With a crash, the two Defense Pods pressed together finally passed through the dark passage in the bushes and emerged at the exit.
"They're finally back!" Qian Ying, who had been anxiously waiting at the passage exit, finally relaxed.
Earlier, since Ouyang Nan had not returned, he had sent Qian Wantong and several others to find out why. Now that both Defense Pods had emerged, the knot in his heart loosened.
However, after sweeping his gaze over the two pressed-together Defense Pods, he immediately sensed something was wrong. He darted forward and shouted, "Steward Qian! Steward Qian!"
"I'm... here!" Hearing Elder Qian call out, Qian Wantong hurriedly answered. However, Line Red had bitten him too many times. Although he had eaten several more Red Thread Fruits, the repeated bites had caused too much poison to accumulate. His body was weak and limp, and he could not even sit up.
Though he answered Elder Qian's call, his voice was faint, like a tiny kitten meowing.
Fortunately, Qian Ying was highly skilled and had sharp hearing. It was also late at night, with utter silence all around. He heard Steward Qian's kitten-like reply clearly and immediately flashed around to the rear of the Defense Pod. With a hard kick, he sent the rear section—which could originally be opened—flying apart.
The two Martial Artists inside had been helping Qian Wantong toward the rear exit, but Qian Ying's kick sent all three of them, along with the rear portion of the Defense Pod, tumbling to the ground.
"Ah!" All three cried out miserably. They had never expected to suffer such a collision just as they were about to get out.
The rear of the Defense Pod was made entirely of wood, with a thick layer of earth sandwiched in the middle. It weighed nearly