Chapter 10: Let the Battle Begin

It took Chen Wu a few minutes after the car started moving to realize that Yan Xu should have given him that thousand star coins. At the very least, he should have shared half of it. How could that girl swallow it all! He wanted Lin Yi to spit out half of it, but he knew that with Lin Yi's character, getting her to give up even a single coin was impossible. Besides, in her presence, he couldn't muster up the courage. The more Chen Wu thought about it, the more frustrated he became, unconsciously clenching his teeth tightly, his expression becoming somewhat fierce.

Seeing Chen Wu's changing demeanor and feeling the overwhelming aura from Yan Xu, Ma Liu, upon entering the car, felt like the space inside had shrunk by half. No one spoke, adding to the tension in the car. To alleviate the pressure, Ma Liu started fiddling with the car's navigation. According to the displayed route, it would take about fifteen minutes to reach the coordinates provided by their employer. And Black Tower, where Yan Xu wanted to go, was just a few kilometers away from their destination.

Ten minutes passed smoothly, and in another two or three minutes, they would reach Black Tower. Ma Liu kept his eyes on the screen, mentally counting down the time. However, at that moment, Lin Yi suddenly sat up slightly, turned to look out the window, squinting her eyes. Yan Xu also opened his personal terminal, enlarging the projected screen filled with various dots and symbols.

Then, almost simultaneously, both of them spoke urgently, "Turn left!"

However, Chen Wu couldn't react in time. Yan Xu seemed to have anticipated this. When he spoke, he had already risen, lunging forward to snatch the steering wheel from Chen Wu, pressing the accelerator, and swerving the hovercar several hundred meters to the left. The next moment, a missile hit the spot where their hovercar had been, causing a massive explosion that almost flipped their vehicle!

The deafening sound left everyone's ears ringing. Ma Liu and Chen Wu were thrown around, struggling to regain their composure. After stabilizing themselves, they reflexively turned around. They saw smoke billowing behind them, darkness engulfing the surroundings, with buildings collapsing as if doomsday had suddenly arrived. Both of them wore expressions of shock. Half a minute later, the hovercar had sped about seven to eight kilometers away, temporarily escaping the danger zone. Yan Xu then returned the steering control to Chen Wu and sat back in his seat, showing no change in expression.

Ma Liu finally found his voice, stuttering, "Brother, w-what just happened? W-we already paid the toll, why did they attack us?"

Chen Wu's mind was still reeling from the experience, and his legs felt weak. He didn't have the presence of mind to answer Ma Liu's question. Instead, he cautiously glanced back. How did he know? When Lin Yi and Yan Xu spoke simultaneously, Yan Xu's voice overshadowed Lin Yi's, and he only noticed Yan Xu's actions.

Lin Yi was shielded by Ayuan in time, avoiding any injuries. After the hovercar stabilized, Ayuan let go of her. Lin Yi looked at Yan Xu. She had noticed the anomaly in the energy patterns around them, but she wasn't sure of the reason. However, in that instant, she sensed imminent danger and immediately instructed Chen Wu to change course.

But how did Yan Xu know? Lin Yi had noticed him opening his personal terminal and enlarging the screen, but she couldn't understand the information displayed. Moreover, the magnetic field on the island was unstable, causing intermittent disruptions in personal terminal signals. Yet, his personal terminal seemed unaffected.

"There are two factions here, having friction over uneven distribution of spoils. We thought they would wait a few more days before acting, but it seems they couldn't hold back any longer. You were just caught in the crossfire," Yan Xu explained simply, without elaborating on how he knew. And even though he was sitting in the car, he referred to them as "you."

Ma Liu, dumbfounded, stared with his mouth agape for a moment before asking, "S-so, does that mean we might encounter, um, more missile attacks?!"

Yan Xu, still looking at his personal terminal, calmly replied, "You should be grateful. Their weapons are outdated. Otherwise, with just the aftermath of one missile, this car would have been turned to dust."

Lin Yi suddenly asked, "Who are we caught up with? Is it you?"

Chen Wu and Ma Liu were stunned, turning to look at Yan Xu.

Yan Xu lifted his eyes to glance at Lin Yi, assessing her. Chen Wu and Ma Liu didn't notice, but he had heard her. How did she know about the danger beforehand? Could it be her robot... unlikely. The magnetic field here was unique, even advanced artificial intelligence would have limited scanning range and reduced accuracy. Moreover, this robot, while its level might not be apparent to ordinary people, Yan Xu could tell at a glance. Its system level wasn't high, and its materials were ordinary, unlikely to predict events in advance.

Chen Wu, fearing a conflict at this time, stiffly interjected, "We'll reach Black Tower in another minute."

His words were obviously an attempt to ease the somewhat tense atmosphere that had settled in, but he didn't know whether they should continue forward at this point. And if they decided to retreat, where would they go? This streak of bad luck seemed never-ending, with each wave stronger than the last! The signal had been unstable all along, and high-end equipment in this area was unreliable, leaving them with no sense of security.

Yan Xu withdrew his probing gaze, merely hitching a ride. He had no intention of answering Lin Yi's question.

Just as they caught sight of Black Tower in the distance, they heard gunfire ahead!

Ma Liu's face turned pale, and Chen Wu quickly reduced the speed of the vehicle. But now they couldn't turn back; who knew if they would encounter missile attacks again? Moreover, there was only one road here, and while there might be a few side paths, were they safe? Chen Wu had long forgotten about the task assigned by Fei Ying. If he messed up Fei Ying's task, he might end up in jail at worst, but if he didn't leave Bee Island quickly, he'd lose his life. He had never intended to risk his life for this.

As if hearing his thoughts, Yan Xu spoke up, "Both sides of the road are blocked, we can't go back. The firepower behind us is stronger than in front; we can't turn around."

The gunfire ahead became increasingly intense, accompanied by small-scale explosions, and the gunfire seemed to be getting closer to them. It was as if a group of people had noticed them and sent people their way, clearly hostile.

In extreme tension, Chen Wu couldn't help but yell at Yan Xu, "Why the hell are you talking so much? What should we do now? Is there a way to get out of here?"

Yan Xu's expression remained calm as ever. "Keep driving forward. They're only using light firearms, and this vehicle has basic protection. We're three kilometers away from Black Tower. Once we reach there, we'll be temporarily safe."

Chen Wu took a deep breath. "Even if they're using light firearms, this crappy car won't withstand a few bullets!"

Yan Xu first took out a single-sided lens and put it on his left eye, synchronizing the information from his personal terminal with the lens.

"Just keep driving forward; I'll take care of those shooting," Yan Xu said, pulling out a metal ring from his coat. He pressed it a few times in his hand, and the object self-dismantled, expanding like a sponge absorbing water, then reassembled into a super-cool lightweight rifle in no time!

Chen Wu and Ma Liu stared in astonishment, while Ayuan noticed Lin Yi's surprised expression and began explaining, "Flexible metal deformation weapon, convenient to carry, high lethality, and precision. When the first generation was developed, it was classified as a Class C weapon by the Alliance. Mr. Yan's version has been enhanced with source technology, likely making it a third-generation model."

Yan Xu kept his eyes on the outside. After Ayuan finished explaining, he responded, "You seem to know a lot."

"Thank you for the compliment," Ayuan nodded politely, then added, "But I still have to remind Mr. Yan that carrying lethal weapons privately is illegal."

Chen Wu: "..."

Ma Liu: "..."

Did he have to be so blunt about it? What if he shot you dead with one shot?!