Devastated City 003 – Perimeter Zone D13
Aris tilted his head, eyes still on the transparent interface floating just outside his line of sight.
'Sounds useful. Probably a fancy way of saying I won't walk face-first into death.'
He didn't dwell on it. Overthinking was for people who had time to die slowly.
Instead, he stood, brushing the dust off Li Wei's pristine combat uniform, which somehow made him look like both a privileged heir and a final boss in a bootleg mecha game.
That one movement caused a chain reaction.
The guards around him—military men with hardened eyes and tech-patched armor—subtly straightened. Like wolves sensing their alpha was back online.
And that's when it hit him.
'They don't hate me yet.'
This Li Wei hadn't ruined everything. Not yet. He hadn't done the "I'm better than the MC" speech. He hadn't pushed Luo Feng too far.
'Meaning I've still got the goddess's grace.
A chance to rewrite this script.'
"Boss!"
A man ran up, panting. One-eyed goggles clicked across his face as he skid to a stop.
"There's a signal flare from Unit 2!"
Aris's mind lit up.
'Sector D13. I think that's where Luo Feng first got noticed.'
In the original story, Li Wei had strutted into that scene like an overconfident rooster and got folded like bad laundry. But this time?
He wasn't here to repeat history.
"Which direction?"
"Southwest—Sector D13, sir!"
He turned to the old commander—the wrinkled war-dog with the haunted eyes and unspoken loyalty.
"Prep the drones. I want aerial support tracking that zone, and get Sniper Unit 3 on high ground."
The man blinked, a little stunned.
"Yes, Young Master!"
The orders spread like wildfire. Feet pounded the earth, hoverbikes whirred to life, and the squad scattered like a pack of wolves on command.
'So far, so good. I sound like a bastard with a plan.'
'I'm in a dying city. Mutant beasts are everywhere. And I'm wearing a dead man's face.'
He smirked, slow and sharp.
'But f*ck it. This is my story now.'
With a soft hum of energy, he stepped our, revved his boots—
—and blasted into the storm of dust, gunfire, and incoming plot.
...
Elsewhere – Just Outside Sector D13
The Fire Hammer Squad had set up temporary cover among the ruins. Scraps of building walls. The twisted carcass of a shuttle truck.
Then came the problem.
A two-headed black snake—its scales armored, its eyes burning with mutant intelligence—was currently treating a group of foreign mercs like chew toys.
"Those bastards are struggling."
Said one of the Fire Hammer members, peering through a scope.
"They're foreigners," someone muttered.
But Gao Feng, their captain, didn't hesitate.
"They're still human. Still fighting for Earth."
The others nodded. No further argument.
Then—
Fwoosh.
Flying knives cut through the air.
Luo Feng landed with a thud, a streak of motion and steel.
His blades intercepted the snake's strike just as it aimed for one of the mercs. The beast hissed, coiled, then slithered backward in a calculated retreat.
The merc, panting, looked at Luo Feng.
"Thanks. You saved our lives. Want to team up?"
Luo Feng nodded once.
"Sure."
And just like that, they joined hands.
The fight was quick but brutal. Steel, grit, and fury. Gao Feng's team moved like a well-oiled machine, Luo Feng taking point, his knives dancing like possessed spirits.
After ten tense minutes and a flurry of blood—
*Thwack*
The snake's heads dropped.
Victory.
One of the foreign mercs stepped forward, grin wide, greed wider.
"Let's grab the corpse—this'll sell like gold."
*Crack*
A bullet slammed into the ground near his foot.
He froze.
They all turned.
At another pathway stood Li Wei, flanked by two towering bodyguards in advanced armor and the Tiger Fang Squad behind him—uniformed, heavily armed, and very not in the mood.
Li Wei didn't say anything flashy.
Didn't do the villain monologue.
Just pointed a single gloved finger.
"You."
Luo Feng raised an eyebrow.
"Me?"
Li Wei nodded, sword slung lazily at his side like he didn't care, but his eyes told another story.
"Wanna duel me?"
Dead silence.
Even the wind paused.
Gao Feng tensed, whispering to Luo Feng,
"Don't go too hard. We don't need rich family retaliation breathing down our necks."
Luo Feng gave a tiny smile.
No words.
He moved.
One leap—and he was already airborne, descending in a deadly arc.
Li Wei raised his sword with one hand, no fancy stance, just a simple upward parry.
*Clang*
Steel struck steel. Sparks flew.
Luo Feng landed, sliding back a few feet.
Li Wei stood rooted, blade firm.
"A refined strike," Li Wei said calmly.
"You blocked it cleanly," Luo Feng replied, intrigued.
They moved again—fast, fluid. Dust rose in swirling cones. Metal flashed in ghost-like streaks.
Pan Yu, nervous as ever, whispered.
"Should we stop them? What if Young Master gets injured?"
Old Liu didn't even blink. His voice was colder than steel.
"If Young Master bleeds, it's the path he chose."
Up on a crumbled ledge, Luo Feng's flying knives orbited him like satellites. With a flick, they dove toward Li Wei in a spiral barrage.
Li Wei spun, blade gleaming. His sword sliced through the air with surgical grace, redirecting every knife mid-flight.
Not a single blade touched him.
Luo Feng landed, genuinely impressed.
"Your technique's precise."
"Yours is better," Li Wei answered, eyes narrowing. "Let's push further."
Then came the real test.
Luo Feng vanished—blink step—and reappeared above him like a ghost of momentum.
*BOOM*
He struck down like a thunderclap.
Li Wei crossed his sword overhead and absorbed the blow, skidding back a few meters—feet digging trenches into the dirt.
Still standing. Still composed.
But beaten.
Luo Feng landed. No gloating. Just fact.
"That's my win."
Li Wei exhaled. Nodded once.
"Indeed."
No shame. No tantrum. Just quiet resolve.
Gao Feng let out the breath he'd been holding.
"Whew. Thank God that didn't turn into a diplomatic incident."
Pan Yu opened his mouth again.
Old Liu shut it with a glare sharp enough to kill mosquitoes.
Then—
Li Wei stepped forward and extended a hand.
"Next time, I won't hold back."
Luo Feng smirked.
"I'll look forward to it."
Their hands met in a firm, silent understanding.
Around them, the teams relaxed, momentarily unsure if they had just witnessed the prelude to a rivalry or the birth of mutual respect.
Maybe both.
But only one man smiled with intent.
'System, initiate Mega Sign-Up.'