Chapter 4: Fully Hydrated

For a hitman, making a living depends on taking contracts; one needs an employer to provide a stage upon which to showcase their skills. However, accepting money from one party inevitably offends another and brands the mercenary in the eyes of others, making the choice of employer a matter of careful calculation. In a city of this scale, teeming with all manner of people, who offers the most promising future?

The answer is obvious: the government.

No matter how loud the reputation of a civilian gang might be, they are merely local thugs. The government, however, is the true master of the territory. A master never worries about whether they can defeat the rats and snakes in their house; they only care if the effort is worth the cost. In the 1940s, arrogant mafia godfathers claimed to have ties even to the White House, yet they were still sent scurrying by police during their meetings. The untouchable "bosses" and "tycoons" of Kowloon Walled City were eventually uprooted just the same when the time came.

Chu Hengkong’s former boss was a godfather of an old-school criminal family; having spent so long in the underworld, he understood these rules better than anyone. A starving camel is still larger than a horse. Except in rare, chaotic regions where warlords rule, official power remains the most formidable ceiling. Thus, the moment he saw Ji Huaisu, he prepared his pitch: hitching his wagon to an official was the surest path to success.

This time, Ji Huaisu’s reaction was exactly as he had anticipated. The blonde girl tossed her goose bone into her soup bowl and sneered, "Are you out of your mind, hitman? Our Resurrection Unit is the City Lord’s direct law enforcement agency. We fight demons, madmen, and organized crime—we are legitimate guardians of this city. How could we possibly hire you to commit murder?"

"First of all, a hitman is not a homicidal maniac. Just because I earn my living with my fists doesn't mean I only know how to kill," Chu Hengkong replied. "Secondly, your unit is in dire need of personnel. Adding someone with my combat ability is the perfect solution to your immediate crisis."

If he had thought his plan unfeasible, Chu Hengkong would have found a way to slip away long ago. But everything he had seen along the way only bolstered his confidence: the Archmage openly summoning "gods," the wall-to-wall wanted posters at the Resurrection Unit headquarters, the severely injured team members, and the dilapidated landscape of this city he had witnessed from the heights...

All signs pointed to the local ruling class losing its grip on the city. They were surely desperate for combat power, especially experts capable of dealing with those vicious fugitives. And what better candidate than a hitman from another world with a "clean" record?

Ji Huaisu fell silent, clearly entertaining similar thoughts. Chu Hengkong opened his palm, adding the final incentive for the young captain.

"I am a capable man," he said. "You can give me your most difficult tasks. That way, your subordinates will suffer fewer casualties."

Ji Huaisu’s expression shifted; Chu Hengkong knew he had hooked her. He hadn't missed her reaction when they encountered the injured member earlier; he knew then that she was a captain who cared deeply for her people. Half the battle was won, but for the final decision, he would need the approval of her father.

"You’ve proposed an interesting idea," the elder Huaisu said with a faint, enigmatic smile. "Indeed, if you work under Huaisu, we can monitor you easily, and you won't need that amputation for now. However, business is about the ratio of risk to reward. Having someone who might be possessed by a demon operating in our ranks is a significant risk."

He looked at Chu Hengkong intensely. "Are you worth the trouble?"

Chu Hengkong replied with confidence, "Just give me the chance to prove it."

The elder walked slowly out of the room, returning with a wanted poster. He slid it across the long table, revealing the photograph of a ferocious, one-eyed brute.

[“One-Eyed Elephant” Hugos]

Bounty: 100,000 Flowing Pearls.
- Demon-possessed, possesses a Relic.
- Occupies the "Iron Oar Shop" at 67 Green Surge Road, commands over 60 men.
- High water pressure! Beware of gunshot wounds!

Chu Hengkong grabbed the poster. "Dead or alive?"

"Unless you're forced to kill, just give him a sound thrashing if you're capable," Ji Huaisu said. "How long do you need?"

Chu Hengkong crossed his right index finger with the tip of his tentacle, forming a cross.

"Hey, ten days?" Ji Huaisu frowned.

"Ten minutes is plenty," Chu Hengkong smiled.

***

Chu Hengkong strode out of the Resurrection Unit headquarters with an air of nonchalance. He knew he was being watched, from the shadows and in the open, but he didn't care. He held a rough map of the destination (hand-drawn by Captain Huaisu), but instead of looking at it, he gazed up at the strange "sky."

