Chapter 76: Encounter with Bai Feng

"No matter what, as long as it worked..." Wang Ling raised his right hand and looked at his index finger. It was the finger he had just poked Blue Moon’s cheek with, and now it felt soft and slippery. Thinking back to the sensation of Blue Moon’s youthful body pressed against him, his mind was suddenly flooded with images he shouldn’t be having, and his breath grew heavier. In his original world, Wang Ling never had a chance to be so close to a girl—let alone a cute, beautiful maiden of this caliber.

"Woo, I’m already seventeen, I’m an adult, I can finally do those things! In this dangerous mission world, with all its mental pressure, I need some way to vent! Ahhhhhh—I really wish I could have an android of my own!" Wang Ling remembered the mainframe’s auxiliary functions and felt conflicted. Why didn’t he have twenty thousand currency points to create an android? Frustrated, he flopped onto the bed, hugging his Belldandy body pillow and rolling around like a child throwing a tantrum.

After a bout of emotional turmoil, Wang Ling felt the fire inside him die down somewhat. He sat up in a daze, glanced at the heart-shaped necklace around his neck, and found himself thinking about Princess Peach in the Mario world.

"Ah... I wish I could go back and see her. Who knows when I’ll return to that world." He sighed, a bit dispirited, paid his currency points, and activated the Kung Fu Scenario Card. There was only one last opponent left to challenge: Grand Commander Wu Tian.

According to Wang Long’s information, even if the four joined forces, they weren’t a match for the Grand Commander. This master, who had cultivated his innate astral energy, had brought his kung fu to its peak.

Wang Long, Peach Fairy, Chen Heng, and Blue Moon—these four excelled in physique, intelligence, strength, and agility, respectively. All were martial arts masters with rich combat experience, and when their strengths complemented each other, their combined power was formidable! Yet the Grand Commander could match all four—a level above them.

Wang Ling had easily defeated Peach Fairy and Chen Heng, relying on overwhelming attributes, equipment, and skills. In terms of martial technique and combat adaptability, however, he was at a disadvantage. If Wu Tian’s attributes were close to his own, coupled with the Grand Commander’s mastery and powerful skills, the outcome of this fight would be most uncertain.

He walked from the first floor to the fourth, greeting every subordinate. On the fourth floor, Blue Moon pitifully ran over, her expression like a kitten trying to please its master.

Wang Ling, exasperated, watched this lovestruck girl act cute. He noticed the way she looked at him—as if she wanted to devour him whole. The intensity of her gaze made him, still reeling from the need to vent his suppressed spirit, flee in haste to the fifth floor.

To his surprise, the fifth floor was empty; Grand Commander Wu Tian wasn’t there. The arena was deserted, but the walls were lined with mechanical devices. He slapped his forehead—he remembered from the game that the fifth stage wasn’t an opponent but a mechanical room, a bonus round. In the scenario card, this was a trial stage.

The Dream Badge’s notification soon arrived: "You have entered the fifth layer of the Kung Fu Scenario Card, the Mechanical Room. To challenge Grand Commander Wu Tian, you must pass the trial. Mechanical devices on the walls will launch throwing knives and fans as hidden weapons. You cannot use any equipment or skills, only dodge or destroy the incoming projectiles with your fists and feet. Survive for thirty seconds to succeed. If any hidden weapon strikes your body, the challenge fails and you will be ejected from the Kung Fu Scenario Card."

"Damn!" Wang Ling had planned to use his pink shield to block the projectiles, but now was dumbfounded—no skills allowed, only dodging or physical attacks, and a single hit meant failure. The conditions were too harsh, and he felt a sense of foreboding.

"It’s only thirty seconds. A man should be able to hold out for thirty seconds, right..."

Seventeen seconds later, Wang Ling lay flat on his back, feet in the air, twitching. He had struggled to last this long, but finally failed. The hidden weapons launched from the devices grew ever more numerous; he had no experience handling such traps. Relying on high agility, he barely dodged for a while, but ultimately a fan struck him on the head.

With a flash of white light, Wang Ling appeared back in his private room, kicked out of the scenario card. He was extremely frustrated—the thousand currency points had been wasted. Judging from the density of traps in less than twenty seconds, surviving thirty seconds would require specialized training in movement and increasing his basic evasion skill.

With only about 5300 currency points left, Wang Ling estimated he might not even reach the Grand Commander if he spent it all. He also needed to buy recovery potions for the next mission, so he decided not to waste any more. After all, having secured Peach Fairy, Chen Heng, and Blue Moon as his new subordinates, he had achieved his goal.

"Only two days remain. Who knows what dangerous world awaits next? My skills are trained, I’m familiar with spiritual energy—it’s time for a proper rest. Hmm, I’ll head to the entertainment district for a good meal. The mainframe sells food, but nothing compares to the lively, relaxing atmosphere there."

