Chapter 894: Airplane

Chapter 894: The Aircraft

High above the clouds, Li Huowang cast a sidelong glance at the scenery outside the window, watching the houses that looked no larger than matchboxes.

His left hand drifted to his lips and slowly unfurled, revealing a black and white die—a trinket he had just picked up.

Yet Li Huowang knew it was no coincidence; this was the die.

Gazing at the landscape, he whispered to the fingernail-sized object in his palm: "You followed me in secret. What exactly are you after?"

"Don't bother answering. Even if you spoke, I wouldn't hear you. No matter how formidable you once were, in my hands, you are nothing but a motionless little toy."

"Die, I don't know if you actually helped last time. I am a Si Ming now; I can never go back, but I can still influence things over there."

"We have crossed paths enough times now to call ourselves acquaintances. Why not do what you do best?"

Li Huowang’s gaze dropped to the die in his palm. "You are useless here, but over there, you can help me. Don't tell me that as the leader of the Sit-and-Forget Path, you can't even manage this."

"Do it well, and I will reward you. But if you fail, or if you try to play tricks, don't blame me for what I do to you. In my eyes, you are nothing! Making you vanish would be effortless."

With that, to demonstrate his resolve, Li Huowang opened his mouth and tossed the die inside.

His expression twisted into a snarl as he clamped his teeth down, the die deforming under the pressure, as if a fraction more force would shatter it entirely.

Li Huowang spat it out, staring at the saliva-slicked die marked with two rows of tooth imprints, and threatened: "Do you understand!?"

Just then, a flight attendant in uniform walked down the aisle. Li Huowang quickly closed his hand and nodded at her with a smile.

Once she passed, he opened his palm again and continued: "I’m not asking for anything difficult. Just watch over the people I care about on that side."

He paused for a moment before adding, "And Li Sui. Don't play dumb with me; you know exactly who I care about."

At that moment, Li Huowang felt someone watching him. He whipped his head around to see Zhao Lei, who stood frozen, phone in hand, his mouth slightly agape.

"I know you’ve offended plenty of people and neither side likes you. So it’s settled: if you pull this off, I’ll protect you. From now on, you are my Heart-Puppet." Li Huowang tucked the die into his pocket and glared at Zhao Lei. "What are you looking at!"

Zhao Lei’s lips trembled, but he said nothing, turning away to bury his face in his phone.

Li Huowang watched the landscape below grow larger; he knew their destination was near.

"That’s enough for now. When we land, take this plane back to our own world. This muddy water is too deep for someone of your level." With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the tooth-marked die into the space beneath the seat in front.

After disembarking, Li Huowang did not recognize the place. The signs were written in a script he could not decipher; the only thing he could discern was the oppressive heat—it felt tropical.

Zhao Shuandian, already changed into short sleeves, led the way, dialing a number on her phone to contact someone.

Taking advantage of the moment, Qing Wanglai approached Li Huowang. "Actually, we had another helper, but it’s a pity she couldn't come. If she had, our odds of winning would be higher."

"Who? Why didn't you let her come?"

"You were the one who wouldn't let her. You sent her back to her hometown, kept under her parents' watch, forbidden from leaving."

"Yang Na!?" At the mention of her name, Li Huowang’s eyes shifted instantly. He jabbed a finger into Qing Wanglai’s chest. "I’m telling you! Keep her away from this! If you dare let her get involved in the slightest, I will kill you!"

"Li Huowang, honestly, you’re being unreasonable. Why do you always insist on making decisions for others? What if she wanted to join?"

Li Huowang’s teeth ground together, his face contorting once more. "She is sick! These thoughts she has aren't her own! I’ll say it again: don't drag her into this!"

"Fine, I heard you. No need to repeat it; you made that very clear when you took her away."

Seeing Qing Wanglai’s attitude, Li Huowang chose not to escalate the conflict, instead reaching up to tear the rubber mask from his head, revealing his true face.

A car horn blared. Several off-road vehicles appeared ahead, driven by foreigners.

"Let's go." Zhao Shuandian tilted her head toward the vehicles and began to walk.

Once outside the airport, Li Huowang saw that the surroundings were even more desolate than he had imagined. One would expect an airport to be near a major city, but here, there was only a small, stunted town that ended as soon as it began.

Minutes later, the vehicles left the town, driving into the barren Gobi Desert.

When he saw the driver turn the wheel, steering off the asphalt and onto the gravel, Li Huowang reached behind his back, gripping the familiar hilts of his blades.

"They’re going to be here? This doesn't look like a place for people," Li Huowang asked Zhao Shuandian in the passenger seat.

"What makes you so sure they are people?" Zhao Shuandian, arms crossed, opened the overhead compartment and pulled out a pair of dark red sunglasses, sliding them onto her face.

Time trickled by, and the sky began to darken. When the vehicles, headlights cutting through the gloom, reached a low-lying depression in the desert, they came to a halt.

"Get out. Grab your gear." Everyone disembarked immediately and opened the trunks.

They had been traveling all day with little rest, yet every face was etched with grim focus.

As he watched Zhao Shuandian assemble a matte-black sniper rifle, Li Huowang frowned and drew his two blades. "Wait, you get to use that, and I’m stuck with these?"

"Want to trade? Do you even know how to use it?" Li Huowang looked at the firearm she offered and ultimately declined.

He had never used such a weapon; a tool he didn't understand was far less reliable than his own steel.

"Li Huowang, over here." Hearing the call, Li Huowang turned to see Wu Jie and Chen Hongyu hauling a heavy suit and a helmet from their trunk.

Li Huowang remembered this gear. It was the bulletproof vest he had worn once before.