Dragon Raises Its Head!

After defeating Scarred Woman, Li Yèlái leaped out the window and ran straight into the Male Bodyguard, who was about to escape through a hidden passage.

It was an inevitable clash with a formidable foe, a meeting of dragons and tigers.

After one enemy fell, fate sent another formidable foe right to his doorstep.

This was fate's malice, and a deadly trial.

If Li Yèlái had been exhausted, meeting an enemy like this would have meant certain death.

But now, his momentum was unstoppable, his blood surging. His body, energy, and spirit were all at their peak.

In a narrow pass, the brave prevailed!

This curse had instead become a way to pursue powerful enemies!

So, when Li Yèlái landed, he tossed aside Scarred Woman and swung the Chilong Ji in his hand, blocking the vehicle's only route. His momentum soared like a rainbow as he stood like a hegemon barring the way!

The Male Bodyguard's eyes were full of shock and disbelief. He had never imagined that Li Yèlái would fight his way out of the factory, only to end up right in front of him.

What kind of luck was this?

Damn it! Just damn it!

Scarred Woman was the strongest psychic he could control, a powerful second awakening of the Nether Path who had also mastered a few psychic techniques.

She was far stronger than those wild psychics, and could be considered one of the Red Dart Merchant Association's trump cards. He'd felt a pang of regret sacrificing a pawn like her.

That was right. Scarred Woman was a pawn, too. She'd thought the Male Bodyguard would come to help her, but in truth, he'd planned to escape alone with Greed Gold Coin and the treasure chest.

But now she'd been taken out just like that? And what about those Scavengers and wild psychics?

How had they failed to hold him off for even a little while?

Just how strong was this young man? Judging from the pressure of his Psychic Barrier, he was clearly only at the second awakening, third at most.

Could all the official Handlers really be this strong?

"Fuck you! I'll run you over!" After his brief shock, a vicious glint flashed in the Male Bodyguard's eyes. He slammed the accelerator to the floor, and the armored vehicle's engine roared as its speed shot up.

Yes, he meant to run Li Yèlái down. This armored vehicle, converted from a pickup truck, weighed several tons. At high speed, even if the Psychic Barrier didn't shatter, the impact would send a psychic flying. Only a barrier thick enough to stop a vehicle could withstand it, and psychics at the second or third awakening couldn't produce one that strong!

Li Yèlái could either stand his ground. The vehicle might be damaged, leaving the Male Bodyguard with nowhere to flee and making arrest inevitable. Or it might keep going and escape the encirclement. Either way, the young man would surely be sent flying and badly injured.

Or he could dodge and let the Male Bodyguard drive off!

But when the Male Bodyguard stomped on the accelerator and charged at him, he saw Li Yèlái holding the halberd in one hand and rushing forward with a leap.

He was actually charging toward the vehicle!

"You only make a few thousand Mega City Coins a month! What are you risking your life for?" The Male Bodyguard stared in disbelief, then sneered.

The armored vehicle lunged toward Li Yèlái like a prehistoric beast, unstoppable!

But Li Yèlái quickly swept his left hand across his face. The Hegemon Facial Mask appeared, and his Double Pupils returned!

His aura turned overbearing, like a mountain standing in the beast's path.

How could Li Yèlái let someone who cared nothing for others' lives and recklessly used a Forbidden Item escape?

Someone like that was a menace wherever he went, and an insult to the comrades who had made the ultimate sacrifice!

It was just a vehicle. He'd cut it apart!

Hegemon's Double Pupils—weaknesses revealed!

Several Black Lines extended from the armored vehicle. As long as he shattered it, the man inside would have no chance of escaping!

Li Yèlái's heart pounded like a war drum. The crimson scar left by Heart of Slaughter began to glow red.

He gripped the halberd with both hands, leaped forward, and thrust the Chilong Ji like a striking serpent straight at the charging off-road vehicle!

'Bang!'

'Screee!'

The two collided with a crash. Li Yèlái leaned forward, his legs digging desperately into the ground as he braced against the vehicle. The tremendous force still dragged him backward. His Psychic Barrier hadn't shattered and continued to hold the armored vehicle back, but his psychic energy was draining rapidly.

At the same time, the force still slammed into his body, pushing him several meters back. His sneakers broke apart as they scraped along the ground.

The Chilong Ji, meanwhile, stabbed precisely along the Black Lines and into the armored vehicle's front. It tore through the armor and struck the engine beneath the hood! Under the immense force, the entire halberd bent.

