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Chapter 16 Demon Dog Child (Part 2)

It was 10:30 p.m. at the apartment entrance.

Chu Hengkong coiled a long spear with his tentacles. The spear was 2.1 meters long, and both the spearhead and shaft were made of refined iron, making it incredibly heavy. In ancient times, spears on the battlefield mostly had wooden or bamboo handles, and a pure iron spear would be too heavy for ordinary people, but it was just right for Chu Hengkong.

The gun wasn't a relic, but it was sufficient. He put on a newly customized leather glove on his right hand, with a perception necklace embedded in the palm and two water bullet stickers on the back of his hand, so that he could easily trigger both relics with a clenched fist, saving him the trouble.

He ate dinner early and walked around in the night to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He always prepared thoroughly before doing anything serious, whether it was killing someone or beating a dog.

As night fell, the atmosphere in the abandoned apartment building completely changed. The dim lights in the stairwell flickered on again, casting eerie shadows in the empty spaces. The evil spirit made no attempt to conceal its hostility, issuing a warning to the man outside. Chu Hengkong completely ignored it all. He strode into the apartment, arrogantly striking the iron door with the barrel of his gun, the banging echoing through the stairwell.

The evil spirit in the building was enraged by the intruder's provocation. It let out a low growl, and a strong wind howled in the darkness.

The doors to all the apartments swung open, and several dark figures, accompanied by the whooshing sound of something cutting through the air, lunged at Chu Hengkong. These were rusty iron weapons and knives. The demon's power truly amplified at night; it could move objects remotely with its eerie abilities without even needing to appear in person. A dozen or so sharp weapons thrust in from all directions, like the demon's fangs, moving faster than ordinary water bullets, while Chu Hengkong possessed only a long spear.

His gun tip twitched.

In a mere instant, without even a sound, all the sharp weapons fell to the ground. The demon's control over objects seemed to have failed; the flying blades suddenly fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. The man with the gun walked leisurely around the fragments. The evil spirit in the shadows was momentarily bewildered; it didn't understand what the man had done. Usually, a barrage of knives would have been enough to make an intruder escape, but this method seemed ineffective against this man.

The evil spirit decided to try a different approach. It dragged a large, heavy cleaver. The cleaver was so thick and heavy that its weight alone could knock a man unconscious, yet under the evil spirit's control, it flew silently, completely hidden in the shadows. It stealthily moved behind Chu Hengkong and slashed at its target's torso!

The cleaver sank into the wall, a circular hole clearly visible in its thick blade. Numerous cracks appeared around the hole, and the cleaver shattered like glass. The evil spirit was completely stunned; this time, it finally understood the reason for its failure. Chu Hengkong's spear tip moved before the cleaver accelerated, and he had already sheathed it when the blade shattered. The evil spirit saw the beginning and the end but not the process; the moment the spear was thrust out seemed to be hidden. Even an illusory spirit leaves a trace, yet a mortal man unleashed an invisible thrust!
Chu Hengkong slowly raised his steel spear, aiming it at the damp wall.

"Only this much speed at night?" He smiled. "Not good enough. Perhaps... your master should take over!"

The moment the last word left his lips, he began to run down the stairwell. The gun flashed across the wall, its tip sparking from the incredible speed. The team members waiting outside immediately covered their ears; they heard an extremely piercing, tooth-grinding noise, like fingernails scratching a blackboard, but a thousand times more shrill. This noise resonated and echoed in the empty stairwell, creating an indescribably terrifying sound. The evil spirit in the shadows roared; it could no longer endure even a moment longer. This sound would be torture even for a human, let alone a dog!

In an instant, all the lights in the apartment shattered, all the doors slammed shut, and shards of glass and sharp blades created a sharp storm that swept through the narrow stairwell. All hiding places in the building were blocked, leaving Chu Hengkong with only two choices: defend or leave. Whichever he chose, the commotion would stop. However, the evil spirit miscalculated again; the noise only subsided for a moment. Chu Hengkong's tentacle slid backward, his right hand gripping the gun, and he roared with power. The cast-iron gun transformed into a club, crashing down into the center of the storm.

"drink!"

The blades reversed, the storm reversed, and the evil spirit's offensive was thwarted! A stronger gust of wind swept through, clearing a path for Chu Hengkong. He continued running, the tip of his spear now aimed at the glass, amplifying the piercing noise.

This is the advantage of using weapons: a wider range, greater force, and more available methods.

“Ouch——!!!”

The barking of dogs in the darkness exploded, shattering windows one after another. Even the team members waiting outside could feel the evil spirit's rage. The evil spirit could no longer restrain itself; it wanted to tear this scoundrel to pieces. Dust and debris swirled towards the stairwell, and under the ghastly green light, a pitch-black beast appeared.

Gray dust formed its body, sharpened wood became its claws and teeth, and its enormous eyes, as large as fists, blazed with blood-red flames of hatred and malice. The demon's appearance had nothing to do with a dog; it was a giant wolf, the kind that only appears in a child's nightmare. It howled and charged forward like a gust of wind, but Chu Hengkong smiled instead. His biggest worry was that the demon would lurk in the shadows, constantly harassing him; revealing its true form would make it easier to deal with.

