NOVEL WEB Chapter 276: "What a coincidence.
"However—"
Zhang Wanlin suddenly laughed, as if he truly remembered something amusing, "There's something you might really be interested in. Do you remember how you told me to wake up from the fourth level of the dream?"
"The method you mentioned at that time was to trap me."
"But in actuality, that method really works. Although it can't awaken someone from the fourth level of the dream, it inadvertently produced another effect."
"Want to know what it is?"
"If you want me to know, give me a cigarette to smoke."
"..."
After a pause, Chen Miao still crouched down to light a cigarette for Zhang Wanlin. He had a premonition that he was going to hear something about Lord Miao from Zhang Wanlin's lips.
"Whoo!"
Zhang Wanlin sucked greedily on the cigarette, "Actually, I don't have a smoking addiction and rarely smoke usually. But for some reason, the closer I get to the end of life, the more I want to light a cigarette. When the cigarette in your hand becomes the last one of your life, you suddenly find that it smokes better than any you've had before."
"We conducted countless experiments back then."
"In the end, we discovered one thing. Using your method, although it can't wake someone up from the fourth layer of the dream, it can... directly cause a person's death."
Hungry Monkey's face darkened in an instant. He crouched down and stared at Zhang Wanlin, word for word, "Are you joking with us? It seems you don't want to die that easily, do you?"
"No, no, no."
Zhang Wanlin said with utmost seriousness, "It's true—the method can cause a person to die directly in the dream, but during our numerous experiments, there was one time when the person who died suddenly came back to life after three days."
"That person was extremely terrified."
"He had a completely different memory, not the memory of the person himself, but from another world. We asked in detail, and it didn't seem like he was making up stories or that he had gone mad. Because the person who woke up, told a very complete story without any logical flaws or holes, as if it had truly happened in another world."
"Although he was the same person, his memories had changed completely."
"The most deadly thing was, three days later, after that person fell asleep again, the original person actually came back, describing with horror how he ended up in a completely strange world with supernaturals."
"However... he didn't say much before this person died completely and never woke up again."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Zhang Wanlin organized his thoughts and hesitantly said, "It looks like two completely different people from two different worlds, using this body to shuttle back and forth between the two worlds."
"I know it might sound unbelievable."
"But this is the truth... Perhaps..."
He suddenly laughed, "I might be able to continue living in another world, and we might have the chance to meet again, right?"
"..."
After standing in silence for a long time, Chen Miao slowly raised his gun and aimed at Zhang Wanlin's head. Amid Zhang Wanlin's feigned fearlessness, he slowly pulled the trigger. Then he scanned the surroundings and gestured with a wave of his hand, signaling to take away Vixen.
"Wait!"
Just at that moment—
Vixen yelled in terror, "Hungry Monkey, it was all orchestrated by that 'Magician' Pretty Boy! If you want revenge, you should go after him. I know where he is; he's currently in Jingjiu City!"
"Ugh..."
Hungry Monkey was taken aback momentarily and instinctively turned to look at Chen Miao.
"How convenient,"
Chen Miao slightly raised an eyebrow and walked straight out of the warehouse, "Lead the way."
Meanwhile, parked on the road outside the warehouse was a Hell Bus, placidly standing there. Though motionless, it still provided ample security. Theoretically, the bus is made of ordinary materials.
Not bulletproof, nor with bulletproof tires.
A burst of fire would riddle it with bullet holes.
But...
This is only in theory. In reality, as long as you are on the Hell Bus, even if a hydrogen bomb exploded above their heads, they wouldn't be harmed at all. It's entirely like a thing from another dimension.
It's like an attack from a two-dimensional drawing, no matter how powerful, cannot harm the three-dimensional in the slightest.
The Hell Bus travels in a different space.
And the only intersection with Federal Space is the Hell Bus. Once you're on the Hell Bus, it means you've entered that space, and no damage from Federal Space can affect you at all.
So, theoretically, even if the Federation went all out to kill him, unable to even protect his own base, he could simply live on the Hell Bus with everyone indefinitely, absolutely untouchable by anyone.
...
"Big brother, I was deceived too!!"
Three hours later, they quickly found Zhang Wu working as a waiter in a restaurant in Jingjiu City—the seventh level 'Magician' who had swaggered before Hungry Monkey not so long ago.
"This has nothing to do with me; it's all this woman's doing. Given my status at the time, how could I possibly conduct such a certain matter for a mere few thousand in commission!"
Zhang Wu's expression of remorse was unmistakable, crying with a face full of pain and shame.
