The Black Mist rose again outside.
The thin, black vapor began to gradually thicken, and it was clear that visibility would soon become extremely low.
Mu Yingying drove the car, not daring to press the accelerator too hard.
With the visibility dropping, the light from the headlights was swallowed by the Black Mist, only illuminating the road less than 10 meters ahead.
Any faster, and they wouldn’t have time to react if they hit something.
They were fleeing in the direction Wang Ziming’s horn had come from earlier.
After all, that man was cowardly to the extreme; the direction he chose for his escape would definitely be the right one.
But the Black Mist itself meant danger.
Wang Ziming wouldn’t have panicked like that for no reason, and he had even gone out of his way to leave a final warning.
There was definitely something dangerous inside the mist.
White Night guessed it must be a dangerous Weirdness.
Sure enough.
From deep within the Black Mist came the dense sound of claws scraping against the ground.
Skritch skritch skritch skritch.
The sound came from afar, drawing closer and growing denser, like heavy rain pounding on a tin roof. Then, White Night saw them.
Leaping out of the mist was a pack of deformed creatures even larger than big dogs.
They were canine-shaped and ran on four legs, but their bodies were completely hairless.
Beneath their exposed skin, bright red muscles were clearly visible, as if they had been skinned alive.
With every stride, the muscle fibers pulsed and twisted under the surface, which constantly oozed dark red, bloody sweat, leaving wet trails behind them.
They only had one eye.
A massive single eye sat right in the center of their foreheads, featuring a vertical pupil that glowed with a murky yellow light.
Their mouths were disproportionately large, splitting almost all the way to their ears.
Inside were rows of jagged fangs that poked out through the gaps in their lips even when closed, dripping with thick, sticky saliva.
The foul, fishy stench could be smelled even through the car windows.
“There’s something ahead, hold on tight.”
Mu Yingying’s voice deepened as she gripped the steering wheel tight, pressing down harder on the accelerator.
The Deformed Dogs were not slow; in fact, they were significantly faster than normal dogs. Their four powerful hind legs kicked off the ground, propelling them several meters with every leap. In the blink of an eye, several of them had caught up to the rear of the car.
Bang —
The first Deformed Dog slammed into the right side of the vehicle. The entire car lurched violently, nearly throwing White Night out of the back seat.
Bang — bang —
A second one, then a third, slammed into them in succession.
The car body shook violently, the dull thuds of metal denting echoing one after another.
Fortunately, this SUV had a sturdy frame.
Although the doors were already covered in pits and dents, the steel construction managed to hold.
But they weren’t stupid.
An exceptionally large Deformed Dog suddenly accelerated. It kicked off with its hind legs, launching its entire body into the air and landing directly on the front windshield. Its massive single eye stared at Mu Yingying through the glass.
It opened its mouth, which split all the way back to its ears, pressing its fangs against the glass while its sharp claws pounded frantically, leaving deep scratches with every strike.
Mu Yingying’s pupils constricted, but her hands remained steady.
Just then, a curve appeared in the road ahead. She floored the accelerator while simultaneously jerking the steering wheel.
The car tilted sharply as the tires let out a shrill screech against the pavement. The Deformed Dog perched on the windshield was thrown off by the massive centrifugal force, tumbling into the Black Mist by the side of the road.
The centrifugal force also caused the two Aunties’ heavy fruits to jiggle and shake, leaving White Night staring in a daze.
She quickly refocused on the car, noticing that the windshield was now covered in spider-web-like cracks.
“Frost, this glass won’t hold if a second dog climbs up. Get ready to act.”
Mu Yingying’s voice was tense. Her eyes were fixed ahead, while her peripheral vision swept over the side mirrors. More and more Deformed Dogs were appearing. The Black Mist was filled with those murky, yellow, single eyes, following the car in a dense pack like a shifting field of phosphorus fire.
“I’m ready.” Little Frost already held a pen in her hand.
She had removed the cap, revealing a sharp metal tip. Gripping the pen tightly, she stared sharply at the Deformed Dogs outside. If one broke through the window, she would hurl this pen like a bullet.
She was gradually getting the hang of how to use this power.
Throwing was currently her safest method of output. Taking any object and hurling it with her terrifying arm strength resulted in lethality no less than that of a small-caliber bullet.
But now was not the time to kill monsters.
There were more and more Deformed Dogs outside; even if she killed them, they couldn’t get out of the car to collect Ghost Crystals. Survival was the priority.
The car took several more heavy hits. The steel plate of the rear left door had been dented inward by almost 5 centimeters.
An ominous grinding sound came from the back wheel, as if the outer rubber of the tire had been torn open by sharp claws.
Mu Yingying gritted her teeth, her hands death-gripped on the steering wheel as she focused entirely on driving through the Black Mist with less than 10 meters of visibility.
Suddenly, the mist ahead began to thin.
“We’re almost out.” Little Frost was the first to notice the change.
Mu Yingying didn’t speak, her foot remains pinned to the floor. The car burst through the boundary of the Black Mist.
The field of vision suddenly opened up.
The pack of Deformed Dogs reached the edge of the mist and stopped.
They crowded along the boundary line, their murky single eyes staring at the receding vehicle, yet none of them took another step forward.
They howled in frustration, as if something was holding them back.
“Stupid mutts!”
Mu Yingying glanced back and flashed them her middle finger.
She let out a long breath, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Driving while under such extreme mental tension was exhausting.
