Chapter 53

With short, rapid footsteps, the man who felt ashamed to be a father crouched low and charged forward, ramming his shoulder into the Transformer's steel body with all his might.

His physique, capable of toppling a wall, only made the Transformer stagger.

"Clack, clack, clack"

The chainsaw grazed past Xie Lingxi's side and struck the concrete floor, cutting a deep, thin line as it spun at high speed.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing also reacted, his leg muscles bulging, and he burst into an unprecedented speed. He rushed to Xie Lingxi's side, grabbed the little girl's shoulder, and pulled her back, tossing her to Xi Shi at the rear. At the same time, he grabbed the Transformer's hand holding the chainsaw and shouted,

"Everyone, attack! Take his weapon!"

His voice rang like a bell, startling the panicked Fire Demon and the Monkey King. Both pounced on the Transformer, with the irritable Fire Demon slamming into the Transformer's back, while the Monkey King and Zhang Yuanqing both grabbed the chainsaw, trying to wrest it away.

"You will all die, you will all die"

A loud declaration came from the Transformer's chest speaker, followed by a sizzling sound of electricity. The mechanical arm "click, click" twisted and swung, flinging Zhang Yuanqing and the Monkey King away.

The latter landed heavily like a sandbag, dazed and disoriented.

The former adjusted his center of gravity mid-air, performed two backflips to dissipate the force, and landed steadily.

Wood Demon? This guy is a Wood Demon? Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing immediately identified the Monkey King's profession.

At the Extraordinary stage, a Level 2 Wood Demon is also known as a Wood Ape, possessing innate climbing abilities and great agility.

The move to dissipate the force just now was not something a strong physique alone could achieve; it required special skills. After some thought, the Wood Demon fit the bill best.

"Clang, clang, clang"

The man who felt ashamed to be a father pummeled the Transformer's steel body with a rain of punches.

But the Transformer simply swung its arm and sent him flying, then pursued him with the chainsaw.

In the crisis, the plain-looking middle-aged man displayed a combativeness and agility that did not match his demeanor. His eyes glinted with ferocity as he used the surrounding cars to dodge the chainsaw's slashes, sprinting, diving, and rolling.

The situation was perilous.

"Damn you!" The Fire Demon cursed, sprinting and leaping, kicking the Transformer's back with both legs.

However, the Transformer's feet, equipped with a braking system, trembled but remained rooted to the ground. It quickly turned around, and the arm holding the chainsaw swept back.

The Fire Demon instinctively raised his hand to block.

Pfft!

His right hand was instantly severed, landing with a thud on the ground.

The Fire Demon then fell to the ground, emitting a heart-wrenching scream.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing and the Monkey King, who had returned, one engaged the Transformer while the other dragged the injured Fire Demon back.

"Clang, clang"

Zhang Yuanqing's fists pounded the steel chest, causing him immense pain, as if his bones were about to crack. His iron fists, capable of killing an octogenarian, were now mere small fists.

The target of the pursuit had changed from one to two.

Relying on the Night Walker's physique, Zhang Yuanqing narrowly dodged the lethal attacks, his mind racing.

Unable to fight or escape, this was a total wipe scenario. How could they survive under the Transformer's hands with their skills sealed?

But even an S-level Spirit Realm couldn't assign a mission with certain death. There must be a way out, but I haven't found it yet. If only there was a safe haven like at the Mountain God Temple...

A flash of inspiration struck Zhang Yuanqing, and he shouted,

"Get in the car, get in the car!!"

The others were momentarily stunned but then realized the plan. The Monkey King, like a drowning man clutching a lifeline, quickly took out his car keys and pressed the unlock button.

Behind them, about ten meters away, the car they had just unlocked beeped twice.

The Monkey King instinctively ran towards it, but after a few steps, he remembered the Fire Demon, turned back, and helped him to the car.

Xie Lingxi, pale-faced, took out her car keys and pressed the unlock button. A few meters away, a black SUV beeped, and its tail lights flashed.

"It's over here, Sister Xi Shi, let's go quickly." Xie Lingxi exclaimed in delight.

Xi Shi ran towards the car, while Xie Lingxi, holding her waist, staggered after her, calling out,

"Over here, over here"

"You go first." The middle-aged man ducked to avoid the chainsaw's slash, his voice low.

Seeing Zhang Yuanqing hesitate, he frowned and said,

"You're too inexperienced, not like a seasoned Spirit Realm traveler. If I leave, you will surely die."

But couldn't it be a profession that isn't good at combat? Zhang Yuanqing silently argued but did not argue, turning to run.

He rushed to the SUV, opened the rear door, and climbed in, sticking his head out and calling,

"Come quickly!"

The man who felt ashamed to be a father immediately broke away from the Transformer and ran over.

"Vroom, vroom"

The Transformer's engine roared, and its wheeled feet propelled it forward.

The man's facial muscles were taut, his forehead veins bulging, his face contorted in a fierce expression, but he still couldn't outrun the Transformer.

Zhang Yuanqing shouted, "Switch sides!"

He slammed the door and opened the other side.

The man who felt ashamed to be a father dove to the left, avoiding the sweeping chainsaw, and rolled to the other side of the car, quickly climbing in.

Bang!

The door closed.

Steam hissed from the Transformer's ankle vents, dissipating its momentum. It stopped by the car, holding the chainsaw.

At this moment, the four people in the car couldn't help but hold their breath.

After a quiet half-minute, Zhang Yuanqing, feeling relieved, looked at the Transformer standing outside, looking around, and smiled,

"It seems my judgment was correct."

Xi Shi looked at him with admiration, "You're amazing! No wonder you're an experienced Spirit Realm traveler."

