Chapter 53: The Way to Break the Deadlock

 Chapter 53: The Way to Break the Deadlock

Deng Deng Deng... In the hurried footsteps, the man, who felt ashamed to be called a father, crouched and dashed forward, slamming his shoulder fiercely against the steel body of the car person.

He possessed the strength to bring down a wall, but it only caused the car person to stagger.

"Dududu..." The electric saw grazed by Xie Lingxi's side and cut a deep, thin line on the cement ground.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing also reacted. His leg muscles swelled, unleashing an unprecedented speed. He rushed to Xie Lingxi's side, grabbed the little girl's shoulder, pulled her back, and flung her towards Xishi, who was behind them. Simultaneously, he embraced the car person's hand holding the electric saw and roared, "Let's attack together! Let's snatch his weapon!"

His voice was like a tolling bell, arousing the raging fire magician and Monkey King from their panic. The two of them pounced on the car person, with the irritable fire magician impacting the car person's back, while Monkey King, along with Zhang Yuanqing, tried to wrest the electric saw away.

"You are all going to die, all of you..." The car person's chest's speaker emitted a loud declaration. The sound of electric current followed, and the car's mechanical arm "clacked" as it swung, flinging Zhang Yuanqing and Monkey King away.

The former fell heavily to the ground like a sandbag, while the latter adjusted his body's center of gravity mid-air, performed two somersaults to reduce the impact, and landed steadily.

Wood Elf? Is this guy a Wood Elf? Zhang Yuanqing identified Monkey King's profession immediately.

At the Transcendent stage, a Level 2 Wood Elf was also called a Wood Ape, possessing an innate talent for climbing and being extremely agile.

The way he skillfully disarmed the impact just now couldn't be achieved solely through physical strength; it required special techniques, which were most fitting for a Wood Elf.

"Bang Bang Bang..." The man, who felt ashamed to be called a father, showered punches like rain on the car person's steel body. However, with just a swing of his arm, the car person swept him away and then pursued with the electric saw.

In this crisis, the plain-looking middle-aged man displayed a fighting prowess and agility that did not match his appearance. With a fierce and sinister aura in his eyes, he evaded the electric saw's attacks time and again by dashing, leaping, and rolling around parked cars.

Danger was everywhere.

"Damn you!" The fire magician cursed, accelerating with a running start, leaped into the air, and kicked the car person's back with both legs gathered.

However, the car person's foot-like brake system remained still as if rooted to the ground. He quickly turned around and swung the arm holding the electric saw in retaliation.

The fire magician instinctively reached out to block.

Plop!

His right palm instantly separated from his hand, landing on the ground with a thud.

He then crashed to the ground, emitting a heart-rending and earth-shattering scream.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing and Monkey King returned, one of them engaging the car person while the other helped the injured fire magician retreat.

"Dang Dang..." Zhang Yuanqing's fists pounded the steel chest, feeling the bones almost cracking. His iron fists, which could kill an octogenarian with a punch, now seemed feeble.

The pursued target went from one person to two. Zhang Yuanqing, relying on the Night Wanderer's physique, repeatedly dodged the deadly attacks while quickly brainstorming a plan.

He couldn't defeat the car person, and he couldn't escape either. This was essentially a wipeout instance. In a situation where their skills were sealed, how could they survive under the car person's hands?

However, even in the Spirit Realm, it was impossible to arrange an impossible task. There must be a way to break through; he just hadn't discovered it yet... It would be great if there were a refuge like in the Mountain God Temple...

A sudden inspiration flashed in Zhang Yuanqing's mind, and he shouted loudly, "Get into the car, get inside the car!!"

Everyone present was stunned at first, but soon they realized the idea. Monkey King clung to this lifeline like a drowning man and quickly took out the car key, pressing the unlock button.

A few meters away, the car that had just been unlocked emitted two beeps. Monkey King subconsciously rushed over, ran a few steps, then remembered there was also the fire magician. He turned back, helped him up, and ran towards the car.

