Forge a path to success

Chu Hengkong dodged the light guns with a swift movement, slithering through the hall like a nimble snake. In the blink of an eye, he was beside Carmel. In an instant, two gleaming blades slashed out in a cross shape. One blade severed Carmel's needle-like legs cleanly, while the other leaped upwards, carving a straight gash in the side of Carmel's monstrous body. The gash was so deep that it exposed her corrupted heart.

"You lowly human! Get out of my way!!!" Carmel completely lost control. Three halos simultaneously appeared on her body. Her survival instinct drained all her strength, making her determined to push Chu Hengkong away at all costs. But Chu Hengkong simply turned to the side and raised his arm. He was pushed five meters away by the halos, but he also completely withstood the blow with the secret technique of immobility.

Carmel regenerated her lower limbs and crawled away on the ground in a grotesque, centipede-like manner. Her body was regenerating rapidly, and this time she deliberately created snow-white bone armor in an attempt to save her life.

Chu Hengkong slowly exhaled and retracted his right arm. He twisted his waist and stepped forward, rotating his entire body along the central axis. The impact force gathered from his stillness coalesced with this simple movement, and then the tentacles that had been retracted at his waist burst forth.

The silver spear shattered the bone armor and pierced through Carmel's corrupt heart!

(Oh my god, I'm so grateful to the Silver Alliance Leader, Chuan Song of Filth. I really didn't expect our book to have four Silver Alliance Leaders...)

Chapter 49 Encounter on a narrow road

Maivia Club, 16th floor.

Ji Huaisu smashed the head of a bear-like beast with her light hammer and kicked the headless corpse away. The corpse twitched a few times, turning into a shriveled, withered human shape. A trail of such deformed corpses stretched behind her; all of them were blood-stained fugitives, whom even the most merciful judge would sentence to death without hesitation.

She could recall everyone's background and name, because she had searched high and low before but couldn't find these fugitives. Maivia had provided shelter for these thugs, placing them in high-ranking positions as henchmen at their beck and call. Now the punishment had finally come, albeit a little late, so Ji Huaisu dealt with it with the ruthlessness of the day.

"Girl, aren't you going to consider leaving anyone alive?!" Jie An on the other end of the communication crystal was getting a little frantic. "How are we going to find the child if you kill everyone?"

"We can just use the process of elimination," Ji Huaisu said.

She raised her light hammer and casually smashed it, shattering the side door and wall together. The thug who was preparing to attack from behind the door was knocked to the ground by this unexpected blow. He struggled to his feet but only saw a flash of golden light. Ji Huaisu maintained her stance and began to run. With the added force of her immense strength, her light hammer bulldozed walls and shattered doors like a bulldozer, demolishing the entire floor in the most violent way.

She genuinely didn't know how to find where the children were hiding, and she wasn't going to waste time trying to extract information. In an emergency, finding something required a process of elimination; she just had to break down all the doors!

Lustful patrons, lurking thugs, scattered relics. The myriad things hidden behind the walls flashed through Ji Huaisu's eyes. She focused intently, not letting any suspicious information slip by. Turning at the fork in the road, she continued in the direction that hadn't been disturbed. Armory, empty rooms, unknown wild beasts… piles of relics of indeterminate purpose, strange magic circles, children in cages…!

Ji Huaisu slammed on the brakes and turned sharply. It was a large room that resembled a storage room, with the floor piled high with iron cages for holding animals. Thinly dressed girls were locked in the cages, their hands and feet bound and their mouths taped shut, trembling like chicks.

Ji Huaisu dispelled her light hammer and revealed her shadow blade, severing the iron cage and cutting through the ropes in a few breaths. Her swordsmanship was actually quite good, but her usual fighting style was too brutal, leaving her with few opportunities to display it. She tore off the tape covering the girl's mouth and tried to put on a kind smile: "Don't be afraid, you're saved."

When the blood-soaked, murderous man approached with a knife, the girls were terrified and retreated hastily, crying out, "Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!!"

Ji Huaisu sighed, his face fierce as he shouted, "Shut your mouths and come with me obediently!"

The room was deathly silent. The girls rushed to the door, moving with lightning speed, afraid of falling victim to this ruthless man's blade if they weren't coordinated enough. Ji Huaisu recalled the layout of the building and took out her communication crystal: "Set up the ladder, rescue people on the west side of the sixteenth floor."

