Chapter 95: Against the Storm

Chapter 95: Against the Storm

“Huh, what is it?”

Zhong Lei finally answered the phone while Chen Feng searched anxiously for a taxi.

Chen Feng tried to keep his voice calm. “Tell Meng Wanyue to pull over immediately. Stop on the emergency lane. I don’t need you to pick me up.”

Zhong Lei sounded puzzled. “Why?”

“No reason, I… I got a taxi myself.”

Zhong Lei felt a headache coming on. “I told you to wait! Seriously. You’re going to make me… forget it. Even if you got a taxi, we can’t just stop on the side of the road. This is a highway overpass! Stopping on the emergency lane will get us a ticket!”

She was naturally straightforward. If someone else was being this unreasonable, she’d probably have started yelling already.

But considering it was Chen Feng, she held back some of her frustration. Even though his request seemed ridiculous, she didn’t scold him too harshly.

“I… you…” Chen Feng stumbled over his words, unsure what to say.

Should he tell her that Meng Wanyue would crash? That they would die?

Putting himself in their shoes – if someone told him something like that out of the blue, he wouldn’t listen either. He’d just call them crazy.

“Besides, Wanyue has to pick up her brother, okay? I’ve got to go.”

With that, Zhong Lei hung up again.

The busy tone in his phone sounded like the footsteps of a death god. Chen Feng felt a chill in his hands and feet.

An empty taxi finally appeared ahead and stopped beside him, the window rolling down.

Chen Feng rushed over.

But he was instantly refused. As he gave the destination, he realized Zhong Lei and Meng Wanyue were on the highway to the airport. If he had the taxi turn around and re-enter the highway from the opposite entrance, it would probably be too late – he might just be collecting their bodies. So, he desperately demanded the taxi driver go the wrong way down the highway. The refusal was inevitable.

Stepping out of the taxi, Chen Feng stood dumbly at the crowded roadside, his mind blank.

Just like when facing the Invaders in the future, a deep sense of powerlessness overwhelmed him.

It was agony, knowing a disaster would happen at a specific time and place but being utterly unable to do anything or change anything.

But he never thought of giving up. His mind raced, his eyes frantically scanning the roadside.

Just then, he heard the arrogant roar of an engine.

Chen Feng turned. A tall man in a leather jacket was sitting astride a heavy motorcycle.

The man was eyeing a young woman emerging from the airport. He revved the throttle with his right hand, showing off quite nicely.

Feeling Chen Feng’s gaze, the man turned and looked at him, giving a cocky grin – the typical smirk of a speed demon.

Chen Feng smiled too.

He walked towards the motorcycle, reaching it almost at the same time as the woman.

“Buddy, what’s your phone number?” Chen Feng asked.

The guy signaled for his female companion to get on the bike. “Meaning?”

“No meaning. I’m buying your bike. I’ll pay you back later!”

Chen Feng moved swiftly. One hand clamped down on the motorcycle’s key. The other grabbed the tall, sturdy man by the collar of his jacket. With surprising ease, he yanked him off the bike and threw him onto the ground.

“Ow damn it!” The man yelled, scrambling to his feet. But Chen Feng was already sitting on the motorcycle.

“Last time. What’s your phone number? I’ll pay you triple.”

“You punk! What the hell! Can you even afford it?”

Vrooom!

“Well then, call the police.” Leaving those words behind, Chen Feng was already gone.

“Call the police! Call the police now! Damn it, what was that about! Holy crap he’s going the WRONG WAY!”

Under the man’s nearly shattered gaze, Chen Feng made a U-turn. He sped along the emergency lane, driving the wrong way down the highway towards the airport from the city.

He was incredibly fast, the throttle wide open, leaving a trail of white smoke behind.

It really was a high-end heavy bike. The power was intense. He passed 60 mph in under four seconds.

Truthfully, Chen Feng hadn’t known how to ride a motorcycle before. But that was no problem for the current him.

With his abilities fully active, his dynamic vision and nerve reflexes were practically indistinguishable from a genuine Azure Dragon Armor pilot.

He could pilot an Azure Dragon Armor. What was a motorcycle?

“What’s he doing! He’ll hit the toll booth! Oh damn my bike! Whoa! Is that even possible?!” The robbed owner watched in disbelief, yelling.

Chen Feng charged towards the toll gate entrance he’d just driven through.

Luck was with him. One lane just happened to have no car approaching from the other side.

Without hesitation, he drove the wrong way straight into that toll booth exit lane.

The barrier arm blocked his path. If he kept going, he’d smash straight into it.

Chen Feng focused, instantly simulating a few strategies in his mind.

Lean down low and try to slip under? No, still too high.

Then… fly over it!

He started lifting his legs, shifting his body completely flat over the bike, his feet now planted on either side of the pillion seat.

As the motorcycle shot towards the barrier, Chen Feng pushed up with his hands right at the last instant. Simultaneously, both feet pushed hard against the bike.

The motorcycle shot forward smoothly under the barrier.

Chen Feng himself launched into the air in a slight crouch, like a frog leap. He cleared the barrier, landed back perfectly on the accelerating motorcycle, and sped away, leaving only dust.

“Holy crap! Did that just happen?” The guy, about to dial 911, gaped in shock.

In this world, Chen Feng had been a law-abiding citizen for over twenty years.

This was his first crime, and it amounted to a shocking list:

Robbery, driving the wrong way, speeding, forced entry…

He was nervous. His heart pounded wildly, not much calmer than when he’d waited in the Azure Dragon Armor on the eve of Doomsday a thousand years in the future.

But he was intensely focused. Time was running out.

He squinted slightly, scrutinizing the passenger seat of every oncoming car. He feared missing them and living with the regret.

