73: It's either your effort or your life.

The ear-piercing sound of twisting metal became the only background noise at this moment.

The "Palace," which had just finished its expansion, didn't even get a minute to be enjoyed before it let out an overwhelmed groan under the massive muscular writhing.

The originally smooth crystal dome was compressed inward like a plastic water bottle crushed by immense force, emitting a series of "creak-creak" snaps as if it would completely shatter in the next second.

Su Chen gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white from the exertion.

Outside the panoramic window, the originally gray-brown rock walls had now shed their disguise, revealing layers of red fleshy walls secreting mucus. Countless anemone-like tentacle fluffs swayed frantically, trying to swallow the "hard candy" stuck in its throat.

"This isn't an ordinary mutated beast." Joy had crawled into the passenger seat at some point. Her usually cynical face was now filled with terror, even turning slightly purple from oxygen deprivation. "This is the 'Wasteland Glutton,' a living landmark of the forbidden zone in market legends! What we just drove into wasn't a tunnel at all; it was its open mouth breathing!"

"It's a bit late for a science lesson." Su Chen glanced at her coldly. His foot had already floored the accelerator, but the immense pressure left the tires suspended in mid-air, unable to gain any traction. "Is there anything that can blow this damn place open?"

Joy shook her head in despair. "Its fleshy walls are as tough as A-grade alloy. Ordinary gunpowder isn't even enough to give it an itch..."

"Did I ask you?" Su Chen's gaze bypassed Joy and fixed directly on Ye Hongyu, who was shivering in the corner of the back seat.

Since a moment ago, this woman had been clutching the pocket on her chest—an instinctive reaction to protect one's most important belongings under extreme stress.

"That's for saving my life..." Ye Hongyu clearly read the meaning in Su Chen's eyes and instinctively shrank back, her voice carrying a sob. "It's an Explosive Thunder Talisman from the Dragon-Tiger Mountain Celestial Master Mansion. There are only three in total; once they're used, they're gone!"

"If your life is gone, who are you going to burn the talismans for?" A mocking curve appeared at the corner of Su Chen's mouth. Without any nonsense, he flicked his left hand across the control panel.

Buzz—

The air conditioning vents in Ye Hongyu's area closed instantly. Immediately after, the independent oxygen supply for that section was cut off, replaced by the dull sound of a vacuum suction.

In just three seconds, the intense suffocation caused this usually pampered noblewoman's face to flush red. She was like a fish thrown onto the shore, desperately scratching at her neck. The hesitation in her eyes instantly turned into a plea as she frantically pulled a silk pouch with cinnabar yellow paper attached from her bosom and threw it hard toward the cockpit.

Su Chen tapped his finger, and the oxygen supply system was restored.

The silk pouch was caught mid-air by an invisible force and landed steadily in Su Chen's palm.

That's more like it.

In this damned world, hesitation leads to defeat—not just in battle, but in how one conducts oneself.

Su Chen tore open the pouch. Three talismans drawn with complex thunder patterns felt slightly warm to the touch.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took out the high-purity Thunder Crystal he had previously confiscated from Joy. In this cramped and violently shaking space, he performed an extremely crazy act.

He pressed the three thunder talismans firmly onto the surface of the Thunder Crystal like sticking on medicinal plasters. Then, he channeled the hot Sacred Yang True Qi within his body, ignoring the stinging pain in his meridians, and forcibly poured it in.

Sizzle!

Blue-purple electric arcs instantly exploded within the cockpit. The violent energy fluctuations made Joy's hair next to him stand on end.

"Open the sunroof!" Su Chen roared.

"Are you crazy? It's all digestive fluid outside!" Although Lin Mengyao was screaming, her body moved faster than her brain, and she rushed over to pull down the manual emergency handle.

The moment the sunroof opened, a nauseating stench mixed with viscous acid poured in.

Su Chen narrowed his eyes. Through the gap and with the help of the roof's searchlight beam, he accurately captured the frantically contracting, ball-like organ vibrating violently above—it was the giant beast's uvula, commonly known as the "little tongue."

Which is also the most sensitive gag reflex point in humans.

"Spit it out for me!"

Su Chen's arm muscles bulged. The crystal, carrying the power of the Sacred Yang True Qi and the thunder talismans, turned into a streak of light and accurately sank into that pink ball of flesh.

One second.

Two seconds.

BOOM—!!!

A dull explosion echoed inside the fleshy walls. Blue thunderlight illuminated the entire esophagus through the semi-transparent membrane.

Immediately after, the surrounding compressed vehicle walls suddenly loosened.

It was an extremely violent physiological spasm.

The entire esophageal space felt like it had undergone a magnitude ten earthquake. An irresistible, massive thrust surged from below, accompanied by a tsunami-like wave of foul yellow digestive fluid, ejecting the battered bus along with countless debris.

The intense feeling of weightlessness made everyone's hearts leap into their throats.

Accompanied by a loud crash, the modified hydraulic suspension system let out a groan, on the verge of being scrapped.

Su Chen felt like his internal organs had shifted. His head slammed hard against the headrest, and stars danced before his eyes.

The car body skidded and fishtailed violently on the ground, finally coming to a halt across a cracked, weed-overgrown highway amidst a piercing screech of brakes.

There was a deathly silence inside the car, followed by the sound of retching one after another.

"Everyone, get out and stay alert. Check the vehicle for damage!" Su Chen suppressed the surging nausea and kicked open the deformed door.

The air was filled with that lingering sour stench.

The bus looked like it had just been fished out of a swill bucket, covered in viscous yellow liquid. The once domineering crystal armor was now dull, with a few undigested, eerie white bones hanging from it.

Qin Ya leaned against the roadside guardrail, her face pale as she vomited stomach acid. Her usual dignified air as a teacher was completely gone.

Lin Mengyao wasn't doing any better. The campus belle, who usually loved cleanliness the most, didn't even have the strength to wipe her mouth, only able to lean against a wheel and pant miserably.

Su Chen wiped the mucus off his face and shook his hand in disgust, preparing to check the chassis for damage.

Just then, on the originally pitch-black abandoned highway ahead, three blinding glares suddenly lit up.

Those were modified high-intensity xenon headlights. The beams tore through the night like swords, enveloping the group who had just escaped death in a blinding white light.

Vroom, vroom, vroom—

The heavy roar of diesel engines approached from a distance, the ground vibrating slightly under the weight of massive wheels.

Su Chen narrowed his eyes, his pupils instantly constricting into pinpoints.

Those were three heavy-duty semi-trailer trucks. Their fronts were all welded with menacing serrated bumpers, and the bodies were wrapped in barbed wire. Like mobile steel fortresses, they formed a triangular formation, completely blocking all escape routes for the bus.

This wasn't a passing convoy.

This was a pocket trap already set by hunters.

The door of the middle truck's cab was pushed open, and a foot wearing studded leather boots stepped heavily onto the gravel-strewn road.

A one-eyed man stepped down. Half of his face was covered in centipede-like burn scars, and his remaining eye held a murky, predatory greed.

He held a polished machete in his hand. His gaze didn't linger on Su Chen, who appeared to be the leader, but instead bypassed everyone and fixed directly on Qin Ya, who was leaning against the railing and panting weakly.

That look was like a hungry wolf scenting a piece of meat lost years ago.

The one-eyed man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. That smile looked particularly distorted in the backlighting of the headlights.

He raised the tip of his blade and pointed it from a distance at the female teacher, who was covered in filth yet still unable to hide her graceful figure. His voice was as raspy as sandpaper rubbing against rusty iron:

"Xiao Ya, long time no see."