Apocalypse Forecast-Chapter 666 - 550: Encountering Old Acquaintances in a Foreign Land_2
With the engine’s high-pitched roar, flames even shot out from the oversized motorcycle’s tailpipe. It zipped agilely past the Guard Team’s shotgun fire, skimming close to the tires and thrusting its Long Spear forward.
The sound of bursting tires grew louder, and Raymond’s face turned even uglier.
Fortunately, the truck had enough tires to endure being punctured a dozen more times or so.
But the problem was, the enemy didn’t need to puncture them all.
If their speed slowed for even a moment, they would surely be relentlessly pursued by the Eye of Nightmare. If they were to stall here, they could forget about reaching the underground Control Center—they might as well hand it over on a silver platter.
He was all too familiar with this tactic.
Once the scouting teams searching the perimeter detected the enemy’s presence, they would engage and not let go, call for reinforcements, and then a dozen or so teams would start to encircle...
Alternatively, they didn’t need to waste so much manpower; they could simply call for artillery support... which would likely result in an even more gruesome death.
Huai Shi was dumbfounded.
He had thought that driving a truck in Hell was already the pinnacle of badassery, but the enemy came at them with both airplanes and artillery—and each damn person had a motorcycle...
"How come they’re so advanced, what the hell!"
"What else? The Eye of Nightmare is one of the top mercenary groups in the Homeless Cemetery, with ties to over a dozen Hells so close they might as well wear the same pair of pants. It’s just a few motorcycles... They even have Authority Relics! It’s just that the detachment from the Town of Dusk that came this time might not be equipped with such high-end gear."
Huai Shi paused. Before he could even gasp in shock, he realized something. "Wait, how do you know all this so clearly?"
"Hahaha, that’s a long story..."
Raymond gave an awkward smile and violently turned the steering wheel. He suddenly performed a spin on the spot, slapping an approaching motorcycle away with the side of the truck like an iron wall. It exploded into a burst of flames in midair.
But seizing the brief moment of stillness, the surrounding Salamanders and another motorcycle abruptly closed in. And Huai Shi? He was thoroughly enraged.
He’d been out for half the day and hadn’t even seen his destination. Instead, he’d encountered a bunch demanding tolls, and what’s worse, they clung on relentlessly.
If he couldn’t continue on the road, then damn it, he had to see them off on their way. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
Suddenly pushing open the truck door, ignoring Raymond’s cry of alarm, he leaped straight out.
"Hey, what the fuck are you doing?"
"—Practicing the piano!"
In midair, from inside the bulky protective suit, Huai Shi raised his hand. A Lock Chain, trailing black smoke and sparks, flew out from dozens of meters away, wrapped around the motorcycle’s handlebars, and quickly contracted.
"Hello!"
With an exaggerated spin, Huai Shi, having jumped from the passenger seat, plummeted from the sky. He brushed past the oncoming flames and landed on the motorcycle’s front.
Before he could steady himself, the Knight on the motorcycle had already dropped his Long Spear and drawn a pistol from the weapon rack, aiming it at Huai Shi’s face.
Drummer!
Accompanied by a sudden gust of wind, the gun barrel was seized, jerked upward towards the sky, and the bullet flew harmlessly into the air.
The Knight was stunned, unable to react in time, as a series of afterimages flew past his eyes.
That figure enveloped in a protective suit seemed to sprout eight arms in a flash!
Clutching the Sacrificial Knife and Sword of Virtue, Huai Shi waved his arms. He drew forth the intense light from the sword blades and slashed wildly forward, unleashing a ferocious, rhythmic assault in an instant.
It was impossible to tell just how many times he had struck.
In the shadow cast by Huai Shi, the Knight hesitated. He looked down and saw only the intersecting gashes on his protective Armor... He stood there, dazed.
"Goodbye!"
Huai Shi waved, fell backward, and caught the shrinking Lock Chain to pull himself back onto the truck.
Immediately afterward, the brutal sunlight poured down.
The Curse descended.
Behind the broken Armor, dense black smoke rose, and the screams that erupted stopped abruptly.
Flames surged, engulfing the burning wreckage. It tilted and rolled on the ground along with the motorcycle before meeting an explosive end.
But then, more roaring from motorcycles came from around the corner ahead, accompanied by the low hum of propellers echoing in the sky.
As if enraged, a multitude of drop pods were released. Behind the dozen or so motorcycles, dozens of streaks of flame soared into the sky.
Huai Shi was dumbfounded.
How could he ever compete against such numbers!
"How much farther?" he asked over the radio, having landed on the roof.
"Three kilometers! Just floor it!"
Raymond bellowed, "I’m unleashing my power now, hold on tight!"
"What the hell?"
Huai Shi felt he hadn’t heard clearly. Then, the entire truck sharply changed direction, heading straight towards a massive, collapsed building.
Time to speed up!
Huai Shi’s face turned pale. Remembering the wild experience of racing through mountains and over seas a few days prior, his scalp tingled. He immediately tied himself to the front of the truck.
The remaining Guard Team members naturally grabbed onto the seats welded to the truck bed, bracing for impact.
His vision blurred. He felt no jolt or heard any crash.
All Huai Shi felt was his body lighten, and then he was falling backward.
By the time he realized it, he saw the earth rapidly receding from him.
He was ascending.
The whole truck had, with eerie impossibility, begun driving up a building. Literally driving up a building. Oblivious to gravity, its wheels rolled over Newton’s proverbial coffin lid, maintaining a ninety-degree angle with the ground as it rapidly scaled the building’s facade.
Huai Shi, hanging from The Sorrow of Index, was dumbstruck.
Yet, amid this swift ascent, the sound of propellers drew closer. When Huai Shi looked up, he saw a face in the cockpit of the rapidly approaching aircraft, just as dumbfounded as his own.
Incredulous.
Was this even a maneuver?
Yes, it was!
Without a second thought, disregarding the chasing flames, Huai Shi raised his hand, clutched the Spear of Compassion, and hurled the brilliant metallic light towards the aircraft, now almost within reach.
With the WHOOSH of a Space Break, the aircraft’s deflection field was torn apart by the spearhead. It then penetrated the steel—not towards the cockpit, but aiming for the aircraft’s right wing.
The Man in Armor, who had just drawn his sword, was stunned for a moment. He quickly reacted, shouting at the pilot, "Forced landing, now!"
Amidst the violent shaking, an explosion thundered.
A strike delivered with all his might, the Spear of Compassion had pierced the wing. Its shaft was now lodged between the propeller blades, colliding with the rapidly spinning steel.
Accompanied by a hair-raising screech, the massive fan blades disintegrated. Heavy, sharp fragments whizzed past Huai Shi, embedding themselves deeply into the building.
As the left wing broke off, thick smoke and flames burst forth. The aircraft staggered in mid-air, spiraling downward, ultimately crashing into the ground.
From the burning wreckage, the Sublimator in armor emerged, dragging his heavy Longsword.
He raised his head and watched the ’winged’ truck nimbly leap between floors, rapidly making its escape.
After a long moment, he withdrew his gaze and pulled a radio from the debris behind him.
"Target confirmed," he said. "The Ivory Tower’s Huai Shi... and the turncoat ’Immortal Renault’ are headed your way. Give them a warm welcome."
"Received."
Amidst the noisy static, a hoarse response came through.
