Infinite Hunter

"Is Apollo, the God of Light, protecting me?" Cheng Yijiu muttered. He wanted to kill Griffith first, but found that he had disappeared. Cassia and the others were fighting fiercely, and the twenty or so people outside were now all dead. They died miserably, torn apart and devoured by the monster. The original servants in the house were gone too, most of them swallowed by the house that bred flesh and blood - yes, the house itself had become a giant monster.

The roof was rapidly dropping, and Cheng Yijiu saw sharp, pointed teeth sprouting from the ceiling and floor. He leaped forward like a tiger, severing the front half of the gaping monster with a single sword strike, and sent Kasjia flying with a single kick. He similarly grabbed the other creature and flung it out of the room. He himself slashed the lowering ceiling with another sword strike, then fled the room amidst a painful roar that carried the wind.

The skeleton octopus used its tentacles to support its body as it charged towards Cheng Yijiu. Each tentacle's suction cups were like shredders with sharp fangs. If entangled by these tentacles, one would be instantly reduced to minced meat. The monster lashed the ground, and the earth surged like the sea. Cheng Yijiu leaped through it, quickly stabilizing himself. He still had to fight the surging monsters.

These monsters easily defeated ordinary humans, even mercenaries, because their bony armor was as hard as steel and their strength was immense. Their movements, though inhuman, were particularly challenging for ordinary humans to adapt to, especially due to their abnormal joints. However, within the range of the radiant golden lion hide, these monsters' movements would slow and halt, before being decapitated and shattered by the sharp sword's blows.

The tentacles were the biggest enemy. Even though they were also affected by the light from the lion skin, their large diameter still forced Cheng Yijiu to dodge. The skin of the tentacles rotted and melted under the light, and it seemed to have no effect on the monster. Cheng Yijiu's entire body was glowing slightly. He kept approaching the monster. The closer he got, the less effective the monster's tentacles would be. Cheng Yijiu took out the shotgun and said, "Eat this! Beast!"

Mental power unleashed two bullets. Fueled by divine power, the silver bullets blasted like meteors into the eye sockets of the massive blood-stained skull. The darkness within was now illuminated by the exploding bullets. Light not only emanated from the eye sockets, but even from the washbasins on the tentacles. With a single blow, the monster was reduced to a petrified sculpture, then gradually shattered...

"Strong on offense but weak on defense? This thing can't just be a skin, right?" Cheng Yijiu felt unexpectedly "relaxed." Then he saw a small, fat man floating in the air, his lower body resembling an octopus, appear from the shattered statue. Behind him was a deep darkness—Cheng Yijiu suddenly knew one thing: Griffith was in this darkness. Cheng Yijiu pressed the button in front of the fat man, and the gun body opened directly. Unburned ash poured out of the barrel, and then he quickly took out two bullets and stuffed them into the gun barrel.

"Are the Hands of God powerful?" Cheng Yijiu wasn't sure. They were indeed very powerful. They should be able to inspire the deepest fear, summon countless monsters, and distort human nature—but Cheng Yijiu had the protection of God. His lion skin had already shown its effectiveness in making the monsters' weapons completely impenetrable, and now it protected Cheng Yijiu's sanity, an impenetrable fortress in both physical and magical terms.

Cheng Yijiu charged towards the fat man in front of him with great momentum, easily slaying the monsters that blocked his path. The cold iron blade showed no sign of wear and tear, and even gained a layer of sharp gray sheen from having slain so many monsters. Just as Guts's Dragon Slayer Sword had become a demon-slaying dragon-slaying sword imbued with the power of the netherworld after slaying so many monsters, Cheng Yijiu's cold iron sword was originally enchanted with the power to destroy darkness. It was no surprise that it had reached a new level of power after slaying so many monsters and absorbing the power of the netherworld.

"A natural strengthening enchantment? Let's see if I can slay the Hand of God with it." Looking around, Cheng Yijiu was the only one standing before the monsters. His blade could inflict immense damage on these creatures, yet he had remained unscathed thanks to the protection of the lion hide and ointment. Just as he was about to charge forward, a gust of wind blew, and a massive figure charged directly at him. Unable to dodge, Cheng Yijiu lowered his greatsword to block the attack.

He was violently knocked back, and as he landed, a massive spider-like monster swung its claws—eight multi-jointed, sharp bone blades—and "embraced" Cheng Yijiu. Amidst a burst of blood, the spider's head was split open all the way down to its chest and abdomen, while Cheng Yijiu's front was also covered in wounds. The ointment slowed the bleeding, and the wounds began to heal almost immediately.

But as a price, the light around Cheng Yijiu began to dim. And the figure could now be seen clearly—it was the immortal Zuo De. The monster crouched low, its lion-like eyes turning blood red. "What a delightful fight to the death!" the apostle roared, charging at Cheng Yijiu, who had just slain the monster. Cheng Yijiu, unbending, brandished his greatsword and charged at the apostle.

