Lion's Head

Crossing the final obstacle in the low-lying valley.

The Suzuki DL250 police motorcycle left a bright red trail in its wake on the road.

The behemoth followed closely behind, whipping up scorching winds as it ran.

Excluding its tail, it is about 750 centimeters long, and its head resembles the nose of an armored vehicle.

It charged through checkpoints and obstacles, completely ignoring the defensive firepower on both sides of the road. It used its wings to slightly cover its face and eyes, and ran forward with heavy breathing.

When the Green Lion moves, its four limbs move in a coordinated manner, scratching and propelling the ground, maintaining excellent balance with the help of its wings—that heavy yet eerie rhythm, and the light yet rapid sense of movement, makes one mistake this exquisite physiological structure for that of a work of art rather than a wild beast.

When it moves its limbs, the slow, elegant swaying motion resembles walking among the clouds, but when viewed from its extremely long stride, its speed is astonishing.

The speedometer at the checkpoint, still glowing with flame, was working diligently until its last breath—the elegant lion had reached a speed of 140 kilometers per hour.

Two streaks of light, one red and one blue, crashed into the empty, desolate road, startling a flock of bats and Golden-rumped swallow.

The streetlights flashed by, illuminating Mr. Wen's calm and serene face.

He frowned, glancing occasionally at the lion in the rearview mirror, observing its running movements.

"No, it's not hot enough. This guy is full of energy, with a rosy complexion, not at all like he's about to go out."

Communication signals were transmitted from the radio on the police motorcycles.

"--Excuse me, are you Wen Luo from No. 307, Xingfu Sweet Potato Street, near the train station?"

"Yes, it's me." Mr. Wen picked up the walkie-talkie. "You know my name?"

"We searched for a long time too. Guangling Zhixi's intelligence agent followed your residence to the cold storage owner who supplied you. His name is Ni Wen Luo. You don't have a temporary residence permit or a pass. Have you even forgotten your own name, Wen Luo? I heard you've been living here for sixteen years."

The sound from the radio suddenly distorted—turning into a noisy vibrato in a strong magnetic environment.

The motorcycle suddenly swerved sideways, and a bright blue meltwater appeared ahead of the road.

He was just a hair's breadth away from turning into a pool of boiling broth.

A few seconds later, the Green Lion awoke from its fiery stance, its face contorted with rage and frustration. Only by stopping its frenzied run could it lock onto its fast-moving target with its eyes—unfortunately, its breath attack missed, leaving it extremely agitated. It had no choice but to give up and continue the chase.

It could feel its fuel dwindling, and the intense hunger made it hesitant and afraid to squander its energy.

Should we just leave it at that?

Go find other targets?

It unconsciously slowed its pace, drawn by the vast, dark wilderness.

But--

The fragrance emanating from this human was making its mouth water.

If I could swallow it, it would surely burn for a very, very long time!

Wen Luo blew a loud whistle, twisted the accelerator, and swerved along the country road, leaving a dark scorch mark on the tires and emitting acrid exhaust fumes.

To the lion, it looked like some ungrateful beast was marking its territory with urine, a clear provocation!

Without hesitation, it gave chase, continuing its pursuit of the bright red taillights in the darkness.

The angry roar could be heard fifteen kilometers away at Wenquanguan—where the three friends had just left the last checkpoint, and the fiery footprints of the Green Lion were still visible on the asphalt road.

Communication equipment has been restored to normal operation.

"Who are you? Why are you investigating me? Is it because I did this, and you're giving me a 'Good Citizen Award'? I've received this award many times; it's useless."

"We are from Guangling Zhixi, the station's special forces. Unlike the locals from Mimir Hot Spring, we don't know you. I'd like to greet you first and get to know you better, since we'll have to cooperate to deal with this beast that has reached the Holy Transformation stage later."

"Oh, is this a master from the station?"

"You wouldn't call yourself a master, Wen Luo. I heard from your good neighbor that you've lost your memory?"

"It's not exactly amnesia, it's just that I've lived here for sixteen years under a completely different identity, and I have many wonderful memories of it."

How did you get your name?

