Chapter 147
Ji Qing successfully reached Xie Chang’an, but Xie Chang’an was in no great condition. The moment Xie Chang’an jumped into the vehicle, he collapsed limply onto the floorboard, then trembled as he raised his left hand and said in a hoarse voice, “Do not… drive too fast…”
After saying that, Xie Chang’an sprawled across the seat like a corpse.
Sitting in the back seat as well, You Xingluo curiously reached out and poked Xie Chang’an’s cheek. Meanwhile, Ji Qing, who was driving, saw through the rearview mirror that Xie Chang’an was visibly sliding from the rear seat of the off-road vehicle onto the floor.
At once, Ji Qing shot You Xingluo a look mixed with a trace of reproach.
Seeing that, You Xingluo immediately raised both hands and protested aggrievedly, “It was not my fault. He just was not sitting properly.”
Of course Ji Qing could tell that. Ji Qing thought.
Even so… Ji Qing helplessly said it aloud, “Why did you have to poke him on purpose? Do not keep him from getting some proper rest.”
At this point, Xie Chang’an could not even stand, much less drive.
What exactly had those other two been doing? Ji Qing clearly remembered that yesterday he had specifically rented a car to make their escape easier, so how had things turned into the two of them sprinting wildly through alleys and side streets? Where was their car?
It looked as though all of them were going to be blacklisted by Xucheng’s car-rental agencies tonight.
Ji Qing shook his head in regret.
After sorting through the chaos in his mind, Ji Qing pressed the accelerator again and drove onward.
At last, the three of them had now left Xucheng’s city wall behind.
Before this, Ji Qing and You Xingluo had successfully found the entrance to the night-only passage in the monitoring room. At the same time, they had also spotted Xie Chang’an sprinting madly toward the city gate on the surveillance feed, so Ji Qing had gone to meet him while You Xingluo had gone to find a vehicle.
That part had not taken long, because there had already been quite a few Armed Vehicles parked along the western wall where they were.
After a brief moment of thought, Ji Qing had agreed to You Xingluo’s suggestion.
Because of Ji Qing’s earlier display, combined with the city defense troops’ passive resistance, You Xingluo’s personal safety was unlikely to be in any real danger. Besides, he had already passed through the gap when his Ability had been unusable and returned to a normal state in which he could use it again.
For a distance as short as that, You Xingluo could definitely handle things.
So after splitting up, the three of them had successfully reunited. At present, only one person has yet to return.
Xie Chang’an was exhausted, and Feng Youyou was nowhere to be seen.
And yet, despite the situation being exactly that, Ji Qing instead felt a little calmer inside. It was not that he was not worried about Feng Youyou. It was simply that he had understood the deeper meaning hidden in the message Xie Chang’an had relayed.
When Ji Qing first sought Feng Youyou’s help, it had been precisely because of her exceptional mobility.
Wind currents, wind fields, wind blades…
Wind was, by nature, an invisible and intangible concept of the natural world, something illusory and formless. Like gravity, it touched upon an immense and majestic concept. In the hands of an Ability User rich in combat experience, an Ability like that often produced unexpectedly effective results.
Ji Qing narrowed his eyes and said, “Keep an eye on the top of the city wall. If you see Feng Youyou, tell me.”
“Oh? So you think Feng Youyou is going to jump down from the wall?” You Xingluo asked in a light tone.
Ji Qing chuckled. “Is there a second option?”
“There is not~”
“Then keep watching,” Ji Qing said. “I am not turning on the lights yet. Before long, the Aberrants will start gathering. I originally thought we might end up in a nighttime chase across the wilderness with the gangs, but at this rate that probably will not happen…”
After saying that, Ji Qing laughed softly. “The main force in any wilderness chase is still the Aberrants. The gangs probably will not be able to catch up to us.”
“True enough.” You Xingluo nodded in agreement.
The current time was 9:49 at night. If it had been any earlier, while the city gate was still open, they definitely would have ended up being pursued by the gangs. But since the four of them had chosen not to force the gate open, most of the gang members would be stopped by the city wall instead.
Now, the three of them had only two final steps left: reunite with Feng Youyou and escape successfully.
“It has gone a little more smoothly than expected,” Ji Qing murmured.
After recovering somewhat, Xie Chang’an’s expression turned indescribable when he heard that. He badly wanted to tell Ji Qing that it had not been easy at all. He had practically started at the casino and run all the way around Xucheng. Along the way, one car had broken down, they had seized another, that one had broken down too, then they had seized yet another…
And only after all that had he finally met up with Ji Qing.
How could such a twisted ordeal possibly be called easy? The more Xie Chang’an thought about it, the more his scalp tingled. Yet when he heard Ji Qing’s conclusion about the rescue operation, Xie Chang’an still could not help feeling a little pleased.
Things on Ji Qing’s side seemed to have gone smoothly. That was good.
On the other side, You Xingluo quickly rolled down the window and said, “I see Feng Youyou.”
Ji Qing instinctively switched on the headlights.
Even though he himself still had not seen Feng Youyou, Ji Qing trusted You Xingluo’s judgment. He could clearly feel that, the instant the headlights came on, the atmosphere inside the vehicle suddenly grew more oppressive.
That was only natural.
Because all of them understood one thing: from this moment onward, they had officially entered the Aberrants’ field of vision.
Suddenly, Ji Qing said, “Xie Chang’an, how much have you recovered? Can you drive?”
Gritting his teeth, Xie Chang’an answered, “I can!”
He immediately rose from the back seat and slowly moved toward the driver’s seat. Ji Qing, who had been sitting there, unbuckled his seat belt, pushed open the door, planted one foot on it, and sprang up onto the roof.
