"HISS!"
Su Ze sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, wondering if Zhang Fantie had trained in the legendary Shaolin Iron Crotch Skill.
He had kicked Zhang Fantie's rear with all his might, but it felt like kicking a solid block of iron. The impact sent a shockwave up his leg, which felt like it was about to snap.
"Drive! Go!" Su Ze yelled at the driver.
Seeing the driver still hesitating, Su Ze couldn't let the escape opportunity he had worked so hard to create slip away. He reached into his bag, pulled out a thick wad of hundred-yuan bills, and stuffed it into the driver's arms, ordering, "Go! Now!"
The stack of cash instantly cleared up the driver's muddled thoughts and showed him the way forward. He floored the accelerator. Amid the roar of the engine, the car shot off, leaving a trail of exhaust.
The moment the car moved, Zhang Fantie grew frantic. He erupted with power, his body swelling in size. His carapace-like skin took on a metallic sheen, and like a wrathful vajra, he roared and broke free from the foul-smelling old man's grasp.
Although the three men in black had the advantage in numbers, Zhang Fantie was in his prime, his body at its peak. He wasn't like the foul-smelling old man, whose physical form was already in decline. Faced with Zhang Fantie's sudden outburst, the trio had no choice but to temporarily avoid a direct confrontation.
Zhang Fantie had no intention of getting tangled up with the three men in black. He leaped three meters into the air and chased after the taxi, which was already pulling away.
The driver saw Zhang Fantie getting closer and closer in the rearview mirror. His face paled as he asked, "Young man, what level of evolver is that chasing you?"
The existence of evolvers was no secret. This was the Era of Evolution, an age of universal advancement. However, the vast majority of ordinary people could only afford to absorb low-quality extracts, and the skills they acquired were completely random. After all, high-quality extracts that granted powerful skills were incredibly expensive and far beyond the reach of an average family.
Because the quality of the absorbed extracts was too low, most people failed their first evolution. Those who got lucky and succeeded, becoming Pupa Stage lifeforms, could secure a decent job in society and look forward to a bright future.
Therefore, in the eyes of ordinary people, a Pupa Stage evolver was already a superior being. A Cocoon Stage evolver was an absolute powerhouse, and as for the Butterfly Stage—they were legendary figures, completely out of reach. One could only ever hope to see them on television or online.
If the driver knew that the one chasing them was a Butterfly Stage expert, he would probably be too terrified to even hold the steering wheel steady.
Su Ze didn't answer the driver's question. Instead, he took out his phone, scanned the driver's payment QR code, and transferred a thousand yuan to him to boost his courage.
The trick worked. The driver asked no more questions, and his grip on the steering wheel became much firmer.
Just as Zhang Fantie was about to catch up, Su Ze could only watch in helpless anxiety. Fortunately, the three men in black, led by the foul-smelling old man, caught up to them at that moment.
The three of them showed off their unique abilities, unleashing a chaotic mix of skills. Their goal was to hold Zhang Fantie back and prevent him from catching the taxi.
In the eyes of the foul-smelling trio, it was better to let Su Ze escape than to let him fall into Zhang Fantie's hands.
Su Ze escaping was actually a good thing for them. They could later track his location using the fourth-order extract he carried. When that time came, without Zhang Fantie to protect him, Su Ze would be a fish on the chopping block, completely at their mercy.
The foul-smelling old man leaped into the air like a bat, swooping down to block Zhang Fantie's path. Of the other two men in black, one launched a psychic attack from a distance, while the other spat milky-white threads from his mouth, weaving them into a spiderweb that he cast over Zhang Fantie.
Hindered by the three, Zhang Fantie's speed dropped drastically. He could only let out a furious roar as he watched the taxi pull away again.
Su Ze was just starting to feel relieved when he suddenly realized the taxi had stopped. "Sir, keep going! Why'd you stop?" he urged.
"Red light," the driver said, pointing a finger at the traffic light across the street.
Su Ze didn't waste any words. He scanned the code and paid again. A moment later, a pleasant notification sound chimed from the driver's phone.
"Spend-a-Lot Pay. One hundred thousand yuan received!"
"Hold on tight!" the driver roared, his voice full of vigor and his eyes suddenly sharp. He stomped on the accelerator, wishing he could shove his entire leg into the engine.
This hundred-thousand-yuan taxi ride—he was driving it with the G-force of a V8.
"Son of a bitch, even if I have to carry this car on my back, I'm getting you out of here safely today! Otherwise, I won't feel right taking this money!" the driver made a solemn vow.
With the driver's god-like maneuvering, the taxi weaved through the dense morning rush hour traffic like a slippery loach. Before long, when Su Ze looked back again, the figures of Zhang Fantie and the foul-smelling trio were nowhere to be seen.
Su Ze let out a long sigh and slumped into his seat, but he didn't dare relax completely. He said to the driver, "Sir, don't just drive straight. Make a few more turns so they can't catch up."
"You got it!"
The driver agreed, then immediately made a sharp turn that nearly shook Su Ze's breakfast out of him. After a series of seven or eight turns, Su Ze's face was pale, and he quickly told the driver to resume normal driving.
And so, the taxi drove around the city for over twenty minutes. Only when Su Ze saw that no one was following did he finally believe they had shaken their pursuers.
But he still couldn't let his guard down. He knew the mysterious organization could track the fourth-order extract he was carrying. The most urgent task now was to deal with it.
'A fourth-order extract is worth a fortune; throwing it away would be an incredible waste. I can't absorb it myself, so the best option is to sell it.'
Having made up his mind, Su Ze asked the driver, "Sir, do you know if there's a branch of Evolutionary Technology or Life Pharmaceutical nearby?"
Since the beginning of the Era of Evolution, the most profitable industries weren't real estate or the internet, but the "Evolution Technology Group," which specialized in extracts, and the "Life Pharmaceutical Company," which specialized in evolution-related drugs.
The headquarters of these two giants of the evolution industry were located in the Sovereign Country of Lin Hua Country, but their branches spanned over a thousand cities throughout the entire Lin Hua Continent. They were true corporate behemoths, wealthy enough to rival nations, and were rumored to have official backing from the Lin Hua government.
In a small border town like Heiyan City, finding a buyer who could afford a fourth-order extract was not easy. 'Considering both financial power and reputation, these two industry giants are the best choice.'
'I'm weak right now but in possession of a great treasure, so I have to consider my own safety. These two giants are massive corporations with guaranteed reputations; they wouldn't risk tarnishing their name over a single fourth-order extract.'
"The only Evolutionary Technology extract specialty store in Heiyan City is on the pedestrian street in the city center. It's not far from here," the driver said.
"Let's go there, then."
「Ten minutes later」
The driver pulled over to the side of the road at the closest point to the Evolutionary Technology specialty store. He didn't care if he would get a parking ticket and was about to get out to escort Su Ze.
"Sir, just tell me how to get there. I can go by myself," Su Ze said, quickly stopping him.
"Alright, I'll wait for you here then."
"There's no need. You should go, sir," Su Ze said, declining the driver's kind offer. 'Zhang Fantie has the driver's contact information and knows this taxi's license plate number. If I stay with this car, I'll likely be tracked.'
The driver looked slightly disappointed. He took out his business card and handed it to Su Ze, "If you need a car, call me anytime. I'll be there right away!"