Zuo De held no weapons; his weapons were his horns, claws, maw, tail, and immense strength. And crucially, his "immortality." He wasn't just any apostle whose arm had been chopped off and reattached. Even after being severed by Cheng Yijiu's frosty iron sword, hadn't this guy's tail been easily reattached? This monster was truly a monster, and among the apostles, it was the least affected by Cheng Yijiu's demon-breaking frosty iron sword.

The battle was intense from the outset. A raging storm of fighting spirit erupted where Zuo De and Cheng Yijiu clashed—every demon caught in the midst was reduced to shreds without exception. The clash of claws and horns against the greatsword resonated with the clashing of metal. Cheng Yijiu couldn't simply decapitate through a swordfight—this was hand-to-hand combat, and the difference in weapon and fighting stance forced him to adapt his swordplay.

Especially Zuo De's horns. The two twisted horns are not only extremely hard, but also very scary sharp weapons that can twist off weapons. Once Cheng Yijiu accidentally lets the sword get stuck between the horns, Zuo De only needs to turn his head to twist the sword out of his hand. Zuo De also has to be careful that Cheng Yijiu will use leverage to cut off his horns. Both sides are cautious while fighting fiercely and must not reveal any flaws.

Chapter 37: Hand of God

The clash of swords and horns had damaged Cheng Yijiu's chain mail in several places, even with the divine protection. Even if it could repair itself later, it was useless now. Cheng Yijiu also suffered scars on the front of his torso. Zuo De's massive body brought tremendous power, and this guy was also incredibly fast, a perfect combination of strength and speed.

Therefore, Cheng Yijiu couldn't guarantee he'd escape unscathed. His chest and arms were covered in wounds from Zuo De's sharp claws, long, open wounds. The blood oozing out was muffled by the surrounding ointment. If Cheng Yijiu hadn't been able to strike back instantly, leaving Zuo De equally wounded and unable to exert his full strength, he would have likely been cut open by now. Zuo De's arms, chest, and neck were also covered in sword scars.

Relying on his extraordinary healing abilities, Zuo De's wounds stopped bleeding, but his fur was soaked with blood, appearing dark. Both monsters' combat abilities remained intact: Cheng Yijiu possessed the ointment, while Zuo De was the flesh of an apostle. During the battle, Zuo De once again lost a portion of his tail, still using it as a whip when it was severed by the monstrous human's sword.

The monsters that rushed into the battle circle became shields for both sides. Cheng Yijiu and Zuo De had used these monsters to block each other's attacks more than once, and of course they didn't care about the lives of these guys - this is Zuo De's side. Zuo De had just crushed the skull of a goat-headed guy - Cheng Yijiu used it to avoid Zuo De's claws, and he was holding another slender monster on his horns.

The ointment on Cheng Yijiu's body was becoming less effective at healing wounds, but its ability to restore energy and strength remained undiminished. Lion Skin was still as powerful as ever, having already deflected several of Zuo De's heavy blows to his back and shoulders. Of course, Cheng Yijiu also delivered several thrilling stabs to Zuo De's chest and abdomen, each one penetrating nearly half a sword's length. Zuo De roared and laughed heartily, as if the more pain he inflicted on the beast, the more frantic it became.

Cheng Yijiu ignored the pain. The blunt force of Zuo De's force made him feel certain his muscles were injured, even though the lion hide had shielded them. Fortunately, his bones were probably fine. Once again, Zuo De lowered his head and charged forward. His previous roar carried such intense pressure and menace that Cheng Yijiu was momentarily frozen in place. Cheng Yijiu flung the lion hide in front of him, thrusting his left shoulder forward to hold it, and gripped his sword with both hands, poised for a backhand thrust.

Now the two lions roared together, and then the black horned lion crashed into the golden lion. Cheng Yijiu grunted and stepped back. His weight disadvantage was absolute. He relied on the lion skin to prevent himself from being penetrated by Zuo De's horns. However, even so, his left shoulder and chest were in pain as if they were about to split. The radiating pain told him that his left arm and part of his ribs were likely broken.

His greatsword pierced deeply, splitting Zuo De's jaw and throat. The monster raised its head just in time to deflect the blow, otherwise the sword would have pierced directly into his brain. The blow nearly bisected Zuo De's neck and even cut a third of his chest. The cold iron greatsword was so sharp and tough that it didn't even show the slightest wear. As Cheng Yijiu straightened his body, he heard a cracking sound. The situation was not good.

The heavy blow had left him with almost no use for his left arm. The complex fractures rendered it immobile, and the collapsed ribs made it difficult for Cheng Yijiu to breathe. The ointment could only help to prevent his energy from collapsing. "Internal bleeding is possible," Cheng Yijiu sensed. He wasn't in good condition, and Zuo De across from him was in a similar situation. The large wound, coupled with the somewhat impactful impact of the Cold Iron Greatsword, caused the fellow to stumble back and fall to one knee.

The little fat man's strength wasn't physical; he had clearly spawned a large number of monsters trying to stop Cheng Yijiu. Although he could only hold the sword with one hand, Cheng Yijiu could still kill his opponent with the smallest of movements. Blocking and sliding his sword had become second nature to him. With a twist of his wrist, he could deflect the monster's attack, and with another twist, the sword would slice into the opponent's vitals.

