By sheer luck, Shen Ge’s actions had caused the Anomalous Space to distort—and Deng Yuqi seized the opportunity to steer the Special Tactics Division’s rescue vehicle straight into it.
The rescue vehicle was a modified military-grade off-roader, retrofitted specifically for supernatural combat. Durability and functionality had been prioritized over speed, leaving it with a capped top velocity of 110 km/h.
But in battles against the supernatural, every second counted—it was a race against death itself. Today’s situation was no exception. Shen Ge’s ride, a Hongqi EQM5, could hit 130 km/h. If the rescue vehicle couldn’t catch up, stopping the phantom car would be impossible.
So, the Division’s tech team had resorted to the simplest, most brutal solution for a speed boost—
Even non-drivers would recognize “nitrous boosts” from movies like Fast & Furious or racing games. When activated, nitrous oxide floods the engine, decomposing under heat to release oxygen, forcing the engine to burn fuel faster and unleash explosive acceleration.
After the tech team’s modifications, the rescue vehicle could gain a 30-40% speed boost. But reaching top speed still took time—and the phantom car was already racing ahead at 130 km/h, its taillights stretching into the distance.
However, Deng Yuqi remembered a crucial detail Shen Ge had mentioned: the phantom car looped back to the intersection after crossing Chenghong Road, endlessly retracing the same stretch.
She eased off the accelerator, maintaining a steady pace. Two minutes later, as predicted, twin headlights reappeared behind her—the phantom car had reset.
Real-world nitrous wasn’t as absurdly overpowered as in movies, but the effect was still staggering. Within seconds, the armored vehicle was tailgating the phantom car.
Deng Yuqi hit a button on the steering wheel. A steel pole extended from the rescue vehicle’s bumper as she barked into the comms: “Mr. Shen, I’m deploying the front anchor to latch onto the target’s rear. We’ll force it to stop!”
Shen Ge’s voice crackled back, dry as ever: “Officer Deng, unless you’re keen on scraping my remains off the asphalt, I’d suggest hurrying.”
Through the rear windshield, Deng Yuqi saw Shen Ge pressed against the backseat’s right corner—while the driver’s torso leaned toward him, its head rotated 180 degrees.
Then, the eerily expressionless driver’s jaw unhinged, stretching wide enough to swallow a human head whole.
Shen Ge lunged left, yanking the driver’s seatbelt and looping it around the creature’s neck in a frantic chokehold. But the belt only strained taut, failing to pull the driver back.
Deng Yuqi’s stomach dropped. She was about to ram the phantom car when Shen Ge suddenly reached under the seat—
—and shoved a shoe into the gaping maw.
Then, as if one wasn’t enough, he jammed in a second shoe.
Deng Yuqi’s eye twitched. She had questions, but stopping the car took priority. Gritting her teeth, she floored the accelerator.
The rescue vehicle’s steel pole speared through the phantom car’s rear, its tip splaying open like mechanical tentacles to lock onto the frame. Deng Yuqi disengaged the nitrous, activating a specialized braking system to slow both vehicles.
Just then, she spotted Shen Ge again—this time pouring liquid from a bottle onto the shoes crammed in the driver’s mouth.
Then he flicked a lighter.
The shoes ignited, flames engulfing the driver’s head. That wasn’t water—it was alcohol.
The fire spread unnaturally fast, as if the driver were made of kindling.
“Mr. Shen!” Deng Yuqi hadn’t expected him to improvise a flamethrower strat against the supernatural.
BRO, YOU’RE STILL INSIDE THE CAR!
If given a choice, Shen Ge wouldn’t have risked it. But two minutes earlier, his mental energy had drained completely. The moment “Immobility” deactivated, the driver had sprung to life. The 180-degree head twist was disturbing enough—but the pale, screaming face emerging from its throat was worse.
Shen Ge didn’t know what would happen if that thing fully manifested, and he wasn’t sticking around to find out.
Now, flames licked toward the backseat. Shen Ge coughed violently as smoke filled the cabin, his eyes watering. The doors and windows were locked. Wrapping his arm in his jacket, he slammed it into the window.
Meanwhile, Deng Yuqi’s braking system dragged both vehicles down to 100 km/h… then 80… 60…
The window shattered. Shen Ge gasped for air as fire crept toward him, frantically clearing glass shards.
The moment the speed hit 40, the phantom car smashed into traffic—its collision coinciding with another spatial distortion. The twilight-and-night sky warped again, and suddenly, the phantom car rematerialized in the real world, plowing into gridlocked vehicles.
Shen Ge was thrown against the passenger seat, flames singeing his hair and clothes. But the crash finally stopped the car. He clawed through the window, hauling himself onto the roof as chaos erupted below.
A burning car appearing out of thin air sent pedestrians and drivers into panic. Some vehicles swerved desperately, causing chain collisions. Others rammed onto sidewalks to escape a potential explosion.
The street descended into bedlam.
Deng Yuqi radioed the Division for crowd control, then sprinted toward the wreck with a fire extinguisher.
“You’re not seriously putting that out, are you?” Shen Ge called hoarsely.
Deng Yuqi hefted the canister. “This isn’t for fires. It’s specialized anti-supernatural gas.”