Before Ji Qing had even fully steadied himself, he had already noticed the shapes of Aberrants closing in.
The bitter gale whipped at Ji Qing’s white hair, a few loose strands brushing across his face. When he straightened up, he finally saw Feng Youyou clearly. Feng Youyou was sprinting along the rooftop of the city wall before leaping straight off it.
She was doing her best to control the wind currents and glide toward the vehicle.
So that was why Feng Youyou had warned them about the speed.
Several searchlights from the city defense troops fell upon Feng Youyou. In that instant, the city defense troops within the wall, the Aberrants outside it, and the three fugitives themselves all locked onto Feng Youyou’s position together. Ji Qing instinctively reached toward his pocket and touched the few bullets he had left.
Xie Chang’an was unsuited to long-range combat. You Xingluo was unsuited to combat in general. At this point, the only one who could cover Feng Youyou was Ji Qing.
To be honest, Ji Qing had originally thought You Xingluo would have no problem driving, but since Xie Chang’an wanted to involve himself, Ji Qing might as well let him do it. Ji Qing thought idly, It was about time he showed the results of all those days of hard practice.
As for You Xingluo… there was a position far better suited to him.
Ji Qing shouted at You Xingluo, who was leaning out the window, “Keep watching the Aberrants on the ground. My field of vision is not wide enough!”
“All right!”
You Xingluo flashed a brisk thumbs-up.
Once Ji Qing had received You Xingluo’s clear answer, he was finally able to shift all of his attention to the sky. The winds high above were especially violent tonight, and the currents were equally chaotic. Although Feng Youyou’s Ability allowed her to control the wind currents, it still was not enough in the face of nature’s wild gale.
That was precisely why Ji Qing was doing this.
Feng Youyou was responsible for carrying herself toward the vehicle, while Ji Qing would deal with the Aberrants trying to attack her in the air, and those trying to attack the vehicle as well. It was a remarkably simple division of labor, one they both understood without needing to say it aloud.
Ji Qing pulled out a bullet and shot the flying Aberrant nearest to Feng Youyou.
Although he could not clearly see Feng Youyou’s face at the moment, Ji Qing knew she would understand what he meant by his actions. Their purpose was the same. Both of them wanted to regroup as quickly as possible and leave this place as quickly as possible afterward.
Second by second, time passed.
The number of bullets in Ji Qing’s pocket gradually dwindled, while the distance between Feng Youyou and the vehicle steadily closed. When Feng Youyou was almost within range, Ji Qing crouched down and shouted, “Tell Xie Chang’an to veer a little to the left.”
“Got it,” You Xingluo answered at once.
Soon afterward, the vehicle’s direction shifted slightly. After repeating Ji Qing’s words to Xie Chang’an, You Xingluo quickly stuck his head out and asked, “Is this distance okay?”
But this time, it was not Ji Qing’s voice that answered him.
“Of course it is!!!”
Shouting those words, Feng Youyou slammed directly into the roof of the Armed Vehicle.
Unfortunately, she landed face-first on the roof, but she still raised a huge thumbs-up toward the two people beneath her. Her words came out muffled. “Thank you all for saving my life. And thank you for the support, Ji Qing. I was almost too tired to keep flying…”
“That much was obvious,” Ji Qing said with a laugh from where he stood beside her.
He would have liked to help pull Feng Youyou up, but compared with Feng Youyou’s undignified landing, the more pressing matter at hand was the group of Aberrants surrounding the vehicle and watching the four of them like tigers eyeing prey.
The current time was 10:24 at night.
The night had grown deep, and the Aberrants had already become active.
“Shut off all lights, switch to Night-Driving Mode, and get us out of here at full speed,” Ji Qing ordered calmly. “We still cannot stop here. The nearest Safe Point is thirty-seven kilometers from Xucheng. We have to hold out until then. What comes next will be a difficult battle.”
“Understood,” You Xingluo answered seriously.
“Understood.” Feng Youyou even gave a salute, but quickly afterward she weakly raised her head and asked, “Let me catch my breath first…”
Ji Qing could not help laughing. “Then catch your breath.”
Hearing that, You Xingluo broke into a broad smile as well. “Do you want to come down? It is much warmer inside the vehicle than on the roof.”
“Of course I do!”
With that, Feng Youyou used both hands and feet and climbed down from the roof like a spider clinging to a wall, crawling through the rear window into the back seat.
There was nothing graceful or elegant about the way she moved.
Those messy, ungainly motions, together with Feng Youyou’s wind-tossed hair and smeared makeup, made for an absurdly funny sight. Yet the two people present did not think much of it. Only Xie Chang’an, who had been acting alongside Feng Youyou the whole time, burst out laughing the moment he turned back and saw her.
“You look… hahahaha…”
Feng Youyou instantly understood what he meant. She shifted her gaze aside guiltily and muttered in a small voice, “All right… you had a point…”
But then—
Feng Youyou immediately raised her index finger and thumb and bellowed grandly, “Behold my invincible forehead flick!!!”
As Xie Chang’an kept repeating, “That hurts, that hurts, that hurts,” she declared in the solemn voice of a cowboy who had just won a duel, “Young man, do not laugh at a girl’s makeup. You will never get a girlfriend that way.”
“Pfft—”
You Xingluo could not help laughing out loud.
Even Ji Qing, still on the roof, nearly burst out laughing as well.
For a moment, the whole vehicle was filled with laughter and cheerful voices. Seeing that, Ji Qing felt a sense of release. Although the danger surrounding the four of them had not yet been resolved, this sort of outcome was not bad at all. After tonight, he would finally be able to lie down and get some proper rest.
