Chapter 161: The Artillery Duel with Li Lekang (Please Subscribe)

Under the expectant gaze of tens of thousands of people at the scene, the crane slowly lowered the cage.

Without any superfluous mystification, the female assistant tore away the black cloth, which was riddled with countless bullet holes.

Luke Lee was inside the cage, safe and sound!

Applause and cheers surged frantically. This performance, combining large-scale illusion and escapology, was once again a flawlessly executed masterpiece!

Facing a barrage of bullets fired from every conceivable angle, Luke Lee was completely unharmed! Everyone knew he certainly couldn't have been inside the cage, yet no one could see how he had managed to appear back inside it!

Yet this was merely the first explosive highlight!

There was a second one!

Staff members brought over a hydraulic cutter and a cutting machine, preparing to dismantle the cage.

"Now, everyone watch closely, look very carefully, and do not let anyone touch me!"

Luke Lee reminded the audience with absolute confidence, telling them to pay attention and focus on the details!

When a magician dared to say such a thing, it proved that the trick did not lie in any sleight of hand at that moment.

Once the cage was cut open, the staff members retreated to both sides, having had no physical contact with him throughout the entire process.

Luke Lee stepped out and motioned to the beautiful female assistant beside him.

She brought a tray forward, and Luke Lee opened his mouth and spat out a bullet casing!

A close-up shot on the camera displayed it clearly for everyone to see.

The green mark on the bullet casing was undeniably the exact one the older man had carved earlier!

The audience descended into an uproar!

This was followed by an outburst of enthusiastic applause and shouting. It was right here that things began to truly turn magical!

Because the previous two acts actually contradicted each other!

In the first act, bullets rained down on the cage. According to the most logical assumption of a magic performance, the magician certainly was not inside the cage—this was everyone's consensus!

In the second act, the sniper rifle bullets with marked casings were fired at the cage. If the magician wasn't there, how on earth could he have retrieved the bullet casing?

With tens of thousands of eyes at the scene, and confident live broadcasting from television cameras, there were no visual blind spots to speak of—at least, no one had seen anyone touch Luke Lee.

Yet he had spat a bullet casing bearing a unique, one-of-a-kind mark straight out of his mouth?

The live audience felt as though they were losing their minds!

Even professionals found it incredible; it was yet another insoluble performance!

They desperately wanted to roar at the top of their lungs: Are you actually using wizardry?!

But wouldn't doing that play right into Luke Lee's hands?

After all, among this guy's past marketing controversies, it had been exposed that he paid people to spread rumors everywhere that he was a sorcerer, a wizard... How frustrating!

Ever since this monstrous figure Luke Lee burst onto the scene, the minds, dignity, and self-confidence of his peers had suffered a dimensional reduction strike!

Against the backdrop of Luke Lee's various insoluble magic tricks, they all felt that what they performed wasn't magic at all, but merely children's play-acting, not worth mentioning!

Yet the audience was merciless; they only loved the strongest one, the most dazzling and brilliant one!

Without a doubt, Luke Lee, having removed his handcuffs and waving both hands on stage, was a god in the eyes of the tens of thousands present, a blindingly radiant superstar!

He asked the crowd, "Did you enjoy the performance just now?"

Applause swelled from the audience below!

Luke Lee smiled. "I feel like... the volume is still a little too low!"

Although an even greater wave of cheers quickly filled the void, he still had more trump cards to show off.

The master illusionist rolled up his sleeves, smiled, and paced back and forth across the stage, saying, "So today, I have prepared something even more explosive. Take a look!"

As his voice faded, a rumbling sound echoed from the side of the stage.

It sounded like a heavyweight behemoth passing by, the movement of a massive object crushing the ground.

The next second, the audience's gazes converged as a desert-tan M1 Abrams main battle tank rolled out from the large side tent!

Sitting atop the tank were two beautiful women—none other than Luke Lee's nun bodyguards. Radiating cool confidence, they met the gaze of the crowd and arrived at the edge of the stage.

