Beneath the off-road vehicle, Xiao Feng gripped the undercarriage tightly. The black SUV suddenly roared to life.
A group of Alliance soldiers unceremoniously tossed old White into the rear compartment of the vehicle.
Under the veil of a newly fallen night, the black SUV departed from Protection Zone 64 and sped across the desolate wilderness. Its velocity alone was proof of its formidable performance. Inside, the vehicle resembled the cockpit of an aircraft, with multiple monitors displaying the terrain a hundred meters ahead in sharp clarity.
Such a sophisticated vehicle could only belong to one of the major conglomerates within the Alliance. The emblem on its side revealed its affiliation—Victoria Consortium.
Kaili pressed a button, and the steering wheel disengaged from her hands. Leaning back against the seat, the SUV switched seamlessly to autopilot.
From a compact refrigerator beside her, Kaili retrieved a bottle of champagne and a crystal glass, pouring herself a drink with practiced ease.
Thanks to the vehicle's superior suspension, there was scarcely any sense of jolt as it surged forward.
Just as Kaili lifted the glass to her lips, a sudden shadow flitted past the left side window.
Startled, she instinctively turned—only to see a fist hurtling toward the glass.
Her foot slammed down on the brake.
At the moment Xiao Feng's punch shattered the window, his body was thrown forward by the sudden deceleration. Were it not for his firm grip on the door handle, he would have been flung dozens of meters through the air.
With a thud, his body slammed against the side of the car. Gritting his teeth, he managed to anchor himself, then twisted nimbly, using the momentum to propel both feet toward Kaili with striking precision.
She had not expected the emergency brake to fail in dislodging the intruder, let alone that he would retaliate so swiftly.
"What speed..." she murmured, raising both arms instinctively to shield her face.
A resounding bang echoed through the cabin as Xiao Feng's feet struck her arms with unrelenting force. Kaili was sent flying into the passenger seat, gasping in pain.
Without pause, Xiao Feng climbed in through the shattered window and pressed the barrel of a pistol to her forehead.
When she had slammed into the door, her forehead split open slightly, and blood began to trickle down her elegant face.
"Don't move. Even an esper like you won't survive a bullet to the head," Xiao Feng said, voice cold as steel.
Kaili's reply was even colder, "Who are you? How dare you defy the Alliance? Have you grown tired of living?"
Xiao Feng sneered, "Don't try to intimidate me. If you weren't a woman, I'd have shot you already."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Try me."
From the trunk, White had clearly heard Xiao Feng's voice. He began kicking at the interior, unable to speak due to the rag stuffed in his mouth, but desperate to let Xiao Feng know he was still alive.
Xiao Feng pressed the gun harder against Kaili's temple. "Get out. Try any tricks, and you're welcome to electrocute me—but the moment my finger spasms and pulls the trigger, your pretty little head will be nothing but a memory."
Kaili's icy eyes bore into him, blazing with fury. She couldn't comprehend how this teenage boy—no more than fifteen or sixteen—could possess such audacity, such skill. An esper like herself, rendered powerless in mere seconds.
Reluctantly, she opened the door and stepped out.
Xiao Feng chuckled. "Goodbye, beautiful. You're welcome to come back to the Zone looking for me. But if you come alone, I promise your death won't be pleasant."
Standing on the barren plain, Kaili glared venomously at him. "You b*st*rd. I'll remember you. I'll kill you with my own hands."
"I look forward to it," Xiao Feng said, stepping on the gas. The SUV peeled away, tires spitting dust into the night as it roared toward the protection zone.
Watching her stolen vehicle vanish into the distance, Kaili spat a furious, "Sh*t!"
She stiffened—those sounds rustling through the grass… she knew them all too well. The skittering of mutant rats.
Her expression remained glacial. Raising her arms, she unleashed a bolt of electricity, striking a leaping mutant rat mid-air. It shrieked as its body convulsed and collapsed into the grass.
But that was only the beginning.
Had she possessed Xiao Feng's vision, she might have seen the swarm—an endless tide of shadowy rodents surging toward her like a living, black ocean. Not only rats, but rabid, mutated hounds and vicious jackrabbits, drawn by the scent of blood and the promise of flesh.
Under the pale moonlight, Kaili finally saw the truth of the beasts closing in. They weren't powerful enough to be classified as Grade-G monsters, but their sheer number made them no less deadly.
Clenching her jaw until it ached, she growled, "D*mn you, brat. I swear I'll kill you myself." With that, another powerful surge of electricity burst from her body, illuminating the darkness.
Xiao Feng sped across the wasteland, not daring to stop. White had warned him: this place was treacherous. Rather than approaching the front gate of the protection zone, he circled to the eastern side, extinguished the headlights, and killed the engine.
Running to the back, he opened the trunk. Inside, curled up uncomfortably, was old White.
"Uncle White," Xiao Feng grinned, "how's the ride?"
White groaned in protest. Xiao Feng pulled the rag from his mouth.
"You reckless brat! Do you know how dangerous that was?! Why did you come for me?"
"If I didn't, who would? Don't forget, I'm practically your kid."
"You can drive?!"
"There's a lot I can do, Uncle. You'll learn soon enough." Xiao Feng said with pride. Even he didn't understand how he knew to drive—when he sat behind the wheel, the knowledge had simply emerged in his mind, clear and instinctual.
White nodded, eyes gazing at the starry sky. "We can't stay in Zone 64 any longer. We must leave tonight."
"Where to?"
"To find an old friend of mine."
"Should we bring Alice?"
"We must." White's tone left no room for doubt.
"Alright. Wait here. I'll get her now." With that, Xiao Feng handed White a dagger.
White understood. Gunfire would only draw more beasts. Thankfully, most of them had already been lured away by Kaili earlier. Otherwise, the escape might have been far more perilous.
Xiao Feng's silhouette disappeared swiftly into the sea of wild grass.