Forge a path to success

"If the locals had your popularity, they wouldn't be hiding in raincoats," Ji Huaisu said sourly. "They should just swing out with their tentacles. If they keep dragging this out, something bad will happen."

People flocked to the scene after hearing the news, many pushing and shoving their way to stand before the "divine child," knocking over offerings from others. Young people called him the hand of an omniscient god, herb vendors claimed he was the light of a deep-sea sage, and everyone clamored to claim him as their "god." Shouts and shoving erupted, and the scene teetered on the brink of chaos. If this continued, it would be a deadly stampede; in that case, even ten detectives wouldn't be able to control the crowd.

Chu Hengkong raised his tentacle, intending to crack the whip to attract attention. At that moment, a clear bell rang out, sweeping through the crowd like ripples on a turbulent surface of water. The restless water droplets instantly quieted down, gazing docilely at the high slope outside the market like sheep.

The sound came from a pair of small metal bells hanging from a silver stone staff. The staff-bearer stood on a high slope, escorted by four burly men as he walked toward the market, the crowd spontaneously making way for him. The man wore a white robe resembling a cassock, was a dark-skinned, bald man, and an amethyst pendant swayed around his neck.

“All believers should be mindful of their demeanor and not disturb the distinguished guest in the name of piety,” the man with the staff said coldly.

Upon hearing this, the people immediately stopped and retreated. Chu Hengkong noticed that this man's attitude was anything but friendly, and his words seemed perfunctory, yet the swamp people listened to his advice very readily. In a few seconds, a clearing was formed around them, and Ji Huaisu quietly tugged at his sleeve from behind.

“What an honor to have you grace us with your presence, esteemed detective and distinguished guest of the Central Court.” The man with the cane bowed slightly, picking up his necklace. “My name is Adari, and I am—”

“I know.” Chu Hengkong opened his right hand, showing off his pendant. “You are the Grand Wizard of the Society of Spirits.”

·

[Pendant-type Basic Relic - Enhancement]

[Rating: Level 1]

【Origin: Mysterious Realm of Senluo - Huilong City】

[Effect: Gripping the necklace enhances perception for 1-3 seconds. The degree and duration of the enhancement depend on the level of emotional intensity.]

[Remembrance: The crystal necklace made by Granny Sangja is a symbol of status in the eyes of believers.]

Alex is one of the three great wizards of the Order of Spirits. He has deciphered too many secrets from the vortex and summons the gods to save the world.

·

As early as the night he discovered the true purpose of the Silver Eye Book, Chu Hengkong had re-appraised all his spoils of war, thus learning the significance of the pendant. The Spirits Society was the largest religious organization in the Bize District, and the Grand Wizard was its most revered leader, enjoying a reputation in the district akin to a "living Buddha" or "saint." On his very first day, he not only offended the Black Workshop but also landed the religious leader of the Swamp People in jail—a remarkably ideal start for an assassin.

The great wizard Adari was clearly aware of this, and his attitude was not friendly: "If you two do not have important matters to attend to, I hope you will not disturb the peace of the swamp."

"Please take us to see Granny Sangjia. We have some questions to ask her." Chu Hengkong said calmly.

Adari forced a sneer: "Go home! We have nothing to say about the man who imprisoned Alex."

Chu Hengkong raised an eyebrow at the gloomy man, then suddenly stepped forward. In a single step, he bypassed the four burly guards and flashed in front of the Grand Wizard. In the blink of an eye, Adari met his gaze, the coldness as piercing as black ice.

“You seem to have misunderstood something. I am currently carrying out my duties as a senior detective, and as a citizen of Huilong City, you have an obligation to provide me with all possible assistance.” Chu Hengkong narrowed his eyes. “Think carefully about how you should speak. Headquarters has plenty of paper and pens; writing another arrest warrant won’t be a problem.”

