Chapter Twenty-Eight: Entering the World of Double Dragon

As Wang Long knelt, the Dream Badge sent a notification: "You have defeated Wang Long, the top character from the Kung Fu Scenario Summon Card. In future mission worlds, you may spend points to summon him."

"Wang Long: Strength: 18; Agility: 17; Stamina: 32 (+3); Intelligence: 11. Health: 175, Spirit: 55. Current Level: 1. Can level up through combat, maximum level 20."

"Profession: Staff Master. An expert in all forms of staff techniques—twisting, covering, smashing, swinging, sweeping, chopping, feinting, flicking, poking, and blocking. When wielding a staff, he displays extraordinary combat power."

"Skills: Basic Footwork: LV3 (Speed and jump increased by 30%), Basic Parry: LV5 (Blocking and defense chance increased by 50%, +1 stamina at LV4), Basic Endurance: LV7 (Physical and impact resistance increased by 70%, +2 stamina at LV7)."

After reviewing Wang Long's attributes, Wang Ling found it strange: "Basic Parry LV5, Basic Endurance LV7, and a remarkable 35 points of stamina. Clearly, this is a tank-type character who can also level up—impressive! However, he doesn't have any special skills, but he does have a profession called Staff Master. What's that about?"

Upon consulting the Dream Badge, Wang Ling learned that both dreamers and narrative characters possess professions, a feature to be discovered further during missions.

Having finally succeeded in challenging a story character, Wang Ling felt relieved to have gained a powerful ally for the next mainline mission and returned to his private room. This time, his injuries were minor, so with just ten currency points, he was fully healed.

However, now he had only a little over 800 currency points left.

There were medicines for sale at the main terminal. Out of caution, Wang Ling bought a small health potion that restored 50 health points, spending 500 currency points.

He spent the next two days in the training hall—he had wanted to summon Wang Long for sparring, but discovered that summoning within the Dream Space wasn’t allowed. Entering a scenario card for training would cost 1,000 points, which was far too expensive.

Two days later, the Dream Badge finally sent a notification: "Your rest period is over. You are about to begin a new mainline mission. Please arrive at the main terminal within half an hour. The world you will enter: Double Dragon."

Wang Ling was in his private room. A beam of light shone from the main terminal's orb onto him, and as the light faded, the surroundings were completely transformed.

"In the year 19XX, a global nuclear war broke out.

Most people perished in the catastrophe, leaving behind gathering places filled with violence and crime.

In post-nuclear New York, evil forces grew ever stronger. A vast criminal syndicate known as the Shadow Warriors seized control of the city.

The Shadow Warriors oppress civilians with violence and ignore the law.

Yet, two young men bravely challenged the Shadow Warriors.

Their names are Billy and Jimmy!

People call them the Double Dragons…"

Wang Ling looked about and realized he was in a cramped, empty room coated in dust, alone—clearly an abandoned building.

The Dream Badge continued its prompts:

"This world scenario: Double Dragon II, difficulty E."

"Affiliations: Justice (Double Dragon brothers) and Evil (Shadow Warriors). Each side will have five dreamers arriving within three hours. Your faction: Justice."

"Mission One: Before the Double Dragon brothers challenge the Shadow Warriors, weaken the gang’s strength: kill 50 'Broom-heads', 30 thugs, 30 hippies, and 10 female gangsters. Time limit: 5 days."

"Mission Two: Collect nunchakus—two pairs—for the Double Dragon brothers and deliver them. Time limit: 5 days."

"Mission Three: Eliminate a Shadow Warrior elite leader and survive the ensuing manhunt from the furious Shadow Warrior high command. Time limit: 7 days."

"Mission Four: Ensure that one of the Shadow Warriors’ branch leaders—Brunov—dies during this mission. Time limit: 15 days."

"After 15 days, if you complete all four mainline missions, you will return to the Dream Space. Failure: erasure."

Hearing these mainline missions, Wang Ling narrowed his eyes and sighed. "As expected, the difficulty has increased!"

When Su had told him, "Over-boosting your attributes and skills could result in increased mission difficulty," Wang Ling had already been uneasy. After all, he’d just completed a mainline mission, used 19 attribute points to enhance himself, upgraded Sprint, Iron Head, and Iron Leg to LV4, and, with the extra life mushroom, amassed a large sum of currency points.

Normally, a newcomer wouldn't gain such benefits even after three or four mainline missions. Wang Ling had become this powerful after just the novice mission, making it impossible for the Dream Space not to give him special attention.

Thus, instead of entering a low-difficulty beat-'em-up world like SD Knockout or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as a rookie he was thrust straight into Double Dragon—and not just any, but Double Dragon II!

At first glance, Double Dragon II may seem similar in challenge to SD Knockout or TMNT, but—one mustn’t forget the meaning behind Double Dragon:

Double—opposing forces of Yin and Yang.

