My wife is the stand-in.

Icarus's voice was filled with certainty.

"Is it a poison or a watermelon frost poison?!" Amanosaki opened his mouth to speak, but the wind blew his tongue out.

Icarus understood his meaning and replied without hesitation, "You are important, but Watermelon-san is also important."

"I..." Amanosaki was both amused and exasperated, and could only curse Suigi-san viciously in his heart.

'When I get there, I'm going to kill at least ten watermelons, until I'm covered in blood!'

Just as the two were bickering, a strange bird with two pairs of wings and a bright blue flame hanging from its tail flew close. Amanosaki instinctively became alert, while Icarus secretly informed him of the bird's identity.

It was the missing Li Junzi.

Li Junzi transformed into a bird-like form, with a large belly and three curved bone plates that formed a tube behind his buttocks, spewing flames.

It looks rather cool and incongruous, like a bio-mecha.

"Hey bro, what's going on here? You've got biotechnology all figured out by now?" Amanosaki chuckled.

Li Junzi, on the other hand, wore a pained expression, looking as if his stomach was bloated and uncomfortable:

"Brother, please stop. My buddies and I were drinking really well when Miss Lin caught us. She forced me to drink a whole barrel of industrial alcohol! A whole barrel!"

Li Junzi's abdomen appeared exceptionally slender as she touched her belly, her emotions clearly fueled by alcohol.

"She insisted that I catch up with you, be your assistant, and deliver messages! That's why I hurriedly got this ugly alcohol-spraying organ installed to chase after you!"

"What does Miss Lin want you to say?"

"Deputy Section Chief Hu Zhun just added information! He said that Fengdu Province has stated that the Queen Fish's escape into the Fengdu sewage system was not authorized by them, and they will not impose any restrictions on our entry into the sewage system to exorcise demons and protect the righteous!"

Amanosaki keenly sensed the peculiar meaning in those words, and with his eyes closed, he countered with a question:

"In other words, Fengdu Province has consistently upheld the national will, prioritizing the extermination order. It hasn't interfered in the two instances of Wuchangwei's dereliction of duty, but the Fengdu branch has stood its ground to the very end?"

"That's what I mean! That's why Miss Lin told us to be careful! The Fengdu branch might resort to underhanded tactics! If anything happens to us, we can seek help from the government!"

"Damn it, how did Qunxia Mountain become like this!" Amanosaki roared. "Why are the branch headquarters acting like enemies?!"

Li Junzi, with her pregnant belly protruding, spread her hands and said, "I'm just a novice swordsman, what do I know about the Heroes' Mountain?"

As they flew, a massive steel forest appeared at the horizon, interspersed with various antique-style buildings. Exquisitely crafted, towering sculptures of gods and demons stood between overpasses and highways, reminiscent of the retro yet technologically advanced cyberpunk vibe of the "Ghost in the Shell" Puppet Ballad music video.

Fengdu City is right before our eyes.

Chapter 81: The First Date

Unlike Chongqing, a mountain city built amidst mountains and dotted with bridges, tunnels, and rail transit, Fengdu, situated on a plain, has a flat terrain and a well-defined transportation plan.

The ancient buildings, tall office buildings, and apartments are scattered throughout the city, creating a blend of modern and retro styles that is pleasing to the eye.

However, Amanosaki and his group soon landed in the suburbs of the city.

The three were forced to come down because the Fengdu government's armed helicopters scrambled into the air.

"I apologize, everyone." The handsome man in military uniform apologized to the three men.

"The Queen Fish has infiltrated Fengdu City, and disaster could strike at any moment. Therefore, the municipal government is secretly organizing an evacuation. The city is now teeming with martial arts masters and plainclothes officers, and everyone is on edge. If the three of you fly in like this, you might be attacked by people who are unaware of the situation."

Amanosaki and Li Junzi waved their hands repeatedly to indicate that there was no problem. They switched to an SUV and entered the city, where they saw bustling streets and a fleet of school buses heading out of the city.

