Chapter Thirty-Seven: Surviving the Calamity

"I recognize this car! Ruslein showed it to me once." To be honest, Moss was still a little excited to see the car again. But why would Ruslein's possession appear in Rome, and how did it end up in the hands of this contemptuous, unpleasant brute?

"Heh heh heh, who would have thought you two Easterners actually know your stuff." The burly man let out two strange dry laughs.

"Why is this car the Eternal Engine Core?" Wang Yining couldn't be bothered with the man's attitude; the most urgent matter was to complete their mission.

"Heh heh heh, it's really just as simple as its name," the brute laughed twice more, then snapped his fingers. Suddenly, more than a dozen men surged from all sides of the factory, encircling Moss and Wang Yining.

The brute continued, "Since you know Ruslein and are aware of this car, I can't let you leave here today!"

Click click...

More than a dozen black gun barrels were suddenly aimed at Moss and Wang Yining.

Was this a scene straight out of a mafia movie? Everything he'd experienced felt like an authentic reenactment!

A warm rush surged in Moss's heart; his literary affliction was about to flare up again.

"Oh... my dear Michael Corleone, great men are not born great, they grow great!" Moss recited with fervor, his words so powerful it seemed to transport everyone into a film scene. The burly man and his gun-toting lackeys were dumbfounded; they hadn't expected this Easterner to speak with a flawless Sicilian accent.

Could it be that this Eastern boy was the true veteran, a descendant of the Corleone family?

Too bad they were overthinking it!

In the instant their attention wavered, Moss darted like lightning toward Ruslein's car. He had long noticed these men were amateurs; the car's starter was still plugged into the rear, and they didn't even realize it needed to be removed.

He started the engine, flung open the door, and dove inside—all in less than five seconds. Once inside, Moss floored the accelerator, burning rubber and filling the air with acrid smoke and blue fumes, forcing everyone to cover their noses and retreat.

He spun the car rapidly, using its front as a pivot, knocking down a swath of armed lackeys and scorching a nearly perfect circle onto the ground.

"Get in, quick!" Moss shouted.

At the critical moment, Wang Yining showed her true mettle, seizing the opportunity and diving headlong into the car without even opening the door.

Though a few henchmen fired at them, it couldn't stop Moss's fierce acceleration. The car roared, plowing through those blocking the way, sending them tumbling, then charged madly onto the street and vanished into the night.

After speeding away from the factory, Moss relaxed when he saw no pursuers. Mimicking a scene from a film, he told Wang Yining to check if she had any extra bullet holes.

"Oh, please, Moss, those guys are nothing but fools. Their guns were all props that only made noise and flashed lights. Look, not a single bullet hole in the car, not even in the glass!" Wang Yining had spotted the trick when they fired.

"Ha ha, is that so? Then how did they manage to get hold of this car? Surely it's not just a prop too?" Moss mocked them, but now he worried about the car’s authenticity.

"It shouldn’t be, just look at these materials!" Wang Yining knocked hard on the car’s sturdy roll cage.

They chatted enthusiastically, oblivious to the five pitch-black, strangely shaped cars approaching rapidly from behind. These vehicles were eerily quiet—no wonder neither of them noticed the engines.

In the blink of an eye, the strange cars caught up and formed a tight encirclement: two blocked the front, two squeezed from either side, and the last pressed firmly against their rear bumper, preventing any escape.

"Damn, we were careless!" Moss growled, now completely out of options unless he sprouted wings.

The strange cars moved with uncanny precision and speed, their coordination so flawless that Moss and Wang Yining couldn’t help but be amazed.

There was nothing else to do; they had to surrender.

What kind of drivers were these, with such superb skills?

Moss and Wang Yining glanced around; meeting masters in the homeland of supercars wasn’t surprising.

But when all five cars lowered their windows simultaneously, the two were utterly astonished.

Driverless! It was cutting-edge technology!

"Hand over the car and you’ll live!" one of the strange cars actually spoke.

No, Moss shook his head—he must have watched too many sci-fi movies lately. It was just the cars’ speakerphone function; someone must be remotely controlling them.

"We won't give up this car so easily. I need to know why Ruslein's vehicle is here!" Moss had been obsessed with the mystery of Ruslein for a long time, convinced that the rumors online weren’t baseless.

"Heh heh heh heh, you have only one chance. Say goodbye!" The strange cars’ windows rolled up in unison.

"Perverts, what does that even mean?" Moss muttered.

Wang Yining’s face grew grim. She pointed ahead and said, "It’s bad—they really mean what they say!"

Moss followed Wang Yining’s finger. Without realizing it, they had driven onto a mountain road, and the five strange cars were accelerating toward a bend with deadly precision.

Below the curve, anyone could guess, lay either a sheer cliff or a bottomless abyss.

"Oh my god! Take the car, I won’t study it anymore!" Moss rolled down his window and shouted at the strange cars.

It was useless; the other side seemed deaf to his pleas.

Wang Yining gripped Moss’s arm tightly, her eyes squeezed shut.

Perhaps they’d meet again in another life! Moss’s face turned pale as he twisted the useless steering wheel.

Boom!

After a deafening crash, Moss felt their car come to a halt.

Were they dead? Moss barely dared to open his eyes and face the world beyond death.

Knock knock knock!

What was that sound? Was it a demon knocking at the door?

"Hey! You’re alive, you can open your eyes now!" A clear female voice sounded outside the window, with a perfect British accent.

Moss joyfully opened his eyes and looked out. A woman of angelic beauty stood before him.

She must have saved them. Moss saw a yellow freight truck had stopped them just at the edge of the cliff. Two of the strange cars had disappeared, two were smashed beneath the truck, and one was barely functioning, billowing blue smoke in the distance.

Ruslein’s car was intact as ever—truly, the "tank aura" was unbeatable.

The woman bent slightly, looked at Moss, removed her sunglasses, and smiled. Moss was surprised to recognize her as the beautiful blonde he’d met on the plane en route to Germany.

Wilmin!

Moss was secretly shocked—how could he meet her again in Rome? Was she his fan?