A few minutes later, Cheng Yijiu was standing before the darkness, his eyes fixed on the fat boy. The fat boy, wearing stylish round sunglasses, let out an eerie laugh and drifted away. Cheng Yijiu had no interest in pursuing the fat boy. He thrust his sword directly into the darkness before him. Just as he was about to strike, a hand grasped the tip of the sword. The hand seemed to be wearing a black leather glove, and its owner quickly emerged from the darkness.

"Although you're powerful, it's your fault for holding my sword." Cheng Yijiu sneered. Even though only his right hand could exert force, his left was crippled. His right hand still had enough strength. The sharp pain in his breathing, the blackening and the slight weakness in his vision didn't matter. Cheng Yijiu still had the strength to kill the apostle. He swiftly swung his greatsword, and the cold iron sword shone with an icy light.

The man in black leather clothes and winged cloak, whose upper face was covered by an eagle-like helmet, had his right hand dripping with blood. "So the so-called hand of God can also bleed?" Cheng Yijiu swung his sword and slashed at the guy - this man's martial arts was very strong. Cheng Yijiu remembered that it was this guy who split Zuo De in half and cut off one of his horns, which never grew out again, and completely subdued the immortal Zuo De.

Therefore, it was no surprise that Griffith drew his black saber to block Cheng Yijiu's greatsword. Cheng Yijiu also used all his swordsmanship, especially the extremely dangerous furious slash. This was a near-mutually-destroyed fighting style, and every slash or thrust by Cheng Yijiu consumed his own vitality. Since becoming the Hand of God, Griffith had made great progress in strength and speed, and with his appearance came a large number of monsters and apostles.

The monsters and apostles were rapidly closing in on the two men's battle zone, and Zuo De seemed almost recovered. Cheng Yijiu truly didn't have much time left. So, completely reckless, he forced his left hand forward with his muscles, grasping the hilt of the greatsword. Then, with complete recklessness, he pulled back and sideways, launching a long, powerful, twisting blow. The saber bypassed the lion hide and pierced Cheng Yijiu's right chest.

The tip of the knife even penetrated Cheng Yijiu's body, but Cheng Yijiu did not pause at all. He swung the cold iron sword as if the pain did not exist at all.

Chapter 38

Facing death, Cheng Yijiu swung his sword without pause, as if the saber that pierced his chest was nothing. The power of Femont's Hand of God was far more than that. He could crush a dozen apostles into a ball of flesh from a distance, but he could not penetrate the lion's skin to harm Cheng Yijiu. He could only rely on his own flesh and weapons to fight Cheng Yijiu. So his saber pierced Cheng Yijiu, while his own head was cut off by the cold iron sword.

The God's Hand's head was severed, and a black light enveloped the entire space. The gravity between heaven and earth was reversed, but Cheng Yijiu managed to stabilize himself. He severed the God's Hand's arm to prevent the saber's movement from causing internal bleeding. Now, at least the wound could be blocked. The lion's skin glowed at this moment, and a simple wooden door appeared before him.

Cheng Yijiu endured the pain and pushed the door open. He was bleeding severely internally and would have died in another five or six minutes. He had broken a finger of the Hand of God in this world, and the world was helpless against him—the moment he stepped through the door frame.

The saber turned into black dust and disappeared in the wind flowing in the room, and the original wound began to heal - at this time, Cheng Yijiu was pressed directly onto the operating table by an unknown force and automatically lost consciousness.

When Cheng Yijiu regained consciousness, his wounds had healed, but he had no idea how much time had passed. He stepped off the operating table and walked to the weapons room, where he put away his lion-skin sword and soft armor. He then took a good shower, ordered something to eat, and examined the bag Turgen had given him—it looked like it could be used not only as a small shoulder bag but also as a waist bag.

"The capacity is indeed quite good, but unfortunately it can only be used in the presence of relatively strong supernatural powers and in this room. Once in the outside world, it immediately becomes just an ordinary bag." This thing is definitely not as good as the cold iron sword and lion skin. The cold iron sword has now been reborn and is a very terrifying weapon that can break through dark magic. It can already be called a "holy sword." The small silver box with rubies was also opened, but Cheng Yijiu found that there was no ointment inside.

"So it's just like that bag. It can only be used in a world with supernatural powers. What a pity." Cheng Yijiu muttered, and finally he took out a small leather bag with a packet of seeds inside. "I remember Turgen said this was aloe vera, the kind that seems to be able to treat external and internal injuries?" Holding the packet of seeds, Cheng Yijiu looked at the garden outside, "I'm not sure if this thing can be grown in the garden..."

Cheng Yijiu walked into the garden, found a patch of fertile-looking soil, and sowed a third of the seeds. Turning back, he chose the small door leading to the study. He opened it and entered, unsurprisingly finding the comics on the bookshelf. The comics looked completely different from the originals he remembered, and for comparison, the originals were actually there. He flipped through the new work and realized it had become animated as he turned the pages.

