My Notoriety Spreads Throughout the World

After the flamethrower ran out of fuel, Chen San decisively discarded it and drew a black umbrella from the hidden compartment beneath the off-road vehicle's door, just as a Fogman lunged at him, its sharp teeth nearly biting through his arm.

He fiercely slammed his head against the top of the vehicle, the bone-crushing pain surging through his entire body. Before he could react, the monster's stink-filled maw came close, its bloody stench almost overwhelming him.

Chen San gritted his teeth tightly, his back pressed against the car, using one hand to ward off the monster's assault, while his other hand clutched the black umbrella tightly.

With a crisp hum, a long and sharp object was drawn from the umbrella's handle—a katana with a blade that glinted coldly.

"Die, you bastard!" Chen San growled, summoning his remaining strength to plunge the entire katana into the monster's neck!

The monster and his body both fell heavily, his white clothes disheveled and his face haggard, his glasses completely shattered.

The surrounding monsters simultaneously pounced on him, leaving nothing but the piercing sound of their cries and his labored breathing, like a patient at death's door.

Chen San slowly raised his head, accepting his fate, and gradually closed his eyes.

The death he imagined never arrived. Instead, the roars of the monsters gradually faded away.

A warm sensation spread across his face, and when he looked up, a blazing long sword appeared before him.

The flames reflected the calm face of a young girl, and he looked up in astonishment, her silhouette seemingly burning, emanating hope and light like the dawn.

"Are you planning to sleep here, First Tier Commander?" Xu Xiaoyou said coldly.

Behind the blonde girl, Lin Xing and Lin Sheng fought more fiercely by the moment. In no time, the brothers cleared the surrounding area of all monsters, creating a safe zone for everyone.

Chen San smiled dazedly, "Heh, I thought you guys couldn't come."

Then, he took a long, slow breath, "The engine's fixed. Get in."

Xu Xiaoyou said nothing, pulling Chen San up from the ground, while Tang Xin stepped forward to heal his arm with flowing water.

The group fought while retreating quickly toward the off-road vehicle.

Lin Xing moved like a shadow, his speed leaving afterimages. With the flick of his twin daggers, any approaching Fogman was decapitated.

He ushered the two girls into the vehicle, glancing back to see Lin Sheng still fighting amid the monsters. With each swing of his Beheading Great Saber, the terrifying force made the air resonate. The nearby Fogmen were either cut in half or driven back. Entering the Blood Boiling state, his rising killing intent pressured his consciousness, making Lin Sheng see the world in an increasingly blood-red hue.

"Bro, let's go!" Lin Xing shouted.

Lin Sheng snapped back to reality, the soothing Water Element seeping into his body, clearing his mind a bit.

He nodded, then leaped into the air, deftly treading on the monsters like a dragonfly skimming the water, his swift and nimble form spinning. Everywhere the man passed, a maelstrom of blades arose, countless monster heads soaring skyward. In mere moments, everyone watched as he fought his way from a hundred meters away to near the vehicle, boarding it.

"Drive," Lin Sheng said evenly.

Finding everyone staring at him in surprise, he frowned slightly, "Why is everyone looking at me?"

Xu Xiaoyou tapped her fingertips on the hilt of her sword, withdrawing her gaze, her thoughts unknown.

Chen San watched Xu Xiaoyou's expression through the rearview mirror. Seeing the monsters surging around them again, he hesitated no more and slammed on the accelerator.

With the roar and rumble of the metal beast's engine, all the monsters blocking their path were shattered, and the off-road vehicle burst through the monster encirclement!

...

The off-road vehicle emerged from the thick fog, the dense white mist reaching toward them like ghostly hands before slowly dissipating. Watching the rows of grinning monsters appearing at the edge of the fog behind them, the sense of relief made the heavy stones in everyone's hearts finally fall away.

The sky remained clear, the distant mountains majestic and grand.

The gusting wind beat against the hearts of them all, easing their taut nerves.

Peaceful scenes continuously flitted past the off-road vehicle's sides, everything seemed so ordinary, as if the crisis that just ended was merely an illusion, yet the blood grime covering their bodies constantly reminded them they'd just broken through the siege.

"Bro, since when did you get so amazing?" Lin Xing was still a bit excited, his words carrying unease. "You know, just now you were like one of those movie heroes with Lightweight Skill, light as a swallow, stepping over the monsters' heads!"

"Calm down, Lin Xing," Lin Sheng said helplessly.

The simple interlude did not capture the attention of others in the car. After driving for some time, Chen San, steering the wheel with his perpetually poker-faced expression, repeatedly glanced via the rearview mirror at Xu Xiaoyou in the back seat.

Noticing the gaze, she lifted her head, her voice indifferent:

"As a commander, facing such a crisis with not even a hint of alertness beforehand, leading the team into a bitter fight, don't you think you owe an explanation?"

Chen San said nothing, the shattered lenses reflecting his darkened expression.

After a long pause, he said, "For decades there haven't been any sightings of supernatural creatures on the Ring Mountain Road in the Fars Mountains."

"And this path, our Dawn Office has taken more than once on commission missions."

"So we were just unlucky this time, running into those monsters, and in such numbers," Xu Xiaoyou said, her tone mocking.

Chen San suddenly fell silent.

The atmosphere in the car turned tense again. Neither Lin Xing nor Lin Sheng said anything, everyone in the team knew that Xu Xiaoyou and Chen San didn't get along.

Especially since this debacle was due to poor decision-making, barely surviving a bloody battle. Who knows if anything unexpected happened in the process that they would all still be alive.

Noticing a hint of anger in the girl's tone, Tang Xin, seeing her serious demeanor for the first time, thought for a moment and moved beside Xu Xiaoyou:

"Are you tired?"

"No," Xu Xiaoyou replied, shaking her head. "And I'm not mad."

Saying so, she propped her face with one hand against the window, her demeanor showing everyone the girl's heavy heart.

"If you're tired, have a good rest."

Xu Xiaoyou paused, a pair of hands gently cradled her head, laying her body back. The warmth and softness from her head came from the fabric of a dress and the skin of another girl.

She met Tang Xin's gaze, filled with a gentle smile. Xu Xiaoyou's eyes fell into a trance. She watched the other girl lean down, a few strands of blue hair slipping from her ear, revealing a rounded, reddish earlobe.

Tang Xin made a quiet gesture, "If you can't sleep, I can sing for you. What would You like to hear?"

Having just gone through a fierce battle, she saw exhaustion in the other's eyes as well.

Pillow on the girl's lap, like resting among soft white irises, a faint fragrance wafting to her nose, and the clear singing by her ear was gentle like the childhood lullabies a mother sang by her bedside, mingling with the wind rushing past outside and the engine's hum...

Gradually, her whole body relaxed, a sleepy feeling washing over her, where did it come from she wondered?

Ever since she came to this world, it seems she hasn't truly rested, weariness not just in body but in her restive, unsettled heart.

The serene and comfortable sensation let her close her eyes, slumber drawing near, the gentle song soothing her agitated spirit, turning it peaceful, her thoughts slowly drifting away.