"Coming right away!" Jie An replied from inside the police car.

Beneath the high-rise buildings, bullets clashed, and the sounds of sirens and gunfire mingled with the cries of men and women. As the two detectives stormed into the enemy lines, the clearing operation on the outer perimeter began simultaneously. Jie Anqin led a convoy in, launching a multi-pronged attack on the Maivia family. Team members in white combat uniforms braved a hail of bullets to rush into the building, using water bombs to precisely eliminate the gray-clad thugs.

On the first floor of the club, the lobby manager, who was directing the thugs, was sweating profusely. He found that these men were frighteningly well-equipped; their white combat uniforms were still the same as before, yet they couldn't even penetrate the brass bullets from the black workshop. What was even more worrying was that the enemy had clearly come prepared. All the important observation points on the outer defensive line had been eliminated within half a minute of the battle starting. He now had no idea how many men the city lord's mansion had sent, or even how many vehicles were outside the city.

The lobby manager, seeing the special police cars on the side of the building raising ladders, felt dizzy. He clutched his communicator frantically, pleading, "Young Master! Master! We're about to be breached!!"

But there was only static in the communicator. Chu Hengkong's decapitation strike, combined with Kaning's drastic measures, threw the club's management into chaos. The thugs, now without leadership, were no match for the resurrected forces. The lobby manager looked up to find even his bodyguards stunned by water bullets, and masked members pointing guns at his head.

"How could this be?" the lobby manager exclaimed incredulously.

"Guess how often we conduct exercises?" Lü Xing, who was commanding the raid, gritted his teeth and said, "Guess how many people want to blow your heads off?"

He grabbed the butt of his rifle and punched the thug unconscious, then directed his team to proceed with the next step. "Each squad, evacuate the civilians in an orderly manner, and be careful not to injure anyone."

Most of the catgirls obeyed the team members' instructions to evacuate, but a few women showed extreme resistance. They had become accustomed to life in the club and could not imagine how they would live after leaving. They were pitiful and sad.

Lü Xing sighed silently, feeling that this was also a consequence of the club's actions. Just then, his communicator flashed red; new instructions had arrived just after he had assigned tasks to each team, and he listened attentively.

"Xiao Lü, take a few more people to the 16th floor, just in case," Jie An instructed.

"Roger that." Lü Xing gestured to his colleagues, "Teams 3 and 4, follow me! Up the stairs!"

At this moment, the ladder had just reached the gap that had been smashed open on the 16th floor. Jie An took out a specially made water jet and stuffed it into a specially made small opening in the vehicle. He turned on the water valve inside the vehicle, and the sound of water flowing back and forth came from inside the ladder. The gaps in the ladder were filled with blue water, and arched protective shields appeared on both sides, turning the ladder into a waterway like a slide.

This made the rescue much safer. He took the crystal and notified Ji Huaisu to take action, hoping that it was still in time.

"Alright, alright, line up and go down one by one! You won't die from the fall!" Ji Huaisu shouted loudly.

She chose a banquet hall on the west side as the rescue location. It was spacious enough to accommodate all the children, and more importantly, it was near a window for easy evacuation. She directed the girls down the stairs one by one, but most of the children were too scared to move. Ji Huaisu was extremely anxious but couldn't rush them. After all, it was a 16-story building. Not to mention children, even adults couldn't just close their eyes and jump down.

A girl with pigtails, naturally bold, mustered her courage and walked forward. She had only taken two steps when Ji Huaisu pulled her back. The ceiling of the banquet hall shattered with a deafening crash, and a massive, imposing figure fell from the top floor, blocking her escape route like a small mountain.

The little girls cried out in fright; they all recognized the burly man. Maivia clenched his rock-hard fist, his words echoing in the room like the tolling of a bell.

"Ji Qiufeng's adopted daughter, where do you intend to take my daughter?"

“Take them back to their real home,” Ji Huaisu said.

She deployed a light shield to protect the children behind her, then slashed diagonally at Maivia with her shadow blade. Maivia retaliated with a giant fist that expanded several times its original size, instantly shattering large panes of glass in the banquet hall with the shockwave. The scattered shards reflected the murderous intent in the eyes of the two women.