Adali stared at him for a few seconds, his expression unchanged. He looked at Ji Huaisu, who was wearing a raincoat: "Is the City Lord's Mansion going to let this person run rampant?"

Ji Huaisu remained silent; silence was the best expression of his stance. Adali realized that the two were serious, and the gloom in his eyes deepened: "...I will cooperate, but please be mindful of your actions."

"The guest does as the host does."

Chu Hengkong took a step back, the coldness in his eyes vanishing completely. Adali glared at the four useless guards, then turned and led the way.

Ji Huaisu moved closer to his partner, his voice barely a whisper, yet still brimming with excitement: "Damn! Your arrogant, sycophantic attitude is absolutely awful!"

“When I was in the underworld, I heard it so many times that I could recite it backwards.” Chu Hengkong picked at his ear. “One of my jobs was to make them go home.”

“Yes, that’s how you should teach them a lesson.” Ji Huaisu sneered, “But don’t go too far, be careful.”

Chu Hengkong nodded, understanding his partner's meaning. He had been on high alert ever since disembarking, not only because the employers of the assassins he had met were from the swamp, but also because of the lurking danger in the air.

For experienced people, a sense of crisis is an "intuition" more acute than the five senses. When being targeted by a gunman, one can feel the other's gaze; when being followed, hostility is as obvious as a scent. But the danger of the swamp is different from ordinary perils. The warning brought by this intuition is not strong, but it is constant. It's like countless tiny needles hidden in the air, causing a slight stinging sensation no matter where you go.

Chu Hengkong frequently gripped his perception pendant, using his enhanced senses to probe every corner where assassins might be hiding. After leaving the market, the noisy crowd finally subsided, and they walked along the road into a small settlement. The muddy road was lined with low wooden houses, and the residential area was mostly populated by the elderly and children, with few adult men and women in sight. Strangely, most of the children hid inside the houses, peeking at the passersby through the gaps in the wooden planks.

“The swamp shouldn’t be this quiet,” Ji Huaisu frowned.

Adali sneered upon hearing this: "Now is not the time to go out."

Without Adali needing to say anything, the two perceptive individuals noticed the stiffness in the air. Although the settlement and the port market were not far apart, the atmospheres were worlds apart. Chu Heng listened intently and vaguely caught sounds of crying and groans.

They emerged from the settlement in an eerie silence, making their way up the slope. At the end of the road stood a stone church, an even stranger structure, all its windows sealed shut with black cloth, like a man-made prison. Adari stopped at the church entrance, a hint of mockery creeping into his smile.

"Please come in, Chief Inspector. Sang Jia is inside, and I value my life, so I cannot keep you company."

Chu Hengkong held his breath and pushed open the door. His vision was momentarily blurred by the bright light; the sealed church was now as bright as day. Yet there were no lights or candles in the church; the light came from people's eyes, from their skin!

The original tables and chairs in the church were all removed, and dozens of white sheets were laid out in a row, on which emaciated people groaned in pain. They were dressed in black clothes like shrouds, but even so, bright yellow spots of light could be clearly seen on their bodies. These spots of light lurked beneath the skin, spreading like an incurable tinea. The most severely affected people were almost completely covered by the spots of light, their former faces unrecognizable, resembling humanoid light bodies.

An elderly woman with white hair sat cross-legged in the center of the group, grinding a brown medicinal soup in a small bowl. She looked up at Chu Hengkong, her gaze unfocused, her voice as faint as smoke.

"Quickly close the door," said Granny Sangjia. "There's poison in the light."

Chapter 28 The Curse of Fluorescence

A faint light from outside pierced the church through the cracks in the door. This light seemed weaker than the spots of light on the people, like fireflies under an incandescent bulb. But the moment the iron gate opened, the people in the light spots screamed. Those who were in better condition got up and ran, while the weak crawled towards the iron gate on all fours. The scene was eerie and terrifying, like a group of zombies chasing the light.

