Hunter of Mysterious Creature-Chapter 638 - 169: Engine Scrap

Seeing that the car was fine, the driver's courage grew a bit, and he released the brake slightly, allowing the car to continue sliding forward.

But at that moment, a sudden mutation occurred!

A faint layer of shadow climbed up the front of the car. The originally smooth military green paint instantly cracked, and the aging, cracked paint curled up, with a faint cracking sound audible as the paint film split open.

The driver immediately slammed on the brakes, and everyone held their breath. The car interior became eerily silent, except for the short beeping coming from the detection device in the hands of the operative in the back seat.

In this pin-drop silence, the beeping seemed extremely piercing, like the footsteps of Death urging for a soul.

The shadow crept over the hood bit by bit, soon causing the paint film to completely peel off, revealing the rust-covered hood beneath.

The two headlights at the front of the car flickered twice and then suddenly went out.

The faint shadow gradually covered the front windshield, which was originally clear and transparent, layering it with a yellowish frosted effect, making it look like a piece of yellowed, aging frosted glass that had been left unused for years.

The driver desperately shrank back, his eyes fixed intently on the steering wheel in front of him—just a second ago, the leather covering on the steering wheel began to crack and shrink, with the underlying plastic starting to brittle and crack, causing a small piece of plastic to fall off, exposing the metal frame within the steering wheel.

Just when the driver thought Death was about to descend, an ordinary-looking hand suddenly grasped the steering wheel with a "snap" sound.

The entire "aging process" of the steering wheel abruptly stopped, and the faint shadow receded like a tide.

Sun Hang glanced at the retreating shadow, then turned to look at the driver whose expression had become extremely hideous, and said calmly, "Don't freak out."

No one knew if he was talking to the fleeing ghostly shadow or to the already terrified driver.

"I... need a moment to catch my breath..." the driver said in a trembling voice, "My legs are weak..."

The driver took several deep breaths, and then finally gripped the steering wheel again. But when he placed his foot on the accelerator, he heard a crisp sound—the aging plastic pedal couldn't withstand the pressure and shattered instantly, leaving only a bare metal rod.

The driver's body trembled as he looked down at the brake and accelerator, then carefully adjusted his feet's position... shift, release brake, accelerate...

The car didn't move... or more accurately, there was no response from the engine at all.

"Stalled? It shouldn't be..."

The driver reached to turn the key under the steering wheel, but all anyone heard was a "click" as a rusty key handle appeared in the driver's hand, the teeth of the key having broken off inside the lock.

The keyhole was positioned further forward than the steering wheel, so when the steering wheel was affected by the ghostly shadow and aged, the key had already become rusted and fragile.

The driver stared blankly at the key handle in his hand, momentarily at a loss.

"It's not stalled," Sun Hang said, "The engine is completely burned out... Even the best engine becomes a pile of scrap metal with decades of no maintenance or oil change. Moreover, this ghostly aging effect seems to span more than just decades."

"What do we do now?" Shinkata Misaki asked yet again.

"Repair." Sun Hang placed his hand directly on the glove compartment panel of the co-pilot seat.

The consciousness tendrils drilled through the gaps in the vehicle's frame and under the hood, crawling onto the completely scrap "antique" engine in a moment.

With a thought, the already rusted-solid mechanical parts came to life, transforming into flowing liquid metal, completing the process of disassembling, cleaning, re-forming, and final assembly within just a few seconds. And the oil, which had turned into a sludge-like state, seemed to come back to life, becoming incredibly smooth and, under the push of an invisible force, reincorporated into the now "brand new" engine.

A deep roaring sound immediately rose.

"Go!"

Sun Hang raised his arm, delivering an elbow blow, shattering the obstructive windshield, and then the whole car seemed to come alive, rushing forward uncontrollably.

"The brakes... the brakes have failed!" The driver held onto the steering wheel with terror on his face, "There's no response when I press the brakes!"

"They haven't failed, it's just that the vehicle's control isn't with you anymore," Sun Hang patted the car door and said, "Push it to full throttle, and rush out in one go!"

As if responding to Sun Hang's demand, the engine let out two coarse roars, and with the pistons inside the engine cylinder pounding continuously, a huge force propelled the entire vehicle forward like an arrow leaving the bowstring.

"Did the car... come alive?" The driver couldn't help but widen his eyes. At the corner just now, he didn't even touch the steering wheel, which turned automatically, guiding the vehicle through the bend with an almost perfect in-curve and out-curve line, continuing to speed forward.

The vehicle's dashboard was entirely broken, with the needles turning erratically, and the electronic dashboard only showing a pile of garbled text. But with years of driving experience, the driver could still feel that the current speed had likely exceeded 130 km/h.