Chapter 43: Seizing the Vehicle

After passing several checkpoints, the mood in the convoy was light, but Yu Shuang still reminded everyone over the public channel to prepare for combat. They were nearing the outskirts of the county. In the distance, the silhouettes of a city loomed over the flat, overgrown grasslands, while closer by lay the scattered, collapsed remains of factories and a small train station.

A few kilometers ahead was the intersection of the highway and the railroad tracks. The highway had been elevated, but the viaduct had long since collapsed. To cross, vehicles had to plunge into the grass, navigate a steep slope, and trundle over gravel and tracks.

Three reconnaissance drones were currently flying above the convoy, each tracking a different swarm of Corrupted Insects. The swarm ahead, which had initially been observing, was now on the move, while the other two had accelerated their advance. It looked far too much like they were acting under orders. After Yu Shuang’s alert, the relaxed mood of the squad evaporated, leaving everyone holding their breath in tense concentration.

"A swarm has appeared within my detection range, directly to the south. They have vehicles and are pursuing us at an angle!" Qi An reported.

Yu Shuang glanced through her binoculars in the direction Qi An indicated. With just one look, she barked, "Sniper, take out that vehicle!"

Every sniper perched on the vehicle roofs hurriedly peered through their scopes—it wasn't just one vehicle, but three! In the few seconds it took to look, those three vehicles had closed the distance by a hundred meters.

Qi An had already activated her combat drone, pushing it to maximum speed to hover above the middle vehicle of the trio. This was no easy task, as both sides were in motion, making it difficult to judge distance and speed. She had lost two minutes adjusting the drone's speed before finally opening the cargo bay. But before the payload could drop, a grenade launcher fired into the sky, blowing the drone to pieces!

It was the very drone Yang Yuning had just repaired the day before!

Qi An was stunned for a moment, then, due to the neural link, she felt a sharp ringing sensation and a surge of electricity that left her mind completely blank.

Seeing Qi An’s distress from the driver's seat, Yang Yuning shouted, "Qi An!"

Qi An snapped back to reality in the next instant. Fighting off a wave of dizziness and nausea, she said to Yang Yuning, "We have to take out that vehicle!"

No sooner had she spoken than a sound—or rather, a rapid series of sounds—like metallic raindrops drumming against the middle of the convoy erupted! Yang Yuning, Qi An, and Sun Yiran all realized what was happening and instinctively looked toward the rear of the convoy. It was the sound of large-caliber bullets, or perhaps shells, striking the walls of the tanker truck.

The enemy vehicle Qi An had insisted on destroying was equipped with an autocannon!

The distance was still significant, so the autocannon was inaccurate and lacked full destructive power, but if they closed the gap to a kilometer or even a few hundred meters, those 20mm rounds would absolutely blow the tanker to pieces. They were transporting flammable and explosive materials, and among the countless dangers the convoy faced, the most lethal was that the enemy possessed heavy weaponry.

The truck drivers were terrified, and the convoy’s formation began to fall into chaos.

At this moment, Qin Tianshuo displayed a rare calmness, overriding Yu Shuang: "Convoy, accelerate! Charge down the tracks and use the ruins of the collapsed highway bridge as cover!"

But hiding behind cover was only a temporary reprieve. They could not wait or stop, as countless swarms of Corrupted Insects were gathering from all directions. Everyone was gripped by panic. In the medical vehicle, Liu Weiyun dug her fingernails into the leather seat, filled with fear and rage. The captain had been right—they should never have taken the route through the dense town! In the side vehicle, Li Yi was still sneering, though the sneer now carried a note of numb despair.

In the lead vehicle, Yang Yuning said, "We’re going to take care of that autocannon vehicle."

Qi An looked at him. "Alright."

Yang Yuning smiled, his gaze so intense it felt as though it could melt her. Sun Yiran, however, was left completely bewildered.

As Qi An reported their intent, the lead vehicle plunged down the slope, then began to dance, jolting violently across countless obstacles. The three inside were tossed like vegetables in a wok, rising and falling until their stomachs were churned into a soup. Yet, thanks to the vehicle's excellent off-road performance, they didn't flip, instead surging back onto the grassy plains.

Qi An fought down an urge to vomit, though Sun Yiran had already lost his lunch. Yang Yuning slammed the steering wheel, veering sharply south and charging toward the three vehicles in a zigzag pattern.

The three vehicles were already close. Moving toward each other, they entered the dangerous firing range within two minutes. The Corrupted Insects in the vehicles clearly hadn't expected such reckless defiance from humans. The armed insects in the other two vehicles opened fire, and the autocannon on the middle vehicle paused, then shifted its barrel to face them.

Countless muzzle flashes erupted, and a hail of death’s messengers flew toward them. Sun Yiran closed his eyes, cursing internally that these two were absolute lunatics. How could the sweet, gentle Dr. Qi be one too?!

But at that moment, Qi An’s eyes widened. All the bullets had stopped right in front of their vehicle. Time seemed to freeze, but only for the bullets. They seemed to have been robbed of their forward momentum, pausing for a split second before being repelled by a sudden shockwave, sent flying backward! Sharp, insectoid screeches filled the air. Qi An was stunned.

"Field control—my ability. I'm still learning how to use it," Yang Yuning said, his forehead already beaded with sweat.

Yet, his foot remained heavy on the accelerator. He slammed into the first vehicle, shoving it back several meters and sending the Corrupted Insects inside tumbling in a frenzy of angry, terrified shrieks. The vehicle he hit was a beat-up minivan; it had been in a diagonal formation with the autocannon vehicle and a third SUV. Now, Yang Yuning had knocked the minivan aside, jamming it sideways against the autocannon vehicle and blocking the SUV’s line of sight.

All four vehicles skidded to a halt after the violent collision. Qi An’s face slammed into the airbag, her nose bleeding, her mind blank for a moment before she regained her senses. This time, she couldn't help but vomit, blood and bile mixing together.

Yet, she couldn't help but admire herself; two short missions had forged her into a special forces soldier of incredible mettle. She unbuckled her seatbelt while vomiting, wiped her mouth, and tossed a mental energy conduction cap to both Yang Yuning and Sun Yiran. Then, she pulled a grenade, yanked the pin, and tossed it into the minivan.

As the explosion roared, Yang Yuning had already grabbed his cap and leaped from the vehicle, sprinting onto the roof of the autocannon vehicle with astonishing speed and taking out the insect operating the cannon with a single shot.

The insects in the SUV recovered from the shock of the collision and poured out of the vehicle. One of them shouldered a grenade launcher, aiming directly at the lead vehicle! Yang Yuning, already perched atop the autocannon vehicle, fired again, dropping the grenade-wielding insect.

At this point, they were less than a kilometer from the convoy. Those in the convoy watching through binoculars and with enhanced vision were left speechless.

"Holy..." several people muttered.

After the convoy successfully reached the cover of the ruins, Yang Yuning fired a grenade into the minivan. Qi An, carrying the conduction unit, crouched behind their off-road vehicle. Once the explosion subsided, she raised her gun and fired into the driver’s seat of the autocannon vehicle, trying to stop it from starting.

It wasn't an armored vehicle, but a modified three-row MPV. The body was somewhat bulletproof, and Qi An had to empty an entire magazine before shattering the windshield. Her arms were numb and aching from the recoil, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins made her feel no pain.

Sun Yiran followed up, firing through the broken glass to blow the head off the insect in the driver’s seat. He fired at the passenger side amidst a hail of bullets, screaming as he did so: "There are more to the south! You two are lunatics! We’re going to die!"