Chapter 40: Practicing Skills

Ma Wei stomped on the gas pedal hard. The SUV roared and charged toward the monster ahead.

With a loud bang, the car jolted and sent the monster flying. The front of the SUV was dented into a large pit. Without daring to look at the monster, Ma Wei pushed the gas pedal all the way down. The SUV’s speed surged instantly, scraping past the monster’s body as it raced forward.

Screech, screech~

The monster, hit by the impact, became furious. Seeing the car brush past, it extended its claws and scraped the left side of the vehicle fiercely. But the car was too fast; in the brief moment it passed, the monster only managed to leave a few cracks on the left side, which did not affect the car’s speed.

The monster chased after them for a while longer, but the distance between it and the car grew steadily. Finally, with a roar, the monster gave up the pursuit.

“Wow, that was amazing! We escaped—I can’t believe it!”

“Ma Wei, well done! Haha, we owe it all to you!”

“Is that monster not chasing us? It’s really not following, right? I was so scared!”

…

Inside the car, the group cheered excitedly, thrilled to have once again escaped the brink of death.

However, it wasn’t long before the car began to shake. Thin wisps of smoke rose from the front hood, and the car’s speed started to drop.

“What’s going on? Why is the car slowing down?” Sun Liang frowned and asked.

“Are we out of gas? There’s a spare can in the trunk—should we refill?”

“No, I think the crash earlier might have damaged the car,” Ma Wei replied hesitantly.

After a few more minutes, the car slowed down even more until, finally, it came to a stop in the middle of the road and wouldn’t move.

“What do we do? Is the car broken?” Li Min asked, her face filled with fright. Throughout this journey, she had relied on her classmates for protection; otherwise, she would have died back in Linhai City.

“Probably. Does anyone know how to fix a car?” Ma Wei asked awkwardly.

“You’ve got to be kidding—fix a car? I can play Need for Speed, but don’t ask me to repair one,” Sun Liang adjusted his glasses and shook his head.

“Let’s get out and take a look first. Make sure you have your weapons ready,” Zhang Qiang said, gripping his machete tightly. He took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and got out, scanning the surroundings warily. Zhang Qiang’s physical strength was impressive; he often took charge in dangerous situations and held significant authority within the small group.

Sun Liang and Guo Yu also got out from the back seats, carrying their weapons.

Sun Liang held a baseball bat, while Guo Yu had a section of steel pipe, one end sharpened to a fine edge.

Seeing the three of them get out, Ma Wei pulled a long wrench from the toolbox, glanced at Li Min beside him, and opened his door to step out.

Li Min stayed in the car for a long time, hesitating. After seeing that the other four outside seemed safe, she finally opened the door and got out.

“Whoa, such a huge dent. Even if someone knew how to fix cars, this would be impossible,” one of them remarked as they gathered at the front of the car, staring at the massive dent.

The front bumper was broken; one part had flown off who-knows-where, and the other part dangled loosely from the car. The hood was deformed, and it looked like most of the parts inside were damaged. The vehicle was beyond repair.

“What should we do? Find another car?” Ma Wei scratched his head and said.

“We’re in the middle of nowhere—no villages ahead, no shops behind. Where are we supposed to find a car?” Zhang Qiang frowned. “If you ask me, the most important thing right now is to find a place to rest. I don’t want to stay out here on the road; if another monster shows up, we’re done for.”

“Exactly, exactly. Let’s find a spot and rest for a while. We haven’t had a break since escaping the city,” Guo Yu chimed in quickly.

“I think I remember a Resort not far ahead. Let’s check it out,” Li Min said after a moment’s thought, pointing forward.

“A Resort? There’s a Resort out here?” Sun Liang asked in surprise.

“Of course. It’s the biggest Resort in Linhai City. There’s a huge lake where you can fish and go boating. I’ve been there a few times,” Li Min explained.

“Li Min is the only local among us, so we should trust her. Let’s go to the Resort, rest tonight, and figure out where to go tomorrow,” Ma Wei said, sounding somewhat relieved.

“Alright, that’s settled then. Li Min, you lead the way to the Resort.”

After deciding, they first packed some food and water from the car, then picked up their weapons and began walking toward the Resort.

…

Meanwhile, Xu Feng had already mastered the Swift Wind Thrust skill. He spotted a Fish Monster with Two-Star Strength wandering by the lake, holding a rusty long blade. Behind it followed six or seven One-Star Monsters.

Xu Feng wanted to test his new skill and walked toward the group of Fish Monsters.

Seeing Xu Feng, the Fish Monsters grew excited. A craving for flesh and blood was natural to every monster. They roared, brandishing their weapons, and rushed at him.

For the One-Star Monsters, Xu Feng dispatched them easily with simple slashes, leaving only the Fish Monster with Two-Star Strength alive.

Watching Xu Feng take out its underlings so effortlessly, the Two-Star Fish Monster’s eyes couldn’t help but show caution. Although these Fish Monsters were driven by their instincts and loved flesh, they possessed intelligence no less than that of humans.

Swift Wind Thrust!

Xu Feng activated the skill directly and charged at the Two-Star Fish Monster. Seeing how lightly the human regarded it, the Two-Star Fish Monster grew furious and swung its long blade at Xu Feng.

The first strike hit the Fish Monster’s wrist. The second strike suddenly accelerated, piercing the Fish Monster’s neck. A spray of blood shot out. Before the Fish Monster could react, the third strike almost turned into a flash of lightning, leaving only an afterimage on its retina as it accurately stabbed into its mouth.

Then, with a boom, the Two-Star Fish Monster’s head exploded like a watermelon.

This Fish Monster, possessing Two-Star Strength, was instantly killed by Xu Feng, not even lasting one move.

Looking at the headless corpse of the Fish Monster, Xu Feng brandished his long sword and laughed heartily, feeling extremely excited.

Although Xu Feng’s strength had reached Two Star Peak, it wasn’t usually easy to hunt a Two-Star Fish Monster on the same level as him.

But now, facing a Two-Star Fish Monster, Xu Feng had killed it instantly with one move. Such power was almost unimaginable. Now, even against a Three-Star Fish Monster, Xu Feng felt confident he could execute it.

“This skill is incredibly powerful. As long as I practice more and master it thoroughly, Two-Star Monsters will be defenseless against me,” Xu Feng thought, clenching his fist with full confidence.