Chapter 58: A Breathtaking Move
The armored vehicle sped across a vast grassland, leaving two tire tracks behind it.
Su Xiao sat in the driver's seat, one hand on the steering wheel, a cigarette between his fingers. In the passenger seat beside him was Bubu Wang.
At that moment, the window on Bubu Wang's side was open. Bubu Wang stuck his head out of the car, the strong wind blowing the skin on both sides of his mouth. He was 'fighting' with the wind, his mouth constantly snapping shut, but he accidentally bit his own tongue and whimpered as he pulled his head back in.
Su Xiao had been driving in the ordinary zone for three hours. Compared to the red soil area, this was heaven.
Breathing in the fresh air, Su Xiao suddenly felt a bit speechless. If other people's trial difficulty was [Normal], then his was [Lv.15+].
"How much further?"
Su Xiao turned his head and patted the back of the seat. Old Bal, who had been drowsy, sat up.
"What?"
"How much further?"
Old Bal rubbed the sleep from his eyes, pulled a small section of blood-red vine from his chest, and closed his eyes to sense it.
"At this speed, we can meet up in at most two days."
Old Bal patted the armored vehicle's window and said, "This thing isn't bad, but it makes too much noise when it runs."
Su Xiao nodded. He was hesitating whether to drive the armored vehicle into the Black Forest.
Although the armored vehicle was a large target, it also provided a decent layer of protection, at least from snakes, insects, rats, and the like.
He would decide that when they reached the edge of the Black Forest. For now, the primary goal was to find those two contractors.
Those two contractors were from the Sun Maiden faction. The Sun Maiden's original plan was to send those two deep into the Black Forest to die.
Su Xiao guessed that the two contractors wouldn't willingly go deep into the Black Forest, but he had to find them. They carried something very important.
Just as the armored vehicle was driving across the grassland, Su Xiao suddenly heard the roar of an engine coming from the sky.
Buzzzz.
An airplane flew overhead. Su Xiao stuck his head out the window and looked up.
The more he looked at the plane, the more familiar it seemed. Wasn't this the plane that had brought him here? What was it planning to do? Pick someone up?
"Old Man Rat is here again today! Little bastards, party time! There's a surprise today!"
A loud voice came from the plane, amplified by a loudspeaker, audible from a great distance.
The contractors in the nearby area looked up at the plane, greed flaring in their eyes.
The rear cargo door of the plane opened, and a square purple iron box was thrown out.
Seeing the color of the box, the contractors' eyes widened.
"A purple supply crate! Should we try our luck?"
"Did you forget about yesterday's blue crate? How many people died?"
"Nonsense! Yesterday's blue crate had three Soul Crystals (Medium) inside! Three! Plus food, fresh water, and recovery items."
Saying this, that contractor could no longer contain himself.
The purple supply crate was dropped. After falling vertically for a distance, its parachute opened, slowing its descent. A signal flare on the bottom of the crate flashed, its blinding light visible even from far away.
With the purple supply crate as the center, dozens of contractors in the surrounding area used various methods to rush towards it quickly.
The armored vehicle raced across the grassland, kicking up mud and grass clippings. Su Xiao looked at the purple iron box slowly descending in the distance. He was very interested in that thing.
After a few days of exploration, most contractors had some understanding of what was inside the supply crates.
Recovery items, food, and fresh water were standard. If they were lucky, the crates might also contain rare items like Soul Crystals, skill scrolls, or attribute enhancement potions.
One crate was dropped every day, and each time, a large number of contractors fought over it.
...
Before long, many contractors had gathered around the purple supply crate.
Although these contractors were still some distance from the crate, they all had one goal: to snatch it.
The supply crate descended slowly. It looked like it would land in about ten meters or so.
Click.
The parachute on the purple supply crate snapped off, and the crate accelerated its fall. The dozen or so contractors nearby looked around. At that moment, everyone was an enemy. None of them dared to get too close to the crate too quickly; they would become a target.
Vroom.
The roar of an engine came. An armored vehicle, its sides covered in bullet holes, drove up.
A contractor happened to be right in front of the armored vehicle. He was so focused on watching the crate that by the time he noticed the vehicle, it was too late.
Su Xiao didn't mean to brake. Instead, he stepped on the gas.
Bang.
The contractor let out a strange cry as he was sent flying a good distance. He rolled a dozen times on the ground before getting up, one hand pressed against his lower back.
Su Xiao drove the armored vehicle directly under the supply crate. He even backed up a bit to aim the position.
Clang.
The armored vehicle's suspension sank slightly as the purple supply crate landed perfectly on its roof.
Zzz.
The Realm Severing Thread shot out. Su Xiao used it to tie the supply crate to the roof, then floored the gas pedal. The armored vehicle sped off with the crate on top, leaving behind the dumbfounded contractors. All of this happened within two seconds.
"My purple crate!"
A burly man's eyes bulged with rage. He unstrapped the shotgun from his back and fired several shots at the armored vehicle.
It wasn't just the burly man. Other contractors also used their long-range abilities, bombarding the armored vehicle.
Su Xiao ignored these contractors. He didn't want to get involved in this kind of chaotic fight, because the number of recovery items was zero.
A few seconds later, the armored vehicle drove away. A female contractor's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"That's... a breathtaking move."
The surrounding contractors stopped their attacks, but the burly man with the shotgun kept reloading. From this action alone, one could see how desperate he was.
"Forget it, let's disperse."
"Damn, what a buzzkill. If it came down to a real fight, that crate would have been mine."
"Luck is also part of strength. But if he dares to stop, I'll definitely destroy him."
The nearby contractors gradually dispersed. Among them, a few had cold eyes. They nodded to each other, found a small group of contractors, and followed them.
The armored vehicle carrying the supply crate sped forward, trailing a plume of red smoke behind it.
The supply crate had used every means to attract contractors, but who would have thought it would be taken away by Su Xiao before it even landed?
Usually, the items in a supply crate were divided among several contractors. It was unlikely for one person to get close to the crate alone; they needed cover.
Su Xiao had monopolized the crate, which meant he had taken the resources meant for several people. More importantly, this was a purple crate, which had never appeared before.
On the plane, Old Man Rat saw this through the sensor on the supply crate.
"Haha, this kid is interesting. Tomorrow, I'll make the crate heavier and remove the parachute. Let's see how you catch it then."
Old Man Rat took a big gulp of wine, the liquid dripping down the whiskers at the corners of his mouth.
"You... you damn rat."
A weak voice came from the back of the plane.
"Shut up. The only result of trying to escape Devourer Island is death."
Old Man Rat pressed a button beside him. The rear cargo door of the plane opened, and a powerful suction force appeared.
"No, no! Give me another chance! I won't escape! I was wrong..."
A terrified shout came from the back of the plane.
"Goodbye, contractor whose name I don't know."
A contractor with iron blocks tied to his body was thrown out of the plane, a flashing signal flare tied to his head.
The contractors below noticed the signal flare.
"Another crate? Chase it!"
A group of contractors swarmed towards it. This was Old Man Rat's twisted sense of humor.