76: The uninvited "fourth" tenant

Su Chen's hand hovered over the cold alloy handle of Cabin No. 4, not rushing to pull it open.

Although separated by a layer of thickened soundproof steel plate, the Sacred Yang True Qi flowing within him still keenly captured that trace of abnormal heat.

Like a hand warmer tucked under a quilt in the dead of winter, it wasn't scalding, but that infrared radiation characteristic of living organisms was particularly conspicuous in the dead-silent carriage.

Break the door down directly?

That was something only cannon fodder who couldn't survive three minutes in a horror movie would do.

In this apocalypse, any reckless peek could result in one's head being blown apart like a rotten watermelon.

Su Chen withdrew his hand, his fingertips tapping twice in the air. His gaze crossed the corridor and fell upon Qin Ya, who was sitting in front of the co-pilot's sub-screen.

The beautiful Class Teacher was nervously staring at the surveillance footage. After receiving Su Chen's gesture, although she was stunned for a moment, she quickly entered a string of commands on the touch screen out of blind obedience to this man's absolute strength.

There was no earth-shattering commotion, only an imperceptible "hissing" sound, like a sealed can having its air sucked out.

The independent oxygen supply system of Cabin No. 4 was cut off.

Su Chen leaned against the corridor wall, nonchalantly watching the second hand on his wristwatch tick away.

Thirty seconds.

A dull thumping sound came from inside, like someone frantically searching for an exit in the dark.

One minute. The thumping turned into the piercing noise of fingernails scratching the metal plate.

One minute and fifty seconds. The movement weakened, turning into rapid gasps like a bellows.

"Now."

Su Chen's eyes sharpened, and he suddenly pulled down the handle.

With a soft "pop" caused by the pressure difference, the cabin door sprang open.

Almost at the same instant, a lithe figure stumbled out, aided by the inertia of the opening door.

It was a woman. Even in a state of extreme oxygen deprivation, her survival instinct still drove her to raise the folding diving crossbow in her hand.

Twang—!

The bowstring vibrated.

Due to muscle spasms caused by severe hypoxia in her fingers, the arrow lost its aim.

The steel crossbow bolt, gleaming with a blue toxic light, brushed past Su Chen's temple and slammed into the ceiling lamp cover above the corridor, sending out a shower of sparks.

Su Chen didn't even blink. His body tilted slightly, and his right hand shot out like a steel pincer, precisely grabbing the woman's throat and pressing down, slamming her hard against the cold cabin wall.

"Cough... cough cough..."

The woman opened her mouth wide, greedily devouring the stale but precious air in the corridor.

By the dim yellow light of the emergency lamp, Su Chen clearly saw the uninvited guest.

She was of mixed race.

Her wheat-colored skin was covered in black oil stains, her dreadlocks were disheveled, and she wore a tactical vest that was clearly pieced together. Though in a sorry state, her pale amber eyes revealed a wildcat-like ferocity and tenacity.

"Don't... don't do it..."

The woman struggled to raise her hands to show she wasn't a threat, the crossbow in her other hand already dropped to the floor. "I... hid inside..."

Su Chen didn't speak, his other hand moving over her body with extreme proficiency.

This wasn't taking advantage; it was a body search.

A sharp alloy dagger was pulled from the quick-draw holster on her outer thigh, followed by two homemade smoke grenades, and finally, a small bag of compressed biscuits.

Dirt poor, but the equipment was practical.

"Explain," Su Chen loosened his grip slightly, but his thumb was still pressed against her carotid artery. "My vehicle has high-voltage electricity even on the chassis. How did you get in?"

"That layer... of mucus..." The woman—Joey—gasped for air, her voice hoarse. "When you stopped in the Glutton's gastric juice just now... the power system short-circuited... I pried open the D7 maintenance hatch on the chassis... I'm a mechanic, I know the structure of this vehicle..."

So that was it.

At that time, Su Chen was busy sending "gifts" to Zhao Meng's group and indeed didn't have the energy to pay attention to the few seconds of surveillance blind spots on the chassis.

"Search her," Su Chen ordered without looking back.

Lin Mengyao, who had been standing by, immediately stepped forward.

Although the campus belle had never done this kind of work before, she was meticulous.

She fumbled around the lining of Joey's oil-stained jacket for a while and pulled out an iron badge only the size of a coin.

The surface of the badge was heavily worn, engraved with a scrawled skull biting a gear.

"Black Market?"

Ye Hongyu, who had been shrinking in the corner, suddenly cried out in a low voice, her expression turning ugly. "She's from the 'Market'? Su Chen, we can't keep this woman! Only 'Hunters' from the Market have this kind of badge. They're all ruthless characters who would sell their own mothers for a bounty. She definitely has a tracking device on her!"

Joey's expression changed, and she hurriedly defended herself: "I've already left the Market! That lunatic Zhao Meng wanted to trade me for a reward, I escaped!"

Su Chen toyed with the badge, his fingers rubbing the gear patterns.

Just as he was weighing whether to throw this woman down to feed the zombies or keep her as free labor, a glaring red warning box suddenly popped up in his field of vision.

[Warning: The number of biological entities on the vehicle has reached the critical limit (32/30)]

[Warning: Internal space pressure is overloaded; the ecological circulation system is about to collapse]

[Mission Triggered: Space Folding Crisis]

[Description: The cramped space contains too many hormones and carbon dioxide.]

[Please activate the "Space Folding Module" to upgrade the vehicle within 24 hours, otherwise the bus will physically collapse due to structural internal pressure imbalance.]

Su Chen's brow twitched.

Good grief, this broken bus even has an "overload explosion" setting?

Is this the so-called "three women make a play, thirty women blow up a bus"?

He glanced at the disheveled Joey, then at the beautiful women in the carriage with various expressions.

Driving this one away wouldn't solve the fundamental problem; after all, he still had to count those thirty "passengers" who could only be looked at but not eaten.

"Hand over the breathing valve, and you can stay."

Su Chen let go and snatched the miniature diving respirator that looked homemade from Joey's hand—this thing might be useful in underwater maps later.

"Eh?" Joey was stunned for a moment, apparently not expecting this cold-blooded-looking man to let her go so easily.

"Don't get happy too soon; this bus doesn't support idlers." Su Chen turned toward the driver's seat. "Also, stay away from my bed. I'm allergic to women who don't bathe."

Joey bit her lip, wanting to retort, but seeing the alloy dagger Su Chen had casually tossed aside, she sensibly shut her mouth.

Su Chen sat back in the driver's seat and gripped the steering wheel, the feeling of being in control returning.

But immediately after, he saw a hair-raising scene through the panoramic window.

The thick fog outside seemed to have become even more viscous. In the originally pitch-black night, countless tiny red dots suddenly lit up.

They weren't fireflies, nor were they ghost fires.

They were the spots of hundreds of infrared sights, weaving into a net of death in the fog.

Vroom vroom vroom—

Dull and dense engine sounds surged from all directions. It was the characteristic roar of modified large-displacement motorcycles, like a pack of hyenas that had smelled blood, surrounding the lonely bus.

"It seems that although that trash Zhao Meng's balls are crushed, his brain isn't broken yet."

Su Chen looked at the dense red dots on the radar, a playful curve tugging at the corner of his mouth. "He actually stuck a beacon on the bottom of my bus."

He ignored the terrified screams of the women in the carriage and didn't try to accelerate and break out.

Instead, he reached out and turned off the headlights.

Darkness descended.

"Sit tight," Su Chen's voice sounded exceptionally calm in the darkness, even carrying a hint of imperceptible excitement. "Tonight's late-night snack is roasted bikers."