"I'm a rare find that my old landlord picked up from the wild. I think I suffered a severe head injury, and it took me a very long time to learn to speak. Before that, my old landlord took a picture of me with room 307. When I meet strangers, I show them the picture to make friends. They first see the upside-down 307, which looks like the word LOE, so they keep calling me LOE."

"Luo, what abilities do you have? We discovered through CCTV that you possess Soul Power. Were you ever a VIP?"

"I don't know. When you ask these questions, don't you consider that I might have amnesia? It's a bit ridiculous, like Captain America trying to strangle a robot."

"So what are your achievements?"

"There are so many—I can't remember exactly. The first time I moved into 307, this room was on the third floor, not the first. Later, when the train robbers came, I blew their heads off one by one. Unfortunately, my gun wasn't fast enough or ruthless enough; I only had six bullets, so I had to kill them slowly—otherwise, I should be living on the third floor now; there are too many mosquitoes on the first floor!"

"Didn't you go anywhere else? To the main station to take the test?"

"There's no need for that. I owe my landlord a lot of money and I'm busy working! I just got a small commission from the boss to be a guide for two kids, but this lion won't let me guide them. I can't continue! Oh, wait a minute."

The road ahead suddenly narrowed.

A continuous series of steel-framed bridges connect the discontinuous sections of the wasteland.

These fissures are like the roots of a "World Tree," tearing the wilderness apart, revealing sheer cliffs hundreds or even thousands of meters below.

Wen Luo had no time for idle chatter; he was completely focused on speeding along on his bike.

The steel-framed bridge swayed gently in the raging winds across the plains, barely managing to maintain its own weight and prevent it from deforming and collapsing.

These were originally intended as convenient pedestrian paths for expeditions, and are not for vehicles.

Vehicles must detour to the north and enter the city through the karst caves in the mining area.

Wen Luo wanted to have a decisive battle here, using these natural barriers to deal with the beasts.

Amidst the howling wind, a friendly voice came through the radio. "A very clever move."

"What a cool, sarcastic remark." Wen Luo took off his sunglasses and put away his Magic Wand. He slammed on the brakes and stopped on the east side of the cliff, looking at the break in the cliff about a hundred meters to the west.

The large blue lion paced uneasily in front of the Steel Suspension Bridge, seemingly hesitant.

Mr. Wen took out all the spice bottles and poured them onto the brim of his cowboy hat, transforming himself into a tempting and sexy object in the lion's eyes.

"Hey! Hey! No way! You're not just going to give up like this, are you?"

He pulled at his eyelids, made faces, and shouted loudly.

"Come on! Come on! Jump over here! Are your wings just for show? Do you even have the strength? Try flying over here! Big Kitty! Don't be afraid of difficulties!"

This trick works very well against lions.

The beast, now at the level of a saint, circled several times before suddenly charging wildly towards the cliff.

Mr. Wen's expression remained unchanged, only a calm and serene smile.

"Okay. I was wrong, it really can fly."

A heavy flapping sound came from behind. The great lion leaped silently, floated in mid-air for a distance, and landed lightly on a distant cliff, blocking the road ahead.

When the lion landed, it was completely astonished, never expecting to jump so far. It almost slid down the narrow cliff face and struggled to climb onto a small platform.

"Nice! Little one! That landing was so beautiful! I give it full marks!" Wen Luo narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow, becoming a master of praise, "Looks like you're just like me! You've even forgotten how capable you are!"

He then pulled the accelerator, made a U-turn, and sped away on the road he had come from.

As he fled, he thought, looked around, and said, "Do you think it can jump back, my friend on the radio?"

"I'm afraid that won't work. In the footage transmitted back from the helicopter, it took more than seventy meters to run before jumping, and it can't fly."

"Bingo!" Wen Luo was overjoyed. "Looks like I can go home now. It can't fly, which is great. It doesn't have the strong pectoral muscles of a bird to pull the muscles on its back. Those wings can carry it gliding, but they definitely can't take off from the spot."

The radio crackled with an urgent warning. "Watch out, it's coming straight for you!"

Wen Luo turned around, put on his sunglasses, and took a closer look at the towering light.

Wow.

A blinding beam of plasma lifted the giant lion, like the flames spewed out by a rocket during a launch.

