Jiang Baimian seemed to have been thinking about this question for a while. She smiled and said in a deliberately light tone:
"This isn't too difficult. How about this, I'll put on the exoskeleton and use its integrated warning system and my own sensitivity to electrical signals to give Jingfa a surprise.
"Caught off guard, we might be able to severely injure him."
"He's an Awakened," Shang Jianyao pointed out.
Jiang Baimian chuckled:
"I'm not stupid. I've already learned my lesson; how could I not consider that?
"I'll try to keep the distance at more than fifty meters. That should be beyond the limit of Jingfa's 'Hungry Ghost Path' ability. Otherwise, he wouldn't have waited to pounce from the tree to activate it. And at that distance, my hit rate isn't low, even with a grenade launcher."
After a moment's thought, Shang Jianyao and the others accepted Jiang Baimian's explanation, but Bai Chen quickly raised another issue:
"If you and Shang Jianyao switch positions, who will drive? Who will ensure that we can avoid Jingfa's ranged attacks in advance?"
Jiang Baimian "tssked":
"That's indeed a problem. Let me think about how to solve it..."
Shang Jianyao remained silent for two seconds before taking the initiative to speak:
"I'll do it."
Following this suggestion, Jiang Baimian said to herself:
"If you do it, we'll have to modify the plan.
"Compared to Jingfa, who is a monk, you have almost no experience. If I entrust you with the task of giving Jingfa a 'surprise' and trying to severely injure him, I'm worried it will put too much burden and pressure on you, causing you to make wrong judgments and choices at crucial moments.
"Hmm... how about this? Since Jingfa wants to play cat and mouse with you, you indulge him and lead him further away. Meanwhile, we'll take the opportunity to drive to a place in the Black Marsh wilderness where people frequently pass by. There are many tracks and footprints there, which will effectively cover our trail and make it impossible for Jingfa to find us and catch up.
"Don't speak... This brings another problem. Once you shake off Jingfa, you definitely won't be able to find us either. That distance will definitely exceed the effective range of the walkie-talkie.
"Let me think, think... I've got it! Let's agree on a relatively well-known location in the wilderness to meet up.
"Bai Chen, are there any landmarks nearby?"
Bai Chen observed the surroundings and looked at the sky:
"The only landmark nearby is the abandoned steel mill.
"However, once we reach a place where people frequently pass by, given our current direction, we'll head all the way towards Yuelu Station."
"Yuelu Station?" Jiang Baimian frowned slightly. "How long will that take?"
"Maintaining the current speed, about a day and a half, but we definitely won't be able to drive this fast the whole way," Bai Chen estimated.
--Earlier, the Ruins Hunter named Harris Brown and his companions, relying on the small paths passable by bicycle, also took more than a day to reach the abandoned steel mill from the north of Yuelu Station. Normally, it wouldn't be possible to arrive so quickly by car, but Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others' jeep had been running at full speed towards Yuelu Station for nearly half a day while being chased by Jingfa. Moreover, the jeep was definitely faster than a bicycle, and the "Old Task Force's" destination was only Yuelu Station; they hadn't planned to continue north.
Jiang Baimian nodded thoughtfully:
"If we use Yuelu Station as the rendezvous point, we can also try to fake some tracks pointing north.
"If we've already successfully shaken off Jingfa, that would be the best. If not, we can use this to lure him north, drawing him into that unknown mess and colliding with something that sounds very dangerous.
"After that, even if he has the ability to escape, he shouldn't be able to catch up with us."
As she spoke, Jiang Baimian's already loud voice grew even louder, as if she was very excited about being able to trick Jingfa.
Shang Jianyao listened silently. Just like at school, he raised his hand:
"I have a question."
"What is it?" Jiang Baimian asked, puzzled.
She thought she had explained it very clearly.
Shang Jianyao said in a slightly muffled voice:
"I don't know Yuelu Station, and I don't know how to get there."
"..." Jiang Baimian was speechless for a moment.
After a few seconds, she chuckled self-deprecatingly:
"I forgot you're a newbie on the surface...
"This shows you're doing well!
"If I didn't need to concentrate on driving, I would give you a thumbs-up!"
After forcing an explanation, Jiang Baimian sighed:
"I heard that before the Old World was destroyed, there were many usable satellites in the sky. This could help people easily locate their destination, allowing them to skillfully choose the most suitable route to arrive, even if they had never been there before.
"This... I'll still put on the exoskeleton. Then, I'll continue driving. After avoiding Jingfa's first wave of attacks, I'll get out of the car to chase him. Bai Chen can take the opportunity to climb into the driver's seat and take control of the car."
"What if Jingfa launches an attack while you're putting on the exoskeleton?" Bai Chen thought of a hidden loophole in the plan.
Jiang Baimian was stumped and couldn't speak.
Bai Chen looked at the rearview mirror, her expression as calm as ever:
"I'll get out of the car too. I'll guide Shang Jianyao.
