Luo Xiaole didn't know at first why Mo Chen insisted on switching seats with that soldier.
Logically, anyone trusted by Zhou Shoushan enough to be placed in the driver's seat should be a decent driver.
But then Mo Chen's expression changed drastically. While constantly using the rearview mirror to observe the attack positions of the pursuing bat zombies, he dodged several fatal blows with rapid directional changes.
The accelerator and brake under his feet seemed to become art, every stop and release firm and precise.
Luo Xiaole clutched the handlebar beside her tightly, not feeling dizzy from the sharp drifts of the vehicle.
Instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of security.
Mo Chen's skill probably rivaled that of a professional race car driver, or perhaps even surpassed it.
"Screech!" The pursuing bat zombies behind them, realizing their prey was treating them like prey, let out a chilling shriek. The shriek coalesced into a soundwave, directly assaulting everyone's eardrums.
Mo Chen slammed on the brakes.
Luo Xiaole looked ahead and realized, without knowing when, they had rapidly driven to another fork in the road ahead.
"Oh no…" Luo Xiaole patted herself down, only to find that Luo Shu had been holding the map at the last moment.
Having experienced so many "sword immortal moments," Luo Xiaole looked back at the bat zombies rapidly closing in.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and carefully recalled the map she had seen.
A snippet of memory from the back of the map gradually emerged in her mind.
Less than two seconds later, she opened her eyes and quickly said to the front, "Left fork!"
"Left!" Unexpectedly, Mo Chen in the driver's seat spoke at the same time as her.
Luo Xiaole glanced at Mo Chen in surprise.
Zhou Shoushan also looked at Luo Xiaole and Mo Chen simultaneously, a hint of surprise on his face.
Mo Chen didn't hesitate, stepped on the accelerator, and quickly veered into the left fork.
Luo Xiaole looked at the increasingly complex network of diverging paths ahead, feeling a bit hesitant.
The villagers in this settlement seemed to live in a very intricate manner, with a pattern of larger communities scattered with smaller, dispersed households. The roads leading to each home and path were as dense as a spiderweb.
Although these small roads could accommodate a car, they were too confusing; even the villagers occasionally got lost.
Naturally, she couldn't remember the latter half of the route.
To her surprise, Mo Chen ahead never released the brake.
At each junction, he only slightly eased off the accelerator, pondered for two seconds, and then resolutely drove down a particular path.
Luo Xiaole stared blankly at Mo Chen's steady head as he leaned against the seat.
Had Mo Chen memorized the entire map ahead?
Just by looking at it once?
Was this even human?
Unfortunately, Mo Chen couldn't hear the internal struggle within Luo Xiaole.
Mo Chen was unable to be distracted at this moment, meticulously recalling the route from the map he had seen.
Besides marking important intersections and structures, Luo Xiaole's map also indicated a narrow, winding path with a dashed line a short distance away.
The path looked somewhat rugged, as if partially embedded in the mountainside.
A few words were written nearby in small characters: "The mountain path is too narrow; do not use it unless in critical danger!"
Mo Chen frowned, then his brow suddenly unfurrowed.
Given the large size of the bat zombies, only that place might offer a chance.
A fine sheen of cold sweat already appeared on his forehead.
He pressed down harder on the accelerator.
The car's engine roared, and the vehicle charged violently towards what appeared to be the mountainside!
Even Zhou Shoushan's heart pounded uncontrollably at this sudden turn of events, and he instinctively extended an arm to shield himself.
They were about to crash!
"Whoosh!" But to their surprise, the section that looked like a mountainside was then violently breached by the car, only to spring back like a sheet of leaves, concealing the exit.
It turned out that the leaves, camouflaged to match the mountain, perfectly hid a small cave entrance. Behind the entrance lay the narrow path, appearing to lead to a hidden world.
However, the path was only wide enough for a few people to walk side by side.
Under Mo Chen's precise control, the car barely squeezed into the opening. Still, the side panels scraped against the cave walls, and it felt like the panels would be damaged soon if they forced their way through.
If the panels were lost, and the car doors were also squeezed off, Luo Xiaole and the others' vehicle would truly become a special "convertible" with no doors!
But Luo Xiaole knew this car couldn't be abandoned!
On their drive, they had seen hardly any usable cars on the road.
They were either out of fuel or already destroyed.
This car was their only means of transportation. Qin Mingyang, that jinx, was somewhere ahead drawing the zombie horde, and if they had to travel on foot, they would surely be overrun by the pursuing horde!
Even ten of Luo Xiaole's defensive suits wouldn't help then!
According to the map, passing through this narrow path would lead them to the other side of the village and allow them to leave.
This car had to get out with them, intact…
Luo Xiaole didn't hesitate for a moment.
[Defense Skill Activated: Iron Wall Shield!] A faint glow flashed quickly.
She directly activated her Tier 2 defense skill!
She applied it to the sides of the car.
[Car side panels have completed defense, costing 1900 shop coins. Balance: 90285 shop coins.]
Just as the reinforcement was completed, a voice suddenly sounded in her mind.
[Detected reinforced item encountering impact danger. Defense function has been automatically activated.]
The sides of the car, which had been emitting a grating "zzzz" sound from friction with the cave wall, suddenly fell silent.
Then, as smoothly as silk, they brushed against the rock face and moved forward as if nothing had happened.
Zhou Shoushan looked at Mo Chen, who was unfazed, and then shifted his gaze to Luo Xiaole behind him.
This young lady, though appearing simple and forthright, had not only saved his life at a critical moment but also possessed unfathomable strength.
She not only had offensive weapons but also defensive abilities…
His conviction that he should not be Luo Xiaole's enemy grew stronger.
And Mo Chen beside her… well, he was a promising prospect.
…
Mo Chen knew what Luo Xiaole had done to the car.
He had also heard the prompt from the defensive clothing at the time.
Knowing that such defenses only lasted for one hour, and time was pressing, he had fully engaged the accelerator inside the cave.
In less than an hour, they finally exited the incredibly deep and narrow path.
The entire car reappeared under the sunlight.
Luo Xiaole turned to look back at their path; it seemed they had successfully left the settlement.
…
At the same moment, beside several meticulously modified and exceptionally well-equipped vehicles parked in a pathway, a large amount of blood seeped out.
It flowed to the feet of a man wearing polished military boots, dressed impeccably and expensively, who was silently polishing a ring on his finger.
Qin Mingyang, after placing the gleaming ring back on his middle finger, slowly spat out the cigarette from his mouth, dropped it at his feet, and stomped on it fiercely.
He got into the car.
He casually instructed his subordinate, "Dispose of the bodies. Let's move out."