Several U.S. soldiers also appeared alongside them, fully armed and looking thoroughly authentic—he had genuinely invited the U.S. military to make a guest appearance!

When it came to patriotic brainwashing, don't listen to public intellectuals spouting nonsense about the Beacon Nation not doing such things and relying entirely on confidence—bullshit! They were actually the most enthusiastic of all!

Every major sporting event was guaranteed to have fighter jets roar overhead, and the Super Bowl even featured stealth bombers like the B2 making an appearance!

Even at school-level athletic events, as long as the administration filed a request, it was common to see helicopters like Apaches and Black Hawks descending from the sky. For children, this level of reinforcement was engraved deep into their bones!

Therefore, for Luke Lee's event, securing military support was surprisingly easy. They dispatched an M1 main battle tank to prepare for the next segment—executing Luke Lee by cannon fire!

On stage, Luke Lee was currently briefing them on this crazy plan: "I am going to ride in an off-road vehicle and perform a life-or-death escape. The tank has a total of three cannon shells. If I manage to evade them, please grant me your most enthusiastic applause, alright?"

The audience below was practically high on adrenaline; it was utterly insane!

Yet it was also intensely thrilling!

Even Americans, accustomed to gunfights every single day, rarely got to witness a scene involving a tank being brought out for spectacles. The only thing coming to mind was back in 1995, when a disgruntled veteran in San Diego, California, went on a rampage, driving an M60 tank down the streets and creating the real-life prototype for Grand Theft Auto.

Now, Luke Lee couldn't go on a tank rampage, but he could pull off a daring escape under tank fire!

Furthermore, he had prepared a twist the audience never expected.

He was going to get hit!

This mischievous impulse allowed him to enjoy the pleasure of fooling the audience right there on stage, while anticipating the looks of sheer terror on their faces in just a moment!

After showcasing the tank, the off-road vehicle Luke Lee needed arrived as well!

It was a modified Wrangler, featuring off-road tires and a lifted suspension. The modifications weren't extensive, primarily designed to help it tear across the rough terrain later.

Luke Lee climbed into the vehicle, started the engine, and right in front of everyone, slammed his foot on the gas to drive it up onto the stage, before rolling down the window.

"The rules are simple: they're giving me a two-hundred-meter head start, across any terrain and in any direction. As long as I can escape the artillery bombardment, I win this tank as my personal car—is that a deal, Uncle Sam?"

The audience erupted into laughter—classic American humor.

"Are you guys ready?"

Luke Lee shouted to the U.S. soldiers.

A roar from the tank's engine echoed in response.

"Please count down from three for me!"

"3... 2... 1!"

As the words fell, Luke Lee slammed his foot on the accelerator, sending the off-road vehicle flying off the stage. It crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust amidst furiously spinning tires, and sped away wildly!

Behind it, the M1 tank moved forward unhurriedly, making its way to an open area where more of the audience could see, and quietly waited for Luke Lee to enter the firing zone!

The hearts of the audience were once again strung high into the air, and the twenty million viewers watching the live television broadcast kept their eyes glued to the screen, eagerly anticipating what kind of miracle this madman Luke Lee was going to pull off—

"Boom!"

The tank opened fire!

Just like that, without a moment's warning, it fired immediately after Luke Lee crossed the two-hundred-meter mark!

This shell struck an earthen slope just over thirty meters away from the vehicle. The deafening blast felt as though the earth beneath their feet was trembling. Judging by the sand and rocks swept up by the explosion, they were actually using high-explosive warheads!

The shock of such genuine artillery fire was absolutely impossible to fake—it even made quite a few people feel their bladders tighten, urging them to visit the restroom!

Sparks and gunsmoke drifted through the air. One of the windows of the fleeing Wrangler had been shattered by the shockwave, and it swerved frantically in a zigzag pattern while the tank's turret adjusted its angle, preparing for the second shot!