Its radiance and electromagnetic force visibly weakened, but none of this could deter its determination to hunt. It found the right angle, soared into the air, flapped its wings, and glided and swooped down toward its target.

Wen Luo stared in astonishment, mouth agape, and asked, "Who did it learn this trick from? Elon Musk?"

Radio: "Run!"

Wen Luo: "They're already running."

Radio: "Didn't you feel nervous?"

Wen Luo: "I've seen even bigger scenes."

Radio station. "You're making me look stupid."

Wen Luo: "It's okay, I won't tell your colleagues. This is something only the two of us know."

Radio: "You're getting a little annoying. This is a public channel—hey! Liaison officer for carriage five! I heard you laughing!"

Liaison officer. "Excuse me, train commander, I'll hang up now."

Wen Luo: "You're the one who's infuriating! You come up here and start by insulting my whole family, checking my family tree but refusing to introduce yourself. I don't even know your name! Although names aren't that important, I can't keep calling you 'that guy,' 'you bastard,' or 'hey,' can I?"

Radio: "With our cooperation, we have a way to kill it."

"What should we do?" The temperature behind him was rising, and Mr. Wen could feel that when the monster swooped down to land, its free fall acceleration was even faster and stronger.

The Suzuki Motorcycle emitted a mournful howl as Mr. Wen turned the motorcycle around and sped towards the barren, rocky, mossy ground.

The Green Lion missed its target again, and the light in its eyes gradually dimmed. It had already consumed far too much fuel by spewing out a powerful stream of energy to launch itself like a rocket.

It's dying.

--It's almost burned out.

But wild beasts are most ferocious and dangerous before they die.

Its belly was shriveled and it had lost a lot of weight, but it ran even faster and its limbs were more agile. After landing, it only staggered a few steps before chasing into the wild.

Its eyes are filled with confidence and arrogance; this tundra is its absolute home ground.

Those two-wheeled vehicles, in the pitch-black wilderness, would only travel a few hundred meters before crashing into rocks and becoming totaled.

Radio: "Your car is going to fall apart."

Wen Luo: "That's right."

Radio: "I need you to turn onto Road 303. There are streetlights 600 meters ahead of you, do you see them?"

Wen Luo: "I see, I'm off-roading. As for whether I can get to the road you mentioned, that depends on whether the rocks cooperate."

Radio: "Do you have pyroxene?"

Wen Luo: "There are a lot of rocks on the road, and my front tire went flat. I don't think I can last much longer."

Radio station. "What should we do then?!"

Wen Luo: "I have my own way of doing things. What do you plan to do?"

Radio: "303 Road is very close to the railway. We've brought in an SD-44 anti-tank gun. Its gun depression angle isn't high enough, so we need to calculate the impact point in advance before firing a shot."

Wen Luo: "Understood, just wait and see what happens."

Three hundred meters to the finish line --

--The Suzuki's front wheel crashed into a large, dark rock, and Wen Luo was thrown off balance.

As he landed, the dark arm inside his body reappeared, supporting his body to complete the roll, catching the scattered police radios, and retrieving the battery as well.

"I'm starting to run!"

Radio: "You mean running here on foot?"

As Wen Luo ran, he kept glancing back to assess the enemy's situation. "What else? Should I try to negotiate with it? Ride it over? Whether it agrees or not is one thing, but my ass certainly won't allow it."

Radio: "Can you outrun it?! Helicopter! Assist him!"

Wen Luo smiled and said, "It definitely couldn't outrun us before, but now it finally looks like something you'd find to eat."

On the dark tundra, the Green Lion could no longer breathe fire. Its skin turned back to a bluish-yellow, and its wounds were filled with charred pus and blood. Its right foreleg limped, having broken when it landed during its rocket jump, but it could still barely run.

"Look at it, look at it, I can smell it!" Wen Luo strode forward. "Just a little bit, but I can smell its fragrance—it's panting, its temperature is dropping, I can feel it! Have you found the [Gate of Death]? Guangling Zhixi?!"

The giant lion trudged across the wasteland, and each time it was about to catch up with its monstrous prey, the sudden roar of a rotary cannon forced it into a defensive stance, protecting its belly and head with its sturdy wings.

