58: Little Monster

The golden-red flames, like a solid glass dome, forcefully pushed back the black rain of death pouring from the sky.

Su Chen looked down at Wu Qian in his arms.

Just moments ago, this woman had been twitching like a dying fish from the intense pain, but now she was eerily quiet.

Under the wash of pure energy from the Extreme Yang Sacred Body, the nauseating, charred hole in Wu Qian's shoulder was undergoing a miraculous reversal.

Granulation tissue, like countless tiny red earthworms, frantically intertwined and grew.

The itching sensation of bone remodeling replaced the bone-deep pain, causing an unnatural flush to rise on her originally pale cheeks, and a sweet, unconscious moan escaped her throat.

This sound was particularly jarring amidst the heavy rain, which was otherwise filled only with the sound of sizzling corrosion.

This wasn't a selfless act of healing; it was an equivalent exchange.

Su Chen could clearly feel the faint Yin energy leaking from the mortal woman in his arms being swallowed by his Sacred Yang Field like moths to a flame, serving as fuel to maintain the golden shield.

"Stand steady on your own if you don't want to die."

Su Chen released his hold on her waist, his tone as nonchalant as if he were discussing today's weather.

Wu Qian's legs went weak, but she tightly grabbed the corner of Su Chen's already tattered clothes.

Her gaze was not that of a classmate looking at another, but rather like someone looking at a living totem.

"Mengyao."

Su Chen didn't even turn his head, his gaze piercing through the rising white mist toward the shattered skylight below.

Lin Mengyao understood immediately. The campus belle didn't care about her image at this moment; she leaned halfway out of the skylight and shouted at the group of girls huddled like quails inside the bus.

"Everyone, listen up! Grab water and food immediately and climb onto the roof! Su Chen's field has a limited range. If you don't want to turn into a puddle of blood like before, move fast!"

There was a dead silence in the carriage, followed by Chen Wei's shrill voice exploding with a hysterical crack.

"To the roof? Are you crazy? It's acid rain out there! The bus's exterior is melting; are we going up there to be lightning rods?"

Chen Wei clung tightly to the rear handrail, pointing at the incredible ring of golden light overhead, her eyes full of malicious speculation.

"And... and why would he save us? He must want to use us as human shields! I've read those kinds of novels; this kind of wicked ability definitely requires sucking people's essence! He's going to use us as batteries!"

When people are in extreme fear, they often choose to believe the darkest logic because it sounds the most "reasonable."

Su Chen listened to the shouting below, a mocking curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Batteries?

The analogy wasn't entirely wrong.

However, the current value of these "batteries" was less than that of a piece of scrap metal.

Just then, a strange sound of metal cracking came from the rear of the bus.

Su Chen's brow twitched slightly. Even through the curtain of rain, his keen hearing caught a strange noise that didn't belong to the acid rain's corrosion.

It was the crisp sound of some high-concentration chemical agent instantly disintegrating the alloy structure.

Immediately after, a thick plume of smoke with an eerie blue luster rose from the rear of the bus.

That was Luo Li, that "Little Monster," making her move.

"Ah! Water's coming in! The back is pierced!"

"That's strong acid! Don't come over here!"

The rear of the bus instantly turned into a chaotic mess.

The once-solid rear panel, like a block of wax swept by a high-temperature blowtorch, quickly melted into a large hole, and black water mixed with mud poured in.

Several girls who had been hesitant screamed and squeezed toward the front, their trampling and crying blending together.

Was this a so-called "god-tier assist"?

Su Chen sneered. Since someone was willing to play the villain and help him herd the sheep, he was happy to save his breath.

He ignored Chen Wei's questioning and didn't give any moving speeches like a traditional hero.

He simply picked up Wu Qian, who was fully healed and in a state of extreme excitement, with one hand and tossed her directly down through the skylight.

"Bang!"

Wu Qian slammed heavily onto the water-covered floor of the bus, splashing dirty water everywhere.

"Wu Qian! Are you okay? Did that bastard do something to you..."

Seeing this, Chen Wei immediately acted as if she had caught him in the act. She rushed forward to help her up, intending to check the wound to verify her "battery theory."

"Get lost!"

To everyone's surprise, the usually mild-mannered Wu Qian violently threw off Chen Wei's hand with such force that Chen Wei almost tumbled over.

Ignoring the muddy water on her face, she scrambled to her knees beneath the skylight, looking up at the figure bathed in golden light. Her gaze was feverishly intense as she shouted.

"It's true... it doesn't hurt anymore! It's all healed! Su Chen is a god... only he can save us! Everyone who doesn't want to die, get up there!"

She abruptly pulled open her collar, revealing her left shoulder, which had been deep enough to see the bone but was now as smooth as new.

The new skin was blindingly white in the dim carriage.

The visual impact of this scene was more effective than any explanation.

The eyes of the girls who were still hesitating changed.

It was like a drowning person seeing the only piece of driftwood; even if it were covered in thorns, they would cling to it for dear life.

Sizzle—Boom!

The metal plate overhead let out an overburdened groan, and several cracks spiderwebbed outward.

Black acid rain mixed with rusty water began to drip into the carriage, each drop burning a smoking black hole into the seats.

Standing on the precarious roof, Su Chen stomped his right foot down hard.

The entire bus shuddered from the impact.

"Three minutes."

Su Chen's voice pierced through the rain, cold and devoid of any warmth.

"In three minutes, the roof of this bus will completely dissolve. If you want to take a bath down there, I won't stop you."

With that, he didn't even spare a glance at the terrified faces below, turning and heading straight toward the rear of the bus.

As he moved, the golden Absolute Field moved with him, re-exposing the previously safe area under the skylight to the shadow of death.

As the light receded, the darkness instantly surged back.

The first drop of acid rain passed through the unprotected skylight, landing precisely in the puddle by Chen Wei's feet and exploding into a deadly splash.