"This… there's no road. How do we proceed?"
Natasha asked.
"Hundun says we need to wait. It's not time yet."
Xia Ling replied, holding Hundun in her arms. She herself found it strange—Hundun only told her to wait, but couldn't clearly explain what they were waiting for. After all, it was just a juvenile and couldn't express everything clearly.
Natasha shrugged. The two off-road vehicles remained parked side by side, waiting for Hundun's signal.
As time dragged on, everyone grew restless and got out of the vehicles. Sitting inside for too long was uncomfortable—better to stretch their legs.
It wasn't until near noon that Hundun suddenly flapped its wings excitedly, letting out a series of chirping sounds.
"The time's come. Move—now!"
Xia Ling called out and quickly got into the passenger seat with Hundun.
Everyone rushed back into the vehicles. The moment the engines started, the bamboo forest ahead parted on its own, revealing a narrow path just wide enough for a single car.
"Incredible."
Natasha couldn't help but marvel. Even Steve in the back seat shared the same sentiment.
The two vehicles slowly drove into the bamboo forest. Natasha led, with Shang-Chi following closely behind. She deliberately kept the speed low—the road ahead was unknown, and the "path" wasn't fixed. The bamboo only parted a few meters ahead of the car as it moved.
She didn't dare go too fast. What if the bamboo opened to reveal a pit?
In the second vehicle, Shang-Chi curiously observed the surroundings. Peter and Tony did the same. Among everyone, Carl was the calmest—he had seen plenty of bamboo forests in his previous life. The only surprising thing was that this one moved.
"We should speed up."
Xia Ling suddenly said.
"What?"
Shang-Chi thought he misheard.
"Natasha, accelerate! Shang-Chi, stay close!"
Xia Ling repeated.
Before anyone could react, the bamboo behind them suddenly snapped shut. The path they had entered from vanished instantly—and the bamboo closed at terrifying speed. If they didn't accelerate now, they would be swallowed by the forest.
"Damn it! Natasha, floor it!!"
Tony glanced back—the closing bamboo was right on their tail.
Natasha had already noticed. She slammed the accelerator, and the car shot forward.
Behind them, Shang-Chi did the same. Both vehicles sped ahead, while the bamboo in front rapidly parted—but Natasha still couldn't see the full road. The opening extended only about three meters ahead of the car, unfolding as they advanced.
"Turn right in three seconds!"
Xia Ling called out again. These instructions all came from Hundun—the only one who truly knew the way through the maze.
"Shang-Chi, stay on me!"
Natasha's voice came through the comms.
"Three—"
"Two—"
"One—"
"Now!"
Natasha jerked the wheel hard to the right. The vehicle tilted sharply under the force of the turn. With the speed they were going, physics couldn't be ignored.
Steve, seated in the rear left, immediately leaned over, practically throwing his weight onto Sam to counterbalance.
Shang-Chi followed suit, yanking the wheel right. In his vehicle, Tony took a simpler approach—his nanotech armor covered his arm, and he fired a repulsor blast. The recoil helped the car snap into a perfect ninety-degree turn, and Shang-Chi slammed the accelerator again.
"Now left!"
They had barely recovered from the last turn when Xia Ling shouted again. Natasha spun the wheel the other way—this time, Sam ended up sprawled over Steve.
In the rear vehicle, Carl fired a smaller version of Megaflare—a white beam shot from his palm, instantly vaporizing a swath of bamboo on the left. Yet the forest's vitality was astonishing—it regrew within seconds.
This move came from the summoned beast Bahamut. Originally called Gigaflare, it was the most destructive ability among the summons—its ultimate form, Teraflare, could destroy an entire planet. What Carl used just now was a heavily weakened version—"Megaflare" was more than appropriate.
In the passenger seat, Peter had already cocooned himself with webbing, anchoring himself firmly. No matter how violently the car swayed, he stayed in place—though his head wobbled wildly.
The recoil forced the car into another sharp turn. What followed was a relentless sequence of left and right turns. In the lead car, Steve and Sam kept crashing into each other. In the rear car, Carl and Tony continuously fired beams and repulsors. The vehicles endured the punishment as they sped forward erratically.
"Please! When are we getting there? I—I think I'm carsick… I'm gonna throw up!!"
Peter's head bobbed like a wobble toy, gagging between words.
"You swing around New York all day and never get sick, but now you're carsick? Did you overeat this morning?"
Carl shot back. He had seen Peter devouring food nonstop earlier—long after everyone else had finished.
"How was I… supposed to know… it'd be… this intense—ugh—!"
Peter gagged, wishing he could web his own head in place. His seat had practically turned into a cocoon.
After countless turns, smoke began rising from both vehicles' engines. Finally, Natasha spotted the end of the bamboo forest—a sliver of bright light ahead where the bamboo hadn't fully closed.
"Hold on!!"
She stomped the accelerator. The car let out a tortured roar—the hood burst open and flew off, flames licking at the engine as the vehicle surged forward like an arrow.
Shang-Chi followed close behind. His vehicle was smoking, but not yet on fire.
At the last moment, both cars burst out of the bamboo forest and plunged straight into a shallow pool. Shang-Chi's car slammed into the back of Natasha's with a loud crash.
Natasha switched on the wipers. As the water cleared from the windshield, they finally saw what lay ahead—
A waterfall.
The vehicles were completely wrecked. Everyone got out, but the sight before them was breathtaking. Cool mist from the waterfall filled the air, refreshing their senses with every breath.
Beside the falls stood a tree with vivid red leaves—unlike maple leaves, these were a striking, almost unnatural crimson.
The group took in the scenery in awe. Even Carl did the same—though he had seen it in the movie, experiencing it in person was something else entirely.
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