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Chapter 5 Demon Possession (Part 1)

The door was smashed open by a ball, revealing the interior of the Iron Paddle Shop.

The semi-open counter had been crudely altered, with gloves, helmets, and iron bars crammed into ill-fitting display cases on the wall. The rest area, originally intended for customers, had been transformed into a dance hall-like setting, with constantly changing disco lights illuminating posters of scantily clad singers. In the center of the hall, several young men were beating a trembling old man with blunt weapons, while onlookers on the second floor cheered and laughed.

"This is my shop..." the old man pleaded.

"You think what you call yours is yours? Huh? You say you're my dad, so am I supposed to kneel down to you?!" The thug raised his stick and started hitting him. "I told you not to spread rumors, old man! It's making things difficult for you, you idiot!" The thug stomped on the old man's face. "But this place is..." "What is it, old man! Say it again, you damn old man!!" The thug shouted, threatening him!
Chu Hengkong's hearing was excellent, good enough to hear the conversation inside the room before the door was broken down. The moment the iron door swung open, everyone's eyes were on him. The thug who had been shouting threats paused for a second, then continued threatening as if nothing had happened: "See? Next up is yours—"

Before he could finish speaking, Chu Hengkong's tentacles suddenly extended, sweeping out like silver whips. The tip of the tentacle struck the thug's face, violently deforming his entire face like dough. The immense force, enough to twist steel, shattered his teeth, sending them flying. This incredibly fast and ruthless strike sent him crashing into his accomplices, their bodies piled up one after another by the force, finally slamming into the shop wall simultaneously!

Dust filled the room, the lights flickered violently, and for a moment, the room fell silent. The simple-minded rioters hadn't even grasped what was happening. Then, the silver tentacles leaped out again, this time engulfing the injured old man. The old shopkeeper, having fallen to the ground and avoided the previous lash, now thought he was being attacked by a monster, and was nearly speechless with terror: "Please... here..."

“I know, this is your shop.”

The old man was stunned. Only then did he see the intruder's true form, not expecting that the tentacles belonged to a young man. The man's eyes were even somewhat gentle.

"Don't run around." Chu Hengkong gently placed the old man behind him. "The government is here to seek justice for you."

At this moment, the thugs inside finally reacted. The onlookers on the second floor frantically drew their guns, while the remaining three thugs on the first floor hurriedly drew their knives and rushed forward. Chu Hengkong pulled the large silver-eyed book from his coat and hurled it forcefully towards the second floor. The book landed in the crowd, smashing through the floor and eliciting screams. The impact from above caused the thugs to fall a floor, like boulders hitting water, creating a spray of water everywhere.

They were standing too close together, their reaction time too slow. Even if the inexperienced thugs swarmed him, Chu Hengkong was not afraid at all. As he threw the large book, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and stepped forward. His tentacles contracted and flashed past the first man's chin. This attack method was similar to shaking the gatekeeper's head earlier, which could instantly cause a shock to the brain, rendering the enemy unable to fight.

The first man fell unconscious without a word. A step later, the second man, wielding a short knife, charged forward with a boastful shout, but before he could even draw his knife, Chu Hengkong punched him, shattering his Adam's apple and sending him crashing to the ground. The last man was the one from before, wearing rusty armor and sandals. He held a small pistol, staring at his companion on the ground, clutching his neck as if choked, his hairy legs trembling uncontrollably.

Chu Hengkong beckoned with his tentacles, and the armored thug's scream was as shrill as a woman's. He threw down his pistol and fled in a panic, pounding on a tightly closed iron door: "Help! Boss Hugos! The tentacle demons are here to cause trouble!"

The entire iron door flew up and crashed into the ceiling along with the armored man who had been knocking on the door!

