Chapter 9

At the Asmo gate, more than a hundred people had gathered, including mercenaries, hunters, and several soldiers and officers from Payne Corporation, most of them fully armed. The hunters and mercenaries were mostly fierce and domineering, and they looked down on women entirely. In their eyes, women were merely tools for venting their desires, no matter how beautiful or fierce they were. However, they were not foolish. Seeing that the Payne Corporation officers, who should have taken the lead, remained silent and stood aside, they chose to remain silent as well.

The crowd of over a hundred people, with their hostile or lecherous gazes, seemed like air to Li.

The sound of engines roared outside Asmo again, and two off-road vehicles charged forward another ten meters, their hoods almost touching the breastwork at the Asmo gate. As they moved, the two machine guns on the vehicles adjusted their positions. The moment the vehicles stopped, the black muzzles of the guns precisely covered the crowd, and the two gunners had a cruel and bloodthirsty look, clearly eager to pull the trigger.

Seeing these two machine guns, the Payne Corporation officers became even more silent. They did not intend to antagonize Roxeran Corporation over an ordinary hunter from the outskirts, even though Roxeran Corporation's current actions were almost provocative. Given the current situation, once a conflict arose, it would mean war between the two companies. Perhaps the ordinary mercenaries and hunters did not understand, but these officers, being the upper class in this land of suffering, knew more than the average person. Starting a war with Roxeran Corporation was equivalent to suicide.

Su slowly raised his hand and untied the clasp at the top of his cloak.

Li raised her beautiful eyebrows, watching Su's movements, her eyes growing brighter.

Bang! Bang!

Two loud and sudden gunshots shook the entire Asmo, and even Li felt the heat wave and shockwave that hit her face!

"Am I dead?" Li instinctively thought upon hearing the gunshots, which were loud enough to drown out the sound of a machine gun. Then a black cloud enveloped her, and her vision darkened. She lost her balance and fell to the ground.

The moment her shoulder and back touched the ground, Li used her waist strength to spring back up. She angrily pulled off the cloak that covered her head and saw Su, dressed in camouflage combat gear, sprinting towards the barbed wire fence that served as Asmo's wall at an astonishing speed. Without slowing down or pausing to jump, he almost defied the laws of physics as he lightly and effortlessly cleared the barbed wire fence, which was over a meter and a half high, and ran into the depths of the wilderness.

Her powerful modified motorcycle lay on the ground, with a bowl-sized hole in each tire, clearly the result of Su's two shots.

Ratta-tat-tat! The machine gun on one of the off-road vehicles roared, kicking up rows of dirt behind Su. The earth and rocks flew into the air and then fell heavily, almost burying him. Clearly, the gunners on the off-road vehicle were at least first-class heavy weapon users.

Su suddenly changed direction, dodging the machine gun's trajectory, and continued to run towards the nearby trees and ruins.

"None of you are to fire!" Li roared like an angry lion.

She leaped up and rushed to the off-road vehicle at a speed not much slower than Su's. She grabbed the gunner and forcibly pulled him out of the vehicle, then threw him several meters away. Thud! The gunner landed heavily in the dust, and despite his strong build, he could not get up after being thrown by Li. Li then opened the car door and threw the driver several meters away as well, before getting into the driver's seat herself.

The off-road vehicle roared to life, backed up a few meters, and then the rear wheels spun rapidly, creating a cloud of dust. The vehicle shuddered for a moment and then roared forward.

The off-road vehicle drew a powerful arc, circled around Asmo, and pursued Su.

As the off-road vehicle backed up, a tall man in an officer's uniform jumped out of the other vehicle. He ran to Li's car and leaped into the passenger seat. The unfortunate person who was originally in the passenger seat was thrown several meters away, landing in a heap with his two comrades.

The other off-road vehicle, on orders, remained stationary and did not follow. Since Li was driving, they could not catch up even if they wanted to.

