Lu Bu, the Thunder General, is my adoptive father in Genshin Impact.

The fat man flew out like a ball of flesh and crashed into a pile of wooden crates in the corner. In an instant, dust billowed up, and all the crates were smashed to pieces by Tadokoro.

Kujo Sara jogged over to the two men, and the three of them headed toward a dusty corner of the warehouse.

"Wasn't that cool? My hair didn't even get messed up!" Ichidou said smugly, then patted Xiao Yi on the shoulder. "But thanks to your help, otherwise things would have been bad."

When the topic of hairstyle came up, Xiao Yi and Jiu Tiao looked conflicted as they observed the oni youth's burning silver hair.

Xiao Yi clasped his hands together and sprayed water to extinguish the fire.

When they were about ten meters away from the corner of the wall, the fat figure stood up again in the dust.

The three men made a huge mistake by underestimating the fat man's resilience. They never expected that Tadokoro, after being hit by a heavy blow, would still be able to remain conscious.

"Cough cough—Rua!" It sounded like the fat man coughing up blood, but his tone was extremely excited, as if he were the one who had truly won. "I flew to this place, which is exactly the escape route I wanted! Haha, thank you, you idiot, for sending me here with one blow!"

As the dust settled, the fat man held something high in both hands—a cube slightly larger than an apple, which Xiao Yi initially thought looked like a golden Rubik's Cube.

"Heavenly lightning..." Kujo Sara exclaimed in shock, "...it was hidden on a remote island!"

"It looks a bit like a golden sugar cube," Yi Dou commented.

Koji Tadokoro said angrily, "I know I'm going to die, but you and half the island will all be buried with me!"

Kujo was extremely nervous, racking his brains for a solution; the unaware Araki Ichito remained completely bewildered; only Xiao Yi revealed a confident smile.

"Don't get agitated. You just want to live, right? I'll let you go," Xiao Yi reassured him. "But my companions don't want to let you go. Hold the bomb up for now, and I'll try to persuade them."

Before the fat man could reply, Xiao Yi quickly pulled the two confused people away, chattering about something, and then they returned to a spot ten meters in front of the fat man.

Xiao Yi smiled maliciously, spreading his hands mockingly: "I foresaw your future. The moment you activate the Heavenly Thunder, you will convulse in unbearable pain, thus being captured without resistance—the three of us have nothing to fear anymore."

Even though Tadokoro Koji didn't understand, he knew he had been tricked. His anger surged, and he spoke at an almost shouting level.

"You're all afraid of death, huh?! Fine, if I die, none of you will live either!!!"

Chapter 19 The Fate of Heavenly Thunder

Despite his threats to self-destruct, Xiao Yi's suggestion to let him go gave Tadokoro a glimmer of hope. Like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, it calmed the fat man down. The anger he was displaying now was just an act to intimidate the three of them.

He stared intently at Xiao Yi, who was negotiating with him.

Ultimately, of the three enemies in Fatty's life, Xiao Yi was the one he had interacted with the most. Xiao Yi had caused Fatty to lose face at the izakaya, pushed him to such a desperate situation, and just now, after pretending to agree to his request, he suddenly went back on his word and played him for a fool...

At this moment, Koji Tadokoro, however, thought himself clever and suspected that Xiao Yi was actually helpless and that his earlier repentance and sarcasm were just a bluff to prevent him from detonating the bomb.

If that's the case, we must put more pressure on the three people in front of us and scare them into backing down.

This was a thrilling gamble, and Tadokoro chose to bet all his chips, forcing his opponent to fold.

The fat man never expected that Xiao Yi never intended to gamble with him from the beginning; instead, he wanted to overturn the table!

While Tadokoro Koji was focused on the cunning "Miyamoto Tsubasa", the most dull-witted Oni youth suddenly launched an attack, swinging his rock element club diagonally downwards.

The sturdy stick struck the ground, which should have shattered the floor, but instead it pulverized completely like a biscuit, sending rock fragments and dust flying toward the fat man.

The rock dust blinded Tadokoro, preventing him from seeing what was happening in front of him. At the same time, two large pieces of rock, following the water element path that Xiao Yi had constructed in mid-air, struck the fat man's elbow where the tendons were numb.

The soreness and numbness didn't make Tadokoro lose the Heavenly Thunder, but his fingers were temporarily out of control, making it impossible for him to turn the detonation switch on the golden cube.

