The strange death of the driver caused the vehicle to lose control instantly. It was about to crash into the rocks on the side of the road, repeating the fate of the other vehicle.
Qi Yuan's face darkened. With the Tier 2 Steel Defense, even if the vehicle exploded, it would not be a threat to his life. However, without the vehicle, even escaping would be an extravagant hope when faced with the enemy.
The enemy knew that Kou Haitao was in the vehicle, yet they still attacked in a frenzy. They must have enough confidence to kill him.
If Tanqiu did not have a corresponding backup plan, it would be difficult for him to escape with his own strength.
Facing the vehicle that was about to crash, Kou Haitao snorted coldly. He directly used the power of a Mechanic to take over the vehicle that had lost control.
"Sun Jia, you drive. I'll deal with the enemy!" Kou Haitao said.
Sun Jia's face was pale. The driver's death made him feel real death. Seeing Kou Haitao throw the driver's shriveled corpse out of the window, he did not have the courage to sit in the driver's seat.
Since the invisible enemy could turn a Tier 3 driver into a shriveled corpse silently, it could naturally do the same to him.
Although he did not know why the enemy did not attack the few people sitting in the back, the driver's seat was obviously the most dangerous.
Seeing Sun Jia's cowardly appearance, Kou Haitao's eyes turned sharp.
He roared, "The enemy is a Bloodlust Beast!"
Sun Jia's body trembled, and his expression became even more desperate. As long as the Bloodlust Beast caught up with them, the backseat was just as dangerous as the driver's seat. There was a possibility of them becoming a shriveled corpse at any time.
This was still a gray area. How could a Bloodlust Beast appear here?
Qi Yuan suppressed the fear in his heart. If the vehicle was forced to stop, Kou Haitao alone would not be able to protect the safety of the others.
Qi Yuan had some basic understanding of the Bloodlust Beast. This kind of elite Zerg could control the blood of living creatures. It did not even need direct physical contact to suck the blood out of a person's body.
Just like the driver who had turned into a shriveled corpse.
"I'll drive!" Qi Yuan suddenly said.
The Bloodlust Beast's control of blood was limited. Although the area detection did not detect the enemy's presence, Qi Yuan was certain that it was not far from the vehicle.
If he wanted to escape from the mouth of the Blood Source Beast, the only way was for Kou Haitao to go down and stall it while he drove away.
Kou Haitao's gaze swept back and forth between the calm Qi Yuan and the terrified and trembling Sun Jia as he quickly made a decision.
"Keep driving. Go straight to the Black Steel Shelter as fast as you can. No matter what happens, don't stop!" Kou Haitao said.
Qi Yuan nodded and climbed directly from the back seat to the driver's seat.
After Qi Yuan skillfully drove the car to its maximum speed, Kou Haitao grabbed Pei Zongyan, who was slumped in the back seat, and jumped out of the car.
"No!"
Pei Zongyan's howls of despair echoed across the wilderness.
Qi Yuan looked through the rearview mirror and saw Kou Haitao grabbing one of Pei Zongyan's legs and charging toward a strange red Zerg Beast.
Was that a Blood Source Beast?
It could actually block the area detection at such a distance. A Rank 4 Elite Zerg Beast was indeed unique and powerful.
A Rank 4 Elite Zerg Beast appeared in the gray area and happened to block their path and attack the vehicle.
This was obviously not a coincidence. It was a meticulously planned ambush!
There must be someone behind this Blood Source Beast. That was why Kou Haitao had told them not to stop!
Qi Yuan was very clear about the danger he was facing. A fierce look flashed across his eyes.
After sensing the danger, the Blazing Angel had already awakened from its deep slumber. The huge amount of Asterite energy it had devoured from the illusory reality had been completely absorbed. Its aura was much stronger than before.
If another Rank 4 Elite Zerg Beast appeared, they would have no choice but to expose the Blazing Angel!
Compared to exposing his trump card, his own life was obviously more important.
Area Detection, which had always been successful, finally showed signs of being suppressed when faced with a Tier 4 enemy. Since the Bloodfrom Beast could suppress the senses of Area Detection, then the enemy hiding behind the scenes could very well avoid the senses of Area Detection as well.
However, Qi Yuan still chose to continue using the area detection.
He had expanded the area detection to the maximum. However, there were still no traces of the enemy. This made Qi Yuan even more vigilant.