She slowly reduced her speed and glanced in the rearview mirror. Those yellow eyes flickered at the edge of the Black Mist for a few seconds before extinguishing one by one, swallowed back into the vapor.
Other vehicles began to emerge from the Black Mist.
However, there were far fewer than when they had started.
When they had first set out, the convoy was a grand sight of over fifty people. Now, those who had safely made it out were scattered, totaling only a dozen or so.
Without exception, they were the ones with vehicles sturdy enough to withstand being torn open by the Deformed Dogs.
White Night felt a surge of lingering fear. If they hadn’t found this SUV beforehand and had relied on the Auntie riding her to escape, they wouldn’t have survived the pursuit of that pack. Two wheels couldn’t outrun four legs, let alone dozens of legs.
‘So when exactly can I evolve into an RV?’
White Night felt a bit bitter. Looking down at the silver bell she had just drawn hanging from her handlebars, she suddenly felt it wasn’t that great anymore. The Clear Spirit Sound Bell was a good item, but it didn’t seem useful right now.
The convoy stopped in an open area on the outskirts of the Black Mist.
Wang Ziming stepped out of his nearly undamaged off-road vehicle. He adjusted his crooked glasses and scanned the remaining survivors.
“You’ve all worked hard. We’re safe here for now.” He paused, a look of apology appearing on his face. “I’m very sorry I couldn’t notify everyone in time, but the situation was simply too urgent.”
His tone was sincere, and his posture was humble.
White Night noticed that his car had almost no dents. This guy had run faster than anyone; the Deformed Dogs hadn’t even caught up to him. Yet, he still stood up to say these things. After all, cannon fodder was becoming scarce, and he needed to appease people’s hearts.
If the people scattered, the team would be hard to lead.
Of course, he didn’t care too much. In this Weirdness Apocalypse, there was no shortage of survivors running around like headless flies.
In a few days, people would naturally flock to him again.
Navigators like him, who could distinguish directions and find safe spots in the Black Mist, were rare. Even if Little Frost and Mu Yingying were dissatisfied with him, they had to follow him for now.
Wang Ziming knew this very well.
The surviving participants were all sharp.
No one who had lived through that hell was a fool. No one pointed out that Wang Ziming had run the fastest. No one questioned why his car was unscathed. Instead, someone was the first to speak up.
“What are you saying, Brother Wang? Being able to notify us in such a crisis is already more than enough.”
“That’s right, Brother Wang. There’s nothing wrong with following Brother Wang’s lead.”
Mu Yingying heard these words from a short distance away and snorted in disdain. “That bastard Wang Ziming is still playing his games to win people over.”
“Don’t worry about him.”
Little Frost didn’t even bother to look in Wang Ziming’s direction. She pulled open the back door, sat down next to White Night, and then lay on her side. Her arm hugged White Night’s frame as she closed her eyes. “Hurry and get some rest.”
Mu Yingying didn’t leave the driver’s seat either. In case of another emergency, being in the driver’s seat allowed for the fastest reaction.
She reclined the seat back slightly, found a comfortable angle, and closed her eyes with her arms crossed.
In the Apocalypse, having a safe moment to rest was a luxury. No one had the right to be picky about the environment.
The night deepened.
A dozen or so cars were scattered across the open ground where the convoy had stopped. Some cars still had faint headlights on, but most had been turned off. Everyone was taking the time to recover their strength.
On the edge of the convoy, in a small car covered in dents, sat a young couple. The man in the car leaned against the driver’s seat, his eyelids drooping.
The continuous flight and fear had pushed his spirit to the limit. His head was spinning, and his consciousness felt like it was soaking in warm water, slowly sinking.
The short-haired woman in the passenger seat sat quietly, her gaze fixed on the exhausted man. Her gaze was deep — so deep that the bottom couldn’t be seen.
“Husband.” Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of a spoiled tone. “I want to go outside to use the bathroom. Can you come with me?”
The man didn’t even raise his head.
He was so tired he didn’t have the strength to even open his eyes.
“Xiao Qian… you should go by yourself. Don’t go too far, just stay by the side of the car. Make sure you’re on the side facing away from the convoy; that way, no one should be able to see.”
“Okay.”
The woman replied softly, pulled the door handle, and got out of the car. She walked to the side of the vehicle facing away from the group and used the car as cover to squat down.
But she wasn’t relieving herself.
There was no sound at all.
She simply squatted there for a moment, then stood up.
Her gaze pierced through the window glass, staring unblinkingly at the man in the car who had already closed his eyes. In the depths of her eyes, an extremely well-hidden, ghostly light flickered.
About 1 minute later, she smoothed her clothes and walked back to the passenger side. She didn’t pull the door handle. Instead, she knocked on the window.
“Husband, husband, quickly open the door for me.” Her voice was still soft, but it carried a hint of urgency.
“I can’t open the door from the outside. It seems those Deformed Dogs broke the door earlier, and now it’s stuck. Please open it for me from the inside.”
The man in the car opened his eyes tiredly, rubbed them, and forced himself to focus. “Alright, I’ll open it for you.”
He reached out and gripped the inner door handle.
The man was too exhausted and lacked alertness; he didn’t notice the woman’s abnormality.
Outside the window, the short-haired woman stared at his hand through the glass.
Beneath those submissive, gentle eyes, a bloodthirsty light shone that was almost impossible to suppress.