Chapter 024: Basic Teleportation

In a secluded underground passage not far from the alley entrance, Li Huan sat slumped on the ground in utter defeat. The darkness pressed in from all sides, broken only by the faint glow of a distant streetlamp, just bright enough to reveal the dim outline of his surroundings.

This was an old neighborhood in Lion Gate Hall, currently undergoing redevelopment and relocation. The underground passage where Li Huan hid was part of an early-phase subway construction project. The tunnel had just been completed and was still cluttered with leftover construction materials; hardly anyone ever passed through.

Sun Feifei had already regained consciousness, though the heavy drinking earlier left her mind foggy and her body sluggish. Having just escaped from Baldy’s clutches, she was only barely lucid, her speech still thick and clumsy.

“Li... Li Huan, are you alright?” Sun Feifei gazed at Li Huan, who was leaning against the cold concrete wall, her face etched with worry. She reached out a trembling hand, trying to touch his wound, but failed to find the right spot after several attempts.

“I’m fine, just a little hurt.” Li Huan caught her hand, then glanced outside. No one seemed to be pursuing them, and he finally let out a breath of relief. Looking at the half-drunk, half-awake Sun Feifei, he said, “Listen to me, it’s not safe here. We need to leave quickly. But in my current state, going out would be dangerous. Go to the supermarket across the street and buy me a jacket and some medical supplies... And get a fruit knife. Remember, if anyone notices you, head for a crowd—you’ll be safer that way.”

“What about you?” Sun Feifei, though groggy, could still think straight enough to ask.

“I’m just saying, in case something happens. But it seems alright for now. Go get the clothes and come back quickly, then we’ll leave together.” Li Huan gritted his teeth as the knife wounds in his chest and palm throbbed with searing pain, forcing a sharp hiss from his lips.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sun Feifei dared not delay any longer. She braced herself against the wall and forced herself upright, shaking her head to clear the haze, then staggered out of the tunnel in search of clothes and the knife.

After she left, Li Huan shrank into himself as a chilly breeze swept in, making him shiver. Cold sweat beaded his brow, soaking through his shirt in patches, but he ignored his wounds for the moment—none were fatal, and though they bled heavily, they wouldn’t kill him. What truly unsettled him was the memory of their escape.

Originally, he’d been prepared to fight Baldy to the death, but Mohawk, for all his villainy, was cunning and ruthless. His knife arced down toward Li Huan’s head—a blow that seemed certain to kill. But in that split second, something incredible happened: a familiar, intimate voice echoed in his mind—Energy points replenished!

The voice, so ethereal and improbable, jolted Li Huan awake. It seemed some “Super Transformation System” was hidden within him—a notion so absurd he had never accepted it, convinced it was nothing but a dream.

Yet, as the voice sounded, Li Huan realized he indeed harbored an astonishing secret. He no longer cared about any “loli goddess” nonsense. Instead, he remembered the “Low-Level Teleport” skill the system had mentioned the night before.

Perhaps he had only a hundredth of a second to decide, and he wasn’t even sure this impressive-sounding skill would work. But he issued the command without hesitation—activate Low-Level Teleport!

As if expected yet still startling, the skill triggered instantly. Just as the chill of the blade grazed his scalp, a powerful force surged through him—the world blurred, as if he had vanished on the wind.

Time seemed to slow, everything around him suspended. He could feel the invisible energy coursing through his limbs, flooding his being as though it had always been part of him, utterly under his control.

He had no time for wonder. Panic spurred him on—he rescued Sun Feifei, seized a machete, and stabbed Baldy in the gut before fleeing with the unconscious girl.

The first teleport cost fifty energy points, enough only to reach the alley entrance. Without thinking, he activated the skill a second time, carrying Sun Feifei to a safe distance and finally ducking into this underground passage to hide.

Looking back, it all felt like a dream. The memories pieced themselves together in his mind, and Li Huan finally understood—this “Super Transformation System” was real, complete with special skills like “Low-Level Teleport,” the perfect tool for escape.

What’s more, the skill didn’t merely boost his speed. He never lost control of his body—in fact, he could snatch a knife and stab Baldy mid-teleport, as if it were pure instinct.

Was he truly defying fate now?

Doubt swirled in Li Huan’s heart. He remembered the destruction of his old, battered computer, and a thousand questions crowded his mind. No matter how he tried, he could find no explanation for the bizarre events that had befallen him.

“Li Huan?” Sun Feifei’s voice echoed softly through the tunnel, trembling with fear even though she had deliberately lowered it. In the emptiness of the passage, Li Huan could hear her clearly.

“I’m here. Everything okay outside?” Li Huan braced himself against the wall and slowly rose, gasping as the movement tore at his wounds.

“Yes, nobody saw me...” Sun Feifei let out a trembling sigh of relief and hurried over, nearly stumbling into Li Huan as she approached.

“Here’s what you asked for.” She leaned against the wall, her head growing heavier by the second. If not for sheer willpower, she would have collapsed right there.

“Thanks.” Li Huan took the thin jacket, clumsily shrugged it on, and tucked the fruit knife into his belt. After making sure no one was watching the entrance, he supported Sun Feifei out of the tunnel, hailed a taxi at the curb, and gave the driver his address.

He watched the driver warily, one hand at his waist, ready to draw the blade if anything seemed amiss. But luck was with them—the cabbie was no associate of Baldy and delivered them to Li Huan’s rented apartment without incident.

Sun Feifei drifted in and out of sleep on the ride, her mind shrouded in a drunken haze. She woke only slightly as they got out. The two of them staggered through the dilapidated complex toward the building entrance. Li Huan was utterly spent; his face had gone pale.

The fight with Baldy had drained him of all strength. Now, wounded and weak from blood loss, and after twice using the “Low-Level Teleport” skill, his body was at its limit. He could barely keep himself upright.

He swayed and collapsed toward Sun Feifei, who caught him instinctively but lost her balance as well. They both tumbled to the ground—Sun Feifei beneath, Li Huan on top. The impact nearly knocked her out; pain shot through her hips and tears welled in her eyes. Li Huan, cushioned by her softness, felt a mixture of pain and an odd, shameful comfort, especially from the fullness pressing against his chest—which, he had to admit, was mostly overshadowed by the pain.

“Are you alright?” Sun Feifei, summoning all her strength, managed to help Li Huan up. His face was ashen, lips tinged blue, and even the new jacket was soaked through with blood—the wound still bleeding.

“I’ll live, but I need to treat this quickly. Let’s get upstairs.” Li Huan pressed his hand to the knife wound at his chest, the pain so intense that his teeth chattered involuntarily.

“Let me help you...” Sun Feifei wrapped his arm over her shoulders, one hand around his waist, the other gripping the stair rail, and began the slow, laborious climb.

Li Huan, wracked by pain and exhaustion, felt his body grow weaker with every step. Yet, pressed against Sun Feifei’s soft curves, he felt an involuntary spark of energy—an embarrassing reaction, but the agony in his wounds kept it from getting out of hand. Still, he cursed silently, vowing to find a new place to live—one with an elevator, at the very least.