Second-Stage Mission Initiated

The two thugs were startled by the sudden roar.

"Which lunatic is this now?" the thug holding the knife cursed. He turned and lunged at Don Quixote, shouting, "Get lost, you old fossil!"

However, Li Wei was faster than everyone else.

He first activated Eloquent Speaker, shouting "Stop!" at the black thug closest to him, then instantly triggered Berserk, doubling all three of his attributes.

With the comprehensive enhancement of 3.0 Strength, 2.8 Agility, and 2.8 Constitution, Li Wei's physical stats were pushed toward the limits of human perception. The thug with the gun at his waist felt his vision blur, and Li Wei vanished from his sight.

Before he could even turn around, he felt an irresistible, massive force slam into his waist, as if he had been hit head-on by a sedan. He flew sideways, crashing hard against the red brick wall and landing in a puddle of urine in the corner.

He didn't even have time to utter a word before he vomited a mouthful of blood and passed out.

On the other side, the knife-wielding thug thrust hard at Don Quixote, only to be deflected by the trash can the man held.

Don Quixote let out a furious roar. Like a true knight, he charged like a bull, wrapped his arms around the thug's waist, and sprinted with all his might, pinning the man firmly against the wall.

"Let go of me! You crazy bastard!" The thug struggled frantically, trying to slash wildly with his knife.

The woman nearby screamed and tried to dodge, then saw a figure rapidly close in and land a punch on the thug's chin.

In the dead of night in the alley, she heard a distinct "crack."

The thug lost consciousness instantly, slumping limply down the wall as silence returned to the alley.

Li Wei pulled back his fist, only then processing what had happened.

He had actually knocked out two ordinary people with just a punch and a kick?

He suddenly recalled the voice in his mind and quickly checked it:

[You have received a mission: Side by Side]

[This is your first time fighting alongside the knight Don Quixote since becoming a Hero Knight; defeat the enemy together with him]

[Mission Reward: Free Attribute Point +0.1]

[Mission Reward has been issued]

Beyond the standard mission, Li Wei discovered he had triggered the second-stage mission for the Path of the Knight!

[Path of the Knight: Stepping into the Extraordinary series of missions has been initiated]

[Your single attribute has reached the human limit of 3.0 for the first time. This means you have experienced the limits of a mortal body; flesh and blood are so fragile.]

Fragile? Li Wei looked at the two thugs he had knocked out with a single punch and kick—and that was even with him holding back.

After activating Berserk, Li Wei felt his overall physical capabilities had reached an incredible level. 3.0 Strength didn't mean just one set of muscles had reached the human limit; it meant all his muscle strength had reached the peak of human potential.

He had a feeling just now that if he wanted to, his hand could crush a thug's wrist like a hydraulic press.

[The path of the Hero Knight has only just begun to be paved; life requires further evolution.]

[Stage Reward 1: Single attribute reaches 3.0, reward Free Attribute Point +0.2]

[Stage Reward 2: Two attributes reach 3.0, reward Free Attribute Point +0.3, draw 1 new skill]

[Stage Reward 3: Three attributes reach 3.0, reward Free Attribute Point +0.3, Knight: Bronze Body (Extraordinary) evolution]

[When four attributes reach 3.0, the next stage of the Path of the Knight mission will be unlocked]

It took Li Wei less than five seconds to make his judgment: raise a single skill to 3.0, then start snowballing by collecting the stage rewards. As long as he could max out one, the rest would become increasingly easy.

On the other side, Don Quixote climbed up from the ground, looked at the woman he had just saved, and suddenly roared again:

"She is a witch!"

Then he slapped the woman on the forehead.

It took a great deal of effort for Li Wei to convince Susan that Don Quixote wasn't mentally ill.

On the way back, Li Wei was surprised to discover that Susan was a wealthy woman through and through.

According to her, she had been married several times and had walked away with over a dozen properties in Brooklyn from her ex-husbands, allowing her to live entirely off her rental income.

Today was like any other day; she had come to Sunset Park to play mahjong with her Chinese friends, and when the game ended, she encountered those two men blocking her path to rob her.

"Thanks to you two," she said, glancing at Don Quixote, who was guarding the front, before turning to Li Wei. "Otherwise, I might have been in real trouble today."

"In a place like Eighth Avenue late at night," Li Wei asked curiously, "didn't you drive here today?"

"It's like this," Susan shook her head. "My car is parked not far away, but I took my friend's car to the mahjong parlor. We were drinking while playing, and they all got dead drunk. I thought my car was only a few hundred meters away, but I didn't expect..."

"You'll just have to be more careful," Li Wei said, shaking his head. "Though it does sound a bit too coincidental."

"You're right!" Susan nodded in agreement. "I think there's something fishy too, especially since I told my friends today that I had just finished collecting rent, and then this happened at night..."

Li Wei noticed her gaze seemed to be fixed on Don Quixote, so he tentatively spoke up:

"Sorry," he said. "My uncle is a bit mentally unstable; he made a scene."

"Not at all," Susan said. "Don't you think he has a knightly demeanor? He's just like a real knight."

"Besides," she continued, watching Don Quixote's back, "if he hadn't been sleepwalking today, I think I would have been in danger."

Li Wei nodded in agreement: "That's true, too."

Walking one after the other, Li Wei and Don Quixote escorted her to the parking lot, where she stopped in front of a white BMW X6.

"Thank you both so much today," Susan said, handing Li Wei a business card and a stack of cash. "If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't have known what to do today. I don't know if you and your uncle have time tomorrow; let me treat you to a meal?"

Li Wei shook his head: "I don't have time tomorrow. I need to look at apartments. My uncle and I are still living in a basement."

"You two grown men living in a basement? Poor things," Susan's eyes lit up, her tone devoid of pity and full of surprise instead. "What kind of place are you looking for?"

"I looked at a 2B2B," Li Wei said, shaking his head. "After all, my uncle and I both need some independent space, but it means living with the landlord, and since some..."

"Now that you mention it, I just remembered," Susan said. "I have a 120-square-meter unit, a 3-bedroom converted into a 2-bedroom, that's currently vacant. Since you're looking to rent, why don't you come take a look tomorrow?"