Breaking Through

Chen Chong drove with one hand on the wheel and his left arm resting on the window ledge, looking perfectly relaxed.

The round trip would cost him nearly three hours... but at least he'd shaken that woman. He could live with that.

He'd be home before dawn.

Chen Chong felt completely at ease.

Chatting with that beautiful, dreamlike girl hadn't been pleasant at all. After all, his life and freedom had been entirely in her hands.

Now? Goodbye, prison.

A colossal Earth Dragon and a mysterious girl flashed through his mind, then he pushed them aside.

She was so beautiful that it was a little sad, perhaps, but he'd leave it all behind in the Wasteland.

Chen Chong hoped it had all been a dream. The moment he got back to Lichuan, he'd wake up.

The compass had returned to normal. Chen Chong glanced at the map on the passenger seat and estimated the course he needed to correct.

He wouldn't know if he was on the right track until he reached the next landmark, but he was roughly headed in the right direction.

This was the direction of freedom.

"Cough, cough."

Two coughs came from the passenger seat.

Chen Chong's eyes flew wide open, and he whipped his head around.

Xie Wushuang had appeared out of nowhere, plopping down on the map.

Her firm, springy backside covered the entire map at once, crumpling the precious thing Chen Chong cherished into a ball.

"?"

The compass started spinning wildly again. Unable to hold back, Chen Chong blurted out:

"Where did you—"

"I'm faster than the car, remember?"

Xie Wushuang finished softly, then covered her mouth and coughed twice.

Only then did Chen Chong notice the black-red stains all over her silver Battle Angel suit. Several spots on her abdomen, thighs, and arms were torn, revealing skin so pale it seemed to shine. One tear was even near her collarbone...

Chen Chong lowered his gaze. Xie Wushuang's entire presence seemed dispirited.

"Don't slow down. They're catching up."

Xie Wushuang sounded weak.

"They?"

Chen Chong's heart gave a jolt.

Xie Wushuang explained:

"I couldn't kill that huge one. Part of it survived and split into several little worms..."

Chen Chong whipped around and saw the ground swelling in the distance, the soil churning. Something was clearly racing toward them.

Suddenly, a mound of earth split open, and a massive black Earth Dragon leaped out before plunging back underground.

The other Earth Dragons leaped and dived the same way, like dolphins, each jump bringing them closer to the off-road vehicle.

Chen Chong's pupils shrank.

These were little worms?

Every one of them was far bigger than the one he'd encountered before. They had to be forty or fifty meters long!

Their black, grotesque flesh looked terrifying. Any one of them could probably wipe out Liu Xun and his squad, and there were nearly ten of them here, by his rough count!

Chen Chong turned back and slammed his foot down on the accelerator!

The off-road vehicle roared across the earth. In the rearview mirror, Chen Chong saw the Earth Dragons "diving" again and again, relentlessly closing in.

If they were dolphins, it might have been rather amusing. But when what was chasing you was a pack of writhing worms dozens of meters long, each with a hideous maw, it turned into a waking nightmare.

They looked faster than the car... Chen Chong's thoughts flickered. He glanced to his right and saw Xie Wushuang take out a compact pistol and set it on her knee.

The pistol was small, but it gave Chen Chong a dangerous feeling.

His train of thought vanished.

"I need your help."

Xie Wushuang spoke softly.

Chen Chong's thoughts stirred.

"You still need my help?"

"Mm. Don't worry, I don't blame you. By the terms of our deal, I should've paid you the deposit first... Cough."

Xie Wushuang was perceptive, but she coughed again and then shook her head gently.

"Anyway, sorry for the trouble, but I need you to get rid of the remaining Earth Dragons."

"Me?"

Chen Chong pointed at himself, his expression peculiar.

Xie Wushuang flipped her left hand, revealing a silver syringe.

She held it out toward Chen Chong, but her hand was too weak, and it fell beside the center console.

Chen Chong caught it at once. The syringe seemed to have a metal casing. Its intricate design and triple seal kept it airtight, making it clear that the contents were no ordinary substance. The syringe itself was nothing like the plastic ones used at Lichuan Hospital, either.

There was a viewing window on the syringe. Through it, he could see a colorless liquid inside, filled to the "5 ml" mark.

"Battle Angel Type I. It can greatly enhance your combat power for a short time. If you use it, you should be able to harness that energy to break through."

Xie Wushuang explained.

Chen Chong said nothing and didn't ask how she'd figured out his level.

Xie Wushuang looked straight ahead.

"Whether you use it is up to you. It's your choice; I have no objections. I know you don't trust me, either, but..."

She turned to him, her starry eyes gazing at Chen Chong through her glasses.

"Our fates—or rather, my fate—are in your hands now."

Chen Chong's face remained expressionless.

Xie Wushuang turned away, slowly closed her eyes, and slumped to one side.

"Hey?"

Chen Chong frowned. When she didn't respond, he nudged her shoulder.

Still no response. If he hadn't heard her faint, ragged breathing, he might have thought she was already dead.

The Earth Dragons behind them kept closing in. They looked very close now.

Chen Chong glanced at the syringe in his hand again, frowning.

He looked at Xie Wushuang beside him, then suddenly reached over and gave her rounded thigh a hard squeeze.

She didn't react at all.

Not bad... No, she really had passed out.

Chen Chong leaned over and opened the passenger-side door.

The door had barely cracked open when the wind rushed in, sending the girl's two braids flying in front of him.

Chen Chong thought it over for a moment.

Then he closed the door again.

The Earth Dragons behind them had almost caught up. This little morsel... was a morsel, sure, but it wouldn't even fill a Dragon's tooth.

He was already within the Berserk Black Earth Dragons' hunting range. He remembered all too well how vindictive they were. Her slender frame couldn't stop those monsters, and neither could he.

One way or another, he'd have to use the syringe if he wanted any chance of escape.

Even if it wasn't something good, it clearly contained a great deal of energy. That meant it could help him.

And if it had any side effects, perhaps this woman would have to deal with them.

So pushing her out wouldn't accomplish anything and might even lead to trouble. That was the rational conclusion.

But he sighed because he really couldn't bring himself to shove an unconscious Xie Wushuang out of the car without a second thought. He still thought things over. He still hesitated.

Maybe if he were more like Pei Li, he could... No, he probably still couldn't.

At last, he understood why Pei Li had called him a good man who'd end up dead. He still wasn't Wasteland enough.

Either be ruthless, or be strong.

Chen Chong stopped hesitating. He took a deep breath and plunged the syringe into his arm. A rush of warm liquid entered his bloodstream.

The syringe even kept it warm. Wonder how much it'd sell for... Chen Chong was still letting his mind wander when, the next moment, the soothing liquid sent the blood coursing through his body into a boil.

Chen Chong's eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

He instinctively used the Breathing Method. Within a second, the last untempered gaps in his bones became as hard as gold and iron.

Chen Chong's entire body shuddered as he felt it changing at an incredible speed.

He had no time to examine the changes closely. He could only tell that his strength had surged.

Six percent, seven percent... The numbers before his eyes jumped rapidly, and Chen Chong felt his energy surging.

He slammed on the brakes. The off-road vehicle groaned as it screeched to a halt on the black earth.

Chen Chong exhaled a long breath of hot air, opened the door, got out, and turned around.

Facing the horde of grotesque worms leaping across the earth and blotting out the sky, he looked utterly insignificant.

But Chen Chong drew his blade.

With a boom, he pushed off the ground, blasting a deep crater into the black soil.

Chen Chong became a gray bolt of lightning and charged straight at them.