Chapter 306 - 217: Nameless World, Act 4, Part 2

Ke Liangjie considered it for a moment. His resistance faded, and he added Fang Zhen’s contact information.

Once everything was settled, Fang Zhen wasted no time and got into the American muscle car Ke Liangjie had been driving earlier.

According to Ke Liangjie, once the car was driven back to the airport, a specialist would clean it and change the tires to erase any traces the police might find.

Fang Zhen moved all the firearms to the car’s trunk, bid farewell to Li Zoyi and Ke Liangjie, and made a stylish exit.

Fang Zhen’s car receded into the distance.

Li Zoyi watched Fang Zhen’s departing figure with keen interest, even letting out a whistle.

"Hey, what do you think is his deal?" Li Zoyi asked, glancing at Ke Liangjie beside her. "This Fang Zhen guy."

"The kind you can’t afford to mess with," Ke Liangjie answered coldly. "I’d advise you to stay far away from him."

Seeing that Li Zoyi was unconcerned, Ke Liangjie sighed in resignation and explained, "I don’t know exactly what just happened, but that Fang Zhen is no simple man."

"That look in his eyes, that murderous aura... I’ve only ever seen it on one or two hardened killers in the gangs, men who kill like it’s nothing. It’s not something an ordinary person has."

"He’s either a former Mercenary or an assassin. In any case, he’s no ordinary person."

"That just makes me even more interested in him," Li Zoyi said, unfazed.

"I’m warning you, don’t get too close to him. He’s not a man you can handle," Ke Liangjie said with a frown.

"Heh. What, now you decide to play the big brother? I don’t remember you being so concerned when you were running with gangs," Li Zoyi shot back with a cold laugh.

Ke Liangjie’s brow furrowed. "Zoe, my dad died in a gang shootout in America. I lived in your family’s home for a few years. Legally, I’m your adoptive older brother."

"But I’ve been on my own for a long time now. I’ve seen more things in the gangs than you’ve ever even heard about."

"You’d better learn some respect."

"Boring." Li Zoyi tossed her head back, then used a hand to vault over the car door and into the passenger seat of the gangster’s car. "Let’s go. The cops will be here if we wait any longer."

Ke Liangjie shook his head in resignation and got into the car as well.

...

After driving for some time, Fang Zhen pulled the car over.

He walked to the back, opened the trunk, and took out all the firearms.

In addition to the AWP sniper rifle, the assault rifle, the landmines, and the grenades, there was also the gang leader’s submachine gun, the two pistols his henchmen had used, and Ke Liangjie’s revolver.

It was pitch black all around, so it was unlikely anyone would see him.

One by one, Fang Zhen stored the firearms inside his King’s Belt.

The belt’s main storage compartment was currently empty, as he had left the King’s Sword at home.

Since neither the AWP sniper rifle nor the HK416 assault rifle were Extraordinary Items, they could be stored together.

Fang Zhen quickly stored all the firearms and ammunition inside the belt.

After storing the weapons and ammunition, Fang Zhen smiled.

This trip to America had been incredibly fruitful.

He had originally expected to spend sixty to seventy thousand US Dollars just to get his hands on some guns, and likely only a standard assault rifle and a low-end sniper at that. He never thought the equipment he’d acquired would far exceed his expectations.

The Mexicans had impulsively decided to rob him, but he had completely turned the tables on them.

Now, he had gotten all this gear for free, saving himself more than fifty thousand US Dollars.

Plus, he now had a connection through Ke Liangjie, which laid the groundwork for future business operations in Africa.

Overall, despite the unexpected events, the outcome was highly satisfactory.

Fang Zhen got back to it. After securing the equipment, he tossed the empty gun and ammunition cases into the wilderness, then drove back toward the airport.

「Five days later.」

Fang Zhen took a flight from Shenzhen back to Xiahai.

Fang Zhen had planned his travel route over the past several days: Colonia to Houston, then Los Angeles, Shenzhen, and finally Xiahai.

It was a well-established route by now.

While in America, Fang Zhen had even come up with a cover story in case he was tracked down by the American police.