They began to fight, like knights battling demons.

·

Just one floor below, Chu Hengkong extended his tentacles and utterly killed the second daughter, Carmel. His gaze then turned to the heavily wounded Visaph in the distance. The hideous fallen one let out a miserable howl and rolled in utter disarray toward the doorless stairwell.

He knew that begging or resisting was useless; this man, who called himself "Detective," was essentially a killer through and through. Such a person wouldn't waste time extracting information; he would only kill, slaughtering everyone he considered a mortal enemy. Vesa didn't even dare look back to assess the situation; he only prayed that he could outrun the wounded Chu Hengkong. But the moment that thought crossed his mind, he heard the whoosh of wind. Chu Hengkong flashed behind him like a ghost, the white blade already piercing the decaying heart.

The blade pierced the cold steel, and another longsword suddenly appeared, blocking Chu Hengkong's blade!

“Master Yan!” Vesapu cried out like a little brat.

It was a knife as rough as rock, wielded by a man in a suit, his face expressionless behind sunglasses. He had narrowly saved the dying Vesap, for he himself had climbed up from that pitch-black ladder shaft.

Chu Hengkong twisted his wrist, causing the blade to slide down the enemy's blade, and changed his move to strike Vesapu on the ground. The man in sunglasses merely flicked his wrist, and an irresistible force emanated from his blade, deflecting Chu Hengkong's white sword. Chu Hengkong then launched another killing blow with a thrusting kick, but the man in sunglasses bent his knees and sheathed his sword, actually intercepting the thrusting kick with the hilt of his blade.

He flicked his finger and pushed the hilt of his sword, unleashing a dazzling slash with Iaijutsu, but his target was Vesaph, who stood between the two. This strike severed only a small portion of Vesaph's flesh; his corrupt heart, the core of the Fallen, was precisely within that piece of flesh.

The man in sunglasses blocked Chu Hengkong's slash with his knife in a reverse grip, and with a stomp of his heel, sent the corrupted heart falling into the ladder shaft. This blatant rescue came at a price; he had to take the blow of the tentacle on his side, yet the man in sunglasses remained perfectly still, as stable as an old tree rooted to the ground.

Chu Hengkong created distance and switched to wielding the sword with both hands. The lightning-fast exchange was enough to prove his strength. He didn't know who his enemy came from, but this was not an opponent he could easily defeat.

The man in sunglasses held the blade horizontally overhead, assuming an upper stance. His posture was precise, upright, and composed, like a master swordsman in a martial arts dojo.

“Steel Edge Flow, Du Muyan,” he said. “Please advise me.”

Chapter 50 Steel Edge Stream

Chu Hengkong felt a strange sense of disorientation. He hadn't expected that even at this point, the enemy would still reveal their background and name, as if they weren't at the scene of a battle but rather sparring in a martial arts arena.

"No school of thought. Chu Hengkong."

But he responded as naturally as breathing. The two men, facing off with knives, shifted their feet slightly, their gestures, steps, center of gravity, expressions... They observed with their eyes, listened with their ears, and even sensed with their sense of smell, trying to feel and guess the true nature of the enemy's blade, and then both drew their swords simultaneously!

Chu Hengkong began with a powerful horizontal slash, the force of the swing alone causing the chips on the surrounding gambling tables to topple over. Amidst the clang of metal on metal, Du Muyan maintained his stance and stepped forward, firmly blocking the first strike. Chu Hengkong missed his first attack and slashed again, his blade shorter but even faster, while Du Muyan only slightly deflected his longer blade and advanced further.

The scene looked very strange. Although Du Muyan was clearly the one defending with the knife, he seemed to have a great advantage in footwork, pressing forward step by step. Chu Hengkong took half a step back, his eyes becoming slightly serious. He made a third slashing motion, but just before making contact, he pressed down on his wrist, turning it into a thrust aimed at Du Muyan's throat.

Ke Yan's knife also moved, pressing the tip downwards as if striking. His movements were slower, but he aimed to achieve the desired result faster, because the two were targeting different objects. Before Ke Yan's throat was pierced, his knife would first sever Chu Heng's empty hand holding the knife.