Pale-faced Xie Lingxi took out the car key from her pocket and pressed the unlock button. A few meters away, a black SUV beeped, and its taillights blinked.

"So it's here... Sister Xishi, let's hurry over!" Xie Lingxi exclaimed in delight.

Xishi rushed towards the car, Xie Lingxi supporting her waist, followed unsteadily, calling back, "This way, this way..."

"Let me go first." The middle-aged man bent down to avoid the electric saw's attack, his voice low.

Seeing Zhang Yuanqing hesitating, he furrowed his brow and said, "You are too inexperienced in your movements. You don't seem like a seasoned Spirit Realm practitioner. If I leave, you will undoubtedly die."

Couldn't it be a non-combat profession? Zhang Yuanqing tried to justify himself, feeling dissatisfied. Without forcing himself, he turned around and ran.

He rushed towards the SUV, opened the back door, and climbed in, poking his head out and shouting, "Hurry up!"

The man, feeling ashamed to be called a father, immediately diverted the car person's attention and ran towards them.

"Boom Boom..." The car person emitted a high-pitched engine sound from its body and sprinted with its wheeled feet pushing it forward.

The man's facial muscles tensed, blue veins bulging on his forehead as he ran, looking fierce, but he still couldn't outrun the car person.

Zhang Yuanqing yelled, "Switch sides!"

He quickly closed the door and opened the other side.

The man, feeling ashamed to be called a father, lunged to the left, avoiding the sweeping electric saw. He rolled and crawled to the other side of the car, swiftly getting in through the door.

Bang!

The car door closed.

Gas sprayed out from the car person's ankle vents, dissipating the inertia. Holding the electric saw, it stopped beside the car.

At this moment, the four people inside the car couldn't help but hold their breath.

The next half-minute passed quietly. Zhang Yuanqing felt relieved and looked at the car person standing outside, scanning around. He smiled and said, "It seems my judgment was correct."

Xishi quickly gave him an admiring look. "You're amazing! Truly an experienced Spirit Realm practitioner."

The man, feeling ashamed to be called a father, glanced at him.

He seems to have noticed that I'm a novice? Zhang Yuanqing smiled slightly and replied, "I'm just good at observing."

Xie Lingxi blinked her bright eyes. "Are you a scout?"

Of course not, how could I be an eye that costs 75 gold coins! Zhang Yuanqing smiled without answering.

Xie Lingxi didn't press further and said sweetly, "Thank you, uncle, and thank you, Big Brother Wang Tai, for saving me earlier."

The man, feeling ashamed to be called a father, nodded slightly.

"We are companions, and helping each other is the way to get through difficulties." Zhang Yuanqing's response earned the little girl's gratitude and admiration.

Outside, the car person had not left, and the group dared not leave the car. Zhang Yuanqing took the opportunity to rest his eyes, replaying the details of their entry into the parking lot in his mind.

"Xie Lingxi doesn't seem to be proficient in close combat. Xishi is more defensive, and her profession is not clear for now. The fire magician has a high probability of being a fire mage. He can hide his bad temper, but he can't hide it entirely.

"As for the man, feeling ashamed to be called a father, his aura, um, is somewhat similar to Ou Xiangrong..." Zhang Yuanqing pondered.

He hadn't figured out the middle-aged man's profession before, but through the recent battle, Zhang Yuanqing sensed a strong fighting spirit from the man. This reminded him of Ou Xiangrong, and both of them gave him a similar impression.

"If he is a Deceiver, is he too mild? Well, Ou Xiangrong had mental issues at that time, so he can't be considered a standard measure. If the man is a Deceiver, considering the faction opposition, there is a high possibility that he's an evil person. Should I stab him after the mission ends?"

"To clear the underground parking lot, we need manpower to search for keys and cooperate to deal with the car person. In this situation, the likelihood of a killer attacking someone greatly decreases..."

As he was thinking, he heard Xie Lingxi happily say, "Oh, I found another card."

"Diing! Your condition has been met. Will you eliminate one team member? If no choice is made within thirty seconds, it will be considered as giving up this opportunity."