Guts did a good job of infiltrating and assassinating, but he didn't manage to kill everyone—he did chop down the noble, but the kid trained by Cheng Yijiu performed well. After a couple of strikes, he quickly assessed the situation and fled. "Supreme Art, it's not some Italian swordsmanship. If you can cut through double circles, you must be a good runner, too." Due to the unusual circumstances at the ball, Guts wasn't able to conduct a thorough search, allowing the kid to escape.

Cheng Yijiu watched the two or three sword exchanges. "He's got enough skills to duel with those dandies, and his brain is pretty useful." The story ends abruptly after Griffith becomes the God Hand, Fermont, and is killed by him. There's a meaningful scene at the end: a Tyrant Egg appears on Fermont's body.

"There are more than five of these things?" Cheng Yijiu muttered, and then he quickly went to the trophy display hall on the second floor. He ran to the place where supernatural trophies were displayed, and saw a new glass cabinet with a Behelet and an Overlord Egg placed in it like jewelry on a glass table - except for the difference in color, these two things looked equally disgusting and wretched.

Next to the two stone eggs was a strange-looking apostle—not even life-size, but what I estimated to be a 1:12 scale figurine… And there was no Fermont figurine either, so it seemed hard to say whether it was dead or alive. All in all, the mission was a success. Cheng Yijiu rested well, then, as usual, cleaned the lion hide, using a surfactant to wash off the blood, fat, and other debris from the chain mail and cold iron sword—otherwise, they would stink.

After cleaning, repairing, and inspecting it, Cheng Yijiu finally removed the handle of the greatsword and the leather parts of the mail armor and soaked them in a tank half-filled with mineral oil. Although cold iron is almost rust-proof, it's still a good idea to soak it. As for the double-barreled musket, it was actually quite crude. The original was relatively crude, and the modification didn't improve it much, so Cheng Yijiu took it into the workshop to rebuild and reassemble it.

The barrel and trigger mechanism were almost completely rebuilt and polished - fortunately, the barrel was made of cold iron, and the trigger mechanism only needed careful polishing. The spring was replaced with a modern alloy for durability. I think this gun will not be seen much, only in the era of modern flintlock rifles.

Afterwards, Cheng Yijiu had a good sleep. When he woke up, he felt refreshed, so he put on his clothes and pushed open the door to go out. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar shop, he said, "Damn, how long have I been in that damn place? Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore." Cheng Yijiu happily took out a few medieval-style handicrafts - mainly some jewelry and a few ancient coins such as florins, talers, and silver dinars, and placed them in the glass counter as antiques.

It's true that these gold and silver coins are much more exquisite than the European gold and silver coins of the same period in the comics. Cheng Yijiu knew that this was because these coins were all stamped coins, which were stamped using hydraulic machinery. Therefore, the surface patterns were clear and smooth, and there were even patterns on the edges of the coins to prevent cutting.

After opening the door, he was still in the same state, neither dead nor alive. However, the mission he had just completed had given Cheng Yijiu a lot of money, and this money had become his legal income through unknown means. Cheng Yijiu looked for a while and then came out of the back door to the closed backyard - the only way to enter this place was through his shop, and the other sides were blocked unless someone could swim across the river.

Cheng Yijiu cleared a spot, loosened the soil, and applied the fertilizer the shop already had. He then planted half of the remaining seeds. "I don't know if they'll grow," he muttered.

Volume: Transition

Chapter 1: The Beginning

This kind of aloe vera likely requires very fertile soil, so Cheng Yijiu added a lot of Jin Ke La. Anyway, as long as the soil isn't compacted, you can add as much as you want. Maybe the seeds won't burn. Miss Tang has been quite popular lately. Men in luxury cars have been sending her flowers and wanting to take her out for fun and dinner. I have to say, Miss Tang is indeed beautiful, and this point needs to be emphasized again and again.

Anyway, Cheng Yijiu watched Miss Tang tease these wealthy men in the store—no money needed, Miss Tang was already a wealthy and beautiful woman, and she came to work just to kill time. The reason she worked for Cheng Yijiu was probably simply because Cheng Yijiu had no feelings for her at all, which made her feel more comfortable there. Cheng Yijiu was also lazily relaxing. It was a pity that the black dog Turgen gave him could not be released in his own world.

It could only be displayed in the hut; it was completely useless in the outside world. It was just an ordinary wooden sculpture. Miss Tang was quite interested in the small handicrafts Cheng Yijiu had brought back. They were some medieval-style jewelry. She wouldn't buy them because they were pretty crude in modern times, but the unique style was nice to see. As a shop assistant, it was fine for her to look at them casually and play with them, so why would she buy them?

Cheng Yijiu leisurely whiled away his time in the shop. A week had passed, and he still looked lazy. One good thing was that the seeds had sprouted, both in the cottage garden and in the backyard of his shop. The aloe vera seemed surprisingly resilient. Even though Cheng Yijiu, not knowing how to grow flowers or plants, had added too much fertilizer, this action, which would have killed the plant, had no effect on the aloe vera. Instead, it grew beautifully.

