Chapter 30: The Choice of Cai Jiashu

In some respects, Zhao Qiang’s approach was incredibly reckless. Although the metal spikes on the *Thorn* inflicted significant damage on the sandworm, they were not lethal. A mere slight roll of the creature’s gargantuan body would have flattened the *Thorn* and its passengers into a thin sheet of scrap metal.

Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps something else, but the sandworm, infuriated by the provocation, failed to crush the *Thorn* as it scrambled to escape. Instead, its thrashing only exacerbated the collapse within the air-raid shelter.

The *Thorn* was now trapped; the terrifying sandworm lurked nearby, long-range Crushers were fast approaching from the outside, the sky was gradually darkening, and the shrill, haunting cries of zombie bats began to drift through the air.

"Stop it!" Saber shouted. After a period of frantic thrashing, the sandworm finally stilled. Sunlight pierced through the heavy dust, illuminating the disgusting, rotting flesh in a grotesque display as the creature opened its tooth-filled maw and lunged back toward the earth.

"Do it again!" Zhao Qiang slammed the steering wheel. The *Thorn* spun around, its frame appearing puny before the sandworm, and charged fearlessly toward the beast.

"Do you like this?" Cai Jiashu roared with manic laughter. Just before the sandworm could burrow completely underground, the *Thorn* brushed past it once more. This time, disregarding the body fluids splattered by the high-speed rotating triangular spikes, Cai Jiashu opened the window and shoved a metal rod rigged with C4 explosives into the sandworm’s body.

The sandworm’s flesh was not as soft as they had imagined. Cai Jiashu’s move was even more reckless than Zhao Qiang’s ramming. The metal rod penetrated only a few inches before coming to a dead halt. The sandworm’s dense muscle and powerful momentum sent the rod flying back, striking Cai Jiashu squarely in the chest.

"Do you like my gift?" Cai Jiashu gritted his teeth, sweat the size of peas rolling down his pale face. Enduring the agonizing pain in his chest, he fumbled for the remote in his pocket. The series of movements nearly exhausted him. As he prepared to press the button, a mouthful of blood erupted from his lips, and his face flushed a sickly, morbid red.

"Old Cai!" Chen Ergou lunged toward him. Having exhausted his ammunition and seeing no further need to operate the incapacitated robot, he was the first to reach Cai Jiashu.

"C4... remote..." Lying in Chen Ergou’s arms, Cai Jiashu struggled to hand over the device before his head lolled to the side, and he lost consciousness.

"Ah!" Chen Ergou let out a roar and pressed the button with enough force to nearly shatter the remote. An explosion thundered from beneath the ground, followed by a tremendous, guttural howl.

Afterward, Chen Ergou tossed the remote aside and tore open Cai Jiashu’s clothes, revealing the horrifying wound on his chest. Due to the impact, his chest had suffered a massive indentation; his pulse was barely detectable, and his breathing had become shallow and labored.

The reprieve was short-lived. Cai Jiashu’s near-suicidal attack seemed not to have caused the sandworm much damage, and the enraged creature surged up from the ground once more.

Fortunately, the sandworm finally abandoned its attack on the air-raid shelter. Unfortunately, the *Thorn* had completely infuriated the massive monster, which, despite having half its body blown away, was still more than capable of crushing the vehicle. The C4, detonating within the narrow confines of the underground space, had amplified the blast, tearing away the rear half of the sandworm's body and sending a torrent of gore and fluids gushing from its unhealed wounds.

"I have an idea!" Zhao Qiang suddenly thought of what might happen if he used the long-range Crushers to attack the sandworm.

In truth, Zhao Qiang’s plan succeeded only halfway. He had failed to anticipate that the long-range Crushers occupied almost all the rooftops in the factory area, and the sandworm, despite being under fire, refused to shift its target toward those smaller, limb-missing nuisances.

Facing attacks from all directions, the *Thorn* struggled to cope. Often, "rockets" from the Crushers whistled past the vehicle’s hull by mere inches, causing the *Thorn’s* auxiliary defensive systems—including half the windows and the defensive robot—to be destroyed one after another.

The sandworm could only track its target through vibrations transmitted through the ground, so it remained close behind the *Thorn*. Many of the "rockets" that narrowly missed the vehicle ended up striking the sandworm directly.

Using the Crushers against the sandworm was not an ideal strategy. Not every "rocket" caused sufficient damage; many simply bounced off the creature's elastic, fleshy hide. Only a few managed to bore into its body, causing significant destruction.

"Let me out!" Cai Jiashu, having regained consciousness, shouted as the situation worsened.

"Are you crazy?" Zhao Qiang didn't look back; driving the *Thorn* took every ounce of his focus.

"Let me out!" Cai Jiashu repeated. "Let me deal with it, or we’re all going to die!"

"Damn it! Stop causing trouble!" Zhao Qiang glanced at the rearview mirror and yelled, "Ergou, knock him out! For God’s sake, this isn't the time to play the hero!"

"Ergou, just try and touch me!" Cai Jiashu’s eyes blazed. He held out his blood-smeared hands for everyone to see. "Zhao, I don't have time to argue with you! While I’m still lucid, let me off this car!"

The webs of Cai Jiashu’s hands were split open, and black blood welled from the ghastly tears. The impact of the metal rod hadn't just fractured his ribs; it had also shredded his hands.

While the chest wound might have healed with rest after basic field treatment, the wounds on his hands—seemingly less critical—were a death sentence. They had been thoroughly contaminated by the sandworm’s fluids, and the lethal Z-type enzyme was already circulating through his system.