Chapter Forty-One: The Legendary Fiancée

After obtaining the nunchaku, Billy insisted on sparring with Wang Long. The nunchaku, being a short and swift weapon, matched Wang Long's rapid movements as he wielded his staff. The two engaged in a fast-paced exchange amid a flurry of stick shadows, the sound of weapons clashing and colliding echoing continuously, punctuated by sharp bursts of air, fierce to the extreme. Watching from the side, Wang Ling couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

In this duel, Wang Long was clearly at a disadvantage. His martial skills were comparable to Billy's, a Jeet Kune Do master, but the real weakness lay in his weapon—the wooden staff simply wasn’t as sturdy as the steel-crafted nunchaku. After a few rounds, fearing his staff would snap, Wang Long chose to end the match, though Billy was still eager for more.

Then Jimmy, itching for action, stepped forward for a nunchaku duel with Billy. Watching martial arts masters perform with such fluid grace was a delight, far more captivating than any action film. Unexpectedly, as they sparred, a strange roaring sound suddenly arose in the air—the unmistakable whirring of a helicopter!

Billy and Jimmy were startled, stopping the fight and rushing out of the courtyard. Wang Ling hurried after them, only to see a large green transport helicopter in the distant sky. Its elongated body was topped by swiftly spinning rotors, casting a blurred gray shadow overhead.

“Damn it, the Shadow Warriors are here again!” Jimmy said angrily.

“That’s the helicopter from the end of Stage Two in Double Dragon II!” Wang Ling exclaimed in shock. In Stage Two, there were two helicopters: one an armed chopper with a machine gun turret at its nose, and the other a transport helicopter carrying the stage boss—the two martial arts commanders. These two, when wielding nunchaku, were as formidable as the Double Dragon brothers, skilled in using tonfa and adept at throwing knives, making them extremely difficult opponents.

“The main quest boss, Brunov, was only the Stage One boss. These two martial arts commanders shouldn’t be challenging the Double Dragon brothers this early… which means, there’s only one possibility: these two are high-ranking Shadow Warriors sent to hunt me down!”

“Luckily, Billy and Jimmy are here, and with their new nunchaku, their strength has increased. Plus, I have my summoned beast Wang Long, and my White Iron Firearm's cooldown has ended…” A surge of excitement rose in Wang Ling’s heart. The situation was so favorable now, he didn’t need to flee; he could even kill these Stage Two bosses ahead of time!

Yet, in the next instant, all excitement vanished, replaced by a chill that shot from his feet straight to the back of his head. His Dream Emblem issued a warning: “Alert, a Shadow Warrior faction Dreamer has entered within one thousand meters of your location.”

While it didn’t specify who, Wang Ling immediately deduced the identity—the five evil Dreamers: the fat man was dead, the old black man was dead, and after entering this world, Blackie had also killed one. Of the remaining two, only White Phoenix and the young white woman were left.

Wang Ling didn’t believe the girl who had fled would have the courage to return. That left only one possibility: White Phoenix, whose strength ranked in the top three among over five thousand Dreamers in the beginner’s zone—a true powerhouse!

What had seemed an advantageous situation now turned dire. Wang Ling estimated that White Phoenix alone could defeat the Double Dragon brothers, himself, and Wang Long. Not to mention the Stage Two bosses—the two martial arts commanders!

There was no chance of victory in battle; escaping while White Phoenix was still approaching was the wise choice. But… Wang Ling sensed that if he fled, the helicopter would definitely pursue him. No matter how fast he ran, he couldn't outrun a helicopter. With White Phoenix able to use it as a reference, she would always be hot on his trail… Stay and die, run and the chance of escaping was slim!

These thoughts flashed through Wang Ling’s mind in an instant. He suddenly turned to the Double Dragon brothers and said, “The helicopter overhead is a large transport, surely filled with Shadow Warriors. Your dojo's students are exhausted from the last battle—if they fight again, most, perhaps all, will die! Let me and my retainer lure the helicopter away!”

Billy replied in a deep voice, “We owe you two for your help this morning. Now that the Shadow Warriors are attacking again, how could we let you take such a dangerous risk?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not afraid of the Shadow Warriors. But while I’m luring the helicopter away, I’d like to ask a favor.” Wang Ling spoke quickly. “I came to America this time to escape my fiancée.”

