Chapter 68: Chapter 61: This is Heresy! This is a Devil

"Wait! Anya," Alex hurried forward. "I really like you. Will leaving solve anything? I’ll just follow you."

"You’re honestly disgusting," Anya stopped and sighed. "To be honest, I’m not into sissies like you."

"Oh? I’m a sissy?" Alex sneered, looking at Li Wei. "So you prefer his type? A big oaf?"

He had wanted to call Li Wei an ugly freak, but after seeing his face, his lips trembled for a moment, and he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

He just couldn’t lie to himself.

"He’s much more impressive than you, Alex," Anya said mockingly. "He’s a football player. A Quarterback."

’This involves me?’ Li Wei thought in surprise. ’How did I get dragged into this?’

"So he’s big and brawny. What’s the use of being huge these days?" Alex sneered. "What good is all that strength?"

"He could easily snap your bones and then kick you around like a ball," Anya retorted. "Unlike you, who I sent to the ground crying for his mommy with a single punch, begging me not to hit you in the face."

Alex saw red. He reached out and lunged for Li Wei—

Li Wei considered it for a moment, took a step back, and pulled a quarter from his pocket.

Activate [Rage]. [Strength 1.9] -> [Strength 3.8].

Under the immense force, the quarter began to slowly but inexorably twist and deform between Li Wei’s fingers.

He flicked his hand, and the coin clattered onto the stone tiles at Alex’s feet. It was no longer a circle but was bent into a bizarre, near-90-degree V-shape. The crease even had the dull sheen of overheated metal from the extreme distortion.

"I have no intention of getting involved in your dispute, man—uh, buddy," Li Wei said, unsure of what to call him. "But if you’re planning on fighting me, I suggest you think it over."

Alex cooled down instantly. He picked up the coin and examined it, suspecting it might be a magic trick, but he couldn’t be sure.

He opened his mouth but said nothing. He threw the coin on the ground and hurriedly left the balcony, nearly knocking over a waiter carrying champagne.

Silence returned to the balcony.

Anya walked over and looked down at the grotesquely bent coin.

"How did you do that?" She picked up the coin, squeezed it hard, and tapped it with her fingernail, leaving no mark. "Do you know magic?"

[Quest: Dispel the Demon-Possessed Heretic - Complete]

[Constitution +0.1]

[Constitution 2.8] -> [Constitution 2.9]

’Just one more step!’ Li Wei thought, excited. ’Just one more step and I’ll have my first 3.0 stat in Constitution!’

’I wonder what kind of changes my body will go through once it hits 3.0.’

Hearing Anya’s question, he smiled and said, "Of course it’s a magic trick. How could a normal person bend a coin with their bare hands?"

"I don’t believe you," Anya said, shaking her head. "If you’d said it wasn’t a magic trick, I would have thought it was. But since you say it is, I think it’s real."

"Well, you can think about it all you want," Li Wei said. "This charity gala is boring. I’m going to head out."

"Where do you live? Do you have a car?" Anya asked suddenly. "Let me give you a ride home. Are you sure you want to take the subway back to Brooklyn right now?"

"Don’t feel obligated," she added with a grin. "Just consider it my way of thanking you for getting rid of Alex."

Bell Ridge was one thing, but the New York subway at night was indeed full of indescribable oddballs and dangerous creatures. In the end, Li Wei got into Anya’s Mercedes-Brabus G800.

"By the way, let’s get properly introduced," Anya said. "My full Russian name is Anna Sergeyevna Volkova, but my friends and family all call me Anya. You can call me Anya, too."

"Li Wei," Li Wei said. "Just Li Wei."

"Li Wei," Anna repeated, savoring the name for a moment. "I’ll remember you, Li Wei."

"In that case, how about giving me a bigger tip?" Li Wei said. "I work part-time at a boutique. The last time I helped a rich young lady, she also told me she’d remember me, but I still haven’t seen a single cent of the tip she promised."

Anya let out a string of bell-like laughter and stomped on the gas.

The 800-horsepower Mercedes-Brabus G800 let out a roar and shot out of the underground parking garage.

On the road, Anya noticed Li Wei in the passenger seat kept glancing at the rearview mirror and couldn’t help but say:

"Don’t be scared, I’m an old pro," she said casually. "I’ve been driving since I was fifteen. I’m very steady."

"Well, Comrade Old Pro," Li Wei said, pointing to the rearview mirror, "have you noticed that we’re speeding and have attracted the attention of a cop?"

"Oh, no," Anya’s face flushed. "I guess I wasn’t paying attention to the speed."

"Besides, are you even eighteen?" Li Wei asked. "You need an adult in the passenger seat if you’re under eighteen."

"And you’ve been drinking," he added. "Now what?"

A female driver, drunk driving, and underage. She’d hit the trifecta of trouble.

"Well, we’re screwed," Anya made a face. "I guess we’ll just have to wait for my dad’s lawyer to bail us out."

The police car had already flashed its lights, signaling for Anya to pull over.

A pot-bellied police officer got out, his hand still dusted with donut crumbs.

He hitched up his belt, stuck out his stomach, and walked over to Anya’s window, tapping on the glass.

"Good evening, miss," he said, glancing at Anya and Li Wei beside her. "License, please. And you too, sir. Thank you."