145. Where on Earth Is There a Spotless Pure Land

Actually, for a monk to walk into a campus in a country where Buddhism is universally practiced is quite a noticeable event. The yellow monk robes and pink nun robes were even more eye-catching than Song Na's beauty, so teachers and students kept looking their way. After sitting a bit longer, Director Xiao and others would come over to press their palms together in greeting and inquiry. Naturally, Song Na would explain that these monks from Tianlong Temple were inspecting the football program. Therefore, Bai Haonan, who understood neither the language nor the chanting of blessings, had no choice but to clasp his palms together in thanks each time, and then speed up the pace of the inspection before leaving.

So, starting from around nine in the morning, Bai Haonan quickly checked out two middle schools, a university, and the highest-level professional club locally. To be honest, even regarding the team playing at the top national league level, he didn't find them particularly impressive. Moreover, learning that players in such a top league earned a regular income of only about four thousand made his eyes pop. It seemed that the locals' love for football truly wasn't driven by making money.

Since it was decided to take Aban in the afternoon to inspect some grassroots football teams in the suburban villages—especially since the major informal football pitches all over the city were said to start getting busy after three in the afternoon—Bai Haonan asked Song Na for plenty of suggestions after stepping out of the club and prepared to head back to the temple. After all, he couldn't let her take a leave of absence just to tag along for a whole day.

Just as Song Na was saying she could completely accompany them and would even treat the monks to lunch as an offering within her means, Bai Haonan suddenly heard Ada barking wildly behind him!

Turning his head to look, he saw that the little nun, who had been quietly following behind them without a sound, was already gone!

One must know that the pink nun's robe was extremely conspicuous. Given Bai Haonan's life experience and the deep sense of universal benevolence he had felt in this Buddhist country over the past few days, he had never imagined that a six or seven-year-old little girl could face any danger walking on the street. Had it not been for Ada's barking, he probably wouldn't have noticed it at all.

However, the dog was alert and even furious. Disregarding everything, it rushed onto the chaotic street and barked wildly in that direction. Following the direction of Ada's chase, the tall and broad-shouldered Bai Haonan caught a glimpse of a pink shadow flashing on a three-wheeled motorcycle over there. He couldn't help cursing as he broke into a run: "What the hell?!"

Without a second thought, he made a split-second decision and rushed onto the street following Ada. He directly shoved the driver of a passing motorcycle, hijacked the vehicle, swung his leg over it, and accelerated away!

Song Na screamed and came running after them, but clearly aware of the strict precepts, she didn't immediately jump up behind the monk. Instead, she hurried over to help up the motorcycle rider who had been inexplicably knocked down, shouting at the top of her lungs: "They're child abductors! Those people are bad!"

Nonsense! By the time he clearly heard that sweet voice, Bai Haonan was already riding the motorcycle and had surged forward nearly twenty meters!

Anyone who has driven sports cars knows that even supercars—those top-tier sports cars whose zero-to-hundred acceleration times are constantly bragged about—still have to bow to motorcycles when it comes to sheer acceleration performance. Vehicles with such a high power-to-weight ratio can easily out-accelerate most four-wheeled cars with any random one picked off the street. The crucial point was whether one dared to instantly boost the speed to over a hundred kilometers per hour in such a high-risk state where a single sway could cause a rollover!

People often say that no matter how dilapidated a car is, it's still metal protecting flesh, whereas no matter how good a motorcycle is, it's flesh protecting metal. At high speeds, the fatality rate of motorcycles is almost one hundred percent, and the danger is self-evident.

Clearly, Bai Haonan dared. Normally perceived as mild-mannered and cunningly self-preserving, perhaps only in such extremely rare circumstances would he suddenly burst forth with a reckless streak. Amidst the sudden roar that turned the heads of everyone on the street, he shifted gears and accelerated the motorcycle to its absolute limit!

Traffic conditions on the streets were far from ideal. Apart from severely aged road surfaces, there were all kinds of haphazardly moving vehicles lacking any rules. The roadsides were usually crammed with motorcycles, tricycles, cars, and pickup trucks. As a primary mode of tourist transport, a three-wheeled motorcycle known as a tuk-tuk darted everywhere like locusts. Therefore, even if Bai Haonan had managed to start his own car, he likely would have been trapped on this chaotic road.

A motorcycle was different, however—especially one starting off with such fierce momentum that it made surrounding pedestrians and vehicles instinctively clear a path. Bai Haonan charged through with effortless mastery!

Aside from a sense of responsibility for bringing Ayi out with him, there was also a touch of pity for this young nun. It seemed that Brother Haonan's chivalrous heart toward females extended from eighty-year-old grandmothers all the way down to little girls like this, sparing none.

