As we all know, night-vision devices come in several types.
There are light-amplification night-vision goggles, infrared night-vision goggles, and thermal-imaging night-vision goggles.
Although Jiang Nian had no idea which model B-411 and his team were using, there was one thing he did understand—
No matter which type it was, every night-vision device had its limits in terms of observation range. As long as you hid well enough, you wouldn’t be detected.
So Jiang Nian went with the simplest and most direct method—piling fallen leaves all over himself, essentially mimicking a ghillie suit, to stay concealed.
And he used his phone—which was practically as sturdy as a brick by now—as bait to lure someone in.
And as it turned out, his strategy worked perfectly.
“Not goo—”
Almost instantly, Jiang Nian kicked out.
Before B-411 could even finish saying “Not good,” the foot had already landed squarely on his chest.
Thump!
With a dull, heavy impact, B-411’s entire body was sent flying, slamming hard into a tree.
Jiang Nian flipped over and sprang up from the pile of leaves in one swift motion, closing the distance in an instant. He pressed his index and middle fingers together, aiming straight for B-411’s throat.
“Pierce!”
Squelch!
With a muffled sound, Jiang Nian’s fingers punched a bloody hole straight through B-411’s windpipe.
The searing pain made B-411’s eyes fly wide open, and he was about to scream—
But Jiang Nian wasn’t about to give him that chance. If B-411 cried out, it would alert the others. So he hooked his fingers and yanked.
Doraemon blinked his big eyes, looking back and forth between Bai Xuan and Huo Yu.
“Are you two planning to use them?”
“No, no, no, no.”
Huo Yu shook her head frantically, turning down the offer.
She’d never actually expected to be able to use those gadgets in the first place. And sure, the catch was that they only worked on Earth—but for them, that basically meant no restrictions at all, didn’t it?
So hearing that the If-Phone Booth at least had some limitations actually came as a relief. If those things could really be used without any constraints, that would be absolutely terrifying.
And then there was Bai Xuan—his ability could even manifest Doraemon himself, and not only that, but all his gadgets worked too.
Not to mention Silly Girl, that phone—she could actually go a few rounds with Sun Wukong!
Granted, that version of the Monkey King seemed a bit weaker—even pesticide could poison him—but he was still Sun Wukong, with all the basic lore intact.
Either way, she knew she was no match.
Bai Xuan, meanwhile, was pondering why the If-Phone Booth had been restricted. He wasn’t particularly puzzled, though—he knew it had something to do with the connection between himself, the chat group, and the resurgence of spiritual energy.
The fact that Doraemon’s gadgets were limited to Earth was tied to him as well.
If he used the If-Phone Booth to revert the world to its pre-spiritual-energy state, that would completely reverse the cause and effect. Without spiritual energy, would Earth’s consciousness even awaken? Would Doraemon still be manifested? Would Bai Xuan still possess the kind of fortune worthy of the chat group’s invitation?
So it was bound to lead to unforeseen consequences.
But even if there were no consequences and he could use it freely, Bai Xuan still wouldn’t revert Earth to its former state.
If he claimed he didn’t mind giving up everything he had now and becoming an ordinary person again, that would be far too hypocritical. And the truth was, he had no reason to abandon the Natural Authority, nor any reason to give up everything he’d gained.
Even if Bai Xuan was willing, would others truly be?
Would ordinary people be willing to give up the chance to change their fates through supernatural abilities?
Would the wealthy be willing to forgo spiritual energy that could potentially extend their lifespans?
Would scientists be willing to abandon the possibility of merging science with spiritual energy to usher in a new era?
Maybe some would—but the chances were slim.
“When will those things arrive?”
Bai Xuan looked at Huo Yu and asked calmly.
“Huh? Oh, those—probably by tonight.”
Huo Yu looked momentarily confused, then realized he was asking about the items she’d been tasked with gathering. She quickly responded.
“How did you get this ability anyway?”
“Was it a derivative of your nature-based ability—like you mentioned last time?”
She asked curiously.
“It’s from another anime world’s power.”
“A special kind of talisman that can bring stillness to life, and the revived objects can even break through dimensional barriers.”
Bai Xuan shook his head. Since Jackie Chan Adventures didn’t exist in this world, he didn’t elaborate further.
“So it works on the Sparklence, the Armor Hero transformation devices, and the Devil Fruits?”
“But even if the Sparklence became real, it’s just a light-particle converter—doesn’t it require the user to have ancient genes and a giant statue?”
“And the Armor Hero transformers need the Light and Shadow Stones and the Five Elements bloodlines too. For the second season’s Xing Tian armor, you need a contract too—I think? I don’t remember clearly.”
