Forge a path to success.

Chapter 11 The Outsider's Bullet (Part 2)
The description of "skilled hands" is listed separately on the wanted poster, which seems to be a different characteristic from that of a demon-possessed person. Chu Hengkong guessed that this might be a local standard for judging strength.

As he ran, he gripped the darkening iron ring tightly and asked the veteran beside him, "Does the enemy have the ability to smash through the curtain of water in the sky?"

"He's delusional," Ji Huaisu scoffed. "Even if you found a thousand skilled craftsmen, you couldn't interfere with the water curtain. He probably seized the tower because he wanted to modify the salvage device like he modified the rapids gun, turning that thing into a giant water cannon."

Chu Hengkong recalled the scene of the salvage operation; the white column of water was powerful enough to reach the tide of weapons in the sky. What if a massive water bomb exploded within that tide of weapons…

"Knives will fall from the sky."

“Yes, so we need to speed things up,” Ji Huaisu said. “I’ll take over the next battle. You said you can do more than just kill, right? Then report the enemy’s locations.”

Ji Huaisu's request was utterly absurd. The Gray Stone Tower had a "回"-shaped layout, with the central "口" being a now-defunct elevator. The two were running through the square corridor. The bandits were either hiding on the upper floors or in dark rooms, making them virtually impossible to find in the dim environment.

Unfortunately, Ji Huaisu's shield was the brightest light source inside the tower, and they could hit it simply by firing bullets at the light. In this environment where the enemy was in the dark and they were in the light, even professional assault team members needed to use thermal imagers to locate the enemy, but Chu Heng had no professional equipment, not even a pair of glasses.

"Three men are lying in ambush three meters to the right, and one man is preparing to launch a surprise attack five meters ahead on the upper level," Chu Hengkong said.

Chu Heng's recitation of positions was so fluent it sounded like he was reciting lines. He clearly didn't glance to his right, yet he was confident in his conclusions. Three meters ahead was a closed lounge room. He knew two men were lurking by the window, ready to draw attention with their guns, while the last man hid behind the door, waiting for Ji Huaisu to pass by before sniping him from behind. Ji Huaisu only had a shield, which he intended to save for the hail of bullets coming from the left corridor. He was eager to know how the other side planned to attack.

Ji Huaisu moved the shield to his right, and a layer of faint light formed a spherical energy shield to replace the main body of the shield for defense. As the shield changed hands, the translucent light shield rapidly deformed like a gel, with the lower half thinning to form a "short handle," and the cut-off part rising to the top to form a shield-shaped "hammerhead."

She picked up the alien light hammer with one hand and smashed it down on the door to her right. The wooden door shattered instantly, and the soldier hiding behind it was bleeding from a head wound. The unfortunate fellow was sent flying by the sudden attack, but Ji Huaisu didn't stop moving. She charged forward recklessly, the light hammer smashing through stone walls and glass with unstoppable force, blasting the other two people in the room away as well!
This couldn't even be described as a battle; it was practically demolition. When the blonde girl unleashed her fury, she was like a golden storm, crushing everything in her path, including her enemies, into dust. After rushing through the room, a deafening roar came from ahead as a giant iron spike smashed through the ceiling, aiming straight for Ji Huaisu's skull. Ji Huaisu swung his light hammer upwards, deflecting the spike back. The attacker on the upper level was instead knocked unconscious by his own weapon.

Chu Hengkong glanced sideways: "Someone just said that law enforcement officers should show leniency."

"If I were to get serious, they would be minced meat by now," Ji Huaisu said. "Your ability to pinpoint sounds is quite good. Are all the assassins from your hometown this professional?"

"I am the industry leader."

Chu Hengkong leaped up first, using one hand to grip the edge of the hole and vault to the upper level. With no enemies in sight, he gripped his perception pendant and tapped the stone wall with the gray iron ring, a clear echo reverberating through the corridor.

Ding. Ding.

He filtered out the gunshots, ignored his own breathing and other noises, and focused solely on the knocking sounds. In less than a breath, the sound signature had swept across the floor. The changes in vibration faithfully reflected everything in the environment; he could "see" the ambushers lying in wait in the next room, and he could also "see" the enemies trying to crawl closer from behind.

Sound localization. This is a common technique in dark environments, but even someone as perceptive as Chu Hengkong couldn't achieve such incredible precision on his own. The key to his ability to perceive his surroundings lay in the sensory pendant in his hand. The relic enhanced his perception in all aspects, including sight and hearing. Even if each enhancement only lasted 1 to 3 seconds, it was enough for him to draw a simple map in his mind.

"If you want to save time, I'll lead the way." Chu Hengkong's tapping frequency increased, and the color of the iron ring gradually turned black. "Turn around and keep charging, two on the left and five in front."

Ji Huaisu, who had followed, nodded. This time, she restored the light to the shape of a shield and charged directly towards the front where the most enemies were. She ran as fast as the wind. When the bandits who were trying to ambush her in the room on the left were scouting, she had already charged into the enemy ranks with her shield raised, sweeping the shield with brute force and knocking down five people. Chu Hengkong followed closely behind her, his voice as steady as ever as when he reported the location: "The floor directly above is cracking, smash it directly."

Ji Huaisu transformed her light shield into a hammer and hurled it upwards, shattering the already damaged stone floor with her monstrous strength. She leaped lightly, using the hammer in mid-air to jump to the upper floor. As she landed, Ji Huaisu whistled, and the staircase leading to the top floor appeared precisely in front of her, the bandits guarding the stairs looking as if they'd seen a ghost.

"You're not just a killer."

"If I lead the way, we'll be there much sooner."

