A short while earlier, the moment Lin Du crashed into the residential building, the impact and headache simultaneously devoured his consciousness.
He felt as if an invisible black hand had ruthlessly pressed down on his head, shoving him into boundless darkness.
And in that darkness, something was waiting for him.
When he opened his eyes again, Lin Du found himself standing in a strange place.
The air was thick with the smell of sulfur, and scorching winds blew in from all directions.
Beneath his feet was black rock, its surface covered in crack patterns.
Everywhere was boiling magma, orange-red rivers winding across the ground.
The sky was fiery red, like a red-hot iron plate, pressing down low enough to touch if he reached out.
The clouds were black, hanging motionless overhead.
‘Here is…?’
Lin Du touched the back of his head, his fingers brushing against hair instead of cold armor.
He closed his eyes and tried to recall.
‘I think I jumped… jumped into… the residential building, and then… lost consciousness?’
Clatter—
A sound of metal chains rattling came from afar, interrupting his thoughts.
Lin Du turned his head.
On the distant horizon loomed a pitch-black mountain.
The mountain was rugged, without vegetation, only pure black.
At its foot flowed a river of magma, firelight reflecting off the cliffs.
Then, he saw a dragon.
A black dragon.
Its limbs were bound by enormous chains, the other ends deeply embedded into the mountain, each chain as thick as an iron tower.
Its eyes were tightly shut, but Lin Du could feel that if those eyes opened, they would surely see him.
The dragon’s wing membranes let no light through, only an impenetrable darkness.
The chains were covered in rust yet still taut. The dragon’s wings were half-spread, blocking half the sky.
ROAR—!
A deafening roar erupted from the dragon’s throat, exploding deep in Lin Du’s skull, shaking his vision.
The magma river churned violently with the roar, ash swept up by the blast, spinning in the air.
At the same time, a wave of immense sadness and loneliness surged into Lin Du’s heart.
It wasn’t his own, but came from the dragon.
Like a tide, it welled up from all directions, flooding his chest.
Lin Du’s knees went slightly weak. He gritted his teeth and braced himself, barely managing not to kneel.
“Burn it all…”
The dragon didn’t open its mouth, but the voice echoed directly in Lin Du’s mind.
Deep and hoarse, the tone wasn’t one of negotiation or request, but a command.
Like fire must burn, like water must flow, like a dragon must burn everything before it to ashes.
“Hey, who are you?”
Lin Du shouted at the dragon, his voice echoing through the magma valley, soon swallowed by the howling scorching wind.
The dragon didn’t answer.
It simply slowly opened its eyes.
Dark golden pupils split open in the darkness, looking down coldly, as if staring at a speck of dust.
Before Lin Du could ask again, his consciousness was suddenly yanked upward, leaving this world.
“Hey, are you awake?”
A crisp voice came from beside his ear.
“You! You need to pay compensation, got it?”
The Knight opened his eyes again, the visor automatically adjusting focus upon contacting light.
The blurry image focused layer by layer, becoming clear.
He first saw a toe.
Someone else’s toe.
It was a small foot in a white short sock, the rounded toes showing a faint pink through the fabric.
His gaze moved upward along that small foot.
The foot was stepping on his chest.
The ankle was slender, the lace at the sock’s edge like tiny waves.
The smooth, slender calf was so pale it was almost translucent. The kneecap was rounded, like an exquisite porcelain bowl.
A little higher…
‘Such a childlike design… There’s even a little bow?’
This thought flashed through Lin Du’s mind, then he snapped back to reality and hurriedly looked away.
‘No, I can’t keep staring.’
He breathed a sigh of relief.
According to the armor’s scanning, no one around was in danger.
He had just smashed this girl’s place…
Who was she again?
Lin Du’s eyes continued upward, finally landing on an unexpected face.
“Bai… Bai Li?!”
Those grayish-black eyes were looking down at him from above, a hint of bewilderment in her gaze.
“Are you okay?”
Bai Li looked at the Knight slowly sitting up and asked,
“You were holding your head before. Did you get hit in the head?”
“It’s nothing… nothing…”
Lin Du held his head, still aching faintly.
His temples were still throbbing, but somehow much better than before.
“It’s probably… been sleeping badly lately… sorry…”
His voice was tinged with weakness.
The scene he had just seen lingered in his mind, and he couldn’t help but wonder.
‘I seem to have stumbled upon an unknown side of Bai Li.’
‘So this is how she usually dresses at home?’
‘Now I really get the “bro, you smell nice” thing.’
‘But… is something missing? Something I clearly confirmed before… I didn’t seem to see it just now.’
Bai Li was squatting nearby, hugging her knees as she looked at him.
Her skirt spread over her knees.
The Knight glanced at Bai Li, scanning her up and down as if confirming something, then quickly turned away.
“Then… about the compensation…?”
Her voice dragged slightly at the end.
“…The Duishen Bureau will compensate you. I’ll report it for you.”
“How long will that take?”
Bai Li looked a bit deflated.
She shrank slightly, resting her chin on her knees.
“I can’t stay in this hole-ridden house, can I? The wind is strong at night. My blanket will blow away.”
“Today, for sure.”
The Knight stood up, his voice coming from behind the visor.
“Trust me.”
“Oh—”
Bai Li nodded.
“Okay, I’ll trust you this once.”
“I have things to do. I’m leaving now.”
Lin Du turned and walked toward the hole.
Gravel crunched under his feet, his steps still unsteady.
Bai Li waved at him, her fingers wiggling twice in the air before she rested her hands on her knees again.
“Go on, go on.”
She silently rolled her eyes.
‘This big shot comes and goes as he pleases. Who can stop him?’
‘He crashed through someone’s wall and flattened their bed, and thinks a “the Duishen Bureau will compensate” is enough?’
She sighed and buried her face in her knees.
‘Whatever.’
‘As long as he pays.’
‘If he doesn’t, I’ll immediately start a thunderous online shaming.’
She squeezed the phone in her hand that had been recording, a sinister smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
The Knight lightly leaped out through the hole, landing directly on the ground.
He picked up the motorcycle that had fallen by the roadside, swung a leg over it, and pressed the start button.
“Hey, Lin Du, are you okay?”
The captain’s voice came through the communicator, carrying obvious anxiety.
“I’ve been calling you and got no response.”
“I’m fine.”
Lin Du interrupted him, his tone returning to its usual calm.
“On my way.”
He twisted the throttle.
The front wheel lifted high, and the motorcycle shot off like an arrow, disappearing down the road at a speed that left only dust behind.