Chapter 00047: Hidden Dragon, Crouching Phoenix
# Hidden Dragon, Crouching Phoenix
Chapter 47
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 47: Hidden Dragon, Crouching Phoenix
Robbing a bank—Li Chengxi had only ever seen something like that in movies, or heard that it occasionally happened over in Amerikana.
Ever since the start of the twenty-first century, such violent crimes had practically vanished in the Celestial Empire.
And anyway, where would they even get guns from?
No, this wasn’t the time to worry about that!
Li Chengxi grabbed his bag and quietly pushed open the glass door, planning to slip out through the small side door of the bank.
But one thing worth remembering—once the unlock button on an ATM door is pressed, it automatically announces via voice prompt: “Unlocked.”
At normal times, that wasn’t a big deal.
But right now? It was practically a distress flare.
“You! The one in the ATM room! Come out!”
One of the robbers immediately noticed Li Chengxi and raised the dark barrel of his gun to point at him.
It wasn’t exactly easy to get hold of a gun in the Celestial Empire.
Could it be just a replica for scaring people?
But real or fake—who was brave enough to bet?
It’d be just like betting that a man’s gun wasn’t loaded.
If he lost, oh well—but if Li Chengxi lost, it was game over.
So Li Chengxi very obediently raised both hands along with the bag, and backed into the lobby through the glass door with his butt.
“All of you, squat over there! Face the wall! Move it!”
The lobby was filled with nearby residents—folks who usually got along just fine with one another.
None of them had ever seen a situation like this.
One after another, they rushed to squat down.
Two other robbers pointed guns at the tellers behind the counter and barked:
“I know that’s bulletproof glass, but do you really wanna bet if it can block my bullets? All of you raise your hands, and don’t even think about hitting that silent alarm under the desk!”
Big-name banks had counters with drop-down steel plates for extra protection, but this small suburban branch didn’t have anything that fancy.
The bank staff were stunned speechless.
Hearing the robbers’ words, they frantically raised their hands, though it was unclear whether someone had managed to press the alarm.
Just as Li Chengxi was watching all this, someone gave him a shove from the side.
“You too! Go squat over there. Move and I’ll blow your damn head off!”
Alright, alright.
You’ve got the gun, you make the rules.
Li Chengxi, still holding his hands up, headed into the crowd and found a nearby open spot to squat down.
Just as he did, someone yanked his bag away, and a voice behind him called out:
“Everyone take out your cash and jewelry!”
Seriously?! Robbing the bank wasn’t enough—they had to squeeze even the last drops from these ordinary folks?
Then again, banks like this one near residential areas didn’t keep much cash on hand.
Probably they were trying to scrounge whatever they could.
At that moment, Li Chengxi felt someone poke him in the thigh from his left.
He turned his head—Lei Lei.
“Convenience store big brother, what do we do? I’m kinda scared.”
She was hugging her head and crouching, right next to Li Chengxi.
Her lips trembled as she spoke.
Seriously, it’s summer break, no school, no cram classes to attend—why would a high school girl even be in a bank? Just came in for the air conditioning?
Even now, Li Chengxi’s mind was wandering.
———
As for Lei Lei showing up at the bank, it really wasn’t because she was following Li Chengxi—pure coincidence.
Her family had sent over her monthly living allowance, but her master didn’t know how to use a phone to do bank transfers, so they used a traditional bank deposit.
Unlike instant transfers, regular remittances took 24 hours.
The time was about up, but her phone hadn’t buzzed with a message, so she came to the bank to check on it.
She’d arrived just a few steps ahead of Li Chengxi.
And once she’d finished asking about her funds, she wasn’t in a rush to leave.
Since she’d run across Li Chengxi by chance, she figured she’d hang around and observe him up-close a little more.
And then, boom—got caught in this mess together.
Of course, the scared-schoolgirl act was exactly that—an act.
Even if the robbers had guns, Lei Lei could easily wipe them out.
But her master had given strict orders before she descended the mountain: unless absolutely necessary, do not use magic casually—especially not in front of witnesses.
It could bring serious trouble.
So Lei Lei obediently crouched and stayed put.
Then a thought occurred to her—this might actually be an opportunity.
Frequenting the convenience store to gradually build rapport with Li Chengxi took forever.
And being a regular customer wasn’t quite the same as being a friend.
Figuring out why there was such a dense aura of spiritual energy around him? Who knew how long that would take.
But being held hostage together in a bank? That sort of shared hardship could instantly bridge the gap.
Behaving more familiar later, or even getting physically closer, would be totally reasonable.
So Lei Lei waited for a moment when the robber wasn’t paying attention, then quietly slipped over next to Li Chengxi.
She gave his thigh another poke and whispered:
“Convenience store big brother, what do we do? I’m kinda scared.”
“They’re just after cash. Just give it to them and that’s that.”
That’s what he said, but Li Chengxi was panicking just the same.
He was a player from the Celestial Empire—how the hell did the system match him with Amerikan-style gameplay all of a sudden?
Besides, in this little city he lived in, even pickpocketing was treated as a major criminal case.
Something like an armed bank robbery? The cops probably never even imagined someone would dare do it.
“No talking! Quiet!”
A robber barked behind them, and Li Chengxi didn’t dare keep talking to Lei Lei after that.
At that moment, one of the robbers spread out a sack and gestured for everyone in the bank to toss in their valuables—jewelry, wallets, anything.
These days, hardly anyone carries a wallet anymore—it’s all phones.
Still, rings, necklaces—whatever people had on them were ordered into the sack.
Li Chengxi’s Radiance Ring on his finger looked vaguely like platinum with a tiny yellow gem set in it.
That one was demanded too.
Weirdly, his Ring of the Demon King didn’t catch their eye.
Maybe because the oversized cat’s eye gem set into it made it look like some kind of plastic toy.
Even though the ring was gold, the gaudy fake-looking rock made the whole piece come off as cheap junk.
The robber didn’t even glance at it.
So you see—education really can change your fate.
Without it, you can’t even rob people properly.
“What’re you listening to! Take off those earphones!”
While Li Chengxi was silently complaining about their low level of education, a shout came from another robber.
A man in the crowd, around twenty or thirty, blankly removed one of his earphones and spoke in an abnormally loud voice:
“My ears were injured before. These are my hearing aids.”
The robber glanced at them, then tossed them to the ground viciously and stomped on them.
“You’re already deaf at your age? What a f***ing curse!”
Muttering curses, the robber went back to grabbing loot from the other hostages—but he hadn’t noticed this:
As soon as the robber turned away, the young man crouched down and gently pressed the throat mic hidden under his collar.
Using barely-audible volume, he spoke:
“Groundhog reporting—the primary target and secondary target are inside the bank with the robbers. Currently unable to break free. Request immediate police intervention.”
So here we are—a tiny street-side bank branch had managed to gather together: Li Chengxi, currently serving as a Demon God; Lei Lei, a cultivator practicing in the mortal world; and some observer with unknown identity but seemingly official ties.
Bet those robbers never dreamed they’d collect this many big shots...
(End of Chapter)