The man who felt ashamed to be a father glanced at him.

He seems to have figured out I'm a novice? Zhang Yuanqing smiled slightly and said,

"I'm just good at observing."

Xie Lingxi blinked her bright eyes, "Are you a Scout?"

Of course not, how could I be a 75 gold coin eye! Zhang Yuanqing smiled but said nothing.

Xie Lingxi didn't press further, saying sweetly, "Thank you, Uncle, thank you, Brother Wang Tai, for saving me earlier."

The man who felt ashamed to be a father nodded slightly.

"We are companions; we must help each other to overcome difficulties." Zhang Yuanqing's response earned the little girl's gratitude and admiration.

The Transformer outside hadn't left, so they didn't dare to leave the car. Zhang Yuanqing took the opportunity to close his eyes and review the details since entering the parking lot:

"Xie Lingxi doesn't seem to be a melee profession, Xi Shi is quite cautious, and her profession is unclear. The Fire Demon is likely a Fire Master; his temper can be faked, but not flawlessly.

"The man who felt ashamed to be a father, hmm, he reminds me a bit of Ou Xiangrong..."

Previously, he couldn't identify the middle-aged man's profession, but from the battle, Zhang Yuanqing sensed a strong aura of ferocity and proficiency in close combat.

This reminded him of Ou Xiangrong, who gave him a similar feeling.

"If he's a Deception Demon, isn't he too gentle? Hmm, Ou Xiangrong was already mentally unstable, so he can't be a standard. If the man is a Deception Demon, given the opposing factions, he's likely evil. Should I kill him after the mission?"

"To pass through the underground parking lot, we need manpower to search for the key and to fight the Transformer. In this situation, the chances of a killer targeting someone are greatly reduced."

Just then, he heard Xie Lingxi say happily, "Oh, I found another card."

[Ding! Your conditions have been met. Do you want to eliminate a team member? If no choice is made within thirty seconds, it will be considered a pass.]

[Ding, you have passed this opportunity.]

Inside the car, everyone's attention turned to Xie Lingxi as she pulled out a metallic card from the sun visor.

The gold-painted surface read:

[You have one opportunity to use a prop.]

An opportunity to use a prop? Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up as he looked at Xi Shi, Xie Lingxi, and the middle-aged man.

Compared to the Life Concentrate, a card to use a prop seemed more important.

A well-used prop could solve a problem, while the Life Concentrate, though life-saving, couldn't resolve a crisis.

At this moment, the Transformer, shouting "Everyone will die," reluctantly skated away.

At the same time, they saw the countdown reappear, but this time, the time limit was two minutes and forty seconds.

It had shortened by twenty seconds.

"What's going on? We lost twenty seconds." Xi Shi's eyes widened, "Does the Transformer appearing once reduce the time by twenty seconds?"

"There's another possibility," Xie Lingxi suggested, "Opening a car reduces the time by ten seconds."

All four fell silent.

Neither option was good.

Xi Shi's face turned pale, "S-level missions are too difficult; I never want to experience this again in my life."

What? Are there missions other than S-level? Zhang Yuanqing joked to lighten the mood.

The four opened the car door just as the Monkey King and the Fire Demon approached. The latter's wrist was bandaged with a short sleeve, but it didn't effectively stop the bleeding.

In the few minutes they had hidden in the car, the Fire Demon's pants were soaked in blood, and his face was deathly pale from blood loss.

"He's not looking good," the Monkey King said, indicating the wound.

The Fire Demon, seeing he wasn't willing to speak, said weakly,

"Little girl, where's your card? Give it to me now."

Xie Lingxi wrinkled her nose, "I need it to save my own life. Why should I give it to you?"

The Fire Demon was furious, "I knew you were just pretending. You're heartless inside."

Xie Lingxi pouted, "Why are you saying that? I'm not even an adult yet."

What's with this girl, trying to reduce the team now? Zhang Yuanqing looked at her, then at the Fire Demon.

The mission in the underground parking lot wasn't over, and they needed manpower to search for the key. Not saving the Fire Demon would delay the mission and reduce the team.

After a brief thought, Zhang Yuanqing said,

"Let's vote."

The vote result was that everyone, except Xie Lingxi, voted in favor.

"Hmph!" Xie Lingxi reluctantly threw the Life Concentrate card to the Fire Demon.

[Ding! You are injured. Do you want to use "Life Concentrate"?]

"Yes."

A virtual spring of water flowed from the metallic card, covering the Fire Demon's severed wrist. A few seconds later, the flesh regenerated, and a new hand slowly grew back.

The pale Fire Demon's complexion improved.

Seeing the injured member saved, the Monkey King immediately said,

"I noticed the time to find the key has shortened. What's going on?"

Xi Shi explained the theory from the car, and the Monkey King frowned, while the Fire Demon shouted,

"Damn it, if this happens a few more times, will the Transformer keep attacking until we're all dead?"

Given the S-level difficulty, that was likely. Zhang Yuanqing sighed.

Recalling the Transformer's strength, everyone felt a chill.

Xi Shi swallowed, urgently saying, "We can't waste time. We must find the controller and shut off the Transformer's power before the worst happens."

Xie Lingxi looked at the dense rows of cars, both near and far, and her brows furrowed, "How can we find it in time?"

Anxiety and despair rose in everyone's hearts.

Finding the key and then the controller, a few times would exhaust the three-minute interval.

Sigh! Zhang Yuanqing sighed and said,

"I have a plan. If it works, we should be able to pass the parking lot."

What?!

To the team members, these words were like a heavenly sound. They turned to look at Wang Tai, both surprised and delighted.