Forge a path to success

Sunny days are a rare occurrence in Huilong City, and two consecutive days of sunshine are even rarer, perhaps only once every year or two. These past two days, many people from the Bize District have flocked to the central courtyard to spend the day, with a few bolder individuals even venturing to the upper-level workshop area for the sunlight. The butchers are delighted with this bustling scene; people need to eat wherever they go, and with restaurants thriving, butchers naturally earn more.

"Hey buddy, want to buy duck or goose? They were just slaughtered this morning, they're all fresh."

A young man in a green coat was picking through the meat: "Do you have beef or mutton?"

The butcher retorted angrily, "Look at your own poor, wretched appearance! Go buy it in your dreams!"

"Just a little nagging about it is no big deal," the young man chuckled. "Give me half a duck, chopped into pieces, but no head."

"Alright!" The butcher's expression changed in the blink of an eye, and he immediately began wielding his knife with practiced ease. He was skilled with a knife and had plenty of strength; he finished chopping the meat in half a minute, shook it out, packed it into a bag, and packed it up without wasting a moment. While the butcher was chopping the meat, the annoying customer still grumbled, "Master, I'm from the lower level. How's the safety around here?"

"It's only slightly better than the swamp." The butcher didn't even look up. "Not to mention the distant past, there's still no news about the random killings from a few years ago. The unlucky guys who lost their wives have stopped crying lately; the cops are utterly useless."

He unusually spoke more, as if mocking the incompetence of the resurrected troops. The customer picked up the duck and left, and the butcher became annoyed: "Hey! You left something behind!"

"Hold on."

The penniless man, who had failed to pay his bill, rummaged inside his coat and pulled out a strange, long box. He opened the box, and a thin, sharp blade gleamed coldly.

A boning knife.

The butcher's heart skipped a beat, his gaze fixed on the knife. The man calmly placed the knife on the counter; his left arm was a silver tentacle.

"That was too careless," Chu Hengkong said. "You dropped the knife you used to kill someone."

The butcher was still holding a knife, and despite a sudden burst of strength in his wrist, he couldn't lift it. Chu Hengkong's right hand formed a claw and struck straight at his neck, a swift blow that sent the butcher flipping over like a fish!

Boning knife

Rating: Unacceptable

[Longing: Fa. Kana Tanci revels in the thrill of killing. Having narrowly escaped arrest, he dares not risk it again, and to vent his desires, he wields his knife against poultry.]

·

Two days later, at Old Bear Bar.

boom!Boom!

The sound of shattering bottles echoed incessantly, cheap liquor spilling like sewage amidst the shards of glass. The thugs, hurling insults and brandishing knives, were firmly pinned to the ground by the helmeted officers. The bar owner behind the counter, filled with shock and rage, cried out, "Is there any justice?! You're just vandalizing my place for no reason! This is a violation of citizens' rights! I'm going to sue you!"

None of the team members paid him any attention. The squad's temporary commander stood backlit in the doorway, his eyes fixed on a poorly made actor. A flash of black light appeared at his fingertips, and a strangely shaped dart pinned the bar owner's collar to the wall. Upon seeing the dart, the bar owner's body went limp.

"You made your fortune through robbery and murder; let's see who's going to sue whom?"

Darts

Rating: Unacceptable

[Longing: The owner of Old Bear Bar was once a darts performer. After that night performing at a wealthy family's house in town, he plotted to steal their fortune.]

·

One week later, Lotus Flower Pedestrian Street.

"Stop! Hands up!" The helmeted men surrounded an innocent civilian. "Ahhh, why?!" the innocent civilian screamed! But the cold muzzle of a gun was pressed against his head!

"By the Resurrection Dragon above..." This is utterly abusive abuse of power! Has even the Resurrection Corps turned into snakes and rats? However, people quickly stepped aside, their suspicious gazes focusing instead on the seemingly harmless ordinary citizen. The man with silver tentacles stood behind the team members, and with a flick of his tentacles, he "peeled" the citizen's face off. Beneath the human skin mask lay a non-human face with purple skin—what a monstrous creature!

"How is this possible..." The purple-skinned alien stared in disbelief. "This was produced in an illegal workshop..."

“A mask can’t fool you forever,” Chu Hengkong said, holding another mask in his hand. “Take it away.”

"Yes, Inspector!"

[Mask-type basic relic - disguise]

Rating: Bottom-tier

[Longing: Kong Xuan 3 · Karl bought two masks from the black workshop. One was to be used to frame someone during the murder, and the other was to replace the wealthy victim.]

·

Two weeks later, back at the unit headquarters, in the rest room.

