Chapter Forty-Four: Leaping into the Helicopter

Wang Ling fled at full speed. From the way A** could easily smash through walls and pulverize trash cans, it was clear to him that this boss was far beyond his ability to handle—the gap in strength between them was simply too great!

He had only completed one rookie mission, and his average personal attributes were mediocre at best. Without the summoned beast, King Long, from his Kung Fu Card, and the powerful White Iron Firearm, he would likely lose even to minor bosses like Williams or Lopo. If he had to fight someone like Big Sis Linda, an expert in whip techniques and an even stronger boss, defeat would be certain!

Even wielding the White Iron Firearm, if he faced one of the weakest elite bosses in a one-on-one battle, the outcome would still be uncertain. After all, he’d experienced too few missions, had only recently become a Dreamer, and his foundations were terribly weak.

But this A**, from the fifth stage of Double Dragon II, was a boss even stronger than Brunov, the last main storyline boss! During the Double Dragon fighting period, he was a fighter capable of battling the Double Dragon brothers themselves, even after they'd awakened the Dragon Soul!

Of course, A** had grown stronger over time, but his growth rate and potential could never match that of the main characters. Even so, the current A** was already formidable beyond measure!

The third main mission required Wang Ling to escape pursuit, not to engage in a deadly fight. He had been in the Double Dragon II world for three days; if he could survive another four, he would complete the mission. Then this terrifying muscle-bound giant would presumably leave.

Though Wang Ling lacked strength, his speed was exceptional. His Basic Footwork at level 2 gave him a 20% speed boost, and Accelerated Running at level 4 provided a permanent 10% bonus to his base speed. Coupled with his light frame and decent agility, he could outrun the muscle-bound A** even without using the active skill of Accelerated Running, which consumed mental energy.

Unfortunately, the helicopter in the sky kept a tight lock on him. Whether he ran on the street or into a building, he couldn’t shake its pursuit. This made it clear that someone with sharp eyes—a Shadow Fighter—must be aboard, tasked with tracking and guiding.

“Damn it, with the helicopter in the air, my speed advantage over A** is useless. I have to take down that helicopter!”

Wang Ling’s White Iron Firearm was his most powerful weapon, but how could ordinary bullets bring down a helicopter? The Fire Bullet skill wouldn’t be effective either. Moreover, the firearm’s effective range was only thirty meters, and while the helicopter had descended, it was still more than thirty meters above the ground!

To bring down such a massive transport helicopter, he’d need something like a rocket launcher.

“Shooting it down isn’t realistic. On the ground, with the helicopter guiding A**, he’ll catch up as soon as I tire. That’ll be the end of me.”

As he ran, Wang Ling calculated his options. He squinted up at the helicopter, then glanced back at A**, who was now five hundred meters behind but still gaining rapidly. In that instant, he made up his mind:

“No matter what, I have to bring down that helicopter! If I don’t have the means, I’ll make my own!”

Resolute, Wang Ling veered toward a building.

It was a high-rise, more than twenty stories tall, imposing even in a world shaken by nuclear war and social chaos. For such a grand building to still stand was impressive.

Once inside, he found many people in suits and ties—this was the headquarters of a business group. The security guards, already alerted by the helicopter outside, tried to block the youth charging in.

Wang Ling accelerated, darting past them. He immediately spotted the stairwell and raced upward, with the helicopter circling outside, guiding A** straight to him.

Before long, A** burst into the building. The security guard blocking his path was sent flying with a punch, slamming into a distant wall before collapsing, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, eyes rolling back. The other men and women screamed in terror. The furious black giant cursed but couldn’t waste time on them, instead storming after Wang Ling toward the stairs.

At a landing, Wang Ling checked the helicopter’s altitude through the large corridor windows. By the ninth floor, he saw the helicopter was level with him. He drew his Steel Battle Axe and smashed several windows, creating an opening to leap from.

His plan was to board the helicopter, eliminate the Shadow Fighter pilot, and bring the aircraft down. If he could destroy the helicopter, evading A** would become much easier.

However, the helicopter hovered a full twenty meters from the building. Even Mario with his speed and super jump couldn’t make that leap! If Wang Ling jumped from the broken window, he’d only plummet to the concrete below—his enhanced physique might spare him death, but he’d be horribly injured.

