Discarding pistols and rifles,
Picking up shotguns and carrying grenade launchers,
Pretending that all times were peaceful.
After having dinner at the Spirit Administration building's cafeteria, saving himself a meal, He Li happily drove his oil-guzzler home.
Of course, it wasn't just because of the meal money; the most important thing was that he received an oil card from the logistics department.
Arrived home, showered, and slept.
...
In the dead of night,
He Li's eyes snapped open. The silver glow of the moon shone on the floor by his bed. Yan Ping stood by the window, casting no shadow.
"What is it?" He Li asked.
Yan Ping gazed out at the street, his expression solemn. "The house faces the street; it's very noisy."
"Damn it!" He Li cursed inwardly, then said softly, "Houses facing the street are cheaper to rent."
He Li sat up in bed and let out a long sigh, rubbing his neck. Just as he was about to lie down again, he heard Yan Ping exclaim, "So beautiful..."
He Li looked up, paused, and said, "You don't have to praise me."
Yan Ping continued his exclamation, "So beautiful... a dog."
He Li: "???"
Seeing Yan Ping standing by the window looking outside, He Li also got out of bed and peered out.
Under the streetlamp across the road, a large wolfhound squatted. It had blue-brown fur and blue-silver eyes. It sat perfectly upright, its head held high, exuding power and majesty.
"Is this... a Blue Bay Shepherd?"
When He Li worked at a bookstore, he had read a novel where the protagonist owned a Blue Bay Shepherd. It possessed wolf blood, had a handsome appearance, and looked imposing when still, yet was gentle and eager to please.
However, He Li had a feeling that this dog was looking at him, and that it could even see Yan Ping.
"Yan Ping, do you think this dog can see you?"
Yan Ping shook his head. "It can't see me, but it can sense that you are schizophrenic."
He Li rolled his eyes and said irritably, "I'm not joking with you."
Yan Ping looked at He Li seriously. "I'm not joking either. It can't see me, but it can sense your mental energy. Do you understand now?"
He Li pondered for a moment, nodded, and then looked back at the dog, asking, "What's the deal with this dog?"
Yan Ping said, "You had only just fallen asleep when it arrived. It's been squatting there, watching this place."
"Is it a demon?" He Li asked.
"No," Yan Ping paused. "It's more like a dog that has gained sentience..."
Sentience was a good word. A sentient dog was still a dog, just not a very proper one.
At this moment,
The Blue Bay Shepherd squatting under the streetlamp rose from its seated position and then, slowly walked away, disappearing around the street corner.
He Li paid it no mind. This world had demons and ghosts, what was a mere sentient dog?
He checked the time; it was two in the morning. He drank some water and went back to sleep. Yan Ping, meanwhile, sat on the living room sofa, watching television.
"Keep the TV volume down; I need to sleep."
"Oh..."
"Then turn it down!"
"I just answered you; I didn't agree to it."
"..."
The next day.
He Li's eyes opened groggily, as he had dreamt of the dog from last night.
He drove to the gas station, filled the tank with his oil card, and then his spirits were restored.
Nothing else mattered; getting something for free made him happy.
The middle-aged woman at the gas station looked at He Li sitting in the car.
He wore a clean white t-shirt with a small V-neck collar, his body was sturdy, his posture upright, and his handsome face was complemented by a slightly upturned smile.
The female gas station attendant was somewhat mesmerized.
She wasn't a fangirl, but an admirer of beauty.
He Li smiled at the female gas station attendant. Don't fall for me; if you like me, you have to like all of me, including Chen Sui, who was sitting in the passenger seat, polishing a Yanling saber with a murderous look, and Jin Fang, who was perched on the car roof, spinning a claw knife with a sinister grin.
On the road,
He Li asked while driving, "I'm surprised you two are appearing at the same time."
"Just getting some air," Chen Sui said, then obsessively caressed the patterns on the Yanling saber.
Jin Fang suddenly appeared on the front hood. He slowly crouched down and smiled at He Li in the car, "This guy is out, and I don't trust you, so I came out to watch him."
Clang!
As Jin Fang finished speaking.
Chen Sui thrust a saber through the windshield, aiming directly at Jin Fang, who blocked it with his claw knife.
Chen Sui narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "A sneaky, third-rate assassin only deserves to hide in dark, smelly gutters."
Jin Fang's glasses glinted with killing intent. He grinned, "How would a butcher who can't control his emotions and just swings his blade wildly understand the art of death? You shouldn't be sitting in a factory; you should be in a slaughterhouse, standing among the bloody innards of pigs!"
Clang!
Jin Fang's claw knife deflected Chen Sui's Yanling saber.
Immediately after,
Chen Sui vanished from the passenger seat and reappeared on the car's front hood. He uppercutted, striking Jin Fang's claw knife. Jin Fang then leaped into the air, landing on the car roof. His body was coiled like a predator about to strike, his arms crossed in front of him, each hand holding a claw knife in a reverse grip.
Chen Sui, looking at Jin Fang, his facial muscles twitched with excitement, his eyes filled with frenzied glee. Simultaneously, another Yanling saber appeared in his hand. He took a step back, his left leg and arm forward, holding the saber vertically. His right leg was extended straight behind him, his right arm raised, holding the saber horizontally, its tip pointed at Jin Fang.
Then,
Clang, clang, clang...
Chen Sui and Jin Fang fought from the roof to the hood, and from the hood to the roof. The clash of metal against metal was constant and sharp.
He Li drove, calmly lit a cigarette, and looked at Yan Ping, who sat quietly in the back seat, in the rearview mirror. "Aren't you going to join the fun?"
Yan Ping shook his head and chuckled lightly. "Duels are sacred to gentlemen. Although I don't approve of such unceremonious dueling methods, I respect their duel.
Besides, if one of them is killed, all of our mental energy will be enhanced. Why not?"
He Li shook his head. Listen to this, listen to what he's saying.
The car began to shake.
He Li simply pulled the car over to the side of the road, letting them fight.
The car's shaking intensified.
Bystanders on the street all turned their heads. A few young girls stared wide-eyed at the violently shaking SUV.
On the street in broad daylight? Shouldn't they go somewhere secluded and deserted? Like... the woods in the suburbs.
Also,
So fierce...
Then,
He picked up his phone and clicked, clicked... clicked... recorded a video, and posted it to his Moments.
He Li's phone rang inside the car. It transferred to the car's display screen. Min Liang appeared, saying urgently, "He Li, go to Yan Hong Street No. 88, Binjiang Bank, immediately. There's a massive demonic aura detected. The captain and Tao Xue are already on their way!"
"Received!"
The SUV raced away, still shaking.
The onlookers were even more astonished. They could do that while driving?
Such experts!!!
...