Qi Yuan drove the vehicle as fast as he could, leaving Kou Haitao and the Blood Source Beast behind him. However, the enemy still did not appear.
Could it be that the ambush enemy only had one Blood Source Beast?
Impossible!
Ke Shoulin had prepared many backup plans during the assessment. Since he had decided to kill them now, he would definitely have taken Kou Haitao into consideration!
Therefore, the enemy definitely had more than one Blood Source Beast!
Ke Shoulin must have prepared other backup plans!
Just as Qi Yuan was observing the situation outside the window through the rearview mirror, he suddenly saw Sun Jia sitting in the back seat.
Sun Jia, who had been trembling, had unknowingly locked his gaze on him. He stared at him blankly while raising the pistol in his hand and pressing it against the back of his head.
Sun Jia was also the enemy?
No!
Sun Jia was being controlled by someone!
With no time to think about it, Qi Yuan tilted his head to the side. At the same time, Sun Jia pulled the trigger.
A scarlet beam of light shot out from the muzzle and pierced through the front of the car, leaving a thumb-sized hole in the glass.
Feeling the burning pain in his ear, Qi Yuan realized that the pistol in Sun Jia's hand was definitely a piece of mechanical equipment. His Tier 2 Steel Defense could perfectly resist most of the weapons used by Wild Hunters. However, it could not perfectly resist the attack of a mechanical equipment.
Sun Jia was a resident of the God's Sanctuary, so it was not difficult for him to get his hands on a powerful mechanical armament.
After missing his shot, Sun Jia turned the muzzle and aimed at Qi Yuan's back again.
Qi Yuan snorted coldly. His left hand gripped the steering wheel while his right hand grabbed the pistol in Sun Jia's hand.
Steel Self-Healing!
Boom!
The moment Sun Jia pulled the trigger again, the pistol exploded.
Rumble!
The destructive energy spread out in an instant. Scarlet energy arcs wreaked havoc inside the vehicle, destroying everything in its path. The vehicle collapsed, and Sun Jia was reduced to a charred corpse.
Relying on his Energy Control and Steel Defense, Qi Yuan withstood the impact of the destructive energy and jumped out of the vehicle.
Qi Yuan rolled on the ground a few times to reduce the forward momentum. He then patted the charred remains off his body and stood up.
Clap clap!
Clap clap!
A round of applause sounded. At the same time, a hoarse voice came from behind.
"You really are strong. No wonder that trash Pei Zongyan couldn't stop you!"
Qi Yuan turned around and saw a figure wearing a silver mask standing behind him, staring at him with interest.
"You even sent a Tier 4 to deal with a Tier 3 like me? You really think highly of me," Qi Yuan said coldly as he stared at the masked figure.
"If you want to blame someone, you can only blame yourself for being too restless!" The masked man said with a chuckle.
"If you had obediently stayed in the Iron Chariots and hid under Ling You's protection, you might have been able to live a few more days. But you just had to come out and throw your life away. I had no choice but to send you on your way!"
Qi Yuan stared at the masked man. Although he could see the masked man standing in front of him, his Area Detection still couldn't detect his presence.
"For a Tier 3 like me, you didn't even let the people from the Hazard Management Department go. Aren't you a little too bold?"
"No, you all died in the mouth of the Zerg. It was just an accident. It has nothing to do with anyone else!" The masked man said calmly.
"Alright, you've said so much. It's time for you to be on your way!"
Before the masked man finished speaking, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble. Qi Yuan's expression changed immediately. A huge sandworm broke out of the ground and opened its mouth to bite him.
This sandworm exuded an extremely dangerous aura. It was several times larger than the one he had encountered before, and its aura was also much more dangerous.
The dense and sinister teeth in its mouth scraped against each other, producing a crunching sound. Even with the Tier 2 Steel Defense, Qi Yuan felt his scalp go numb.
Just as Qi Yuan was about to dodge the sandworm's bite, a strange force invaded his body and took over control.
F * ck!
Qi Yuan cursed under his breath. He could only watch helplessly as the Sandworm bit down and swallowed his entire body.
The razor-sharp teeth tore at his body. The collision between the Steel Defense and the razor-sharp teeth produced a grinding sound that made one's teeth ache.
Although the steel defense barely blocked the penetration of the sharp teeth, the powerful force that penetrated the body was not so easy to withstand.