Although it happened in an instant, and Xiao Yi and his companions didn't have time to get close enough to seize the heavenly lightning, just because humans can't keep up doesn't mean arrows can't.

As Arataki Ichito swung his staff, Kujo did the same, drawing his short bow to its full extent and infusing the arrowhead with lightning element.

As the fat man was struck in the elbow, the arrow left the bowstring, passed through the jellyfish created by Xiao Yi in mid-air, and, imbued with both water and mine elements, shot towards Tadokoro's head.

However, Kujo wasn't aiming at the fat man himself, but at the high-powered bomb he was holding with both hands.

The electrified arrow struck the golden cube, and in an instant, the entire warehouse was illuminated by lightning. The lightning element flowed through the water and into Koji Tadokoro's body. He held onto the lifeline and shook his body violently, as if dancing under a spotlight.

Nothing else happened; the lightning remained completely still, like an ordinary piece of scrap metal.

Even a composed female soldier like Kujo Sara couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing this scene. She held onto Xiao Yi and Yi Dou's shoulders on either side to barely keep standing.

"No explosion, it really worked." Kujo breathed a sigh of relief, then his relaxed expression turned serious as he muttered, "I must have been crazy to approve of such a plan. If the coordination had gone wrong, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

"Kujo Tengu, the result was so good, so stop complaining." Ichidou looked at Xiao Yi and said excitedly, "You're really something! Even I was almost impressed by your wit, hahahahaha..."

Xiao Yi remained silent, a calm smile on his face, but his gaze never left the fat man who was being electrocuted.

He was actually in a complete panic.

Is it really not going to explode? Is it really not going to explode? Will it trigger while I'm getting an electric shock?

Now that things have come to this, Xiao Yi's plan is quite clear.

He first conveyed the message that "you're threatening us with heavenly lightning, so we have no choice but to let you go," giving the desperate fat man a false hope. His idea of ​​self-destruction turned into using a bomb to force them to let him go, but in reality, he fell into Xiao Yi's trap.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yi used the excuse of "persuading his companions" to call Kujo Ichito aside to discuss and quickly formulate the action plan.

It was Xiao Yi who suggested shooting the lightning bolt instead of the fat man, as he worried that the arrow wound to Tadokoro might not kill him immediately but instead trigger the bomb and cause a disaster.

Xiao Yi happened to have heard a little-known fact: the more advanced the bomb, the less likely it is to be affected by external factors. It will not explode whether it is burned or struck by lightning, and will even trigger the safety device to destroy it. This was something that Miyamoto Jiro, an explosives enthusiast, had once told him.

He put this knowledge into practice and successfully neutralized the Heavenly Thunder.

Suddenly, Koji Tadokoro, amidst sparks and lightning, collapsed against the corner of the wall. Just when the three thought he was beyond saving, the crimson Eye of God suddenly blazed with intense light.

Rumble!!!

The interplay of fire and lightning triggered an overload reaction once again, and a powerful explosion kicked up a lot of dust. Several gears and a small golden ball slowly rolled to Xiao Yi's feet.

As the smoke gradually dissipated, a large hole was blasted in the corner of the warehouse wall, and Tadokoro Koji was nowhere to be seen.

“He actually deliberately detonated the lightning element that was restricting him…” Xiao Yi analyzed, “not only eliminating the electric current attached to his body, but also blasting out an escape route.”

"That fat is really solid!" Araki Ichito commented. "The wall was shattered, but the person was unharmed."

The three ran to the hole in the wall and found that the sea was outside, with surging waves, but Tadokoro was nowhere to be seen.

Kujo Sara said, "The key components of the Heavenly Thunder were broken off due to the explosion caused by the elemental reaction. The cube that fell into the sea is just an empty shell and no longer poses a threat."

After Kujo finished speaking, the three of them looked at the intricate gears on the ground not far away, as well as the small golden sphere that performed the core function.

Whether it was retrieving the fat man's body from the seabed or investigating the remaining evidence, it was all part of the duty of the soldiers of Skyguard. The three "bomb disposal experts" have completed their mission.

The invisible threat of heavenly lightning has now been completely eliminated!

While concealing his excitement, Xiao Yi asked expectantly, "Do you remember our agreement? Now that the bomb crisis is resolved, it's your turn to help."

Kujo Sara nodded: "Yes, I won't go back on my word. I'll take you to see General Raiden the day after tomorrow."

"Oh, General Raiden? I've never seen him before!" Arataki Kazuto was very interested. "Can I go and take a look the day after tomorrow?"