A pair of enormous feet emerged from the crumbling wall, belonging to a strong and savage man. He wore jeans and a floral shirt, his blind right eye covered by an eyepatch, his single eye gleaming with malice. The one-eyed man's knuckles cracked as he extended his fist; a black iron ring adorned his right arm, the very arm that had smashed through the iron gate. "Looks like you're a new recruit to the Resurrection Squad," the one-eyed man, Hugos, stared at Chu Hengkong. "Your predecessor didn't die this afternoon, so now you're here to deliver him—"

Boom!
A gust of wind scattered the gun ash, and the heavy thud of his footsteps shook the ground. Chu Hengkong had no interest in listening to nonsense; almost instantly, he was in front of Hugos. As his right heel landed, his right fist lashed out, a punch like a heavy hammer slamming into Hugos's chest, shoving away his nonsense and threats. Hugos was sent flying backward, crashing through the wall and flying outside the shop!
Stomping and swinging the foot are fundamental skills in Bajiquan. What previously intimidated the fanatics was just a show of force with the "foot strikes," but this deep, resonant stomp is the true test of lower body skill. Stomping can be used to attack the enemy's lower body, or to quickly close the distance. The reaction force from the stomp combined with the cross-shaped force of the punch can turn a simple punch into a deadly move.

This was Chu Hengkong's preferred starting stance; opponents who could withstand it were worth paying attention to, while those who couldn't withstand a single punch were just weaklings. This time, however, the target seemed to have some skill; he rose from the dust. The one-eyed man's body twisted violently, his upper body rapidly expanding, his silhouette in the dust as ferocious as a wild beast.

"Boss..." "The boss is angry..." "We're going to die! Run!!"

The remaining thugs were pale-faced; no one offered to help, and everyone ran outside as fast as they could. They were certainly afraid of Chu Hengkong, but they were even more afraid of their leader. Being hit by the tentacles would shatter their bones, but being caught up in their boss's battle… meant certain death!

Amidst the panicked crowd, Chu Hengkong remained unmoved. He silently calculated the time in his mind; 2 minutes and 10 seconds had passed since the start of the timer.

I wonder if less than eight minutes is enough to deal with a "demon possessed" person?
"You tentacle bastard, I'll kill you!!"

A foul-smelling blast of smoke and dust swept through, revealing a savage and terrifying figure in full view of the lights. It was a complete monster! Hugos's legs had grown three times thicker, and his height had ballooned to four meters. His entire upper body, along with his head, had mutated into a gigantic beast's head, with a single eye several times larger than usual positioned in the center. His thick arms were gone, replaced by two deep blue "fangs."

This monster reminded Chu Hengkong of the lion dance in his hometown; its top-heavy, unsteady appearance was exactly like a "dancing elephant" from another world. But this dancing elephant had no joy on its body, only murderous intent. It raised a tusk as thick as a small tree and slammed it down heavily on Chu Hengkong.

Chu Hengkong retracted his tentacles to his waist to stabilize his center of gravity. He stepped forward with his left foot and punched upwards with his right hand, his palm transforming into a fist. Facing Hugos's violence, he neither retreated nor dodged, choosing to meet it head-on with a soaring palm strike. The fleshy palm collided head-on with the long fangs, and both men's lower bodies sank simultaneously. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the floor beneath Chu Hengkong's feet, yet he himself remained completely unmoved despite bearing the immense force.

He actually withstood it! He blocked the demon's attack with just one hand!
Even the thugs watching were filled with admiration, but Chu Hengkong himself didn't relax for a second. He noticed the enemy's iron ring was vibrating; after transforming, the ring was attached to Hugos's fangs. At that moment, the ring was emitting a dark light, like a high-ranking wizard's pendant.

"--strengthen!"

The pressure on his hand instantly intensified. If he had been fighting a boulder before, the tusk now felt like it was connected to a ore deposit. Chu Hengkong decisively withdrew his hand and jumped back, but even though he had sensed the abnormality beforehand, he was already half a step too slow. Hugos's tusk crashed to the ground, creating a crater about three meters deep.

The retreat was extremely close, avoiding a direct hit. However, the excessive force created an invisible impact, like a sharp sweep that sent Chu Hengkong flying out of mid-air!
(End of this chapter)