"These beasts, I swear I'll wipe them out," came Wang Defa's roar over the walkie-talkie, followed by, "Follow me."
Then I saw him driving ahead, with Zhang Dabiao sharing his car because the injured Wu Yun needed care. After I secured Yue'er with her seatbelt, I also floored the accelerator and followed.
In this short span of less than a minute, we encountered countless attacks from stones. Fist-sized rocks hit the car with thudding sounds. Through the rearview mirror, I could see the mountain ghouls chasing madly behind the car, still throwing things.
Amidst the forest, there were countless roars. Under the dim moonlight, figures could be seen leaping and climbing. The car must have been attacked countless times. The most serious was a stone larger than a human head smashing directly onto the windshield. Fortunately, it was specially made tempered glass, which only cracked and didn't shatter.
But it also startled me. Because the stone hit the center, the cracks somewhat obscured my vision. I could only vaguely see the taillights of the car ahead. I didn't dare to open the window. Several elite mountain ghouls, relying on their large size and speed, kept pace with the car. Coupled with the difficult mountain road, the car couldn't pick up speed.
*Bang—*
With a loud noise, I felt the car suddenly lurch, the front dipping and the rear tail tilting upwards. A mountain ghoul, even larger than the elite ones, descended from the sky and landed squarely on the car's roof, nearly flipping the vehicle.
Normally, I should have braked, but I didn't. Because braking would cause the vehicle to flip due to inertia. So, after a moment of stunned hesitation, I stomped on the accelerator.
The off-road vehicle surged forward like a maddened bull, its front end lifting. Simultaneously, I turned the steering wheel left, crashing into the mountainside.
*Bang—*
*Clang—*
I felt my body lurch forward, only to be stopped by the seatbelt. The mountain ghoul standing on the hood was also flung far away. Ignoring the pain in my ribs from the seatbelt, I quickly reversed, shifted into drive, and pursued the car ahead.
At this moment, Zhang Dabiao's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Little brother, are you alright? Why did you crash into the mountain?"
"A mountain ghoul king landed in front of the car. Hurry up and drive, I have a large group of mountain ghouls behind me."
In that brief delay, the group of mountain ghouls behind us surged forward like a swarm of crows. Two strong ones even tried to grab the tail of the car, attempting to force it to stop with their own strength. But they were thinking too highly of themselves. How could flesh and blood compare to a steel behemoth?
The weight of the off-road Hummer, combined with its powerful engine, meant that not even two mountain ghouls, let alone two, could stop the car. However, I couldn't guarantee anything beyond that, so I urged them to drive faster.
We continued to bump along and flee. I don't know how long we drove until we felt we had left the Qingfeng Mountain territory. The mountain ghoul pack did not pursue us further. The mountain ghoul king let out a furious roar to vent its anger, then, with blood-red eyes, led its subordinates back into the forest.
Seeing them disappear back into the mountains through the rearview mirror, I finally stopped the car, gasping for breath. I touched my forehead, covered in cold sweat, and my hands were trembling uncontrollably.
I knew this was a stress response. I had been so focused on escaping that I hadn't felt anything uncomfortable. Now that I relaxed, all my muscles loosened, naturally leading to trembling and spasms.
As soon as the car stopped, Zhang Dabiao, who had been monitoring my movements, signaled Wang Defa to stop as well. He then jumped out of the car and rushed over in a few strides, his voice preceding him.
"Little brother, how are you? Are you injured? Don't scare your old brother."
I opened the car door, my legs trembling as I stepped out. I waved at him and said, "I'm not injured, just a bit shaken from being chased. Look, my hands are still trembling." I extended my trembling hands for him to see.
"You scared me to death! I thought you..." Zhang Dabiao looked me up and down and, finding me unharmed, lightly punched my arm.
"You think I wanted to crash? A mountain ghoul king landed in front of the car, nearly scaring me to death." I briefly recounted what had happened. After listening, Zhang Dabiao felt a chill of fear, and Wang Defa's face turned incredibly pale, as if he had been smeared with putty.
If Zhang Dabiao and I hadn't insisted on leaving quickly, we would have been torn to shreds by the mountain ghouls if we had stayed at the camp.
"Thank you both, brothers. If you hadn't insisted on leaving, I would have met the same fate as them." Wang Defa lost his earlier arrogance and thanked us with clasped fists.
"Old Wang, there's no need to be so formal. We're all in the same boat. Who knows when anyone might encounter danger? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't help." Zhang Dabiao said with a chuckle, lit a cigarette, and offered it to him.
Wang Defa was not a pretentious person. He remembered this favor. He took the cigarette and took a deep drag before saying, "How come I feel these mountain ghouls are a bit different from the previous group? They seem more ferocious, and their eyes are all blood-red? Like demons from the underworld."
Despite Wang Defa driving at breakneck speed, he was also observant and aware of his surroundings. As the lead car, he faced attacks no less than I did in the rear. If I had been driving at the front, I probably would have been swarmed and beaten by the mountain ghouls long ago.
"I have the same feeling. This group of mountain ghouls is different from the ones that attacked us before. They are more savage, and the ones leading them are even larger in size, like humanoid tanks. Human strength is like渣渣 (dregs) in front of them." As he spoke, Zhang Dabiao tapped the car's hood and said, "Look at these large footprints. Both feet are almost as big as the hood. When did mountain ghouls grow this large?"
Prompted by him, I finally noticed that the hood had caved in, leaving two large footprints. If the hood weren't made of steel, that one impact would have crippled the engine.
I shook my head, indicating I didn't know. After thinking for a moment, I analyzed, "Perhaps the mountain ghouls were hiding their strength? The first time we entered the mountains, they felt we were no threat, so these larger and stronger mountain ghouls didn't appear. However, Daoist Shui, Heavenly Master Fang, Hu Si Yuan, and others entered Qingfeng Mountain. They are stronger and posed a greater threat to the mountain ghouls, so they might have brought out these older mountain ghouls. It's not impossible."
"Are these beasts really that intelligent?"
"What I've said is just a possibility. Whether it's true or not, we'll have to wait until Wu Yun wakes up to find out."
"Alas! I hope Daoist Shui, Heavenly Master Fang, and the others are alright. Otherwise, the trouble will be immense..."