Luckily, after only five minutes, he easily spotted the X3 Zhong Lei was riding in, far ahead in the traffic flow.

Not because his eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s. He spotted trouble with that car from a distance!

This stretch of highway was a straight line. Yet the X3 suddenly started weaving. It first scraped diagonally against a guardrail, then bounced back. It swerved wildly for a second or two before its electronic stability control kicked in and steadied it.

No way it was a coincidence. There couldn’t be a second accident like this today. Zhong Lei was definitely in that car.

The surrounding cars also saw the X3’s erratic movements. Some braked hard, others accelerated to get away. Everyone tried to avoid it.

The X3’s collision was like a stone thrown into a calm lake. It sent shock waves spreading, disturbing the orderly traffic, turning it into a swirling vortex of panic and confusion.

Chen Feng didn’t hesitate. He swerved the heavy bike and plunged head-on into this swirling vortex of cars, charging straight towards the still-moving X3.

The heavy motorcycle became as agile as a fish. It weaved seamlessly through the turbulent river of traffic.

He finally got close to the X3, facing it head-on.

Zhong Lei was slowly struggling in the passenger seat. She seemed a bit dazed from the earlier collision.

The young woman in the driver’s seat was stiff, her head tilted back against the seat, eyes closed and unconscious.

Chen Feng, who had learned basic first aid in military training, recognized this condition at a glance — it was clearly sudden shock.

The mystery of Meng Wanyue’s cause of death was solved.

Recently, she had been helping Zhong Lei with her new songs, working long hours and staying up late. She had been severely sleep-deprived, already pushing herself to the limit. While driving to the airport, she had likely suffered sudden shock due to extreme fatigue.

In an ordinary situation, she might have just fainted for a while and recovered after some rest, but she was driving.

After the shock caused her body to stiffen, her foot on the accelerator didn’t let go — instead, it pressed down harder!

That was why Meng Wanyue eventually swerved off the road at the curve, crashed through the guardrail, and fell from the overpass.

It wasn’t clear how badly Zhong Lei was hurt, but expecting her to save herself was unrealistic.

The distance between the X3 and the oncoming heavy motorcycle kept shrinking, soon dropping below a hundred meters.

Chen Feng looked left and right. When they were fifty meters apart, he jerked the handlebars hard and revved the throttle.

At the same time, he kept lowering his center of gravity, shifting from riding straight to lying almost flat against the ground. His posture was lower than a racer taking a sharp turn on a track.

The motorcycle’s rear tire screeched against the ground, sending up thick, acrid white smoke. Sparks flew as the chassis scraped the road.

Twenty meters apart, Chen Feng finally managed to turn around, now facing the same direction as the X3.

But he had to accelerate from zero again, while the X3 was already going over 150 kilometers per hour.

He revved the throttle and chased it. First, he pulled half a car length ahead, then gradually closed in. He reached out his right hand to grab the driver’s side door.

It failed. He couldn’t open it.

It was unclear whether it was locked from inside or if parts had bent from the collision.

He clenched his right fist and punched the glass.

The first punch didn’t shatter it. He almost lost his balance.

Chen Feng took a deep breath, then leaped from the motorcycle, driving his left fist hard into the spot his right fist had hit.

His arm smashed through the glass and into the car.

Losing his own momentum, he began to be dragged backward by the oncoming wind.

At the same time, he pushed with his left arm, shattering more glass.

His left sleeve tore, and the inside of his arm was cut by glass, but he managed to hook his left arm inside the door.

The motorcycle fell and tumbled forward, causing chaos among the vehicles behind.

Chen Feng hung sideways outside the car, his feet finding the X3’s side step to steady himself.

He leaned in further, carefully using his right hand to open the door from inside.

The lock clicked open.

He yanked the door hard, creating a gap about two fists wide.

The wind was too strong, threatening to slam the door shut.

Quickly, he jammed his knee into the gap.

The door’s impact on his knee hurt badly.

What followed became simpler. Chen Feng pulled his right hand back to grip the inner B-pillar, then freed his left hand. With his left hand, he forced the door open, slipped inside, and dropped onto Meng Wanyue’s lap.

But he was a bit slow retracting his left leg — his left ankle got pinched again.

The moment his hands gripped the steering wheel, he was safe.

He relaxed and let out a long sigh. With his right foot, he pushed aside Meng Wanyue’s stiff foot, which was still pressing the accelerator, then gently tapped the brakes repeatedly to slow down.

At the same time, Chen Feng checked the rearview mirror.

The motorcycle had already caught fire and exploded in the middle of the road. Further back, vehicles were scattered and wrecked — it was unclear exactly how bad it was, but a chain collision had definitely occurred.

Chen Feng felt complicated.

He worried there might be casualties.

Now he knew what it meant to worry.

But given another chance, he would still do the same.

Some people mattered more than others. Zhong Lei was too important — she absolutely could not die.

Though Chen Feng didn’t want to admit it, his perspective had been somewhat influenced by the future society he had come from.

Zhong Lei finally snapped back to awareness.

Rubbing her forehead, she looked dazedly at Chen Feng.

She said blankly,

“Am I already dead? Is this heaven?”

Chen Feng forced a smile but didn’t reply.

He was in a hurry to stop the car and run back to check on the accident.

Still, her words moved him a little.

“Even if I died and went to heaven, I’d still run into you, Chen Feng. You really are a persistent ghost!”

Zhong Lei mumbled again, still disoriented.

Chen Feng: “…”

Your way of saying thanks is really something.

“Well, you’re not dead. I came to save you,” he said as he pulled the car over to a stop.

He opened the door to get out, his feelings growing more complicated.

Robbery, reckless driving, breaking through checkpoints, resisting the law, causing a chain collision…

Ugh, how many years will I be sentenced to?