Chu Hengkong stood still and fired two shots. The spears moved swiftly like two silver flashes, targeting the giant wolf's claws instead of its eyes and throat. The wooden claws were pierced by the spears, but the demon's ethereal form remained unharmed. It leaped high, lunging for Chu Hengkong's head. Its closed teeth barely tore through the air as Chu Hengkong ducked and dodged the attack. He gripped the spear shaft tightly in his right hand, a flash of purple light appearing in his grasp. The spear swept along the ground and then lashed out, shattering the giant wolf's two hind claws.

After the first exchange, the giant wolf landed on the ground before Chu Hengkong could even get up. The giant wolf felt smug; after all, a man with bare hands couldn't harm it in the slightest, only shattering pieces of wood and creating dust. Its form suddenly disintegrated, reappearing behind Chu Hengkong in an instant, its massive jaws snapping down fiercely.

Chu Hengkong sensed the wind behind him and heard the giant wolf's footsteps. He still didn't stand up, because there was no need to get up at this moment. His half-bent right leg was gathering strength, while his forward-leaning left foot had already quietly retracted. The moment the giant wolf opened its mouth, he suddenly pushed off the ground, his right foot stepping forward, his body spinning into a left bow, the spear shaft swinging backward with the force of his arm! This strike pierced through the giant wolf's dusty outer skin and struck something deep within its body. The giant wolf's movements stopped instantly as if electrocuted; it rolled on the ground, emitting a painful howl. Chu Hengkong's attack had actually worked; he had injured this ghost with his iron weapon.

This was a result he had expected, as he had planned for this attack from the very first round of the battle. Breaking the wooden claws was to reduce interference, and stalking and dodging was to close the distance. Earlier, when the giant wolf flew overhead, he activated his perception pendant, which enhanced his vision, allowing him to see through the dust and into the wolf spirit's body.

Deep within that gigantic body lay a stone collar, which he surmised was the key to the evil spirit's mischief.

Countless humans and animals perish unjustly in Huilong City every year, so how could a pet dog become an evil spirit in the building? It must be due to some strange bloodline, or the power of a relic manifesting itself. Now, this crucial relic has been struck by a spear, like a venomous snake being strangled at its vital point. The giant wolf rolled several times in pain, then got up and tried to flee. Chu Hengkong, behind it, calmly flicked out his tentacles, his iron spear catching up to the wolf's body and stabbing the stone collar three more times.

The three blows struck the same spot precisely, completely damaging the stone collar and leaving several cracks on its surface. The giant wolf howled and knelt down. Chu Hengkong stomped the collar into the ground and slowly raised his gun, as if to shatter it completely.

"—Stop hitting Hau!!"

A little girl's cry echoed from the darkness. A strange suction force snatched the collar from her neck, causing Chu Hengkong's spear to miss its mark. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that if he hadn't tried, even a dog would have noticed he was holding back. He turned and slung the iron spear over his shoulder.

Sure enough, the little ghost girl they had seen during the day reappeared. This time she was no longer hiding in the wall, but still timidly huddled in the green light, while the giant wolf howled and lay beside her, as docile as a real pet.

"Sir, please stop hitting us." The little ghost girl pleaded pitifully. "Hao shouldn't have provoked you. Please let us go."

Chu Hengkong felt a headache coming on at that tone. He was never good at dealing with women and children, and this little girl was the worst off. He sighed and abruptly asked, "Is she a good girl?"

The little ghost girl's mouth hung open, not understanding what this meant. She hesitated before speaking, "I, I am..."

"Be a good kid while you're alive, but don't cause trouble for others after you die," Chu Hengkong said coldly. "Huilong City is big. If you don't cause trouble, no one will care about you and your dog. But if you're not well-behaved, someone like me will come to deal with you."

The little ghost girl remained silent and took two steps back. Chu Hengkong softened his tone, trying his best to appear kind and gentle, which was quite difficult for an assassin: "I don't kill children. Give me the collar, behave yourself, and this matter ends here."

“…I won’t give it to her.” The little ghost girl hugged the collar tightly.

Chu Hengkong pressed his temples. The little ghost girl's eyes held a stubbornness like nails stuck in them. This was why he disliked children. Children were always stubborn and single-minded. Once they held on to something and made up their minds, they would never let go, no matter how much you kicked or hit them. They would only pierce you with the nails in their eyes, making the smallest thing seem like they were fighting against the whole world.

Chu Heng made one last effort: "I'm a police officer. If you have any enemies, this police officer can help you kill them..."

"So you're a police officer." The little girl looked down. "Are police officers useful?"

“You weren’t there when my mother was beaten to death, and you weren’t there when they beat me and Hawu… I shouted until my voice was hoarse, but no one came… Now that my parents are dead, the police have finally come to beat my dog…!”

Tears like blood streamed from the little ghost girl's eyes. She stared intently at Chu Hengkong, howling almost in despair: "My whole family is dead! What use are you all here?! Die! All of you die!!!"

A piercing explosion followed the cries, and Chu Hengkong immediately raised his spear. The next instant, a ghastly green power erupted from around the female ghost, and the giant wolf charged forward, its speed more than twice as fast as before!
The wolf's head rammed into the iron spear, feeling an immense impact from the shaft. The force was like a giant hammer, smashing Chu Hengkong directly into the ceiling. In an instant, the mezzanine between the three floors was breached, and Chu Hengkong was slammed from the second floor to the fifth. The impact passed through the iron spear and struck his flesh, causing him to cough up blood.

At the same time, Chu Hengkong felt excruciating pain all over his body. Invisible blows rained down on him. Although there was no one around him, he felt as if he was being beaten by dozens of vengeful ghosts!

(End of this chapter)