Chapter 282 - 269: Abyss
No one in Car Two responded.
He turned his head to look at the people in his own car. They were still awake, but their pupils were dilated and their bodies were rigid. When they saw him looking, it took them several seconds to react. And then... they just started grinning foolishly at him.
Ye Junhan: "..."
Apparently, even though he had deployed a Superpower Barrier the moment he noticed something was wrong, the people in the car had still been affected.
With a grim expression, Ye Junhan pushed open his door, got out, and walked toward Car Two up ahead. He moved the vehicle to a safe area before opening the door to check the situation.
The few members of the Guard Team in the back row were still tied up securely, lying on the seats. Liu Hao, however, was squatting in the aisle in a very awkward position, hugging his knees. His eyes were vacant, and he was completely still.
Like a comical statue.
Ye Junhan: "..."
He looked at the front row. Zhao Qingxiao was in the driver’s seat, his hands gripping the steering wheel stiffly. When he saw Ye Junhan approach, his previously vacant eyes slowly swiveled over, as if in slow motion.
And then, that was it.
Ye Junhan frowned almost imperceptibly.
He glanced at Gao next to him. His eyes were fixed on a crack in the ground ahead, a foolish grin on his face for some unknown reason.
Ye Junhan waved a hand in front of Zhao Qingxiao’s face and called out, "Zhao Qingxiao?"
Zhao Qingxiao’s eyes slowly rolled over, showing mostly whites. His expression was dazed. "Captain?"
’It seems he’s still somewhat conscious. The situation isn’t too dire.’
But soon, his eyes started to lose focus again, and the strange smell in the air grew stronger.
At the same time, the Spirit Barrier Zhao Qingxiao had previously set up around Car Two completely dissipated.
Ye Junhan frowned slightly and walked over to Liu Hao and Gao. Meeting their vacant, childlike stares, he knew that everyone in Car Two was likely incapacitated.
Ye Junhan dragged the three of them to Car One. As for the ones lying in the back... ’It’s better this way. Saves some trouble.’
Opening the medical kit, Ye Junhan’s gaze hesitated for a second between the antidote and the half-inch-long little green sprout Gu Xi had left for him. In the end, he picked up the antidote issued by the Military Department.
After each was given a dose of the antidote, Zhao Qingxiao was the first to regain consciousness. But his entire body was still numb and his tongue was stiff, making it difficult to even speak. "Cap... Cap..."
Ye Junhan frowned slightly.
Liu Hao had also woken up by now. Though his tongue was too stiff to speak properly, he stubbornly tried to say, "Gu... Gu..."
Ye Junhan: "..."
’Forget it. With their tongues like this, I shouldn’t even bother asking.’
Ye Junhan got out of the car with a deadpan expression. Smelling the ever-thickening odor in the air, he wearily raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose, feeling an immense headache coming on.
He had a strange intuition that the scent that had suddenly appeared in the air came from some kind of unknown creature. Right now, it was hiding deep in the abyss beneath the earth, and the web of cracks crisscrossing the ground before him were its eyes.
It was watching them.
With the lofty, disdainful air of a predator.
The problem was, everyone except him had been affected. The antidote from the Military Department clearly wasn’t very effective. To resolve their current predicament, he had to figure out the source of the smell as quickly as possible and then eliminate it!
But...
He glanced back at the SUV, then returned to the vehicle with a cold expression.
In the back seat, Zhao Qingxiao and Liu Hao were communicating with their eyes. Hearing the noise, they slowly turned their heads to Ye Junhan, who was standing outside the car door, and said with great effort, "Captain, we’re... we’re... fine..."
Ye Junhan looked at them expressionlessly. "...Are you sure?"
Zhao Qingxiao’s slightly dilated pupils seemed to clear for a moment, but he quickly sank back into a daze. "I think so?"
Beside him, Liu Hao stiffly raised his hand and made a shooting gesture. "No... no problem."
Ye Junhan: "..." ’I might believe you if your gun wasn’t lying on its side.’
