Chapter 31: Racing to the Limit

Deep within an unnamed mountain cave,

In the final instant before the protective barrier's countdown reached zero, a crimson talisman shot into the air with a whoosh. It fluttered in the wind but remained suspended.

The scarlet character "爆" (Explode) and the intricate patterns surrounding it on the talisman suddenly lit up like a searing-hot brand, silently drawing in and compressing the turbulent Spirit Power particles in the air.

"Explode!" Su Rou shouted, and the talisman erupted in a blindingly intense light, as if a miniature sun had been born within the cave!

A violent shockwave of energy surged outward from the talisman, silent yet swift, instantly obliterating the several phantom figures lunging forward.

After the blinding flash subsided, the air hung heavy with the acrid scent of burning. A temporary safe zone had been cleared.

"Just as I suspected," Ke Lu muttered, glancing sideways. All five Mountain Tigers had been obliterated in the explosion.

A brand-new, smaller shield now enveloped the "Rook."

If Ke Lu hadn't anticipated the Mountain Tigers' ambush the moment the shield deactivated and planned this countermeasure, both of them would have perished by now.

At least I've learned another piece of information: it can summon multiple copies of itself to fight simultaneously, Ke Lu thought.

Rumble! A dense network of cracks had spread across the entire mountain wall, unnoticed until now.

It wasn't just flesh and blood that had been blasted apart; the entire mountain itself was collapsing.

Several boulders broke loose, crashing down with deafening roars.

Then, an even denser torrent of rock rained uncontrollably upon the earth, like a torrential downpour sweeping through the cavern.

Ke Lu's driving skills were exceptional. Or rather, there was little she couldn't master if she set her mind to it. In her previous life, she had competed in racing competitions and won gold medals. Even in this treacherous environment, she maneuvered with effortless grace.

The Rook, under her control, weaved through the hail of rocks like a bolt of blue lightning, like a martial arts master scaling walls with impossible agility.

"I'm going to throw up," Su Rou groaned, her face pale. After seven head-jolting collisions, eight stomach-churning moments of weightlessness, and nine seatbelt-straining hairpin turns, she was thoroughly shaken. Even with the physical resilience of a Martial Artist, the relentless turbulence left her dizzy and disoriented, forcing her to hastily cast a Dispel buff on herself.

Ahead, sunlight streamed through the shattered mountain wall, striking the ground and guiding their path forward.

Ke Lu slammed on the accelerator, sending the speedometer needle soaring to 300 mph. The Rook, propelled like a cannonball, used a smooth, appropriately angled boulder as a ramp and launched into the air, leaping toward the light.

But then, the unthinkable happened.

The crumbling mountain wall suddenly seemed to come alive, defying the laws of physics as it surged backward to seal the hole.

The light was blocked, and the Rook was now on a collision course with the reassembled wall.

Too close.

Ke Lu's pupils constricted, witnessing a scene so miraculous it felt like divine intervention.

In that moment of crisis, Su Rou yelled from the passenger seat, "Above us!"

A black shadow plummeted from directly overhead with crushing force, sealing off their escape route completely—the Mountain Tiger again.

Was this the end? No, there was still a chance.

Ke Lu silently chanted an incantation, and the Rook shimmered with a faint blue light—activating the Skill Heavy as Mount Tai.

This Skill, attached to the Rook, drastically reduced the vehicle's speed.

At the same time, she increased the car's descent speed, nearly matching the Mountain Tiger's velocity.

This meant the two were now almost relatively stationary, greatly reducing the difficulty of Su Rou's aiming.

Su Rou didn't falter under pressure, reacting swiftly at the critical moment.

"Let me take care of this!" Su Rou roared, overcoming the disorientation caused by weightlessness and steadily aiming at the Mountain Tiger's belly.

Bang! A gunshot rang out.

A muzzle flash erupted as the bullet streaked through the air, leaving a lingering afterimage before piercing the creature's abdomen.

This wasn't an ordinary bullet; it was a forged explosive round, technically a type of Spirit Artifact.

The bullet detonated violently inside the Mountain Tiger's belly, tearing through flesh and bone in a bloody mess.

Gouts of blood splattered against the car's exterior, painting a gruesome spectacle.

"This young lady has a firearms permit, you know," Su Rou scoffed smugly.

"Wait, below us!" Su Rou's sharp eyes spotted another anomaly.

"Not just below," Ke Lu added, his senses alert to every direction. "There are many more."

Su Rou immediately scanned their surroundings.

Mountain Tiger's figures were everywhere—on the newly repaired stone walls, the ground, and even the sky.

"This is beyond ridiculous," Su Rou couldn't help but exclaim. "It's like a damn nightmare."

[Ding! Transferring a message from Hysilens to the Host: Breaking through the Secret Realm's blockade.]

The System's voice, long unheard, chimed in. Ke Lu paused momentarily, but her movements remained unaffected.

Truthfully, Ke Lu rarely interacted with the System. She disliked being someone who relied on it for every decision, feeling that such dependence would reduce her to little more than a puppet.

The System's sudden reappearance caught her slightly off guard.

Hysilens is here? Ke Lu thought. That was quick—much more efficient than the school's teachers.

She addressed the System: "System, what's your take on the current situation?"

[Since the Host already knows how to break the deadlock, why ask me?]

The System couldn't help but sigh in admiration. Ke Lu truly was a low-maintenance Host—opinionated yet consistently making the right decisions, making her remarkably easy to guide.

[The Host's suspicions are correct. Keep going!]

With that, the System fell silent again.

Seeing the System's actions, Ke Lu grew even more confident.

She calmly commanded, "Shield, flame gun."

In the nick of time, just before the vehicle crashed into the mountain wall, a shield materialized from Su Rou's hand, cushioning the impact.

"Hold on tight!"

Using the moment of contact between the vehicle and the wall, Ke Lu regained control of the Rook.

The Rook, using the force of the collision, stood up at a perfect ninety-degree angle against the mountain wall. Its tires screeched against the rock, sending sparks flying as it clung to the vertical surface like a nimble gecko, racing up the cliff face.

"Done," Su Rou stated tersely. Ke Lu understood instantly: the flame gun was positioned in the open gap beside the vehicle.

A massive figure loomed closer.

Ke Lu jerked the steering wheel sharply, simultaneously slamming her foot on the accelerator.

Under her expert control, the Rook spun in a perfect 360-degree arc, dragging the long, roaring flame spewed from the flame gun in a colossal, blazing circle.

The spectacle was mesmerizing, and its destructive power was undeniable.

The air filled with the aroma of roasted meat. Anyone who dared to get close would discover that this creature... looked almost edible.

"This was a gift from my second uncle—a full thousand degrees Celsius! Enough kick for you?"

Screech!

The Rook screeched as it rubbed against the cliff wall at high speed. Ke Lu drove the vehicle in tight circles, spiraling downward until it touched the ground.

"What's next? Looks like we're trapped," Su Rou whispered, her gun trained steadily forward, pockets stuffed with talismans.

But that was all they had left. Their supplies were dangerously low.

If their opponents kept reviving endlessly, they would eventually run out of ammunition and resources.

By now, the scattered rubble had already returned to its original positions, leaving the cavern floor clear and unobstructed. The entire cave lay exposed.

Ahead, dozens of figures were rapidly closing in, their oppressive aura like a dark cloud bearing down on the city.

Su Rou tossed out another protective shield. "That's the last one."

"It's alright," Ke Lu said, remarkably calm. It had already exposed its greatest weakness.