The Mysterious Affairs Section Mobilizes!

The Underground River Bridge had already been cordoned off and cleared. Boom— A reverberating explosion echoed in the distance. It came from the direction of the Phantom Nightclub! "Move, move, move! Set up fortifications immediately!" Song Fushan bellowed. Sandbags and various firearms had been prepared on both sides of the bridge. The police officers were setting down their tools and running into the distance. —The police department only handled ordinary public security incidents, and most of its members were regular people. For a police department, having a few In-Rank martial artists and one or two Shidu-rank martial artists was already the absolute limit. Matters involving martial artists, monsters, or the occult were handled by the Bureau of Investigation, which possessed higher clearance. Song Fushan rolled up his sleeves and worked alongside Ye Huan, stacking sandbags together to construct a crude fortification. They also mounted several machine guns. Once their preparations were complete, Song Fushan retrieved an anti-materiel sniper rifle from the trunk of the car and began chambering rounds. "Chief, we're martial artists. Why are we using guns?" Ye Huan asked. "Because guns are tremendously useful! They let you test the opponent's strength and conserve your own energy. More importantly—" Song Fushan grew serious, his expression turning stern. "Standard firearms won't cut it, but an anti-materiel sniper rifle paired with thermal-explosive armor-piercing rounds can effectively kill low-tier martial artists and monsters." Ye Huan nodded. He wanted to ask, "What about drones? What about hypersonic missiles?" But after combing through his memories, he discovered that his previous self had never heard of such things. Perhaps— Just as Su Ni had said, the resources of current human kingdoms were utterly insufficient to develop the corresponding technology, let alone manufacture things like that. Ye Huan picked up a machine gun and familiarized himself with its operation. Firearm handling was something even security guards at the mines underwent training for. In this world, as long as an occupation bordered on "security," one had to master shooting, driving, first aid, and basic combat techniques. —The world outside the cities was simply too dangerous. Even within the cities, fiends occasionally infiltrated. When that happened, it meant a colossal battle. Furthermore, the human cultists of fiends spread their faiths and rituals across the cities, conducting dark, gruesome deeds. Even a security guard needed to possess fundamental combat skills. Ye Huan's predecessor naturally knew how to drive and shoot. Back on Earth, he had possessed a driver's license as well. He had just never tried shooting. At the moment, he could only rely on his predecessor's training memories to strike a convincing shooting stance. The two stood behind the defensive barricade, waiting in silence. A full quarter of an hour passed. Nothing happened. Ye Huan checked the time; it was already past one in the morning. Song Fushan opened a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and sat to the side, puffing slowly. "Don't look at me—the Bureau Director took the field in person today. We're probably just here to set the stage." He blew out a smoke ring and passed a cigarette to Ye Huan. "Is the Director really that formidable?" Ye Huan asked, lighting the cigarette to perk himself up. "Nonsense. Our Director is known as the Living Yama, an expert at the Daozang Baji realm. No one in all of Lantie City is his match," Song Fushan said. "I only know that Shidu requires igniting ten acupoints within the body, and each acupoint enhances one's combat power," Ye Huan said. "A Jiuyao-rank martial artist can command elements to produce tremendously powerful martial skills," Song Fushan explained. "Then what about Daozang Baji?" Ye Huan asked. "Daozang Baji allows one to peer into the Heavenly Dao and receive 'divine illumination.' Their spiritual force surges drastically, allowing them to cultivate spiritual martial arts." "Are spiritual martial arts... that strong?" Ye Huan asked. Song Fushan nodded heavily, murmuring in a low voice: "Humans have no way of resisting attacks from spiritual force— "In the face of spiritual techniques, your soul is like fragile glassware. "A single tap, and the soul shatters." Surrounded by darkness, a cold wind sweeping off the underground river combined with Song Fushan's eerie tone to send a sudden shiver through Ye Huan. "Hahaha! Look at you, trembling like a coward," Song Fushan chuckled, pointing at him. "Truth be told, a sizable portion of Baji Daozang martial artists don't possess any spiritual martial arts at all." "Huh? Why?" Ye Huan asked. "Because techniques of that caliber are extraordinarily rare—a manual containing the essentials of a spiritual technique can fetch an astronomical price!" Song Fushan said. Suddenly, both of them turned their gazes across the bridge. A police officer had stepped onto the bridge and was sprinting rapidly toward their barricade. "Look out! We have a situation!" the officer shouted as he ran. Ye Huan took a look, and a line of small text surfaced above the officer's head: "Dark Tide Priest." —It was a cultist in disguise! What should he do? How was he supposed to tell Song Fushan? Before Ye Huan could finish the thought, a deafening crack shattered the air. Bang! A burst of blood erupted from the officer's chest, and the impact sent him flying backward before tumbling to the ground. Expressionless, Song Fushan pulled the