His eyes locked firmly onto the road ahead, fixing on an inconspicuous, dull-grey tuk-tuk. Bai Haonan swiftly swayed the body of the bike to dodge several stones on the road and the irregular bumps of vehicles by the roadside.

The shouting behind him had completely faded away. The monk driving the motorcycle seemed to have entered his own isolated realm, as if his eyes held only that tuk-tuk.

Unlike the domestic three-wheeled motorcycles where seats are usually arranged crosswise behind the driver, many places in Southeast Asia use three-wheelers with two longitudinal rows of benches in the cargo bed that can seat seven or eight people. They truly are the best mode of transport in these economically underdeveloped regions. Thanks to the inexplicably optimistic nature of most Southeast Asians, these tourist tricycles are often painted in vibrant colors and emit a put-put sound, earning them the name tuk-tuks. They are the most common sight for civilian travel. At this moment, with a burst of acceleration, Bai Haonan overtook two or three slightly taller SUVs and pickup trucks ahead. Catching sight of the rear of that tuk-tuk, he noticed that the almost open cargo bed no longer showed any trace of pink.

For a split second, Bai Haonan felt a wave of panic. He instinctively sensed that the opening minutes of chasing and searching were critical; once he chose the wrong direction, he might never find that timid little girl again. But just as quickly, Bai Haonan chose to trust Ada, to trust the dog's keen instincts. Spotting the vehicle ahead as it seemed to have driven out of the most congested streets and accelerated toward the outskirts of the city, he couldn't help pressing his upper body down, pushing the motorcycle's speed to its maximum!

Thanks to the lightning-fast split-second choice he had made earlier, he had picked a motorcycle with relatively large horsepower rather than a flashy, useless scooter. Breaking free from the complex surrounding road conditions, the roaring motorcycle seemed to find its rhythm, rapidly sprinting up to a speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Bai Haonan could feel the front end of the ordinary motorcycle wobbling, but clearly, the tricycle lagged far behind in speed. Within a single breath, Bai Haonan pulled up right alongside it!

At this moment, he could clearly see a man and a woman sitting in the back seat, dressed like ordinary farmers. They were gripping the handrails on both sides, their expressions nervous and terrified as they watched the speeding motorcycle pull up beside them. In particular, the monk on the motorcycle had his robes flapping wildly in the fierce airflow, looking somewhat frantic.

Bai Haonan knew that shouting in Chinese wouldn't do any good. As he craned his neck to look, he saw that the cargo bed, which had appeared empty from behind, now seemed to have a pile of dirty tarps stacked against the back of the driver's seat. However, whether due to the bumpy ride or something else, the tarp was still twitching, prompting the middle-aged woman to step on it with her foot.

Slightly roaring the throttle with his right hand, Bai Haonan overtook the cargo bed to catch sight of the tuk-tuk driver. The other man turned his head in advance, shouting wildly in an incomprehensible language. Who the hell knew what he was yelling!

If it were someone with a calm demeanor or a logical mindset, they might have stopped to reason and look for evidence. Bai Haonan, however, just took one look and kicked out without a second word!

Since he was still on a two-wheeled motorcycle, such a kicking motion could easily cause him to lose his balance. If anyone had been sitting behind him, they would surely have been scared out of their wits, but Bai Haonan unleashed a continuous series of wild, hooligan-style kicks!

The opposing driver's foot, the fuel tank, the motorcycle handlebars, and the cargo bed behind were all targets—he kicked whatever he could reach, while keeping his own hands tightly gripping his handlebars.

One had to admit that his athletic physique came in handy at this moment. A solid kick caused the driver's hands to flinch wildly, almost causing a direct head-on collision with Bai Haonan's motorcycle!

Both parties were racing side-by-side at a speed close to a hundred kilometers per hour. Bai Haonan felt his adrenaline surging wildly; the blood rushing to his head brought an excitement and thrill that felt as though he had returned to the sports field, and he even felt a surge of exhilaration. While many people might lose their minds and act recklessly in such a heated moment, Bai Haonan was able to default to an even greater calmness. Lacking the ability to communicate verbally, he simply glared fiercely with wide eyes at the driver—who was too terrified to put his foot down—and also looked at the panicked middle-aged man in the back. Perhaps it was this intense pressure combined with the violent vehicle swaying caused by his relentless kicking that made the opponents completely lose their composure.

The half-bald man, wearing an old shirt commonly seen on local farmers with greasy hair, actually pulled a pistol from his waist to threaten him!

If Bai Haonan had panicked when chased and struck by a wheel loader half a year earlier, seeing that handgun now actually gave him a suppressive sense of relief. Didn't this precisely prove a guilty conscience, and that the child was indeed in the vehicle?

