Unparalleled

The young girl looked like a porcelain doll, her expression remaining calm.

Chen Chong's full-force punch did not make contact with her pretty face; despite being only ten centimeters away from the tip of her nose, his fist could not advance a single inch.

This was because the girl had raised her hand at some point and grabbed Chen Chong's forearm.

He had gone all out, even activating his Second Form the moment he attacked, yet he could not even budge that seemingly slender, lotus-root-like arm.

Although he had sensed something amiss from the moment she abruptly appeared, Chen Chong now finally confirmed that they were not on the same level.

His expression darkened:

"Who are you?"

"If you want to pick up a girl, your method is a bit too crude."

The girl said softly.

She looked into Chen Chong's eyes, a strange glint flashing deep within her gaze.

Seeing the girl release her grip, Chen Chong also vigilantly pulled his hand back, making no further attempts to test her. He let out a cold snort:

"Pick up? You're the one who suddenly jumped into my car; that's hardly polite either."

"Apologies. However, this doesn't seem to be your car, does it?"

The girl looked left and right, then gently patted the seat:

"It clearly doesn't match your temperament."

"What temperament? Do I know you?"

Chen Chong couldn't help but frown.

"We don't know each other, but your temperament is quite unique, country bumpkin."

The girl nodded:

"Even though you aren't exactly handsome, you just give off that kind of vibe."

Chen Chong's face turned black, but he felt more absurdity than anything else.

He didn't know where this mysterious girl had come from or why she was chatting with him so familiarly. He was clearly still in the middle of a tense escape and had no time to waste.

"Can you get out of my car? I'm in a hurry."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention the real business. I'm here to requisition your car."

The girl flipped her hand, producing a palm-sized tablet from who knows where:

"Turn 175 degrees to the left; we're going there."

Faced with the girl's one-sided conversation, Chen Chong fell silent for a moment before opening the door, preparing to get out:

"If you've taken a liking to this car, then I'll leave."

"But I don't know how to drive."

The girl stared at him with her large, dark, glistening eyes.

Under normal circumstances, few men could refuse a girl looking at them with such eyes.

But these were not normal circumstances, and it was hard to say that either of these two was normal.

Chen Chong said:

"Then get out; you run faster than the car."

"I'm tired. You have no idea how far I ran to get here."

The girl leaned forward slightly, reaching out to rub her slender ankle.

Although her combat suit didn't reveal an inch of skin below her neck, the posture still showcased her proud figure. Coupled with a tone that inexplicably sounded like she was acting spoiled toward a lover, even Chen Chong felt a ripple in his heart.

But he quickly steadied his mind and said in a deep voice:

"Miss from the city, you don't intend to let me go, do you?"

"You only just realized that?"

The girl feigned surprise:

"You just tried to touch my face, you know. We just met; that was far too abrupt."

Chen Chong's expression shifted for a moment. He took a deep breath and finally said with unusual sincerity:

"I want to go home."

The girl was stunned for a moment. She put away her expression and said in a low voice:

"Sorry, but I really don't know how to drive. I need to go in that direction to find something very important. Please, I will pay you for your trouble."

Chen Chong stared fixedly at the girl, and the girl looked back at him with equal calm.

The two locked eyes for a long time before Chen Chong finally lowered his gaze.

He started the off-road vehicle and cranked the steering wheel hard to the left.

The off-road vehicle moved reluctantly, carving a semicircle before turning south.

The young girl leaned back slightly against the seat. With one arm resting on the windowsill, she looked as relaxed as a wealthy young lady taking a rickshaw for an outing.

Watching Chen Chong's back, she spoke softly:

"I haven't asked your name yet."

"Ip Man."

"I'm asking for your real name."

"Jiang Jinfu."

"Real name."

"Li Xiaoguang."

"Real name."

"Chen Chong."

The girl nodded:

"Nice to meet you, Chen Chong. My name is Xie Wushuang."

Chen Chong let out a scoff:

"Is that your real name?"

"It is. I come from a traditional martial arts family."

Xie Wushuang said earnestly:

"I'm currently interning at the Security Department of a company. This is my final assessment task before becoming a full-time employee, and it's very important. So, I'm counting on you."

What does your assessment task have to do with me?

Chen Chong didn't voice the thought, merely turning it over in his mind before asking:

"Central City? Which company?"

"Sorry, due to confidentiality regulations, I cannot tell you."

"Then, what is the content of the assessment?"

"Sorry, according to confidential—"

"You've already dragged me into this, and you're still keeping secrets?"

