Chapter 110: Chapter 85: That’s Not How You Punish Someone

"But Michael seems pretty optimistic," Li Wei said. "He’s dead set on saving enough money for his brother to cut ties with the drug dealers, and then getting into college himself."

"Then he’s dreaming," Don Quixote warned. "Unless he gives up on that idea, anyone who tries to help him will be dragged down with him."

...

At 2:30 in the morning, Li Wei had thought Don Quixote would be resting today, but to his surprise, the man had climbed out of bed again and was putting on his armor.

"Good day, Sir Don Quixote," Li Wei had now learned how to greet him. "Are you preparing to begin your expedition?"

"Yes, my friend," Don Quixote said grimly. "The expedition is about to begin. I am bound to vanquish the Witch and reclaim justice."

An idea suddenly struck Li Wei. Pointing to the Cadillac Escalade outside the window, he said, "I have recently found a new carriage, Sir Don Quixote. How about we journey on our expedition in it together?"

Don Quixote was overjoyed. "That would be for the best! You truly are the most dependable, my friend."

Li Wei pocketed the car keys and went out with Don Quixote.

To be honest, walking had been too inefficient lately. Plus, as they explored the same area more and more, it had become difficult to trigger any new quests in the Bei Ling Ridge Region.

Since Don Quixote had been able to ride in a taxi with him to ’slay a dragon’ before, this was a perfect opportunity to test how effective it would be to take Sir Don Quixote on a quest by car.

Under the cover of night and the increasingly cold autumn wind, Li Wei helped Don Quixote into the front passenger seat.

He glanced over at Don Quixote, who was sitting bolt upright with his iron rod propped up between them. After a moment’s hesitation, Li Wei gave up on the idea of getting him to wear a seatbelt.

’Did carriages in the Middle Ages even have things like seatbelts?’ he wondered as he started the car. ’If I wanted to explain a seatbelt to a sleepwalking Don Quixote, how would I even do it?’

Lost in thought, he drove Don Quixote northeast, passing through the Brooklyn District, crossing through Sunset Park and Queens, until they reached the edge of the Bronx.

Li Wei clearly remembered coming from this direction to pick up Anya in the morning. A trip that should have been less than four kilometers in a straight line had turned into a huge detour, forcing him to approach her neighborhood from the direction of Manhattan.

"The horse pulling this carriage is quite good," Don Quixote suddenly said in a low voice. "It’s been pulling for so long, yet it hasn’t slowed down at all."

’It’s called an American V8, my dear uncle. It has 420 horsepower.’

Gradually, the car slowly entered an area with suggestive, dim lighting. By the side of the road, a woman in an extremely short sequined dress and stilettos was leaning against a lamppost.

Seeing the expensive Cadillac Escalade slow down, she keenly puffed out her chest, blew a flirtatious whistle at the window, and casually pulled down her already precarious neckline.

"Stop!" Don Quixote said suddenly, his tone grave. "I sense a foul presence."

"That’s a... uh... a succubus?" Li Wei had no desire to linger here. "Are we supposed to deal with her?"

"A succubus... No, I smell sulfur," Don Quixote’s brow furrowed. "This is no succubus... This is... a Spider Demon!"

"I must punish this demon," he said, gripping his iron rod, "so that it can no longer harm the passing farmers!"

[You have received a quest: Eliminate the Spider Demon]

[This is a Spider Demon that waits by the roadside, ready to drag innocent passersby into its lair and devour them whole. Unlike the common wandering succubus, it does this for survival, not for pleasure.]

[Quest Reward: +0.1 Free Attribute Points]

Don Quixote’s hand was already on the door handle, his other hand lifting the iron rod. He was actually preparing to leap out of the car at any moment and smash the woman’s head in with it.

’Wait, our understanding of ’punish’ might be a little different!’

"Wait! Sir Don Quixote!" Li Wei stomped on the gas and sped away from the street, the immense horsepower pinning Don Quixote firmly to the back of his seat. "We don’t need to do this!"