As soon as Ji Huaisu entered the church, he saw this and quickly closed the iron gate. After the light disappeared, the zombies stopped moving abruptly. They swayed left and right, collapsed to the ground, and returned to their previous state of near death.

"The corpse," Ji Huaisu cursed under his breath, "Damn it!"

Chu Hengkong silently memorized this unfamiliar word. He walked up to Granny Sangjia, but before he could speak, the old woman raised her hand to stop him.

"It's not finished yet. It will be finished when the medicine is ready."

He noticed that the old man was trying to pound medicine to save people, so he quietly waited aside and observed the condition of the fireflies.

This strange disease resembles a hybrid of an otherworldly skin condition and ALS. The mental state of the glowing corpses is closely related to the size of the glowing spots. Those with smaller glowing spots still have the energy to speak, but once the spots spread to half their bodies, they become almost completely unable to speak, only able to mumble and groan. Those whose entire bodies are consumed by the glowing spots seem to have lost the ability to think; they are silent, and their lifeless eyes are chilling.

A chill crept up Chu Hengkong's spine. The more he looked at the light spots, the more familiar they seemed; he was certain he had seen something similar recently...

That has a very similar texture to Ji Huaisu's light shield!

Could it originate from the same ability? Or is it just a similar power? Chu Hengkong didn't ask; now wasn't the time to delve into it. Seeing that the white-robed people were too busy, the two of them helped carry the medicinal soup. Granny Sangjia didn't react to this, focusing only on her work.

She meticulously ground herbs, mushrooms, and animal organs together, then dissolved them in tea to make a medicinal soup. This monotonous task lasted for nearly an hour before finally ending. The medicinal herbs she had brought were used up; some of the fireflies improved after taking the medicine, while most remained unchanged. The people in white robes clasped their hands together in gratitude to Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu.

“Fashionistas, please come with me.” Granny Sangjia rose with her cane. “Tell me why you have come.”

·

Granny Sangjia was a well-known figure in Huilong City. She was the third high priestess of the Society of Spirits and the founder of this religious organization. Rumor had it that in her youth, Granny Sangjia was a down-on-her-luck prostitute, earning meager wages through her body. One day, she was knocked unconscious by a ruthless customer, stuffed into a sack, and dragged to the very edge of the Bize District. It was a true dead end, for the swamp's edge was the lowest level of the Huilong Water Curtain; only unwanted relics would be relegated to the bottom, carried away by the current from the city to unknown, distant lands.

The scoundrels threw the prostitute into the current, betting that it would take several days for people to discover her disappearance. But after some time, the prostitute reappeared in the swamp, claiming she had received divine revelation in the current, revealing that all things in the world possess spirits and can become gods. The swamp people worshipped this miracle, and the theory of "animism" spread and developed with this worship, eventually becoming the malignant cult rooted in the swamp today.

Chu Hengkong laughed off the story. After all, every gang leader had a legendary tale of "resurrection," and it was just a matter of fabricating stories to bolster their reputations. However, the animistic belief was genuine, because everyone in the Society of Spirits had their own "god," and they acted according to different ideologies. You'd be hard-pressed to find an organization like this anywhere else: the top leader personally went to the front lines to help the sick, while the second-in-command stood by coldly.

“Sangjia, you’re wasting your time,” Adali said bluntly. “Your medicine can’t save a dying person.”

Grandma Sangjia's dwelling was located in the "Harvest Village" south of Bize, a small hut decorated with reeds, pebbles, and animal hides. She lit her stuffed pipe with a match and gently exhaled a puff of smoke. The pale green smoke, like that of poisonous insects, brushed across the dense wrinkles on her face and blended into her black feather-woven coat.

“It’s fate,” the old woman said. “I accept my fate, and they accept theirs.”

Adali waved his hand, clearly unimpressed. He stood up and walked towards the door: "I have other things to do, so I won't keep you company. Please come out with me. I'm a civilized person, after all. I can't leave a dangerous person and an old man alone in a room."