"Yes, yes, save your bullets, take your time." Wen Luo was sprinting at full speed. Three hundred meters is neither a long nor a short distance.

"But—don't stop the fire."

The machine gun fire stopped.

The giant lion suddenly pounced into the air. It's hard to imagine that it has such a powerful jumping ability. It jumped from the spot and, relying only on its strong limbs, leaped more than 60 meters into the air, almost grabbing the helicopter in its claws.

The attack helicopter was slammed into the claws, leaving three bright red, high-temperature claw marks on the landing gear and chassis.

Breathless, Wen Luo said to the radio, "This is the beauty of nature. Did you take any pictures? You definitely had to take one, right?"

Radio station. "."

Wen Luo: "Did I get disconnected?"

Radio: "No, I'm loading shells. The observer just asked me who we were going to shoot, and after thinking about it for a while, I decided to shoot this lion."

Wen Luo: "You're not planning to target me, are you?"

Radio: "I did think about it, but I gave up because you're definitely not afraid of shelling."

The Green Lion's landing created a strong gust of wind that nearly knocked Wen Luo off balance.

Just as the lion was about to pounce again—the helicopter in the air was still adjusting its flight attitude, and a piercing alarm sounded from the radio.

That moment--

--The M29 spews out scorching flames!

It fired continuously, fired, fired! Never stopping!

Copper-cased bullets rapidly sprang from the steel magazine, followed by a black, phantom-like arm that quickly loaded new bullets into the magazine.

The scorching hot barrel deformed and twisted, and the continuous high-speed firing caused many bullets to misfire and explode as soon as they entered the muzzle.

The dense hail of bullets was like vicious golden needles blasting towards the lion's forehead and eyes.

No matter how hard it tried, it never imagined that this human possessed such sustained and intense firepower. The flames in its eyes were completely extinguished by the hail of bullets, and it could see nothing anymore, becoming blind again, writhing on the ground in pain!

"If I had learned this trick sooner, I wouldn't be living on the first floor. There used to be a girl with a really nice butt in 308, but she moved away after that robbery." Wen Luo covered his forehead, threw away the deformed and wrecked M29 that was emitting hot steam, and tore off a piece of flesh from his hand, which was already black and smelly.

He then told the radio station, "You at least have to compensate me for a motorcycle, medical expenses, and a new gun."

He continued running relentlessly, without the slightest slackening—he knew the lion behind him wouldn't die so easily, and these bullets were merely a harmless aftereffect.

He gripped his last two weapons, the UTS-15 and his Magic Wand, ready to turn and face the enemy at any moment.

The giant lion's nose twitched, it howled mournfully, and it bared its fangs, crouching in a hunting stance.

It smelled the strong fragrance in the air--

--Only one thought occupied my mind: to devour this prey, to reignite the flames, and for everything to be alright once I had eaten it.

The last hundred meters were both the shortest and the longest stretch of road.

The leaps rose and fell, followed by the sound of gunfire as the massive object landed.

In the pitch-black night, two monsters were fighting for their lives.

A tattered leather boot stepped onto Highway 303.

The streetlights illuminated Wen Luo's blood-stained face.

He had a huge laceration on his body; he was wounded while running, jumping, and dodging gunfire dozens of times.

From the right shoulder to the abdomen, the leather jacket and vest were torn open, revealing a ruptured kidney. The wound was burned with the intense heat of the claws, leaving a dark scar.

"Luckily you're a Fire-type Pokémon, otherwise I would have bled much more than this." Wen Luo cursed, squatting on the curb, looking at the giant beast lying on the ground in the dark wilderness. "Stop playing dead, you son of a bitch. I didn't even use that move, and you used it first."

The radio station had already been destroyed in the violent movement, and UTS-15 had also failed to survive, long since turning into a pile of polymer waste. The Magic Wand was broken in two, with smooth and clean cuts.

"Come here! Come here!" Wen Luo held up the two broken pieces of his Magic Wand in his left and right hands. The Magic Wand was still glowing, and he was going to mark the railway train.

