Becoming as Strong as Sam Li

Seeing the tiny Azhdaha, Dragon King lying on the ground, Seth stepped forward, ready to help lift the little guy onto the truck.

The reason he needed help wasn't that he couldn't lift it alone, but because Azhdaha was covered in sharp rocks, making it difficult to get a proper grip.

Rolling up his sleeves, Seth was about to start—

But before he could move, a group of Bangboos surrounded him.

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (Bad guy, don't hurt Lord Bangboo King)!"

Seth sighed, a bit helpless.

"I already told you, we're not bad guys. We're sheriffs from New Eridu. Here's our ID. We heard the Lionfang Gang was attacking you—we came to help..."

They had originally come to help the Bangboos and capture Perlman.

Yet after everything, they hadn't accomplished a thing—

Instead, they'd spent the whole time being chased by this giant rock beast.

Looking again at Azhdaha lying there, Seth still found it hard to believe.

The beast that had been towering and ferocious just moments ago was now this small, no bigger than an ordinary Bangboo.

No wonder the Bangboos saw him as their leader.

At that moment—

Billy spoke up seriously.

"Bangboo kids—you don't want your Boss sleeping out here in the wild, do you? Let us carry him onto the truck and take you home... By the way, where's home? Don't tell me we're taking them to New Eridu?"

Seth explained,

"Of course not. Their home is just ahead—it's an abandoned town."

Thanks to the Bangboo gang's presence,

That town was now commonly called Bangboo Town.

Hearing this, the Bangboos finally moved aside, making room for Seth and Billy.

Then—

Seth grabbed Azhdaha's claws, Billy gripped his head, and the two of them pulled with all their might.

"One, two, three... lift!"

But—

Even after counting to three, Azhdaha didn't budge an inch.

Nicole opened the truck door and called out,

"It's getting dark—stop wasting time and get him loaded already!"

Billy looked a bit embarrassed.

"Uh... he's a little heavier than we thought. We weren't ready, Officer Seth—let's try again."

Seth nodded, equally awkward.

"Yeah... let's give it another go."

They repeated the attempt—

Seth holding the claws, Billy the head.

"Three, two, one—pull!"

Still—Azhdaha didn't move at all.

In fact, Billy pulled so hard he lost his grip and fell backward with a loud thud.

If the first time had been an accident,

By now even Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Piper, Soldier 11, and the others noticed something was off.

Billy was a robot.

Seth was an elite officer.

Both were very strong—it made no sense for them to fail twice in a row.

Then—

Caesar stepped forward and pushed Billy aside.

"Enough of this—move. Let me try."

Piper warned,

"Caesar, I think something's wrong... it really is heavy."

But Caesar didn't care.

She wrapped her arms around the small Azhdaha and heaved with all her strength.

Still—Azhdaha didn't budge.

In that moment,

Caesar clearly felt that she wasn't holding a little Bangboo—

She was trying to lift a mountain.

It might look small—

But it was heavy as a mountain.

Caesar frowned.

"Why is it so heavy? Did only its body shrink but not its weight?"

Even if its size matched a Bangboo, no rock should be this impossibly heavy.

They had planned to bring Azhdaha to Bangboo Town—

But now it seemed getting him into the truck would be a problem.

At that moment—

Sam Li finally walked over.

"You all get in the truck. Leave him to me."

Nicole trusted Sam Li completely.

"Alright. Anby, Billy, Soldier 11, Nekomata—get in."

At first, only Hare's House and the Sons of Calydon had come.

Now they had the Public Security Bureau with them, along with more than a dozen outer ring Bangboos—

All crammed into the truck.

Finally—

Sam Li personally carried Azhdaha onto the truck.

Billy had been worried the dragon's weight would break the truck—

But something strange happened.

Once Sam Li placed Azhdaha inside, not only was the truck unharmed—

Azhdaha's weight seemed to return to normal.

Billy could now easily pick him up.

Nicole said seriously,

"There's not enough room. Billy, you'll have to hold the little guy on the way."

Billy immediately protested.

"Nicole—please! He's only temporarily light. What if he suddenly gets heavy again and crushes me?"

Sam Li said calmly,

"Don't worry. He won't."

Billy still looked uneasy.

He had just witnessed the entire battle.

He'd seen Azhdaha smash through nearly an entire mountain.

If this little guy suddenly woke up—

Billy knew he wouldn't be able to stop him.

Seeing Billy's reluctance,

Nicole smiled.

"Well, either you get out and make room, or you hold him."

Billy was speechless.

...

Then Nicole turned to Sam Li.

"You said he was an old friend of yours. What's his name?"

Sam Li replied,

"Ruo Tuo. Just call him Ruo Tuo."

Hearing that, Nicole mused,

"Ruo Tuo... Dragon King... Not quite like the dragons in the movies—but the horns on his head are very similar..."

She wasn't the only one curious.

Qingyi, Zhu Yuan, Piper, Jane, and the others were also wondering about Sam Li's identity.

On the surface, Sam Li was just an employee of Hare's House.

But clearly—he was far more than that.

...

Once everyone was inside,

Piper started the truck and, following directions from Zhu Yuan and Qingyi, headed toward Bangboo Town.

Along the way,

They saw many traces left behind by Azhdaha.

Boulders scattered across the road.

A deep trench carved into the roadside.

Finally, Nicole and the others began to understand what the Public Security Bureau team had been through.

Seth sighed.

"Good thing you guys showed up when you did. If you'd been even a little later... we'd all be pancake-flat right now."

Looking at Azhdaha resting in Billy's arms,

Seth felt a flood of emotions.

Even now, he was still shaken.

And—he couldn't help but admire Sam Li's strength.

Seth also controlled Geo—

But while he'd been forced to run from Azhdaha, Sam Li had faced him head-on and subdued him.

Thinking of Sam Li's brave figure,

Seth muttered softly,

"One day, I'll become as strong as Sam Li. Then... I'll be able to protect all of New Eridu."

...