Forge a path to success

Chu Hengkong realized he was being "devoured," that he was about to lose something he could never have taken away. He desperately screamed in his mind to drown out the damned embellishment. He kicked stiffly, flinging the muddy corpse away, but his body remained immobile.

It would take at least another second, or even longer, before Chu Hengkong stretched out his numb hand. At that moment, the swamp in front of him surged like waves, blinding spots of light spraying out along with massive amounts of mud. The mud and decaying matter were gathered together by the light, solidifying into a rough, mushy body, transforming into a filthy behemoth exceeding ten meters in height!

Its height surpassed all the houses in the settlement, and it smashed a wooden house with just one step forward. The screams of the settlement's inhabitants were deafening, but the giant ignored the panicked civilians. It raised its blindingly bright palm and punched Chu Hengkong with tremendous force.

This was the real killing blow. Everything before was just a prelude to forcing him to create distance and fight alone; that heavy sound and the sudden appearance of the gigantic creature were the intended fatal strike. Chu Hengkong's heart sank. He was currently unable to move or defend himself. He could only endure the blows and see if his resilience could withstand the impact that shattered the house. But what if this thing also possessed that strange "corrosion" ability? What if it could also devour memories…?

His vision was completely overwhelmed by the light, and he braced himself for the worst. But for a moment, Chu Hengkong thought he was hallucinating; he saw a dense shadow within the light. Pitch black as night, gloomy as thick clouds, the shadow forcefully overshadowed the light spots, forming a massive weapon that obscured his vision!

He wasn't mistaken; it was a weapon, a greatsword forged from shadow. Longer than a normal person's height, its thickness comparable to a shield, the shadows on the blade's edge swirling, violent like dark flames. The swordswoman stood before him, her hood falling as she moved with incredible speed, her swaying hair like golden light. She raised the greatsword with both hands, as if to etch her power into it, and swirled her body deeply.

In the next instant, Ji Huaisu swung his greatsword, the intense shadow tearing through the bright light, the sword wind ferocious like a roar!

Mud flew everywhere, and the giant body collapsed. That sword cleaved off the monster's hand along with half of its body, the cut as smooth as a mirror. The light spots inside the monster's body were forcefully severed by the shadow, and the twenty mud-covered corpses around it were pulverized by the sword wind before they could even get close. That frenzied slash was like the command of a tyrant, and not a single ray of light could survive under its blade.

Chu Hengkong was stunned, his eyes fixed on the sword strike, momentarily forgetting to think. Then, the greatsword vanished like smoke in the girl's hand. Ji Huaisu turned and squatted down, patting his shoulder hard: "Hey! Are you hurt?"

He regained control of his body at that moment, and Chu Hengkong took a deep breath: "...I owe you one."

"What debts? We're all brothers, damn it." Ji Huaisu used his arm to support himself as he stood up, glancing warily around. No new mud-covered corpses appeared, so the mastermind had probably given up on the attack. The swamp people stood amidst the chaos, casting blank stares at them.

"It's good that everyone's alright, and Granny Sangjia is fine too." Ji Huaisu quietly pulled up her hood. "Let's retreat now..."

"……what?"

Chu Hengkong doubted his ears. He turned his head and saw that the other person was wearing an awkward smile. It wasn't the kind of awkwardness that comes from being impolite, but rather the kind of smile a child gives after making a big mess and being caught by their parents. Then he noticed that all the people in the swamp were staring at Ji Huaisu. Their pupils shrank, their faces contorted, and their blank expressions turned into panic, and then into terror.

"Oh no! The Calamity Knight is here!" "A divine enemy!" "We can't stay here! Everyone run! Run!!" "Great Wizard, save me!!" "She's going to eat people!!!"

Immediately following, screams pierced the settlement, and men, women, and children fled in terror. If the mud-covered firefly corpse was a messenger of fear, then Ji Huaisu at this moment was the monarch of fear. The behavior of these people couldn't be described as seeing a ghost; it was as if they had seen the King of Hell.

Chu Hengkong was stunned for a moment: "What exactly did you do in the swamp?"

“That’s right, you know, it’s about upholding justice…” Ji Huaisu said softly, “You know there are a lot of charlatans and villains in places like this, right? So it’s only natural for me, as a law enforcement officer, to give them the punishment they deserve…”

"Just tell me how many you killed," Chu Hengkong said.

