Chapter 6: Demonic Possession (Part II)

A supernatural item resembling a pendant—its effect is likely strength enhancement. The blow landed after its activation is stronger than my own arm strength; I cannot meet it head-on.

Thoughts surged through his mind like lightning. In mid-air, Chu Hengkong grasped the situation. Utilizing the momentum of the impact, he twisted his body to land, rolling continuously to dissipate the force.

As he rose, a massive dark shadow descended like a gathering storm. Hugos’s next strike was already upon him. Chu Hengkong’s feet flickered, narrowly evading the assault of the long tusks in the most perilous of moments. The second attack did not utilize the iron ring, yet it was still powerful enough to crush bricks and send shards flying. Chu Hengkong rearranged his stance in silence, while Hugos, transformed into a monster, laughed maniacally.

"Weren't you being so arrogant just now? Come on, try and take this! Come on! Come on! Come on!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! The successive heavy echoes were reminiscent of artillery fire, as Hugos’s tusks gouged hole after hole into the ground. In the blink of an eye, three exchanges had passed. Chu Hengkong did not retaliate, choosing instead to evade repeatedly; he was faster than his demonized enemy, but he could not afford to strike back, as the strength-enhancing iron ring could be activated at any moment.

The previous shockwave had caused Chu Hengkong a long-forgotten pain. His bones were fine, but his muscles had undoubtedly sustained damage. Being hit directly by that thing would certainly not be easy. If he could not kill the enemy in one blow, a close-quarters strength-enhanced attack would be his undoing.

First, I'll dance around him... observe his movements, find an opening...

Chu Hengkong leaped to the left, dodging another sweeping strike from Hugos. As his position shifted, an opportunity arose. The groin, the throat, the flank, the ribs—under the barrage of attacks that left Hugos wide open, there were four distinct openings for an assault. The head was too high to target, and the lower limbs were too thick to be shaken, so the flank was the best target.

Chu Hengkong stomped his left foot down, driving an Iron Mountain Lean directly into the flank. In an instant, the force from his waist and arms exploded, delivering a heavy blow to the enemy!

Hugos’s massive body shuddered but did not fall; the scene was like a giant mayfly trying to shake a tree. Chu Hengkong cursed silently to himself.

Habit is a dangerous thing—I forgot my left arm has turned into a tentacle!

The Iron Mountain Lean relies not just on the shoulder, but on the elbow joint. Yet, the retractable tentacle lacks joints and bones, which meant the power of his previous strike was greatly diminished. The softness of the tentacle had put him at a disadvantage. Now, the distance between the two had closed even further, and Hugos’s eyes were filled with triumph.

"Tentacle brat, you're done for!"

Hugos threw his head back, and both long tusks slammed down simultaneously. His demonized giant form sealed off the space; at this moment, Chu Hengkong had almost nowhere to dodge. This was the tactic of the demon-possessed—they never needed so-called technique; they only needed to apply their raw power to achieve victory.

As the violent shadow pressed down, Chu Hengkong remained calm. He had no interest in reflecting on himself during a fight, nor did he care to praise such an unskilled enemy. The next step of the battle had already surfaced; all he had to do was win.

"I’ll be a little... violent myself," he said softly.

A silver trajectory streaked across the vision of the single eye, and Chu Hengkong’s tentacle leaped up like a long python! The silver snake coiled rapidly, unexpectedly wrapping around Hugos’s long tusk mid-fight. Chu Hengkong stepped hard to the left, concentrating all his strength into the tentacle, and pulled with all his might!

He had entangled the tusk that was not adorned with the iron ring, the one on the side previously struck by the Iron Mountain Lean. Hit repeatedly on the same side, Hugos’s balance was instantly thrown into disarray. His right leg left the ground due to inertia, his double-tusked strike collapsed into chaos, and his top-heavy body looked ready to topple over.

Pulling without reservation... is that brat trying to use a throwing technique? Using a tentacle to perform a shoulder throw?!

Hugos was startled. The enemy was too fast, and he had no intention of falling at this moment. He hurriedly slowed his offensive and straightened his back, attempting to stabilize his footing to fight again.

***

Chu Hengkong was waiting for this exact moment. He suddenly loosened his grip, using Hugos’s own momentum to leap into the air. The tentacle, stretched taut by the coiling, provided ample elasticity; his body, previously as steady as an ancient tree, was now as light as a bird. Chu Hengkong soared instantly, rising above the elephantine head. He relaxed the tentacle, pulled back his right fist, and brought his left heel down in a fierce axe-kick, smashing into Hugos’s single eye with the weight of a mountain.

Kyokushin Karate: Axe Kick!

This was a killing blow from full-contact karate. This school taught that the limbs should be transformed into weapons, and Chu Hengkong’s limbs were the sharpest of blades. This vicious strike shattered Hugos’s single eye, and blood mixed with mangled ocular tissue gushed out like a fountain. The giant’s wail was enough to shatter glass. The surrounding thugs were completely terrified, but Chu Hengkong, who had delivered the blow, remained expressionless.