Only after reaching headquarters did he realize that his initial arrival point was the highest peak of the city, while the base was located in the "middle layer" of the city's vertical axis. By now, it was late; the water-curtain dome darkened with the coming night, looking as distant as a real sky. The blades dancing in the currents appeared small from this distance, like a school of fish forever circling the city.

There were no stars or moons in the night sky of this city, yet the city itself was covered in water trails, as if it were "above." Azure streams crisscrossed to form organized waterways, where wooden boats—resembling ancient Viking ships—sailed, stopping silently at fixed markers to pick up passengers, acting as the city's "buses." The architectural style reminded Chu Hengkong of his homeland at the turn of the century: neatly planned blocks of grey residential buildings, with tangled webs of wires hidden in the alleys behind them, and garish, decadent advertisements glowing on the sides of many floors.

Yet, these buildings were dilapidated, even damaged. The roads were half-new, half-old, and many buildings bore cracks from massive impacts. In the districts far from the headquarters, one could even see half-collapsed ruins. It was likely that war had recently swept through here—though he wondered if their enemies were other humans, or the so-called "demons."

Chu Hengkong didn't dwell on it; his mission took precedence. He extended his silver tentacle upward, latching onto a protruding billboard. The secretions were sticky, fixing him in place like glue. He relaxed his "muscles," letting the elasticity launch him into the air. He stood on one foot atop the billboard, his tentacle retracting and firing again to the next anchor point. He leaped continuously in this bizarre fashion, moving through the night like a nimble, joyful ape.

Traveling was a perfect way to train his new arm; every bit of control he gained added to his confidence.

***

After a dozen leaps, the target building came into view. The "Iron Oar Shop" was a three-story house ablaze with lights, surrounded by wire fences and high walls, like an iron fortress in a modern city. Oddly dressed thugs patrolled the perimeter with guns; their clothes looked like they had been looted from everywhere—some wore tactical vests with leggings, others wore sandals with full sets of rusted armor.

Using his superior vision, Chu Hengkong observed the target from various angles as he leaped across the rooftops. The defense looked tight but was actually lax; the patrolling thugs were distracted, and the curtains inside weren't even fully drawn. Several thugs had opened windows to smoke, and thanks to that, Chu Hengkong caught glimpses of firearms and daggers.

These amateurs had the audacity to keep their arsenal on the middle floor near the window... without even putting up a fence... Damn, any kind of trash thinks they can make it in the underworld these days. If my old boss saw how they managed their weapons, he’d have a stroke...

The undefended roof was a weak point; a building of this common concrete construction could be breached with a single powerful punch. If he were just doing a normal job, Chu Hengkong would have snuck in through the roof or window, seized the armory, cut the power, and eliminated them one by one. But this was his important debut, and he intended to use a more "impactful" approach.

Chu Hengkong released his tentacle and landed lightly at the entrance of the house. In the distance, Ji Huaisu, watching through binoculars, was startled. "What is he doing?"

The two guards at the door had the same question. The guard in the tactical vest and leggings raised his pistol. "You looking to die?! Do you know whose turf this is?!"

Chu Hengkong smiled, then delivered a knee strike to his chest. The terrifying impact shattered ribs and caused the heart to stop; the first guard collapsed on the spot. Chu Hengkong used his tentacle to snatch the guard's pistol, then grabbed the second guard by the head and shook it gently. Before he could realize what was happening, the second guard screamed from the extreme vibration. His vision spun, and he felt as if his brain were turning into mush.

"Ugh!"

He collapsed to his knees, vomiting uncontrollably amidst his shattered thoughts. Chu Hengkong picked up the second pistol but didn't advance; instead, he fired repeatedly at their ankles!

As he pulled the trigger, it wasn't bullets that emerged, but swivels of pressurized water. The water bullets carried tremendous force, snapping their leg bones instantly and sending their bodies flying.

"So it really is a water gun?" Chu Hengkong chuckled. "No wonder they say it has high water pressure."

Chu Hengkong crushed the pistol with one hand; the mangled weapon was reduced to a ball of metal, with colorless water oozing from the gaps. He hurled the metal ball at the heavy iron door of the house; a bell-like, thunderous clang rang out. The ball smashed into the heavy door, forcing it to swing wide open in an instant!

Inside, a dozen pairs of eyes stared out at the door, where a young man stood with his silver tentacles swaying, a smile in his eyes.

"Hands up, drop your weapons. You're under arrest."