"...That's a bit much."

Chu Hengkong glanced at her sideways, and the blonde girl's voice grew even softer.

"A tiny bit too much..."

Chapter 30 Obsession

To understand the infamous reputation of the Disaster Knights, one must mention the past conditions of the swamp.

At that time, the people of Midgard called the lower levels a cult's paradise. The dragon boat connecting the middle and lower levels was once suspended, and people would rather starve than dare to take a step near the swamp. This was because the swamp was full of wicked people who swindled and deceived in the name of gods, and lewd beliefs flourished everywhere. Every day, there were strange summoning rituals that invoked the phantoms of demons. Some even salvaged evil relics from the currents and used them as a medium to call upon "evil gods" that were different from demons. Mad believers offered up their relatives and friends on the altar and disemboweled them. Madmen called each other heretics and burned those with different beliefs.

Around the same time, a young woman with a strong sense of justice had just finished her training and joined the workforce. On her first day, she rowed alone down a waterfall and into a swamp. That day, people saw her carrying a giant sword and charging into the site of a human sacrifice, beheading the cult leader amidst fire and blood.

There is no mercy, no surrender, and cult leaders who preach human sacrifice are to be killed without exception; those who are fond of executions are certain to die. She spent three months traversing the swamp, destroying hundreds of wicked cults and slaying countless heretics. From then on, no one in the swamp shed blood for their faith, for if anyone dared to break the taboo, the knight of calamity would arrive in his boat, turning the swamp into a land of blood…

— Translated from "Grandma Sangjia's Stories" by Chu Hengkong.

·

“People reach their end because of their own choices; that’s what we call fate,” Granny Sangjia smiled. “And that fate has come true in a brutal way. That’s youth, isn’t it?”

Ji Huaisu pulled hard on her raincoat hood, determined to disappear into the dust. Chu Hengkong looked at her expressionlessly: "Don't you think you're going a bit too far?"

"There's nothing we can do! The situation is so corrupt that it's beyond saving without drastic measures!" Ji Huaisu argued. "You have no idea how rotten the swamp was back then. I could run into seven demon-possessed people just by going out for a bowl of noodles. All of them I killed were bloodthirsty and deserved the death penalty according to the law!"

"Then why not follow proper procedures for law enforcement?"

Ji Huaisu's eyes darted around: "That is, well, special times call for special measures..."

“It’s a shame you’re not in my line of work,” Chu Hengkong said. He ignored the other woman’s menacing expression and turned to Granny Sangjia, asking, “What do you know about those monsters?”

“Children of the times, the gods have not told me the secret of light,” the old woman shook her head. “In this decaying spirit, the past is as hazy as smoke. Even the words of the Great Master Jingang are unclear. Where is his gold…”

The previous assassination attempt seemed to have disrupted her thoughts. Granny Sangjia remained silent for a while before slowly saying, "It must have been in a place where flowers bloom... The white-robed Bodhisattva stood among many flowers... He said that many years later, gold would be born in the swamp."

"After that, he hurriedly stepped into the trend and disappeared without a trace." Granny Sangjia smiled. "And the truth about that gold, only the Great Master knows."

Judging from her micro-expressions and heartbeat, the old woman was probably not lying. Moreover, given her advanced age and lack of ambition for power or wealth, she had no motive to deceive them. It seems the situation back then was extremely serious; Jie An's father didn't even have time to explain to his relatives and friends before hastily leaving the city to find medicine. He specifically came to the swamp before leaving, presumably to obtain the "gold." But perhaps he left too early and couldn't take it with him…

Chu Hengkong tossed the matter and the Ying Shi into the "to be resolved by Youyou Jie'an" problem basket, got up, thanked him, and left. The Grand Wizard Adali was still guarding the door, coldly saying, "Don't come back."

Chu Hengkong ignored the man, and the white-robed believers escorted them to the settlement exit. The Bize District lacked a central waterway and driveway; getting around required either taking the bus (which ran three times a day), a wooden cart, or a bicycle.

The believers lent out two emerald green bicycles, and the two chief detectives rode them along the muddy path, their breaths rumbling. Ji Huaisu was still deep in thought as he rode.

"I don't think this is right. Even Uncle Jiewen, who was seriously injured, could turn the swamp upside down. How come he couldn't dig out any gold... Just how heavy do you think that thing is?"