Now a bud has sprouted, as tall as a little finger. When it grows up, this thing might become the largest aloe vera plant, perhaps even more than a person tall? Cheng Yijiu pondered this question while toying with a double-barreled "flintlock." It was a double-barreled shotgun, yes, but even the police who came to inspect it would only say it was a work of art—it could fire, but it wasn't a gun. It was simply because the trigger mechanism didn't have a spring.

Then this thing is just an ornamental item.

Cheng Yijiu hadn't had any thoughts during this time, and with no one from the relevant departments bothering him, he lived a very relaxed and comfortable life. He was even thinking about where to go and explore, perhaps a trip to the south? Or perhaps a trip abroad? Just as Cheng Yijiu was pondering these questions, he caught sight of a man named Liu from the corner of his eye and immediately curled his lips. "Ah... is this trouble or fun?"

"Let's go, there's something good going on." Old Liu was decisive and came over to say it. Cheng Yijiu didn't say much and directly explained it to Miss Tang. Miss Tang immediately hurriedly closed the shop and probably wouldn't open it until Cheng Yijiu came back, so as not to be harassed by others staying here alone. Cheng Yijiu didn't bring anything with him, so he thought the relevant departments would prepare everything for him.

Cheng Yijiu got in the car. It was not Lao Liu who was driving, but another young man. After getting in, they drove straight to Hongqiao Airport without saying a word. Cheng Yijiu didn't ask, because Lao Liu didn't seem to want to talk. It wasn't until the car drove to the business jet waiting room inside the airport that Cheng Yijiu asked, "What's going on this time?" Lao Liu took him into a room and said before the shuttle bus arrived, "This time we're going abroad."

Cheng Yijiu leaned back on the sofa. "Where are you going?" Old Liu smiled. "We'll look up the information on the plane when we get there." Soon, the shuttle arrived and the two of them boarded. This time, they were using the latest domestically produced CBJ business jet. There were two familiar faces waiting on the plane—Xiao Zhang, the weapons expert, and the young woman who handled computer and other logistics. There must be a lot of good stuff in the cargo hold, anyway. After Cheng Yijiu took his seat, he first surveyed the plane.

The plane only had seven seats, and it looked like there were two suites in the back, so the space was definitely quite large. "Got rich?" Cheng Yijiu didn't rush to look at the information, but instead asked Lao Liu. "The client paid for the fuel," Lao Liu said simply, and everyone laughed. Cheng Yijiu grabbed the folder on the table in front of him and opened it. The first thing he saw was a photo, a slightly blurry and out-of-focus photo of what appeared to be a woman, but compared to the surrounding single-family houses, she was surprisingly tall.

"What era is this? Are smartphones still so blurry? Aren't they autofocus?" Cheng Yijiu complained. "With this proportion, the height should reach the second floor. So this is Japan, no wonder. I remember their floor height was about 2.2 to 2.4 meters. This person must be at least 2.6 to 2.7 meters tall, right?" Cheng Yijiu raised his head. "It's just an unusual height. Let me take a look."

The following information was a series of disappearances and murders. It seemed that in most of the cases, someone reported seeing a woman of this size, and some witnesses even became new victims themselves—a high percentage. Local police officers simply couldn't find this unusual woman—it was assumed that such a tall woman couldn't be hidden, and this incident attracted the attention of the big boss.

Things that existed only in legends have emerged in this world, becoming unspoken secrets within certain countries and departments, with those departments invited to clean up the mess—and with overseas Chinese among the victims, mainland China has to get involved. The American people rule here, and Unit F is the father of all Japanese cops. And according to certain unspoken agreements, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council have reason to intervene when overseas Chinese are involved.

So this time, all four sides converged—the mainland played supporting roles, generally not getting anything done. The United States was the main force, and the British Empire was similar to the mainland, though their gains were likely greater. After all, they were now also the United States's loyal children. The Japanese were professional supporters, doing the dirty work. Regarding the capabilities of these Japanese, the other three permanent members described them as utterly rubbish. No foreign nationals were attacked this time, so the Japanese were unable to participate.

"We can't find anyone. This time, let's see how advanced the Americans are. We're just filling in the gaps, right? Otherwise..." Cheng Yijiu's point was, why else would they send such a weak team? They couldn't even handle the domestic ones, so they naturally didn't care much about the foreign ones—unless they could reap huge benefits from them. A huge woman? There was nothing particularly beneficial about that.

Chapter 2 Accident

It is indeed quite weak. You should know that Benzi's father not only mobilized part of the F unit personnel stationed in Benzi, but also flew several transport planes loaded with personnel and equipment from the country. According to some small information that Lord Liu told Cheng Yijiu, "They actually mobilized the Galaxy transport plane? Is it so exaggerated?" Cheng Yijiu was also quite surprised. This is the largest transport plane in active service in the United States, and its service life is probably equal to twice his age.

