Chapter 90: The Fuse

“Damn, that's really over the top!”
Chu Ning couldn't help but curse. He hadn’t expected the person to ignite the fuse would be the target trapped inside the chemical plant. They had subconsciously regarded the target as already in their grasp, never considering that the target was a thinking human being.
When different minds collide, they can spark extraordinary stories.
If you put yourself in their shoes, anyone who realizes a group of bizarrely dressed people is surrounding them, and that the relationship between both sides is clearly hostile, would choose to resist.
When it comes to survival, humans can unleash limitless drive, for the command to live is far above any other bodily function. The body will actively cooperate to help its host escape, regardless of whether it overdraws its vitality.
Just as when humans are threatened, the body will prioritize energy for the vital organs, creating compensatory functions to keep life going.
As long as the eyes can see and the ears can hear, anyone can discern that those stationed near the factory are up to no good. Therefore, it was only natural that a heavy truck burst out of the chemical plant, bearing warnings of flammable and explosive cargo.
The truck’s windows were covered with cloth, so from a distance, all anyone could see was a pitch-black shape. Without close inspection, it was impossible to identify the target, and since they held to the principle of “better to kill by mistake than let escape,” they would never allow the truck to pass unchecked.
As for the conspicuous hazard signs on the vehicle, the profit-driven pursuers automatically ignored them. The feverish enthusiasm people show for meager gains is frightening—society seems obsessed with money, and wealth has become the measure of success.
They are nothing but struggling ants at the bottom, and perhaps when facing threats to their lives, they don’t make a ripple in the eyes of the powerful, but at least they are not numb lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
The truck that barreled out of the chemical plant hadn’t reached its top speed; the short distance inside the factory didn’t allow for full acceleration.

But Chu Ning was certain that whoever was driving the truck had the pedal pressed all the way down, with no notion of slowing or caution. Though the speed hadn’t reached its peak and the impact hadn’t hit its threshold, it was still far beyond what humans could stop, like trying to block a river with a twig.
The scene before them was like dynamite fishing in a pond: all the idle watchers were startled into action. They rushed to intercept the moving loot, terrified of falling behind.
“Wait, it’s not our turn yet!” Chu Ning stopped Tanya, who was eager to finish the task. The target could very well be inside the truck; the truth and the false can blur together!
Even with pre-laid traps, they had to grit their teeth and dismantle them, to see who was really inside.
Since it wasn’t time to step in, the others hidden at lower vantage points remained silent, so Chu Ning decided to bide his time a little longer.
If the enemy doesn’t move, neither do I!
Chu Ning refused to believe the company’s people couldn’t figure out the location of the test subject. Judging from the information gleaned from that poster, the company must have some device to roughly pinpoint the subject.
Experiments that break the law and defy human norms, by their very nature, require secrecy. Such experiments, which overturn common sense, can never see the light of day. Thus, the control, retrieval, and destruction of the specimens is all the more crucial!
Chu Ning understood this well; he was especially attentive to the secrecy of his own experiments. Thinking of it brought a pleased smile to his lips—it truly was a time worth remembering.
In some sense, Chu Ning was also a ruthless, mad scientist, sharing the same ambitions as the company. Both had created uncontrollable monsters, just to verify certain things.
Their methods of intercepting the truck were rather simplistic. They had prepared all sorts of tools for dealing with humans and supernatural threats, but none that could effectively stop a heavy vehicle. They could only resort to basic tactics to slow the truck.

A convertible jeep suddenly accelerated toward the truck. Its appearance made clear it had been illegally modified. Chu Ning watched this unfold, a string of question marks flashing in his mind.
He couldn’t fathom what the jeep driver was thinking—rushing headlong at a speeding truck was certainly not wise.
“Stop right now! We’re about to collide! With the truck’s speed, I’ll be dead for sure. If you don’t want a lawsuit on your hands, stop the truck!” the jeep’s driver shouted through a loudspeaker.
“Idiot!” Tanya cursed, exasperated. Placing hope in the unspoken moral codes of human society might work in another setting.
After all, everyone who lives within society is somewhat connected, and these invisible bonds constrain behavior; some may hesitate to risk a crash out of too much concern.
Moreover, the jeep was quite valuable—perhaps this was the owner’s confidence, hoping others would avoid damaging it. Otherwise, the resulting compensation would be astronomical, enough to ruin a family.
But the person inside the truck acted as if they hadn’t heard a thing, charging forward with unstoppable momentum, as if nothing could stand in their way.
The jeep’s owner, clearly hot-tempered, pressed on as well, risking everything for the gamble that the truck would brake first. It was a duel at the gambling table, neither willing to admit defeat.