Mutated Tao

Li Huowang locked eyes with the young man wearing reflective sunglasses.

The had slicked-back hair. A leather jacket clung to his frame, and slightly worn jeans completed his look. His otherwise unremarkable face had a few irregular black moles.

Li Huowang was certain they’d never met before, yet there was something familiar about him.

That feeling made Li Huowang instinctively open his mouth. “Shai Zi?”

The man with the sunglasses didn’t answer. Instead, he reached into his coat with one hand, pulling out three grenades.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Without hesitation, he bit down on the pin of one and hurled all three directly at Li Huowang and his group. “Kaboom!”

Everything happened so fast that no one had time to react.

As the grenades flew toward him, Li Huowang gritted his teeth and charged forward. He swung his severed arm at the explosives with all his strength.

To his surprise, the grenades didn’t explode on contact. Instead, the grenades expanded, and a loud sound filled the air. They released thick black smoke that instantly engulfed the entire room, blinding everyone inside.

“Hahaha!” The man’s arrogant laughter faded into the distance.

Li Huowang’s heart sank. Damn it! He’s just here to buy time for the Three Pure Ones to escape!

He opened his mouth, but the sharp, pungent smoke filled his lungs and choked him. The blinding, stinging sensation made it impossible to see or breathe properly.

“Three Pure Ones! Don’t think of running!” Li Huowang covered his mouth and nose, rushing toward the sound of a car engine starting up.

He burst out of the smoke with tears streaming down his face. Once he did, he saw a roofless Jeep with its headlights on speeding straight at him. The sunglasses-wearing man was at the wheel, and in the backseat sat Qing Wanglai.

Li Huowang gritted his teeth and leaped to the side as the Jeep swerved away. It sped down a narrow path through a bamboo grove, quickly leaving the villa behind.

Wiping his face, Li Huowang turned and sprinted to the underground garage. Moments later, the roar of a motorcycle engine filled the air. Li Huowang shot out of the garage, hot on the Jeep’s trail.

On his way out, he spotted Yang Na by the roadside, choking on the tears caused by the smoke. She clutched a military knife in one hand, raising the other to give him a thumbs-up.

As they passed each other, Li Huowang reached out with his severed arm.

Yang Na grabbed on, using the momentum to leap onto the back of the bike. She steadied herself, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

Vroom! The motorcycle roared as Li Huowang pushed it to its limits, quickly closing the gap between them and the fleeing Jeep.

Qing Wanglai’s Jeep sped ahead on the suburban roads while Li Huowang pursued closely behind.

Though his bike was fast, the Jeep gained an edge on every curve, maintaining a stalemate.

Yang Na grew anxious. She quickly assessed the distance between them, sheathed her military knife, and pulled a handgun from her waist. Then, she took aim.

Bang! A miss.

Bang! Another miss.

“Huowang, stop moving! I can’t aim properly!”

“This is a motorcycle! How do you expect it not to move? Don’t aim for the people. Shoot the tires!”

After several more shots, the Jeep suddenly shook violently, its speed dropping sharply.

“We got them! ”Li Huowang said, twisting the throttle even harder. They quickly pulled up alongside the Jeep.

Qing Wanglai leveled a gun directly at Li Huowang’s bandaged head.

Bang! Qing Wanglai’s hand exploded, his blood spraying everywhere. Yang Na had fired a perfect shot.

“Nana! Take over!” Li Huowang grabbed her hands and placed them on the handlebars before vaulting off the motorcycle and onto the Jeep.

He crashed into the vehicle and lunged at Qing Wanglai, seizing him by the throat. Within moments, Qing Wanglai’s face turned purple as he gasped for air.

“I don’t care what you’re up to! I don’t even want to know! I only care about one thing—you killed Suisui! My daughter is dead because of you!”

Li Huowang remained unyielding, his grip tightening. The man in sunglasses struck him several times on the back, but Li Huowang didn’t loosen his hold.

Just as Qing Wanglai’s head was about to be crushed by Li Huowang’s grip, Qing Wanglai reached out and grabbed Li Huowang’s arm. A faint, confident smile formed on his purple face.

With the last of his air, Qing Wanglai rasped, “Brother Li… help me.”

In an instant, the surrounding environment shifted. Li Huowang found himself back in the devastated world of Da Nuo, holding the severed head of Zhuge Yuan in his hands.

Zhuge Yuan and Qing Wanglai’s faces merged into one. The events that had occurred in the past now overlapped with the present.

Qing Wanglai took advantage of Li Huowang’s momentary distraction. He bent his knee and drove his foot into Li Huowang’s stomach.

The force sent Li Huowang flying and knocked him off the Jeep. As he hit the ground, he saw Qing Wanglai leaning against the window, looking at him with his signature smile.

Thump! Li Huowang’s back slammed against the ground. The feeling of bones breaking and organs shifting left him paralyzed on the ground.

Li Huowang lay still, covered in dirt and dust. He raised his head, his lone eye capturing the sight of the Jeep shrinking into the distance.

Yang Na had initially planned to pursue on the motorcycle, but when she noticed Li Huowang lying on the ground, she decided that attending to him was more important.

She twisted the brakes sharply, and the motorcycle’s tires screeched to a halt, drawing a black arc in front of Li Huowang.

She jumped off the bike and quickly helped Li Huowang to his feet. “Huowang, are you okay? Where does it hurt?”

Li Huowang's eyes blazed with hatred as he looked in the direction where the Jeep had vanished. “Qing Wanglai!”

Thirty minutes later, Li Huowang limped back into Qing Wanglai's villa with Yang Na’s help, battered and bruised.

Everyone else was there. They were acting as if nothing had happened. Some were watching TV, others were eating, and some were discussing various matters.

Li Huowang walked past them and approached Zhao Shuangdian. With his severed arm, he slammed her laptop against the wall and shattered it.

“Why didn’t you help? Why?! Qing Wanglai would not have gotten away so easily if your people had acted!”