"That's enough." Kujo rolled his eyes at him.

……

Late at night, in the desolate coastal area of ​​Narukami Island.

After drifting for several hours, Koji Tadokoro was finally washed ashore by the waves. To prevent the bomb from getting soaked by the seawater, he tore his shirt to wrap the bomb and hung it on his waist, unaware that it had become a standard piece of scrap metal.

Xiao Yi and his group underestimated the fat man's resilience. The fat man was hit by an elemental explosion, and not only did he not die on the spot, he was also lucky enough to be washed ashore by the waves.

Koji Tadokoro slowly got up.

He's quite physically strong; despite taking so many attacks, he only suffered minor, painless injuries.

The reason for his escape was simple: even if he could withstand more damage, he couldn't withstand the combined attacks of the three, especially since the sword master Miyamoto Tsubasa hadn't even drawn his sword yet.

The fat man suddenly spotted a fire in the distance.

He looked in the direction of the light and saw a figure setting up a barbecue grill, with several fish skewered on wooden sticks beside him, and a small fishing boat stranded not far away.

Fishermen?

To avoid encountering the shogunate army conducting a search, Tadokoro did not intend to stay on the coast for long and turned to leave.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Tadokoro's head.

Kill the fisherman, steal his clothes to change your appearance, eat his fish to replenish your strength, and finally escape Narukami Island in his small boat!

Thinking of this, the fat man turned around and walked towards the fishermen.

The fat man placed his hand on the steel knife hanging at his waist, intending to kill the fisherman with a single blow and prevent his cries for help from causing further trouble.

Unexpectedly, as they approached, the fisherman spoke first, his hoarse voice slowly saying, "When you turned around just now, I saw it. You have a red skull tattoo on your back. You're a member of that infamous organization lately, the War Maniacs, right?"

The fat man, unsure whether the other was friend or foe, stood still and, by the light of the fire, re-examined the fisherman.

A robust, dark-haired man with messy hair tied into a short braid and a stubble beard that exuded a free and unrestrained spirit.

The man's appearance was irrelevant; what mattered was that behind the makeshift grill lay an outrageously long nodachi (a type of katana).

Moreover, despite Tadokoro Koji's aggressive demeanor, the other party not only did nothing but leisurely placed the prepared fish on the grill.

"Who are you?" Tadokoro asked warily.

The fisherman's hoarse voice was unhurried, but he didn't answer the fat man's question: "I heard that recently, the War Maniac attacked the Shogunate's warehouse and stole the high-powered bomb, Thunderclap. I'm very interested in that thing. Can you tell me where the War Maniac hid it?"

The fat man found it unbelievable; he felt that the other person had a strange aura—an aura that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

The fisherman continued, "I only want the Heavenly Thunder to satisfy my own needs. You know, everyone has their own little hobbies. For example, I like to collect all kinds of bombs. Rather than letting the War Maniac use it for evil, it's more appropriate for me to collect it. Don't you think so?"

Having said all that, Tadokoro Koji finally understood that this bastard was making fun of him!

He raised his knife and slashed at the man's neck, simultaneously unleashing a pillar of fire, intending to burn him to a crisp before the knife struck.

The "fisherman" was as still as a virgin and as swift as a rabbit, suddenly reaching out and grabbing the long, slender katana beside him.

call--

A sudden gust of wind parted the pillar of fire, and the man seized the gap in the flames, approaching Tadokoro like a needle slipping through the cracks. The emerald-green Eye of the Wind God pendant on his neck was exposed due to the high speed of his movement.

The man brushed past the field and came to the back of the field, but only left a shallow wound on the fat man's hand. However, he had already begun to sheath his sword.

"Besides being fast, you're not really that capable, you bluffing fool!" The fat man turned to the man with his back to him. "You sheathed your sword before the fight was over. Did you know you couldn't beat me and gave up hope, waiting to die?"

"No, it's over." The hoarse voice was unusually calm.

Crack! The blade struck the scabbard.

The fat man's steel knife suddenly fell to the ground. He clutched his neck in pain, first kneeling down and then rolling on the beach, as if his freedom to breathe had been taken away by the other party.

“Sometimes, even a small wound can be fatal, after all, I possess the Eye of the Wind.” The man remained deliberate. “Guess how much air you can inject into a vein, circulating through the bloodstream to the lungs, to take a person’s life?”

The fat man couldn't answer; his only option was to roll on the ground and endure the pain of suffocation.