"You're not good at thinking, so stop thinking," Chu Heng said absentmindedly. Ji Huaisu quickened her pace and bumped him hard with her shoulder.

·

The Resurrection Force's stronghold was located in "Deep Roots," an hour's drive away. This settlement, situated near the roots of a giant tree, was the most prosperous area of ​​the swamp. Here, the primitive, backward tribal style finally faded, replaced by modern architecture resembling that of the central courtyard. However, squid and geese still roamed the streets, and most men and women wore drab, gray robes. This type of clothing, which obscured body curves, was the norm in the swamp, because the water-avoiding geese would flee in terror at the sight of women, forcing many women to go out wearing robes… and then, when the geese weren't looking, to grab them by the neck and take them home to be chopped up.

The iconic structure in the Deep Roots settlement is the bronze "Great Wizard Prayer Statue," a fifteen-meter-tall statue of Adari standing in the center of the square, surrounded by flowers and food offered by the people. As Ji Huaisu passed by the statue, she let out a loud "tsk," clearly showing her dislike for this great wizard.

The team's base was not far from the Grand Wizard statue, a three-story building. The team members stationed there were extremely enthusiastic when they saw the headquarters personnel, their words dripping with the sincere plea, "Please, let's get a change of posts! We can't stand this hellhole anymore!" Unfortunately, Chu Heng was lost in thought, and Ji Huaisu was preoccupied with his own worries; their forced smiles were all for naught.

Considering the risks of spending the night alone, they stayed in a double room. As soon as they entered, Ji Huaisu immediately drew the curtains and turned on the air conditioner, the old equipment blasting out cold air with a clanging noise. She haphazardly pulled off her raincoat and plopped down on the bed: "It's so hot! This place is like a moldy steamer, I'll be cooked if we walk any further."

Chu Hengkong sat on the bench, staring blankly at her, a gaze that sent chills down Ji Huaisu's spine: "...What are you looking at?"

"It's up to you," Chu Hengkong said.

The swamp was unbearably hot; after the series of battles, her golden hair was matted with sweat. Beads of sweat dripped from the ends of her ponytail, sliding down her swan-like neck and soaking into her white tank top. The clothes clung to her damp skin, outlining her beautiful curves perfectly, and sweat could be seen trickling down her lower abdomen between her top and shorts. Her skin was slightly flushed from the heat. At this moment, no matter how lavish the rumors were, it was hard to reconcile them with the person before you. There was no madness or bloodshed, only youth and charm.

Ji Huaisu glanced down, feeling a little embarrassed: "Can't I be beautiful? Wait a minute, I'll go change my clothes..."

"Refined through countless trials, brimming with spirit." Chu Hengkong's gaze was focused. "It can simply be called beautiful."

"What the hell are you doing?!"

His gaze roamed over her body, revealing an undisguised desire. Ji Huaisu felt a chill run down her spine and immediately pulled her raincoat over herself again: "Calm down, you bastard!"

"Let me see it one more time."

"Huh?!"

Chu Hengkong walked to the bedside and grabbed her shoulders without a word. Ji Huaisu's face flushed instantly; panic and embarrassment left her speechless. The man's face loomed large in her eyes, his breath carrying a fiery, expectant heat—

"Let me see that sword strike again!"

"……………………Why?"

"That slash!" Chu Hengkong's eyes gleamed. "It swept away the surroundings with sword wind, then struck directly at the target. The timing and angle of the attack were extremely precise, and the power was transmitted over a wide and deep range, enough to withstand any ever-changing battle formation. It was an ultimate slash, a masterful technique!"

"..."

Ji Huaisu's lips twitched, while Chu Hengkong was completely absorbed in that sword strike. He chattered excitedly, "I've been reviewing your strike the whole way here and I've grasped a bit of the essence. The key is the technique of charging up the power, right? Just show me again, and I can master it!"

"Oh," Ji Huaisu said.

In the next instant, immense force blasted his hands away. As the saying goes, hands are like doors; an open-armed stance is what is commonly referred to as "a wide-open door." Then, a dazzling stream of light transformed into a powerful impact, penetrating directly into the gap in the light shield, and the long-awaited technique fell into Chu Hengkong's arms in a different way—

As Chu Hengkong was blasted away by the light shield, he thought to himself.

The martial arts in this other world are indeed profound.

It turns out that you can also perform slashing attacks using a shield.