“I didn’t watch the third season.”
“Would things like that actually work when manifested?”
Huo Yu looked at Bai Xuan with curiosity and doubt.
“Normally, they wouldn’t. But mine is a special case.”
If it were just the Rat Talisman, it wouldn’t be possible. But his ability wasn’t merely the Rat Talisman’s power—it was a derivative of that talisman after being absorbed by the Natural Authority.
It didn’t rely on logical mechanics—it relied on human perception.
Not on canonical rules, but on how people see things—their impressions, even a fantasy grounded in reality.
Take the Sparklence, for example. In most people’s minds, it’s simply the thing you use to transform into Tiga. Whether it’s technically a light-particle converter or a transformation device doesn’t matter. Whether there are giant statues or ancient genes doesn’t matter either.
What matters is that people believe the Sparklence lets you become Tiga. So when Bai Xuan manifests it, that’s exactly what it does.
What’s that?
You say a lot of people, like Huo Yu, think that without the statue and genes, it wouldn’t work?
So what?
Has everyone in the world who’s watched Ultraman Tiga thought that way? Do little kids know all the technical details? Do people who’ve only heard of it in passing think that clearly?
As long as one person believes the Sparklence can transform you into Tiga, Bai Xuan can use that belief to give it that exact property.
The Armor Hero transformation devices work the same way.
Even if many people know that transforming requires the Light and Shadow Stones and Five Elements bloodlines, that’s still not everyone. Otherwise, why did so many kids love buying those toy transformers and imagine themselves becoming the actual Armor Heroes?
As long as someone believes it, that’s enough.
Of course, this isn’t without its downsides. For example, Devil Fruits can’t be given the trait of not fearing water or Sea-Prism Stone.
Then again, who knows—maybe someone out there actually believes that too.
“So basically… yes?”
Even though Bai Xuan hadn’t said it outright, Huo Yu could tell from his words what he meant.
Clearly, he was aware of all her concerns, but he wasn’t bothered by them. His only explanation was that his ability was unique.
And he didn’t say no.
That meant yes.
Huo Yu’s eyes lit up. If Armor Hero worked, then Balala the Fairies should work too, right?
Shugo Chara… probably not. That had some transformation elements, but it didn’t quite count.
What about Sakura? Could the Clow Cards work too?
“Oh, by the way—what’s Xiongbing Lian? Is it an anime? I don’t remember it at all.”
“And what’s the ‘Three Kings of Angels’? Are they three angel kings?”
As if something had just occurred to her, Huo Yu asked Bai Xuan with a puzzled look.
She’d seen or at least heard of most of the other things, but Xiongbing Lian—that was completely unfamiliar to her.
What kind of anime was it? An obscure one? A niche series?
Bai Xuan paused at her question. So this world didn’t have Xiongbing Lian?
Come to think of it, he didn’t remember ever seeing it here either.
But that didn’t matter. He still remembered parts of the plot, and he could extrapolate and recreate it from memory.
Not just Xiongbing Lian—he could also create Jackie Chan Adventures, the Heisei-era Kamen Rider series, Pokémon, and more, then release them online.
He could even produce brand-new anime and films if he wanted.
But that was a different matter altogether. After all, the actual strength of anything he manifested would still be tied to Bai Xuan himself, so it wouldn’t do much for him anyway—he already had plenty of material from his previous life.
Even if he made a high-budget, effects-packed fantasy horror series and manifested the most terrifying being from it, its power still wouldn’t match his own.
So he preferred to focus on things he actually loved.
Rip!
A torrent of blood sprayed out.
Like tearing apart a duck neck, Jiang Nian ripped out B-411’s windpipe and tossed it aside.
At the sight, a look of sheer despair flashed in B-411’s eyes.
All that came out of his mouth were a few unintelligible gurgling sounds before his life force faded away, dead beyond dead.
Strictly speaking, this was the first time in Jiang Nian’s real life that he had witnessed someone go from being full of life to completely lifeless before his very eyes.
And he was the one who had caused it.
But whether it was because he had lived two lives, or because he had killed so many times in the memories of “Du Gao” and “Yu Huatian,” Jiang Nian didn’t feel the slightest bit of discomfort in his heart. If anything, he felt a faint, inexplicable thrill.
He wiped the blood splattered across his face and was about to strip B-411 of his gear.
But just then—
Whoosh!
A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air.
Jiang Nian’s internal alarm bells immediately blared. Without a moment’s hesitation, he twisted his body to the side and dodged. A crossbow bolt whizzed past his ear, so close it grazed his skin, and slammed straight into the tree behind him, punching right through it!
