"Wow…"
Chu Zhiyun made a weird sound for the second time, and she stared at the back of Tang Ka's head in disbelief.
"Have you buckled up, monitor?"
Tang Ka's hands dashed among runes and numbers quickly like two bolts of lightning. As he operated, the maximal output of the shuttle was increasing: 130%… 150%… 180%!
In other words, after Tang Ka's five-minute modification, the high-speed shuttle, which had been as fast as lightning in the first place, was almost twice as fast as previously!
How… How was it possible?
It was not just about the circuits of spiritual energy and the magic equipment structure. But more importantly, a 180% speed would bring too much burden for beginners like Tang Ka and Chu Zhiyun to handle.
Most likely, they would hit the wall the moment the shuttle was activated.
However, there was nothing Chu Zhiyun could do at this point. Besides, intimidated by the air around Tang Ka, she could not argue with him at all. She could only hold Tiantian in her arms and examined the safety measures once again. She then nodded and said, "I'm ready!"
"In that case, let's go!"
Tang Ka snapped his fingers, and green buffer gels spurted out and enshrouded the three of them, but Tang Ka's head was exposed and clasped by a silver neural interaction helmet.
The light on the two sides of the helmet flashed quickly. The shuttle seemed absolutely still, but the world around was falling back quickly into narrow, long lines. It took Chu Zhiyun quite a long time before she realized that they were already flying!
"Well…"
Chu Zhiyun bulged her eyes as she looked at the world outside, which had almost turned into two gray walls.
She realized that Tang Ka was not bragging but had truly tamed this high-speed shuttle, which was flying at the maximal speed and the lowest attitude. It was almost only one foot away from the ground.
In such a way, the shuttle could be covered by the skyscrapers as well as the radiations from the ground. Even if the purge troop was scanning them on a large scale, it would be much less likely for them to be discovered.
Also, the shuttle was not making any sound as it was rushing, and the spiritual shield of this shuttle had a gray layer of camouflage thanks to Tang Ka's modification. At first look, it was only a ripple in the air that was flashing!
However, it was not hard to imagine how dangerous and difficult this was.
The closer the shuttle was to the ground, the more obstacles there would be. The buildings, the walls, the debris of crystal tanks, and even landmines that could jump could all be fatal.
The shuttle was already flying over five hundred kilometers per hour.
At such a speed, even a blunt fragment would be enough to penetrate through the engine unit of the shuttle and kill them!
Chu Zhiyun was one of the most excellent students in the Holy Light Academy, and her sight and reaction were among the best of her peers. However, it was still hard for her to recognize the objects coming at her at five hundred kilometers per hour. The skyscrapers were cutting at her like black sabers, and she almost couldn't stop herself from crying out aloud.
Tang Ka, however, was absolutely unhurried, as if he were simply strolling in the city. He took turns right next to the glass windows of the skyscrapers multiple times without breaking any of them.
When they encountered a building that had collapsed from the middle, instead of flying above the ruins, Tang Ka chose to swoop into the gaps of the ruins and flew right through the remains of the building!
Chu Zhiyun felt that her heart was jumping out of her throat.
Tang Ka, however, yawned and smacked his lips in boredom.
"T-Tang Ka, what's wrong?" asked Chu Zhiyun with a shivering voice.
"Huh? I'm fine. What 'what's wrong'?"
Tang Ka turned back and looked at his monitor. "Why do you ask?"
"Ah!"
Chu Zhiyun screamed, "Don't look back. Eyes on the road. Eyes on the road! We're about to hit it!"
Tang Ka stared at his monitor innocently and operated quickly again. Then, the shuttle slanted and passed between two plazas that were almost next to each other.
After that, Tang Ka yawned again so hard that he was almost shedding tears.
"You… You're yawning?"
Chu Zhiyun didn't know how she should describe her feelings.
"Yes. I didn't sleep much last night, and I'm feeling rather drowsy."
Tang Ka rubbed his eyes. "That's why I'm so slow. Don't scold me."
"That's why you're so… slow?"
Chu Zhiyun realized that she and Tang Ka probably differed greatly on the definition of "slow".
Also, she noticed a very special vibe from Tang Ka, whose eyes were half-closed; a vibe that was hard to describe but somehow made people want to beat him up.
"Besides, there's a baby in this shuttle. We should be more careful. Although this is boring, safety always comes first!"
While talking, Tang Ka groped below his seat for a moment and found a can of juice. He opened the can and took a huge mouthful of the juice, before he moaned in satisfaction and continued, "The engine is only being preheated. When we reach the suburbs that are more empty, we'll accelerate!"
Chu Zhiyun suddenly realized that, while they were changing courses frequently at five hundred kilometers per hour, Tiantian did not cry at all, and she did not feel any discomfort, such as loss of weight or overloading.
She lowered her head, only to see that Tiantian was observing the jelly-like gel around her as well as the rushing world outside!
Noticing that the big sister was looking at her, the baby giggled in delight, not bothered by the separation from her mother yet.
"When did you start drinking juice? Why do I not know it at all?"
Chu Zhiyun looked at Tang Ka's smile and found it weirder and weirder.
"There are a lot of things you don't know, but it's fine. I'll tell you all of them later, my beloved monitor!"
Tang Ka said, "Now, all you need to do is to trust me and let me take care of everything. It's going to be fine! I promise you that we will escape from this wretched city and our fate. We will find a shelter—a real shelter!
"Those idiots… No, those brainless scumbags must be searching for us in the north of the city, aren't they? Hehe, by the time they realize that something is not right, we'll be taking a hot bath in the shelter! Do you trust me, monitor?"
"Huh…"
Chu Zhiyun frowned and said, "I would love to trust you, but doesn't the glittering exclamation marks as well as the number behind it that is getting smaller and smaller indicate that dozens of flying swords are coming at us?"
Tang Ka was briefly stunned, and the cabin was immediately filled by earsplitting alarms.
The shining flying swords behind them were so close that they could be seen with the naked eye.
"How is it possible?"
Tang Ka's pupils were constricted to the minimum. He was so furious as if someone had just slapped him in the face.
When he raised his hand speed, Chu Zhiyun finally understood why Tang Ka felt bored earlier. She felt that she was not inside a high-speed shuttle, but on a shooting star that was breaking the limits of the three-dimensional universe!
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
The shuttle was accelerated to seven hundred kilometers per hour and dodged 37 times within one second before it decelerated to 350 kilometers per hour. It finally got rid of the pursuing flying swords when it almost fell apart in midair.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Those flying swords exploded around the shuttle, raising a torrent of hot waves and shards that submerged the shuttle again and again.
The shuttle had only light armor in the first place. Despite Tang Ka's modifications, it could not take the attacks of so many flying swords without being damaged.
The tempered glass was cracking, and the alloy shell was dented and even torn apart by the shards.
At a supersonic speed, even a tiny hole invisible to the naked eye could lead to a disaster. Tang Ka had to lower the speed while he cursed.
By the time he saw the pursuers behind him clearly, however, he had lost the strength to curse.
From every direction of New Joy City, in the middle of the plazas and skyscrapers, thousands of crystal suits and shuttles were rising. They were like glittering locusts in the cold mist.
All of them aimed their lamps at Tang Ka's shuttle, suggesting that the previous barrage of flying swords was not coincidental and that the enemy did know the shuttle's coordinates.
Behind those buildings, the floating fortress that was as huge as a mountain also moved close in deafening noises to Tang Ka's and Chu Zhiyun's faces like a cloud that was on fire.