On the vast plain, Su ran at a speed that no ordinary human could achieve. His steps were light and swift, and each leap and landing created a graceful line, but his stride and pace far exceeded those of ordinary people. There were still about two kilometers to the nearest forest and ruins. Although Su could cover this distance in just two minutes at his current speed, a dust cloud rose behind him as the off-road vehicle roared in pursuit, quickly closing the gap.

Li gritted her teeth, viciously shifted gears, and slammed her foot on the gas pedal. The off-road vehicle lunged forward, roaring as it almost lifted all four wheels off the ground, and charged straight towards Su's back. Just as the car hood was less than a meter from Su's back, Su suddenly curled up and performed a highly agile side flip, evading the car's collision.

The off-road vehicle overshot and, with a screech of brakes, performed a perfect 180-degree turn, creating a wall of dust. As the car front turned around, Su's figure emerged from the dust like a ghost, almost brushing past the off-road vehicle. Through the car window, Su and Li's faces were less than a meter apart.

With a click, as they passed each other, Su swung his dagger and cut off the off-road vehicle's rearview mirror, then continued to run towards the nearby forest and ruins like a startled deer.

Li slammed her foot on the gas pedal again.

The off-road vehicle spun another 180 degrees and charged at Su again.

Su seemed to lightly dodge, evading the car's collision from the left, and then, as the car slowed down, he suddenly appeared on the right side of the car, continuing to sprint forward.

The volume on the car's radio was already at its maximum, playing "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses, an old era band. The unusual voice and powerful rhythm perfectly captured the atmosphere inside the car.

Li gritted her teeth, her face twisted into a fierce smile, which somehow made her look even more beautiful. Her hands were covered in veins, and the steering wheel, made of engineering plastic, creaked under her grip. If it were not for the alloy steel frame inside, it might have broken. Even so, every time Li made a sharp turn, the steering wheel groaned under the strain. Such sharp turns occurred almost every few seconds, and her feet moved rapidly between the clutch, brake, and gas pedal.

The off-road vehicle roared and trembled like a waking beast, pursuing Su relentlessly. Despite the closed windows, her short hair still flew and danced due to the intense movement.

Although the man in the passenger seat was not wearing a seatbelt and had his legs crossed, he should have been thrown out of the car, breaking his neck and all his bones, but he remained strangely stable in his seat, as if glued to it.

He did not look old, probably not even thirty, but his full beard gave him a somewhat weathered appearance. He wore a leather combat suit, not a standard military uniform, and the top half of his buttons were open, revealing a chest covered in thick, well-developed chest hair. His eagle-like nose and deep gray eyes gave him a powerful and heroic charm.

This man watched Su, who moved like a gazelle, with interest, whistled, and said, "This kid is really something! His speed has already reached over sixty kilometers per hour and has been sustained for a full minute. Are you sure he hasn't upgraded his combat domain abilities?"

Li gritted her teeth and said, "Shut up, do you think I would want someone who's not good? I can bet you he absolutely has no combat domain abilities! Hey, give me a cigarette, you know what I want, don't try to fool me!"

The man looked helpless and pained but still pulled out a real cigar from his pocket, lightly sliced off the tip with his index finger, and then produced a blue flame to light the cigar, roughly shoving it into Li's mouth.

Li took a deep drag, exhaled two streams of smoke from her nostrils, and immediately felt invigorated. She bit down on the cigar, laughed wildly, and said through her teeth, "Little darling, let's see how far you can run!"

The car was filled with the roar of the engine and the sharp, screeching sound of the tires, but Li and the man's conversation was not hindered at all. Their voices even overpowered the noise inside the car. Li's voice was still clear and piercing, while the man's voice was deep and resonant, like the roar of an engine. Apart from being too loud, both voices were very attractive.

Su ran wildly in the wilderness, making sudden turns and narrowly evading the off-road vehicle's pursuit. Each time he dodged, he got closer to the city ruins and the dense forest ahead. Although Li's driving skills were almost divine, she could not catch Su.

After running several kilometers at high speed, Su's speed did not slow down at all.

The man watched Su run for a while and laughed maliciously, saying, "Li, I think you probably can't handle this kid."

