In this quiet alley, two battles erupted simultaneously.
Glasses Bro frantically tossed a pair of spectacles, instantly swapping positions with them. The glasses he’d thrown disintegrated into powder under a plasma cannon blast.
"Number Three Specs! I swear your sacrifice won’t be in vain!" Glasses Bro gazed mournfully at the vanished frames.
"Are you serious? Worrying about glasses *now*?" Xiao Zhan eyed the foe wielding twin plasma cannons. "Aren’t you teammates? What *is* this guy?"
The silent Golden Triangle member fired again. Sparks crackled, explosions boomed—and both Xiao Zhan and Glasses Bro vanished.
"My Number Two Specs!!!" Glasses Bro wailed from the rooftop.
"Will you quit it? It’s just a pair of glasses!" Xiao Zhan snapped.
"You’ll never understand my bond with them," Glasses Bro insisted. "Those were *premium* frames."
"Tch. What *is* that thing?" Xiao Zhan pressed.
"He’s the Golden Triangle’s third-in-command. Half-machine. Handles long-range fire." Glasses Bro’s voice turned grim. "The one Lin Jie smashed into a wall earlier was their second-in-command—pure brute strength. Though he’s irrelevant now. Speaking of Lin Jie—who *is* he? That club swing could floor a C-rank Hero. Even Frost Witch mentioned he’s got two B-rank kills under his belt."
"Look out—he spotted us!" Xiao Zhan yelled.
They dodged in opposite directions as plasma bolts seared past. Before they could react, the cyborg shot straight up to the rooftop.
"He’s got flight modules too?!" Xiao Zhan gasped.
"Focus on taking him down!" Glasses Bro hurled a pair of spectacles at the cyborg. In a flash, he materialized before the enemy, twin stun batons crackling toward his chest.
The cyborg didn’t flinch. He raised a mechanical arm to block.
Sparks flew as batons met metal—but the current fizzled harmlessly against the armor.
The cyborg’s plasma cannon, fully charged, pressed against Glasses Bro’s stomach. Light flashed.
"My Number Four Specs!" Glasses Bro reappeared at his original spot.
"Annoying gnat," the cyborg muttered as his sure-hit missed again.
"Your gear’s useless. Try mine." Xiao Zhan pulled out a pixelated rod-shaped object. It vibrated violently with a loud buzz.
"What the hell is that?! It’s got built-in censorship!" Glasses Bro dodged another plasma blast. "Why’s he only shooting *me*?"
"My upgraded Plasma Stain Remover 3000!" Xiao Zhan beamed. "Added a new optical effect—boosts intimidation by 4%. Enemies can’t even ID the weapon!"
"That thing’s straight-up变态! It’d get banned everywhere!" Glasses Bro reappeared beside him.
"Really? I was planning mass production."
"Help me instead of peddling weird gadgets!" Glasses Bro yelled.
A mechanical hand clamped around his throat. The cyborg’s other arm hummed, plasma cannon recharging.
"Catch!" Xiao Zhan tossed the pixelated rod.
The cyborg instinctively flinched as the censored object flew at his face—then realized his mistake too late.
Glasses Bro seized the Stain Remover Rod and slammed it into the cyborg’s unarmored shoulder.
"*Ahhh—YES!!*" An ecstatic scream echoed across the rooftop.
Xiao Zhan activated his Anti-Gravity Shoes, gliding low. He grabbed the stunned cyborg’s mechanical leg, pivoting behind him.
"Time to witness my power!" Xiao Zhan roared, thrusting the pixelated rod toward the cyborg’s backside.
"*Ah—!*" A moan—painful yet thrilled, shy yet yearning—ripped through the sky.
...
Below in the alley.
"That useless Third. Beaten by those two." The Golden Triangle leader drifted like a ghost.
Lin Jie’s Spike Mace crashed down where he’d stood—missing.
The leader reappeared behind Lin Jie. "Your strength is impressive. But power means nothing if it can’t touch its target." He dodged another swing. "Brutes like you can’t even graze my robes."
"Shut up and fight," Lin Jie said flatly. "All that drifting—you haven’t landed a hit. Can you even attack?"
"Underestimating me?" Twin Light Sabers materialized in the leader’s hands. "I was merely showing the gap between us. Now—*real* combat begins."
"Oh. So all that drifting and bragging earlier was just you *showing off*." Lin Jie nodded slowly. "Got it."
"Five seconds. That’s all I need to end you." The leader lunged, Aurora Sword aimed at Lin Jie’s waist.
Lin Jie shifted slightly, dodging. His mace swept horizontally—but smashed into the wall instead.
"In this narrow alley, what use is your weapon?" The leader sneered, thrusting his second blade.
A crunch echoed. Dust exploded. The leader reappeared outside the smoke cloud.
As it cleared, a deep gash split the wall—revealing the street beyond.
"Five seconds are up," Lin Jie said.
"Impossible! These walls are steel-grade polymer!" The leader’s eyes widened. "But the stronger you are, the greater my reward from the Guildmaster for defeating you."
"*Yaaawn*," Lin Jie stretched. "Shouldn’t Lin Wan be done shopping by now?"
"Worry about yourself!" Black mist erupted from the leader’s body. "This Shadow Mode was meant for my C-rank promotion. You’re its first victim."
He vanished. Reappeared beside Lin Jie.
"Shadow Mode boosts my speed tenfold. You can’t even track me." His voice echoed from all directions.
"Time to head back," Lin Jie muttered.
"You’re not going anywhere." The leader materialized behind him, Light Saber poised—
A single finger pressed against his forehead.
"*Impossible!*" The leader hadn’t seen Lin Jie turn.
"My patience is gone."
A primal dread surged through the leader. He vanished at top speed—only to find Lin Jie standing beside him.
"*When—?*"
Lin Jie’s fist tapped his stomach. As the leader doubled over, he saw the Spike Mace resting between his legs.
"Let me show you *true* nutcracker pain." Lin Jie lifted the mace sharply.
A sickening *crack* echoed. Foaming at the mouth, the Golden Triangle leader shot skyward, clutching his groin.
...
On the rooftop, the Third lay trussed like a dumpling.
"Done." Xiao Zhan grinned. "My weapon works, huh? Now—answer my questions."
"All those times you bullied me..." Glasses Bro loomed over the cyborg. "Today, I avenge my fallen spectacles!"
"*Heh... heh heh...*" The usually silent Third chuckled darkly. "You think defeating me matters? Once my leader finishes your friend, he’ll make you suffer."
His laughter cut off as a foaming figure soared past the rooftop—crotch-clutched, ascending into the clouds. Lin Jie landed beside them, Spike Mace on his shoulder.
"Your boss just ascended via nutshot," Xiao Zhan said mildly, turning back to the Third. "We found you."
Lin Jie spotted Xiao Zhan on the adjacent building. "There you are."
"I’ll tell you everything! Just spare my manhood—I’ve got no heirs yet!" the Third blubbered.
"Since when did you get so polite?"
"I’ve got aging parents and hungry kids! I’m just trying to make a living! Ask anything—please!"
"Weren’t you laughing smugly seconds ago? Why the sudden personality shift?!"
"I believed in my leader! But now he’s... *ascending*? If I act tough, I’ll end up joining him in orbit. And I *really* don’t want to fly via nutshot."
"Smart choice."
"Sorry! I’ll never be arrogant again! Please spare me!"
...