A dozen or so copies of the *Tuanli Daily* were piled high on the square table, each headline featuring a full-color photo of someone. Jie An casually picked up a few and read the headlines aloud with dramatic intonation: "Newcomer Solves Five-Year Mystery: Market Butcher Turns Out to Be Murderer!" "Three Major Achievements in One Week! Young Team Member Solves a Series of Theft Mysteries!" "Hidden in the Swamp for Four Years, But Caught in the Net: Detective Hengkong Achieves Consecutive Victories!"...

He put down the newspaper and took a sip of tea: "Just reading the headlines is making my throat dry. Who bought the latest one this morning?"

"Brother Jie, I have it here." A crew-cut team member excitedly raised his hand. "《Touch Detective: 30 Cases Grand Slam, Justice Will Eventually Be Served》!"

"Brother Chu is amazing!" "The legendary detective of Huilong City, holy crap!" "Brother Chu, stop lying to everyone. A killer? You used to be a famous detective, right?"

The lounge was filled with praise; this time, no one was making fun of him, everyone genuinely admired him. It had only been three weeks since Chu Hengkong joined the army, and in those three weeks, everyone had witnessed his astonishing efficiency.

Chu Hengkong's crime-solving skills were nothing short of miraculous. He could stand in the evidence room for a few minutes with a book, then turn around and flip through the files to pinpoint the culprit with remarkable accuracy. Not only that, but he could also walk around the crime scenes and predict the escape routes of the fugitives from back then, as well as where they went to hide, with remarkable precision. The scene simulations were so accurate that it was as if he had personally committed the murders!

It's possible he did kill someone in a similar situation before...

Everyone tacitly ignored the source of this experience and applauded the detective's shrewdness. The team hadn't been this jubilant in a long time; even those who harbored prejudice against Chu Heng were secretly delighted. If he could solve the case, then he was truly deserving of the title of Grand Detective.

Chu Hengkong, who was flipping through unsolved case files on the sofa, was a little embarrassed when he heard this: "I just rely on relics to find information. I don't know anything about solving cases myself."

"Look at this guy, he's already out of breath. Aren't the relics only you can use your unique abilities? Don't you all agree?"

Ji Huaisu walked into the break room with two cups of iced lemon tea, and the team members all agreed, "That's right!" She handed one cup to Chu Hengkong and peeked in, saying, "Looking at files during lunch break, so dedicated?"

"There's still one old missing person case left. We'll wrap it up and call it a day."

Ji Huaisu pulled out the file without saying a word: "Give me this case first, go get some sleep, Chief Inspector. After 18 consecutive days of high-intensity investigation, your tentacles are as soft as silver worms."

Chu Hengkong's tentacles were limp and lifeless, looking as if he hadn't drunk water for ten days. He quickly straightened them: "I've been writing too much these past few days..."

Ji Huaisu put one hand on his hip: "That's why I told you to go and rest. A case that's been going on for years won't make a difference of a day or two, right?"

"Thank you for your concern, Captain." Chu Hengkong seized the opportunity to back down. "Then I'll take half a day off today. Please understand."

The Tentacle Detective left the rest room, and soon after, the team members who had finished their rest also returned to their dormitories. They were all exhausted from running around with Chu Hengkong these past few days.

Jie An carefully folded the newspapers and placed them in the "Hall of Fame" cabinet in the corner, arranged chronologically. Ji Huaisu, sitting on the sofa, raised an eyebrow at him: "So, what do you mean, cook?"

"Oh dear! What time is it? I have to hurry and deliver the medicine to the city lord..." Jie An immediately walked out the door.

"I'm being blunt, don't take it personally." Ji Huaisu ignored him. "We've gone this far, we have to produce something in return for these thirty cases. Otherwise, it's just not fair."

Jie An stopped at the door and remained silent for a moment: "Girl, you're thinking too simply. If the city lord hadn't shown that skill, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths."

Ji Huaisu retorted, "They've only been here for less than a month, and they're working so hard not for profit, but for feelings?"

“That’s why we can’t rush things. He’s an assassin!” Jie An emphasized. “A desperate man who lives on the edge for profit has never been trustworthy. He’s staying now because he’s satisfied with our price, but if the black factory and the club offer more, wouldn’t he just switch sides?”

"You're quite shrewd. But isn't a stingy boss even more likely to force someone to resign?" Ji Huaisu sneered.

Jie An was speechless for a moment, and Ji Huaisu softened his voice: "Cook, think it through. It's impossible for everyone to be selfless and join the team just to fight against evil forces. I've been observing him for more than half a month. Chu Hengkong is not a gentleman, but he is a loyal person. Such people are the easiest to deal with. As long as you treat him well, he will never harm you."

"Loyalty, you little brat," Jie An muttered, turning his head to avoid Ji Huaisu's fierce gaze. He quickly rummaged through the pile of documents and found a file from this year.