"Get out of here, you madman!!!"

However, Chu Hengkong spun around in mid-air, landing on the bed with the lightness of a feather! The sheets swirled around his landing point, a secret technique recorded in the Three Thousand Sets of Dragon Township Fist—using the environment to deflect force and land in a vortex. Impressive skill!

Chu Hengkong smiled with delight: "You've got it! Let's do it again—"

Ji Huaisu roared like a beast as he charged forward, grabbing his neck with one hand: "I'll strangle you!"

"You misunderstood. It's not a joint lock. It's a slash." Chu Hengkong corrected him earnestly.

"Just lose consciousness like this!!"

"So you finally want to fight me? But I have the upper hand in joint locks... Hah!" Ji Huaisu was thrown back onto the bed! He immediately countered with a spinning kick! The hit assassin responded with a cross punch, turning the fight into a fierce close-quarters battle! In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged no less than thirty rounds. The battle was so intense that even the insects around the building were frightened away by the murderous aura!

"Keep in touch regularly, keep in touch regularly. Huaisu Hengkong, how are you doing?" Ji Qiufeng's voice rang out.

Amidst the pile of debris, a citrine communication crystal gleamed with a rhythmic light. To the surprise of the headquarters staff, their two usually reliable lieutenants offered no formal response; only the crystal faithfully transmitted the familiar ambient noise.

"Get the fuck off my bed!" "You started it." "Disgusting! Don't use tentacles!" "Who hit me with their raincoat first!"

After a moment of silence, the citrine offered a polite reminder.

“The two detectives must be very busy right now, so let’s postpone our regular contact by an hour…” Ji Qiufeng paused for a moment, then said with great interest, “No, let’s do it for two hours!”

The two detectives, caught in the heat of battle, simultaneously looked up: "You've misunderstood." "It's not what you think!!"

Chapter 31 Evil Heretics

The teasing of the two special envoys lasted for about ten minutes, until Captain Huaisu, enraged, threatened to throw the crystal out the window, at which point the immoral middle-aged man and the snake finally relented. After recounting their experiences over the past half-day, the contemplative group fell silent for a moment.

“Let’s take it one step at a time, starting with Jie Wen’s message,” Ji Qiufeng began. “Youyou, do you recall anything about this?”

“I was completely out of my mind at that time, I don’t even know when he left the city,” Youyou said dejectedly. “Damn it… I don’t have the strength to cast a divination now…”

The final ingredient was an unsolvable dilemma. Jie Wen acted with lightning speed, and his injuries were too severe on the way back to the city; he couldn't even leave a last word, only entrusting the pestle to someone before passing away. Not only was Jie An in a state of panic, but even Youyou at the time was caught off guard. Now, they have no way of knowing Jie Wen's arrangements from back then, let alone any clues.

“I might have some idea,” Jie An said softly.

Everyone immediately fell silent; even through the crystal, their anticipation was palpable. Jie An, however, hesitated, stammering, "Not necessarily, I was just guessing..."

"Speak quickly!" Ji Huaisu was outspoken.

"We'll have to see first, it's hard to say." Jie An said vaguely, "Chu Hengkong, this afternoon, could you visit a few more shops that sell 'wet tea' and find out which prescriptions sell best, as well as the ailments that have been recurring in the last two years?"

"Okay." Chu Hengkong readily agreed. "You suspect it's a plant?"

"It's pretty much the same. I can always tell what kind of tone my dad has when he talks," Jie An said with a smile.

"Huh? How did it become a plant?" Ji Huaisu was full of questions.

Everyone tacitly ignored the bewildered girl. Captain Ji, after all, was a valuable martial arts expert; her purpose in attending the meeting was to hear the conclusions, not to participate in the discussion. Chu Hengkong continued, "The second issue is the enemy in the shadows. I suffered a great setback today, and I don't intend to keep it to myself. What kind of technique is that immobilization spell?"

"You didn't lose out this time," Ji Qiufeng said leisurely. "No matter how skilled you are, you're just a pair of 'skillful hands,' so it's only natural that you can't beat a 'foundation' plus a bunch of 'dim lights.'"

"Foundation Stone"... I've heard this term before; Jie An calls himself a "foundation stone." As a high-ranking member of the team, he's definitely an ascendant, and Youyou has also mentioned other paths...

