Forge a path to success.

Chapter 57 The Secret in the Smoke

The scars of war linger in Huilong City, etched into the dilapidated buildings, the dusty tombstones, and the hearts of the homeless. Even with no interest in old history, Chu Hengkong gained some understanding of the past wars after three months of exposure to the city.

Over the past twenty years, Huilong City has fought three major battles. The first battle was against demons. One day, a massive number of imaginary demons suddenly appeared, charging towards the city with frenzied fighting spirit. It is said that many high-ranking demons with names appeared in that battle. Huilong City repelled the demons, but also suffered heavy losses.

Shortly after the war against the demons ended, a second war broke out in a bizarre manner. This time, the enemy's identity was unknown; some said it was a fire monster, others a storm spirit, and rumors swirled about it. The only common thread was the unusual celestial phenomena. It was said that torrential rain fell for a long time, thunder obscured the brilliance of the sun and moon, and the clouds were pure crimson—a raging inferno across the sky.

“You can’t even imagine how nightmare it was,” Jie An said. “I was just a kid back then, hiding in the shelter and thinking the sky was falling.”

"From the description, it seems to be a massive convergence of natural disasters."

"Well, the natural disasters attacked the city..." Jie An scratched his mouth with his knuckles halfway through his sentence, "Just pretend you didn't hear me. Anyway, we completely sealed off the city after that, out of necessity."

"The city is under lockdown, so where did the enemy for the third major battle come from?" Chu Hengkong asked.

“The heretics don’t reason with you. They just popped out like that and fought a real battle with the city lord. Nobody knows what they look like, and all the other participants died.” Jie An handed him a small medicine bottle. “This story tells us that disaster can strike at any time, so it’s best to prepare in advance—take your medicine.”

The bottle contained specially made lozenges, a new panacea that Jie An had improved recently, effective against all kinds of poisons and unorthodox methods. Production was limited; each ordinary team member received one. Chu Hengkong not only received half a bottle but also an unfinished Bodhi Bliss Pill.

Now that the prescription is complete, the pestle can only produce complete spiritual herbs. Unfortunately, Jie An himself is just a foundation stone; the only complete Chang Le Pill was automatically completed by the pestle, and it can no longer be obtained. This incomplete pill was an extra one he made when he went down to the swamp. Taking this out means that the team's resources are truly running out.

"We've won so many battles in a row, so why are we getting poorer and poorer?" Chu Hengkong said helplessly.

"Treatment and healing are free? Equipment replacement is free? Fortifications and watchtowers, which one is free? Tell me, where did all the money go!" Jie An glared. "If you think it's too shabby, then hurry up and smash up the illegal factory. The whole team is counting on you to generate revenue!"

"Okay, I'll try my best."

Chu Hengkong felt a chill run down his spine when he heard the nagging tone of the housekeeper. He quickly put away the medicine bottle, jumped out of the window, hooked his tentacles on the windowsill, and swung away in a few leaps.

The weather remained gloomy, and the flow of weapons was slower than usual. A somber darkness shone through the water curtain, as if rain was imminent. However, the atmosphere in the city was not as oppressive as usual. Dozens of bright yellow towers stood in various parts of the courtyard, their bodies emitting a faint light, like lighthouses in the thick fog.

Chu Hengkong adjusted his angle in mid-air, silently landing on the tower closest to headquarters. The guard on the tower's top, startled by the footsteps, immediately turned and drew his gun, then sheepishly lowered it: "Detective, you scared me to death..."

"Good alertness. Remember not to fire next time." Chu Hengkong raised his gun again. "Any abnormalities?"

"No one's committed any crimes in our area today, everything's peaceful," the team member said smugly. "With the tower built, this shift has become really comfortable!"

This tower, named the Tower of Divine Vision, is a result of the new "gacha machine" after the club was captured. The tower itself can enhance the combat abilities of the team members within its range, and the towers can quickly exchange information. It can also instantly detect and alert to events such as fraud, theft, and violent assault within its range, making it a supercharged version of the Watchtower in another world.

When Chu Hengkong first saw the tower, he joked that its reconnaissance function might infringe on other people's privacy. However, before he could even finish his question, Youyou launched into a long, confident lecture, going on about "the ancient dragon clan's persistent experimentation and improvement over three thousand years" and "the culmination of a great totem system and new-generation trendy techniques." In short, she was saying that any questions a young upstart like him could think of had already been answered by the dragon ancestors, and the tower itself had absolutely no suspicion of authoritarian rule. Chu Hengkong listened and nodded, resolving that from now on, no matter what new gadget she pulled out, he would just use it and then question it as a corpse.

"The club's investigation is stalled for now." Knowing what Detective Chu was most concerned about, the team member said proactively, "You know that place is completely burned; there's no trace left..."

The team member suddenly looked down as a tall tower in the west began to glow, transmitting a signal. He observed it carefully for a moment, then turned and said, "You're really lucky. Lü Xing sent a letter saying there's been progress."

"Do your duty well." Chu Hengkong jumped out of the tower and headed west.

