Xiao Feng couldn't help but feel a surge of fervor as he listened to Rice's impassioned words. With a resolute tone, he declared, "I'll capture Rook in the shortest possible time, bring an end to this beast tide, and restore order. The final waves of these creatures will surely be the most formidable. If we fail to apprehend the true mastermind behind all this, we will lose far more of our comrades."
Rice nodded gravely. "You're right. Do what you must."
After bidding Rice farewell, Xiao Feng shut off the communicator. Carey sped along a long-abandoned highway, where no vehicle had passed for ages. The road was overgrown with weeds and littered with fallen leaves, which swirled into the air and drifted back down in silence as the car raced through.
Though Carey's driving skills fell short of Lin's, they were still commendable. Their speed was astonishing, maintaining a pace of nearly 200 kilometers per hour, hurtling madly toward their destination.
Far away in Godo City, Lin had also set out with K. Knowing that low-level espers would be of no use against a duke-class foe, K had wisely brought only Lin along as his driver. The vehicle Lin piloted was the very sports car Xiao Feng had "borrowed" from Carey. Though it lacked the solid, customized modifications of Lin's own vehicle, it boasted remarkable speed and high-end systems, including auto-cruise and terrain scanning. Before the Great Purge, such a car could even link directly with satellites, offering detailed road intel. But for someone of Lin's caliber, a terrain scanner alone sufficed—detecting obstacles hundreds of meters ahead, allowing him to avoid them with ease.
Lin effortlessly pushed the car past 200 kilometers per hour. The sheer velocity left K reeling. He grumbled repeatedly, "Can't you slow down? Just a little?"
Lin chuckled. "You know how precious time is right now. If that bastard Rook slips away, all our efforts will be in vain."
And so it was—two high-performance cars, piloted by madmen, racing like arrows loosed from a bow toward the same destination. Two hours later, Xiao Feng connected with K over comms. "How far are you from the target?"
"Thirty kilometers. We'll be there in about fifteen minutes."
"We're about the same. Let's try to arrive at the same time. Seems Lin's car is faster—our route was nearly a hundred kilometers shorter, yet we'll arrive together."
"Are you praising him? Damn it, I'm about to throw up... that man's a lunatic—his speed is insane."
"Haha, faster is better. See you in fifteen minutes."
Xiao Feng turned off the communicator and glanced at Carey. "What kind of driving is this? Godo City is nearly a hundred kilometers farther from the target, and yet they'll arrive when we do?"
"Damn it, I'm already going as fast as I can. You want to drive instead?"
"Hell no—I'm already exhausted. I need to conserve my strength for fighting the Duke from the Evil Dragon Cult. You expect me to drive and fight? You're just a level-four esper."
Xiao Feng gave Carey no quarter. Carey opened his mouth to retort, but recalling that Xiao Feng had evolved into a level-eight psychic esper, he bit his tongue and focused on driving.
Time flew. In the blink of an eye, Lin's black sports car and Carey's modified vehicle screeched to a halt before the abandoned warehouse. Simultaneously, they spotted the command vehicle parked just beside it.
Xiao Feng leapt out of the car, assembling his imposing Black Angel rifle as he walked. He turned to K and Lin, who had just exited their own vehicle, and said coldly, "Looks like those bastards are still here. Let's finish this Duke today. Damn, what a goddamn day…"
With a click, the Black Angel was fully assembled. He chambered a round and strode straight toward the command vehicle.
Knowing his own limits, Carey followed behind, clutching a pistol. He was no match for a duke-class foe barehanded.
K rubbed his neck and fell in step with Xiao Feng. As for Lin, an icy dagger materialized in his right hand as he brought up the rear.
But inside the command vehicle—there was no one. The monitors were dark, the cultists vanished. When Xiao Feng yanked open the door, the empty interior filled him with a violent fury. Was this a trap? Had they been lured in? As K and the others stared at the abandoned vehicle, equally stunned, Xiao Feng slammed the door shut and kicked it hard.
"Damn it—they must've gotten wind of our plan and fled. Shit, we came all this way for nothing…"
He kept kicking, pounding the door until it buckled inward.
Then, a voice rang out behind them. "Tsk, tsk… you broke my car. That's going to cost you."
Xiao Feng spun around. Several cultists from the Evil Dragon Church had appeared. His brows knitted—when had they arrived? He hadn't sensed a thing. But seeing them, a smirk tugged at his lips.
"So, you're still here. Then our trip wasn't in vain after all."
Just then, Grand Duke Rook clapped his hands, and countless cultists poured out from the warehouse, armed to the teeth—grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and more.
Xiao Feng surveyed the swarm and cursed. "You bastards…"
Rook laughed heartily. "Did you think you were the only ones with brains, skills, and tech? The moment you left Black Whale City, we knew. How's my welcoming party, hmm? If I kill you today, the Black Dragon King will be very pleased."
Xiao Feng raised the Black Angel, eyes cold. "Don't get ahead of yourself. It's still anyone's guess who will walk away alive."
With that, he unleashed a barrage. Sleek, slender bullets from the Black Angel streaked through the air like the kiss of death, sweeping toward the horde of cultists like a black tide.