In the end, the cover story wasn’t needed.

It was perfectly normal for a gang member to turn up dead in America; the police probably had no desire to dig too deep into it. Besides, here’s a fun fact: in the vast majority of countries, the clearance rate for major homicides doesn’t exceed fifty percent. At best, a tiny handful of nations stand out with seventy-five percent. Every country in the world is short on police.

Police resources in the US are prioritized for wealthy districts. In a border city like Colonia, a couple of dead gangsters was a complete non-issue.

There was, however, a minor hiccup while going through customs.

The customs officer in the US was a woman, and she grew a little suspicious of Fang Zhen’s King’s Belt, asking him to explain its purpose and origin.

Fang Zhen casually explained that it was a trophy from a historical martial arts tournament, and that it also functioned as a back brace to prevent herniated discs.

As he spun his nonsensical tale, he hit her with a dose of violent hypnosis.

He was getting more and more proficient with this "violent hypnosis" skill. For instance, he could sense that using an overwhelmingly strong will to crush an opponent’s would trigger intense emotions in them—great joy, sorrow, terror, or shock.

But against an ordinary person with a weaker will, he could use just enough Spiritual Power to maintain suppression. This allowed him to ’gently’ plant an idea in their mind, making them believe it was their own conclusion.

After hearing his explanation, the female customs officer said nothing more and waved him through.

Fang Zhen made it back to Xiahai without any real trouble, despite the close call.

Around two-thirty that afternoon, Fang Zhen returned to his home in Xiahai.

He had been gone for more than ten days, and upon returning, his own home felt both familiar and strange. It was a novel sensation, one that many people experience after being away for a long time.

Fang Zhen found the feeling both novel and interesting.

Riding this wave of inspiration, he went to his computer room, launched the "Dungeon Life" game, and began to pull up information on the Nameless World’s Nightmare-difficulty dungeon.

Last time, after clearing the ’Fallen Knight’ dungeon, his power had been insufficient to unlock the Nightmare-difficulty Act IV of the Nameless World.

But things were different now.

After clearing the ’Bloody Lord’ and ’Land of Rest’ dungeons, Fang Zhen’s power had increased tremendously. Furthermore, his trip to America had netted him an AWP sniper rifle, an HK416 assault rifle, grenades, and landmines.

With these enhancements, clearing Act IV of the Nameless World might not be a complete walk in the park, but he should at least be able to get through it with ease.

Fang Zhen gave it a try. Just as he’d thought, the power restriction was gone. For just 5 Merit Points, he could unlock Act IV of the Nameless World, which was currently available for early access.

Without hesitation, Fang Zhen spent 5 Merit Points to immediately unlock partial information about the Nameless World’s Act IV dungeon.

"You have spent 5 Merit Points to prematurely unlock partial information about the Act IV dungeon that follows the ’Fallen Knight’ dungeon.

The name of the Act IV dungeon is ’Demon Duke.’ The difficulty is Nightmare, set within the Nameless World.

Within the ’Demon Duke’ dungeon, you may engage in faction-based combat. It is recommended that you enhance your sustained combat capabilities, mobility, and stamina.

You may encounter true demons.

Special Tip: Upon clearing this dungeon, you will unlock the ’Actively Enter a Designated World’ permission. You can use Merit Points to enter any world in which you have previously cleared a Nightmare-difficulty dungeon.

Further details will be provided upon completion.

Everyone needs a sense of security. Likewise, you may need a stable base of operations.

After this Nightmare-difficulty dungeon, you can begin to view the entire world as your domain. Consider using the Kingdom as your canvas, upon which you may paint your ideals, your dreams, or even your wildest fantasies.

Provided you have the power to do so.

In the upcoming Nightmare dungeon, your choices and actions will determine your future ability and direction in forging a new world. Please consider your options carefully and make the decision that is truest to yourself.

Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice.

You cannot change the past, but you can change the future.

Destiny is a series of paths, not a single destination.

You cannot change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails.

May you grasp your destiny in your hands, as a captain grasps the helm."