Breaking Through the Pass

Chen Chong held the steering wheel with one hand, his left arm resting on the window sill in a relaxed posture.

This round trip would cost him about three hours in total... but finally shaking off that woman made it acceptable.

He would be home before daybreak.

Chen Chong felt completely at ease.

Chatting with that beautiful, dreamlike girl was actually not pleasant at all; after all, his life and freedom were entirely in her hands.

Now? Farewell, cage.

The massive Earth Dragon and the mysterious girl flashed through his mind, only to be cast aside.

She was so beautiful, perhaps it was a pity, but let everything remain in the Wasteland.

Chen Chong hoped that everything was just a dream, and that the moment he returned to Lichuan, he would wake up.

The compass returned to normal, and Chen Chong glanced at the map on the passenger seat, estimating and correcting his course.

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

This was the direction of freedom.

"Cough, cough."

Two coughs came from the passenger seat.

Chen Chong's eyes widened to their limit, and he whipped his head around.

Xie Wushuang had appeared abruptly, plopping herself down right on top of the map.

Her highly elastic buttocks instantly covered the entire map, crumpling the treasure Chen Chong cherished so dearly into a ball.

"?"

The compass began to spin wildly again, and Chen Chong couldn't help but blurt out:

"Where did you..."

"I run faster than the car, don't you know that?"

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

Only then did Chen Chong notice that her silver combat suit was stained with black and red smudges everywhere, with several tears on her lower abdomen, thighs, and arms, revealing skin that was dazzlingly white, with one tear even near her collarbone...

Chen Chong lowered his gaze, noticing that Xie Wushuang's entire aura was withered.

"Don't slow down, they are catching up."

Xie Wushuang said weakly.

"They?"

Chen Chong's heart skipped a beat.

Xie Wushuang explained:

"I couldn't kill that big guy; a part of it remained, splitting into several smaller worms..."

Chen Chong turned his head sharply and saw the ground in the distance bulging and soil churning; clearly, something was pursuing them at high speed.

Suddenly, a mound of earth split open, and a massive black Earth Dragon leaped out before diving back into the ground.

Following that, the other Earth Dragons all leaped and dived in the same manner, like dolphins jumping in the water, each time appearing closer to the off-road vehicle.

Chen Chong's pupils constricted violently.

The hell are these "small worms"?

Each one was much larger than the one he had encountered before, likely forty or fifty meters long!

That black, hideous, and terrifying flesh—any one of them could probably wipe out Liu Xun and his squad, and there were nearly ten of them here!

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

The off-road vehicle roared across the land, and Chen Chong watched through the rearview mirror as the Earth Dragons kept "diving" and closing the distance.

If it were dolphins, it would be quite interesting, but when it's a pack of dozens-of-meters-long worms with hideous mouthparts chasing you, everything becomes a real-life nightmare.

Doesn't look like I can outrun them... Chen Chong's thoughts flickered. He instinctively looked to his right and saw Xie Wushuang just pulling a small pistol and placing it on her lap.

Though the pistol was small, it gave Chen Chong a very dangerous feeling.

His thoughts vanished again.

"I need your assistance."

Xie Wushuang said softly.

Chen Chong's mind stirred:

"You still need my assistance?"

"Mm. Don't worry, I don't blame you. According to the rules of the deal, I should have paid you the deposit first... cough."

Xie Wushuang was very sharp, but she coughed again, then shook her head gently:

"In short, I'll have to trouble you to take care of the remaining Earth Dragons."

"Me?"

Chen Chong pointed at himself with a strange expression.

Xie Wushuang flipped her left hand and produced a silver syringe.

She reached out to hand it to Chen Chong, but her hand was too weak, and it slipped from her grasp near the center console.

Chen Chong caught it instantly. Upon inspection, the syringe appeared to have a metal casing; its complex design and triple-seal mechanism ensured airtight integrity. It was clearly no simple object, and certainly not the kind of plastic syringe found in the Lichuan hospital.

There was a viewing window on the syringe, revealing a colorless liquid with the level resting at the "5ml" mark.

"Battle Angel Type I. It can comprehensively boost your combat power for a short time. If you use it, you should be able to harness this energy to break through to the next realm."

Xie Wushuang said.

Chen Chong said nothing, nor did he ask how she had gauged his level.

Xie Wushuang stared straight ahead:

"Whether you use it or not is up to you. It's your freedom, and I have no objections. I also know you don't trust me, but..."

She turned, her starry eyes peering at Chen Chong through her glasses:

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

Chen Chong remained expressionless.

Xie Wushuang turned her head back, slowly closed her eyes, and let her head loll to the side.

"Hey?"

Chen Chong frowned. Seeing no reaction, he nudged her shoulder.

Still nothing. If not for the faint, erratic breathing he could hear, he would have assumed she was dead.

The Earth Dragons behind them were closing in; they didn't look far off now.

Chen Chong looked at the syringe in his hand again, his brow furrowed.

He glanced at Xie Wushuang beside him, then suddenly reached out and gave her rounded thigh a firm squeeze.

There was no instinctive reaction.

The texture is nice... no, she really is unconscious.

Chen Chong leaned over and opened the passenger door.

The door only cracked open a sliver, but a gale roared inside, causing the girl's two braids to dance before him.

Chen Chong pondered for a moment.

A moment later, he closed the door again.

The Earth Dragons were closing in. This bit of meat... well, she was a bit of meat, but certainly not enough to fill the gaps between a dragon's teeth.

He had already entered the hunting range of these Berserk Black Earth Dragons. He had a deep impression of how vengeful they were. This slender body wouldn't stop those behemoths, and neither could he.

Regardless, he would definitely need to use the syringe to have any chance of escaping.

Even if it wasn't something good, it clearly contained abundant energy, which meant it was useful to him.

And if there were any side effects, he might just have to deal with this woman later.

Therefore, pushing her out was meaningless and might even lead to negative consequences; this was a judgment based on reason.

But he sighed because he truly couldn't push the unconscious Xie Wushuang out of the car without hesitation. He still thought, still struggled.

Perhaps if she were like Pei Li... no, probably not even then.

He finally understood why Pei Li said he was a "good person who would die." He still wasn't "Wasteland" enough.

You either have to be ruthless, or you have to be powerful.

Chen Chong stopped hesitating. He took a deep breath and plunged the syringe into his arm. A wave of warm liquid instantly surged into his veins.

This syringe is even insulated; I wonder how much it's worth... Chen Chong was still letting his mind wander when the warm liquid suddenly made his blood boil.

Chen Chong's eyes were instantly bloodshot.

He subconsciously activated his Breathing Method, and within a second, those last few unrefined bone gaps became as hard as gold and iron.

Chen Chong shuddered, feeling his body undergoing rapid changes.

He had no time to examine them closely, but he could intuitively feel his strength surging.

6%, 7%...

The numbers before his eyes flickered rapidly, and Chen Chong felt his energy overflowing.

He slammed on the brakes, and the off-road vehicle groaned as it skidded to a halt on the black soil.

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

Facing the swarm of hideous worms leaping across the earth and blotting out the sky, his figure looked insignificant.

But Chen Chong drew his blade.

BOOM! With a stomp, a deep crater exploded into the black soil.

Chen Chong transformed into a gray bolt of lightning, charging straight toward them.