He teleported to the entrance plaza, then made his way to the entertainment district. Among the numerous bars, Wang Ling once again picked the Fairy Bar. Pushing open the wooden door, he saw the same crowd of drunken patrons at the tables and wild, uninhibited dancers in the club.

Unfortunately, the elegant, kind old waiter he had met last time was gone, replaced by a new middle-aged man—European in appearance, stern-faced, with a small goatee on his chin and a sour demeanor, hardly friendly.

No one paid his bill this time. Disappointed, Wang Ling drank a low-alcohol fruit wine, ate two pork pies and a plate of vegetable salad, filled his stomach, and left the noisy, chaotic place. As he stepped outside, standing on the street of the entertainment district, he pondered where to go next. Suddenly a voice called out behind him:

"Are you Wang Ling?"

It was a pleasant, melodic young woman’s voice. Hearing it, Wang Ling stiffened and immediately equipped his golden-red mask, hiding his face behind the metal. He turned to the woman, rasping, "I am not Wang Ling."

The woman stepped forward, stopping three meters from Wang Ling. She narrowed her slightly upturned eyes, her beautiful face frosted with coldness. "My intuition is never wrong. You are Wang Ling!"

"Uh, I told you I’m not Wang Ling—you’re mistaken. My name is Wang Chen. It’s strange to randomly identify people like that." After saying this, Wang Ling was already itching to make his escape. He cursed inwardly—he shouldn’t have wandered into the entertainment district; how had he run into such a troublesome figure?

This star-crossed beauty was not fierce—on the contrary, she was stunning. Her simple white priest’s robe and black hair, softly tied behind her head with a ribbon, contrasted sharply with the robe’s pure white. No other adornments—this utterly simple attire only highlighted her graceful presence and clear, elegant temperament.

This woman was Bai Feng.

Wang Ling remembered, in the Double Dragon world, she had set a trap to hunt an angel. Though she was possessed by the Dragon Soul and fainted, he didn’t know the outcome. But seeing her standing here alive, he suspected that unfortunate angel had met her end.

How powerful was Bai Feng? Wang Ling didn’t know, but he was certain her strength far surpassed his own. If he could avoid it, he wanted nothing to do with her—but some trouble wasn’t so easily escaped.

Looking at Bai Feng blocking his path, her pure hand gripping his wrist, Wang Ling spoke in an irritated tone: "What do you want?"

"Take off the mask."

"You want me to take it off just because you asked? That would be embarrassing."

"You... take it off!"

"No!"

"Remove the mask!"

"I won’t!"

Thus, the two began to argue in the middle of the entertainment district’s main street. This was the busiest area, so their dispute quickly drew a crowd of Dreamers.

Bai Feng was renowned in the beginner zone—a well-known figure. Beautiful female Dreamers were rare in the Dream Space, where the gender ratio was skewed, making her especially conspicuous. Bai Feng wasn’t just stunning; her temperament was as pure as a snow lotus on a high mountain, attracting even more attention.

Especially those soulful, fox-like eyes—countless male Dreamers fantasized about pushing her onto a bed, savoring her expressions of pleasure and torment. Unfortunately, Bai Feng’s strength in the beginner public zone was awe-inspiring.

If Bai Feng were the full moon, these Dreamers would be mere fireflies. How could a bug seize the moon? So, amid complex feelings, Bai Feng was even more famous than other top experts in the beginner zone.

Seeing Bai Feng quarrel with a masked man on the street, the crowd swelled.

After a long back-and-forth, Wang Ling saw the gathering crowd and sighed, "Woman, don’t block my way. I’m leaving!"

If he could freely teleport back to his private room from anywhere but the entrance plaza, Wang Ling would have left already. But in the entertainment district, though he couldn’t be harmed, Bai Feng’s hand firmly gripped his arm, making escape impossible.

"No," Bai Feng bit her lip, glaring at him, eyes full of anger. "Since you refuse to take off the mask, you must be Wang Ling!"

"Fine, I am Wang Ling. You learned my name from the Double Dragon brothers, right? What do you want? Last time you tried to kill us, the Dreamers of justice, I escaped—surely that’s no crime? Why insist on pestering me? With your status, you don’t need to trouble someone as insignificant as me. Your plan must have succeeded, so congratulations. Now, will you let me go?"

"You escaped me, that’s nothing. But you lied to the Double Dragon brothers, saying I was your... your lover, claiming I was treacherous and relentlessly pursued you! You slandered me, and only by killing you and washing it away with your blood can I reclaim my honor!" Bai Feng’s face flushed bright red, her body radiating murderous intent as she spoke venomously.