With a cold expression, Ye Junhan reached into the car and pulled Zhao Qingxiao’s arm out of Liu Hao’s stiff grasp. He then turned and went back to the driver’s seat, preparing to move the car to a more open area, or perhaps a place with a water source.
But as soon as he sat down, a sharp pain lanced through his mind, and his vision began to blur.
Ye Junhan bit his tongue. In his last moments of clarity, he struggled to reach for the medical kit and gripped the small green sprout.
A cold sensation seeped into his skin. Ye Junhan forced himself to put up one last Superpower Barrier to envelop the entire vehicle. But a moment later, a powerful wave of exhaustion washed over him. Leaning back against the seat, Ye Junhan abruptly lost all consciousness.
...
Zhao Qingxiao’s eyes flew open to the familiar interior of the car. He tilted his head slightly and saw Liu Hao hugging his foot, sleeping soundly...
Drool had already soaked half of his pant leg. Who knows what delicious food he was dreaming about.
Zhao Qingxiao: "..."
The sound of steady breathing filled the car. ’Thankfully, it seems everyone is still alive.’
While he sighed in relief inwardly, he shoved Liu Hao away with a blank expression and rubbed his still-stiff leg. A glance at the driver’s seat up front made him realize something was wrong.
’Why is the Captain asleep?!’
’After every single one of us was affected!’
’Something like this would have been absolutely impossible before!’
"Captain?" Zhao Qingxiao struggled to prop himself up and pushed the driver’s seat in front of him, but got no response.
"Captain!" Zhao Qingxiao called out again, his voice hoarse. Ye Junhan remained unresponsive, leaning against the back of his seat.
His heart sank. He instantly realized, ’The Captain’s been affected too!’
Zhao Qingxiao pushed Liu Hao away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the medical kit that had fallen under the front seat, and his heart plummeted.
...The antidote was gone.
’No wonder the Captain is still unconscious.’
Zhao Qingxiao looked around. All of his comrades were unconscious. He was the only one awake.
In other words, he was now the only one left who could fight.
Fortunately, the Superpower Barrier the Captain had deployed before passing out was still active.
Unfortunately, he was only a spiritual power user.
Spiritual power had certain advantages when facing physical entities, but against something unseen and intangible... Zhao Qingxiao’s heart tightened, and he gripped the gun in his hand firmly.
’Thankfully, my Physical Combat Skill is pretty good. I’ve always ranked in the top ten on the team.’
Zhao Qingxiao took a deep breath. He bit his tongue, tightened his grip on the gun, and lowered the window to look outside warily.
’Something’s wrong.’
The cracks in the ground that had been scattered all around were suddenly gone!
The sky outside was gloomy, and a fine drizzle had started falling at some point. Watching the fine strands of rain drift with the wind, Zhao Qingxiao suddenly felt his hair stand on end.
It was quiet in the car. Other than the steady breathing of his teammates, he could hear almost nothing.
Zhao Qingxiao wanted to get out of the car to check the surroundings, but the Thunder Barrier Ye Junhan had deployed before passing out was still there. He couldn’t get out at all.
He couldn’t even extend his spiritual power outside the vehicle.
Zhao Qingxiao leaned back weakly against the seat and looked out the window. He couldn’t help but offer himself a bitter smile of self-consolation. ’Well, at least the Captain’s Superpower Barrier is still up.’
But soon, Zhao Qingxiao couldn’t even manage a bitter smile.
...He discovered that the Superpower Barrier the Captain had set up was gradually fading!
Half an hour later, Zhao Qingxiao shoved the car door open and stumbled out, dragging his still somewhat rigid body.
A thick odor instantly assaulted him from all directions.
Zhao Qingxiao slammed the car door shut. Leaning against the front of the SUV, his face was ashen, and his hand gripped the gun so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
In that instant, his spiritual power was pushed to its absolute limit. A powerful premonition suddenly washed over him... ’It’s coming.’