Volume One: First Arrival in the City Chapter Fifty-Nine: Victory

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“Tch, anyone can talk big. I could just as well say this is the last time you’ll ever lay a finger on me.” Lu Yi picked up the military knife from the ground, retorting sharply to the man in black.

The man in black sneered, vanishing from Lu Yi’s sight in an instant. Lu Yi shifted to the left and lowered his body; sure enough, a dagger swept through the space he had just vacated.

Lu Yi didn’t back away—after his retreat, he immediately lunged forward, swinging the military knife. “Courting death,” roared the man in black, meeting him with his dagger. In terms of strength, Lu Yi couldn’t compete; after this clash, he would surely be unable to hold onto anything.

But Lu Yi, after his charge, abruptly abandoned the knife, pulling out a submachine gun and unleashing a burst of gunfire at the man in black.

The bullets made the man in black’s body shudder as he staggered back toward the wall. The moment he reached it, he vanished from Lu Yi’s sight.

Lu Yi sighed inwardly. So, after hitting the wall, he can’t move, but can teleport instead?

He’d wanted to shoot at the man in black’s joints, but knew his own marksmanship too well. At close range, hitting the torso was no problem, but aiming for the joints? Better not try.

Sweeping his gaze, he quickly spotted the man in black reconstituting his physical form in the distance. Lu Yi raised his hand and fired, and the man disappeared again.

“Oh, I thought you’d turn into smoke and the bullets would just fall out—guess not. Looks like your skills aren’t all that,” Lu Yi taunted, taking another shot at the spot where the man appeared.

Lu Yi could see the man in black now. As soon as he materialized, Lu Yi fired; if he hit, he fired again, if not, he searched for the next chance.

“Kid, don’t get cocky. These bullets can’t inflict any real harm on me,” the man in black snarled, transforming once more into a wisp of smoke.

“Well, if that’s true, why bother running? It’s just a handful of peanuts. Let me shoot you!” Lu Yi jeered, growing ever more confident after several exchanges with his opponent.

Xu Anxuan watched Lu Yi in astonishment, a strange emotion flickering in her eyes.

Lu Yi kept firing, feeling his perception of the man in black becoming sharper. He wasn’t sure if it was due to the magic eye, or if teleporting consumed some sort of energy, or perhaps another reason.

The man in black vanished again from Lu Yi’s sight, roaring, “Kid, don’t get smug. I see you’re out of spare magazines and bullets. I bet your gun’s empty now.”

As he spoke, the man appeared in another spot. Lu Yi turned his gun, squeezed the trigger—but nothing happened.

“Go die!” The man’s body twisted, disappearing from his original position.

Lu Yi’s face registered surprise, for this time he could see a mass of black mist hurtling toward him in midair. Seeing it so clearly, he didn’t dodge; instead, he tossed aside his gun and stood his ground.

A sharp whistling sound pierced the air beside him. Lu Yi curled his lips into a sly smile—let me show you my prized treasure.

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With both hands, he suddenly lifted up a figurine. Immediately, it radiated rings of pure white light. Bathed in the glow, the man in black’s face twisted in agony, and the dagger he’d been swinging was forced to halt just before striking the figurine.

Lu Yi cradled the figurine in his hands, slowly driving the man in black toward the wall. The man tried to teleport under the dazzling white light, but his form hadn’t fully blurred before his skill was interrupted. Seeing this, Lu Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This was the figurine Helian Xun had given him, endowed with a one-time death-substitution function. Of course, besides that, it had other abilities—like the one he was using now.

It wasn’t that Lu Yi had been keeping it hidden, but the power could only be activated when held in both hands—meaning he couldn’t attack at the same time.

The man in black shielded his face, his back pressed against the wall. Lu Yi clicked his tongue, “What did I say? That was your last chance to touch me.

I have to admit, even though you wear that confusing black outfit, your mind is pretty clear. I didn’t even realize I’d run out of bullets, but you did.”

