"Crack!"
"Isn't it just a little kitty? I can handle it easily, but such a big Dark Night Tiger getting in feels problematic."
Accompanied by that familiar chain-smoker's voice, the car door opened, and the middle-aged man got back on the bus as if nothing had happened.
Array malfunctions weren't unheard of, so he wasn't too nervous.
The seductive woman beside him glanced at the somewhat gloomy sky outside and whispered in his ear: "Today feels a bit off... there seem to be flocks of Carrion Crows passing through up ahead, but it shouldn't be a big problem. We should be able to handle it."
When the several team members around heard about flocks of Carrion Crows, their faces slightly stiffened. Then a bespectacled young man among them put down his game, stood up, looked at the woman, and spoke with a rather grave expression:
"Captain, Carrion Crows don't flock together for no reason. There's definitely trouble ahead—there might even be demon battles."
As a gold medal squad, they were experienced and naturally well-versed in the various habits of the southern region's scavengers—the Carrion Crows.
Hearing this, the captain's face showed a trace of irritation. He leaned against a nearby seat and began smoking his pipe again, the metal pipe occasionally tapping against the seat rail, making small sounds.
The driver didn't dare start without his permission, and the passengers didn't even dare breathe heavily, nervously watching this captain.
If they couldn't reach the neighboring city today and missed the college entrance exam, it would be... a devastating blow to their children and even their entire families.
After scanning the surroundings, the chain-smoker took a deep drag, then forcefully exhaled. He struck the armrest hard with his pipe and said in a deep voice: "Fuck it! Drive!"
Turning back was impossible. Could he spit out money that was already half-eaten? Never in this lifetime!
The bus drove around the Dark Night Tiger's corpse and began slowly moving forward, then started accelerating.
Seeing the scenery outside the window begin to slide by, Su Jiu withdrew her gaze and pondered inwardly—it was just between Qinghai and Huayang. Even the most powerful demons they could encounter would only be Junior War General level. Logically, even if the array broke, it shouldn't be cause for concern.
"Hey, if we keep driving forward, we won't get into trouble, will we?" the girl beside her asked Su Jiu quietly.
Su Jiu smiled and handed her a piece of bubble gum, equally quietly saying: "There won't be big problems. It should just be demon fights that damaged the array. There aren't any large demons between the two places."
"Thank you... uh."
Taking the candy, the girl replied quietly, but seeing Su Jiu's pale face, her eye twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but complain inwardly: Don't just comfort me—your little face is so pale from fright, is it really okay?
But to keep the atmosphere from getting colder, the girl quickly changed the subject, joking: "Can people from Class A handle this kind of demon alone? If many similar demons appear, we'll have to rely on you."
"Don't worry, don't worry... if demons appear, I'll make sure you're all safe."
Yawning, Su Jiu waved her hand dismissively, then took another drink of wine and curled up into a small ball, fiddling with her phone. But her expression was grave—it was strange that such a large break would appear without anyone coming to repair it.
Through the APP, Su Jiu checked the trending topic "College Entrance Exam Accidents Nationwide." Not paying much attention, she quickly typed in the name of the Huaqing Highway, and the first result was key information—
"Demons Appear at Qinghai City Toll Station, Situation Unknown," showing a timestamp from not long ago, just after the bus had departed.
"Coo coo—" Bird calls came from outside the window, and several white shadows flew past.
Su Jiu was startled, looking outside again. Small demon traces had already appeared, and now they were even brushing past some coo-coo birds. She could faintly hear the sound of their feathers scraping against the vehicle.
"Screech—"
What was happening?!
Su Jiu quickly opened the content in her phone app, the information reflecting in her blood-red eyes:
[10:58 Emergency Notice: Warning to residents between Huayang and Qinghai, the X968 Highway array has some problems. Our technicians have already gone to repair it.]
[11:23 Continuation— Technicians have lost contact. Maintenance troops have been dispatched. Do not approach the central highway section. According to related footage, large numbers of demons have poured in there.]
[11:36 Large amounts of red light of unknown origin have appeared at the Huayang starting section! The light is attacking the roadside arrays!]
[12:01 The array has been shattered!! Now large numbers of demons are systematically pouring in. Vehicles in transit should not head toward the Huayang section!]
Su Jiu's eyes swept over the most crucial part—[Huayang Array Shattered]. A name suddenly surged in her mind—Si Shen. Was this his plan?
Then what was the purpose? From the current situation, it was just a simple attack on the highway...
Taking a deep breath, Su Jiu shook her head. She wouldn't worry about it. Her mission was already complete, and what followed was vacation time.
As long as the bus kept moving, they shouldn't encounter any major problems.
"They're coming, all demons!!"
At this moment, the vehicle slowed down, and the old woman's voice from earlier rang out inside, sounding somewhat neurotic. Su Jiu followed her gaze forward and could already see scattered unranked demons appearing.
From Mischievous Monkeys to Crimson Flame Wolves, the roadside was full of demons. Their eyes were bloodshot as if guided by something. The Fox Hunter Squad members in the car were using various skills to clear these demons.
The vehicle could pass by slowing down, but as increasingly dense small demons appeared, those team members' attacks clearly became insignificant.
Some demons' claws were already hooking onto windows. Su Jiu turned to see a Crimson Flame Wolf lying against the window beside her, actually trying to extend its claws inside. The girl beside her was trembling as she unbuckled her seatbelt, shouting: "Classmate, let's go quickly!"
"Don't make noise!"
Glancing over and puffing her cheeks, Su Jiu slightly bent her finger and lightly flicked at the claw. With a "bang!" sound, the entire Crimson Flame Wolf exploded into a blood mist. The blood mist went "splat splat!" against the blood-colored energy shield surging outside beside them.
Only the girl saw this scene, as everyone else was busy with various things. She stood in the aisle, completely stunned, with one thought racing through her mind—holy shit.
Externalized energy shield? Damn, that's War General level stuff you only see on TV!
Class A student? Shit, stop joking, okay? Even teachers don't have this level!
"Classmate, you..."
Before she could ask Su Jiu more questions...
"Ahhhh! A demon broke in!"
Suddenly, a student sitting by the side had his face scratched by a Mischievous Monkey, letting out a huge scream. At this moment, people on the bus became even more nervous, with some already saying: "Should we turn back?"
"Captain, we don't want the commission anymore. Let's go back quickly."
"There's definitely trouble in the road section ahead. Let's leave!"
Following these voices, these parents, seeing the already struggling team members, began speaking up one after another. The college entrance exam was important, but life was more important!
The chain-smoker shouted "Shut up!" then scanned the demon horde with an uncertain expression. White light appeared in his hand, and a blue-glowing boomerang appeared in his grip. He tossed aside his pipe and gritted his teeth, preparing to personally enter battle.
"Watch this old man!"
He swung his large hand, and the boomerang shot through the window. Those demons were cut down by him like vegetables, with splashing blood hitting the car windows with "thud thud!" sounds, giving everyone a tremendous sense of shock.
This made the students unable to help opening their mouths, muttering to themselves: "So strong... are Advanced Warriors this powerful?"
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a massive figure fell from the sky ahead. On its enormous body, purple mane could be seen flowing, with purple external energy surging wildly in all directions—it was clearly a Wild Plains Lion that had reached War General level!
Behind it followed many other types of demons, like a leader.
The white arrays around the road had been completely destroyed! There was a truck-sized hole punched through it by something unknown!
The connecting white arcs could be faintly seen crackling, suggesting the destruction had occurred recently.