The Waiting Car

Chapter 35: The Rescuing Vehicle

This is the highway leading to the dangerous zone.

A vehicle was parked by the roadside, engine off and lights out, waiting quietly.

Two people sat inside: one was the driver, and the other was a cultivator who had activated his Spirit Medium abilities. His name was Zheng Fei, and he was responsible for picking up those who had participated in this operation.

"Brother Zheng, maybe we should head back. It's already so late. No one else is likely to return. If we stay here any longer, we might run into danger too," the driver said softly. He was the only one driving a car parked here alone, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Zheng Fei shook his head. "No, Yang Yilong's orders were to wait until six o'clock. And so far, over ten cultivators have gone missing in the dangerous zone. This is already a huge problem. If any cultivators manage to escape alive, and we abandon our rescue mission, the news will spread. Who would dare deal with the Yang family in the future?"

"In this world, the stronger a cultivator is, the more important their personal credibility and influence become. This is because cultivators are symbols in themselves. Once their credibility is shattered, they will be ostracized by the entire cultivation circle, and everything they try to do in the future will be fraught with difficulties."

"Why is that? There are plenty of people who don't keep their word in society now, and they aren't ostracized." The driver was very confused.

Zheng Fei smiled as he looked out the window. "That's because the law can deal with scoundrels, but it can't restrain powerful cultivators. Therefore, cultivators must self-regulate. That's how others will trust you, respect you, admire you, and even be willing to heed your call. Tell me, would you rather follow someone who keeps their word, or someone who goes back on their promises?"

"I think I understand. The higher someone's status, the more they value credibility and promises. That's why the emperor, the highest authority, issues decrees that are like sacred edicts," the driver said, a hint of realization in his voice.

Zheng Fei explained, "That's roughly the idea. That's why the emperor absolutely cannot break his word. If he starts doing that, his decrees will become mere scraps of paper, useless. Yang Yilong said the operation would end at six o'clock, so we must be responsible for escorting the retreating cultivators during this period. If we don't, then Yang Yilong's words will be meaningless in the future; no one will believe or listen to him."

"I didn't realize there was so much to it," the driver said, surprised by the hidden meaning behind such a small action.

Then, Zheng Fei sighed again. "However, I know in my heart that no one has returned from the dangerous zone yet, so it's unlikely anyone else will. They've probably all died inside. Huh, wait. It looks like there's a figure running towards us quickly."

"I'm getting out to take a look. You be ready to start the car and get out of here."

He immediately opened the car door and stepped out, then quickly flipped himself onto a high point to get a better view.

"Who is it?"

Zheng Fei called out sharply, asking for identification. He was worried that some unholy humanoid creature might try to sneak up on them in the dark.

"It's me, Li Yi." The figure responded.

"Li Yi?"

Zheng Fei's mind raced, and he immediately recalled. "Ah, you're the cultivator who was with Li Tao. I'm Zheng Fei, the one responsible for picking you all up. What happened? Where are Li Tao and Zhang Gao, who were with you? Wait, stop. What is that thing on your back?"

"Li Tao and Zhang Gao are dead. They were killed by a pack of monsters at the outpost. I took the opportunity to escape. Don't worry, what I'm carrying is a strange tiger I killed. I think this prey might be worth some money, so I brought it back."

Li Yi was slightly out of breath. He had been running with the strange beast, a Biao, on his back, and had finally escaped the dangerous zone, making it to the vicinity of the warning line.

"Killed a tiger? I see. It's alright, come over here." Zheng Fei breathed a sigh of relief and gestured for Li Yi to approach.

"What happened? Why were you so on edge?" Li Yi asked as he approached, the corpse of the Biao slung over his shoulder. He was covered in the strong scent of blood and exuded a fierce aura.

Zheng Fei sized up Li Yi, then his eyes widened in shock as he saw the ferocious beast on his back. "My goodness, that's not a tiger you killed; that's a ferocious beast called a Biao! Yang Yilong already sent out a message saying there was an abandoned zoo in the dangerous zone where an Extraordinary Creature was raising many ferocious beasts, including Biao, Mountain Demons, and Bear-men. Later, he hunted down that Extraordinary Creature but was unable to deal with the remaining ferocious beasts, causing them to go berserk and roam the dangerous zone. That's why we're on high alert."

"It seems the Biao that Yang Yilong mentioned is the one you killed."

As he spoke, Zheng Fei leaned closer to examine the Biao's corpse.

When he saw the clear, indented fist and palm marks on the beast's body, his pupils contracted sharply.

This ferocious beast had been beaten to death with bare fists and feet.

"You really killed it with your bare hands? Unbelievable. Yang Yilong warned us that these ferocious beasts are incredibly powerful. Even Spirit Medium realm cultivators would become prey if they encountered them. You'd need powerful firearms to kill them, and even then, multiple cultivators would have to work together."

Zheng Fei found it hard to believe. An assistant who followed Li Tao not only escaped the dangerous zone alive but also killed a ferocious Biao with his bare hands. How could this sound so bizarre?

After all, quite a few Spirit Medium realm cultivators had not returned this time.

"It was a matter of life and death. My body was stimulated and evolved, and I picked up some tricks with my fists and feet, turning the tables on it," Li Yi said, putting down the Biao's corpse and wiping the sweat from his brow. "No wonder this thing was so fierce. So it wasn't a tiger, but a Biao. I was almost eaten by it."

"I see. Have you activated your Spirit Medium abilities?" Zheng Fei finally noticed that Li Yi's eyes were glowing faintly. He had activated his Spirit Medium abilities and was a Spirit Medium realm cultivator, just like him.

