Chapter 46

Chapter 46

“This is already Dunhuang.” With no cars chasing them from behind, Fu Xun found a spacious, wind-sheltered area and stopped the vehicle.

He got out immediately to check the damage to the cruiser.

There was a burnt, acrid smell in the car. Qu Yixian guessed that after the collision, the engine had overheated and burned some components. The smell had traveled through the air-conditioning filter, filling the cabin.

After getting out, she first went to the trunk and grabbed the toolbox.

When Qu Yixian walked around to the front of the vehicle and saw the cruiser's condition, even with prior mental preparation, she couldn’t suppress the shock of seeing it with her own eyes.

The cruiser’s front was completely smashed.

If a word could describe it—it would be “mangled beyond recognition.”

The front bumper had likely peeled off entirely on impact, exposing dark gray metallic parts underneath.

The left headlight was not only shattered on the outside, even the filament was crushed into powder, leaving only a few dust-covered short wires trembling in front of the car.

The hood was severely deformed, the metal warped like a short wave, bent and raised. Even the original hood latches connecting it to the car body were twisted inward, completely losing their shape.

Qu Yixian took a deep breath, repeatedly telling herself—to stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.

She steadied herself and expressionlessly handed the toolbox to Fu Xun.

At the moment, the most important thing wasn’t to lament the car—it was to repair the cruiser. If her guess was correct, this should be the heart of the South Baxian Yadan formations.

To leave this place, they still needed the vehicle beside them, which may or may not be able to run.

Fu Xun took the toolbox from her and placed it at his feet, then used a wrench to pry open the hood and inspect the power components.

Just now, in the critical moment, he hadn’t had time to think much.

Among all the solutions that came to mind, only ramming the Explorer into the Yadan formations could shake off the pursuing convoy.

The all-out move left both sides battered—injuring the enemy but also damaging himself.

He used the wrench at an angle, leveraging reaction force to unscrew bolts, inspecting each part carefully.

Qu Yixian held the flashlight for him. Being car-savvy, she almost didn’t need instructions; when he switched wrenches or screwdrivers, she could instantly tell from the tools which part he was checking and naturally directed the light there without waiting for him.

At first, Fu Xun glanced at her a couple of times. Later, with their growing tacit coordination, he barely looked up.

The wrecked front couldn’t be restored immediately, but Qu Yixian’s own tools and materials were complete. Replacing screws and small parts didn’t take long.

After ensuring the cruiser was drivable, Fu Xun adjusted and realigned the hood latches.

This was delicate work, testing both patience and strength.

Halfway through, while replacing screws, Qu Yixian handed him the needed screw before he could reach for it.

He lowered his eyes, seeing her slender, fair fingers slightly smeared with gasoline, and felt a flicker of irritation.

He stayed silent, took the screw, and fastened it to the part in a few turns.

Once the hood repair was done, he tossed the wrench into the toolbox, removed his gloves, and struck a cigarette from the pack into his mouth.

“Did you buy this car secondhand?” Fu Xun asked.

Qu Yixian tidied the toolbox, wiped her forehead with her sleeve, and nodded. “Secondhand. Six years old.”

Fu Xun stared at her for a long moment, smoke in his mouth, voice muffled, “Go replace it when we get back.”

He pulled out a lighter, flicked a flame to the cigarette tip, and said, “I crashed it, so I’ll pay for it.”

Qu Yixian was about to turn off the flashlight, but hearing that, she raised her palm, shining the light in his face and tilted it slightly, smiling, “What, you have so much money you don’t know what to do with it, and now you want to pay me?”

Her tone carried a laugh, tinged with light mockery and teasing, a little sarcastic.

“Before you hit the cruiser, you asked if I liked the G-Wagon… that’s what you meant, huh?” She clicked the flashlight off and slipped it into her jacket pocket, her expression cold, tossing the toolbox she had been holding to him. “No need.”

With that, she turned and went to the trunk to grab a spare fuel can, refueling the cruiser.

Fu Xun stood at the front of the vehicle for a moment. When she brought out the fuel can, he tossed the cigarette to the ground and extinguished it with his toe.

His eyes were heavy as he carried the toolbox back to the rear of the car. When he looked up, he saw her bending over, focused on filling the tank. On impulse, he stopped and leaned against the car light, watching her.

Qu Yixian didn’t lift her head. Listening to the liquid gurgle into the tank, she lazily lifted her eyelids and said, “If you have something to say, just say it. Staring at me won’t make me know what you’re thinking.”

Fu Xun kept his hands in his pockets, head lowered, tone calm: “I’ve never seen a woman stand on the edge of a car with the trunk open, flipping someone off at such high speed.”

Qu Yixian smiled. “That’s because you don’t know me well enough yet.”

Her tone was flat, as if it were nothing unusual, not worth mentioning.

Fu Xun thought she was right—he didn’t know her well enough.

Beyond the few rescue reports Peng Shen handed him, his understanding of her was negligible. What he had seen and experienced was only the tip of her iceberg.

When he fell silent, Qu Yixian actually had something to say: “You don’t need to treat me specially just because I’m a woman. Tonight, if anything, I dragged you into it. Don’t be like those self-righteous men who think I’m especially vulnerable and suddenly feel some chivalrous pity—I can’t bear that.”

She recalled the glance Fu Xun had given her in the rearview mirror. Perhaps she had looked somewhat heroic at that moment. Normal men would have two reactions: either thinking this woman was untouchable, or thinking that someone so strong must be lacking love.

When Yuan Ye had some fantasies about her, it was the second reaction. After she beat him up, he straightened out. He finally understood what “the more beautiful a woman, the more untouchable” meant.

Fu Xun smiled, drew another cigarette from the pack, and put it in his mouth.

This time he didn’t light it, just toyed with the lighter, glancing at her askance: “Do you habitually reject people?”

Qu Yixian didn’t understand. “Who do I habitually reject?”

Once the words left her mouth, she realized… wasn’t the man in front of her someone she habitually rejected? Saying that would almost humiliate him, which wasn’t her intention.

The fuel tank was finally full.

Qu Yixian screwed on the cap. Seeing him still standing there, she nudged him with her toe. “Ready to go.”

Fu Xun flicked the lighter repeatedly, lowering his gaze to look at her.

He didn’t move or speak.

Just stared at her.

Yuan Ye always said South Baxian got a little strange at night. She had never believed it—until tonight. Fu Xun was indeed odd, almost dazed, seemingly lost in thought.

She walked around him, putting the spare fuel can in the corner of the trunk. Just as she was about to leave, Fu Xun grabbed her wrist, pressing her against the car.

Qu Yixian froze, instinctively lifting a leg to kick. In the whispering wind, it seemed like a car was approaching.

She immediately stayed still, slightly raising her eyes to signal him to release her.

Fu Xun pretended not to notice. He lowered his head, his nose almost touching hers. As if that distance wasn’t enough, he leaned closer, his ear near hers, and whispered, “Seems like… they’re chasing us.”

Qu Yixian couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “They’re still far away, can you stop—”

Before she finished, a beam of light shone through a gap.

Qu Yixian abruptly fell silent. She glanced sideways, watching the car light flick past the dirt mounds, breaking out in a cold sweat.

She looked at Fu Xun, silently asking with her eyes: “What’s happening?”

“You said South Baxian gets tricky around midnight, like a maze?” His tone was calm. Compared to Qu Yixian’s tense body, he seemed relaxed, as if the enemy convoy just a step away was no concern at all.

“We’re inside the maze.”