A white blade of light erupted like a bolt of lightning. Chu Hengkong released his right hand and leaped back, using only his tentacle to flick the blade upwards. Du Muyan's sword arced in a smooth U-shape, parrying from the side; his defense was impenetrable. Behind Chu Hengkong was a dilapidated gambling table. He used the table as leverage to leap up, his tentacle-wielding blade slashing down at Chu Hengkong's head. Du Muyan, positioned below, countered with the same vertical slash. His blade carried incredible force, and in a single contact, he deflected the white blade away!

The blade flashed, forming a black disc shape. Du Muyan reversed his grip on the hilt and slashed diagonally, a line of light aimed directly at Chu Hengkong's waist. Chu Hengkong performed a backflip, narrowly avoiding the attack, and with a flick of his fingers, two water bullets flew straight towards Du Muyan's eyes. Du Muyan used his sunglasses to shield himself from the water bullets as he charged forward and slashed again, but Chu Hengkong suddenly sprang to his feet and swung his sword in retaliation!

The moment their blades clashed, both men simultaneously took a half-step back. Chu Hengkong's right hand went numb; the deep, bone-deep recoil reminded him of the training he received as a child, striking rocks in the mountains. He looked into his enemy's eyes behind his sunglasses.

"A strike that comes after the initial attack, excellent swordsmanship."

The enemy, lacking Ji Huaisu's monstrous strength, consistently managed to block his strikes—a feat that couldn't be explained by a mere fine blade. The troublesome recoil seemed to stem from some profound swordsmanship, a skill that, along with his judgment and physique, constituted the man's formidable power. He hadn't yet displayed any special abilities, but Chu Hengkong was convinced he was a master craftsman. Neither glimmer of light nor a foundation could match his skill; only a master could wield such a refined blade.

"You're amazing, you haven't been injured yet," Du Muyan said calmly. "How much were they paid you for taking such a big risk to infiltrate alone?"

"Free of charge," Chu Hengkong laughed. "I'm a senior detective!"

He kicked away the scattered chips on the ground, and his tentacle knife, hidden in the chaos, thrust three times in quick succession. Yan defended firmly against the thrusts, but after the flash of the blade came a powerful leg strike. Taking advantage of the chaos, Chu Hengkong spun around and kicked out, his instep striking Yan's blade. This time, the rock-solid defense was shaken, and Yan, knife and all, was kicked into the side corridor. Chu Hengkong switched to his right hand, gripping the knife, and chased after him, only to be met with a sharp sword thrust as soon as he stepped into the corridor.

The sword strike came too fast, so fast that even he didn't have time to dodge, because it was a killing move that Yan deliberately used to feign weakness. Chu Hengkong didn't dodge either; he tilted his head and caught the blade between his shoulder and shoulder, raising the sword with reckless ferocity to strike again!

The blades tore through flesh, and both men simultaneously withdrew their swords. A deep, bone-revealing gash ran down Chu Hengkong's shoulder; a mere second's hesitation would have severed his throat. Yan's sunglasses slid down diagonally, a shallower cut marring the otherwise ordinary face beneath.

The failed attack signaled the end of the probing phase, and the two no longer held back, unleashing their full power. The ear-piercing sound of clashing swords rang out like a sudden downpour, the corridor filled with the light of blades, and the slashes that tore through the walls resembled the claws of a giant beast.

The one retreating was Du Muyan. Chu Hengkong's attacks were sudden and intense. Every strike he made was as fast and as ruthless as possible. Although he was the one who had infiltrated to assassinate, he was fighting with the frenzy of a cornered beast. This was Chu Hengkong's deliberate move, because Du Muyan was superior to him in the field of defense and counterattack.

In the fight against a strategy of striking late but arriving early, you must not be slow; if you are slow, you will fall completely into the enemy's rhythm. You can only be fast, attacking with reckless ferocity, smashing through that rock with a brutal and brute force. Only in this way will victory emerge.

The fight continued for 20 rounds, the two fighting and retreating until they reached a crossroads shaped like the Chinese character "卜". Yan also realized the enemy's intention, changing his strategy to a low stance with a reverse grip on his sword, conserving energy with minimal thrusts and parries. Chu Heng's powerful and heavy sword strike was easily blocked, and the recoil force returned. Suddenly, he lifted both feet off the ground, his extended tentacles carrying the sword blocking the way, while he himself stepped on the wall and rushed to the side.