“!!!”
“There’s another one?!”
His heart jolted. Jiang Nian fixed his gaze in the direction the bolt had come from and saw, about ten meters away, in the pale moonlight, a figure standing there, crossbow raised!
Seeing that his shot had missed, and that Jiang Nian had now spotted him, the man flinched.
Then he raised his hand, about to press his earpiece and call for backup.
But Jiang Nian wasn’t about to give him that chance.
He snapped off a twig.
“Go!”
With a low growl, Jiang Nian hurled the twig.
But because he hadn’t had time to aim properly, the shot didn’t hit the man’s head—it pierced straight through his ear instead!
And it shattered the earpiece on that side!
“Ahhh!”
The man let out a agonized howl.
He clutched at the side of his head where his ear had been, his whole body trembling in pain.
But he knew this was no time to tremble—because after that throw, Jiang Nian was already charging straight at him!
“Not good!”
A jolt of alarm shot through the man’s heart. He quickly reached to his waist, pulled out another bolt, and loaded it onto the crossbow.
Load, aim, pull the trigger—
“Die!”
Jiang Nian had already closed in, his arm raised, carrying the force of a thunderbolt as he prepared to strike.
But just as he was about to throw his punch—
At the very last second, the man finished reloading the crossbow.
In that razor-thin moment between life and death, he tapped into an astonishing burst of latent potential.
He raised the crossbow, aimed, and fired.
The whole sequence was one fluid motion.
By the time Jiang Nian registered it, he saw—right in his field of vision—a massive crossbow bolt hurtling toward him at breakneck speed.
From this distance, barely a few meters away, it was practically instantaneous!
“!!!”
Jiang Nian’s pupils contracted sharply.
There was no time to think. His body moved entirely on instinct, channeling his inner energy.
Eight-Step Cicada Chaser!
Thump!
With a muffled boom, Jiang Nian’s mid-air trajectory—already seemingly frozen—underwent a second sudden shift, all thanks to the terrifying power of his inner energy!
But that alone still wasn’t enough to evade the bolt entirely.
So, at the very final instant—
Jiang Nian stared at the incoming bolt and, almost as if possessed, reached out his hand and grabbed it right at the shaft!
Shrrrk—
The bolt scraped violently through his palm, the insane force of it burning against his skin.
But Jiang Nian gritted his teeth and held on for dear life.
At the same time, he tightened his core, channeled every ounce of his inner energy, and let the veins in his arm bulge as he forcibly brought that bolt—carrying enough force to shatter stone—to a complete halt in mid-air!
“What the—!”
The man’s face was frozen in utter shock.
He stared at Jiang Nian in disbelief, completely unable to process what he was seeing.
How was this any different from the Fire Cloud Evil God catching bullets with his bare hands?!
But Jiang Nian didn’t care about any of that.
After catching that bolt, his arm muscles bulging with raw power, he locked eyes with the man.
“Die!”
With a low, guttural roar, Jiang Nian hurled the bolt straight back at the man!
Boom!
With an explosive thud, the bolt tore clean through the man’s chest, pinning him to the ground like a dead dog.
And Jiang Nian, after doing all that, dropped down from the air.
He stared at the man now pinned to the earth, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and panted heavily. He was shaken, but at the same time, bewildered.
I had absolutely no idea what I was truly capable of.
So I’m actually this strong?!
——-
Sitting there for a long while to catch his breath, Jiang Nian stared at the man pinned to the ground, spat, and cussed under his breath.
“Son of a bitch, trying to kill me—thank God I was the better man!”
Then he looked down at his scraped and bloodied palm, replaying that mid-air feat in his mind, feeling nothing short of astonished.
Because he had never really fought anyone before, Jiang Nian had never had a concrete understanding of his own strength.
The sparring with Yu Huatian during his moment of epiphany—that was just an illusion. It didn’t count.
And Yu Huatian had only used swords and blades, not modern weapons.
That was why, earlier—being weighed down by a burden and needing to lure these criminals away—he hadn’t confronted them head-on.
If he hadn’t been cornered just now, he probably still wouldn’t have discovered just how terrifyingly strong he actually was.
“So what the hell was all that running I did for?”
“To prove I’ve got good cardio?”
Jiang Nian couldn’t help but mock himself.
Still, the upside was that even though he had never fought for real before, this trial by fire had given him a rough grasp of his various martial skills.
He could now use and combine them with increasing proficiency and fluidity.
A First-Class Martial Artist—truly terrifying.