"The foundation stone and the glimmer of light are also point mass one?" Chu Hengkong asked. "I thought the beginnings of those two paths were also skillful."

"Chief Inspector, don't assume everyone is as muscle-bound as you. If you can't advance without practicing kung fu, how are people with normal brains supposed to get by?" Jie An said sarcastically. "The 'foundation' of the first point requires keen observation skills or possession of items with special powers to advance. After advancing, you can make efficient use of the environment and maximize the power of the items."

Jie An described it vividly: "That 'foundation' must have a powerful mind control relic. He used environmental manipulation to hide the glowing corpse, used the enhanced relic to trip you up from a distance, and then sent out his ambush troops to swarm in and crush this country bumpkin who has never seen the world!"

Chu Hengkong didn't have time to retort; he carefully recalled the previous killing scheme. The fact that the "foundation" could pinpoint his location so precisely meant that the opponent possessed observational capabilities beyond visual range. His ability to control the firefly corpse at will indicated that the relic's power was considerable… and the simple killing scheme was actually the most effective; he couldn't even remember how many underworld bosses had been shot dead by passersby. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that without Ji Huaisu's arrival, his chances of survival were slim. This time, he could only be described as having escaped death.

At this point, Ji Huaisu started nitpicking: "Chef, your scene recreation is a bit off. Why did you miss the puppet at the beginning?"

“That’s not the way to build a foundation.” Jie An immediately shook his head. “No matter how powerful the relic is, it still needs to have a ‘spirit’ to be controlled. It’s like you can’t use hypnosis to control a plate of grilled squid. Even if you shake your hand until it aches, it’s still just a plate of dead meat, not a living thing.”

“That means the assassin is someone else…” Ji Huaisu pursed his lips. “It’s a pity we didn’t get any clues.”

After the commotion caused by the mud-covered firefly corpse subsided, the shattered puppet vanished without a trace. There should still be assassins' accomplices in the settlement, but the environment was too chaotic for the two to search for them one by one.

"It's just another work from the black workshop, the only difference being whether they produced it themselves or it was commissioned by someone else," Ji Qiufeng said. "And those mud-covered corpses are 'glimmer.' Can you guess the power of 'glimmer'?"

This question was directed at Chu Hengkong, who answered without hesitation: "It's about using the point mass of light, just like Ji Huaisu did."

“You’re right!” Ji Qiufeng said. “However, you’re only half right. Huaisu is the ‘reverse shadow’ of point two.”

Ji Huaisu stood tall and proud, looking quite smug.

Point mass one is light, point mass two is shadow. Ji Huaisu's path to transformation sounds like that of an elemental mage. To be able to wield this power like a berserker is truly a unique style... Chu Hengkong ignored his partner, whose face practically screamed "I'm awesome, come and praise me!" and calmly said, "Next, let's talk about the firefly corpse..."

Ji Huaisu slapped the bed and got up: "Hey, shouldn't you first praise Captain Huaisu's unparalleled skills!"

“There’s no need to repeat things that are common knowledge.” Chu Hengkong tried to soothe her. “If the glowing corpses are also glimmers of light, then wouldn’t the swamp be full of level 1 stones? Are Ascended beings such cheap things?”

“You’re right. Ascension shouldn’t be so easy, so the Firefly Corpse is a heretic.” Youyou’s voice was filled with hatred. “I’ll handle this. Xiao An, you work hard these next two days to make a few more pills. I’ll put in a lot of effort to repair a few armored vehicles and completely crush this thing so it won’t have a chance to rise again.”

Ji Qiufeng added briefly: "Huaisu Hengkong, you two should also be careful and avoid contact with the mud-like fireflies."

Chu Hengkong frowned. This time, Ji Qiufeng had provided far too little information; this wasn't the attitude a responsible man should have. As if anticipating his dissatisfaction, Ji Qiufeng chuckled, "Hearing too much isn't good for your fate."

"What's wrong with it?" Chu Hengkong asked in surprise.

“Fate. Repeat after me, fate.” Youyou repeated this absurd word with a straight face. “Some knowledge is tainted with malice. The deeper you understand it, the more you are affected, and the more likely you are to encounter things you shouldn’t have seen. At that point, your fate will be polluted, and you’ll never escape the vortex of madness. So don’t pry into things. If you ever meet someone who tells you about the enemy’s background, it means they’re full of bad intentions and want to harm you.”

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