The vehicle moved forward. It didn't encounter any monsters but did come across a tree hole from which human voices could faintly be heard.

"Old Xing, if you don't wake up soon, I'm really going to kiss you, AWOO!"

Li Ang, with his enhanced hearing, picked up this sentence from afar amidst the wind, rain, and thunder. Slightly startled, he turned on the headlights and drove closer.

This seems to be... Little Brother Dao's voice...

Inside the tree hole, Wanli Fengdao sensed a slight tremor in the ground. He saw two beams of light cut through the night, illuminating his back, and his body instinctively tensed. The Dragon-Slaying Sword, resting on his knees, was first slapped by his left palm, flying out only to be caught firmly by his right hand an instant later. Wanli Fengdao then gripped the longsword in a reverse hold with his right hand, slapped the ground to propel himself up, and spun rapidly in the narrow tree hole, flinging the Dragon-Slaying Sword towards the light source without looking.

The sword, as if it had eyes, shot out like a thunderbolt, slicing through the pitch-black curtain of rain, parting the dense raindrops, and silently pierced towards the driver's side windshield of the vehicle.

CLANG—

The Sword Qi imbued in the Dragon-Slaying Sword penetrated the windshield effortlessly, proving no more difficult than cutting tofu. However, its blade was parried by an arm extending from beneath the vehicle, wielding a Bronze Scythe with unwavering steadiness.

Pulled by gravity, the Dragon-Slaying Sword plummeted downwards. Wanli Fengdao kicked against the inner wall of the tree hole, dashing out and leaping. As he descended, his feet landed heavily on the vehicle's front engine hood, and his right hand once again firmly caught the sword's hilt in midair.

Wanli Fengdao's eyes were icy, filled with killing intent. He was about to bring the sword down when he heard a voice cry, "Wait a minute!"

Is that... Liu Wu Dai's voice?

Wanli Fengdao instinctively paused. His previous identities included being a bounty hunter and an external consultant for the Special Affairs Bureau. Liu Wu Dai was also a frequent visitor to the Special Affairs Bureau, and the two had met there several times.

"It's me." Liu Wu Dai directly revealed his player ID.

Li Ang seized the opportunity, his eyes widening as he shouted, "Hey! You hairy-faced, thunder-mouthed rogue monkey! How dare you strike at your Sister Guanyin? Put down that sword now!"

Seeing Liu Wu Dai's ID, Wanli Fengdao immediately sighed in relief. He crouched on the car's engine hood and shifted his gaze to the red-clad figure in the driver's seat. You are...?

"I'm Huanhuan the Hong Hai'er, the one who knows Samadhi True Fire, remember?" Li Ang said matter-of-factly. "To practice Samadhi True Fire, I eat half a Liu Wei Di Huang Pill every day to accumulate stomach fire, all so that one day I can meet you again and let you experience the sensation of bursting into flames."

"What the heck is Huanhuan the Hong Hai'er? And what the heck is a Liu Wei Di Huang Pill? Other than being dressed head to toe in bright red, you have nothing in common with Hong Hai'er! Also, why did you give me the persona of Sun Wukong when I clearly wield a sword?" Wanli Fengdao scratched his head. Alright, he had been soaked through earlier, so he'd taken out the emergency gadget box produced by the Special Affairs Bureau from his backpack. He took out two yellow coats from it. These coats featured multiple functions, including scent isolation, infrared screening, cooling, heat resistance, warming, cold protection, and clothes drying. He put one on himself and the other on Xing Hechou. Looking at them now, they did somewhat resemble Sun Wukong's attire.

"Wait a second, this familiar way of speaking," Wanli Fengdao narrowed his eyes, glancing at the red-hooded Li Ang. Could it be you are...

"Exactly!" Li Ang slapped his chest, proudly proclaiming, "I, who never changes my name nor alters my identity, who has traversed three mountains and toured five peaks, lamenting that heaven lacks handles and earth lacks rings—I am Wanli Fengdao, known as the number one bandit king of Yin City's urban-rural fringe!"

"You just blatantly stole my name right in front of me!" Wanli Fengdao couldn't help but retort. "Besides, 'the number one bandit king of Yin City's urban-rural fringe' is a terrible title! Can't you pick something better?!"