1.5 kilometers away, railway workers at Guangling Zhixi are turning the cannons around for final calibration.

The cannon spewed forth a torrent of flames, and the 100mm caliber shell turned into a soft ball of iron, spinning as it flew toward its distant target.

"Boom--"

The entire train frame swayed slightly.

The observer shouted, "Target hit! Reload!"

The shells landed on the tundra, blasting the giant lion's body in two, sending mud and blood flying and turning into a dark red fountain.

Wen Luo covered his mouth, still sitting and resting to recover his strength, never letting his guard down, his dark eyes seeming to say, "[One more round]".

"Listen! Listen! It's the sound of cannons at a funeral! What a grand spectacle! How proud you are! If I still had the strength, I'd love to have another duel with you."

The giant lion, with only half its body remaining, continued crawling towards Wen Luo, gathering its last breath to reach him!

"I was just kidding! Don't take it seriously." Wen Luo kicked his legs, retreating backward, still laughing excitedly and belligerently.

The second shelling hasn't come yet...

The theoretical rate of fire for the SD-44 is fifteen rounds per minute.

But this beast won't wait; it can't wait that long. It probably only has a few dozen seconds left to live.

Its wildly waving claws, like a hacksaw, left a trail of white claw marks on the road.

The behemoth could no longer even roar; its flames had completely died out, and the firewood on its body was gradually dimming, as it only wanted to consume new fuel!

At the critical moment, a motorcycle approached from afar, and a burly man leaped into the air, clutching Mingde's remains, and then crashed down like a falling meteor.

A Xing strained his body in mid-air, raising the BOSS's fingernail high and slamming it against the lion's head. The fingernail pierced the giant lion's forehead like a huge bone nail, as smoothly as a hot knife into butter, piercing through its skull!

Five seconds passed, and the lion made no further movement.

There wasn't even a tremor in the muscles; all life had been extinguished.

Without a doubt, it is dead.

At this time--

--The belated roar of cannon fire, like a celebratory salute to heroes returning home, blasted a new mud pit into the lower half of the giant lion in the distance; at least it made a sound.

After holding back for a long time, and thinking of a really long, witty remark, Wen Luo finally said, "That counts as stealing kills."

A Xing, his face covered in blood and with bits of brain matter hanging from his hair, shrugged with an innocent and nonchalant expression. "Mr. Wen, you rushed out without a word. We finally caught up with you, we have to do something!"

Jiang Xueming tossed aside a Universal Elixir injection.

--Wen Luo caught it steadily and immediately healed his injuries.

Xue Ming immediately went to the lion's side, pulled out Mingde's remains, and began to mercilessly whip the corpse.

Wen Luo watched as the little guy picked up the stick and used it as a warhammer, and saw the fierce expression on Jiang Xueming's face as he pounded the corpse, and felt a little guilty.

So he asked Meteor, "Why is he so twisted?"

The meteor shook its head.

All that could be heard was Xue Ming's furious roar through gritted teeth.

"My stick!"

"My medicine!"

"I work!"

"It's all your fault!"

Meteor quickly went up to pull Ming Ge.

"Never mind, bro. Never mind."

Xue Ming threw aside Mingde's remains, and even though she couldn't stop him, she kept kicking the lion's head.

"It might come back to life! You all come along! Let's crush its brains!"

Meteor: "That makes sense!"

So Meteor and Xue Ming started punching and kicking the lion's head together.

Jason looked at Mr. Wen with deep respect.

--These VIPs are all heroes

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Mr. Wen."

Wen Luo: "There's nothing to apologize for. I've met a worthy opponent."

"Really?" Jason felt embarrassed, but applauded the other's strong fighting spirit. "Those two lads are even desecrating the corpse. How rude!"

"If you feel like you're not involved, then join them." Wen Luo waved his hand impatiently and immediately joined Xue Ming and Liu Xing in their corpse-whipping exercise.

You could hear the brothers making angry growls.

"Enemy! Damn it!"

"Enemy! Attack!"

Jason was sweating profusely, unsure of what to do.

He thought for a long time, then stepped forward and pulled at Bu Liuxing, asking the burly A Xing to give up his seat.

"Excuse me. Let me kick it a couple of times."