116: Chapter 116 Collapse and Apocalypse, Highway Race

The energy ripples of the golden portal suddenly dissipated, and the five of them were instantly enveloped by a heatwave mixed with rust, rot, and sulfur. The black asphalt road beneath their feet had long since lost its original smoothness, covered in web-like deep fissures and cracks. Parts of the road surface bulged like hideous bone spurs, and the edges were crumbling and peeling away at a visible rate. Fist-sized gravel, carrying sparks, fell into the churning magma below, where dark red flames licked at the road's breaks, dyeing the sky a strange ochre red. Far behind them, the heavens and earth were as murky as ink, with thick gray-black clouds reflecting an eerie purple light from the magma. Occasional bolts of twisted lightning pierced the clouds, yet not a single rumble of thunder could be heard, only a deathly, oppressive silence.

The entire world seemed to exist only around the "highway." The straight road extended infinitely upward, as if to pierce the sky. Countless abandoned cars were scattered on both sides, like a graveyard of steel: heavy pickups riddled with bullet holes leaned precariously near ravines, their rusted beds split open with huge gashes filled with charred skeletons; their rear wheels were buried deep in asphalt cracks, while the front wheels were long gone, leaving only bare axles swaying slightly in the heatwave. SUVs with deformed chassis lay overturned by the roadside, their sheet metal twisted and curled by the high temperatures, windows shattered, and doors violently torn open, with broken metal chains still hanging from the hinges. Occasional faint scraping sounds came from inside the cabins, whether from loose parts or something else moving within. Sedans with flat tires leaned against the road shoulders, their bodies covered in scratches of varying depths, windshields splattered with long-dried blackish-brown stains, and roofs caved in as if crushed by something heavy. Off-road vehicles with exploded hoods carried semi-solidified black liquid, their metal shells coated in a thick layer of black ash, and seats long since carbonized and brittle, crumbling at a touch; their exhaust pipes still slowly emitted faint blue smoke.

Various car wreckage and debris were scattered across the road: rusted bumpers, shattered headlight lenses, twisted steering wheels, and several long-dried human skeletons. The bones were covered in bite marks, and some were broken and displaced, clearly indicating a tragic struggle before death. Besides the rust and rot, a faint, ozone-like odor permeated the air—a special scent produced by Honkai Power infiltrating the atmosphere, which brought a slight stinging sensation when inhaled.

A pale blue System panel unfolded simultaneously before the eyes of the five, presenting cold text clearly:

[Dream World Task]: Doomsday Highway Racing

[Task Type]: Team Upgrade Mission

[Task Content]: Reach the "Finish Line" of the highway before this world completely collapses.

[Task Tips]

1. This is currently an apocalyptic world where a zombie virus has broken out. The original virus has mutated under the influence of the Lord of Collapse's Honkai Power, giving rise to massive numbers of zombies and special ability mutants;

2. Multi-team competitive mode; mutual attacks are permitted.

3. You must find vehicles such as sedans, pickups, SUVs, or off-road vehicles yourselves to participate in the "Doomsday Highway Racing";

4. Control a vehicle to reach the "Finish Line" set by the Lord of Collapse to complete the task. Task rewards will be determined based on race ranking.

5. The Doomsday Highway is in an infinite uphill form, with intersections and supply stations distributed throughout (where vehicles can be replaced or modified/upgraded, and supplies and weapons can be replenished);

6. The world is continuously collapsing, with the ground cracking and falling into magma. Any car speed below 50km/h will be affected, triggering task failure.

The moment the panel disappeared, a sharp System warning sounded: "Current world collapse index at 15%, collapse range expanding by 50km per hour!"

Just as Li Mubai raised his hand to deploy Star Rail, a low, hoarse Roar came from the cluster of abandoned sedans on the left side of the highway—five or six hunched ordinary zombies slowly walked out. Their skin was a sickly, ashen gray, clinging tightly to their bony frames, with parts of the skin ulcerated and peeling to reveal blackened muscle tissue beneath. Their limbs twisted in extremely stiff postures, joints bulging unnaturally, and every step was accompanied by the "creak-creak" of grinding bones as they shambled toward the five people. Their clothes were tattered, stained with black grime and dark red bloodstains. Their eyes were cloudy and lifeless yet held an instinctive, bloodthirsty red glow. Thick blackish-brown liquid constantly dripped from the corners of their mouths, leaving dragging wet marks on the asphalt with every step. Their speed was comparable to a toddler's crawl, yet they remained persistent in closing in.

"They are slow-moving zombies. According to the energy reactions, they aren't mutants with special abilities." On Zhang Hao's shoulder, the light patterns on Silver Star's forehead lit up, and its Chaos-colored pupils spun rapidly, scanning for more zombie signals. "Three more are crawling out from under cars twenty meters ahead, and there's movement behind the abandoned pickup on the right. We are being partially surrounded!"

Zhao Hu took a step forward, a faint red light glowing around him. On his shoulder, Roar simultaneously let out a low, intimidating growl, the black patterns on its silver-gray fur lighting up slightly. "Leave these trash to me! Just in time to stretch my muscles!" He clenched his fists, arm muscles bulging, and charged at the leading zombie. His fist struck the zombie's head with the sound of whistling wind. After a dull thud, the zombie's head instantly caved in and deformed. Blackish-brown liquid mixed with bone fragments splashed out, and the body fell straight to the ground, twitching twice before becoming still.

Lin Wan immediately condensed an ice-blue water element shield to envelop everyone. A pale pink Life Bud floated in her palm, and ripples of purification ability merged into everyone's bodies. "Don't be careless! Though they move slowly, their numbers are increasing. Also, beware of the zombie virus's infectivity; I will intermittently use the purification abilities of the three elements for everyone. The highway edges are collapsing; we can't stay long!" Qingyu fluttered its green-based, gold-patterned wings, and the tri-colored halo it spat out formed a thin energy film on the shield's surface. It happened to block the impact of two zombies stumbling into it. The zombies hit the shield with a dull thud, then slid helplessly to the ground, still struggling to crawl back up.

Chen Rui's figure flashed as he and Thousand Faces synchronized to merge into the shadow of a nearby abandoned pickup. Thousand Faces transformed into a silver-glowing dagger. He moved rapidly through the shadows, circling behind each zombie like a ghost and accurately stabbing into the back of their heads with smooth, silent movements. The falling zombies didn't even have time to let out a Roar. "Zombies on the left cleared, but at least five more are approaching from the rear. Their speed is slow, but if we delay any longer, we'll be tied down!" His voice came through the team communication, carrying a hint of urgency.

By now, the collapse range at the highway's edge had quietly expanded, less than 800 meters away from the group. The magma's heat scorched their skin, and the road beneath their feet began to vibrate slightly, with occasional wisps of scorching sulfur gas rising from the cracks—a crisis of being entangled by ordinary zombies was gradually escalating along with the pace of the world's collapse.