As he spoke, he stared at Ji Huaisu, who clicked her tongue loudly, gave Chu Hengkong a look, and then walked out the door. The girl didn't even retort, making Chu Hengkong wonder what great feats she had accomplished in the swamp.

After the two left, he went straight to the point: "When did the disease begin to spread?"

“It’s not an illness, it’s poison.” Granny Sangjia shook her head. “Thirteen days and months ago, poison mixed into the light of the swamp… The poison will erode people’s fate, turning them into lifeless corpses dominated by the light…”

About two weeks ago, the light spread, eventually turning into the living dead. Chu Hengkong silently translated the key points and continued to ask, "Why didn't you ask the City Lord's Mansion for help?"

“The Dragon God himself is in dire straits, and there is no way to save him.” Granny Sangjia tapped her pipe. “There is too much light in the central courtyard… If the poison spreads, there will be nowhere to escape.”

The key factor is the amount of sunlight. The central courtyard is a perpetually overcast and dilapidated place, but it still receives significantly more sunlight than the swamp at the bottom. If the light poison spreads to the central courtyard, it could very well lead to a major plague… From this perspective, Granny Sangjia's decision was not wrong. However, she didn't even inform the central courtyard, clearly showing a lack of trust in the government… She probably doesn't know about the reconstruction of the Healing Temple, otherwise she wouldn't have been so resolute…

Chu Hengkong considered the matter briefly and decided to set it aside for the time being. The light poison was not something he could handle alone; treating the illness would be a headache for Youyou and the others. The most important thing right now was to save Ji Qiufeng. He posed his third question: "Do you know about the gold in the swamp?"

The old woman smiled upon hearing this: "Child of the trend, your heart is full of curiosity, but your desires lie elsewhere."

Chu Hengkong attempted to describe it in detail: "It might be a kind of medicinal herb..."

“Gold is what desire is condensed into,” the old man’s voice trailed off. “Your desire is not in the swamp, but in the past…”

Chu Hengkong pressed his temples; the nonsensical conversation was infuriating. He noticed the rambling tone sounded a bit like an appraisal report for relics, and a thought struck him. He then asked, "So, what about the gold that the pharmacist is after?"

"The Medicine Master? The Medicine Master..." Granny Sangjia closed her eyes in thought upon hearing this. After a long while, she took a deep drag of her pipe: "Ah... is it the Great Master Jingzang?"

Chu Hengkong nodded immediately, and the old man forced a nostalgic smile through his wrinkles: "A man of elegant bearing, like a Buddha in white robes... I know him; he once said that gold would be born in the swamp—"

From the depths of the thick smoke, a gunshot rang out. The whistling sound drowned out the whispers, and the patina-colored bullet pierced the wooden wall, striking the old man squarely in the forehead!

The bullet stopped near the old man's temple, striking the back of his bulging, veiny fist. In that instant, Chu Hengkong, who had been sitting calmly, sprang up, smashing the bullet away with a single punch, then crashing through the thatched hut and rushing outwards.

"Ji Huaisu!" he shouted. A brilliant golden light illuminated the broken wall, and a spherical light shield protected Granny Sangjia. With no worries, Chu Hengkong swiftly rushed out the door, chasing after the lurking gunman. That faint sense of crisis had been building up, as if every needle was aimed at his eyes.

He knew he had found the right way, and the enemy would certainly not want him to know anything, so they did not hesitate to kill the old man to silence him!

The bullet only grazed the back of his fist, drawing blood. He had blocked the shot with his taut muscles and hard knuckles. It was no longer a water bullet; the copper-rust-colored metal bullet was filled with an unknown crystal, and its impact was comparable to that of a modern large-caliber pistol. If he hadn't become a skilled hand, that shot would have been enough to temporarily paralyze his arm.