Without any hesitation, he tightened his right hand on the throttle to increase speed, once again pulling ahead of the opponent's front end to evade the muzzle, while extending his left hand to slap the driver's right handlebar, directly interfering with his control.

Consequently, the driver was so terrified by the crazy Buddhist monk that his right hand instinctively loosened its grip on the throttle, causing the speed to drop. The entire tuk-tuk wobbled violently, and the middle-aged man in the back, finding his threat ineffective, panicked and pulled the trigger at Bai Haonan!

Bang! A gunshot rang out!

It was sharp and hurried. It was the first time Bai Haonan had heard a gunshot at such close range; he didn't even have time to dodge in response to the sound, but instead subconsciously threw his entire body onto his left hand. He had already grabbed his own arm onto the front end of the opposing tricycle. Such tuk-tuk tricycles feature a full windshield enclosure at the front, with a roof canopy extending all the way back over the cargo bed—a necessity in Southeast Asia where downpours can happen at any moment during the rainy season.

Therefore, at the sound of the gunshot, Bai Haonan stepped right onto the front footboard and unhesitatingly abandoned the motorcycle beneath him!

In effect, he executed a boarding leap. Even though the speed had dropped to fifty or sixty kilometers per hour, this was still an extremely dangerous move. Without a second word, he raised his fist and landed a heavy blow straight onto the opponent's jaw!

Local men were generally shorter in stature and at a distinct disadvantage against someone of Bai Haonan's build. But amidst these lightning-fast moves, the middle-aged man in the back pulled the trigger again with consecutive bang-bang shots!

This time, it was unmistakably clear—Bai Haonan felt as though he had been shot. The sensation around his waist or ribs felt like a burning bite.

Yet at this moment, Bai Haonan had abandoned all restraint; he was no longer the calculating, shrewd man of ordinary days. With a hint of madness, he launched a flurry of heavy, alternating punches at the driver in front of him, while roaring loudly: "Motherfucker!"

Perhaps ever since that terrifying night when he faced gunfire, the resentment suppressed deep in his heart finally erupted, venting out the frustration that only he had truly known during these past days!

A few swift punches directly bloodied the driver's face, causing him to lose control of the tricycle. The tuk-tuk's speed dropped even further. Squeezed into the single-occupant driver's cabin, Bai Haonan essentially sat on the handlebars with his backside, shifting his weight to cause the tricycle to sway violently. This tossed the handgun-wielding middle-aged man in the back like a stone in a blender, preventing him from aiming steadily and causing him to tumble to the floor, with one stray shot even piercing the roof canopy.

Deprived of throttle control, the tuk-tuk finally skidded to a halt. The middle-aged woman, dressed like a farmer, was the first to leap out and dash toward the crop fields by the roadside. Seeing the corner of a pink robe protruding from beneath the tarp in the corner of the cargo bed, Bai Haonan felt even more assured. Disregarding the gunshot wound on his waist and abdomen, he kicked the disoriented driver out of the seat, practically stepping over him to lunge toward the cargo bed. Just as the middle-aged man panicked and tried to jump out, Bai Haonan grabbed him around the waist, ignoring the man's heavy body odor, and tumbled backward together off the tail end of the tuk-tuk, which lacked a tailgate.

Amidst this frantic chaos, Bai Haonan had only a single thought: at all costs, he had to grab the hand holding that gun!

The opponent genuinely hadn't expected this monk to be so ferocious, leaping about with such formidable strength despite taking a bullet. Panicking and struggling desperately to escape, the man failed to maneuver the iron piece properly and instead swung it blindly, smashing it against Bai Haonan's shoulder and then his head!

That was an iron object, and being struck wildly and forcefully in the panic hurt intensely!

The former professional player, whose scalp had never been broken through ten or twenty years of playing football, flew into a rage. During the scuffle, he finally found an opening to smash his shaved head heavily against the opponent's, engaging in a direct egg-against-stone collision with the greasy, half-bald head. With several loud thuds, Bai Haonan seemed to emerge slightly victorious. Although dizzy and disoriented, the opponent immediately slumped limply.

Staggering to his feet, Bai Haonan didn't even have time to reach up and touch the painful spot on his head. He spun around and lunged toward the tarp. From within, a small arm reached out and directly flung the tarp aside. A little nun with a slightly dirtied face looked out in absolute terror, her complexion turning pale white at the sight of the man before her!

Bai Haonan finally let out a sigh of relief: "Don't be afraid..." Before he could say anything else, he looked back and saw a pink motorcycle along with a large crowd of various vehicles roaring noisily down the road. Bai Haonan suddenly felt warm liquid streaming down his left eyelid, followed by an overwhelming wave of vertigo. Everything went pitch black, and he collapsed straight to the ground.

Having never suffered major injuries before, did Bai Haonan actually suffer from hemophobia?!