VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 923: Night’s Frenzied Abyss

Pang Family Town glowed as dusk fell, a luxury sedan tearing through the streets.

A Mercedes S-Class AMG, complete with a distinctive license plate— anyone with status would recognize it instantly as the personal vehicle of Lu Zhengwu from the Lu family.

In a modest town like Pangjia, those who could afford a million-yuan car could be counted on one hand. Lu Zhengwu was one of them.

Cars on the road quickly made way, assuming Lu Zhengwu must be rushing to something urgent— his driver would never drive like that without reason.

In Pang Family Town, Lu Zhengwu’s reputation was well established. He was the very image of a successful man returning home in glory, and those who knew him often told their children to grow up to be someone like Mr. Lu.

But right now, the car held others: Ye Shisan and Yi Qing.

“Vanilla! Slow down! What happened?!”

“Waaah… Sister Long’er said she’s going to the back hills… to find the Clay Buddha’s head… waaah… I told her not to go!”

Ye Shisan grew anxious. “What? The back hills? Where’s she now?!”

The back hills had always been the burial ground of Touxiang Village’s ancestors. When Ye Thirteen was a child, part of it had been expanded into a dumping site. The place was foul, desolate, and steeped in ghost stories. Even locals avoided it unless absolutely necessary.

“Wahhh… She said she’d be back before sunset, but she’s still gone! Village Chief Dong went after her, but he said… if the sun sets and she’s still missing… then…”

As a child of the mountains, Ye Shisan knew the stakes. Lost alone in the wilderness, you were either devoured by beasts, or vanished without a trace.

Rescue odds were slim. Survivors often came back unhinged, needing a shaman to perform rites and call the spirit home. Unlucky ones remained mad for life, never whole again.

That tsundere airhead, You Long’er!

“Uncle Shisan! Please come back! I’m scared!”

Yi Qing said nothing. But her foot pressed hard on the accelerator, and the car surged forward like a roaring beast, tearing down the street in a frenzy.

Just before leaving town, a group of Land Rovers swarmed in from the side. The AMG was big, but next to those towering beasts, it looked downright small. In seconds, the Land Rovers boxed it in.

From the driver’s side, one window rolled down. Out popped Pang Niu’s ugly mug.

“Lu Zhengwu, I’ve been waiting to catch you alone! Walking right into my trap. Feeling cocky today, huh? Let’s see how tough those old bones really are!”

He whistled, and the Rovers on either side lunged inward, clamping the Mercedes between them.

“Boys! Take the old man for a spin! Hahaha!”

Diesel-powered brutes on both sides, Yi Qing couldn’t budge. She tried braking—but the trap was already set. From behind, a Ford Raptor roared forward and slammed into the rear. With a deafening crash, the three vehicles formed a wedge-like formation, locking the Mercedes in place.

On the outer flank, several more vehicles kept pace, with gangsters leaning out of windows and sunroofs, tossing bottles at the Mercedes. It was clear—Pang Niu meant business this time.

Yi Qing stomped on the brakes, sending clouds of smoke and dust billowing from beneath the car. The convoy surged forward, weaving wildly across the lane, a trail of smoke marking their path.

Under the assault of three massive vehicles, the combined force overwhelmed the Mercedes, driving it forward at breakneck speed. In no time, the entire convoy had stormed out of town.

Yi Qing gripped the wheel, tossing her phone to Ye Shisan. “Don’t sit there! Call the cops!”

Ye Shisan caught it, shaking his head. “Yi Qing, you’re being a bit muddled at a critical moment. If the cops get involved, sure, things might settle down—but you know better than me how long that’ll take.”

She froze. He had a point. Once the cops showed up, they’d haul everyone in, split them up for questioning. Blood tests, urine tests, ID checks, statements, vehicle damage reports… That whole circus wouldn’t wrap up before sunrise.

And this was Pang’s turf. Hell, they might be hoping you call the cops.

Every second counted—You Long’er’s life hung in the balance.

Hong Lin, the black cat, leapt onto Ye Shisan’s lap. “Father, want me to step in? I’m not fully recovered, but a simple illusion is well within my reach.”

Ye Shisan checked the speed. Even with Yi Qing braking, they were pushed to eighty kph. One slip, and they’d be done.

“Too risky,” he said. “It could backfire... Maybe I should try summoning Pseudo-Spirit Zhuqiu.”

“Ye Shisan, are you nuts?! You’ll get us all killed! Let me do it!”

Yi Qing gritted her teeth, drew her pistol from her waist, rolled down the window, and aimed out.

Pang Niu caught a glimpse—a pale hand emerging from the driver’s window, gripping a black, gleaming weapon.

“Shit! A gun!”

Startled, he instinctively slammed the brakes. Yi Qing saw her chance, released the handbrake, and floored it.

The Mercedes bolted forward like a shot—in the blink of an eye, even its taillights nowhere in sight.

Pang Niu’s crew saw their boss slam the brakes, and all the cars screeched to a halt. They circled back to his car, calling out one after another:

“Third Bro, that brake nearly scared the piss out of me!”

“Third Bro, what’s up? Are we letting Old Man Lu off the hook today?”

“He’s fast! If we don’t chase now, we’ll lose him!”

Pang Niu reclined in his leather seat, extended his left hand. A subordinate quickly lit a cigarette for him. He inhaled deeply, then growled,

“Damn it… pointing a gun at me? I’ve been in this game years, and no one’s pulled that!”

His words hung in the air. The men around him fell silent, exchanging uneasy glances, a chill creeping in.

These were street thugs—brawls, blades, intimidation? All in a day’s work. But when it comes to guns, they are all afraid, after all, they are lethal weapons that are not easily obtained.

Someone said, “Third Bro, should we ask Young Master Hua for help?”

Pang Niu snorted. “Young Master Hua isn’t someone we can summon at will. If not for the upcoming visit from the higher-ups, Young Master Hua wouldn’t even set foot in Pangjia Town. We’d never get a chance to meet him in this lifetime!”

“So what now, Third Bro? That old bastard’s got a gun. And we still gotta make a living in this town!”

Pang Niu bit down, inhaled deeply from his cigarette, then flicked the stub far into the distance.

“I know the guys under Young Master Hua, but it’ll cost us something. We’ll go in person, ask for backup. Lu Zhengwu thinks he’s tough? Let’s see him outmuscle Hong Gang!”

“Th-Third Bro… you mean the guys Young Master Hua brought… they’re from the Hong Gang?”

“What, you couldn’t tell? Look at you bunch—you really lack any perception! I, Pang Niu—Third Brother of Pang Family Town—am considered a capable fighter around here, right? But I’m telling you—every single one of those Hong Gang guys under Young Master Hua could knock me flat!”

“Wow… that strong? If only I could join the Hong Gang someday…”

“You? Dream on! None of us here are worth their spit. No offense, brothers, but the men around Young Master Hua are professional enforcers from the Hong Gang. Each one has taken lives.”

“Bare-handed kills?…”

The words sent a chill through the group. They were no strangers to street fights, but to kill a man with nothing but your hands— that meant true martial skill. And a level of danger they’d never faced.

Pang Niu stepped hard on the accelerator, the Land Rover growled beneath him.

“Brothers, we’re not losing face tonight! Let’s get it back! Lu Zhengwu, you’re fucking dead!”