Du Muyan's undefended upper body was completely exposed, and Chu Hengkong, in mid-air, clenched his fist and aimed straight for the top of Yan's head. Suddenly, Yan released his left hand, which was holding the knife, and blocked upwards, his palm flashing with a brown light! His left palm, transformed into rock, chopped down Chu Hengkong's fist!

A dull thud echoed through the corridor, like a shovel striking rock. Chu Hengkong withdrew his tentacle, flipped over, and landed, his shattered fingernails falling into the blood. Du Muyan's left hand exploded with a loud crack as his petrified index finger broke off and fell to the ground.

In the fierce battle, both sides suffered heavy losses. Yan lost his vital index finger, but Chu Hengkong also shattered two finger bones. Du Muyan silently gripped his blade, letting a brown light spread across its surface. His skillful ability, "Rockification," transformed his weapon into an indestructible rock blade.

Chu Hengkong raised an eyebrow: "You failed to outsmart me."

"I overestimated myself," Du Muyan admitted frankly. He had originally intended to use his skillful hands only in the decisive moment, but Chu Hengkong's sneak attack forced him to. "But you don't need to be so happy. Or is it the fighting itself that brings you such pleasure?"

Chu Hengkong was stunned for a moment before he realized he was smiling. His lips were wide open, and he looked as excited as a wolf that had spotted its prey.

“It’s in my nature,” he said. “With your excellent knife skills, it’s a shame you’re an assassin.”

"I'm just a bodyguard, you're the assassin." Du Muyan looked at his knife. "The stench of blood on you is terrifying, even a new knife smells rusty. Can someone who kills without hesitation be a detective?"

"Want to hear a story?" Chu Hengkong laughed. "Forget it. I'm not used to telling stories to a third person."

They both turned their heads simultaneously, looking at the inconspicuous fork in the road at the side of the T-shaped intersection. It was a dead end, with nothing but a door leading to the tea room, and the dead end was unusually quiet. But their gazes were filled with murderous intent, creating colorless ripples in the dead end.

A piece of "fabric" blending into the environment was peeled off the wall, and a man in a white suit waved awkwardly from behind the invisible cloth.

“He’s just a passing vendor,” Kanin said. “Please continue, don’t mind me.”

Chu Hengkong grabbed a pebble and hurled it at him. Kaning pulled out a talisman, flicked it, and it transformed into a large, light blue banner to protect himself. The pebble struck the banner but bounced back, and Du Muyan caught it and threw it again. Kaning, seeing Du Muyan's stone-throwing attack, looked surprised: "Master Yan, look carefully! You've hit the wrong person!"

Du Muyan didn't bother wasting words with him; making a living with knives and fists didn't mean they were brainless. He had long felt that the attack on the city lord's mansion had gone too smoothly, and now it seemed that Kanin was undoubtedly behind it all. The rubble, crashing into the water flag, would instead be smashed to pieces.

Kanin strode out, holding a water flag for protection in one hand and throwing a silver metal sphere in the other. The sphere bounced upon landing, extending eight sharp claws that transformed into a lifelike spider. The metal spider opened its mouth and unleashed a beam of light at Du Muyan, who slashed the beam with his sword and engaged the agile spider in combat.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chu Hengkong drew his sword and attacked Kanin's main body, but the blade was deflected by the water flag. Kanin conjured a revolver and fired three shots in quick succession. Chu Hengkong turned his head to dodge, and the bullets grazed the tips of his ears.

“You must be the famous new detective.” Kanin put away his revolver and took out a handkerchief. “My name is Kanin, and I’m a businessman. It’s nice to meet you.”

"I can recognize you even without fire." Chu Hengkong lashed out his tentacle whip. "You brought those fireflies from the swamp, didn't you?"

Kaning remained calm and composed, smiling without a trace of danger. With a flick of his wrist, the handkerchief transformed into a cloth-like rapier. He engaged Chu Hengkong's tentacle whip in a fierce battle with the rapier, then tossed out two more metal insects to join the attack on Du Muyan. This man possessed an astonishing number of relics; he was practically a walking arsenal. Relics considered treasures by all sorts of people in the city were treated as disposable items by him, used and then discarded.