He had been troubled since the club's battle. Firstly, he hadn't confirmed Vesap's death, and secondly, he didn't understand why Kanin was there. The man in white wasn't stupid; having already instigated the team to fight the club, there was no reason for him to risk personally entering the fray. He went to the swamp to prevent Ji Huaisu from participating, so what was his purpose in coming to the building?
Chu Heng couldn't understand it, and that's precisely why he was worried. Hostility lurking in the shadows is always more worrisome than an enemy in the open.

·
"Grandma, please slow down..."

The courtyard, the ruins of the former club.

Chu Hengkong pushed aside a charred rock and entered the crime scene marked by a yellow circle. The surface of the rock was scorching hot, and the ground was burning hot underfoot. The team members investigating the scene drank water from time to time to cool off. The fire that destroyed the club had long been extinguished, but the scene still emanated a lingering heat.

The team later discovered a secret room at the bottom of the building, but the area had long been burned beyond recognition, and even with the help of the artifacts, they couldn't find any evidence. Chu Hengkong was very curious about what new method they had used, but when he arrived, he found a hunched old woman standing in the ruins. She was holding a pipe, puffing out smoke, the pale green smoke seeping into the ruins and condensing into ambiguous and blurry shapes.

“Grandma Sangjia?” Chu Hengkong looked at Lü Xing beside him. “What’s going on?” Lü Xing rubbed his hands together, looking a little uneasy.

“This morning, my mother-in-law came to the central courtyard for a mobilization meeting. I was thinking that the investigation had been stuck for quite a while, so I mentioned it to her…” Even if it was just a subtle hint, it was undoubtedly too much for a squad leader to ask the Grand Wizard to investigate. He lowered his head. “I was reckless.”

"Well done, very clever." Chu Hengkong didn't care at all; being able to pass the buck meant he did a good job. Grandma Sangjia's willingness to help had nothing to do with who asked her; it was purely because the old lady appreciated their kindness.

He stood behind the old man and waited patiently until the shapes in the smoke became clearer, turning into a magic circle, footprints, and a disgusting trail that looked like a slug wriggling.

“Look, here are the footprints of the Moon Child.” The old man pointed to the writhing trail. “It was filled with terror and resentment, stubbornly advancing while sucking blood. But its fate was cut short…”

Granny Sangjia pointed to footprints not far away, footprints that had stepped into the magic circle and destroyed the already formed magic circle: "There, are the claw marks of a raven, carrying the god of the sea. He discovered the escape of his young child, and then..."

Grandma Sangjia paused for a long time, seemingly unable to imagine what would happen next. Chu Hengkong walked around the area, stepping on his footprints to simulate the distance between the two of them at that time.

“He burned Vesap to death,” Chu Hengkong said with certainty. “The flames erupted from the ground in an instant.”

Grandma Sangjia nodded slowly, as if her mind had suddenly become clear: "That's right, the flames destroyed the young child's fate, and the crow picked up the treasure..."

Smoke billowed in the center of the magic circle, solidifying into a blurry disc whose shape was indistinct. The old man picked up the smoke disc and examined it closely.

“Fire is the wrathful, destructive god,” said Granny Sangja. “Beware, darling of the trend, for crows should not have burning hearts.”

Chu Hengkong listened quietly, then smiled at the old man to indicate that he understood. The old man also smiled and placed the smoke disc in Chu Hengkong's hand: "The diviner's pursuit only goes this far; it needs to be washed away with seawater to decipher the longing."

"Thank you for your help." Chu Hengkong nodded and instructed, "I will follow up on the investigation and take good care of my mother-in-law."

Before his brothers could reply, he had already headed towards headquarters. On the way, he activated the communication crystal and had a brief conversation with Ji Huaisu.

"Oh my god," Ji Huaisu said. "Although I don't quite understand it, I have a bad feeling."

Chu Hengkong effortlessly ignored his partner's antics: "Grandma Sangjia cares a lot about fire. Is that so special?"

“Have you ever seen anyone else in the city use fire?” Ji Huaisu said. “Fire is a very advanced power, the strongest destructive force below the First Abyss. Those who can use it freely are at least ‘Pure Fire,’ which is the third point of my path.”

Even with Ji Huaisu's strength, he's only at the level of a 2-point particle; there's no reason he could fight a 3-point particle to a standstill. Thinking about it this way, Kaning must have used some underhanded methods to obtain high-level power before his transformation.

This place is tainted by light poison, possessed by demons, and blessed by the dark moon. Obtaining power is a simple matter, it just depends on what price you are willing to pay... and the workshop owner is undoubtedly a crazy person.

What are your chances of winning if it really comes to a fight?

"I'm sure I'll win every time, okay? I still have some super powerful moves you haven't seen yet to use." Ji Huaisu said confidently.

"to be honest."

"To be honest, it's fucking tough," Ji Huaisu said dejectedly. "But there are plenty of tough things out there, one more won't make a difference."

"really."

Chu Hengkong put away the communicator and examined the blurry smoke disc in his hand. Kanin indeed had ulterior motives, but he probably didn't expect his whereabouts to be exposed.

He decided to investigate this lead himself. This was crucial intelligence; obtaining it early might give him a head start in the upcoming operations.

(End of this chapter)