"It’s just a demon by the roadside," he said. "Our path ahead is unknown, so we should conserve our strength when we can. Let’s wait until we face real danger or when the time is right to act." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"My heavens, the speed of this carriage is far too great..." Don Quixote said indignantly, having just peeled himself off the seatback. "Fine. What you say has merit... When we return in triumph, if I encounter it again, I will not let it off lightly."

Li Wei had no desire to get himself into trouble for a mere 0.1 attribute point.

He glanced at the iron rod in Don Quixote’s hand. ’I should find some time tomorrow and just get rid of it,’ he thought.

Li Wei drove across the Harlem River and entered the South Bronx, a much rougher neighborhood. It wasn’t far from the building Don Quixote had bought or from where Jose used to live. The potholed roads made even the Cadillac Escalade shake, and the buildings lining the streets were visibly neglected.

Li Wei wasn’t just wandering aimlessly. He was gauging where a new quest might appear by observing the density of graffiti on the buildings and Don Quixote’s reactions.

As the car slowly rolled into an intersection plunged into darkness by a broken streetlight, three figures in baggy hoodies emerged from behind a crumbling corner.

One of them stood in front of the car, brandishing a black pistol. The other two quickly flanked the vehicle on the left and right, banging on the windows.

"Get out of the car, motherfucker! Leave the wallet and the keys!"

The lead robber had a bandana tied around his face, the veins on his temples bulging. Even without the car’s headlights, Li Wei could see their bloodshot red eyes, a clear sign they were high.

"You got a nice car, man," said the one on the side, slapping the driver’s side window and trying to peer through the dark tint at the interior. "It ain’t safe to be out this late in a car this nice."

"Why are you wasting your breath on him!" the other one yelled, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Just kill him in the car!"

"You idiot!" the gunman cursed. "You think it’s not a pain in the ass to clean up the scene and the car if we kill him?"

"Sir Don Quixote," Li Wei said, turning to him, "we’ve encountered some highwaymen descending from the mountains. Allow me to handle such trivial matters."

"Mm," Don Quixote had no intention of getting out of the car. "Then I shall entrust this to you, my friend."

[You have received a quest: Escort]

[Conserve Sir Don Quixote’s strength and escort him to the destination by yourself.]

[Quest Reward: +0.1 Free Attribute Points]

Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief. This was the kind of quest he wanted.

’Bring on the petty roadside thieves.’

He calmly pushed open the car door and stepped out.

Perhaps being high had destroyed their patience. The moment Li Wei stepped out of the car, one of the robbers lunged at him with a dagger, not wasting a single word.

However, the impact he expected never came. His dagger only managed to tear the surface of the clothing before it couldn’t advance another inch, as if it had struck a wall of solid concrete.

"Sigh," Li Wei let out a breath. "My T-shirt."

The knife-wielding robber didn’t even have time to react before an irresistible force struck his leg. His vision went black as his brain’s emergency shutdown kicked in, and he passed out without so much as a grunt.

The gunman had just started to aim when the man before him seemed to vanish on the spot. A sharp pain shot through his wrist as his arm was bent at an unnatural angle, forcing him to drop the pistol.

Seeing the last robber about to make a run for it, Li Wei picked up the pistol and, with a perfect football spiral, threw it directly into the man’s calf, causing him to collapse to the ground.

[Quest: Escort has been completed]

[+0.1 Free Attribute Points]

Li Wei got back in the car and drove away.

’Looks like I really can’t bring my uncle out this far.’

As he drove, Li Wei considered the risks. Not only was there a chance Don Quixote could lose control, but he himself could get dragged into it. It would have been dangerous if today’s gunman had just opened fire on Don Quixote.

’Next time, I’ll just drive out by myself,’ he told himself. ’It seems taking a sleepwalking Don Quixote out is still a bit too risky.’