“Of course, it was me,” he admitted nonchalantly. “But I was also the one who delivered that vial of blood. Shouldn’t you consider stopping? We’re on the same side this time!”

Chu Hengkong was surprised that the other party would so directly state his intentions, his attitude bordering on arrogance, clearly showing no regard for the two people present. However, they truly had no way to deal with him; Du Muyan was surrounded by metal insects and couldn't spare a move, and Chu Hengkong had no immediate means to break through the water flag's defenses.

"I have no intention of interfering with your duel, can you stop now?" Kanin took off his hat and dusted it off, appearing remarkably relaxed under the protection of the water flag. "The battle is so tense, I don't recommend you waste your time here. Your methods are useless against me..."

Before he could finish speaking, Du Muyan sheathed his sword with a backhand motion, the sound as clear as flowing water. He stared intently at Kanin behind the water flag, his killing intent etched into his eyes like scars.

He drew his sword, which was imbued with murderous intent!

A bright flash of light pierced their eyes, the rough blade gleaming with the sharpness of steel. That single strike instantly sliced ​​through three metal insects, pierced the water flag's defenses, severed the flagpole, and cut Kanin's legs in two!

Kanin stared wide-eyed, touching the wounds on his lower body, seemingly unaware that he was injured.

“That was terrifying,” Kanin said. “I was almost cut in half…”

He suddenly laughed, as if he had told a very satisfying joke. A scorching wave of heat rose with his laughter, surging like a storm, forcing Chu Hengkong and Du Muyan to retreat. They saw the severed lower half of his body transform into a ball of blue flame.

Kanin laughed and raised his arm, sending sparks flying toward the sinful high-rise building. He then put on his top hat.

“I underestimated you, Master Yan! I shouldn’t get involved in this mess, so I’ll take my leave first!” Kanin’s voice rose. “One last friendly suggestion for Inspector Chu—Mavia’s summoning circle is on the top floor. If you linger any longer, you’ll be swallowed by the Black Moon!”

He burned through the floor with the ease of breathing, descending through the flames. His azure flames spread at an unbelievable speed, seemingly using all matter as fuel. Chu Hengkong wanted to seize the opportunity to go upstairs to investigate, but Du Muyan blocked his way with his sword, his eyes filled with a killing intent as hard as cast iron.

“Leave now, and I won’t kill you,” Du Muyan said.

Chu Hengkong grinned: "It seems Kanin wasn't lying."

In an instant, the battle resumed, and the two who had briefly ceased fighting began to clash again. Burning logs rained down on them from above, and blue flames burned through the floors, revealing the scene above. Also engulfed in flames, the golden-haired knight was battling a horde of demons!

Chapter 51 Club Inflammation (Part 1)

Maivia Club, 17th floor.

Debris piled up, dust billowed, and the banquet hall was unrecognizable from its original state. A malevolent mass of black mud hurtled towards Ji Huaisu. She raised her greatsword to defend herself, but the force of the impact forced her back several steps, barely managing to stop in front of the children. The kidnapped children, protected by the light shield, trembled incessantly. Now, no more cries could be heard; even the bravest child dared not weep in front of the monster.

"You didn't bring me a gift, you didn't even bother to say hello," a booming voice echoed from the smoke. "You're not a good visitor!"

"Monsters shouldn't try to talk like humans; it makes people want to vomit," Ji Huaisu said disdainfully.

The smoke and dust dissipated with a roar, and children screamed in terror. The thing was no longer human; it still wore a tailored tuxedo and possessed a massive, imposing body, but its familiar appearance was merely a monstrous shell. Maivia's head split open from the center, and slick, foul-smelling black blood gushed forth, forming a head resembling a slug. It hadn't fully revealed its true form as an outcast, but this single sight was enough to make anyone aware of the evil nature lurking beneath the human skin.

Ji Huaisu knew that it wasn't "Mavia," but merely a filthy illegitimate son of the new moon, just as "White Eyebrows" was nothing more than a fallen being in human skin. The real Maivia and White Eyebrows had died long ago; the black-blooded monsters had devoured their flesh and obsession, and now roam the world wrapped in their skins.

"How pathetic, you fool who has never received the love of the gods!" One of Maivia's arms exploded, transforming into a thick, deformed black claw. "As a child of God, as a father of man, I will make you pay for your folly!"