"That's gone too far." Ji Huaisu recognized the file.

“But don’t go too far,” Jie An said calmly. “Aren’t these extraordinary times? Extraordinary times call for special measures. Since none of you want to wait that long, let’s use a case to see if he’s the kind of person we need.”

·

Chu Hengkong slept in late, which was rare for him.

The workload has really increased over the past three weeks, and getting enough rest after such a long day is the best way to take care of myself. After getting up, he practiced some boxing, but instead of having breakfast, he sat at his desk and began flipping through the pages of a large, silver-eyed book.

After discovering the book's true power, he didn't hesitate to share the information with Ji Huaisu and the others. He would inevitably need to use these books for authentication in the future; hiding them was pointless. What if one day he urgently needed clues to track down a murderer? Was he supposed to carry the book and evidence while saying, "Wait a minute, I need to go to the restroom"?

In the underworld, integrity is paramount. If you keep quiet about even the smallest things, even your closest brothers won't trust you. While being open and honest might be laughed at for being naive, even your enemies will respect you. Chu Hengkong didn't consider himself particularly clever; he figured he'd rather spend his time figuring out how to use the book than figuring out how to hide it.

Over the past three weeks, he has basically figured out the mechanism of the appraisal book. This book is very selective about what it records; it can only appraise relics. If something is not even "low-class," then it will just be a blank sheet of paper—for example, his dead cell phone had no text at all.

With multiple cases corroborating the facts, the records in the book were largely true. The entries in the "Longing" section sometimes took a roundabout approach, but all were information related to the original owners of the relics. During the authentication of these relics, Chu Hengkong gradually grasped the situation in the city. His earlier guess was entirely correct; the situation in the city was dire from all angles…

This was the perfect environment for him to showcase his talents!

Chu Hengkong put away his books, donned his coat, and leaped out of the window, using his tentacles to swing across the rooftop railing. Any protrusion, inside or outside the building, could serve as a temporary landing point for his tentacles. He swung all the way to the window on the third floor of the cafeteria. Behind the stall, Jie An frowned: "If you don't use the main entrance, I'll put up a notice in the window that says 'For Wild Pigeons and Detective Chu Only'."

"It's not like there are pigeons in the city." Chu Hengkong stretched. "Give me a bowl of plain porridge with fried dough sticks."

"You're eating the cheapest food again, Chief Inspector, can you please stop being so stingy?" Jie An said helplessly.

Chu Hengkong did want to eat something better, but he genuinely didn't have any spare money… For the past three weeks, he'd been busy solving cold cases, and he hadn't had time to catch the wanted criminals on the list. To make matters worse, he'd chosen flexible pay, and without catching any wanted criminals or catching any criminal gangs, he hadn't earned a single "Flowing Pearl." If it weren't for the cafeteria's employee benefits of 3 Flowing Pearls per day for three meals a day, he would have been broke long ago…

"Don't even mention it. The only cold drink I had this week was lemon tea that Ji Huaisu treated me to," Chu Hengkong sighed. "Speaking of which, where's my partner?"

Jie An turned around and ladled out porridge: "Girl, you went on a business trip to the workshop today. She said you've been working there for three weeks, so you can try working on your own now."

"I see." Chu Hengkong paused. "Any new tasks today?"

"An absolutely excellent job, guaranteed at least one first-class relic!" Jie An put down his bowl of porridge and handed over a "talisman" in a mysterious manner.

The object was about the size of a palm, and the vermilion incantations on it, shaped like bells and tripods, were written in one stroke. It looked exactly like a prop commonly seen in old zombie movies. Chu Hengkong stared at the talisman for two seconds, then looked up to meet Jie An's sly smile.

"Comrade assassin, have you ever done exorcisms before?"

I've finally finished writing 4 words a day for the first five days... I'll resume one update a day starting tomorrow! (loudly)

Chapter 15 Demon Dog and Demon Child (Part 1)

~Confidential Files~

On August 7, 1999, a resident of No. 215 Zhongting Gushui Street reported having frequent nightmares, in which he was chased and beaten with a blunt object, experiencing intense pain, and claimed that a "vengeful spirit" was at work. The on-duty team went to the site to investigate and determined that the noise from the old and dilapidated building was causing the disturbance. After calming the resident down, the case was closed.

On November 20th, a resident of No. 215 Gushui Street reported frequent visual and auditory hallucinations and emotional instability. The on-duty team suspected that the disturbances were caused by the lost items, but after investigation yielded no results, they reported the incident according to procedure. Starting that night, team members were arranged to keep watch day and night to observe the situation.

On November 21st, it was confirmed that the hallucinations were real...

On December 30th, the team member on duty reported being emotionally unstable...

