Mutated Tao

That night, Li Huowang lay fully clothed on his bed, waiting for them to arrive.

As soon as he saw the clock on the wall striking midnight, a harsh scraping noise reverberated through the air, signaling the opening of the steel factory’s door.

He grabbed his belongings and walked out of the steel factory, where two off-road vehicles awaited him. The high beams blinded him, making it difficult to open his eyes.

Zhao Shuangdian’s voice came from behind the glaring white lights. “Get in.”

When Li Huowang reached the car door, he noticed that besides Zhao Shuangdian and the Ba siblings, there were two unfamiliar men and a woman inside.

Li Huowang quickly glanced at them before opening the rear door and sitting down. However, as soon as he sat, he felt something beneath him.

He reached down and found two sheathed military knives.

Once Li Huowang unsheathed them, he realized they were his knives. They were still stained with dried blood.

“Thanks,” Li Huowang said to Zhao Shuangdian, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.

“No need to thank me. Remember that we’re on the same side. I wouldn’t harm you.”

Li Huowang slid the knives back into their sheaths and strapped them to his back. “A bulletproof vest would’ve been nice.”

Zhao Shuangdian didn’t respond. She massaged her forehead gently, her brows furrowed as if deep in thought.

Li Huowang turned his attention to the other three in the car. The first man was driving and had a rugged look accentuated by a scruffy beard. Despite the chilly weather, he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt.

On the other hand, the man in the passenger seat had a stern expression and a slender, lanky build. He was skillfully flipping a coin with his fingers.

The last person was a girl who appeared weak and wore glasses. She looked frail, but there was something odd about her. Her face twitched intermittently.

Li Huowang eyed them cautiously, trying to figure out what Simings they were. The bearded guy seemed like a military Siming or some commander.

The stern-faced man turned his gaze from the window to Li Huowang. “You know it’s rude to stare, right?”

“Li Huowang,” he said, extending his hand toward the man. However, the man didn’t shake his hand.

“I know who you are, Li Huowang. You’re pretty famous. Everyone knows who you are,” the man said slowly before turning to face the window again.

Li Huowang sensed their cold attitude and didn’t bother responding. He turned to Zhao Shuangdian. “Is it just us? It seems like there are too few people. Aren’t we just walking into certain death?”

“Don’t worry, more people will meet us at the airport,” Zhao Shuangdian replied, closing her eyes.

“How confident are you in this operation?”

“Sixty percent.”

“Only sixty?” Li Huowang was reminded of Qian Fu’s death and what happened to the other forty percent.

“Never expect anything to be a hundred percent. If something’s guaranteed, it’s probably a trap.”

Li Huowang’s heart sank. He could only hope that the reinforcements at the airport would be more helpful.

The stern man tossed a mask to Li Huowang. “Put on the mask. You can’t just walk into the airport with your face. It’s simply inviting trouble.”

After five hours, they finally reached another city's airport, just as dawn was beginning to break.

Li Huowang, now wearing the mask, reached the waiting area. He was stunned by the person he saw—Qing Wanglai.

Qing Wanglai, dressed in a suit, shook hands with Zhao Shuangdian. “It must have been a tiring journey.”

Zhao Lei, Chen Hongyu, and Wu Qi were behind him, all slumped in chairs.

“Them?! They’re the reinforcements?” Li Huowang was utterly shocked to see his former comrades.

“Who else? Not many people truly understand the situation they’re in.”

The two groups gathered together, leaving Li Huowang standing bewildered by himself.

By dawn, the first rays of sunlight pierced through, and the plane carrying Li Huowang and the others soared into the clouds.

Li Huowang sat in his seat, finally accepting the idea of reuniting with Qing Wanglai.

Although Qing Wanglai was a petty person who burned his bridges easily, Li Huowang didn’t blame him for the things that happened to Nana that day. And even though he wasn’t trustworthy, it was still better than dealing with complete strangers.

Qing Wanglai sat next to Li Huowang and extended his hand. “I didn’t expect you to end up on Zhao Shuangdian’s side.”

“I had no choice. The last group I followed was too unreliable, so I had to switch.”

Qing Wanglai didn’t seem to catch the sarcasm in Li Huowang’s words. He smiled pleasantly. “Really? That’s good. I thought you bought into her theories.”

Li Huowang glanced at Zhao Shuangdian, who was dozing off with an eye mask. “I don’t believe in her elephant theory. Your projection theory feels more realistic.”

“Oh?”

Li Huowang gritted his teeth and glared at Qing Wanglai. “Of course not! I don’t care about your ridiculous theories! I don’t want what happened previously to happen again! I simply want to solve this mess and not be labeled a lunatic anymore!”

After a moment of contemplation, Qing Wanglai replied, “You may not believe it, but I never gave up on you. If we survive this, I’ll help you regain your freedom.”

“Yeah, right,” Li Huowang scoffed and turned away. “I’m wanted across the country. Tell me, how will you help me regain my freedom?”

“When you return to the country, turn yourself in immediately,” Qing Wanglai replied.

Li Huowang looked at him like he was an idiot.

“Don’t worry. It’s just the first step. You’re considered mentally ill. No matter how many times you’ve escaped from prison, your final punishment will be confinement in a psychiatric hospital.”

“After you cool off in there for a while, I can buy out a psychiatric hospital and get you transferred there. After that, it’ll be easy to do whatever we want.”

“Oh wow, what a grand gesture by Boss Qing, buying an entire psychiatric hospital just for me. I’m so touched.”

Qing Wanglai could tell that Li Huowang still didn’t trust him and dropped the subject. He stood up and whispered something into Zhao Shuangdian’s ear as she slept.

Li Huowang had not slept the entire night, so he planned to close his eyes and recharge his batteries for what was to come.

As he was about to drift off, something caught his eye. There was a small white object below the seat in front of him.

He frowned, reached down, and picked it up. He held it up between his fingers, and his pupils narrowed. A die?

He glanced around and saw everyone acting normally. Holding the die close, he muttered, “Why are you here? Do you really think you belong in a battle between Simings?”