Chapter 74
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Chapter 74: Through the Fog, But Off-Road!
In the northern outskirts, Luo Di was driving recklessly through the dense fog.
“Why haven’t we left the Fog Zone yet? Are you sure we’re heading the right way?” she shouted, struggling to keep control over the car as it jolted violently along the the bumpy ride.
Her raised voice wasn’t unwarranted; the car’s soundproofing was virtually non-existent, with the outside noise reverberating just as loudly within. After traversing the rough terrain for some time, it felt like the entire vehicle might fall apart at any moment, creaking and groaning with unsettling noises from every direction.
“How would I know?! But I’m sure we’re going the right way” Chaoyang shot back from the passenger seat, frustration lining his voice.
Initially, he had planned to hide himself in the back of the car, but with Luo Di as the only other passenger, he didn’t see the point in wasting Wish Power on invisibility.
While Chaoyang couldn’t directly see through the fog, he employed a clever workaround to determine where they were heading—a clever use of his clone.
According to the plan, Dunn and Zhu Di would hire a small boat to meet them ahead at the western beach, and the Clone would accompany the them on the boat. Most of the time, the clone remained motionless, especially when Chaoyang needed to focus on monitoring the Players’ situations.
However, this did not hinder the clone from acting as the most accurate positioning beacon.
As long as their mental connection persisted, Chaoyang could instantly lock onto the clone’s location and guide Luo Di to maintain the right direction at all times.
“Watch out ahead!” Chaoyang suddenly spotted a massive pit looming ahead through the fog.
“Ackkk!” In her panic, Luo Di exclaimed in her native language. By the time they noticed the pit, they were almost near it, so turning the wheel would have been futile. Instinctively, she floored on the accelerator instead!
For a brief moment, it felt as though the car was airborn!
“Aaaaaahhh—”
Both of them screamed at the top of their lungs. Chaoyang lamented that amidst this chaos, his demon abilities were rendered useless. All he could do was grip the door handle tightly!
Crash!
The car hit the ground hard before bouncing up again, its underside scraping with an earsplitting grind.
“T-The steering wheel’s not responding!” Luo Di cried out in panic.
“Don’t panic, keep control!” Chaoyang snapped, quickly pressing his hand to the floor and activating his replication power, trying to restore the damaged steering mechanism. “How is it now?”
“My goodness… It’s fixed now.” Luo Di hastily steadied the vehicle. “How did you instantly repair it?”
“This car is initially created by Wish Power; if it were a typical physical object, I wouldn’t have been able to fix it so easily.” Chaoyang let out a long breath. With his true form riding along, the last thing he wanted was to survive everything only to die in a car crash.
“Then why didn’t you just manifest an armored vehicle? Or at least something modern!” Luo Di complained. “Honesty, I agree with what that Russian said earlier, why did you choose such an old antique?”
“You think I wanted to?” Chaoyang retorted irritably. “There’s no electricity here, do you get it? No electricity!”
“No… what?” Luo Di seemed puzzled.
“No electricity!” he repeated, louder this time. “Not just lights or batteries, anything that requires electricity cannot be reconstructed here!” Chaoyang shouted emphatically. “I don’t know why either; perhaps electricity in this world simply doesn’t function the way it does on Earth!”
“Huh?” Luo Di gave him a skeptical look. “Even though I dropped out of school for a while, I haven’t neglected reading! Isn’t electricity one of the fundamental properties of matter?”
“Don’t ask me; who should I ask?” Chaoyang chose to shrug it off. “Without electricity, how do you expect to analyze atoms or molecular structures? In any case, although this world may appear as Earth’s counterpart, but there are fundamental differences! For instance, those wondrous constructs I mentioned earlier—some even surpass artificial intelligence levels!”
“…Really?”
“Once we’re done here, I’ll show you!”
