Chapter 38: The False Rainbow Dream Equipment

Wang Ling did not notice that at the moment of Linda’s death, the badge pinned to her left chest glimmered faintly, emitting three tiny points of light.

"You have slain the elite leader: Big Sister Linda. The first step of your Main Quest 3 is complete. In the next four days, the upper ranks of the Shadow Warriors will dispatch a commander to hunt you down."

Hearing this abrupt message from the Dream Badge, Wang Ling was shaken to his core. "A commander is coming to hunt me? A commander is second only to the head of the Shadow Warriors. The target of Main Quest 4, Brunov, is a commander—so it won’t be him sent after me… Then, which commander could it be? The boss of the second stage? Or perhaps one from the later stages?"

"No wonder the Main Quest 3 stated at the start: survive under the furious pursuit of the Shadow Warriors’ leaders… If I’d known, I would have waited a couple more days before taking down the elite leader."

This information left Wang Ling feeling troubled. After some thought, he concluded that Wang Long would be no match for a final-stage boss-level commander. The upcoming four days promised to be grueling.

"It’s time to head to Chinatown and seek out the Double Dragon brothers—see if I can enlist their help."

Wang Ling noticed that a black key had also dropped beside Linda. He picked it up, and upon using it, summoned a chest—another black iron chest. Apparently, the bosses in the Double Dragon world only dropped chests of this tier.

However, the contents of this chest surprised Wang Ling—a badge radiating seven-colored light appeared within.

"Is this a Rainbow Dream Equipment? Impossible! A boss at Linda’s level shouldn’t be dropping something so rare!"

He quickly picked up the badge and found it to be finely crafted. Its white metallic surface was etched with a black design: two arcs and a curve—resembling a stylized chest and whip.

"Linda’s Wish: Type: Badge accessory; Rating: E; Attribute: Rainbow Dream Equipment (Imitation); Ability: Life +8; Enhancement Level: LV1; Skill: Shadow Warrior Summon—Consumes 15 Spirit, summons a Mop-Head, a Thug, and a Hippie.

Mop-Head: Strength: 9; Agility: 11; Stamina: 9; Intelligence: 7; Life: 45; Spirit: 35; Skills: Basic Footwork: LV1, Basic Evasion: LV1

Thug: Strength: 11; Agility: 9; Stamina: 9; Intelligence: 7; Life: 45; Spirit: 35; Skills: Basic Melee: LV1, Basic Ranged: LV1

Hippie: Strength: 9; Agility: 9; Stamina: 11; Intelligence: 7; Life: 55; Spirit: 35; Skills: Basic Parry: LV1, Basic Endurance: LV1

You may equip each summoned Shadow Warrior with one weapon; all three are under your full control. Skill cooldown: one hour. Cannot be used multiple times simultaneously."

"Equip requirements: Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Intelligence—each at 11 points."

"Note: This item was originally the Red Elite Equipment ‘Linda’s Command.’ Due to a certain interference, it advanced to Rainbow Dream Equipment. Aside from the unique, secret property of Rainbow Dream Equipment, its basic and upgrade abilities are identical to ‘Linda’s Command.’"

Since this badge’s abilities were identical to red-grade equipment, it would not feature the powerful attribute enhancements at LV4, LV7, and LV10 typical of genuine Rainbow Dream Equipment.

As a formidable elite leader, dropping a piece of red elite equipment was just barely plausible.

However, the inherent skill merely summoned three thugs no more capable than the average person—of little practical use. The +8 Life attribute was roughly equivalent to less than two points of Stamina—better than nothing.

"What secret does it hold?" Wang Ling wondered, curiosity piqued.

He equipped the badge, and the seven-colored radiance instantly vanished from its white metallic surface. Wang Ling chuckled wryly. At least it had one use—showing it off. If he waved it around after removing it, revealing its rainbow glow, it could probably scare plenty of people in the lower districts of the Dreamspace.

Notably, after equipping the badge, the combined effects of Peachy Heart and the badge finally pushed Wang Ling’s Life above 100, reaching a total of 103!

Once Wang Ling finished his business, Wang Long approached, gripping his staff. "Boss, what now?"

"It’s weird for you to call me ‘Master.’ You’re not a maid. Just call me… hmm… call me ‘Boss!’"

After some thought, Wang Ling decided not to return the big man to the card—summoning him again would cost 100 points. Noticing Wang Long’s bare torso was unsightly, he led him to find a shop. In the darkness, they found a clothing store still open for business. Wang Long, bald, shirtless, wielding a staff, and looking fierce, nearly scared the store owner out of his wits—he thought he was being robbed!