Amanosaki pointed to the passersby just across the door and asked, "That big fish could go crazy at any moment. Is it really okay not to tell everyone?"

“There are too many people in Fengdu City. Directly notifying them would cause a riot, and the highways leading out of the city would definitely be blocked by people eager to leave. So we can only send people away in batches under different pretexts. Right now, we are sending the children away under the pretext of social practice. The next step is to send the elderly, and then the adults.”

"According to intelligence provided by Qunxia Mountain and the National Academy of Sciences, the Queen Fish considers reproduction to be of utmost importance. Therefore, the first thing the Queen Fish does when entering the Fengdu sewer system is to find a habitat."

The officer explained, "Fortunately, Fengdu is located in a low-lying area and used to suffer from frequent flooding. So, more than a decade ago, we drew inspiration from the underground drainage system of the 'Iron Dome' in Japan and hired the Academy of Sciences to redesign a completely new sewer system."

"Furthermore, due to previous national policies on pollution prevention and wastewater treatment, we currently have 22 large water storage wells with a diameter of 58 meters and a depth of 180 meters, as well as a complete filtration and purification system, hundreds of small and medium-sized wastewater settling and fermentation tanks, and tens of thousands of sewers with a diameter of eight meters."

"These things together sustained the 280 million people of Fengdu City with their flood control, drinking water, irrigation, and sewage treatment. But now they have become a potential breeding ground for four-clawed scale fish."

At this point, the officer perked up: "But don't worry, because the Four-Clawed Scaled Fish's primary mission is reproduction, this city will be absolutely safe for the next two weeks. We're just trying to kill the Queen Fish before they multiply in the sewers, which is why we're busy sending people away."

"After all, no one knows what will happen when that big fish goes berserk."

Amanosaki nodded: "Then please take us to the sewers, brother. We need to deal with the queen fish as soon as possible, because we still have a long way to go."

The officer shook his head, saying helplessly:

"The heroes of the Fengdu branch have already guarded all the entrances to the sewers. Anyone who tries to enter through the sewage pipes on the street will just be crushed by the filters. The Fengdu branch has also declared that no one is allowed to enter the sewers without the branch's signature."

“You are the government! They are a semi-official organization, shouldn’t they be under your jurisdiction?!” Amanosaki frowned.

The officer shook his head: "Fengdu's biggest problem right now is underground. We can only punish them after the fact. Besides, Fengdu's sewer system is a key project that flood-prone cities across the country are paying close attention to. The government can't afford a major stain during this critical period."

Amanosaki and Li Junzi exchanged a glance, and a thought popped into their minds.

They nurtured bandits to enhance their own power and used their authority to command the emperor.

"You and your special ability are too conspicuous. You should get out of the car. This disciple on duty at the Yushan branch is said to be able to change his appearance. Let him disguise himself and come with us to the government building. Then you can talk directly with the people from the Yushan branch and the Fengdu branch."

The SUV parked on the side of a busy road, the officer opened the car door, and sped off onto Nozaki Road.

"That's all we can do," Amanosaki sighed, getting out of the car with a rather dejected expression.

The SUV drove away, leaving behind Amanosaki and Icarus, who were completely unfamiliar with Fengdu.

As the vehicle drove away, the view of the bustling streets on both sides came into view, and Amanosaki instantly felt himself being stared at by several eyes.

Several of them were ordinary people dressed in plainclothes, without any trace of supernatural abilities. Judging from their posture and the way they were observing discreetly, they were probably police officers and soldiers.

The other few unrestrained gazes came from the knights dressed in ancient costumes, looking like constables or officials, as if they were cosplaying as knights.

"damn it."

Amanosaki muttered angrily under his breath.

At that moment, he felt his waist being pinched and gently lifted.

Sure enough, Icarus looked up and was looking at him with innocent eyes.

"watermelon……"

Perfect timing, I have nothing to do right now.

