Chapter 47: The Big Bang

It was the mob who fired the first shot, striking the iron skin of the armored vehicle.

Inside, aside from the dull thud of impact, a tremor—different from the usual bumps—shuddered through the cabin.

What followed was a hail of bullets.

“Boys, it’s hailing.”

Hansen, crouched at the firing port, shrugged. With practiced ease, he loaded a bullet into the chamber and leveled his scope at one of the mobsters riding a motorcycle.

As the distance closed rapidly, his previously lazy gaze sharpened.

“There’s a saying in Asia—‘reciprocity.’ My good brother on the other side, it’s my turn to return the favor.”

Bang, bang, bang.

Three consecutive shots rang out, sparks spitting from the muzzle.

One bullet hit the motorcycle’s tire.

Though it didn’t cause an instant blowout, it forced the vehicle into a violent skid.

The rider and bike flipped at astonishing speed.

Friction screamed as metal and asphalt kissed.

Boom.

The overturned vehicle caught fire—then exploded.

Zhou Jianzhong didn’t hold back his praise. “Hansen, your aim’s on point today.”

Hansen grinned.

He wasn’t an ability user—just an ordinary man. His shooting accuracy was average within the team.

Under normal conditions, hitting a moving target while himself in motion was no easy feat.

This time, luck had clearly lent a hand.

Xiao Wang glanced at the beautiful consultant beside him, voice laced with amazement. “I never thought the first one to detect the enemy would actually be Consultant Luo.”

“There were many motorcycles,” Luo Yan explained. “The heat from their combustion engines altered the air temperature, changing its density and causing light refraction. If you observe carefully, you’ll see slight distortions high in the air behind us. I just happened to notice.”

It was the most logical explanation she could offer at the moment.

In a sense, she wasn’t wrong.

By being sensitive to changes in environmental parameters, one could indeed discover anomalies.

However, to trace the cause back from a subtle high-altitude light distortion to actual enemies on motorcycles required not only exceptional observational ability—but also bold imagination.

“I see…”

Xiao Wang instinctively looked toward the sky above the enemies.

Sure enough, there was a faint distortion, just as she said.

The surprise in his heart deepened.

To be the first to detect the anomaly and immediately judge it as an enemy attack—

This wasn’t something a so-called “half-baked consultant who got into Neo Aonan through connections” could pull off.

Though he’d always felt Luo Yan wasn’t simple, that hunch was now confirmed.

What did she do before she joined Neo Aonan Energy?

At that moment, her flawless beauty seemed cloaked in mystery—an irresistible allure.

A perfect face blending Eastern and Western features, a figure even hotter than the captain’s, meticulous observation skills, and an unfathomable mind and background…

Xiao Wang subconsciously took a deep breath, trying to dispel the distractions at this critical moment.

Yet as he glanced at her again, he noticed the faint crease of worry between her brows.

It made him feel an urge to protect her.

“Consultant Luo, this must be your first time facing this kind of situation, right?”

Luo Yan nodded.

Indeed, it was her first time being attacked by mobs.

For some reason, seeing her nod brought Xiao Wang a flicker of secret joy.

He tried to keep his voice steady and reliable. “Don’t worry. I’ve experienced mob attacks several times. Usually, it won’t be a big problem. And even if something happens, I’ll protect you, Consultant Luo.”

“Then I’ll be in your care.”

Luo Yan offered a faint smile.

That small smile made Xiao Wang feel like his heart was about to melt.

But Luo Yan didn’t have the luxury of indulging in the subtle shift in her colleague’s feelings.

Her attention was focused on the radar view generated by the vehicle’s early warning system.

Even though she hadn’t experienced prior attacks, she could tell—this one wouldn’t be so simple.

Just then, a voice came from the rear.

“Captain, the number of mobs is a bit high, and their firepower’s way heavier than usual. I don’t know where they got so many anti-materiel weapons… If we don’t shake them off soon, I’m afraid this armored vehicle won’t last.”

Lin Yuanyao’s brows furrowed slightly.

Just as she was about to speak, a team member’s voice came through the walkie-talkie:

“Captain, let’s just stay and fight these mobs. Their personnel quality is uneven, and their equipment’s garbage. Don’t worry about us—we’ll catch up after we take care of them.”

“Request denied.”

Lin Yuanyao quickly assessed the situation and issued the next order. “All transport teams, full speed ahead. Shake off the mob team as much as possible.”

In her view, the transport unit’s primary mission was to move ore—not waste time on armed militants.

If they couldn’t distinguish between primary and secondary objectives, they’d end up being led by the nose by the enemy.

Just then, Luo Yan spoke up. “Captain Lin, be careful of the right.”

Lin Yuanyao’s gaze shifted instantly.

She picked up the walkie-talkie again. “All units, be advised. There may be an enemy attack from the right. Evade left immediately and strengthen vigilance on the right flank.”

This time, she didn’t hesitate to trust Luo Yan’s warning and immediately adjusted the team’s formation accordingly.

From this moment on, Luo Yan, who had once been mocked as a “useless social butterfly,” was no longer just a pretty face.

She had become Consultant Luo—a valuable asset who could provide critical guidance to the team.

Moments later, an ambush team rushed out from the right flank.

Thirty armed men, well-positioned and ready to strike.

If the team hadn’t dodged in advance, they would’ve been caught completely off guard, their convoy scattered and overwhelmed.

As they watched the enemy force pour out from the right, everyone’s gaze toward Luo Yan shifted.

If the first warning had been dismissed as luck, then a second accurate warning…

That wasn’t luck.

That was skill.

After a long chase—and with the help of Luo Yan’s two timely alerts—the transport unit, now holding the upper hand in terms of intel, finally managed to shake off both enemy groups.

“Damn it, are these mobs on steroids today?”

Hansen, finally able to breathe again, let out a frustrated curse.

The mobs they’d fought in the past were never this organized—let alone capable of such well-coordinated, interlocking ambushes.

Behind them… something bigger was clearly at play.

Lin Yuanyao didn’t relax her guard.

She clutched the walkie-talkie tightly and asked, “Consultant Luo, is there anything else we need to watch out for now?”

“Be careful of the front…”

“What?”

Luo Yan took a deep breath, her expression growing grave.

“No. Turn around. Right now. Immediately!”

Ahead of them—where no one else had noticed—she saw it:

A field saturated with thousands of abnormal environmental parameters.

Warnings piled together like a surging scarlet ocean.

Though the system didn’t name the threat directly, Luo Yan had a terrifying guess about what it was.

Faced with such a sudden and bold command, someone immediately questioned her:

“If we turn around now, we’ll run straight into the mobs still chasing us! Are you serious, Consultant Luo?”

Even Captain Lìn, who was usually decisive, hesitated for a moment.

“Consultant Luo…”

But before she could finish—

A world-shaking explosion tore through the air ahead.

A deafening boom.

A tidal wave of heat slammed into them like a tsunami.

It wasn’t just heat—there was also a thick, overwhelming stench of rot.

Putrid, suffocating, nearly tangible.

Everyone’s face in the vehicle turned pale—everyone except Luo Yan.