Jill Young emerged from the darkness, her cold eyes seeming to shoot out laser-like red beams. "This thing... you put it in the treasure chest, didn’t you?" With a flick of her right hand, Jill produced the "artifact" she’d pulled from the final chest.
The sight of the artifact left everyone stunned. It was a marvel: perfectly balanced between strength and flexibility, about a meter long and as thick as an arm. The handle fit snugly in the hand, shaped somewhere between a sword and a bat; the tip was swollen, reminiscent of an elephant or a turtle’s head. Its body was deep purple, pulsing with dragon-like veins. That’s right, it was an oversized—Saint’s Sway! (Feel free to look up "Saint’s Sway" for reference.)
Jill’s voice was as biting as a blizzard wind, yet thunderous like a summer storm: "You give me this thing... what’s that supposed to mean?" She whipped the artifact, its tip cracking like a whip as she finally broke into a wicked grin: "I said I’d use this to send you straight to heaven, and I never break my word."
Even separated by that giant ragdoll cat head, it seemed like big beads of sweat were dripping down Mr. Reckless’s forehead.
"From now on, don’t stick these unreliable things on me." With a rip, Jill tore off the Reliable Talisman and slapped an even bigger sticker over Mr. Reckless’s entire cat face. "This is what you’ll wear from now on—ha!" Jill gripped the handle of the artifact with both hands, raised it high, twisted her body, snapped her hips, and swung her shoulders, launching a full-force golf swing. The artifact even whistled through the air. Aimed at the cat butt poking up from being pinned, Jill went all out—smack!
Bang! "Meow—!" came a miserable yowl as the cat-man clutched his butt and flew in a wide arc, crashing right into the hovering camera lens. "Grudge destroyed, Kill Points +10,000!" As the sharp cat cry echoed, the camera zoomed in on Mr. Reckless clutching the camera and kicking his legs in midair. On the sticker were four bold words: No One Under Heaven.
Confetti exploded everywhere, streamers rained down, and today, amid Fatso’s wild yelling, Jill Young set a new high score for The Reliable Adventure.
Even dodging traps counted toward the score, so Jill’s final tally was more than 22,000 points. Although Mr. Reckless crashed the party at the last moment, maybe that was just a hidden stage in The Reliable Adventure. When Jill walked out the exit, over 20,000 bucks were instantly transferred to her account. Jill finally understood: all these cat-people with Reliable Talismans on their foreheads weren’t the real Mr. Reckless—at best, they were proxies.
The real madman, Mr. Reckless, was probably hiding somewhere much deeper.
When Jill carried the artifact back to the surface of Steelbull City’s Underworld, she found it surprisingly handy—the impact and destructive power far outclassed a baseball bat. It looked soft, but was actually tough as nails. If someone actually grew something like this on their body, then "Steelbull" would be the perfect nickname for them.
Could this be one of Steelbull City’s legendary artifact set?
While Jill was pondering some unreliable questions, she stepped out of an inconspicuous warehouse. Outside, the street was pitch black and dead silent, but a murderous tension was spreading. People closed in from the darkness—a lot of people, armed to the teeth. Cars rolled up, headlights glaring, boxing Jill in from both ends of the road.
According to the rules of The Reliable Adventure, weapons snatched during the game have to be returned after it ends (rewards from treasure chests don’t count). Plus, bringing your own weapons is forbidden, so technically, Jill was unarmed. If someone wanted to kill her, now—right after she’d scored fame and fortune—would be the perfect time.
"Heh heh." Jill chuckled, her grip on the artifact steady as ever. The small giggle turned into a big laugh, then into wild, uncontrollable laughter that rocked her back and forth.
"What are you laughing at, you crazy broad? You’re not getting out of here alive! Get down and beg, then give each of us a good time, and maybe we’ll let you live!" snarled a vicious-looking short guy.
But Jill ignored him, just put two fingers to her lips and blew a loud whistle. The enemies stared at each other, confused. The next moment, with a roar of engines, a car that looked like a Rolls-Royce Phantom barreled in, smashed aside the blockade, and sent Jill’s attackers flying like bowling pins.
