Netherworld Investigator

Dragging the driver out of the driver's seat, I threw him onto the side of the road. His cell phone had a GPS positioning system, and there were three cars coming this way.

If I kept going, I would definitely bump into these people. The safest thing was to return to the woods and meet up Song Xingchen first before looking for an escape route out of this place.

I removed and snapped the driver’s SIM card into two, stripped the man off his jacket and cap, and changed into his clothes.

Then, getting into the driver’s seat, I started the engine and drove back the way we came. 

There was a bottle of unopened mineral water in the glove compartment. Upon confirming it was unopened and contained no added substances, I unscrewed the cap and gulped like a thirsty man stumbling upon an oasis. The sensation of cool water slipping down my throat and into my belly was simply indescribable!

Contemplating the current situation, I turned off the headlights as I traveled down the dark road.

I wasn’t sure how far the scope of the bounty extended, but then again, with the increase of the reward, more powerful criminals would come looking for me.

At most, my physical strength could last until dawn, so I needed to find an escape route as soon as possible. Once I left this remote town, I had better chances of survival.

Half an hour later, I arrived at the woods where I had been previously deadlocked with the Mythical Man. There was silence all around. Parking the car on the side of the road, I alighted to deal with the Mythical Man.

Following my original path, the grass around me gradually extended to my torso, an indication that the Mythical Man’s body was close by. As I drew closer, the warm scent of blood assaulted my nose. I noticed a man standing in front of me with a sword in his hand. Terrified, I turned tail out of there. 

However, the man seemed to have extremely sharp hearing and quickly caught up. I turned, ready to launch the Eyes of Yama when I discovered he was carrying a Tang Sword–it was Song Xingchen.

Relief and joy washed over me. I was even tempted to hug the man but since it was appropriate, I held back. 

"Young Master, you’re alright! Thank goodness!"

Song Xingchen followed the markings left by Song Shichao all the way here. Just a moment ago, Song Xingchen dealt with the Mythical Man who had just regained consciousness.

"Song Shichao is dead," I said.

The news was obviously a huge shock to Song Xingchen. "We can’t stay here,” he replied. “We’ll talk as we walk!"

"Let's bury Song Shichao first. He's in an abandoned house not too far away."

Throughout our walk there, we remained vigilant like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow.[1] Fortunately, Song Shichao's body hadn’t been moved. Thus, we picked up a few wooden boards, chose a suitable location, dug a shallow pit and buried Song Shichao. The wooden boards were inserted into the soil as a tombstone.

Although I hoped to burn some joss paper for Song Sichao, the firelight might attract others so I folded several paper ingots and placed them at the tombstone.

"I’ll engrave his name on it,” suggested Song Xingchen. “That way the martial Songs will be able to take his body back. Besides, there are criminals looking for you. If they see an unnamed grave, they may dig it up."

What he said was reasonable so I nodded. Pulling out his Tang Sword, Song Xingchen carved the words "Song Shichao" on the tombstone with a rapid swish of his sword.

On the way back to the cab, we exchanged information. The gunfire from Song Xingchen’s fight with the muscular man in the afternoon attracted another group of criminals. Meanwhile, the Wolf King was enraged by the deaths of his companions. Thus, three different groups started fighting against each other, giving Song Xingchen the opportunity to escape. However, it took him some time to find me.

"The muscular man looks a bit familiar. He must be a wanted criminal as well. But I’m not familiar with the criminals on this side of the coast."

Upon further discussion, we decided on an overnight drive to Jianyang. When we arrived, we could either take a bus or train out of Fujian immediately. With that, we embarked on our journey. For safety reasons, I drove without headlights. 

We sat in silence as the scenery outside the window faded into a blur. At an intersection, we came face to face with glaring lights that blinded my sensitive eyes.

Before I could recover, I heard an engine roar like an angry bull. Rubbing my eyes hard, I finally noticed a jeep frenziedly accelerating head-on towards us.

"Fuck!" I cursed, turning the steering wheel and backing up the vehicle.

As the jeep forced us into retreat, Song Xingchen exclaimed, "It's the muscle man's car! He knows this is the only way out of here, so he’s been waiting for us."

I gritted my teeth, "The Infernal Bone Trader doesn’t want me dead. Let’s see who gives in first!"

Turning the steering wheel, I hit the gas pedal and accelerated straight into the jeep. Not to be intimidated, the man spun the back tires rapidly on the tarmac, creating a thick, white smoke as he eagerly sped towards us.

The two cars drove head-on at a speed of sixty kilometers per hour. It was a game between fearless men–one side either admits to cowardice or both die together.

My heart pounded in my ears while Song Xingchen's gaze was fixed calmly ahead. The dazzling lights of the jeep grew closer and closer, almost filling our whole field of vision.

A second before the moment of impact, the muscular man suddenly twisted the steering wheel to the left and the jeep raced down to the roadbed...

Ecstatic, I put the pedal to the metal and felt the car rushed forward, my heart roaring with the joy of escape. However, the joy didn’t last. A few seconds later, the car jolted violently, and harsh friction came from below, both sides of the car emitting dazzling sparks like flames.

Looking back, Song Xingchen cursed, "That bastard! He covered the road with metal spikes!"

A flat tire meant driving was out of the question so I quickly braked. Before the car came to a complete halt, Song Xingchen and I opened the door and jumped out of the moving vehicle. 

"Run! He’s coming!" warned Song Xingchen.

We ran along the road until a rumble of an engine roared from behind. The jeep slammed into the cab, crushing it like a tank. The muscular man sat in the driver's seat like the tough guys in those American movies with bandages all over his body, a cigar between his lips, and a submachine gun stretched out from the window.

The bullets flew towards us while the bullet casings bounced on the ground. Unexpectedly, the sound of gunfire wasn’t very loud, almost muted as if the bullets were made of soft material. When one of the bullets bounced onto my skin, I realized they were rubber bullets.

Song Xingchen pulled out his Tang Sword and threw aside his scabbard. "Young Master, I'll cover you!"

I watched him leap and land on top of the jeep, like a ferocious long-legged beast. He climbed on the roof, holding onto the rack while plunged his sword into the vehicle with his other hand.

The jeep swayed left and right along the road but Song Xingchen took root to the roof like a stubborn bug impossible to get rid of. Right then, the muscular man switched to his other gun, aiming the muzzle at the roof. A few shots later, holes appeared in the roof.

In order to dodge the bullets, Song Xingchen grabbed the roof rack while his body was thrown on the side of the car, hanging dangerously in mid-air. Cold sweat dotted my forehead as I watched from the sidelines.

At this moment, a light appeared in the distance, moving slowly towards us. A motorcycle was headed our way...

[1] A Chinese idiom that means easily frightened due to past experiences.