“Deal! Ludo Do grinned, her curiosity piqued. “I’m curious to see what kind of artificial intelligence exists during the steam age! Hopefully, it’s not just something where ‘artificial’ means more human involvement—the last thing we need is another trap!”
Chaoyang reluctantly tightened his grip on the dashboard, bracing for another bump. But this time, instead of screaming, Luo Di threw her head back, laughing into the wind as they soared through the air.
They continued their journey, while Chaoyang repaired the antique car bit by bit, until, miraculously, it held together. As the world before them suddenly opened up, they found themselves facing the shimmering sea, bathed in moonlight, stretching out before them.
“We made it! Where’s the ship?” Luo Di asked, a hint of relief in her voice.
“Just drive another kilometer, there’s a shallow shore up ahead.” Chaoyang instructed calmly.
“Got it.” Luo Di rolled down the window, resting her arm casually. The cool evening breeze tousled her hair, filling her with a rare moment of peace. For a second, it felt like all their troubles were left behind in the fog.
Smiling, Chaoyang shook his head, “Although you seem to be in good spirits, remember to restrain yourself later. Don’t forget, we’ve ‘sacrificed’ three more comrades.”
“Ah…” Luo Di’s moment of serenity faded as she remembered. “With our casualty rate, even if you had an entire regiment, it wouldn’t withstand such losses, right? The locals are bound to grow suspicious.”
“Suspicions can wait for later, but right now treating Players as disposable assets is cost-effective. Moreover, by making them instantly logout and along with their weapons and gear disappearing, it becomes harder for this world’s inhabitants to trace them back to me.”
Luo Di raised an eyebrow, half amused. “Ahh… cost-effective, nearly forgot you’re a demon,” Luo Di shrugged.
Chaoyang glanced at her with keen interest, “If I weren’t around, who else would push you to reach your full potential?”
The ‘previous’ angel Luo Di would have vehemently countered that statement, but unexpectedly, this time, Luo Di let the remark hang in the air.
Soon, the vehicle reached the beach area. Luo Di instantly spotted a small boat docked nearby, bobbing gently by the shore.
“Is that the one?” she asked, but after waiting without any response, she turned towards the passenger seat and realized Chaoyang had already disappeared, slipping into invisibility.
“Alright, it looks like I’m on my own from here,” Luo Di muttered, parking the car near the shore.
Zhu Di immediately rushed over as soon as she saw the car. Despite her evident curiosity about this unfamiliar four-wheeled machine, she focused first on the vehicle’s occupants, her concern for her comrades was evident. “How was the journey… did everything go smoothly? Why are you alone? What happened to Zhang Qiang and the others?”
While hesitating she chose her words carefully. “They… uh, they decided to cover our retreat and then they’ll scatter and return later.” She was unable to directly tell Zhu Di that everyone had chosen to “fight to their death” at the site. “In any case… I believe they will return sooner, just not right now.”
“Is that so?” Zhu Di clearly didn’t seem convinced, her eyes reflecting a deeper concern. “May the Lord of Paradise watch over them and keep them safety.”
Before Luo Di could respond, Detective Chaoyang, now in his clone form, strolled over with mock surprise, his tone light. “Who’s the injured guy in the back? And did you manage to secure the wages from Gaotian Mining Corporation?”
Luo Di couldn’t help but smirk at the absurdity“; she had just fought her way out alongside Chaoyang’s true form, only to now face his clone pretending to play dumb. Perhaps that’s the nature of demons, always full of deceitful tricks. “Yes, we have it all here in the trunk. This isn’t the place to discuss further; let’s head back to the Glorious Fortress first… Besides, this person’s injuries are severe and require immediate medical attention.”
“You’re right. There’s something distinctly unsettling about this fog. We should leave and talk elsewhere,” Zhu Di took a deep breath, seemingly gathering her resolve. “So what about this transportation machine…”
Luo Di met her gaze with a solemn nod. “We can’t leave any evidence behind. I’ll drive it into the sea. No one will find it there.”