Jill leapt into the car, and the fight erupted instantly. Bullets flew as Pierce slammed the gas and Drug Lord One shot forward. Right hand on the wheel, left hand firing back, Pierce kept talking: "Boss, you might think you’re some movie cowboy, but I’m not a horse! If I didn’t have ears in every direction, you’d be toast!"
"Quit your yapping. I knew this was coming. Don’t go too fast—let’s kite them!" Jill leaned out the window, sitting on the sill facing inward. Twin pistols appeared, unleashing a hail of fire behind her. It was just like the old days: on her first day in this world, Jill saw a high-speed car chase. Back then, a gang chased Xiao Di all over the place, but today, Jill decided to wipe out everyone chasing her.
The new twin pistols were seriously powerful—after just a few shots, the lead car’s driver burst into a spray of blood and crashed into the curb. Jill’s aim never missed, unless the target was specially modified; everything else went down in a few shots. Against those armored vehicles, Jill grabbed something big out of thin air with her right hand.
As the big weapon appeared, Drug Lord One’s right tire sank with the weight. Pierce hurried to steady the wheel, glanced over, and yelped, "How’d you manage to bring that thing in here?"
"Since I bought it from Friendly Firearms, I’ve got to use it." Jill hefted the weapon onto her shoulder, squinting as she took aim behind her. "Suddenly, I feel like Friendly Firearms is my new favorite shop." Whoosh—fire streaked out, a missile shot toward the chasing cars. Boom! Several vehicles were blasted sky-high. And it didn’t stop there: the second missile followed right after, no reload needed.
This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^, click next page to keep reading!
That’s right—Jill got herself a rapid-fire shoulder-mounted rocket launcher from Friendly Firearms. Just one "magazine" held six rockets, plus a bunch of other gadgets; the whole thing weighed over two hundred kilos. To be honest, this weapon was never meant for solo use, but Jill was making it work.
Of course, the pursuers weren’t just punching bags. Bullets flew everywhere, and rocket launchers weren’t Jill’s exclusive trick. Suddenly, Jill stretched out her leg, hooked her toe around the steering wheel, and Drug Lord One swerved hard, dodging a missile by a hair. Boom—a giant dumpster exploded in a shower of fire and shrapnel. Pierce felt something smack into his face through the window, tore it off, and realized it was a used condom...
"You sons of bitches!" Pierce screamed, stomping the gas and sending a biker flying twenty meters.
Meanwhile, in a high-end neighborhood in the Queen’s District, Inkster was anxiously watching the situation unfold. She didn’t dare chase Jill herself—she figured if she showed up anywhere Jill could see her, she’d be toast. So she kept a nervous eye on things, flipping on the TV, and sure enough, Blood Throat Channel 2 was broadcasting the highway battle live.
A getaway car raced down the highway, a dozen pursuers in hot pursuit, gunfire flying back and forth. The chasers kept exploding or veering off the overpass. The fugitives were barely hanging on—their rear bumper even fell off—but they were still in the game for now.
"Damn it, damn it—why aren’t they dead yet?" Inkster muttered as she watched TV, when suddenly the phone rang. She picked up, and her already dark face turned even darker: "What? Intruders? Is it Morningstar... No One Under Heaven? What kind of gang is No One Under Heaven? Send more men, hold the line, we have to hold the line!"
Inkster hung up and bolted. With most of her forces sent to take down Jill, she’d thought killing a nobody would be a breeze—only Jill wasn’t dead, and now another gang was taking advantage and storming in. No way, she had to lay low. Black Pearl still had plenty of muscle; even if she lost a few blocks, she’d get them back eventually.
Thinking this, Inkster headed to the underground garage, grabbed her car, and tried to make a getaway. But when she reached her spot, her keys just wouldn’t work—no matter what, the engine wouldn’t start. Just as Inkster started to feel uneasy, the garage lights suddenly went out, plunging everything into darkness. Out of the deep shadows, headlights snapped on, shining straight into her face.
She raised a hand to shield her eyes and reached for her gun, but a cold barrel was already pressed to her forehead. She turned—and saw Xiao Di grinning at her, the kind of grin that spelled trouble. (Folks! The novel’s finally going premium! I’ll post a premium launch message soon!)