Chen Chong interrupted her.

Xie Wushuang paused:

"Fair point. But to be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself. I only know that I need to follow the guidance on this to retrieve something."

She shook the handheld computer.

Chen Chong glanced through the rearview mirror; the tablet appeared to show a navigation map.

Xie Wushuang continuously corrected Chen Chong's direction, and as he gripped the steering wheel, they ventured deeper and deeper into the Wasteland.

After about an hour, Xie Wushuang looked around:

"This is the habitat of the Red Earth Dragon."

"This is the Hunting Grounds of the Thunder Dragon Company. We've reached the deep interior," Chen Chong said indifferently.

Xie Wushuang glanced at him, tapped the tablet a few times, and let out an "oh":

"A telecom fraud company, huh? Looks like you escaped from there. Impressive."

She scanned their surroundings, her expression shifting for the first time:

"I think we're almost there."

"How so?"

"There isn't a single Red Earth Dragon in such a large area. Judging by your appearance, you must have just had an intense battle with them on the outskirts—and it seems like more than one. But it's winter, and they should be hibernating."

The girl pushed up her glasses:

"This suggests that something has driven all the Red Earth Dragons in this area toward the periphery of their habitat. That thing is likely my target."

Chen Chong instinctively glanced at Xie Wushuang through the rearview mirror.

So, the root cause of the incident he encountered earlier was here?

However, being able to deduce the nature of a battle just by looking at the traces on his body, combined with her knowledge of the habits of the Red Earth Dragon, showed that her logic and knowledge base were well above average.

Is this the level of competence for personnel from a Central City company, and she's just a newcomer?

"It's right up ahead. The signal is so strong."

The girl's tone turned grave:

"Just park the car here. I might need your assistance later. Listen to my instructions."

"You must be at least a realm higher than me. Is there any way I can help?"

"Just follow my lead when the time comes."

"Understood."

Xie Wushuang opened the car door and leaped lightly from the off-road vehicle, her twin braids swaying behind her.

The silver combat suit clung to her frame, accentuating her graceful curves even from behind. Chen Chong was appreciating the view without a care when her figure suddenly began to fade, eventually becoming completely transparent.

Xie Wushuang had vanished right before his eyes.

Chen Chong's gaze sharpened.

What impressive optical camouflage technology.

He didn't know if such a mature level of tech existed in his past life, but it was certainly nowhere to be seen in the Satellite City or the Wasteland.

Chen Chong sat in the car, waiting patiently.

About half an hour later, the ground suddenly shook.

Chen Chong instantly looked into the distance, squinting his eyes before widening them in shock!

In the distance, a massive black pillar erupted toward the sky, carrying dozens of tons of earth tens of meters into the air.

Chen Chong was all too familiar with this attack posture.

It was an Earth Dragon! And a black one at that!

Its size didn't seem particularly shocking at first glance, appearing similar to the Red Earth Dragon he had seen before.

But the problem was that even from hundreds of meters away, he still felt the shadow was gargantuan, and the ground trembled incessantly.

One could only imagine what kind of behemoth it truly was.

A rough estimate suggested the black Earth Dragon's body above ground was dozens of meters high; if one included the part underground, its total length likely exceeded a hundred, perhaps even several hundred meters!

How could this still be called an Earth Dragon? This damn thing was a real dragon!

Chen Chong's expression was one of pure shock.

He frowned and looked closely, vaguely spotting a silver shadow dancing around the Earth Dragon.

Compared to that massive body, the silver shadow looked like a helpless butterfly. Every time the Earth Dragon moved, it created a hurricane that blew her far away, forcing her to struggle back against the wind.

Xie Wushuang was strong, but things didn't seem to be going well.

She had become completely bogged down in the quagmire of battle.

[I need your assistance.]

Recalling the beautiful girl's earnest plea, Chen Chong took a deep breath.

Then, he decisively turned the key, started the engine, and slammed the accelerator to the floor—

He cranked the steering wheel, whipped the car around, and sped off in the direction he had come from in one fluid motion.

Are you kidding? How could he possibly assist her?

Not to mention whether he even had the ability to do so, he had been press-ganged into this mission in the first place.

The confidentiality regulations of a big corporation?

Would they give him a hush-money payout generous enough to settle down in Central City for the rest of his life, or would they just bury him in the black soil as fertilizer for the Earth Dragon?

It was truly hard to guess.

But Chen Chong wasn't going to bother guessing anymore. The off-road vehicle let out a wild roar as he drove freely toward the northwest.