Amanosaki tugged at his collar, and a stench of blood filled his nostrils. He then realized that he had left in such a hurry that he hadn't brought a change of clothes.

So he took Icarus's hand and said to the girl:

"Ikaros."

"Ok?"

"Come to think of it, we've been dating for so long, but we've never gone on a date, have we?"

"A date... ah, it seems like it really is."

The word "date" seems to possess a magical power, allowing the girl's spirit to transcend Icarus's persona and come alive.

A visible blush crept up her snow-white neck and onto her cheeks, and Icarus's emerald eyes seemed to overflow with spring water, rippling with ambiguous light.

The girl's expectant gaze held a hint of shyness and eagerness.

"Let's go buy clothes first!"

"There's no time like the present," Amanosaki hailed a taxi, pulled the girl into the back seat, and loudly addressed the driver:

"Teacher (Yu Shan refers to all strangers as 'teacher'), take me to the nearest pedestrian street!"

Amanosaki was unaware that his voice trembled slightly as he spoke, his rosy face brimming with passion.

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror at the excited face of the young man in the Qunxia Mountain uniform and the winged, angelic girl beside him, and immediately realized that he had met a lovestruck knight-errant today.

He smelled the blood coming from the back row and imagined a dramatic scene unfolding in his mind.

Having just survived a life-or-death battle and vanquished evil forces, the young hero finally understood his own feelings after narrowly escaping death. Immediately after the battle, he confessed his love to the heroine. Perhaps they were childhood sweethearts, or perhaps it was love at first sight.

In short, the two young heroes, consumed by lust, immediately asked for leave from Qunxia Mountain and began their leisurely travels from Fengdu.

Looking at the two people smiling at each other in the rearview mirror, their smiles filled with youthful innocence and passion, the middle-aged man couldn't help but sigh.

The man was tall and imposing, with striking eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding an extraordinary aura.

The woman was beautiful, with a great figure and a captivating charm.

What a perfect couple!

The middle-aged man seemed to be infected by youthful hormones; his eyes welled up with tears, and he cried out in his heart, "This is the kind of chivalrous journey I've always wanted to see!"

Shifting gears, clutch, and accelerator are all done smoothly.

Amidst the high-pitched roar of the engine, the middle-aged man clasped his hands in a fist salute, exuding a sense of exhilaration.

"The two pedestrian streets around here are just small fry, how could they be worthy of two young heroes like you! Please sit tight, in fifteen minutes I will take you to Fengming Street, that is the best in Fengdu!"

After saying that, he released the brake, and the yellow taxi shot off like an arrow.

The speed was so great that the cars next to it braked suddenly and honked their horns loudly.

Upon seeing this, the knight-errant who had been following them immediately picked up his phone to report:

"Reporting to headquarters, the target has spotted us and is fleeing rapidly! Requesting backup!"

Chapter 82: What's the most important thing when pursuing a female knight-errant?

The bright yellow taxi sped forward like lightning under the summer sun.

The driver rolled down all the windows, turned off the air conditioning, and let the hot air flow into the car. He warmed up the atmosphere inside, and the middle-aged driver chatted animatedly with Amanosaki and Ikaros, his words filled with nostalgia and envy for their youth.

Cheerful folk love songs flowed from the car stereo. The taxi avoided the main roads, opting instead for the side streets in urban villages and some less congested but more circuitous routes.

Amanosaki keenly sensed that the driver was taking a detour, but when he pointed this out, he wasn't met with a furious scolding or apology; instead, he received serious criticism.

"You two are dating, right? And you just started dating recently, didn't you?"

"...Yes, teacher, how did you figure that out?" Amanosaki was surprised.

"The way you two look at each other is something only couples in the throes of new love would do," the driver said, as if to say, "I've been driving a taxi for so many years, I've seen it all."

"And you two just came out to fight demons, right?" The driver pointed to Amanosaki's black, stained uniform jacket. "That's why you're in such a hurry to go to the pedestrian street to buy clothes."

Amanosaki gave a thumbs up: "Great!"