"W-why… why is it just the four of us?"
Zhan Lan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She raised her wrist and glanced at her Reincarnation Watch.
The countdown showed just over four minutes left. Even if she drove at full speed, she wouldn't make it home in time.
Nova had seen Yujin beat Da Qiang down in the Lord God Space as if he were nothing more than a street thug.
Zheng Zha had personally witnessed Yujin kill Da Qiang, a veteran member of the farming team.
Both of them knew Yujin's strength very well.
It could be said that tonight, as long as Yujin was here, whether the others came or not didn't really matter. The outcome was already decided.
With vengeance finally taken, Yujin's expression was relaxed.
"This is the first lesson I'll teach you." He paused, his lips curling into a confident smile. "Doubt your companions. Choose your teammates carefully."
Zheng Zha's eyes burned with excitement. His gaze swept over Zhan Lan and Nova before locking onto Yujin again.
"Three ordinary men working together is better than Zhuge Liang. If we trust each other, we'll be stronger than any rabble of misfits."
He lifted the crude flamethrower he had cobbled together earlier that day. "As long as Freddy dares to show up, I'll send him straight back to hell!"
Yujin chuckled in praise. "With that kind of resolve, you'll have no trouble turning into a real gorilla someday!"
Zheng Zha blinked, about to ask what on earth a gorilla had to do with anything, when the police station doors behind them suddenly creaked open.
Zhang Jie poked his head out, froze on the spot the moment he saw the four of them, and completely shut down.
It took him five full seconds before his brain caught up.
He turned to Yujin, incredulous. "You're taking the initiative to attack? That's insane!"
"Think about it carefully," Yujin narrowed his eyes as he explained. "When Freddy is hunting, he leans closer to a physical form. If we stay home and fall asleep, we'll enter his dream realm—there, he's an absolute god, even harder to deal with."
"My god, how do you even come up with this stuff?" Zhang Jie clapped his hands in admiration.
Behind him, Xiao Yehui and Ruan Wei looked ashen, their faces drained of all color.
Da Qiang's death had hit the two of them hard.
After all, they had always treated Da Qiang like a thigh to cling to, foolishly believing that sticking to him would keep them safe from danger.
But now Da Qiang was dead, leaving behind only the madman Yujin.
Xiao Yehui no longer even wanted to think. In her mind, no sane person would ever do the things Yujin had done.
In stark contrast to her skepticism, Zhao Yingkong looked at Yujin with clear admiration in her eyes.
Admiration was something rarely seen on the face of an assassin from her clan.
After hearing Yujin's story—from being reduced to a farming pig, to accomplishing his revenge in spectacular fashion—Zhao Yingkong had already accepted him completely as the leader.
As Zhao Yingkong's eyes stayed on Yujin, his gaze met hers.
After a moment of thought, Yujin reached into the backpack slung over his shoulder.
He rummaged around for a bit, then pulled out a dagger.
This dagger was the weapon Yujin had once exchanged for Mengyao, the artificial human. It cost ten reward points and was considered a top-tier dagger in the real world.
After Mengyao's death, Yujin kept the dagger in his bag. He hadn't expected it would come in handy here.
Without a word, Yujin tossed the dagger toward Zhao Yingkong.
Zhan Lan was startled by Yujin's action. When she saw Zhao Yingkong, the fourteen- or fifteen-year-old girl, reaching out to catch the spinning dagger with her bare hands, she instinctively covered her eyes.
But the scream she imagined never came.
With a crisp snap, Zhao Yingkong caught the dagger effortlessly.
She toyed with it in her hand for a moment, weighed it carefully, then nodded in satisfaction.
Yujin and Zhao Yingkong said nothing.
In that brief silence, an unspoken understanding formed between them.
Yujin raised his wrist and glanced at the Reincarnation Watch. The countdown had ten seconds left.
Ten.
Six.
Two.
One!
The very instant the watch hit one, the streetlamps along the road began to flicker wildly!
At the far end of the street, a monstrous figure appeared—its claws twisted and grotesque, wearing a red-and-green sweater. Freddy had arrived.
"He's here so fast!" Zhang Jie's face twisted with fear as he drew his police-issued gun, aiming it at Freddy and preparing to fire.
"Get in the car!"
Yujin's sudden shout nearly caused Zhang Jie to pull the trigger, but his instincts as a soldier screamed at him—act first, ask later!
The moment Zhao Yingkong heard Yujin's command, she bolted toward the vehicle. Zhang Jie followed right after her.
With the two of them leading, the rest of the group rushed toward the car Yujin and Zheng Zha had driven over.
Even Ruan Wei, who knew Yujin's temper all too well, didn't dare try anything reckless like shooting his teammates to save himself. Instead, he tossed his pistol aside just to run faster.
Xiao Yehui was still injured from yesterday's car accident, making her the slowest of the group.
Just as everyone was about to leave her behind, Zhan Lan suddenly turned back, grabbed her arm, and pulled her forward with her!
Yujin was the first to reach the car. He started the engine, then shouted to Zhao Yingkong, who was about to drive off. "Head for the boiler factory!"
Zhao Yingkong slammed the accelerator, speeding away.
Yujin saw Zhan Lan and Xiao Yehui climb into the back seat. He pushed open the door, handed the driver's seat to Zhang Jie, and leapt out of the vehicle himself.
"Follow them!"
Zhang Jie didn't dare hesitate. He floored the pedal and shot forward.
As the two cars sped off, Freddy was already less than five meters away from Yujin.
"Oh… what a heartwarming scene."
Freddy's raspy throat let out a sound that was deeply unsettling, like a demon's whisper drawing people into its grasp.
It was clear he wanted revenge for being caught in an illusion yesterday. With his bewitching voice, he tried to confuse Yujin.
Freddy's claws moved rhythmically up and down in the air. "Warrior, your teammates have abandoned you. Your so-called heroic sacrifice doesn't seem to matter much, does it?"
"I can smell the drowsiness on them."
"Someone's about to fall asleep~"
As he spoke, Freddy inched closer to Yujin.
Suddenly, his claws gleamed with cold light!
With a sharp swish, he struck toward Yujin!
"Ah!"
Zhang Jie, fully focused on driving, caught sight of Yujin in the corner of his eye and was startled.
"Didn't you jump out of the car? How are you sitting in the passenger seat?!"
Yujin gave him an exasperated look. "You still don't realize I'm a ninja? I got out, formed a seal, and slipped in from the side."
Zhang Jie wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I was just too nervous."
As he spoke, his eyelids twitched.
It was less than a fraction of a second, but when he looked up again, he found himself sitting in an arcade.
The steering wheel in his hands was no longer a car's—it had become the wheel of a racing game machine.
"Brother Jie? Why are you spacing out? Hurry up and put in a coin!"
Beside him, Na'er's voice pulled Zhang Jie deeper into the illusion. In a daze, he took the token she handed him and slipped it into the machine.
Zhang Jie adjusted his seat, his eyes unfocused as he stared at the screen, ready to overtake Na'er's car with everything he had.
Just then. A decidedly unfeminine voice sounded from the seat beside Zhang Jie.
"Oh yeah! Then let's start playing!"
Zhang Jie spun around and felt his blood run cold.
That wasn't Na'er.
It was Freddy!
At the same time, the real world was no calmer.
Yujin had already swapped seats with Zhan Lan in the back. He climbed out through the sunroof and peered at the pitch-black street behind them.
Seeing Zhan Lan still hesitating to start the car, Yujin urged, "What are you standing there for? Kick Zhang Jie out of the car and let's go!"
****
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