Chapter Fifty-Five: The Gleaming Key of Black Iron

"You have killed A**, exceeding the completion requirements for Main Task 3. The pursuit by the Dark Fighters' high command is now over."

Hearing the voice in his mind, Wang Ling finally let out a deep sigh of relief. He had never expected this battle to be so fierce and brutal.

Experiencing combat firsthand was entirely different from facing it in a game. In the game, dealing with A** was simple—just seize the right moment and keep punching. Once hit, he would remain stunned, and no matter how much health he had, you could wear him down. But fighting him in person made Wang Ling truly realize just how terrifying this muscle-bound powerhouse was.

Had Wang Ling killed someone like Williams or Ropo, elite leaders but not the strongest, the pursuers would have been martial artist Jeff, or the pale powerhouse Boro and other high-ranking bosses. Their strength paled in comparison to A**, making them much easier to handle.

But he had slain Linda, the most formidable female boss among the elite leaders of the Dark Fighters. After seven main tasks, even Blackie, who was quite powerful, nearly died at her hands. Because Wang Ling killed her, he attracted A**, who was far stronger than Jeff or Boro.

Complicating matters further, when A** appeared, Bai Feng happened to be tracking Wang Ling, raising the difficulty yet again. Otherwise, Wang Ling could have relied on the Double Dragon brothers for help—whether fighting the boss or escaping, things would have been far easier.

Wang Ling's task had become the most arduous path possible; completing it required not just desperate effort but a fair share of luck. Had he not allied with Cheng Fu and delivered a fierce blow with "Drunken Tiger Slaughter," or if Wang Long hadn't leveled up during the fight, or if he hadn't obtained the Coiling Dragon Staff, the outcome would have surely been failure.

"Now that he's dead, only the boss of Main Task 4 remains. Most of the tasks in this world are now complete," Wang Ling thought, releasing his grip in exhaustion. His tongue and calf were injured, his body battered, his head throbbing, his whole body aching, and even his ears buzzed with ringing. He was at his absolute limit.

His body weak and limp, Wang Ling dropped heavily to the ground. Then he saw a key appear beside A**. Though still an iron-black key, it was wrapped in a faint, tangible glow.

"Iron-black shining key? He was the end-level boss, after all—let's see what treasures it holds!"

Wang Ling picked up the key with delight. The battle had been so grueling that he felt utterly drained and disoriented, his mind unable to focus. He failed to notice, in the distant sky several hundred meters away, an armed helicopter loading a Hellfire rocket.

Whoosh!

The rocket, trailing flames, shot from the helicopter, heading straight for Wang Ling, who was examining the shining iron-black key.

The helicopter pilot, whose secondary profession was boxer, never imagined the invincible A** could be killed. With the leader dead at Wang Ling's hands, the remaining rocket had to be used to avenge him by blasting Wang Ling.

Cheng Fu, lying weakly in the distance, saw this and summoned all his strength to cry, "Look out!"

Wang Ling raised his head in shock, just in time to see the rocket streaking toward him. The battle was supposed to be over, yet a new crisis suddenly erupted, leaving his mind blank. It seemed inevitable he would be hit, but at that moment, someone leaped up and shielded him with their body.

It was Wang Long!

The rocket struck him instantly, and with a flash of explosive fire, Wang Long's robust, burly body was torn apart by the blast, raining fragments everywhere. Blood sprayed, and the Coiling Dragon Staff, now stained black and red, was hurled away by the shockwave, clattering onto the concrete.

Wang Ling's eyes filled with tears. Though Wang Long was merely a summoned character and could be revived in the scenario card after death, witnessing a flesh-and-blood person die protecting him filled his heart with both grief and rage.

"Damn it, why didn't I notice the helicopter in the sky?"

Wang Ling reproached himself bitterly. But it was hardly his fault—his battle with A** had nearly exhausted all his mental and physical strength. Not only was he just a novice dreamer who had barely completed a starter task, even a veteran like Blackie would have inevitably relaxed their vigilance after such a grueling fight.

The helicopter descended slowly, landing nearby. The boxer pilot disembarked, intent on killing both Wang Ling and Cheng Fu. That way, on returning to the Dark Fighters' headquarters, he could answer for their deaths. If A** died and he returned unscathed, he would surely face severe punishment.

