69: Evolution Intermediate Mobile Fortress

Rumble—

The earth trembled—not with a subtle vibration, but as if a giant beast beneath the ground was turning over and about to burst through the soil.

Dozens of pale headlights converged in the darkness into a savage river of light. Accompanied by the characteristic roar of heavy diesel engines, several heavily modified heavy-duty bulldozers led the charge. Their buckets were welded with half-meter-long rebar spikes, making them look like a herd of frenzied armored rhinos, recklessly charging toward the shimmering bus.

Thunder Owl truly lived up to his reputation as a man who could become a local tyrant in this world; he was ruthless and decisive enough.

Since he couldn't win in a duel, he would use a torrent of steel to crush everything.

In his view, the bus currently undergoing core fusion was a stationary target. As long as he broke the energy transmission, Su Chen would suffer a backlash and become a cripple, even if he were an immortal.

“Bo... Boss! The energy is overflowing! The fusion progress is stuck at 99%. This damn engine's appetite is too big; the original circuits can't handle it. It's going to blow!”

Old Mo held the burning-hot control panel, his hair frizzy from static electricity. He was howling with all his might, his voice filled with despair.

Su Chen glanced at the roof beneath his feet, which was vibrating violently.

If this had been three minutes ago, facing such a situation might have required significant effort, perhaps even requiring Lin Mengyao and the others to risk their lives.

But now?

A cruel arc curved at the corner of Su Chen's mouth.

Having just broken through to the Third-stage Awakening, the Sacred Yang True Qi surging within him like lava was looking for an outlet. Since someone was rushing to their death, he didn't need to be polite.

“Blow up? In my territory, even the King of Hell has to knock first.”

Su Chen stomped his feet down hard, instantly leaving two deep footprints in the alloy roof.

Instead of retreating, he advanced. The golden 'sun' within his dantian spun frantically, and a visible wave of golden air followed his feet, crudely pouring into the vehicle's body.

If the previous energy transmission was a trickle, it was now a bursting flood.

Since the circuits couldn't carry it, he would use True Qi to reshape them!

Buzz—!

The Void Engine, which had been struggling to process energy, let out an ethereal, long cry like a whale fall after receiving this infusion of pure Yang energy.

In an instant, the entire bus erupted with blinding golden light.

This wasn't a special effect; it was a materialized energy shield.

Next, the ear-piercing sound of metal grinding rang out.

Old Mo watched in stunned silence as the armor plates on both sides of the vehicle began to writhe and proliferate as if they had come to life. The Titanium-Tungsten Alloy ingots they had just moved onto the bus melted at a visible rate, quickly covering the surface of the vehicle to form layers of scale-like armor with geometric beauty.

【Ding! Energy infusion complete.】

【Vehicle evolution successful!】

【Current Form: Intermediate Mobile Fortress.】

【Traits: Self-repair (Low-level), Extreme Yang Forcefield (causes continuous burning to evil creatures within fifty meters).】

【Unlocked Weapon System: Holy Light Rapid-Fire Cannon ×2.】

“It's only polite to return the favor.”

Golden light flowed in the depths of Su Chen's eyes as his thoughts stirred slightly.

Two crisp clicks rang out.

On both sides of the front of the bus, which had grown to four meters tall, armor plates flipped open. Two silver barrels engraved with complex runes thrust out, the light spheres gathering at their muzzles a hundred times more dazzling than the headlights of those bulldozers.

“Fire.”

There was no roar of exploding gunpowder, only the 'sizzling' sound of air being instantly burned through.

Two golden beams of light, like the Whip of God, instantly tore through the night.

The heavy bulldozer in the lead didn't even have a chance to brake. Its thick bucket was instantly pierced like paper, followed by the high temperature detonating the fuel tank.

A massive fireball rose into the sky, and the blast wave flipped the two modified pickups following closely behind.

But it wasn't over yet.

Under Su Chen's True Qi supply, the two rapid-fire cannons acted like the tireless scythe of the Grim Reaper, each burst of fire precisely taking out a vehicle.

In just over ten seconds, the market entrance had turned into a graveyard of burning scrap metal.

The once-aggressive convoy collapsed instantly. The remaining few vehicles acted as if they had seen a ghost, frantically spinning their steering wheels to turn around and flee.