"The exoskeleton shouldn't affect movement and reaction ability too much if it's just carrying someone as short as me."
"I told you, you're not short, you're petite. Your height is considered above average for people in the wilderness. I've seen many vagrants who are less than 1.6 meters tall," Jiang Baimian retorted casually, then nodded. "I won't say this is a very dangerous thing. Since we were born in the greylands and came to the surface, taking on the corresponding risks at the right time is a common development. If I need to take a risk, I won't pass the responsibility on to you."
She took a breath and reminded:
"Remember to bring some food."
Saying this, she suddenly closed her mouth and even released her right hand from the steering wheel.
She pointed to the compressed biscuits and energy bars in the glove compartment, then pointed to her mouth and made a cheek-puffing gesture.
Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were quite puzzled. Just as they were about to ask, they saw Bai Chen turn her head and wink at them.
They both gave up the words that had risen to their throats.
Although Bai Chen didn't understand what Jiang Baimian wanted to express either, she could tell that the team leader didn't want to discuss this topic any further, or even have a conversation.
At this time, Jiang Baimian gripped the steering wheel again and said instead:
"Shang Jianyao, you also need to think about how to deal with Jingfa's 'Hungry Ghost Path'.
"If he stops playing cat and mouse and suddenly approaches you, bringing the distance within the effective range of his ability, that would be troublesome."
"I will properly..." Saying this, Shang Jianyao paused, then nodded emphatically, "Think about it!"
After answering, he quickly said to Bai Chen:
"Time is of the essence. Let's take the food and prepare to get out of the car.
"We can also eat a little now, as we might not be able to stop for a long time to eat later."
"Okay." Bai Chen took the food from the glove compartment and gave half to Shang Jianyao.
Shang Jianyao tore open a bag of compressed biscuits and stuffed the food inside into his mouth.
Less than a minute later, Jiang Baimian suddenly yanked the steering wheel, causing the jeep to dodge a laser fired by Jingfa.
Without being told, Shang Jianyao opened the car door and jumped out of the jeep—this time, he didn't roll, but instead exerted force to leap.
With a hiss, another laser pierced the ground somewhere.
If Shang Jianyao had rolled like before, he would have been hit by this laser—even with the exoskeleton's partial armor, he would not have survived.
Immediately afterward, he used the strength in his knees to drive the assisted joints to support him, and his entire body leaped a dozen or twenty meters, heading straight for Jingfa in the distance.
The mechanical monk Jingfa, as before, immediately retreated, widened the distance, and began circling.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jiang Baimian slammed on the brakes, slowing down the car so that Bai Chen could roll out of the passenger seat unharmed.
With a whoosh, Bai Chen casually closed the door, rolled, and hid behind a cluster of low shrubs.
The jeep's speed instantly soared again, heading towards the main road in the Black Marsh wilderness where people frequently traveled.
At this time, Shang Jianyao, who had driven Jingfa far away, returned to the vicinity.
His body covered in a black iron metal frame and a small amount of armor, he pointed to the energy backpack behind him, signaling Bai Chen to sit there.
Bai Chen darted out of the bushes and used the exoskeleton's assisted joints as a "ladder" and "handhold," climbing onto the energy backpack in a few quick movements.
This made her much taller than Shang Jianyao, even when sitting down.
And compared to holding her with one hand, this was the method that least affected the exoskeleton's movement and aiming.
Next, they would chase Jingfa all the way, driving the mechanical monk further and further away, and circling around with him in this area, to buy Jiang Baimian and Long Yuehong time to escape Jingfa's tracking range.
Wearing a metal helmet, Shang Jianyao took two or three steps and, without being attacked, actually started jumping and rolling on his own.
Bai Chen curled up and gripped the metal bones at the shoulders of the exoskeleton tightly, preventing herself from being thrown off.
She understood that Shang Jianyao was taking advantage of the time before Jingfa counterattacked to do more practice.
After rolling a few times, Shang Jianyao strode forward, relying on the long-range vision provided by the integrated warning system to chase after the mechanical monk in the red kasaya.
Jingfa's eyes glowed brightly red, seemingly because he saw a female in an unstable state.
His metal joints bent, and his whole body sprang up, leaping to the side.
He wasn't completely crazy and was still executing his planned strategy. After all, his hatred of women stemmed from a psychological distortion caused by his body, not a price he had to pay as an Awakened. He had a certain degree of self-control.
Seeing this, Shang Jianyao, who was carrying grenades, didn't return like before but continued to chase Jingfa, trying to close the distance.
After chasing and fleeing for several minutes, Bai Chen, on the energy backpack, suddenly bent down and said in a deep voice:
"Something's wrong.
"Jingfa is circling back towards the jeep!
"He wants to bypass us and continue to chase the team leader and the others!"
ps: Asking for recommendation tickets~