The "Harvest Settlement" consisted entirely of low wooden houses, so Chu Hengkong leaped onto the rooftop to better track the enemy. He spotted a dark figure scurrying along the muddy path with a single glance. The gunman wore tattered camouflage, possessing excellent stealth skills, but his speed was far inferior to Chu Hengkong's. Chu Hengkong flicked his fingers, first striking the gunman in the back with a water bullet. The water bullet hit accurately, but the gunman only swayed slightly and did not fall.

The gunman's camouflage uniform was also a relic; its excellent defensive capabilities saved his life. He used the momentum to roll to the side, dodging the second water bullet that followed. Just as the intelligence indicated, the target's usual tactic was to launch two projectiles at a staggered pace; once he dodged them, he was temporarily out of range. Flames spurted from the gunman's boots as he suddenly accelerated to create distance, raising the weapon he had been given.

A dark green flintlock pistol, the bullets needing to be loaded one by one, the second bullet already loaded. The crosshair aimed at the forehead, the trigger pulled, the bullet fired. If it couldn't kill Sang Jia, the plan changed; it would kill Chu Hengkong directly!

The gunman's timing was impeccable; Chu Hengkong had barely reacted before he couldn't even retract his attack to defend. Chu Hengkong didn't defend either; his outstretched right hand clenched into a fist, while his left arm's tentacle snapped back, its silver muscles taut. Using the momentum of his fist retraction, he sidestepped, a bullet grazing his hair, followed by the fully charged tentacle springing out, transforming into a silver spear that tore through the air!

The sudden explosion startled the residents, the sonic boom piercing the air and sweeping through the settlement like gunpowder exploding simultaneously. No one saw the silver gun being fired; all they could see was the white sonic boom spreading outwards. The shot completely destroyed the flintlock pistol and pierced the gunner's torso as well.

The gunman knelt down, collapsing to the ground like a broken doll. Chu Hengkong landed from the rooftop, shaking his numb tentacles.

This time he showed no mercy; the person who shot the old woman didn't deserve to be spared. He kicked the fallen gunman to turn him over, and was slightly surprised when he saw the enemy's face.

It has no physical body.

Chapter 29 Disaster Knight

The gunman didn't show his face, wearing a mud mask. His torso was pierced by a single bullet, and no muscle or blood was visible inside the wound, only a few broken pieces of wood. Chu Hengkong squatted down and lifted his camouflage uniform, revealing beneath it an empty frame made of twisted wooden planks and wire. The person who assassinated Granny Sangjia was actually a crudely made puppet.

Beneath the mud mask, the gunman's head was a ball made of rubber and sheet metal. The maker had a great sense of humor, even drawing a comical smiley face on it. Since a gun couldn't be used with just wood and wire, the puppet's arms were meticulously crafted. The prosthetic arms, with their white porcelain bases, achieved flexible small movements through ball joints, moving almost indistinguishably from real hands.

The gunman wasn't even human; no wonder he hadn't sensed any killing intent before. Chu Hengkong carefully searched the puppet but found nothing resembling a transmitter or threads.

Using puppets as assassins always requires a medium; could it be that the AI ​​from another world can run on such a rudimentary device? Or perhaps…

What is attached to this puppet?

·

"Breaking news: I messed up. The target was more troublesome than the intelligence described; the puppet didn't last even half a minute."

"As expected of the Chief Detective," the man on the other end of the communication exclaimed. "What is Chu Hengkong doing right now?"

“I can’t possess the puppet again after it’s been meticulously destroyed.” The sniper paused, then added, “Its tentacles are strange. Ambiguous.”

“They have something on their mind and a secret. Testing them was definitely the right thing to do.” The man pondered for a moment. “Let’s retreat first, Bessen. We’ll find another opportunity to retrieve the puppet later. It’s never good to leave evidence behind.”