When Chu Hengkong jumped upstairs, the bandits guarding the stairs had already been stunned by the light shield. The two temporary partners rushed to the top floor one after the other, and the moment they ran out of the stairs, black water bullets came like a storm.

Ji Huaisu resorted to her old tactic of shielding herself, but this time she couldn't advance immediately. The attack of black water bullets was dense, with two extremely thin water lines mixed in with each bullet. The attack seemed weak, but it brought an extremely strong impact. Ji Huaisu took half a step back, and even the light on her shield dimmed under the attack. Chu Hengkong realized the true nature of the attack. It was an ultra-high-pressure water jet, releasing heavily pressurized water from a small hole. The impact force was enough to cut through trees and even metal.

The two streams of water originated from the wanted criminal's deformed wrists. His arms, from the elbows down, had mutated into teardrop-shaped bony structures, with water jets spraying from the "tips" of the two teardrops. Behind the water jet nozzles, his former fingers had mutated into ten transparent pipes, each connected to a strangely shaped machine gun at its end.

The short man stood with his back to the retrieval equipment, a smug glint in his small eyes.

"You country bumpkins, this is the artillery barrage tactic!" Mimori sneered. "No gunpowder? No problem! We'll overwhelm you with sheer numbers and momentum!"

Ji Huaisu remained motionless, not because he was unwilling, but because he couldn't. Ten water-blast machine guns and two water jets created a massive barrage, leaving no room for cover on the top floor of the Gray Tower. Under such intense firepower, the spherical shield couldn't withstand it for even a second; a light shield was needed to hold the line. But simply defending wouldn't solve the problem. The salvage vessel behind Sansen Wangxiang was vibrating violently; the white lines on its cylindrical exterior expanded and contracted like breathing. Even a layman like Chu Hengkong could tell the situation was dire.

Mimori Nozomi laughed loudly: "Prepare to meet your death! In just a few seconds, you will witness the awe-inspiring cannon that shatters the curtain!"

Chu Hengkong's gaze swept over the support frames of the ten machine guns, and he gripped the last hidden weapon with two fingers.

“I still have one pebble,” he said.

"Throw it as many times as possible!" Ji Huaisu raised his voice. "Throw!"

Everything happened in an instant. Chu Hengkong flicked two fingers, and the last pebble flew out amidst the hail of bullets, passing through the gap between two water jets and heading straight for Sansen Wangxiang's throat. Ji Huaisu's shout alerted Sansen Wangxiang to the danger, and he quickly brought his wrists together, attempting to use the water jet to extinguish the hidden weapon.

At the same time, Ji Huaisu pressed her hands onto her shield, and the brightness of her light shield rapidly increased, the sudden surge of light resembling a miniature sun. That sun entered Sansen Wangxiang's eyes, like a bomb exploding in his eye sockets!
Mimori Nozomi screamed in terror. The bright light itself wasn't dangerous, but at such a short distance, the burst of light could burn one's retina. The sudden pain blinded him. He repeatedly told himself to stay calm and not move, but just a breath later, a familiar whooshing sound came from all directions.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
The sound was exactly the same as when Chu Hengkong launched the stones. In Mimori Nozomi's perception, it was four deadly projectiles coming from outer space. Mimori Nozomi panicked completely. He hurriedly waved his hands to redirect the machine gun, trying to crush the projectiles with a barrage of bullets. However, a heavy tremor came from directly in front of him, and a blinding light accompanied by the impact struck!

After the enemy lost their composure, the water blades and barrage were no longer a seamless defense. Ji Huaisu easily dodged the crisscrossing water blades, using only her light shield to block the nearest barrage. In less than a breath, she was in front of Sansen Wangxiang, delivering a powerful uppercut that sent the wanted criminal flying more than ten meters into the air.

"what--!"

The ten pipes controlling the machine guns were torn apart by the force of the punch, and the barrage of water bullets immediately stopped. At that moment, Chu Hengkong leaped up, transforming into a black iron ring that had been wrapped around a tentacle, the tip of which was entwined with a large silver-eyed book.

The power-accumulating bracelet faded, and the power stored within it exploded. The tentacle that slammed down from the sky transformed into a silver hammer, and the corner of the giant book smashed through the iron wall, turning the cannon that was about to be fired into a pile of scrap metal!
Bang! Bang bang bang!!

An ominous rumble emanated from the damaged cannon, and pure white water burst forth like a fountain from the cracks, causing a small-scale downpour beneath the gray stone tower. Mimori Nozomi fell two seconds later, crashing into a pile of broken metal. Ji Huaisu didn't even glance at him; she summoned a spherical light shield to protect the two from the rain.

The girl hid one hand behind her back, and the shadow that was about to take shape in her hand silently dissipated. She looked at Chu Hengkong with a smile, her words carrying a hint of approval: "Not bad reaction~ I was worried that you wouldn't have enough strength."

"I carry this book with me because it's tough enough." Chu Hengkong withdrew his tentacle and sighed. "Next time, please mention your abilities in advance. My eyes are sore."

The tentacle snapped in mid-air as if electrocuted, making a crisp "snap" sound. The "hidden weapon sound" that Mimori Nozomi heard was just Chu Heng flicking his whip a few times in the air.

Whether one can distinguish the subtle differences between different sounds, whether one can think of ways to utilize sound, whether one has the mindset to use sound as a breakthrough point... the "yes" or "no" to these questions is precisely the difference between professionals and laymen.

Chu Hengkong rubbed his sore eyes. Perhaps the previous flash of light was too strong, because he saw a strange afterimage in his white vision.

The phantom emerged from the body of Sansen Wangxiang, and from the bodies of dozens of bandits inside and outside the Gray Stone Tower, converging at the top of the Gray Tower into a bone-white seahorse.

(End of this chapter)