The main force this time was the Americans. I'm afraid even Benzi himself wouldn't get much out of it. The mainlanders were basically just going through the motions. This giant woman was of little value—even if she could be captured. Several places in China were experiencing far more dramatic anomalies than these, so that's where our focus should be. This time, we just needed to ensure the reassurance of the overseas Chinese. "So, is that just endorsing the embassy? Just issuing a certificate and we're done," Cheng Yijiu correctly understood Lord Liu's opinion.

So let's just go investigate the scene out of pure interest. The relevant departments probably don't expect any results; they just need a plausible explanation. Ultimately, this is a domestic problem, and they have to solve it themselves—just compensate the overseas Chinese for their losses.

So, the three of them—the girl, as usual, was assigned to rear-line duties, collecting data and providing real-time analysis for the front lines. Xiao Zhang and Cheng Yijiu were responsible for the military, while Lao Liu was in charge of leadership. In Japan, none of these three carried weapons—though they could apply for them, they all felt the hassle and simply didn't. Cheng Yijiu brought a dagger, Xiao Zhang did the same, and Lao Liu brought nail clippers.

The three of them wouldn't go to those haunted places on their own. Generally, they'd just accompany Japanese officials to the scene. They wouldn't even talk to the victims' families, simply reviewing translated transcripts. Therefore, encountering Ms. Yasha was unlikely. "This is simply an urban legend. This place has nothing else but these kinds of weird urban legends," Leader Liu said, and Cheng Yijiu and Xiao Zhang agreed.

If he encountered Ms. Yashi, Cheng Yijiu felt that even with a dagger, he would be in trouble. The blessings from Apollo in this world had been reduced to almost nothing. Fighting such a female giant? Under normal circumstances, Cheng Yijiu didn't want to do this, and neither did Xiao Zhang and Lao Liu. So everyone just watched the scene and did the paperwork reading and analysis work. Of course, it was the Shinkansen, and the cost was also paid by Japan. "Although it is quite clean, it is still much behind the domestic high-speed rail."

This was Cheng Yijiu's opinion. He had been to the United States and Japan, but he had never seen such infrastructure better than in China. Especially in the United States, most of it was dilapidated. A few hours later, they arrived at the place. It was relatively not as modern as Tokyo. Aside from the station and commercial area, the rest of the place felt quite desolate. The three of them visited several sightings. "The area is much larger than the single-family houses in Tokyo, but there are quite a few abandoned properties nearby," Cheng Yijiu sighed.

Three people stood at the supposed spot where the eight-foot figure was spotted, looking at both the witness and the eight-foot figure. Cheng Yijiu was certain of one thing. "This thing is more than eight feet tall, it's basically three meters tall. How could such a creature escape the tracking of the relevant departments in this country? Their incompetence is beyond our expectations." Standing at this height, a large brown bear would be a good-sized one. A local black bear wouldn't be able to do that. How could such a large creature be lost?

Moreover, according to the eyewitness records, this woman was wearing a long skirt and high heels. There were photos of shoe prints as evidence. Looking at the mountains in the distance, Cheng Yijiu, as an old hunter, could do nothing - the most recent sighting record was a week ago, and there was no witnessing of an attack in the eyewitness records. They only saw this "woman" standing or walking on the road, so there were even fewer traces left.

The real work was done by Benzi's father. Their activities and the reports they generated were delayed for the mainland team. It's even certain that some of them weren't shown to the investigative teams from other countries—those Americans were just that way. They might even be hiding something from their own nation, the British Empire. Cheng Yijiu didn't much care; his current interest was in tracking black bears with photos.

Yes, there are quite a lot of bears here, but they're all crescent-shaped bears, weighing over 100 or 200 pounds. They brought their equipment—laptops and drone stations—so Cheng Yijiu used the drone to track the bears for fun. It was quite entertaining, you know what?

"Sure enough, we got thwarted." Cheng Yijiu returned from tracking the bear. It had only been half an hour, but he saw the unconcealed joy and forced seriousness on Old Liu's face. Later, in the office, everyone listened with joy to Old Liu's report—the Americans had suffered a heavy blow... It had to be said that China was stronger than Japan; the special team of Unit F had actually tracked down Hachiya.

However, the task force disappeared, along with Bashi, and it wasn't just a small group—"It's basically confirmed that about a hundred Americans are missing," Old Liu said, while Cheng Yijiu smiled, and Xiao Zhang tried to maintain a serious expression. "It's none of our business. Anyway, in a week at most, we'll be able to declare this a pure legend. Our expatriates just encountered an accident, and Japan will pay a large sum of money to end it. I guess the Japanese people would also like this to be the best ending."

"After all, the treasury isn't their own money," Old Liu said. "That's best. It absolves them of responsibility. The truth is the least important thing..." All three sighed. "It's a shame we don't know the specific circumstances of the American's disappearance," Old Liu said with regret. "Otherwise, we could be happier," Cheng Yijiu said.

The Americans seemed to have gone mad. For the rest of the day, they could hear the sound of helicopters flying overhead and the hum of American military vehicles—it was all noise, yet the locals probably didn't dare to protest. Cheng Yijiu and the others could see through the glass the aggressive American soldiers outside, rushing to "die." Among them, some were obviously Japanese Self-Defense Forces, who were much smaller.