But Li Yèlái had successfully stopped the vehicle with a single thrust!

The Male Bodyguard stared in shock. He had never imagined anyone would be bold enough to destroy the engine with one strike and bring an armored vehicle to a halt. Who would do something so reckless? The man was insane—no, so confident he was downright arrogant!

But...

Unfortunately, this vehicle had more than one engine!

The Male Bodyguard roared and stomped the accelerator to the floor.

Scavengers faced all kinds of dangers in the wilderness, so every modified vehicle had a backup engine.

Destroying the front engine with one strike and stopping the speeding vehicle was impressive!

But what could Li Yèlái do about the backup engine in the rear? Get out of my way!

The armored vehicle, which had come to a stop, roared back to life and surged forward, about to drag Li Yèlái beneath its wheels.

But Li Yèlái dug his feet into the ground and let out a roar.

His heart pounded like a war drum. Every muscle in his body tightened to its limit, and the wound on his chest grew even redder.

The next second, the bent Chilong Ji twisted abruptly. With the armored vehicle right in front of him, Li Yèlái turned his body and put his strength behind the blow.

He roared with fury and swung the long halberd.

His strength could move mountains, his might could overshadow the world.

Single-Handed Eighteen Thrusts · Dragon Raises Head!

The Male Bodyguard felt himself fly—no, the vehicle had flown into the air.

Confusion filled his eyes. What had happened? This vehicle didn't even have the ability to fly.

The next moment, he and the vehicle crashed into the factory wall.

The Handlers and combat personnel from the West City Branch, who had come to reinforce them, stared at the scene in disbelief.

From where they stood, they'd seen Li Yèlái stop the armored vehicle with a single thrust.

Then Li Yèlái twisted his body, put his strength into his waist, and lifted and turned the Chilong Ji.

He had actually launched the entire armored vehicle into the air, then sent it crashing into the factory wall more than ten meters away. The vehicle had smashed into the wall.

He'd launched an armored vehicle with one thrust?

The West City Handlers gaped, unable to believe their eyes. Could someone at the second awakening really do that?

Amid the rubble where the vehicle had crashed, the Male Bodyguard staggered out of the burning wreck.

Then he saw a pair of Double Pupils close at hand, like those of a demon.

Li Yèlái stood before the Male Bodyguard, holding his long halberd.

Behind him stood several official psychics.

"We... We can probably discuss the acquisition..." The Male Bodyguard struggled to speak, but a kick to the chest sent him straight into unconsciousness.

Li Yèlái lowered his right foot and looked ruefully at his ruined shoe. He'd only had it for two years.

Then he turned to the West City Handler behind him and asked, "I had no choice but to launch his vehicle just now. I won't have to pay for the damage afterward, right? The factory and the wall..."

"No, no! We'll cover it!" several West City Handlers said, shaking their heads.

"That's good, that's good." Li Yèlái breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "Also, I knocked out a lot of people just now and seriously injured several wild psychics. Their medical bills..."

He'd seriously injured several psychics, too?

"We'll treat them and take care of everything. You're not responsible," the West City Handler said, shaking his head again.

A little over ten minutes later, the Red Dart Merchant Association's Scavengers were all under control, and the wild psychics had been arrested and subdued.

As far as the outcome went, the Forbidden Item had been recovered, and no one on either side had died.

It could be called a perfect operation.

But the West City Handlers were now gathered around Li Yèlái as he received treatment, talking among themselves.

"Night General is so strong. Is he really only at the second awakening?"

"What's his ability? Double Pupils?"

"He's incredible. He launched an armored vehicle with one thrust! If it were me, at the same awakening, I'd be sent flying ten meters."

"Think we could recruit him to the West City Branch?"

"He's good-looking, too. Maybe the girls in the branch could try their luck?"

"Wouldn't that be like throwing meat buns at a dog?"

"By the way, isn't our captain good friends with the East City Branch captain? We should have him see if he can bring Night General over here for an alliance marriage."

The Handlers kept talking, but Li Yèlái didn't know a thing about it.

At that moment, he was receiving treatment.

The Handler treating him was from the West City Branch, a True Martial Path psychic with the callsign Qì Bō.

He was also the leader of this group of Handlers, a third-awakening psychic.

His ability could disperse the pooled blood inside Li Yèlái's body, check for internal injuries, and even break up kidney stones.

"Good news, it's all external injuries. Some of your organs were slightly out of place, but I've put them back. Just rest for a few days," Qì Bō said with a smile. "You're in great shape. Did you enhance your physique?"