"Ding, you have given up this opportunity."

...

Inside the car, everyone's attention was on Xie Lingxi as she pulled out a metallic card from the sun visor on the passenger side. The surface was coated with golden paint, and there was a sentence written on it: "You have gained an opportunity to use an item."

An opportunity to use an item? Zhang Yuanqing saw Xishi, Xie Lingxi, and the middle-aged man's eyes gleaming with excitement. Compared to the Life Concentration Liquid, a card that allowed them to use items was even more valuable. Using an item effectively could solve a problem, whereas the Life Concentration Liquid could save lives but couldn't resolve a crisis.

At this moment, the car person outside was shouting, "Everyone will die!" unwillingly sliding away. At the same time, the countdown appeared again, but this time the time limit was two minutes and forty seconds, shortened by twenty seconds.

"What's going on? We lost 20 seconds. Did the car person appear once and reduce the time by 20 seconds?" Xishi's beautiful eyes widened. "Or another possibility is that opening a car door costs us 10 seconds."

The four fell into silence. Either way, it was not a good situation.

Xishi's face turned pale. "S-rank instances are too difficult. I never want to experience this again in my lifetime."

Huh? There are instances beyond S-rank in the world... Zhang Yuanqing sarcastically commented, amused.

The four opened the car doors and saw Monkey King supporting the fire magician as he approached. The fire magician had made a simple bandage from his short sleeves on his wrist, but it was not effective in stopping the bleeding.

During the few minutes they hid inside the car, fresh blood had already stained the fire magician's pants, and his face was deathly pale due to excessive blood loss.

"His condition doesn't look good..." Monkey King got closer to the group and gestured towards the wound.

Seeing that he didn't want to speak, the fire magician weakly said, "Little girl, where's your card? Give it to me quickly."

Xie Lingxi wrinkled her nose. "I need to keep it for myself to save my life. Why should I give it to you?"

The fire magician grew furious. "I knew you were pretending to be nice. Inside, you're a heartless person."

Xie Lingxi pouted, feeling wronged. "Why are you saying that? I'm not an adult yet."

What's with this girl? She's thinking about reducing the team at this time? Zhang Yuanqing looked at her, then at the fire magician.

The mission in the underground parking lot was not over yet, and they needed manpower to search for keys. If they didn't save the fire magician, he would undoubtedly die, delaying the mission's progress and resulting in a reduction in the team.

After a brief contemplation, Zhang Yuanqing suggested, "Let's vote."

The voting result was that everyone, except for Xie Lingxi, voted in favor.

"Hmph!" Reluctantly, Xie Lingxi threw the Life Concentration Liquid card at the fire magician.

"Diing! Detecting that you are injured. Will you use the 'Life Concentration Liquid'?"

"Yes."

A magical spring of water surged out of the metal card and covered the wound on the fire magician's wrist. A few seconds later, flesh and blood regenerated, and a new palm grew gradually.

The pale-faced fire magician now looked radiant.

Seeing the injured team member resolved, Monkey King immediately said, "I noticed that the time to find the keys has shortened. What's going on?"

Xishi explained the group's speculation about the cars. Monkey King frowned, and the fire magician shouted, "Damn it! If we repeat this a few more times, won't the car person stay and kill us until we're wiped out?"

With the S-rank difficulty, that was most likely the case. Zhang Yuanqing sighed.

The group was reminded of the car person's formidable strength and shuddered.

Xishi swallowed a mouthful of saliva and urged, "Let's not waste time. We must find the controller and shut off the car person's power before the worst-case scenario happens."

Xie Lingxi looked at the densely packed cars, those nearby, those in the distance, and those beyond their line of sight. She furrowed her delicate eyebrows. "How can we find them all..."

Anxiety and despair surged in everyone's hearts.

Sigh! Zhang Yuanqing sighed and spoke up, "I have a method that, if feasible, should allow us to successfully clear the parking lot."

What?! These words sounded like heavenly music to the team members. They all turned their heads, looking at Wang Tai with astonishment and joy.