"I think this thing is no ordinary eight-foot. Are they rushing to die?" Cheng Yijiu lowered the curtain and said, "Should we intervene? Let me make it clear first, my opinion is not to intervene."

Chapter 3: Mutation

The three of them were nearly unanimous in their decision to not intervene. Risking one's life in China would be perfectly natural, but this was Benzi... Simply standing on the dry shore, watching Benzi and the American father's jokes, was a lesson for the world. Not adding fuel to the fire was a truly noble act. Old Liu, as the leader, had to maintain a stern expression; a gentleman should be dignified. As for Xiao Zhang and Cheng Yijiu, they couldn't stop grinning.

The Americans sent over a hundred people missing in action, a cause for international outcry—especially since they were the troublemakers. "Although they are considered a special unit within the US, F-Unit, specializing in handling special cases, I don't believe they would refrain from intervening and respecting the sovereignty of other nations when special events arise in Europe, South America, or Southeast Asia..."

Even Old Liu couldn't hold it in anymore. "How can an American respect the sovereignty of another nation? I'll eat this cup right now." All three of them shared the same sentiment, believing that the Americans' suffering was simply divine punishment. So, they leisurely reviewed the documents, having the young woman archive them remotely. Finally, they pressed the relevant Japanese authorities to swiftly compensate the overseas Chinese for their losses—after all, it was the state, not the Japanese officials themselves, that was a straightforward matter.

Because among the victims there are also overseas Chinese from the United States.

Of course, Daddy Country is very stingy, and all the expenses will definitely be charged to the notebook.

The day passed with laughter and paperwork. While the documents weren't worth much, their service to tourists was commendable—even if they were cursing inwardly, they still pretended to be customers. Cheng Yijiu didn't like this attitude; it was too stressful and distorted. So they ate at the nearby station shopping street, going from one ramen shop to another.

Cheng Yijiu ordered the Big Eater Beef Rice. The beef in the huge bowl was so big it looked like Mount Fuji, so he ate voraciously. The draft beer tasted surprisingly good, so the three of them drank it heartily. After returning to the office, something pleasant happened. "The Americans, they're messing up again! Hahahahaha." Even the drunken Old Liu couldn't help but laugh at the intelligence in his hand.

Cheng Yijiu went over to take a look and found that he had indeed made a big mistake - the Americans had mobilized more than ten transport/armed helicopters today, including even the expensive Super Stallion. Of course, Stryker armored vehicles were also deployed on the ground, and more than 300 combat personnel were mobilized. Japan also dispatched about 500 Self-Defense Forces, and there were even US F35s stationed in Japan providing cover in the sky.

Today's result was that over a hundred Americans, along with half their helicopter fleet, were missing. The Stryker armored vehicles and their crews, which had entered a certain "location," also lost contact. The F-35s in the sky found nothing, while the Japanese Self-Defense Forces returned home without any losses. This put the Americans in a serious predicament. Not only did they achieve nothing, but they also lost so many lives. This was a difficult matter to explain.

Should we seek external assistance? Anyway, the next day, Lao Liu went to the briefing room and heard that the relevant personnel of the US F Unit had been almost completely wiped out in two operations, their fate unknown. It seemed that the US was reluctant to mobilize more personnel from within the country, but they couldn't ignore those who were already missing, so they had to ask their "allies" to contribute.

Of course, Japan and Britain are contributing, especially Japan. The Americans are undoubtedly secretly demanding that they mobilize all relevant personnel nationwide to rescue the trapped Americans. As for the British, the father-son syndicate, the golden-haired Prime Minister is extremely cunning. I guess he will make high-profile statements, but he probably won't actually send many people to take action... As for the mainland, they're just watching the Americans' show. The Americans can't put pressure on the mainland.

He'd initially been wary of mainland China like a thief, and now that he was in big trouble, he was still looking for help from mainland officials? This wasn't Old Liu's responsibility; the Americans could just go directly to the higher authorities. Later that evening, a call came in, and Old Liu could only say, "Let's go. We're doing our duty, after all. We're a joint investigation team." Cheng Yijiu didn't care; he was quite curious about this Bashi.

"The higher-ups must have noticed something serious happened with the Americans this time, and they've taken a keen interest in this so-called Eight-Foot Spell," Old Liu muttered. "There aren't many unusual phenomena that could cause the disappearance of an entire American combat unit," Cheng Yijiu commented. The next day, they drove the SUV provided by the Americans, declined the weapons they offered, and drove to the destination.

"They're quite capable," Cheng Yijiu said, looking at the scene before him. This was the rolling Ou Mountains, where Cheng Yijiu once hunted a man-eating bear. Japan is a country with many strange stories. In terms of density alone, it's probably tied with Southeast Asia for first place in the world. There are more strange places on the mainland, but the average is smaller. The biggest strange story is the so-called great monster suppressed in Mount Fuji, and the Ou Mountains are also famous for great monsters such as Tengu.

