The sun was already setting. Zhang Lei and May were hiding on top of a hill, and below them stretched a narrow road.
A few minutes later, a convoy of five armored vehicles slowly moved along the road.
Boom! Boom!
Zhang Lei smashed the bonnet of the first vehicle, causing a massive explosion. The drivers and passengers immediately rushed out, armed with guns and heavy weapons. They opened fire on Zhang Lei rapidly while trying to keep their distance.
Zhang Lei swung his mace at the car he had just destroyed, sending it flying through the air along with three men.
Two men in black suits immediately broke away and ran into the nearby forest.
That was when May jumped down and chased after them.
I quietly followed behind.
Each of them held onto a backpack tightly as they ran deeper into the forest. May was beginning to close the distance.
Suddenly, both men stopped and dropped their bags to the ground before pulling out something that looked like pistols.
May struck her swords together, causing flames to engulf their blades.
Before the fight could even begin, I heard footsteps slowly approaching.
Men in black suits emerged from the trees one after another, each carrying rifles.
Several loud explosions could be heard from the road where Zhang Lei was fighting, but I ignored them, keeping my eyes on May.
She stepped back and smirked.
Before any of them could pull the trigger, May had already moved.
She cut down several men while rapidly changing positions. It was the fastest I had ever seen her move.
More and more men emerged from the forest as the sounds of gunfire filled the area.
May leaped high into the air, transferred both blades into one hand, and pulled out a bottle from her pocket. She drank until her mouth was full before tossing the bottle away.
Crossing her swords together, she released everything through her blades.
Whoosh!
The entire area burst into flames.
The men screamed and danced helplessly within the sea of fire.
May kicked the bags to a safe distance while finishing off the remaining enemies.
She extinguished the flames on her swords and walked over to pick up the bags.
Suddenly—
The ground beneath her shattered.
May was sent flying several meters away.
At the same moment, Zhang Lei burst through the flames and smashed into something solid.
BOOM!
The collision released heavy shockwaves across the entire area, extinguishing the surrounding flames.
"Li Wei..." Zhang Lei said.
Li Wei smiled.
"Nice meeting you, Zhang Lei."
I immediately rushed over to check on May.
She was injured from the impact, but she was alright.
Shockwaves continued spreading through the area one after another.
I observed carefully, trying to find a weakness, but I couldn't.
Zhang Lei's hands were suddenly grabbed before he was thrown several meters away.
Li Wei's body looked monstrous. His muscles resembled carved stone, and he was nearly twice Zhang Lei's size.
Zhang Lei stood up, looking exhausted.
"May! Retreat with the bags!" he shouted.
He tried retreating as well, but Li Wei had no intention of letting him escape.
He walked toward a massive boulder that had remained unmoved for years.
With one hand, he ripped it from the ground and hurled it at Zhang Lei.
I was about to join the battle—
But suddenly, my head ached again.
Pain exploded through me, forcing me to collapse onto the ground.
Using his mace, Zhang Lei smashed the boulder apart, but the impact sent him flying backward.
He immediately stood back up and ran toward the lights coming from the nearby city.
Li Wei looked toward May and stomped his foot into the ground.
Boom!
A shockwave spread outward, causing May to lose her balance and fall.
I was still lying on the ground in pain.
I couldn't do anything.
But it was already too late.
Li Wei leaped into the air with both fists aimed directly at May.
There was no way she could survive that attack.
"Vanta..." May said with a smile.
I grabbed her and ran toward the city while she held onto me and the two bags.
But Li Wei didn't chase after us.
Instead, that entire part of the forest became covered in darkness.
When we finally reached the city, I had to let go of May to dodge an attack from Zhang Lei's mace.
But I crashed straight into a building filled with bright white fluorescent lights.
Zhang Lei followed after me.
"Who are you? And why have you been following us?"
He swung his mace at me with the intent to kill.
I kept dodging while trying to explain.
The lights began to dim, as if shadows were slowly consuming them.
Then—
Everything went dark.
Zhang Lei was already in position to smash me.
I caught his mace by its metal handle.
Still struggling with the headaches, I held onto it for a few seconds.
Zhang Lei suddenly pulled back.
His eyes widened.
The weapon felt strangely light.
The sound of an iron ball crashing onto the ground echoed throughout the room.
Immediately afterward, Zhang Lei kicked me out of the building.
The handle of his mace glowed red, hot liquid dripping from the melted metal.
May suddenly shouted—
"Stop! He's on our side! He's Vanta!"
Only then did Zhang Lei stop attacking.
May ran over and hugged me tightly.
"We still have the bags, right? Let's head back to the temple," Zhang Lei said, still panting and looking confused.