Chapter 1338: The More Beautiful, the More Dangerous
Xu Huo's precise control was limited, and he also had to focus on clearing the path. Before long, mutated beasts from both sides of the road began jumping at the car one after another. These differently evolved beasts had varying abilities—some were incredibly fast, others exceptionally hard, while still others had turned transparent and moved silently, dug highly efficient tunnels, or even rolled directly under the car's tires to push the vehicle up with their bodies... However, these were still predictable. Some mutated beasts spat out corrosive bubbles, spewing them like bubble machines, and when they landed on the car, they could corrode a layer of the bodywork!
The sky was filled with pink flower petals, mixed with transparent bubbles reflecting rainbow light. As the car drove through, the petals stirred up by its passage broke the bubbles, and the tiny droplets of water that splashed out seemed to carry their own halos. Just looking at this scene, it was dreamlike and surreal, like a fairyland. Yet only by being in it could one know the danger hidden beneath this seemingly harmless picture.
The first thing to fall was the simulation prop that Dai Song had placed on the car to conceal it. Next came the corrosion of the car body. The metal held up well enough, but the front windshield shattered the moment it hit a bubble. Even though Cao Qinglin quickly used a defense prop to block it, the bubbles that flew in still corroded part of the car's interior and damaged the protective suits they were wearing.
"What the hell is the principle behind this! It can even damage protective suits!" Qiu Ming looked at the countless bubbles mixed in with the petals ahead and quickly asked, "Can a defense prop block it?"
Cao Qinglin had no idea, but a sound came from the car roof, followed by Xu Huo's voice: "Just keep driving forward."
Then an invisible barrier appeared in front of the car. The bubbles coming head-on either burst or were pushed up over the vehicle, and in any case, there was no more large-scale damage to the car body.
The two people on the roof were quickly killing the mutants chasing from the roadside, spilling quite a bit of blood along the way, which was immediately swallowed up by the sea of flowers. However, judging by the rising number of mutants rushing over, the smell of blood had still spread, attracting other mutants in the vicinity.
"That's enough!" Dai Song knocked away a beast that had lunged at him. "Don't let them follow the car."
Xu Huo reached back and poured cleaning agent over the car, washing off most of the splattered blood, then used a bit of "mind-blowingly good stuff" to mask the scent.
The smell of blood behind them drew the mutants' attention. As fewer and fewer mutants caught up, after about three minutes, they successfully broke free.
But this area of flowering trees wasn't over yet. What followed wasn't much different from when they first entered—they needed to continuously clear the falling petals ahead, watch out for mutated plants suddenly emerging from the roadside, and be wary of mutated beasts popping up from underground from time to time.
This state of high alert continued until they were outside the flowering tree zone. Yet even beyond the sea of flowers, danger still lurked; they couldn't relax for a single second.
"Is there anywhere slightly safer to rest?" Qiu Ming checked on Cao Qinglin's condition and asked.
"No," Dai Song refused outright. "We must reach the Tian Tian Fruit Forest before midnight. Otherwise, the chain reaction caused by a living person entering the Stairway to Heaven will catch up to us. A massive number of mutated plants and animals will chase us, and in this environment, we'll have no chance of escaping!"
"This is a high-temperature zone," Qiu Ming said. "Each of us only brought one cooling device. Under such high tension, the consumption is even greater. Not to mention people can't handle it, even the equipment can't. If we lose the cooling devices, things will only get worse in this hot and humid environment."
"I have spare cooling devices, but we can't stop to rest." Dai Song remained firm.
Qiu Ming wanted to say more but was interrupted by Cao Qinglin. "I'm mostly fine, and I also think it's best to hurry along."
She looked out the window. The last glimmer of light at the horizon was gradually fading. "It's probably even more dangerous at night."
The road outside the flowering tree zone was relatively easier to traverse, with only some weeds and small obstacles. After asking Dai Song, Qiu Ming slowed down a bit.
To avoid accidents, they didn't turn on the car's lights. Players could see in the dark, but it was never as convenient as during the day, so Qiu Ming had to use a prop.
By nine o'clock at night, Xu Huo offered to switch with Qiu Ming.
"No need, you rest well. We'll still rely on you on the road." Qiu Ming shook his head.
Apart from Dr. Duo Er, everyone else present could tell that Xu Huo was a Super Evolver. Controlling spatial power consumed far more energy than driving. Qiu Ming was just a bit tired.
Xu Huo took out the domestic robot he had obtained earlier from Han Yi.
The human-sized robot wasn't bulky. Since it was designed for domestic use, its materials were lightweight, and releasing it didn't affect the car much.
"A domestic robot can drive," Xu Huo said, showing the map to the female-looking robot and performing a site scan before giving the command. "It's relatively calm right now. Let the robot take over driving. If something happens, we'll switch back."
A robot couldn't compare to a real person in handling emergencies.
This time, Qiu Ming readily gave up his seat. As he got out, he even casually touched the domestic robot's arm. "It feels soft to the touch. This robot is so lifelike. The more human-like the machine, the more expensive it is. How much did this cost?"
"I took it, didn't pay a cent," Xu Huo said.
Qiu Ming was quite fascinated and squeezed into the passenger seat with Dr. Duo Er, occasionally poking and prodding the robot.
"Please do not harass me," the robot said after a few times. "Disturbing the driver is a very dangerous thing."
The robot's voice was also processed, with emotional fluctuations, as if a real person were speaking. This made Qiu Ming a bit embarrassed. Then Cao Qinglin added, "Machines aren't that flexible. The road conditions here are complex. Don't cause an accident."
Qiu Ming immediately withdrew his hand but still carefully examined the robot. "Judging by the craftsmanship, this must cost at least twenty million white notes. And it's an intelligent robot. Even if it only drives and cooks, that's not bad."
In the back seat, Dai Song also took a few more looks, but Cao Qinglin showed no interest.
However, the brief relaxation brought by the robot didn't last long. Soon, a group of mutated beasts appeared in the woods.
These beasts were from the same pack. Upon spotting the car, they quickly divided their labor—some flanked the vehicle on both sides, while others split off and left.
"They must be taking a shortcut," Dai Song said. "This is a winding mountain road. The giant-toothed wolf beasts are fast enough to cut us off ahead."
He then took out two dart guns. "Scent-based agents won't work well. It's best to inject them directly. These are loaded with poison. Be careful."
Xu Huo took them, checked them, and asked, "How fast does it take effect?"
"The toxicity is strong enough. The wolf beasts' fur isn't thick. Twenty seconds can take down one wolf beast. It's not lethal, but it'll knock them out for a while." Dai Song opened the car window and fired a shot into the woods. A whimper came from the pack, and one of the wolves following the car fell behind.
But this shot also provoked the other wolf beasts. The wolves on both sides began to accelerate and leap toward the car!
(Chapter End)