They dragged Zhang Wu to the small alley behind the restaurant, where no passersby would venture. Even if someone did pass by, upon seeing the several expressionless, burly men stationed at the entrance to the alley, they would quickly walk away, knowing better.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Hungry Monkey stepped forward to straighten Zhang Wu's tie, clucking his tongue and said, "You used to be quite the figure in Fengtian City, always putting on a grand show when you went out. How did you end up waiting tables in Jingjiu City?"
"Brother Hungry Monkey."
Zhang Wu's voice trembled with a crying tone, "In Jingjiu City, there are supernatural beings everywhere. What's a Level 7 Magician like me worth? See the bouncer at the bar across the street? The guy is a Level 32 fighter."
"In this place, being a Level 7 Magician is still a fighting occupation, so being a waiter isn't bad."
"For us fighters to snatch work from those in Lifestyle Occupations is harder than reaching the sky. If I hadn't told the boss I'd work just for room and board without a salary, he would never have hired me."
"If it's so difficult, why not go back to Fengtian?"
"I..."
Zhang Wu was at a loss for words. What could he say? Could he admit that he had fled here? It was because your influence in Fengtian had grown too intimidating, so he ran, intending originally to go to Broken Pot City but ended up being deceived and stranded in Jingjiu City.
"No worries."
Hungry Monkey smiled contentedly as he patted Zhang Wu, "From now on, I'll take care of you. As long as you keep me happy, every now and then I'll treat you to a meaty meal."
"Let's go, Miao. I can't wait to get home."
"When we arrive, I'll arrange some fun for the brothers."
"The brothers haven't had a feast for so many days, they're suffering badly. Time to give them a thrill."
Yuan Buping stood frozen in place, looking incredulously at Vixen, "Hungry Monkey, are you saying that you'll let the brothers... with your wife?"
"Jimao, she's just a worn-out Vixen."
Hungry Monkey walked up to the woman with a cold smile, looking at the face that was both familiar and strange. He bent down slowly, sniffing the familiar scent of laundry detergent on her clothes, and whispered into her ear, enjoying the slight tremor of her body as he chuckled.
"Long time no see, you really did a number on me back then."
"Losing a few thousand bucks is one thing."
"But you swindled my heart, damn it, that was my first love, my very first romance."
"Here we are, meeting again. This time I'll let you see if I'm still that same boy, too scared to even hold your hand for fear of dirtying you, while behind my back you were fooling around with someone else."
"Let's see how good at fooling around I am this time."
"..."
Chen Miao sighed with a hint of helplessness and headed towards the alley entrance. There, a Hell Bus calmly waited for them on the road. Soon, Chen Miao and his group boarded the bus and left.
...
On the Hell Bus.
The scenery outside was as desolate as always, not a speck of greenery in sight. They sped along a highway in the middle of an exceedingly barren world. On the bus, Hungry Monkey couldn't help himself and began to grope Vixen.
And Vixen was putting on an enthusiastic show to keep up, forcing a smile on her lips. For her, surviving was paramount to anything else, and it looked like Hungry Monkey still had feelings for her. Maybe she could climb her way to the top.
If she could really become the primary wife of Hungry Monkey,
Her status would be far from low.
With that status, she could practically strut around Federal Space as she pleased, so long as she didn't antagonize those big families in Jingjiu City, probably no one would dare trouble them.
And just then—
The Hell Bus abruptly stopped. Chen Miao took a bowler hat from his chest and put it on his head, looking at Hungry Monkey and the others, "I'm going to step off for a bit; do your thing."
Then Chen Miao stood in place, lighting a cigarette and placing it in his mouth, watching as the Hell Bus carrying Hungry Monkey and the rest drove away.
Not much later,
Another Hell Bus slowly approached and stopped in front of him. There was only one person on the bus, a man daydreaming next to the window—who else could it be but Zhang Wanlin?
"Yo!"
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Zhang Wanlin's eyes lit up the instant he saw Chen Miao board, his smile uncontrollably spreading, "You're dead too, huh? Let me guess, how did you die?"
"You were killed in the Events Bureau of Jingjiu City, right?"
"Hahaha, how does death feel? Not too shabby, eh?"
"..."
Chen Miao didn't say a word, just quietly boarded the bus and took off his bowler hat to place it in his chest, before tossing a cigarette to Zhang Wanlin, "You said something earlier that was quite right, there are indeed other worlds, and those who die may very well travel to other worlds on the Hell Bus."
"To avoid any unnecessary complications,"
"I've developed the habit of making sure my kills are thorough."