Chapter 387: Skeleton Appears

"China's special forces? That's what I expected—but since you've learned the Wolf Sprint Diagram, you should be highly valued by your superiors. Why did you leave the unit, and how did you end up in Xierde?" Wang Yu asked calmly.

"It's simple—my family ran into trouble, and I urgently needed a large sum of money to help them. When I was on missions abroad back then, I happened to have some connections in Xierde, so I voluntarily retired and came to Xitie City to work as a bodyguard for those who could pay well."

"I see. If you've learned the Wolf Sprint Diagram, quitting probably wasn't easy."

"True, but my former commander felt sorry for me and helped me greatly to get out of the original unit."

"But Master Sai can draw the Wolf Sprint Divine Essence Diagram—surely you're a very important person in China. Why are you in Xierde, such a chaotic country?" Li Xiaodao began to feel puzzled.

"My story is long. It's as if I woke up one day and found myself overseas. You were in China's special forces—do you have any special channels to contact domestic confidential departments? Channels that won't be monitored by foreign agencies?"

"Confidential departments? What do you mean, Master Sai?" Li Xiaodao asked, bewildered.

"Secret bases in China? I want to contact the head of one of them."

"As far as I know, China has opened many secret bases in recent years—each one extremely mysterious, impossible for outsiders to approach. Do you know the base's code name or its secret hotline number?" Li Xiaodao hesitated before answering.

"I don't know any of that. I only know two heads of the base: a General Xu and Dr. Chen. This was the first base to encounter the Four Beasts Diagram, and contacting either of them will do—I trust no one else."

"The first base to encounter the Four Beasts Diagram—headed by General Xu and Dr. Chen!"

"Understood. I'll immediately send this information back to China through a secure channel. Until I get a reply, I'll stay with you and leave Xitie City together—I've retired, but I can't lightly abandon my former duties."

"That's fine. I may need you to contact China multiple times."

"Then I'll go send the message first, and arrange contact for you afterward." Li Xiaodao stood up, his expression grave.

"Agreed. Be back before dark—we must leave Xitie City tonight. I'll wait for you at the entrance of Huangcheng Entertainment City. That local, Cindy, has already gone to get the car—he'll join us."

Li Xiaodao said nothing more and hurried out of the private room.

Wang Yu's eyes flickered; his fingers twitched slightly, and a tiny white speck, no bigger than a grain of rice, shot out and stuck to the young man's back.

Although Li Xiaodao's answers were flawless and he seemed utterly trustworthy, Wang Yu would never leave himself unprotected.

…

At the edge of Xitie City, in an extremely remote, dilapidated little parking lot.

The brown-haired man handed a stack of cash to a muscular man with tattoos on both arms, then took a car key from him and got into a nearby seven-seater white car.

But before he could even start the engine and drive toward the exit's curved passage, another black sedan suddenly burst out from the side, blocking the exit and forcing the white car to a hard stop.

Cindy gasped; before he could curse, three burly men stepped out of the black car, each carrying thick baseball bats, charging toward the white car with menacing intent.

"It's that bastard Mad Dog."

Cindy panicked, kicked open the car door without thinking, and sprinted toward the rear.

But before he'd taken more than a few steps—a sharp, crisp gunshot rang out, and a fresh bullet hole suddenly appeared on the ground ahead.

Cindy froze, his body trembling.

The man who had just traded with him had vanished.

"Mad Dog, you dare use a gun inside the city? Don't you fear violating the Mao Family's ban and getting buried alive?" Cindy raised his hands, turned around, and snarled.

"Used a gun? Who saw us use a gun? Last time, you took out one of my eyes—this time, I'll take your life. But first, I'll gouge out both your eyes." A one-eyed giant in a black eye patch pointed a black pistol at the brown-haired man, speaking with vicious intent.

One of the other two giants said nothing, pulled another dagger from his chest, and advanced with a grotesque grin.

Cindy stared at the dark muzzle, then at the approaching giant—his face twisted with despair.

But at that moment, a faint voice suddenly reached his ears:

"Stay where you are. I'll handle these men for you."

No sooner had the words spoken than a grain-sized white speck shot off his sleeve and landed on the ground.

"Puff."

A two-meter-tall skeleton, entirely encased in thick, grotesque bony armor, suddenly appeared before the brown-haired man, one hand gripping a bone blade wreathed in black mist.

Before the approaching giant could react, the grotesque skeleton's bone blade flicked—and its body instantly reappeared behind the man.

"Clatter."

The giant stiffened; a crimson line appeared across his neck, and his head rolled off with a clatter.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Bang! Bang!"

"Aaah!"

Screams, gunshots, and cries of agony erupted instantly throughout the underground parking lot—but within moments, silence returned.

Not long after, the white car drove out of the parking lot again—only now, the brown-haired man behind the wheel looked profoundly dazed.

…

Li Xiaodao rode a bicycle he'd somehow acquired, speeding through street after street, finally stopping before a building radiating a sci-fi aura.

The building stood five stories tall, its top floor crowned with a silver-white dome. At the entrance of the first floor stood two colossal mecha statues, several zhang tall.

Along the walls beside the entrance were beautifully rendered mecha posters.

Above the building, a brightly lit sign blazed in golden characters: "Star River."

Outside the main entrance, many people came and went.

Most were young, but some were teenagers or middle-aged men in their thirties or forties—all wore eager, excited expressions.

Li Xiaodao slammed on the brakes, parked his bicycle nearby, locked it, then strode boldly through the first-floor entrance.