bolt, ejected the spent casing, slid in a fresh round, and aimed back at the figure on the ground. Da-da-da-da-da! A sudden volley of gunfire erupted beside him. It was Ye Huan. Machine gun in hand, Ye Huan was already firing insurance rounds into the "corpse." Even though his marksmanship was subpar and most of the bullets missed, it was more than enough. A flicker of approval flashed through Song Fushan's eyes. He rested the sniper rifle lightly on a sandbag, keeping it trained on the "corpse." He did not move. Ye Huan's sustained suppressive fire was sufficient. A moment later, the light machine gun clicked and stopped. Out of ammunition! Ye Huan yanked out the magazine and slapped in a fresh one. At that exact instant— The "corpse" could hold back no longer. It sprang up abruptly, moving like a phantom in a zigzag pattern as it charged straight toward them. Its speed was staggering! In practically the blink of an eye, it had already crossed half the bridge! Yet it suddenly stumbled and crashed to the ground, exposing a bloody, gaping wound at its waist. —A massive chunk of flesh was missing from its flank! It was a mystery how it had managed to hold out until now. "Chief, he's heavily wounded," Ye Huan said. "Fortunately so. Even I couldn't handle that speed of his. But now—" Bang! Song Fushan pulled the trigger. A burst of fire exploded on the "corpse's" head, sending the entire body tumbling violently through the air. Da-da-da-da-da-da— Having loaded the new magazine, Ye Huan promptly opened fire to finish it off. The corpse lay motionless. Da-da-da-da-da— He emptied one magazine, then fired through another. Da-da-da-da-da! Only when he moved to change magazines for a third time did Song Fushan stop him. "Hold up. Your bullets aren't doing anything to it anymore," Song Fushan said. "Oh." Ye Huan lowered the light machine gun. "Chief, why did you stop shooting?" "Aren't you worried he might actually be a cop?" Song Fushan countered. Ye Huan gave an honest smile and replied, "Even if it were someone from our Bureau of Investigation, charging a checkpoint like that means they die." "Why?" Song Fushan asked. "The Director's order was to hold this bridge and 'let no one pass,'" Ye Huan said. "Spot on. Exactly right." Song Fushan patted his shoulder in approval. Tossing the sniper rifle to Ye Huan, Song Fushan vaulted over the fortification, rolling his shoulders and ankles as he spoke: "He's in the middle of a ritual. A sniper rifle won't finish him off now. We have to take care of this with our own hands. "Ordinary people rarely get to see a battle of this caliber. "Kid, watch closely." A series of thunderous cracks erupted from Song Fushan's entire body. Ye Huan stared at him blankly, then looked back into the distance. That person— Lying on the ground, his body began to writhe incessantly. His frame swelled rapidly into a monstrous bulk, sharp spikes thrusting out along his spine. Just as Song Fushan had said, the man was beginning to mutate! "A mutated martial artist after all... Once they sign a pact with fiends, they can no longer be considered human," Song Fushan said coldly. Suddenly, Ye Huan's body instinctively went rigid, and he whipped his head toward Song Fushan. Terror. A dread born of unknown origins surged up from the depths of his heart. And then Ye Huan witnessed the scene: Song Fushan lightly pushed off the ground with the tip of his foot, vanishing from the spot. Boom— A deep crater was stamped into the ground beneath him. In that single instant, his frame transformed into some colossal beast, tearing across the open air. A gale suddenly howled through the fortification. Fast! Far too fast! Ye Huan caught only the blur of an afterimage over three meters tall. In a mere fraction of a second— Song Fushan appeared thirty meters behind the "monster." His body had already reverted to normal, his clothes shredded to tatters, his foot planted atop a severed head. "Don't—don't kill me—" the head wailed in agony. Song Fushan ignored it completely, lifting his head to gaze at the sky. One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths. Silence enveloped heaven and earth. "The ritual has been broken," Song Fushan said with a mocking chuckle. "Looks like your god has abandoned you." He brought his foot down with force. The head's wailing stopped instantly. Watching from afar, Ye Huan felt the blood rushing through his veins in sync with the violent thumping of his heart. Wait a moment— What on earth was that? Even though he had Copper Head and Iron Arms, an overwhelming feeling of complete powerlessness had washed over him when that monster mutated earlier. As for Song Fushan, that was something else entirely. "Reporting, Chief!" Ye Huan couldn't help but shout. Song Fushan looked back at him. "What on earth just happened? I didn't see a single thing!" Ye Huan called out loudly, looking entirely overwhelmed. Song Fushan blinked in surprise, then burst into hearty laughter. "You didn't see anything?" This kid was truly something else. Before attacking, he had told him, "Kid, watch closely," yet here the boy was, calling out a report to say he hadn't seen a thing! Amusing. Truly amusing. "I couldn't track it at all, Chief! What kind of move was that?" Ye Huan pressed loudly. Song Fushan waved a dismissive hand. "A battle at the Jiuyao rank is still far too early for you! "Work hard and keep training. "Once you ignite ten acupoints, temper your blood and vital energy until it's as solid as a mountain, and forge meridians as divine as iron, maybe you'll be able to catch the first half of my movement."