He Wanted to Run Me Over?

The dead grass on either side of the road was like the strings of a zither forgotten by time, playing a desolate song in the wind that no one heard. Cracks in the earth stretched toward the horizon like winding scars.

Having changed into the long yellow floral shirt and a pair of beach shorts, Xiahou set off on his bike again. This time, he didn't race along, instead taking in the scenery on the way.

But his fluttering yellow shirt and the flip-flops on his feet stood in stark contrast to the bike he was riding! Drivers kept looking his way. It was strange, but there was a certain relaxed air about it, and they were even thinking of dressing like that next time!

"Ah, the air of freedom! Even wandering around is wonderful! The boundless horizon is my love..." After his exclamation, Xiahou unconsciously broke into song.

He had thought he could spend the day relaxing like this, but then he found a country lane and couldn't resist going in to explore. It wasn't as if he had a destination anyway.

After he left the main road, the scenery around him grew better, and there were many more trees, but fewer and fewer vehicles passed by. Xiahou didn't mind, though, and continued on his way.

As time passed, the midday sun grew scorching hot, raising the temperature considerably.

"This scorching heat is completely different from the year-round cold at Kamar-Taj! It feels great! I hate snowy mountains!" Xiahou remarked. Then he glanced at the fuel gauge and saw that only half a tank remained.

I need to find a gas station. It'd be bad if I suddenly ran out! Why did I forget to put a few extra cans of gas in my backpack yesterday?

He had discovered this back at Kamar-Taj: he could put real-world items in his backpack, and each type took up only one slot. The backpack had ninety-nine pages, with a hundred slots on each, so he didn't have to worry about storage at all!

He didn't dwell on it for long. At worst, he could simply walk or run once he ran out of fuel! With his current physique, he wouldn't be much slower anyway, and he could enjoy the scenery even more!

After another hundred kilometers, the motorcycle ran out of gas and came to a stop. Xiahou looked around but saw no houses or buildings, so he put the bike away and continued on foot.

He hummed "Sunny, Cheerful Big Boy" as the sky gradually darkened and the sun withdrew its last rays. Xiahou had walked another hundred-plus kilometers, yet he still hadn't spotted a single building, or even a passing car!

He couldn't help complaining to himself. "Next time, I'm definitely bringing enough fuel. Why didn't I think of that before? And what kind of lousy place is this? I haven't seen a person in so long!"

After walking for several more hours without finding a home, Xiahou was preparing to bed down by the roadside for the night.

Suddenly, lights appeared on the road behind him. A large truck was speeding toward him!

Then Xiahou heard a woman calling for help! But she was too far away, and with the glare of the lights, he couldn't see clearly.

As the vehicle drew closer, he finally made her out. A blonde woman was tied to the truck's cargo bed! She was the one calling for help!

She also saw Xiahou by the roadside and cried out even louder, "Oh, God! Help me! Please, save me!"

The driver clearly saw Xiahou too. He swerved straight toward him, apparently intending to kill him to silence him! A red health bar appeared above his head as well.

Xiahou looked at the truck roaring toward him and the health bar above the driver's head. It really is the land of the free! They sure know how to play! And is he trying to kill me to silence me?

An instant before the truck hit him, he dodged to the side and grabbed the rail on the front of the cab, flipping himself up outside the passenger door.

At the same time, he greeted the driver. "Hi! Hello there! Mind giving me a ride? My bike ran out of gas!"

The driver was startled to see Xiahou appear outside his window in an instant. He hurriedly pulled out a shotgun, aimed it at him, and fired.

Xiahou merely shifted his body and dodged the dense spray of pellets. "You could've just said no!" he complained. "Why get so angry? I wasn't even planning to do anything to you! I did promise that old geezer I wouldn't lay a hand on ordinary people! But you attacked first, so don't blame me!"

The driver had been about to fire another shot, but when Xiahou finished speaking, a uniquely shaped revolver suddenly appeared in his hand, pointed at the driver. His heart sank. I'm done for!

A gunshot rang out, and half his body was blown away! With no one at the wheel, the truck began swaying from side to side.

"Damn!" Xiahou cursed inwardly. I forgot he was driving. He's covered in blood now, so how am I supposed to stop the truck? I don't want to get my clothes dirty!

After hesitating for less than a second, he flipped over to the coupling, gave a hard yank and pulled the bound woman into his arms. Then he leaped off and landed steadily by the roadside.

Only then did the woman react, letting out a piercing scream!

Xiahou's face darkened. He controlled his strength and slapped her. "Stop screaming! Didn't I already save you? What are you screaming for?"

In the distance, the truck tipped over onto its side by the road and slowly came to a stop, with only the tires on one side still spinning.

The woman seemed to come to her senses from Xiahou's slap. She quickly stopped screaming and began thanking him over and over. "Oh, God! Thank you! Thank you for saving me!"

Xiahou was speechless. "I'm the one who saved you. What's God got to do with it? And how did you offend that guy?"

The blonde woman hurriedly told him what had happened and asked Xiahou to accompany her to find her companions.

A side quest prompt also appeared for Xiahou: accompany Alisa in search of her companions. The reward was 100 energy points and one random draw.

Seeing how little the reward was, Xiahou didn't really want to accept. Right now, he only wanted to roam around for a while and didn't want to get into trouble. He was just about to refuse!

Alisa could see his reluctance and hurriedly said, "Please! I can pay you! Would ten thousand dollars be enough? You just have to come with me to find my companions!"

Xiahou hesitated, then agreed. The quest reward was a little meager, but hadn't she said she'd pay him? That way, even when he used up the money Little Fatty had given him, he would still have an income.

"All right!" he said. "But if you break your word, I'm a lot more formidable than that driver!"

Hearing Xiahou agree, Alisa quickly assured him, "Don't worry! I'll definitely keep my word! Please give me your account number. As soon as I get back to the city, I'll transfer the money to you!"

Xiahou handed her the bank card Little Fatty had given him. "By the way, where are we going to look for your companions? Do you remember their phone numbers? Can't you just call them and have them come pick you up?"

Alisa used the blood on her body to write the number on her clothes, then said to Xiahou, "I remember! But I don't have a phone! Do you?"

Xiahou took out his phone and handed it to her. "Go on, call! I still want to find somewhere to sleep!"

Alisa took it and hurriedly dialed her boyfriend's number. After talking for a while, she gave the phone back to Xiahou.

After the two had waited by the road for over an hour, a yellow car slowly approached and stopped in front of them. Alisa's boyfriend got out and hugged her, and there was another woman with him.

After the three of them hugged and talked for a while, the man came over to Xiahou and thanked him.

Once the three had reunited, Xiahou received a quest completion prompt. But he was looking at the car they had arrived in. "No need to thank me. Just remember to transfer the money. Can you spare me some gas? And how do I get to the nearest town? Do you have a map?"

The man readily agreed. After taking out a map and giving it to Xiahou, he asked, "We can give you some gas. Where's your bike?"

Xiahou took his motorcycle out of his backpack and placed it by the road. All three stared at him in astonishment, but none dared ask more. They simply opened their car's fuel tank, drew out some gas and filled his tank.

Xiahou swung onto his bike and said to them, "I'll get going first! You can take care of the rest yourselves! Bye!"

Then he rode toward the nearest city on the map, gradually disappearing from the three people's sight.

Watching Xiahou ride away, the three began discussing the details of what had just happened.

It was nearly daybreak when several police cars finally arrived. After surveying the scene, the police took statements from the three of them.