Chapter Eighteen: The Final Trial

A new wave of Infested insects approached the thermal power plant, arriving in vehicles clearly from distant strongholds.

This wave approached cautiously, as if testing whether the war god inside was still standing firm or had already mutated.

At this moment, less than five minutes after the squad’s three vehicles departed—with their rear ends still visible—the Infested spotted them and lunged in pursuit.

“Can we deploy drones with this wind speed?” Yu Shuang shouted.

“Not really,” Zhao Bohai replied.

“Then we’ll adapt to their moves. Everyone, buckle up!” Yu Shuang pressed the accelerator firmly.

Most of the Infested’s vehicles were ramshackle and unreliable, offering no advantage in a chase. But this was still within the inner circle of the Hualin County stronghold. Without drones to scout ahead, who knew if there would be roadblocks or ambushes ahead?

Qi An gripped the safety handle above the car door tightly, eyes fixed on the contamination detection wristband on her wrist.

Their mission was complete; this was the last hurdle. As long as they escaped this wave of pursuers and left enemy territory, they could finally go home!

But as fate would have it, the final of the eighty-one trials was the most unforgiving.

They were driving on an old road atop a loess plateau, with ravines and gorges ahead. Spanning the chasm was a beam bridge.

The wind was dying down, the dust dispersing, revealing the sturdy bridge after twenty years of standing firm.

“Infested ahead!” shouted Zhuang Xiao.

The bridge was only about 300 meters long, and on the far side within sight were moving insect-like creatures, clearly visible to Zhuang Xiao’s keen eyes.

“We can’t turn back,” Yu Shuang said, keeping the accelerator steady.

Their vehicle was the lead car, roaring onto the bridge.

Opposite the bridge lay a stronghold—such a strategic point was bound to be guarded!

The stronghold was flanking the road. On the right, atop an earthen mound, Infested were loading a mortar, but Zhuang Xiao shot the mortar operator cleanly in the head.

Tang Long fired a rocket into the mound, flesh and fire flying in tandem.

With the accelerator unwavering, the barrage continued relentlessly, forcing the enemy to keep their heads down. Yu Shuang’s lead car was already nearing the far shore!

Suddenly, despite her exhaustion, Qi An sensed something and shouted, “Captain, watch out ahead!”

Bang!

A sudden, massive impact!

An infant Infested, emerging from who knew where, slammed against the front windshield of the vehicle!

Its mouthparts pressed flat against the glass, opening layer upon layer, revealing a sharp bone-like spike at its core. It gathered strength and pierced right through the tempered glass, aiming straight for Yu Shuang’s eyes!

Yu Shuang, an A-class warrior with a speed enhancement of 8, reacted swiftly in this critical moment, tilting her head slightly.

The spike grazed her face and plunged into the driver’s seat!

Her eyes clenched shut, Yu Shuang drew her dagger and sliced through the flesh spike.

Simultaneously, she slammed on the brakes.

The steering wheel went wild amid the chaos; the car veered sharply toward the side of the bridge, smashing through the guardrail. The brakes fought the momentum, barely stopping the vehicle.

But the front end was now hanging over the edge of the bridge!

The severed infant Infested, still a sentient creature, screamed and leapt off the glass with a powerful dive!

The precarious vehicle began to plunge downward, but the insect used its momentum to leap away!

Indeed, the final challenge of the eighty-one trials was the most unforgiving. Qi An pitched forward; if not for her seatbelt, she would have fallen through the windshield into the hundred-meter-deep ravine below!

But the seatbelt could only delay death for a few seconds. The entire vehicle was about to be swallowed by the abyss.

Yu Shuang seemed to be shouting something, but Zhuang Xiao’s terrified scream was so loud Qi An couldn’t make out the words.

Suddenly, she felt the car stop!

The downward tilt ceased, and the vehicle began to regain balance!

Qi An snapped her head back and, through the jumbled supplies in the overturned trunk, saw someone holding onto the car!

Barehanded!

It was Jiu, who had grabbed—probably the bumper—and with his lone strength forced the raised rear end of the vehicle down!

Veins bulging on his forehead, he locked eyes with Qi An. In his dark, icy gaze, a faint, comforting smile flickered.

Qi An was stunned—overwhelmed in every way. Her heart pounded wildly from fear, shock, and the knife-edge peril of life and death.

Tang Long charged forward as well. With his physique and a strength enhancement of 7, he joined the boy in forcing the vehicle down and pulling it back desperately.

The car was secured. Yu Shuang immediately threw open the front door.

Zhao Bohai, standing at the bridge’s edge, extended his arms and caught Yu Shuang as she leapt.

His muscles tensed, almost dislocating from the force of the fall, but Yu Shuang’s speed was swift. After a brief sway, he completed the relay, firmly setting her down on the shore.

Zhuang Xiao, who had been ready to jump out, felt his heart drop back into place. Like a nimble monkey, he slipped out through the sunroof and rolled back onto the car’s roof.

Meanwhile, Qi An was trapped—the steering column and car door deformed and wedged against the bridge railing.

She drew a dagger from her tactical vest, cut through the seatbelt, and gripped the back of the seat firmly to steady herself.

Jiu watched her intently, his hand relaxed but ready to leap out at any moment.

Gritting her teeth, Qi An pushed half her body out and smashed the gunstock hard against the car door glass.

The glass shattered but did not fully break. Qi An’s petite frame, unburdened by her magazine, slipped through the opening.

As soon as she was free, someone caught her and firmly pulled her back onto the bridge.

A thunderous roar echoed behind them as a camouflaged military jeep plunged into the ravine, shattering to pieces.

Their hearts still racing, Qi An felt the pounding heartbeat pressed against her chest—like a drumbeat even more intense than her own.

He looked down at her, then stepped back and turned to fire a precise shot, blasting the head off an Infested lunging at them.

The second shot hit the core of an infant Infested’s open mouthpart, thwarting its sneaky attack.

Without firepower support, the Infested at the bridgehead surged forward. Earlier, so many had relied solely on Su Qingran to hold them back.

Now, the two sides were close enough to engage in brutal close combat. Everyone plunged into the fight.

Qi An caught her breath, knowing the ordeal was far from over. She grabbed Yu Shuang’s hand and purified her.

Having been exposed to unpurified Infested toxin for so long, Yu Shuang was dangerously close to contamination—47%—and would soon lose control if left untreated.

Yu Shuang felt guilty, but this was no time for apologies or conversations. She turned to shield Qi An.

Because the Infested vehicles were so slow, the few minutes’ pause had allowed the pursuers behind them to lose sight.

This less-than-hundred-strong stronghold was being slaughtered by the boy in front like a phantom—truly a massacre! One hand wielded a pistol, the other a silver short blade, leaving no survivors. His close-quarters efficiency was nothing short of artistry.

Within ten minutes, the stronghold was wiped out.

Jiu’s contamination was only 35%. Qi An was certain his mental enhancement was at least level 6—enough to serve as a purifier.

She forced herself to suppress the contamination in Zhuang Xiao and Tang Long before slipping into a half-conscious, half-asleep state.