Qi Yuan could feel his internal organs being squeezed by the Zerg's fangs.
In the shadows far away from Qi Yuan and the masked man, a blurry figure was hidden in the shadows, quietly watching this ambush.
"He seems to be about to be bitten to death by the sandworm," the figure in the shadows said softly.
"No, he hasn't reached his limit yet!" A low voice said.
"Could it be that he's still holding back?" The figure raised an eyebrow in surprise.
A third rank ability user facing a fourth rank enemy, even escaping with his life was an extravagant hope, yet there was actually someone who dared to hold back.
"I'm not sure if he's holding back or not, but since he was chosen by Tanqiu, he's definitely not that simple."
"Aren't you afraid of guessing wrong?" The figure in the shadows was clearly doubtful.
"Saving this person's life is one of Tanqiu's conditions. With Tanqiu's personality, if this person dies, Zheng Yan's deal will be ruined!"
"Don't worry, with me here, he won't die. I just want to see why Tanqiu values a wasteland refugee so much!"
"As long as you're happy!" The figure in the shadows shrugged.
"But I have to remind you, Zheng Yan is a stone in a latrine pit. He has a good relationship with Tanqiu. If you really make Tanqiu unhappy, Zheng Yan probably won't give you any face."
Zheng Yan …
Hearing this name, the other voice in the shadows went silent.
Zheng Yan's arrogance was already famous in the entire Storm Shelter. In the entire Storm Shelter, the only person who dared to point at the nose of a board member was him!
Moreover, after cursing, he was still safe and sound. This was what made Zheng Yan admirable.
What supported Zheng Yan's arrogance was his attainments in the field of Mechanical Armament. Ever since the disaster of the Void Beast and the reconstruction of the Storm Laboratory, Zheng Yan had almost single-handedly taken on the research of Mechanical Armament. This was also the main reason why the directors were willing to tolerate Zheng Yan's bad temper.
If Zheng Yan really bore a grudge against him, this fellow would absolutely dare to scold him in public until his head was drenched in dog blood.
After a moment of silence, the voice that originally wanted to observe for a while finally made a decision.
"Keep him alive or kill him?"
The figure in the shadows chuckled.
"Of course we kill him!"
"This person is wearing a mask and doesn't dare to show his real face. Moreover, he doesn't even dare to kill a rank 3 by himself. He must be someone who can't see the light of day. Even if Ke Shoulin knows that we killed him, he won't dare to cause trouble for us!"
"Moreover, the difficulty of protecting a rank 3 wasteland refugee and killing a rank 4 aptitude user is completely different. Tanqiu will definitely increase the reward!"
"Do it!"
The figure in the darkness let out a low growl, and a gentle breeze swept out from behind him with a wisp of fine yellow sand, sweeping towards the direction of the sandworms.
Qi Yuan was bitten by the sandworm. After chewing for a long time, he wasn't bitten to pieces. However, his steel defense was already on the verge of collapse.
Damn it!
Did that bitch Tanqiu not have a backup plan?
Qi Yuan cursed loudly in his heart. If reinforcements still didn't appear, he would have no choice but to use the Blazing Angel.
Within the energy heart, the Blazing Angel was ready to move. Just as it was about to move, Qi Yuan suddenly felt a strange energy wave pass by. Then, the pressure on his body lightened. The sandworm that was still biting with all its strength seemed to have lost its strength. Its hard teeth stopped chewing and rubbing.
"Wait a moment!" Qi Yuan immediately suppressed the Blazing Angel.
A light breeze mixed with yellow sand blew past the sandworm's huge body. The sandworm that was originally jumping and chewing with all its strength suddenly froze.
Then the flesh!
Then the organs!
Finally, the bones!
In less than five seconds, an incomparably huge sandworm turned into sand and disappeared just like that, as if it had never appeared in the first place.
The masked man looked at the sandworm that disappeared in horror. He looked at the stupefied Qi Yuan and quickly realized the arrival of danger. He turned around and left without any hesitation.
Controlling a peak rank 3 sandworm was very simple. Killing a peak rank 3 sandworm was also very simple. However, to turn such a huge sandworm into sand in just a few seconds was definitely not something a rank 4 aptitude user could do.
The masked man had just reincarnated when a giant palm condensed from yellow sand suddenly reached out from the ground, grabbing at him fiercely.