“My fiancée?” Jimmy and Billy were both taken aback.

“I used to have a girlfriend I loved deeply, much like the sincere bond between you, Billy, and Marian. So I wanted to refuse the engagement. But my fiancée is a formidable shrew, fierce and malicious—she killed the woman I loved out of revenge!”

“What! Such a vicious woman!” Anger flashed in Billy’s eyes.

The brothers were still in the dojo, meaning the official plot of Double Dragon II hadn’t started yet; Marian hadn’t been killed. Even so, hearing such news enraged them deeply.

“She’s my fiancée, so I can’t avenge myself against her—besides, she’s so powerful I can’t defeat her. I had no choice but to come to America with my retainer, but she tracked me down.”

At that moment, Wang Ling saw White Phoenix appear in the distant street and quickly said, “Look, that’s her! Please, I beg you both to stop this woman. If she catches me, she’ll force me to go back and get married, and that will ruin my future! I’m about to make my escape, and as I leave, I’ll lure away the Shadow Warriors’ transport helicopter!”

Billy, unwilling to let the Jeet Kune Do dojo become embroiled in another large-scale conflict, said, “Rest assured, we brothers will hold her off.”

“This woman is extremely strong, and her character is ruthless—she’ll kill at the slightest provocation! You must be careful. If you can’t stop her, let her go. If I’m caught, it’s better than you two losing your lives.”

White Phoenix was now within three hundred meters; Wang Ling hurriedly said, “I don’t want to meet her or speak to her. I’m off—until we meet again!”

Drawing inspiration from the fantasy novels he'd read, Wang Ling improvised an utterly melodramatic tale. He knew that if he fled, both the helicopter and White Phoenix would pursue him. If he simply said she was an “enemy,” and asked the brothers to block her, it would seem he had used their earlier help for his own purposes, leaving them feeling exploited.

But by calling her his fiancée—a powerful, malicious fiancée who had killed his beloved—the story stirred Billy, who had a girlfriend, to empathize with his anger. Moreover, describing her as formidable aroused a sense of challenge in Billy and Jimmy. As Jeet Kune Do masters, they yearned to battle strong opponents; it was a martial artist’s nature!

This excuse also reasonably explained Wang Ling’s panicked escape—if caught, he'd be forced into marriage, so he had to avoid meeting her and entrust the brothers to block her.

Of course, Wang Ling’s impromptu story had flaws, but he had no time to come up with anything better. If Billy and Jimmy were to reflect calmly, they might question the melodramatic tale. Yet, with their minds distracted by the Shadow Warriors’ helicopter, they didn’t consider anything else and immediately said, “Go on, it’s just a woman! With us here, she won’t catch you!”

Wang Ling hadn’t time to thank the brothers. He sprinted toward the helicopter, and as he neared its shadow, pulled out his White Iron Firearm and fired a lead bullet into the air.

Though the lead bullet was powerful, it couldn’t break the helicopter’s vulnerable rotor—even if it hit. With a range of only thirty meters, it couldn’t reach a helicopter hundreds of meters above. The shot was merely to show the Double Dragon brothers he was actively drawing the Shadow Warriors’ attention, working to lure the helicopter away.

The explosive roar of the old-fashioned firearm cut through the helicopter’s rotor noise, ringing out clearly. After firing, Wang Ling kept running, with the burly Wang Long—whose basic footwork was level 3—close behind.

As Wang Ling had predicted, the helicopter immediately turned and followed him, proving it was indeed dispatched by the Shadow Warriors’ high command for pursuit.

Seeing the helicopter follow Wang Ling into the distance, the Double Dragon brothers felt grateful. Another battle would have devastated their dojo and students, but now, they only had to stop one woman—something the brothers could handle.

How strong could one woman be?

White Phoenix, seeing Wang Ling escape, started running as well. She knew, with the helicopter tracking him, Wang Ling couldn’t possibly get away—no human could outrun a helicopter. And her stamina surpassed his; once exhaustion forced him to stop, she would catch up, using the helicopter as her guide.

But Billy and Jimmy, wielding steel-forged nunchaku, blocked her path.