Li suddenly turned the steering wheel, bit down on the cigar, and said viciously, "Righore! Shut the hell up with your damn mouth! I just want to see how far he can run. Otherwise, I would have shot him down long ago!"

Righore laughed loudly, showing no intention of giving Li any face, and said bluntly, "That's not certain! Let's try it out!"

He pulled out a Desert Eagle, smashed the car window, and extended his arm out of the window, aiming at the back of Su's head.

Su seemed completely unaware of the imminent danger and stopped making sharp turns, instead accelerating straight. Li suddenly turned the steering wheel, and the off-road vehicle drew a large S-shape before getting back on track.

Righore laughed like a fox, saying, "What's the rush? I didn't plan to shoot just now."

Li took a deep drag on the cigar, pretending not to hear anything.

A glint of killing intent appeared in Righore's eyes, and he suddenly said, "This is the real deal!"

His right hand, hanging outside the car, raised lightning-fast and aimed at the back of Su's head again!

Bang! The Desert Eagle roared, kicking up a cloud of dust in the wilderness.

At the moment Righore aimed, Su suddenly performed two left side flips, moving from in front of the off-road vehicle to its left side, causing Righore's shot to miss.

Righore's gun kept aiming at Su's back or head, and Su's running became erratic, with sudden left and right side flips, always evading Righore's shots at the last moment.

"See that?" Righore turned to Li, casually firing three shots at Su without aiming, and Su did not dodge this time, instead accelerating straight, naturally evading the three shots.

Li suddenly slammed the steering wheel and hit the brakes hard. The off-road vehicle's tires screeched, digging deep grooves into the ground before finally stopping. The front of the car was less than ten centimeters from a bush at the edge of the ruins, and Su had already disappeared into the depths of the ruins.

Li and Righore stood side by side in front of the bush-covered ruins. Standing next to the 190 cm tall Righore, Li looked particularly slim and petite, but it was hard to imagine the explosive strength hidden in her body. Behind them, the off-road vehicle still played "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses, the music as frenzied as ever.

Li took the last drag of the cigar, spat the end a few meters away, squinted her eyes, and coldly surveyed the ruins and the forest.

Righore also looked at the forest, shrugged, and said, "I know you want to take him. I'll go with you; you might not be able to handle him alone."

Li said coldly, "This is my business, why are you coming along?"

Righore laughed, "I can help hold his hands, so you can have your fun!"

Li spat, "Get lost! He's mine, and I like to enjoy it alone. Don't meddle!"

Righore looked at Li curiously, suddenly lowering his voice and speaking mysteriously, "You seem a bit off! Did this pretty boy get the better of you, so you're eager to get even?"

Li's face turned ashen, and she ignored him. With a whoosh, she pulled the zipper of her leather jacket all the way down, revealing a large expanse of tanned skin. It seemed she was not wearing anything under the leather jacket. Li pulled out two small, exquisite pistols from inside the jacket, threw them on the ground, and zipped the jacket back up to the top. She then lifted her right leg and pulled out a thin, small dagger from her boot, holding it in her hand.

Her eyes glowed like a wolf's, and a cold smile played on her lips as she walked straight into the forest.

Righore helplessly spread his hands, raised his voice, and called in the direction Li had disappeared, "Hey! This place has a great atmosphere, I don't doubt something will happen between you two! But there's a big difference between doing and being done to!"

From deep in the forest, Li's angry roar echoed, "Shut the hell up!"

The forest and ruins returned to silence. Righore smiled meaningfully, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, took a deep drag, and blew out a smoke ring. It was a crumpled pack of cigarettes, not the expensive cigars Li smoked, even in the old era. This type of cigarette burned quickly, and he finished one in a few puffs.

The cigarette butts on the ground grew in number, and eventually, the pack was crushed and thrown away. Righore picked up the two small pistols Li had left behind, returned to the off-road vehicle, and propped his legs up on the opposite window, closing his eyes. Despite the deafening "Welcome to the Jungle" still playing inside the car, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

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