The seven bandits were still oblivious to the looming threat from the sky. They glared menacingly, baring their teeth and brandishing their weapons. The tall thug at the front pointed his watermelon knife at Pei Hao and demanded in a gruff voice, “Open the gate and hand over all your supplies!”

Pei Hao remained calm and composed, carefully stalling for time. “The gate is locked from the inside, and the key is with my companion. I can’t get in right now. Besides, there’s nothing valuable inside—just a few clothes we brought with us while fleeing.”

He wasn’t lying. The camp had little more than a washbasin, a suitcase, an inflatable boat, and some leftover medicine. The most critical supplies—drinking water and food—were only provided by the goddess during mealtimes and weren’t there when he wasn’t in the camp.

But the tall thug didn’t believe him. He shook his knife angrily, accusing Pei Hao, “You’re lying! Who doesn’t have the key to their own camp?”

The bald leader, growing impatient, made a slicing motion with his hand, signaling to “take him out.”

The short, dark-skinned man, who often acted as the group’s spokesperson, elaborated, “Kid, you’re dressed too well to not have money and supplies. And who would believe that a camp with such high walls is empty?”

He gave the tall thug a look, instructing him, “Grab him and start slicing him up. Let’s see if he tells the truth then!”

He then pointed at two of the other thugs, “You two, go break down the gate and pick the lock. And no eating any of the supplies you find!”

The thugs swarmed toward Pei Hao, not taking the slim, scholarly-looking man seriously.

The bald leader and the short, dark-skinned man stayed back, their expressions relaxed, as if the outcome was already decided.

Pei Hao quietly tightened his grip on the black baton in his hand. His fingers moved to press a switch, and the baton began to extend and transform, inch by inch, into a long metal staff about 1.3 meters in length. The ends of the staff crackled with blue-purple electrical energy, flashing dangerously.

Clang!

Steel met steel as the knife collided with the metal staff, and the battle at the camp gate officially began.

Pei Hao’s movements were swift and his strikes forceful, each action executed with the precision of a trained fighter. Though he appeared gentle and scholarly, in combat he became a different person, exuding an aura of decisiveness and deadly intent.

The metal staff flickered with electric light, and each strike sent jolts of electricity coursing through the thugs’ weapons, causing temporary paralysis and slowing their movements. However, these thugs were far more formidable than expected. Despite their brutish appearances, their attacks were fierce and well-coordinated, each strike aimed with deadly precision. A single misstep could lead to a serious injury.

The tall thug was especially powerful, forcing Pei Hao to retreat with each swing of his knife. Pei Hao had to exert all his strength just to hold his ground, all while dodging the coordinated attacks from the other thugs.

Aside from the bald leader and the short, dark-skinned man, all five other thugs had joined the fray. One particularly cunning thug tried to sneak around behind Pei Hao, raising his knife to strike—

At that moment, a fierce wind arose in the sky,
clouds swirling as something unseen descended rapidly from above.

The heavy, ominous clouds that had blotted out the sun were suddenly torn apart, and beams of sunlight pierced through, bathing the scene in a celestial glow. It was as if a divine presence had descended upon the earth, overwhelming in its grandeur.

A powerful force surged down towards the Mountains, sweeping through the area like a tempest. The wind it brought was so strong that it bent trees and flattened grass.

On the ground, the tiny humans found themselves disoriented, their eyes stung by the wind-blown leaves and sand, struggling to remain standing amid the onslaught.

The five thugs who had been attacking Pei Hao were blown back, tumbling and sprawling across the ground. They tried to stand, but the fierce wind knocked them down again, instantly relieving Pei Hao from the perilous situation.

The bald leader and the short, dark-skinned man exchanged puzzled glances, noticing Pei Hao looking up at the sky with a mixture of hope and relief. Sensing something was amiss, they began to cautiously retreat, planning to observe the situation before making their next move.

But Yun Zhen wasn’t about to let them get away. She reached into the bookshelf with her other hand.

She had once heard a famous urban legend: bald people are often strong.

And this bald leader was clearly the head of the gang. According to the principle of “capture the leader first,” he was the first target she needed to take down.

Not taking any chances, Yun Zhen grabbed the bald leader and pulled out a roll of clear tape she had prepared. She wrapped it around him again and again, securing him tightly.

As the wind finally subsided, the tiny humans on the ground were able to open their eyes again.

The tall thug, who had just sat up, was stunned when he looked around. “Did I wake up too fast, or am I actually seeing the boss flying in the sky?!”

He rubbed his eyes and looked again, only to see that not only had the boss been lifted into the air, but he was also bound tightly by some invisible force.

Did he get up wrong? How else could he explain seeing something so ridiculous?

Maybe he should lie back down, close his eyes, and try getting up again?

As the bald leader was lowered back to the ground, the short, dark-skinned man was lifted into the air, also bound tightly by the same invisible force.

One by one, the gang members were lifted into the sky, each bound by transparent tape that seemed to fly at them from nowhere. The remaining thugs finally realized what was happening and scattered in a panic.

“What the hell is this place?! It’s tying us up! Are we going to be eaten? I want to go home!”

“Superpowers! This must be some kind of superpower! The apocalypse is here, so why not superpowers? Hey, you over there—can you teach me how to get superpowers? I’ll trade you gold and supplies!”

“I’ve been a bandit for years, and I’ve seen all kinds of weird stuff, but this mountain must have a guardian spirit! We must have disturbed it with our fighting! Oh great mountain spirit, I’m willing to become your follower! I knew it—there are gods and spirits in this world, and they called me superstitious!”

Bound tightly like mummies, the thugs squirmed on the ground like caterpillars.

Some were terrified, pleading for help. Others, excited, tried to strike a deal with Pei Hao. A few even began chanting Buddhist scriptures, kissing the earth with reverence, despite the dirt that covered their faces. They seemed to be fantasizing about the blissful life that awaited them as disciples of the divine.

Pei Hao, however, didn’t have time to deal with them. He was busy chasing down the fleeing thugs, coordinating with the goddess to capture them.

Yun Zhen, too, was preoccupied with capturing and binding the thugs, sometimes using her free hand to push back any who tried to escape the confines of the bookshelf.

Although they hadn’t spoken, the two worked together with perfect synchronization.

In no time, all the thugs were securely bound, completely reversing the odds. The life-threatening crisis was finally over, and both Yun Zhen and Pei Hao let out a sigh of relief, albeit from opposite sides of the bookshelf.