One of the SUVs, fitted with bulletproof glass, reacted the fastest, drifting as it tried to dive deep into the wilderness.

That was Thunder Owl's ride.

“You think this is a public restroom, coming and going as you please?”

Su Chen sneered, crouching slightly as his entire body became like a spring compressed to its limit.

Leaving a terrifying dent on the roof, Su Chen's figure vanished from the spot.

He streaked through the air as an afterimage, actually crossing a distance of dozens of meters like a human cannonball, crashing down onto the hood of the speeding SUV.

The massive impact caused the rear of the speeding SUV to kick up violently. The tires screamed against the ground as the vehicle was forced to a halt.

Behind the windshield, Thunder Owl's sinister face finally showed fear.

His hands frantically formed seals, and the temperature inside the cabin plummeted to a hundred degrees below zero. Countless ice needles shot toward Su Chen like a storm of pear blossoms.

This was his final trump card, an Absolute Zero burst fueled by his life force.

Unfortunately, in the face of absolute power suppression, flashy tricks were meaningless.

“I'll give you a dignified end.”

Su Chen ignored the ice needles that shattered instantly against his protective True Qi. His right fist clenched, his spinal dragon shook, and his entire body's strength twisted into a single force.

Half-Step Crumbling Fist.

This punch was plain and unadorned, with no light effects or charging time, only extreme speed—Boom!

Crash!

The special bulletproof glass exploded into powder.

Next came the bone-chilling sound of shattering bones.

Su Chen's fist passed through Thunder Owl's hastily condensed ice shield without any resistance and landed on his chest.

An overbearing fire energy surged into his body.

Thunder Owl didn't even have time to scream. His body hunched over like a cooked shrimp, and a large hole exploded through the seat behind him.

The ice ability he was so proud of melted and disintegrated instantly under this punch, like snow meeting boiling water.

One punch, instant kill.

A few minutes later.

Su Chen held Thunder Owl's limp corpse in one hand as he stood atop the market's highest watchtower.

Below were the still-burning vehicle wrecks and the group of remnants who had long since been scared out of their wits, throwing down their weapons and kneeling on the ground, trembling.

The night wind caught Su Chen's clothes. The strong scent of blood, mixed with the pressure yet to dissipate from his body, made him look like a god of judgment over life and death.

He didn't need any rousing speech.

He didn't even need to speak.

Su Chen simply tossed Thunder Owl's corpse down like trash. With a dull thud, it smashed against the final line of defense in everyone's hearts.

“From now on, I set the rules here.”

Su Chen's voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached everyone. “Men will work, women will be assessed. If you want to live, go line up over there.”

At this time, Qin Ya walked out with several girls who had been rescued earlier.

This once gentle and intellectual female teacher now wore a pair of rimless glasses found from somewhere, holding a thick roster. Though her face was still somewhat pale, her eyes had become exceptionally firm.

“All female survivors, gather on the left for the ‘Peripheral Member’ screening. Those with special skills or good looks will be prioritized.”

Qin Ya's voice was calm and efficient, even carrying a convincing sense of order. “Do not try to hide your physical condition; Mr. Su does not tolerate even a grain of sand in his eye.”

Watching the new order being rapidly established below, Su Chen nodded in satisfaction.

This was the rhythm he wanted.

Just as he turned to return to the newly renovated fortress bus, the tactical terminal on his wrist suddenly vibrated.

It was an abnormal frequency automatically captured by the radar system after the bus's upgrade.

【Beep—Zzt—This is... Hai University... Shelter... We need support... Food... Zzt... Monsters are underground... Repeat...】

Hai University?

Su Chen's footsteps paused.

If he remembered correctly, that was the city's famous aristocratic university. It was said that the quality of the female students there was quite good.

But in this post-apocalyptic world, such distress signals usually only meant two possibilities:

Either it was a desperate cry from the dying.

Or it was a bait deliberately set by some clever people to fish for prey.

Su Chen looked at the flashing red dot on the radar and tapped the screen twice with his finger.

“Old Mo.”

Su Chen pressed his earpiece, his voice low.

“Cut off this signal source's external broadcast and lock the coordinates.”

“Since it's a plea for help, let's not let others hear it, lest... someone beats us to it.”