Chapter 4

In the dark void, with no reference points around, Zhao Mai could only feel the slight shaking of the speedometer and the minor bumps from the seat to sense the forward movement. The navigation app still displayed "Please continue straight," which allowed Zhao Mai to calm down and listen to the old man.

"I serve an organization whose purpose is to open channels between worlds to promote peaceful exchanges. Your role is a driver, and you must meet several conditions to enter this transitional plane and travel safely."

"First, this car can only be started by you, and you can only drive this car to cross over."

"Second, you need the navigation on your phone to see the entrances and exits."

"Third, the toll can only be paid with fate gold coins; nothing else will do. Different worlds have different prices, and this is not included in the car fare."

Immediately, a question popped into Zhao Mai's mind: "Without gold coins, wouldn't I be unable to return? How do I find gold coins?"

The old man had anticipated this question and took out a gold coin from the iron box, tossing it onto the front seat again. "When you hold a gold coin, you can sense the existence of other gold coins. At other times, these gold coins appear in various forms of currency. Let me give you a free tip: fate gold coins are extremely rare on Earth, and it's not worth the effort to look for them."

"Why?"

Sighing heavily, the old man said helplessly, "The Age of Magic, where magical things can no longer be created, is dwindling."

Another reason is that more and more people are crossing over, right? Zhao Mai thought this but wouldn't be a fool to say it out loud.

"As long as you still have the fate gold coins, your phone and car are indestructible. I mean, physical objects, energy, and worldly rules cannot damage the car or phone. However, you are still as fragile as before."

Zhao Mai rolled his eyes, realizing the possibility of becoming a superhero through this journey was slim.

"Your phone will save the driving records, and you can add destinations by voice command." As the old man spoke, he unbuckled his seatbelt and placed the metal box on his lap.

Through the rearview mirror, Zhao Mai saw the old man take off his handcuffs, open the box, and rummage through it. Then he heard a thud, and a book as thick as the "Concise Dictionary of the Chinese Language" landed on the seat, heavy enough to be used as a large brick to knock someone unconscious.

"This book will teach you the common language, which is a bargain for you."

"How long will it take me to learn this?" Zhao Mai immediately felt hopeless. Honestly, in a strange place, not knowing the local language makes it almost impossible to move around. Even with body language, without understanding local customs, who knows if extending a hand is a friendly handshake or a terrifying necromancy spell?

"It depends on your insight, but having it is better than not having it at all." The old man's tone showed no sense of responsibility, as he continued, "Many people would kill for this opportunity. You are luckier than those who need to work (the old man's tone was quite harsh when he said this, for some reason), at least you have more autonomy."

"Do I have to pay a membership fee?"

"No." The old man hesitated for a moment and said, "You are considered a part-time worker, so it will be harder for you to carve out your own path, but the benefit is that whatever you gain will be yours."

"So, the benefits still outweigh the drawbacks." Just as Zhao Mai was about to ask how the car fare would be calculated, the navigation app's voice interrupted.

"Approaching destination, please proceed downward."

Zhao Mai pushed the steering wheel, and the car gave a slight jolt, followed by a brief sensation of weightlessness. "Isn't it supposed to be unaffected by the outside world? Why do I feel this way?"

As soon as he asked, the scenery before him changed dramatically. The black void suddenly disappeared, replaced by a land of clouds that filled his entire field of vision. Golden and blue towering buildings were everywhere, with walls forming castles and spires forming churches. Faint, glowing objects were flying around the buildings. Pale orange rivers crisscrossed, possibly flowing with honey. Green orchards dotted the landscape, and a group of black-red...

Black-red? As Zhao Mai tried to make out what they were, he found himself plummeting towards the cloud-covered ground, accelerating. This was more thrilling than a roller coaster, which at least had tracks, while he was completely unrestrained! The car spun in the air, and Zhao Mai was tightly strapped to the seat, losing all sense of direction. The phone navigation kept beeping, "Approaching destination, please stop the car."

He slammed on the brakes, and the car stopped spinning in mid-air. Although the world was no longer spinning, the falling speed did not slow down. The simple sensation of weightlessness was uncomfortable, but Zhao Mai had more pressing concerns. His mind was filled with scenes from cartoons: something falling and hitting the ground, shattering into a two-dimensional mess.

"Don't worry, indestructible isn't a lie." The old man seemed to know what Zhao Mai was worried about and reached over from the back seat to pat his shoulder.

"Ahh! Why is your hand glowing? Ah! My shoulder is so hot!" Zhao Mai trembled and shouted.

"This is my car fare. If there's a chance, I hope we can meet again."

As the car plummeted through the air, Zhao Mai couldn't muster any tough words. The cloud-covered ground was getting closer, and he could now see what the glowing and black-red dots were.

The glowing ones were angels, flapping their wings and holding light energy staves, battling the invading devils. They moved so fast that afterimages appeared in his vision. With Zhao Mai's eyesight, he could only catch glimpses of them when they paused. Even then, he couldn't distinguish the faces of the angels and devils.

A hazy light veil covered the angels' faces, while the devils' appearances were shrouded in black smoke. Below their indistinct heads, they all had the same muscular, naked bodies covered in wounds. One bled golden light from their wounds, the other black mud.

The taxi plummeted from the sky, directly hitting a spire-shaped building. As it approached, Zhao Mai clearly saw a rainbow-colored force field appear and then shatter. Although he didn't know what material the tower was made of, it was sturdy enough to reach a height of about forty meters. Yet, the tower shattered like glass when hit by the taxi.

The car's speed decreased, indicating that the impact affected the car, but through the windows, there was not a single scratch on the body. This wasn't the most astonishing part. Zhao Mai was extremely tense, expecting to die in the collision or at least be hit by the airbag. But in the driver's seat, he felt no impact from the outside world.

He only felt the normal sensation of braking and decelerating.

The tower was cut in half, and the car continued forward in a straight, diagonal line. As it approached the ground, the front of the car tilted slightly upward, and all four wheels gently touched the clouds, then the car came to a smooth stop.

A red devil, who had just slain a four-winged angel, was not far from the car. He pulled a cleaver from the angel's chest, and flames immediately engulfed his body.

Those fiery eyes were clearly staring at the car that had fallen from the sky, and through the window, they were staring at Zhao Mai. There was no curiosity, only malice.