50: Chapter 50 The Ambulance Rams Around

It had been a long time since Wu Ran had experienced the sheer thrill of pressing the accelerator all the way to the floor.

From the day the strange fog descended, his every step had been on a knife's edge. Even after he began to awaken his abilities, it was like walking a tightrope. The endless strange fog and the omnipresent anomalies were all life-threatening horrors, and even a Sequencer could only survive by keeping a low profile.

But at this moment, that tightly wound string finally relaxed for a brief instant.

Powered by the continuous, pure energy of the ventilator, the ambulance's engine let out a steady roar like a giant beast breathing. The tachometer needle pinned firmly in the red zone, and the four thickened off-road tires bit hard into the cracked asphalt, kicking up a storm of grayish-yellow dust. The car's speed soared all the way to one hundred and forty yards. The wind slammed against the sealed windows with a muffled, drum-like thud, and the blackened, barren forests, overturned derelict cars, and scattered white bones on both sides all turned into blurry afterimages, left far behind.

In the barren forests on both sides of the road, beneath the overturned cars, and within the drifting mist, countless low-tier anomalies were startled by the engine's roar. They poked out their rotting bodies one after another, emitting hoarse, hollow shrieks. Yet even their fastest running speed couldn't catch up to the ambulance's taillights. Any reckless creature that dared to approach within a ten-meter radius was instantly deterred by the silent, vegetative pressure radiating from the Lost Scarecrow.

Wu Ran held the steering wheel steadily with one hand, his knuckles turning slightly white from his grip. However, there was not a hint of panic in his eyes, only a long-awaited sense of release. His nerves, which had been tense for countless days and nights, finally found a moment of respite in this extreme speed.

He didn't want to become numb, and he certainly couldn't lose his sharp edge for survival at a time like this.

Just then, in the passenger seat, Little Claw, who had been dozing, curled up under Abao's wing, finally grew restless.

It shook its smooth, light-gold feathers, its sharp chicken eyes shining with incredible brightness. First, it rubbed its head against Abao's warm neck, as if reporting in. The next second, it suddenly flapped its wings and rose, its small but agile body darting out precisely through the gap of the half-open window. Facing the gale-force wind that could blow a person over, it landed steadily on the roof of the ambulance.

On the roof, the dried vines of the Lost Scarecrow were tightly wrapped around the reinforced steel frame, standing like the most silent and loyal guard. Little Claw gripped the steel frame tightly with its claws, took a few light hops, and stood firmly on the highest point of the Straw Man's outstretched old straw hat—the best vantage point on the entire vehicle. As if sensing its movement, the Straw Man nudged its vines slightly, gently supporting Little Claw's feet, for fear that it might be blown away by the gale.

The Terror Claw Golden Chicken was already an incomparably fierce and sharp mutated bird. Standing at the highest point of the speeding ambulance, its golden feathers rustled loudly in the gale. Its sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, showing not a shred of fear. Instead, it exuded a fierce aura that perfectly matched this rampaging steel vehicle. The howling wind and mist lashed against it, but failed to budge its form in the slightest. From time to time, it lowered its head to peck at flying insects swept up by the airflow, and occasionally let out a crisp crow at the distant ghostly shadows, looking extremely spirited.

Through the rearview mirror, Wu Ran glanced at the little fellow standing against the wind on the roof. A faint smile flickered in his eyes, and his hands on the steering wheel grew even steadier.

To Wu Ran's surprise, he had merely reached out and turned on the car radio on a whim, only to find that the ambulance's radio could actually connect to the official channel. A steady, cold, official male voice was broadcasting an announcement from the temporary Safe Zone on loop, every word falling clearly into his ears: "The suburban temporary Safe Zone is now fully open. The official military has moved in, providing Sequencer registration, treatment for anomaly-related injuries, and resource exchange services. All survivors, please head there to gather as soon as possible..."

Wu Ran listened quietly, his fingertips gently tapping the steering wheel three times.

He knew the Caravan had Qin Bai's radio, so they must have also received the official channel's announcement.

Probably ninety-five percent of the survivors believed that for those with no one to rely on, the only way to survive was to seek refuge in the official shelter.

But Wu Ran didn't think so.

He understood human nature all too well. Wherever there were people, there were rules; where there were rules, there were constraints; and where there were constraints, there was infighting. The Safe Zone would be crowded and teeming with a mixed bag of people. Once his Spiritual Sense Enchanting ability was exposed, he would inevitably become a target for various factions to fight over. At that point, let alone growing in power freely, whether he could even keep his life and protect Abao and Little Claw would be a complete unknown.

But now, he had an ambulance full of supplies, enough to support his independent survival for several months. With his two mutated birds and the containment object, low-tier anomalies couldn't even get close to him. With the ventilator providing infinite energy, this ambulance could be driven to any corner of the world.

The risk of surviving in the wilderness was far lower than the risk of exposing his secrets in the Safe Zone.

More importantly, the places marked as "high-risk areas, entry prohibited" in the Tiantong announcements were precisely where out-of-control containment objects were most densely concentrated. What was a death trap for others was a natural treasure trove for him to rapidly boost his strength using his Spiritual Sense Enchanting ability.

Once he had enchanted enough containment objects and grown strong enough, heading to the Safe Zone would then be the safest and most foolproof choice.

As for the Pashanhu Convoy, when he was awakening, the captain had protected him for a stretch of the journey. Now that he had awakened, he had given back enough to the Caravan. Although the Safe Zone was a mixed bag, with so many Sequencers from the Caravan going there, they would have no problem living a good life, even if they couldn't establish themselves as a dominant local power.

Without the slightest hesitation, Wu Ran violently turned the steering wheel.

The ambulance carved a beautiful arc on the national highway, its tires screeching against the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. Instead of heading toward the temporary Safe Zone in the north, it turned around and sped toward the west—the area marked in red font in the Tiantong announcement: [Abandoned Heavy Industrial Zone, high concentration of containment objects, extremely high risk, entry prohibited for uninformed survivors].

On the roof, Little Claw chirped twice in excitement, flapping its wings as if cheering for this decision. The Lost Scarecrow stretched its body, ready to fight at any moment. Abao raised its eyes to look at the thick fog to the west, its golden eyes flashing.

Holding the steering wheel, Wu Ran calmly gazed at the silhouette of the Industrial Zone shrouded in gray fog.

He was going to drive this ambulance and rampage through this godforsaken apocalypse.

Meanwhile, thirty kilometers to the north.

The lead vehicle of the Pashanhu Convoy slowly came to a halt outside the towering concrete walls of the temporary Safe Zone. Barbed wire was strung tightly, machine guns were mounted on the walls, and heavily armed guards stared expressionlessly at everyone who approached.

It was common knowledge that conventional weapons had absolutely no effect on anomalies, yet the city walls were still lined with machine guns. What they were guarding against went without saying.

Captain Wang Xuan pushed open the car door, stepped onto the gravel-strewn ground, and looked up at the fortress before him, known as "humanity's last hope," taking a deep breath.