Dragon—blocking and intercepting attacks.

Dragon—the power of the dragon's soul.

"This isn’t just an ordinary, low-level beat-'em-up world…" Wang Ling knew this classic game well, one that had ushered in a new era of side-scrolling action on the FC console. He understood that this world was far more complex than it appeared.

"Fortunately, I now have Wang Long, the Staff Master, as a summonable trump card."

Shaking off the heaviness in his heart, Wang Ling began recalling details about Double Dragon II. This installment was called "Revenge." The Shadow Warriors, seeking vengeance for the events of the previous game, killed Billy’s girlfriend Marian. Grief-stricken, Billy teamed up with his brother Jimmy and challenged the Shadow Warriors once more.

As for Billy and Jimmy, the two main protagonists, they harbor the power of the Dragon Soul within them. Of course, in the second and even third installments, they can barely tap into this power. It’s not until Double Dragon: The Fighting Game that they truly awaken, becoming Sky Dragon Billy and Earth Dragon Jimmy.

Leaving aside the fantastical Dragon Soul for now, these two are actually modeled after the martial arts master Bruce Lee—their English names are Billy Lee and Jimmy Lee, while Bruce Lee’s was Bruce Lee.

Both are skilled with nunchakus and practice a martial art called Double Dragon Fist.

Double Dragon Fist, as described, is a synthesis of Tai Chi, Karate, Jujitsu, Wing Chun, Shaolin Fist, Boxing, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and other styles—a comprehensive martial art, much like how Bruce Lee drew on myriad traditions to create Jeet Kune Do.

Billy and Jimmy’s appearances strongly resemble Bruce Lee and his rival, Norris—though both brothers are purely American, running a kung fu dojo in New York’s Chinatown, teaching Double Dragon Fist.

Clearing his mind of game information, Wang Ling left the small room. Outside was a street, still early morning, with few pedestrians. Thanks to the Dream Badge’s translation function, he learned from a passerby that this was Mike Avenue in New York’s West Side, a long way from Chinatown—several hours by taxi.

When Wang Ling asked about the Shadow Warriors, the passerby waved his hands in terror and fled.

After some thought, Wang Ling decided that the most urgent task was not to complete the mainline missions or investigate the Shadow Warriors, but to get some cash. In any civilized world, money is essential—especially in a strange city, let alone a parallel one. Without money, he’d be helpless.

Robbery was certainly the quickest method. With his strength and his elite red weapon, the White Iron Pistol, it would be easy to get cash from ordinary Americans. But he was unwilling to rob innocent civilians. Maybe he’d become colder as the missions wore on, but for now, he didn’t want to cross that line—after all, there were other ways to get money.

He walked along the street, observing American life and analyzing his mission objectives. About half an hour later, he saw three young white men with spiky hair, jeans, black vests, and switchblades at their waists. They were at the entrance of a supermarket, brazenly emptying the cash register of bills before heading to the adjacent diner.

"Broom-heads!"

These were precisely targets for Mission One! Broom-heads are the lowest rank in the Shadow Warriors, akin to small-time gangsters who do menial work: collecting protection money, guarding turf, with little skill but some physical strength and numbers, plus their knives.

After the three broom-heads slipped into the diner and ten minutes passed without them emerging, Wang Ling had a plan. Picking up some dead leaves, he stuffed his jeans’ right pocket until it bulged, then lowered his head and walked toward the diner.

The presence of Shadow Warriors had cleared the streets, and the diner’s customers had fled in fear. The owner, busy serving the three gangsters, was not at the entrance. Wang Ling entered, head down, took a few steps, then suddenly looked up as if startled.

He saw the three broom-heads sitting around a table eating breakfast—chicken wraps, hot coffee, buttery corn, and honey pancakes. Naturally, the commotion of his entrance drew their attention.

Wang Ling's face instantly changed. He clutched his bulging right pocket, spun around, and bolted for the door! At the threshold he stumbled, falling—yet his hand never left his pocket.

For the three broom-heads, seeing someone flee wasn’t unusual. But Wang Ling’s reaction was so exaggerated, and his pocket so conspicuously stuffed, that the trio instantly thought, "This guy must be loaded!"

As members of an evil gang, taking money from civilians was their duty. The three broom-heads abandoned their breakfast, shouted "Don’t run!" and chased after with a string of American expletives, leaving only the diner owner shaking his head and sighing for the poor Wang Ling.

(Last week, the newcomer ranking was 17, this week it’s 27… The attempt to break into the newcomer list failed… Some books that were obscure last week are now soaring—though part of the reason is this book hasn’t been recommended yet. Anyway, thanks for your support. This Sunday will be four updates, 12,000 words total—two chapters in the afternoon, two in the evening. That’s all for now.)