Luckily, Americans love sweets, and many are overweight—the store had clothes in his size. Wang Long sent his blue pants back to the Kung Fu Card and changed into a black leather outfit, topping it with a long trench coat. The owner even threw in a pair of oversized sunglasses that covered half his face!

Thus appeared a man straight out of "The Matrix," whose true identity was actually that of a bandit from ancient China…

While Wang Ling was paying, Wang Long suddenly said, "Boss, why bother paying? Just take this guy out, and all the clothes and the store are ours!"

The store owner, in the middle of taking payment, went ashen and refused the money in terror. Even Wang Ling broke out in a cold sweat.

After dragging Wang Long out, the shop immediately closed its doors. Looking at this bandit brute in sunglasses, leather, trench coat, and carrying a red lacquered staff, Wang Ling wiped his brow and said, "This is a law-abiding society. You can’t just kill people."

Wang Long lifted his hand and made a stabbing gesture. "Boss, didn’t you just take that woman out too?"

"Well… she was part of the evil faction. The shop owner here is just a regular person. If you kill ordinary people, the police will come."

"We bandits are the evil faction… As for regular folk, you mean the authorities? Don’t worry—no need to fear the authorities. With my staff in hand, none of them will get away! Haven’t fought any officers in a while—my hands are itching."

Wang Ling was left speechless by this, nearly choking on his breath. After a moment’s silence, he said, "We’re in foreign territory now—don’t cause diplomatic incidents. Only kill when I say so. Otherwise, don’t act on your own!"

The violent bandit, Wang Long the Staffmaster, could only grumble, "Got it."

Wang Ling saw that Wang Long’s nearly two-meter staff drew too much attention, especially paired with his outfit. Fortunately, before entering the Double Dragon world, he’d left all the Mushroom Kingdom coins in his personal room, leaving space in his bag to store the staff.

He then hailed a car straight to Chinatown. It was Wang Long’s first time in such a vehicle, and he turned pale with fright. "This iron box moves so fast! So many of them on the road—what if they crash?"

Wang Ling replied, "…Don’t jinx it!"

As soon as the car reached the entrance to Chinatown, Wang Ling heard two alerts from the Dream Badge: "An evil-aligned dreamer has appeared within one kilometer of you."

Startled, he quickly had the driver stop. Getting out, he saw chaos in the distance—two large factions were brawling! One side wore martial arts uniforms, the other were Shadow Warriors. He grabbed his iron battle-axe and tossed the stored staff to Wang Long. "Attack the ones with spiked hair!"

Wang Long caught the staff and charged in, his trench coat billowing behind him, sunglasses gleaming, red staff in hand—a truly commanding presence!

A thug was exchanging blows with a blond American when the staff struck the back of his head, smashing it open—brain matter splattered everywhere! Wang Long grinned menacingly at the stunned, blood-spattered American, then spun and swept three Shadow Warriors off their feet with a single swing.

As their bodies flew, blood spurted from their mouths. Once they hit the ground, they couldn’t get up. Wang Long strode over and bashed each head in with his staff—while the Shadow Warriors’ leaders were strong, their rank and file were mere thugs, physically no match for someone of Wang Long’s power, who crushed them with ease.

While Wang Long rampaged through mop-heads, thugs, and hippies, Wang Ling carved a bloody path with his iron axe, felling over a dozen Shadow Warriors. He was, however, struck by several fists, knives, and steel pipes, losing over forty health points.

Unlike the disco earlier, where most Shadow Warriors were drugged, their combat power sapped, and panic rampant after their leader’s death, here they were emboldened by battle against the Double Dragon Dojo’s students. Wang Ling, nowhere near as strong as Wang Long, couldn’t kill with such ease.

It’s worth noting that Wang Ling’s passive skill, Iron Head, finally came into play during this melee, blocking five steel pipe strikes!

At level 4, it wasn’t as formidable as level 7, which could shatter rocks without harm, but being hit by pipes only broke the skin and cost 2–3 health per hit. The ten-point base damage resistance proved invaluable.

After fighting his way clear, Wang Ling caught his breath and used a potion to restore his health. He saw, in the distance, the Double Dragon brothers locked in combat with three opponents. One, a short man with iron knuckle-dusters and swift movements, was the elite leader of the Shadow Warriors: Lopo!

The other two were a young white woman and an elderly black man. Upon seeing them, Wang Ling breathed a sigh of relief: Bai Feng was not among them.