“I’ll take another look,” Bessen said. It drifted with the wind to a dead tree and observed the settlement’s movements from afar. A single puppet was insignificant, but its subsequent developments were worth its attention.

It was eager to know whether this fledgling "skilled hand" could defeat a veteran "cornerstone" and twenty-one "glimmers of light".

·

Chu Hengkong delivered the final kick, crushing the puppet's head into dust.

The battle with Tina and the dog was only recently, and in a world with spirits and demons, possession was no longer a myth. Therefore, he carefully destroyed the puppet's head and limbs to prevent this third-rate act of resurrection.

During this process, fearful gazes were cast from behind the windows one after another. The earlier sonic boom had alerted people to the fighting in the settlement; they hadn't seen the details, only that a man was torturing a mangled "corpse," and naturally, they felt terrified.

Chu Hengkong also noticed this. He raised his identification with his tentacles to prove his identity to everyone: "I am Senior Detective Chu Hengkong, currently pursuing a dangerous suspect... Residents, please close your doors and windows and do not go out!"

Halfway through his speech, Chu Hengkong suddenly raised his voice. The menacing aura in his announcement caused the swamp dwellers to immediately draw their curtains and tremble in the darkness. He had no interest in frightening the common people; his threatening words stemmed from a sense of unease. The swamp was dimly lit, and even with the commotion, the residents shouldn't have been able to find him so quickly. They could see Chu Hengkong because light was seeping into their surroundings.

Glug. Glug. Glug. The sound of thick bubbles rang out one after another, and patches of light appeared from the front and back of the wooden house. Chu Hengkong became more alert. He had expected to see glowing corpses, but the new enemies weren't even human. Clumps of mud surged from the swamp, and the patches of light clung to the waist-high clumps of mud, transforming into a filthy army that surrounded him.

There were twenty mud-covered corpses in total. Their movements resembled those of small insects, rampaging through the damp swamp. Chu Hengkong crouched low, his tentacles transforming into long whips that lashed out, cleaving ten mud monsters in half at the waist with a single strike. But he knew something was wrong the moment he struck; the impact from their muddy bodies was almost nonexistent.

Sure enough, the scattered mud gathered together again, and the light spot stabilized after only a moment of swaying. Simple attacks were ineffective against these things.

Chu Hengkong decisively withdrew his attack and leaped away, running towards the edge of the settlement. This time, he didn't jump onto the rooftops; while that would be safer, the mud monsters might damage houses and injure innocent residents. The mud-covered corpses also turned and chased after him. These things were indeed controlled by someone; the mastermind behind them was furious this time, willing to expose their power within the settlement to make a move.

Chu Hengkong cautiously maintained his distance. After a dozen seconds, he ran out of the settlement and began circling along the wooden fence that served as the boundary. Strikes and thrusts were likely ineffective, the power-up bracelet was useless, and throwing water bullets into the mud wasn't a solution… He really had no other options at the moment, but he still had Ji Huaisu. He would find an opportunity to scatter them all and then quickly rejoin Ji Huaisu—

【Boom】

A deep, resonant voice echoed in his mind, like a scepter striking his heart, the reverberation reverberating endlessly. Chu Hengkong, who was running, suddenly stopped. The inexplicable resonant voice brought his thoughts to a standstill, leaving only a cold, indifferent command echoing in his mind.

stop.

Stop. Halt. The bright spot of light magnifies in your vision. Don't move. Follow his instructions. You're about to be touched by the light. You can't handle so many "glimmers." Pause for a moment. Light. The light is converging...

No!

The flowing mud knocked Chu Hengkong down. His eyes rolled stiffly, and he saw the mud-covered, glowing corpse crawling up his legs like venomous insects. An indescribable emptiness washed over him. His body heat was draining away, and his mind flashed through a series of past experiences, memories playing back rapidly like a slideshow. But the crucial images were blurry; no matter how hard he tried to recall them, he could only see a blinding light. And the glowing corpse grew brighter and brighter…