Yet, Wang Ling took a few steps back, dashed forward, and hurled himself out of the opening!

Was he courting death? Clearly not. If he dared this, it was because he had a plan—one that relied on the badge pinned to his chest:

“Linda’s Wish.”

This pseudo-Rainbow Dream equipment couldn’t make Wang Ling fly or walk on air. Its sole ability was the skill: Shadow Fighter Summon.

Wang Ling’s gamble rested on this ability. He could summon the entity nearby or within a short range. In the past, during a fierce fight with the old black man, he had summoned Broomhead to appear before him and block a deadly blow.

When A** had jumped from the helicopter, he’d opened the hatch, but it was now closed. Wang Ling couldn’t summon a Shadow Fighter directly into the cockpit. Even if he could, it was uncertain whether they could destroy the helicopter from inside.

The helicopter was large, and who knew how many people were inside? The three basic-level Shadow Fighters were barely stronger than ordinary people; if thrown blindly into the cabin, they might be killed instantly by those aboard.

A flash of white light—three Shadow Fighters materialized, suspended in midair. As Wang Ling burst from the window, he’d already soared ten meters out, and his body began to drop. Suddenly, his foot landed solidly on something.

It was a person—Broomhead!

His body was horizontal, face up to the sky, and his narrow chest became Wang Ling’s springboard, absorbing the force of his landing!

With the rebound, Wang Ling, who had begun to descend, was propelled upward once more, while Broomhead hurtled downward toward the ground.

Wang Ling soared another four meters, then landed on the chest of the next summoned fighter.

The hippie in the yellow bandana!

After the hippie too was sent plummeting, Wang Ling leapt again, this time onto the last of the trio—the Thug. As he landed, a gleaming white firearm appeared in his hand, finger steady on the trigger.

Bang!

A blazing red bullet erupted from the dark barrel, striking the sealed hatch. In the ensuing fireball, the hatch exploded open. In that instant, Wang Ling, in a pose straight out of an action movie—both hands gripping his gun, body flying horizontally—shot through the crimson flames and crashed into the blasted-open hatch!

Three screams echoed outside—the death cries of Broomhead, the Hippie, and the Thug as they hit the ground! When summoning, the three didn’t appear at the same altitude, allowing Wang Ling to step across them in sequence. Their falls were staggered as a result.

Crashing into the helicopter’s cabin, Wang Ling’s mind flashed back to the time in the rookie world, the second zone of the eighth Koopa castle, when he’d jumped across three floating platforms. Without that experience, he’d never have dared such a reckless move.

The three summoned Shadow Fighters had done their part, forming a human staircase at the cost of their own bodies. The White Iron Firearm, purchased from Su, with its powerful Fire Bullet skill, blasted open the sealed hatch and was key to his success.

No matter what, Wang Ling had made it inside the transport helicopter!

The violent landing had injured him—a painful blow to his right arm on the cabin floor, perhaps dislocating it, and the flash of flame from the Fire Bullet had burned him, dropping his health by over ten points.

Quickly, Wang Ling scrambled to his feet and popped his shoulder back into place. Looking around, he saw a dozen people staring at him in disbelief. Among them were Broomhead, the Thug, and the Hippie—along with a new type of Shadow Fighter: the Karate Master. These fighters resembled the two martial artist bosses in appearance, but lacked boss-level skills. Nevertheless, they were much tougher than the basic Shadow Fighters, making them formidable foes.

There were two Karate Masters in the helicopter, plus the others. With his Fire Bullet skill spent and an hour’s cooldown remaining, Wang Ling, armed only with his Steel Battle Axe, had no real advantage against so many enemies—he might even die here.

But Wang Ling showed no fear. He spread his hand, and a card materialized. A flash of white—and King Long, the staff master with his red-lacquered staff and a savage grin, appeared at his side.

(A note: This A** boss appears in many games; in the GBA Double Dragon, he’s the stage one boss who smashes through a wall, and in the arcade fighting game, he’s the muscle-bound black man whose finishing move makes him swell in size. Brunov, meanwhile, is the fire-breathing, rolling fat man from the Double Dragon fighting game.)

(Double Dragon fighting is a classic arcade title. There’s also a web mini-game called A**’s Adventure—find it by searching online; it’s quite entertaining. For those interested, give it a try.)

(Also, look forward to a surprise character tomorrow.)