Forge a path to success.

Chapter 256 Earth Trivia Popular Science

Ji Huaisu tapped his head, trying hard to recall the scene of his first meeting with someone.

“I said, A-Kong,” Ji Huaisu thought, finding it increasingly strange, “I remember when you first came to Huilong City you knew absolutely nothing about demons and possessed beings… right?”

"correct."

"And now you're saying you fought against those slimy cult members back in your hometown?"

Chu Hengkong looked completely bewildered: "What's the problem with this?"

For a moment, Ji Huaisu truly doubted her own comprehension ability, and after seeing the looks in other people's eyes, she was certain that she wasn't the only one who couldn't keep up with the train of thought.

Jie An's lips twitched: "Logically speaking, you should be quite familiar with things like demon possessors, so why did you pretend like that when you first arrived?"

Chu Hengkong stared at them blankly for a few seconds, then understood and waved with a smile.

“I didn’t explain clearly. The cultists in my hometown are not the same as those in the Submerged Realm. They don’t have supernatural powers,” Chu Hengkong explained. “Their bodies don’t turn into tentacles, and they don’t grow eyes. They just occasionally have scales, smell bad, and look more like fish. It’s a kind of… evolution to adapt to the environment.”

"Mr. Chu, you said 'evolution'! You just said it wasn't supernatural, but the second half of your sentence clearly said the word 'evolution'!" Qingye complained fiercely.

“Evolution is one of the most common phenomena in nature,” Shaks said without looking up. “Have you ever hunted a wild boar?”

"I've only ever eaten it."

“There’s a segment of the American population who enjoy hunting wild boar. They like to stand at a distance, shoot it with a shotgun, and then get closer to take pictures and show off their huge carcass,” Shakes said. “This sport became popular in the 19th century, but it has gradually become less interesting in the 21st century because wild boars have changed. Now they are often active at night to avoid hunters, and they have grown extremely thick bony plates to protect their hearts, so common shotguns and deer bullets cannot even penetrate their bones.”

Three hundred years ago, wild boars would probably have exclaimed "monster!" upon seeing their modern-day counterparts, but to humans, they are still the same species. This is the evolution happening in the modern era.

Vande used a few slices of ham to make a pig's head: "So the cultists in your hometown are also a kind of 'wild boar'?"

“They always live in dilapidated fishing villages and desolate ports, never leaving their hometown for generations, and mostly making a living by fishing. This monotonous life that has lasted for hundreds of years and the marine environment will naturally change people. Their scales, mucus and long hair all help with the catch, which has been proven by scientific research.” Chu Hengkong placed a salted fish next to the piglet. “But the closed environment and special customs can also alienate people’s spirit, just like Bize back then.”

“It’s just that kind of evil god worship stuff, I’ll kill it…” Ji Huaisu cleared his throat, “I’ve seen this many times.”

“Cults on Earth are the same. They always have strange beliefs, claiming that God comes from the sea, draws summoning circles with blood and filth, and goes out to kidnap people as human sacrifices.” Chu Hengkong shrugged. “Ordinary police have a hard time dealing with them. Cleaning up this special group often requires hiring assassins.”

Qingxia took out a small notebook and began to write carefully. She had bought a notebook specifically after arriving in Huilong City to record her lack of general knowledge.

"Assassins are... a profession that purges cultists..."

“The very first sentence written in the notebook is wrong,” Gulibo said.

“In general, when we talk about assassins, we're referring to a much more heinous profession, whose main business is killing people with machetes.” Van der's eyes were subtle. “I always thought you used to be like that… especially since you were involved in organized crime…”

Chu Heng ate the ham and adopted a professional demeanor: "It seems that you all lack understanding of my profession."

Ji Huaisu turned her head and whispered to Qingye, "The underworld master is about to start again."

Qingye listened with great interest: "It's rare for him to talk so much."

"He can talk endlessly when it comes to his professional field."

"—I'll take this opportunity to tell you about Earth's killers," Chu Hengkong said cheerfully.

·
On Earth, assassination is an ancient profession. Their past exploits are recorded in history books, and they also lurk silently in the shadows of modern skyscrapers.

The assassins known to the world are warriors who assassinate kings and nobles, secretive mountain elders in the desert, ninjas active in the Warring States period, and cowboys who explore the western wilderness; in the shadows unknown to the world, they are hunters who hunt down foreign tribes, soldiers who exterminate evil spirits, and warriors who slay demons.

Hidden forces have forged an ancient alliance, a pact known as the "Blood Alliance" that binds numerous assassins together. Their targets can switch between their front and back identities at any time, all determined by the mission they receive.

If the family issues a task, then one must fight against others.

If the Blood Alliance issues an order, then hunt down the alien species.

·
“…Basically, missions involving infighting and killing are all about everyone fighting for their own boss, which is a kind of internal strife. But missions issued by the Blood Alliance often involve targets like cultists, and these missions have the highest priority. Even if everyone has grudges against each other, they will choose to cooperate when they receive a mission from the Blood Alliance,” Chu Hengkong said. “It’s a kind of righteousness.”

Qingxia nodded repeatedly, noting, "Behind every assassin is an ancient organization... Every assassin is an agent of that organization..."

"No, no, no." Gulibo covered her face.

"This is too strange! Why would gangsters have such an alliance with each other?! Even if dealing with outcasts is done by assassins, shouldn't it be under the unified jurisdiction of the rulers? What are the rulers doing?!" Ji Huaisu launched a fierce three-part attack.