However, he was still puzzled.

For a cultivator who had just reached the Spirit Medium realm, even with a desperate burst of power, killing a ferocious beast with their bare hands was not a small feat.

But Zheng Fei didn't ask further. He simply said, "Do you need help? I have a car here for rescue. I can take you and the Biao's corpse back to the safe zone. Don't worry, we won't claim the kill as our own. We might even offer to buy it at a high price."

"Yes, take me back now. I don't want to stay here for another second. There are too many dangers. On my way back, I even saw Yin Soldiers and fierce ghosts. I was almost targeted." Li Yi said immediately.

Zheng Fei's eyelids twitched. "Yin Soldiers, fierce ghosts? Your trip was too perilous. But it's good that you only encountered ghosts. They don't dare to leave their Ghost Domain because the Earth's energy field is polluted. Fierce ghosts and Yin Soldiers alike will be polluted by the Earth if they leave their domain, and they'll die without even knowing how.

Li Yi nodded in agreement.

Zheng Fei then lent a hand, lifting the Biao's corpse from the ground and placing it in the car. He continued, "However, it's not absolute. If a fierce ghost possesses a human, it can temporarily avoid the pollution by inhabiting a living body. Besides that, some powerful ghosts with their own energy fields can also move around in a polluted world, but those are extremely rare and not something to generalize from."

"Alright, is this all? Nothing else?"

Hearing Zheng Fei's explanation, Li Yi started to regret his decision. He wished he had bought more items on Ghost Street, especially since he wasn't afraid of debt collectors showing up.

But now was not the time to dwell on that. He immediately said, "Just this Biao corpse. Nothing else. Let's leave immediately. We're very close to the dangerous zone, so it's best not to linger."

"Okay, I understand. Get in the car, let's go." After picking up Li Yi, Zheng Fei didn't linger. He instructed the driver to start driving immediately.

The driver had been ready for a while and couldn't wait to leave this cursed place. The vehicle started, and with a deep press of the accelerator, it quickly sped away with the passengers.

As they were leaving, another vehicle suddenly drove towards them, heading into the dangerous zone.

"Someone's still going into the dangerous zone at this hour?" Li Yi asked curiously from inside the car as he saw the other vehicle.

Zheng Fei explained, "That's another vehicle arranged by Yang Yilong for rescue. After my car leaves, the next one will be waiting at the same spot. Since it's a dangerous zone, they can't arrange too many rescue vehicles at once, for fear of accidents. And you might not know, but besides you, eleven other cultivators have lost contact. Coupled with the news of Li Tao and Zhang Gao's deaths that you brought, seven cultivators are now confirmed dead."

"So many people ran into trouble?" Li Yi was surprised. "I thought it was just Brother Tao and I who were unlucky and encountered danger. I didn't expect everyone else to be the same."

"Isn't that right? Yang Yilong is having a headache over this matter. And it's not just you. Yang Yilong's companion, that young lady named Qin Qing, was also severely injured. Her spine was shattered in several places, and they are currently contacting major pharmaceutical companies for treatment," Zheng Fei shook his head and delivered more news.

"Qin Qing? You mean the woman with the vertical pupils?" Li Yi asked.

He had a strong impression of the woman beside Yang Yilong, and Brother Tao had even explained knowledge about vertical pupils because of her.

"Isn't it her? I heard she was injured while covering for Yang Yilong and almost lost her life," Zheng Fei sighed. "Fortunately, I'm just a bodyguard, responsible for picking you guys up. If I had gone into the danger zone this time, I probably wouldn't have come back."

"Don't blame us. Yang Yilong originally meant well and wanted you to go into the danger zone for one last run to earn some extra money before you quit. Who would have thought it would turn out like this."

Li Yi couldn't help but gasp after hearing all this.

Even Yang Yilong almost met his end in the danger zone. This trip was truly perilous.

Thinking about it now, it was really lucky he managed to return alive.

"By the way, what kind of extraordinary creature did they hunt? It was so powerful?" Li Yi inquired curiously.

Zheng Fei said, "We don't know for sure yet, but the corpse has been brought back. We need to check the records and examine it before we can confirm. But even if they hunted it, it was in vain. With such heavy losses and so many deaths, who knows how much money will have to be paid in compensation. Plus, Qin Qing's injuries will require high medical fees. I don't know if the corpse of that extraordinary creature can cover the losses."

"We risked our lives for this mission. Yang Yilong should cough up some blood and pay some money," Li Yi said.

Zheng Fei looked at Li Yi, who was covered in bloodstains, and nodded. "That's true. Money can be earned again, but life is gone forever. But don't worry yet. Go back, take a bath, get some good rest, and have a meal. The supervisor will talk to you about compensation in a few days. They won't let you suffer a loss, but since you were only injured, the compensation won't be very high."

"I know. That's why I'm counting on this thing to make money. I've always heard that the fierce beasts in the danger zone are very valuable," Li Yi said, pointing to the corpse of the fierce beast, Biao, in the carriage.

"Don't worry, I told you before. Yang Yilong will definitely buy the corpse of this Biao at a high price. Just trust my word on this," Zheng Fei said with a smile. He was very polite to Li Yi, not only because they were both cultivators at the Spirit Medium realm but also out of admiration for Li Yi's strength.

Furthermore, at this critical juncture, Li Yi hunting a Biao was actually a good thing.

Only by spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones could Yang Yilong's damaged reputation be salvaged.

Zheng Fei understood this principle, and Yang Yilong surely did too.