On February 4, 3000, the on-duty team member reported experiencing weakness, accompanied by frequent auditory and visual hallucinations and brain pain. Following orders from headquarters' Ji Huaisu, all residents were evacuated, and building number 215 Gushui Street was sealed off. Following orders from headquarters, a three-month special observation period began.

·

"Chu Hengkong, let me remind you, spirits have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves. Remember to clean up afterwards, don't leave any loose ends..."

It's May 3rd now, and the special observation period is one day away from ending. Chu Hengkong stands in front of No. 215 Gushui Street, recalling Jie An's earnest instructions before he left.

This was an old apartment building, its exterior staircase rusted and the windows still sporting old-fashioned metal security bars, making it look like a row of cramped cages from a distance. The team member leading Chu Hengkong was named Lü Xing, a seasoned veteran. He tore off the yellow seal on the apartment's iron gate, his hands trembling slightly as he handled countless criminals.

"There's something strange in this building, Brother Chu, please be careful," Lu Xing said in a low voice.

"Have you tried using his belongings?" Chu Hengkong asked.

"We can't get stabbed with knives or guns, and we don't have anything more advanced." Lu Xing shivered and handed over a bunch of keys. "If you ask me, we should just smash this building down and be done with it."

"Let's see how things go first." Chu Hengkong took the keys and went into the building alone.

Lu Xing felt a surge of respect for Detective Chu, thinking that he was indeed highly skilled and daring, daring to enter the house knowing there was something amiss. Little did he know that Chu Hengkong felt no sense of danger whatsoever. Firstly, three months of observation had essentially confirmed that there was no activity in the building during the day; secondly, he carried a talisman in his pocket…

[Amulet for Forgiving Ghosts]

[Rating: Level 2]

【Origin: Chenjun Palace, Longquan Township】

[Effect: The talisman strikes the ethereal spirit, binding spirits with a mass of 2 or less.]

The talisman, when attached to a physical object, can seal spirits with a particle level of 2 or lower; the object will then transform into a relic, the effects of which depend on the spirit's abilities.

[Thinking: The soul is devastated, the ghost’s heart is muddy. The soul is calmed and the soul is relieved.

—Ji Qiufeng

Just kidding, it's an exorcism talisman drawn by Huaisu's father himself! This thing is probably more reliable than his daughter doing it herself!

Holding a talisman and still afraid of ghosts? That's just asking for trouble. Looking at the talisman's effects, you'll understand what that mystical "three-month observation period" was all about; Jie An was waiting to fatten up the ghost to make it a spirit. Therefore, Chu Hengkong wasn't nervous at all; in fact, he was somewhat looking forward to the rewards of this mission. He walked step by step up the iron stairs outside the building, the rusty steps creaking.

There was no elevator in the old building, so he walked up to the sixth floor and used the key his team members had given him to open the door to the water distribution room. Most of the room was occupied by cylindrical equipment, and there was a small hole like a coin slot next to the main valve. Chu Hengkong took out ten water beads, inserted them one by one into the small hole, and pulled down the main valve.

Gudong.

Energy was restored, circuits were connected, and a sound like a floodgate being opened rang out as the lights in the stairwells flickered on. The old building had come back to life, powered by those tiny orbs worth 1000 each. Chu Hengkong had come to understand these past few days that there was no electricity in Huilong City, only "currents." The orbs that stored these currents were both currency and energy, supplying power through some incomprehensible mechanism that allowed the city to function.

I just don't know if vengeful spirits need water.

Chu Hengkong walked slowly down the corridor, the light revealing traces of dust concealing his movements. There were bullet craters of varying depths on the walls, indicating that more than one gunfight had taken place here; wood chips and pieces of iron lay hidden in the corners, the larger fragments still faintly revealing their original outlines, seemingly crushed and pulverized by some immense force… Judging from the marks, the force was not as great as his, but the person was very large…

Chu Hengkong tried to piece together the iron blocks he found; the wild cracks reminded him of wolves in the snowy mountains. But these iron blocks had once belonged to a large shield; how big must that wolf have been to bite through a shield as tall as two people in one go?

Chu Hengkong's nostrils flared slightly. He didn't smell the stench of wild animals, but rather a faint stench of garbage. The situation was more complicated than he had imagined. He got up to continue his investigation when he heard a soft sound behind him.

Lights went out.

From back to front, the lights went out one by one. Chu Hengkong gripped a piece of broken iron and slowly turned around. At the very back, near the stairwell entrance, a faint green emergency light remained. On the green wall illuminated by the light, a gaunt face stared coldly at him. The face was covered in blood and bruises, with two bloody gashes around the eyes from which dark blood gushed, flowing like foul-smelling pus.