American comic: From Beijing with Love, starting with a mutant.

"You guys, go out first."

Saeko Busujima slowly stood up and glanced at the group: "Close the door."

Kimura Daikuma and Inoue Gian felt as if they had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the house.

Mitsuhashi Takashi ran the fastest, and before leaving, he gave Stephen Chow a look that said, "Brother, rest in peace. I'll burn two more paper beauties next year on this day."

In the vast dojo, only Stephen Chow and Saeko Busujima remained.

Zhou Xingxing watched as Saeko Busujima locked the door and walked towards him.

No.

Why would a lone man and woman lock the door?

He instinctively put his hands in front of his chest to protect himself.

My buddy is a legitimate public servant in China!

I'm here on a classified mission. If any misconduct issues were to occur at this time, Director Wang, that stingy old man, would most likely deduct all my travel allowance on the grounds of "serious impact"!

"Um..." Stephen Chow took a half step back, "I'm an artist, not a prostitute. Although I'm handsome, we've only known each other for one day. If things move too fast, I'm afraid my fragile heart won't be able to handle it."

Saeko Busujima completely ignored his nonsense.

She walked up to Stephen Chow and bent down at a 90-degree angle.

"Hoshino-sensei! Please, you must guide me!"

"What profound technique from which school of swordsmanship did you use to neutralize my attack? How could you so easily deflect all its power?"

Goodness, is she serious?

This setup makes them look like top students sitting in the front row of a postgraduate entrance exam cram school.

He scratched his head.

How is he supposed to explain this?

You can't exactly say that it was to prevent the pig's hooves from kicking wildly when scraping pig hair, and that's how you developed a smooth, force-dissipating technique, can you?

That would be so embarrassing to say out loud.

Old Zhou cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back, and looked up at the ceiling.

"Ahem. Well, it's really nothing special. My sword technique... is called 'Butcher's Skill... Sword Technique.' Its core essence can be summed up in four words: 'Following the natural order.'"

Stephen Chow blurted out, "Look, this pig... cough, this opponent's body has textures."

"Bones, muscles, fascia—there are gaps everywhere. Don't use brute force when you're chopping someone down!"

He casually picked up a bamboo knife and traced the smooth curves of bone removal during pig slaughter in the air.

"You must think of yourself as a sharp cleaver used to butcher an ox! Don't confront it head-on; instead, slide your blade into the gaps between its muscles, and with one stroke, the flesh will separate from the bone! It will be incredibly smooth!"

"If you use too much force, the meat will become tough... No, if you use too much force, your knife will become dull! Understand?"

Saeko Busujima stared wide-eyed at the trajectory Zhou Xingxing had just demonstrated, her mind filled with the exquisite image of a blade slicing through skin, silently sliding along muscle fibers, and perfectly avoiding hard bones.

An indescribable sense of dread surged through my body, and the bloodthirsty desire deep in my bones was completely ignited by this highly artistic "anatomical swordsmanship"!

"Separation of flesh and blood...it's only natural..." Saeko Busujima murmured to herself, her fair ears flushing with excitement.

"Master Hoshino! Your swordsmanship is so profound! You must have slain countless people with this technique that transforms slashing into dismemberment!"

"Pfft, cough cough cough!"

Stephen Chow almost choked on his own saliva.

"It's alright, I've made some achievements, I've made some achievements."

Old Zhou waved his hand guiltily and quickly changed the subject.

What kind of guidance is this? If you keep going, you'll be exposed.

Time to get down to business.

He pretended to hold a bamboo sword and circled around Saeko Busujima.

"Theory alone isn't enough. Practice, practice is the most important!" Zhou Xingxing tapped the floor with the handle of his knife.

"Go, walk in circles along the edge of the dojo! Keep your steps light! Make sure you land without making a sound! Like you're stealing something in the middle of the night... like you're walking down the corridor of that abandoned old school building next to our school!"

Without saying a word, Saeko Busujima immediately picked up her wooden sword and began to walk in small, quick steps along the edge.

She has a very strong ability to understand, and after a few laps, her footsteps really did become much lighter.

Stephen Chow leaned against a pillar, his eyes glancing out the window at the dark, three-story old building with iron chains hanging from it.

"Speaking of which, Busujima..."

"Hoshino-kun, just call me Saeko."

"Oh, that Saeko... why is that dilapidated building next door all locked with big iron chains? It's so creepy. I don't think this school is short of money, why don't they tear it down and rebuild it?"

Saeko Busujima glanced out the window.

"Hoshino-kun might not know this since he's new here. That old school building was left over from before the war, and there are deep air-raid shelters and basements underneath."

"It is said that during the war, the place was used as a temporary shelter by the military, and many people died there. After the war, there were rumors of it being haunted, which is why the school administration completely sealed it off."

She paused for a moment, her voice turning colder.

"However, what is more terrifying than ghosts and gods are those militarists who glorify aggression and send young people to the battlefield."

"They shouted about loyalty and sacrifice, but it was always the civilians and soldiers who paid the price! There's nothing to miss about that era!"

Saeko Busujima's fingers rested on the handle of the bamboo sword.

Stephen Chow nodded with satisfaction, "This kid is teachable."

"The ghost story..."

"It's true." Saeko Busujima's expression turned serious.

"I don't believe in ghosts or gods, but I often stay at the dojo alone at night to practice. Several times late at night, I heard strange noises coming from the basement of that old school building."

Stephen Chow's eyes narrowed. "What's that noise?"

"No." Saeko Busujima shook her head, recalling carefully.

"It was very faint, and it felt like it was coming from very deep underground. It sounded like some kind of mechanical equipment operating."

How could there be machinery operating underground in an air-raid shelter that has been abandoned for decades?

Unless, there is a secret facility there that is still in operation!

Director Wang's intelligence was correct; there's something fishy going on in the underground part of the Third Transfer Station.

Intelligence obtained.

Old Zhou was in a great mood and even found Saeko Busujima much more agreeable.

This girl is not only stunningly beautiful, but also an excellent source of information for NPCs.

"I see." Zhou Xingxing nodded, feigning sudden understanding, then straightened his face. "Saeko, that's enough for today. Your potential is good, but your killing intent is too strong. You need to calm down."

He casually grabbed a piece of old newspaper, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into Saeko Busujima's hand.

"Here. Go home and treat this wad of newspaper like an enemy. Use the 'flesh-and-bone separation method' I taught you to peel it layer by layer! Don't tear it! I'll check it tomorrow morning!"

Saeko Busujima held the filthy newspaper with the delight of a treasure, her tone filled with reverence, "Hoshino-kun, aren't you going back?"

Stephen Chow put his hands behind his back, facing the afterglow of the setting sun outside the window, leaving behind an incredibly enigmatic profile.

"Me? I'm staying at school. Since that old school building is filled with such resentment, I need to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and use my righteous energy to suppress the evil spirits! And by the way... pray for your cultivation tomorrow!"

A surge of fervent emotion flashed in Saeko Busujima's eyes.

"Hoshino-kun..." She gripped the newspaper tightly, her eyes welling up with tears.

"You're actually going to such a dangerous place to fight evil spirits for my spiritual practice! I will definitely complete my assignment!"

Watching Saeko Busujima leave the dojo with her bamboo sword, full of fighting spirit, Stephen Chow finally couldn't hold back anymore.

He wiped away a bead of cold sweat. "This guy's delusional behavior is so easy to fool!"

Zhou Xingxing turned around, his gaze refocusing on the lifeless old school building next door.