The boxer was confident he could kill the two, since his strength surpassed the ordinary rank-and-file of the Dark Fighters, and both Cheng Fu and Wang Ling were clearly spent.

Wang Ling's eyes burned red with rage; he wrenched the Coiling Dragon Spearhead from A**'s eye socket, wiped away the blood and cloudy fluid on his sleeve, then gripped the sharp weapon in his right hand and strode forward to confront the boxer.

The Dark Fighters' boxers practiced karate, their skill reaching black belt level. Seeing Wang Ling approach, the boxer immediately adopted an attack stance, sprinted forward, and launched a high kick at Wang Ling's head.

Wang Ling opened his mouth and spat out a fist-sized pink heart—a skill innate to the Heart of Peach. Its physical damage was equivalent to Wang Ling's full-strength punch. He hadn't used this move against A**, knowing it would be useless against such a muscle monster and only waste his energy.

But the boxer's strength was worlds apart from A**. As his high kick was about to strike Wang Ling's head, the pink heart slammed into him, causing him to cry out in pain and retreat two steps. In that instant, the boxer was stunned to see a mop-headed thug, a rogue, and a hippie suddenly appear out of thin air.

Wang Ling had activated the skill from the badge "Linda's Wish," summoning three Dark Fighters.

Though their strength was inferior to the boxer, even three against one, the outcome was uncertain. But Wang Ling summoned them not to fight toe-to-toe, but to work together and completely pin the boxer down.

All three rushed him—one grabbed his waist, another seized his right arm, the last tackled his legs. The boxer's stats were higher than theirs, but not by much; being grabbed by all three, he couldn't break free and knew instantly he was in trouble.

He still had martial skills. With his free left fist, he struck the rogue on his right arm, landing a blow on his temple that split the skin and drew blood. Yet the rogue ignored the injury, clinging tightly, and with the others, forced the boxer to the ground.

These summoned Dark Fighters, fearless of death in combat, were naturally more formidable than ordinary members.

Wang Ling gripped the meteoric iron spearhead and stabbed down fiercely, piercing the boxer's throat. A gush of hot blood sprayed forth, and the boxer convulsed violently, flinging the three attackers away, but this expended his remaining strength. His head lolled, and he finally died.

Upon his death, he dropped a key as well—a wooden one. Wang Ling retrieved it, then walked to where Wang Long had died. Now, his remains had vanished, likely reclaimed by the Kung Fu scenario card for resetting. The Coiling Dragon Staff had disappeared too—once Wang Long changed weapons, it became soul-bound and would return with him.

"How are you?" Wang Ling directed the mop-headed thug and hippie to help the exhausted Cheng Fu up.

"I'm fine... What happened to Wang Long's body? And who are these Dark Fighters?" Cheng Fu asked in bewilderment.

"I didn't tell you before, but actually I'm a spellmaster and have learned some special arts. Wang Long is my retainer—his soul and mine are bonded by contract. As long as I live, he'll never truly die. Now, I've recalled him to a certain place where he'll be reborn," Wang Ling explained, his voice hoarse from the pain of his tongue and throat burned by the stun baton.

The world of Double Dragon contained some fantasy elements—otherwise, the Double Dragon brothers wouldn't possess something as mystical as the Dragon Soul. Cheng Fu merely nodded at Wang Ling's explanation, asking no further. Knowing Wang Long would return cheered him considerably, for he had found Wang Long a kindred spirit and greatly admired him.

It was worth noting that after the boxer's death, the intact armed helicopter in the distance vanished as well, surprising Wang Ling.

The two rested for a while in the abandoned construction site, then supported each other to leave. Cheng Fu's sweat from the earlier fight had dried, and aside from his wrinkled, somewhat tattered clothing, he drew little attention. Wang Ling, however, had wounds on his calf, blood-stained clothing, even brain matter smeared about—making him quite a sight.

Fortunately, the mop-headed thug and hippie easily hijacked a taxi. The driver, intimidated by their Dark Fighter status, dared not question or resist, and delivered Wang Ling and Cheng Fu to the harbor by nightfall.

Under cover of darkness, Wang Ling followed Cheng Fu to his home—a modest wooden cabin. Cheng Fu collapsed onto his bed without even bathing, exhausted beyond measure. Wang Ling washed the blood and gore from his body, changed into clean clothes, and took out the iron-black shining key dropped by A**, and the wooden key from the boxer, examining the spoils of this hard-fought battle.