"Yeah. During the previous incident, I used Heart of Slaughter in Black Prison," Li Yèlái replied, nodding.

"I thought so." Qì Bō suddenly turned toward the distance and shouted, "Bring over a change of clothes and a pair of shoes! Are you going to let Night General go home dressed like that? People will think the West City Branch is broke!"

The Handlers who saw this couldn't help grumbling. Their captain had been the one most suspicious of Night General earlier, even worrying that he'd be a burden.

But the more suspicious he'd been before, the more enthusiastic he was now.

Li Yèlái took the clothes and shoes. His clothes had been torn in several places during the fight, and his shoes were completely ruined.

"Thanks!"

"What's there to thank me for? We're all colleagues. Even if we're in different branches, we're still comrades," Qì Bō said with a smile. "Besides, thanks for your help this time. Without you, that guy might have escaped the encirclement. We'd have looked like fools."

That was just polite talk. Li Yèlái had seen the dozen or so snipers outside.

Even if he hadn't stopped the Male Bodyguard, the man probably couldn't have escaped the encirclement.

And even if he'd made it past them, so what? Could he really have escaped the Mega City?

"Don't blame me for interfering with your operation. I'm unlucky," Li Yèlái replied. He really was worried he might have disrupted the West City Branch's operation, considering how bad his luck was. He'd just been hit by several hanging lamps, and even walking across a floor could make a tile pop up and trip him.

If he'd disrupted the operation, it would have been a serious offense.

But Qì Bō said, "We just found a Secret Passage in the alley between two factory buildings. You couldn't see it from outside, but a vehicle could pass through inside. That might've been his escape route. If he'd gotten past the encirclement, finding him would've been like searching for a needle in a haystack. So we should still thank you. You'll definitely get credit for this operation. We'll apply to headquarters to award you an appropriate number of Merit Points."

Li Yèlái nodded. Merit Points sounded good.

The curse of always encountering powerful enemies had instead sent the fleeing Male Bodyguard right to him. That was a good thing, at least.

Then Li Yèlái handed the Greed Gold Coin he'd hidden in his clothes to the Handler.

Qì Bō took the coin and sighed. "Once we learned this was the kind of Forbidden Item we were dealing with, we prepared for it to go out of control. Good thing you managed to get inside."

Good luck?

Li Yèlái's expression immediately turned strange.

Getting dragged into a Forbidden Item incident out of nowhere didn't seem like good luck to him.

But when he thought about it, it had been dangerous, yet he'd also stopped the situation from spiraling out of control.

"How are my boss and the others?" Li Yèlái asked. Things had happened so suddenly that he'd faced the enemy without having time to check on his boss.

"The Antique Shop owner?" Qì Bō said with a smile. "He got caught up in this incident and learned who you are. He's already signed a confidentiality agreement, and we've sent him home."

I see. I wonder if he'll still hire me now. Li Yèlái figured being a psychic shouldn't conflict with working at an Antique Shop.

Then Qì Bō called to several teammates in the distance, "What are you standing around for? Bring the car over and take Night General home! Get moving!"

The West City Handlers quickly drove over, all smiles.

"Uh, no need. I'll wait a little longer," Li Yèlái said, waving his hands. "I'm not very lucky, so I'd better not ride in the car."

"Don't worry, we're great drivers."

"Exactly! It's getting dark. Why don't we take you out for a meal?"

"Since we're eating anyway, why not have a drink?"

"Since we're drinking, why not spend the night in the West City?"

The West City Handlers assumed he was just being polite. They jostled him into the car and helped pack up the Chilong Ji to take along.

They wanted to get on Li Yèlái's good side and see if they could poach him from the East City Branch, so they weren't about to let this opportunity slip by.

After seeing how strong Li Yèlái was, they no longer wanted to let him go.

However, as soon as Li Yèlái got into the vehicle,

it started having all kinds of problems. The engine wouldn't start, and a tire went flat. They wanted to change it for the spare, only to find that the jack was broken, too. That wasn't a big deal; there were plenty of psychics there, and two of them could easily lift the car.

But before they could get it off the ground, the airbag suddenly deployed for no apparent reason.

It left everyone inside the car covered in dust.

The West City Handlers were stunned, staring at Li Yèlái in disbelief.

Li Yèlái helplessly spread his hands.

He knew his reputation as a vehicle killer would probably spread to the West City Branch.