiring gaze toward him at once. "You're amazing! Truly worthy of an experienced Spirit Realm walker."
Ashamed to Be a Father glanced at him.
*Did he figure out that I'm a rookie?* Zhang Yuanqing offered a faint smile. "I'm just good at observing."
Xie Lingxi blinked her watery eyes. "Are you a Scout?"
*Of course not! How could I be a seventy-five-gold ward!* Zhang Yuanqing smiled without answering.
Xie Lingxi didn't press the matter, instead saying sweetly, "Thank you, Uncle, and thank you, Brother Wang Tai, for saving me just now."
Ashamed to Be a Father gave a slight nod.
"We're teammates. Only by helping each other can we make it through," Zhang Yuanqing answered, earning another wave of gratitude and admiration from the girl.
With the Autobot lingering outside, none of them dared to leave the car just yet. Zhang Yuanqing took the chance to close his eyes and rest, reviewing the details since entering the garage:
*Xie Lingxi doesn't seem like a close-combat class. Xi Shi plays it too safe to tell for now. Huo Mo is almost certainly a Fire Master; a hot temper can be faked, but not without slipping up.
*As for Ashamed to Be a Father... his aura... hisss, it feels a bit like Ou Xiangrong...*
He hadn't been able to discern the middle-aged man's class before, but through that recent fight, Zhang Yuanqing had sensed a heavy, violent air around Ashamed to Be a Father, paired with fierce close-quarters combat skills.
It instantly brought Ou Xiangrong to mind; the impression both gave him was remarkably alike.
*If he's a Bewitching Demon, isn't he a bit too gentle? Well, Ou Xiangrong was already mentally unstable back then, so he can't be used as a baseline. If this uncle really is a Bewitching Demon, given the opposing camps, there's a strong chance he's an evildoer. Once the quest is over, should I eliminate him?
*Clearing the underground parking garage requires manpower to search for keys and work together against the Autobot. Under these conditions, the killer's incentive to murder anyone drops significantly...*
Just as he was thinking this, he heard Xie Lingxi say delightedly, "Oh, I found another card!"
[Ding! Your condition has been met. Would you like to obliterate a team member? If no choice is made within thirty seconds, it will be regarded as forfeiting this opportunity.]
[Ding! You have forfeited this opportunity.]
Inside the car, everyone turned their attention to Xie Lingxi, watching as she pulled a metallic card from the passenger-side sun visor.
Across its gold-painted surface, a single line was written:
[You have obtained one chance to use an item.]
*A chance to use an item?* Zhang Yuanqing noticed the eyes of Xi Shi, Xie Lingxi, and the middle-aged man all light up slightly.
Compared to Life Concentrate, a card allowing the use of an item was far more critical.
An item used well could resolve a crisis. While Life Essence could save a life, it couldn't diffuse a predicament.
Outside, the Autobot repeated its loud cry of "Everyone will die!" before gliding away in frustration.
At the same time, the countdown appeared before them once more, but this time, the limit was two minutes and forty seconds.
Shortened by twenty seconds.
"What happened? We lost twenty seconds!" Xi Shi's pretty eyes went wide. "Does every appearance by the Autobot shave off twenty seconds?"
"There's another possibility," Xie Lingxi offered her thought. "Opening a car might cost ten seconds."
All four fell silent.
Whichever it was, neither boded well.
Xi Shi's face went pale. "S-rank instances are way too hard. I never want to go through another one as long as I live."
*Huh? Are there even instances outside S-rank in this world?* Zhang Yuanqing quipped internally, finding humor in their misery.
The four pushed the doors open, only to see Great Sage Equal to Heaven walking over, supporting Huo Mo. The latter had wrapped his wrist with his short-sleeved shirt, but it did little to stem the bleeding.
During the few minutes spent hiding in the car, blood had soaked through Huo Mo's trousers. He looked deathly pale from blood loss.
"He's in bad shape..." Great Sage Equal to Heaven approached the group, gesturing toward the wound.
Seeing that Great Sage Equal to Heaven hesitated to ask, Huo Mo spoke in a weak voice:
"Little girl, where's that card of yours? Hand it over to me, now."
Xie Lingxi wrinkled her nose. "I'm keeping it to save my own life. Why should I give it to you?"
Huo Mo flared up in rage. "I knew you were putting on an act! Cut you open, and your heart is black as coal!"
Xie Lingxi pouted, looking aggrieved. "How can you say that about me? I'm not even an adult yet!"
*What is this girl doing? Trying to thin our numbers now?* Zhang Yuanqing looked at her, then glanced at Huo Mo.
The underground parking garage quest wasn't over yet, and searching for keys required manpower. If they didn't save Huo Mo, he would certainly die, which would stall their progress and cost them a teammate.
After a brief thought, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Let's put it to a vote."
The result: everyone except Xie Lingxi voted in favor.
"Hmph!" Xie Lingxi reluctantly tossed the Life Concentrate card to Huo Mo.
[Ding! Injury detected. Would you like to use 'Life Concentrate'?]
"Yes."
An ethereal spring surged from the metal card, washing over the stump of Huo Mo's wrist. Seconds later, flesh and blood regenerated, and a new hand sprouted bit by bit.
The pale-faced Huo Mo was soon glowing with vitality.
Seeing the injured man treated, Great Sage Equal to Heaven spoke up immediately:
"I noticed the time we have to find keys was cut short. What happened?"
Xi Shi shared the theories they had discussed in the car. Great Sage Equal to Heaven knitted his brows tightly, and Huo Mo shouted:
"Dammit! If this happens a few more times, will that Autobot just stop leaving and hunt us until the whole team is wiped out?"
*Given the S-rank difficulty, that was very likely,* Zhang Yuanqing sighed inward.
Recalling the Autobot's terrifying combat strength sent a chill through everyone.
Xi Shi swallowed hard, her voice laced with urgency. "Stop wasting time! We have to find the controller and shut down the Autobot's power before the worst happens!"
Xie Lingxi glanced at the dense sea of vehicles—those close by, those in the distance, and those beyond sight—her delicate brows furrowing deeply. "How could we ever search them all...?"
Anxiety and despair welled in every heart.
Searching for keys first, then searching for the controller... after just a few cycles, their three-minute intervals would run out entirely.
*Sigh!* Zhang Yuanqing exhaled softly and spoke up:
"I have an idea. If it works, we should be able to clear this parking garage."
"What?!"
To the ears of the team, his words sounded like heavenly music. Everyone whipped their heads around, looking at Wang Tai in shock and delight.
Chapter 53