There was no joy, no excitement—only the countenance of one doing what was expected. He was a good killer; once he made a move, he had to secure a result. Once he struck, he had to achieve victory.

Critically injured, Hugos went completely berserk. He activated the power of the iron ring again, charging wildly in an attempt to shake Chu Hengkong off. The immense violence shattered bricks and stairs and sent the spectating thugs flying, but it could not throw the killer off the demon’s back. He used his tentacle to strangle Hugos’s neck tightly, and his right fist delivered a powerful strike, landing squarely on the tusk embedded with the iron ring.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sounds grew heavier with every strike, the force of his punches becoming more intense. Hugos’s long tusk was hard and thick; in the past, he had used it to crush the skulls of many, yet now, the invincible tusk trembled under the strikes of a single man. When the fourth punch landed, cracks appeared on its surface; with the fifth, the root of the tusk began to splinter. Hugos struggled desperately, but his strength faded as the tentacle choked off his breath like a noose.

Chu Hengkong shouted as he delivered the sixth punch. As it landed, the injuries accumulated from the previous five exploded simultaneously, and the tusk shattered to its root on the spot. He grabbed the broken tusk and delivered one final blow to the crown of Hugos’s head!

After a terrifying thud, Hugos’s eyes rolled back, and he fell to his knees. Chu Hengkong sat on his door-like back, just about to deliver one more blow as an insurance measure, when his hand stopped.

He saw a colorless "image" fly out from Hugos’s body. Its outline resembled a jellyfish, with a single eye in the center of its body, its presence as ethereal as a hallucination. In that eye, Chu Hengkong saw a ferocity identical to Hugos’s, yet accompanied by a strange, satiated sense of satisfaction.

The single-eyed jellyfish looked at Chu Hengkong for a moment, then faded away in silence. At that very same moment, Hugos shrank like a punctured balloon, eventually turning into a one-armed, one-eyed man.

Demon-possessed... is this what a "demon" is? It looks a lot like seafood.

Chu Hengkong pondered for a moment and realized he was still holding the broken tusk that had turned back into a severed arm. He coolly removed Hugos’s iron ring, discarded the useless arm, and swept his gaze over the stunned thugs.

"Next," he said.

There was no next. There wasn't even a scream anymore; the strength to make a sound had departed the thugs' bodies along with their courage. They scrambled away hysterically, rolling and crawling like worms, using every ounce of strength to get as far away as possible from the blood-soaked man. The man who had broken a long tusk with his bare hands, along with his tentacle, had become a symbol of terror—a nightmare even crazier than a demon.

Only one person remained: the old man who had been swept to the back at the beginning. The old shopkeeper stared blankly at Chu Hengkong, his lips moving unconsciously, unable to produce a sound.

"Sorry, old man. I was a bit loud while enforcing the law," he heard the tentacle-man say. "This guy has a bounty of one hundred thousand Liu beads. Is that enough to fix your shop?"

"Enough... enough..." the old man said subconsciously. "Thirty thousand is enough..."

"Prices are quite cheap," Chu Hengkong smiled. He raised his hand to wipe the blood off his watch. "Let me see how long it took..."

***

"5 minutes and 31 seconds. Not bad, young man."

At the entrance of the Iron Oar Shop, Old Man Huaisu finished timing, a look of approval in his eyes.

Ji Huaisu, standing to the side, was unimpressed. "If it were me, I would have put that stupid elephant down in five seconds."

"Miss, you're already at Point 2; why compare yourself to a newcomer who hasn't even entered the path?" Old Man Huaisu said with a smile.

"None of your business," Ji Huaisu rolled her eyes at him. "Come to think of it, Old Man, you were really unfair this time."

Old Man Huaisu feigned surprise. "How so?"

"We haven't touched Hugos all this time precisely because he's a man from the 'Black Workshop.' It’s satisfying to take him down, but to offend the biggest criminal organization in the city on his very first day—how is that killer supposed to live from now on?"

"That’s why you’ll be covering for him from now on," Old Man Huaisu laughed.

"...Huh?"

After a moment of being stunned, Ji Huaisu reacted. "Hey, Old Man, are you serious? A demon-possessed person!"

"I checked. The aura is very similar, but it’s not a Fantasy Demon," Old Man Huaisu shook his paper fan. "Use your little brain and think, if it were really a demon, would I still be wasting my breath with him?"

As they spoke, Chu Hengkong had already dragged Hugos out. The killer was covered in blood, but he smiled brightly. "Mr. Ji, I wonder if this 'letter of intent' is sincere enough?"

"What letter of intent? We are a formal institution; this was your entrance exam!" Old Man Huaisu said. "From today on, you are a temporary member of the Resuscitation Unit! You’ll have the best benefits in the city, with all kinds of professional perks."

Chu Hengkong was overjoyed. "That’s great. May I ask if the unit’s cafeteria is still open?"

For the first time since they met, Old Man Huaisu wore the same bewildered expression as his daughter. Chu Hengkong’s attitude was sincere and righteous.

"I’ve been fighting from the afternoon until the evening; I really want a bowl of roast goose rice noodles."