Li Ang thought for a moment. "Socks before shoes, grandson before grandpa - Wanli Fengdao."

"That's even worse! Now you sound like some cringey, overly earnest kid!"

"Only smokes a certain flashy brand of cigarettes, loves only one person his whole life - Wanli Fengdao."

"Huh?? Isn't that still the same cringey kid vibe?"

"Gentle 'n' Unbridled ❤ - Wanli Fengdao."

Little Brother Dao scoffed, "Becoming a Shamate kid isn't a good thing, you know. If anything, it's a step backward..."

"Fashion is a cycle. Shamate never dies, it just fades away." Li Ang first looked solemn, then glanced at Wanli Fengdao's pained and awkward expression, chuckled, and displayed his player ID. "Little Brother Dao, long time no see. Just kidding."

Seeing the name [Li Rising], the stone weighing on Wanli Fengdao's heart finally lifted. Just like Liu Wu Dai, he too felt a wave of relief at encountering Li Ang in this bizarre world.

"It really is you." Wanli Fengdao shook his head, his expression turning serious. He lowered his voice and said, "Be careful, this place isn't safe. Follow me."

He didn't sheathe the Dragon-Slaying Sword but carried it in his hand. With a light leap, he jumped back to the front of the tree hole and went inside.

Li Ang and Liu Wu Dai exchanged glances, then turned off the car engine and followed. Inside, they saw Xing Hechou lying at the bottom of the tree hole, unconscious, his eyes tightly closed and his face pale.

Wanli Fengdao lowered his voice and briefly explained what they had experienced after entering the Shengnan King's Dream. "There's more than one monster hidden in this forest. Besides the one with iron chains around its waist, which I call the Water Nightmare, there are other evil spirits. It's very difficult to pass through the forest."

Little Brother Dao said with a sigh, "I've given Old Xing a lot of potions, but he just won't wake up. If we leave him here and teleport back ourselves, it's no different from killing him outright."

Li Ang frowned, his gaze sweeping over Xing Hechou. He also couldn't identify the problem. So, he looked up and asked Wanli Fengdao, "By the way, you're considered an external agent for the Special Affairs Bureau now, right?"

"Mhm."

"Is it possible for you to disclose the Special Affairs Bureau's progress in investigating the Shengnan King's Dream?"

"Well..." Wanli Fengdao said awkwardly, "I'm just a Bounty Hunter, assisting the Special Affairs Bureau on the condition that my own safety is guaranteed. My security clearance isn't high enough, so they haven't told me much more. But Brother Xing, as the captain of the Mobile Detachment, should know a lot. We can ask him when he wakes up."

"Alright then." Li Ang nodded, thought for a moment, then bent down and whispered in Xing Hechou's ear, "Brother Xing, hurry up and wake up! We're short one for mahjong."

Wanli Fengdao reflexively said, "I've already tried that..."

Li Ang glanced at him and continued speaking to Xing Hechou, "Strip mahjong, by the way. The kind where you lose an article of clothing for every round you lose."

"Who would actually like that kind of thing!" Wanli Fengdao said, his voice strained with acute discomfort. "Please switch to something more effective."

"Hmm..." Li Ang narrowed his eyes, rubbing his chin. He leaned close to Xing Hechou's ear and whispered, "Brother Xing, if you don't wake up, Wanli Fengdao is planning to strip to the waist, lie down with you for a heart-to-heart, take pictures, and then use your phone to send them to your family WeChat group..."

"Isn't that a bit *too* effective! That's social suicide!" Wanli Fengdao exclaimed in shock. "And shouldn't whoever suggests such a shameless thing be the one to do it? Why does it have to be me?"

Li Ang straightened up, gave him a thumbs-up, and flashed a standard, gleaming smile. "The professional ethics of Bounty Hunters mean they'll do anything for money, right? As long as the money's good, forget just sending photos. Even eating crap in a toilet, with the help of some tasty sauce, they could wolf down three big bowls!"

"What kind of bounty hunter, from any plane of existence, would eat crap in a toilet for money, ahhhhh!"

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