The man in black ignored him. “Xu Anxuan,” Lu Yi called, seeing that his adversary had been subdued. He turned and said, “Pick up my military knife and give this gentleman a taste of your skills.”

Xu Anxuan had just retrieved the knife from the ground when Lu Yi’s words startled her. “Shouldn’t you do it yourself?”

Lu Yi rolled his eyes. “What’s there to be afraid of? Look at him now, as meek as a little lamb. Don’t hold back—he took so many bullets and is still bouncing around. Give him a good scrape, clear your mind, and let him experience his own pursuit.”

“And by the way, did you unlock your equipment template?” Lu Yi pressed.

“Equipment template? What’s that?” Xu Anxuan looked puzzled.

Lu Yi explained offhandedly, “As the name suggests, it’s your equipment interface. Since you haven’t unlocked it, you can’t use it yet. Just give our impatient friend here a taste.”

Xu Anxuan glanced at the knife in her hand, then finally approached Lu Yi and stabbed at the man in black.

After several strikes, the man in black could no longer bear the humiliation. He clawed at the wall, and the scene shifted instantly. He bolted a few steps, then stopped and vanished from Lu Yi’s sight.

“Oh, he escaped so far this time.” Lu Yi shook his head, returning the figurine to the team space.

He surveyed the surroundings—the shop lights cast a glow onto the street, silhouettes moved here and there, and though the streetlights didn’t fully illuminate the road, there was nothing particularly grim about the atmosphere.

“Is this the place you entered earlier?” Lu Yi asked Xu Anxuan.

“Sorry, I let him get away,” Xu Anxuan replied apologetically.

“It’s fine, really. The point was to help you resolve your inner turmoil, so his escape was expected,” Lu Yi waved it off. He believed that if Xu Anxuan had decapitated the man in black, even knowing he wasn’t human, she’d feel immense psychological pressure. Better to take it slowly.

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Seeing that Lu Yi genuinely didn’t mind, Xu Anxuan relaxed. She looked around. “Indeed, it doesn’t seem scary at all now,” she said, gazing at Lu Yi.

Lu Yi sensed Xu Anxuan’s gaze. To say he wasn’t at all pleased would be a lie, but since the man in black was still at large, he reined in his pride, preparing for the next confrontation.

Xu Anxuan grabbed Lu Yi’s sleeve. “Is this really just a dream? I feel like I’ve met you several times before.”

She stepped closer, cupping Lu Yi’s face in her hands. “I know you want to track down the man in black. Why don’t we stage a scene to lure him out?” As she spoke, she slowly brought her lips closer.

Lu Yi realized it was indeed a good plan, so he leaned in as well, channeling energy to his legs in preparation.

Just as their lips were about to meet, Lu Yi’s eyes snapped open. He pushed Xu Anxuan away, spun around with the strength of his waist, and kicked.

This time, the man in black was sent flying by Lu Yi’s kick—a surprising result, but Lu Yi quickly drew two pistols and opened fire on his adversary.

“You’ve grown weaker,” Lu Yi said, unsure if the man could hear him amidst the gunfire, but judging by his expression, he probably did.

Lu Yi switched his left-hand pistol for another, accelerating as he charged the man in black, keeping up the barrage. In the final steps, he pulled out his military knife, drove forward with his legs, and swung, slipping into his familiar routine.

“Why?” the man in black’s head stared at Lu Yi.

“It’s simple—your dagger is too short to stab from the front, and attacking from behind or below can’t break through for a fatal strike. So your only viable target is the head.” Lu Yi pressed his ring against the man’s body again.

“Why did I lose?” the head asked, unwilling to accept defeat.

Well, it seemed he’d read too much into it. “Because you were too flashy,” Lu Yi replied, waving his hand as several guns fell to the ground.

“See, I have so many guns—did I show off? My blessed figurine—did I flaunt it? Yet you just had to boast.”

The head rolled its eyes, remaining silent until it was finally destroyed.