Cheng Yijiu had anticipated Ba Chi's capture by the Americans in this very place. But why would the Americans fail in such a situation? With over 300 people missing, could they have gone underground or deep inside the mountain? If it were open air, the Americans, with their vast air force and satellite reconnaissance capabilities, wouldn't have been so unsure of the situation as to require external assistance.

This was a deciduous forest, and a dirt road could be seen leading into the mountains. "A dirt road made by wheel tracks?" Cheng Yijiu jumped out of the car and squatted to examine the road surface. The wheel tracks had pressed the fallen leaves into the ground, but the gravel of the roadbed could still be discerned. The local gazetteer also had a record of this place, but it was not very detailed—it didn't mention this place at all. Some people did say that this might be where ninjas or mountain dwellers lived—to escape exploitation by local lords or samurai.

Cheng Yijiu scoffed at the so-called Ninja. He spread out a map in his hand, which displayed a three-dimensional image. "What could be in here? If there was something unusual, would we need to go out? The Americans would have already turned it upside down." He signaled Lao Liu, as the leader, not to go in, but Xiao Zhang could follow him in to take a look. Of course, there were two cars of Japanese people ahead of them. Just by looking at the temperament of these men, women, and children, you could tell they were all "charlatans."

"Are all the so-called relevant people in the book this kind of scum?" Cheng Yijiu thought the book was truly wicked, sending people like this to die to fool the country. "It's also because the United States has declined. If we go back 30 years, the book wouldn't dare to do this even if it had ten times the courage. It must be that all the elite troops went out to take the blame for the father." Cheng Yijiu sighed, and Xiao Zhang nodded in agreement. Lao Liu patted him on the back and said, "Forget it, keep quiet. I see quite a few people here understand Chinese..."

Cheng Yijiu felt he couldn't walk the rest of the way—he figured two mountain bikes would be just fine; they were lightweight and maneuverable, better than walking. That was his excuse; he wouldn't go in without a bike anyway, so the Benzi team took the opportunity to suggest they all go together, waiting for the mainland officials to complete their preparations. The Americans were helpless, but fortunately, the others entering this time had similar ideas, and the British, like the father and son, were even more relaxed.

This time, there were two more British people coming than from the mainland, but only one went in - that's right, among the seven British people, six were analytical experts and bureaucrats in charge of command, and only one was doing the work.

After waiting for half an hour, the Americans arrived with motorcycles. Cheng Yijiu and Xiao Zhang, each with one, followed the group of people driving light off-road trucks and motorcycles into the valley. The situation was indeed dire. Less than a kilometer into the valley, a massive road collapse suddenly occurred, seemingly out of nowhere. As they slid down, the entire scene changed. Originally, this place was supposed to be a deciduous forest, but suddenly, the ground was covered in snow.

This wasn't right. The cold air was filled with a strange, stench. "The smell of burnt protein? Is this someone being burned?" The sky had grown extremely dark, the sun invisible. Thick, leaden-gray clouds filled the air. The surrounding mountains revealed jagged rocks, while the trees had become coniferous forests. Cheng Yijiu dismounted his motorcycle and squatted down to examine the black dirt in the snow. "There's quite a bit of blood," he snorted.

After skirting the mountain, they came upon a village, deserted and dilapidated, many houses literally ablaze. In the center, Cheng Yijiu spotted at least three crashed helicopters, burning. Nearby, there were even armored vehicles, each looking like they'd been attacked and damaged. Aside from the group that had come in, there was no one in the village below them, not even a single body. "Perhaps they were burned in the flames," Cheng Yijiu muttered.

"This architectural style is more like Eastern Europe, definitely not Benzi's—not even a Western-style building," Xiao Zhang said. "Isn't that a Western-style building?" Cheng Yijiu pointed further away, where there were several stone buildings that looked a bit like Gothic or Victorian architecture. Everyone else was as if they were facing a formidable enemy. The Americans drew their guns, and some of Benzi's group had already started crying.

"No signal." Cheng Yijiu took out his phone and looked at it. "Hey, do you have a signal on your satellite phone or radio?" Xiao Zhang shouted to the American, who shook his head to indicate no. "Okay, we're in big trouble." Cheng Yijiu took out the electronic map, but the GPS signal was lost and the map in front of him couldn't be displayed at all. "Oh, I thought I could just take a look at the scene and leave, but now it seems I still need to bring weapons."

Benzi's group had a wide variety of weapons, mostly cold weapons or wooden poles with strips of cloth tied to them. The Americans were fully armed, while the British only carried an umbrella. "Anyway, let them handle it," Cheng Yijiu sighed, but he wasn't nervous. He didn't feel the danger was too great, so he led Xiao Zhang toward the village. As they approached, movement began to form in the village.

Something was moving around inside, but the dim light and the burning flames made it difficult to see clearly. Strange noises were also heard, and Cheng Yijiu felt that they resembled something he had seen before. "Aha, that place full of monsters rising from the dead, that's basically the sound." Cheng Yijiu was even less afraid. As long as he wasn't afraid of these things, their combat effectiveness was actually much worse than that of their normal living counterparts.