“Just because it’s the underworld now doesn’t mean it was before,” Chu Hengkong said. “The original blood alliance was indeed a secret covenant between rulers, but regimes change. Over two thousand years, countless generations of rulers have come and gone, and the forces that carry on the covenant naturally change with the times.”

My boss's family, whose lineage traces back to a Roman emperor, was forced to shift its focus to arms and real estate in the 21st century.

"Your former employer is an arms dealer?" Jie An exclaimed in surprise. "No ill intent, but it doesn't sound like a good thing." "We mainly develop weapons for aliens, not for conventional warfare. It's like we're doing a service to the people," Chu Hengkong said. "If you want to find a legitimate, upright assassin, look at Shax. He was the church's ace back in the day, running around the forests of Europe every day to do justice for God."

Shakes, who was drinking milk, coughed violently. Qingxia exclaimed in surprise, "I never imagined you were God's agent, Shakes! You must be one of the crusaders who fought under King Arthur!"

Shakes really choked. He leaned on the table, panting for a while, and said in a gloomy and indignant tone, "First of all, forget about King Arthur. There is no King Arthur in reality."

"Oh well."

“Secondly, I am a mercenary. I used to work for the church only because I owed the Pope a favor,” Shakes emphasized. “It has nothing to do with faith or justice.”

“I understand, my friend, we all understand,” Jie An comforted her. “So you’ve also fought cultists for eight hundred rounds while carrying a sniper rifle.”

“He kills more werewolves,” Chu Hengkong said casually.

"Excuse me, what?" Ji Huaisu's eyes widened. "What?"

“Werewolves are a folk superstition,” Shakes sighed. “They are actually a kind of savage who grow long hair after living alone in the mountains and forests for too long. They like to sneak into villages at night and steal newborn children to adopt. They will actively attack civilians when it is foggy, and they are very dangerous, so they must be eliminated.”

“There are also many vampires and goblins in Europe, and the situation is similar,” Chu Hengkong said. “The religious forces there have been fighting against other species since the beginning of time, and they can be considered one of the original founders of the Blood Alliance.”

Ji Huaisu looked at the two assassins chatting and laughing, and felt increasingly uncomfortable: "So you two were once in the same subordinate unit... then why did you become mortal enemies later?"

“When problems arose within the Blood Alliance in the 21st century, the assassins naturally turned their guns on each other,” Shakes said calmly. “I think you’ve taken care of that before you leave.”

"I've killed them all from top to bottom, things should be better now," Chu Hengkong said as if he had just thrown away a few bags of trash.

“Very efficient…” Shakes started fiddling with the guns again.

Jie An felt a chill run down his spine and weakly raised his hand: "Excuse me, but I've been really curious about what the police in your hometown are doing... why would they let a secret organization like this, led by a heretic, surround and kill them..."

"You think this is Huilong City? My hometown doesn't have any roads that can be upgraded." Chu Hengkong laughed. "Evolved humans all look rather creepy. Special forces soldiers would faint from fright if they saw them. A collective encirclement and suppression is not cost-effective, which is why we assassins are needed."

"Based on my education, being scared out of one's wits upon meeting someone isn't called being frightening in appearance, it's called mental pollution," Qingye said.

"They're actually quite boring to kill, and the hunting difficulty is not as great as that of wild boars," Shakes commented. "Before I left, the church had already developed drones specifically for killing aliens, which are much more efficient than me doing it alone."

“Ever since the boss decided to deploy armed helicopters in large numbers, I’ve rarely gone out to kill cultists alone anymore,” Chu Hengkong sighed. “Times have changed. A few hundred years ago, having good martial arts skills could make you the protagonist in a storybook, but now you’re criticized for being slow at work. My grandfather saw through this a long time ago, so he’s never been happy to see me learn martial arts.”

“Your adoptive father?” Shakes recalled for a moment. “I’ve seen him in church records. He was famous in the mid-20th century for solving ‘zombie resurrection’ cases. After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, he went abroad to share his advanced experience.”

Chu Hengkong was taken aback: "He really didn't tell me... It sounds pretty mysterious..."

"Viruses that cause patients to appear dead will naturally disappear once hygiene conditions improve."

"No wonder the old man doesn't like to talk about this," Chu Hengkong chuckled. "It's all feudal superstition!"

The two assassins toasted each other, reminiscing about the era dominated by technology and material power. Compared to the turbulent world, everything on Earth seemed so simple, without external paths or routes of ascension, only the struggle between people and the clash between humanity and the times.

Qingxia listened and took notes, filling nearly ten pages in one go. She put down her notebook and said contentedly, "So this is what the ordinary world is like!"

“Listen to me, you should tear up that piece of paper,” Van der said earnestly. “It’s better for your mind and heart.”

The audience's expressions were incredibly varied. Qingye secretly leaned over and asked, "Sister Huaisu, I haven't been to many Dust Islands, so my experience in this area is a bit limited... Are most of the smaller Dust Islands like this...?"

Ji Huaisu whispered, "Their Dust Island... I think the enemies that could be slaughtered by A Kong before his transformation are nothing special. But their attitude is really problematic. Even the fierce people of Shura Island would shout at the sight of a Calamity Seed, right?"

"It will always make a 'ee-yah' sound."

"Would you seriously say that the firefly corpse is just some kind of fungal parasite?"

Qingye slowly shook her head.

"No, I won't say."

"Right...right...!"

Ji Huaisu downed two glasses of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and made his own judgment.

In short, that Dust Island called Earth is definitely a very problematic place.

These two were able to excel in such a godforsaken place even before they were Ascended, no wonder they became legends once they entered the Realm of Submerged Auras...

　(The hiatus is over, updates will resume~)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)