With a roar, flames ascended. Thick smoke obscured the sun. Only dancing crimson light illuminated every astonished face inside the car windows.
Immediately after, the whinny of a White Horse came from a distant place.
At the end of the highway, everyone saw it: a white figure as agile as a dragon galloped forth, crossing the broken bridge. Its iron hooves trampled down, instantly crushing the shattered car windows and rolling over that grinning face.
Plasma sprayed out.
Upon the White Horse, Huai Shi raised her arm. The immense force of the galloping horse converged on her wrist. The Spear of Compassion thrust forward, tearing through the Armored Vehicle's outer barriers as if cutting paper. It penetrated deeply, leaving behind the seed of an iris flower before dissipating into the air.
Right there on the highway, the Armored Vehicle—now rampaging wildly—suddenly turned to give chase again. But it quickly began to falter at high speed, tiring out like a Giant Beast being bled. Finally, it stopped by the roadside. The Armored Vehicle then suddenly shook violently, succumbing to a sudden burst of flames. Ignited by the gushing fire, it cut off the pursuing vehicles behind it.
Countless sharp honks whizzed past.
On the highway filled with howling sounds, Huai Shi pulled on the reins, and amidst the horse's whinnies, she began a gutsy counter-flow.
Iron hooves trampled down, shattering the asphalt beneath.
The White Horse galloped like the wind.
Its long mane fluttered in the wind, proudly as a flag.
"Be careful up ahead," Ai Qing whispered from behind, followed by the massive sound of a huge truck drifting and sweeping across.
Right in front, a heavy giant truck abruptly shed its outer camouflage shell, revealing a body inside painted with graffiti in various shades of crimson.
With rap music blaring, the driver in the cab wildly turned the steering wheel. He stomped on the brakes, swinging the massive rear end like a weapon.
It was like a crude arm sweeping across a playset.
After flipping over several cars that couldn't escape in time, the sideways vehicle blocked the White Horse's path. It then slowly opened up, revealing heavy machine guns welded inside the cargo hold.
"Hey, BRO, taste this!"
The dark-skinned gunner spat out the gum residue from his mouth, smiling sinisterly as he pulled the trigger. With the belt of bullets rolling, a thunderous roar burst forth from his hands.
The red-hot metal screamed out, tearing through the air like an inexhaustible Whip of Thunderfire. It swept instantly towards Huai Shi.
Immediately after, he saw... the White Horse leaping into the air.
As if truly soaring on the wind.
It made an unreasonable leap of several meters, deftly jumping up and down amid the intersecting web of gunfire. It was so fast that even the machine gun's swiveling couldn't keep up.
In just a few seconds, they covered the distance of more than a hundred meters in one leap.
Iron hooves landed inside the vehicle.
Facing that dumbfounded face, the White Horse snorted disdainfully, almost human-like, and spat.
Following that, the Axe Blade swept from atop the horse, cleaving off an entire cranial cap. In one fluid motion, it chopped the still-firing machine gun in two.
Amidst the flying shrapnel, the White Horse spun on the spot. The Spear of Compassion swept through, effortlessly slicing the vehicle's shell and sending two dumbstruck Border War Dogs to Huangquan.
The roar of a Source Substance explosion flashed by.
Ai Qing lowered her hand. Through the thick Armor, a figure that lunged at her was sent flying backward, brains and entrails smearing the ground.
"They're all small fry; don't get entangled with them," she said. "The Eye of Nightmare must have mobilized by now. Those guys love to exhaust their prey's strength with cannon fodder before easily capturing them..."
As she spoke, the White Horse once again leaped from the torn vehicle shell. It landed on the ground, agilely hopping from one car roof to another, and then sprang up, landing on the overpass.
Looking back, the highway behind them was a scene of devastation.
As the fire spread and thick smoke billowed, the scattered bodies of the War Dogs were enough to distress even the most stoic pacifist.
Thankfully, due to the rapid response and traffic control of the Social Security Bureau, this area had already been blocked off. None of those who broke in were innocent.
Suddenly, a roaring sound descended from the sky.
Before that, amid the persistent clouds in the Sky Dome, a crimson blaze was the first to light up, sketching out the curve of a bloody eye symbol.
Then, a massive Steel Ship broke through the clouds.
That was a distant Phantom.
A reconnaissance vessel, equipped with the latest Depth Diving engines, barged into the Current Circumstances from the nearest Border transit station. It maintained a safe distance from Dongxia Genealogy's external defenses, opening only a sliver of the gateway to the Current Circumstances.
After that, from the slowly opening stern, the light of an ejector flashed and disappeared.
Thus, from within the distant Phantom, real steel fell from the sky, rubbing against the air and igniting scorching flames.
Meteors plummeted.
Raucous roars spread in all directions.
Suddenly, the falling iron chunk sprayed out brake flames, much like a rocket landing. Metal plates were flung from its body, falling into the wind and burning into crimson liquid iron that splashed all around.
Until at last, the heavy iron shell finally fell from the sky, disintegrating amidst the roar.
The overpass vibrated violently.
The sharp sound of steel rubbing echoed. The towering figure in the middle slowly lifted his head. His face, covered by a fearsome Mask Armor, revealed only a pair of gray eyes.
The arrival was clad head-to-toe in thoroughly tempered full-coverage Armor, wielding a Flame-shaped sword and Duel Great Shield that would be excessively heavy for an average person. He took a step forward with ease.
Towards Huai Shi, he revealed the eye-shaped insignia on his Shield.
It signified the arrival of the Eye of Nightmare, one of the most famous mercenary groups from the Border and Hell.