Forge a path to success

Chu Hengkong put away his phone and closed his eyes. Summoning, tentacles, the great wizard, Ji Huaisu, demons, relics... everything he had encountered in the past half day flashed through his mind. Like a precise machine, he reviewed everything after his transmigration and silently began to make plans for the future.

The primary problem is this tentacle of unknown origin. The previous excuses were merely pretexts to delay amputation. If this tentacle truly is some kind of "imaginary demon," then we must be ruthless and cut it off… We need to prepare for both possibilities: in the next few days, we need to inquire about reliable prosthetic arms, and we also need to adapt to this new arm as quickly as possible… We cannot repeat today's mistake…

If the tentacle problem can be solved, then I need to focus on becoming stronger... There are too many supernatural forces in this world, and who knows what kind of mystical things they might be involved in. Only with power can I live a peaceful life. I also need to gather some basic information about this other world, and then...

I don't even know if I'll live to see the end, why think so far ahead? Let's take it one step at a time and just try to make tomorrow count.

"In short, I won't go back to the gangsters," the former gangster hitman vaguely thought.

There's no future in being a gangster.

Fragments of the past flashed through the darkness, and Chu Hengkong fell into a deep sleep. He slept soundly until the sunlight of the next day touched his eyes.

Chapter 8 Gliding Glimmer

Ring ring ring ring!

The urgent ringing of the alarm clock sounded like a death knell, and a few seconds later a trembling hand slapped it shut. Ji Huaisu, who had just gotten up, was still sleepy-eyed, his hair a mess, and his movements as he got out of bed were as slow as a golden-haired zombie that had just been unearthed.

She dragged herself to the bathroom with a life-saving gait, splashing a handful of cold water to wake herself up. As she tied her hair into a ponytail, she glanced at her watch; it was exactly 7:35.

Wow, what a luxurious sleep I had... This is the first time this month I've woken up after 5:30!

Yesterday's downfall of Hugos was a rare good thing recently, nearly halving the amount of work on her to-do list, allowing her to sleep in comfortably. She yawned widely and changed and washed up in a wonderful mood. After getting ready, Ji Huaisu looked out the window. Her room was one floor above a certain newcomer's, and with a little effort, she could jump to the rooftop of the opposite room.

The window of Chu Hengkong's room was open, and the morning breeze blew across the empty bed.

"...Where did that guy go?"

Chu Hengkong was on the roof of the dormitory building. He turned to the side with his right half facing forward, his lower body in a horse stance, his right arm bent at the elbow to support him, and his left arm slightly retracted, as if he were pulling a fist and placing it on his waist.

This seemingly awkward stance is the Liangyi Zhuang (Two Forms Stance) from Bajiquan (Eight Extremities Boxing). Even a seasoned master who has practiced the art his entire life would find it extremely difficult to maintain this stance for 40 minutes, yet Chu Hengkong has been standing for an hour. He usually likes to relax his mind and body in this way, but the longer he stands, the more conflicted he feels.

"Hey, slacking off while standing in the stance, my left hand keeps moving."

Before the person arrived, the sound preceded them; a clear laugh came from behind. Simultaneously, a kick came from a tricky angle, the visitor's toe hooking directly at Chu Hengkong's ankle. Chu Hengkong didn't dodge, taking the kick head-on, his lower body remaining completely unmoved.

He turned to look at the girl behind him: "Not bad. You've been kicked by Mr. Ji a few times before?"

Those who have practiced martial arts would likely find this scene amusing. The first lesson in most traditional martial arts is stance training. For the more demanding students, it involves balancing a bowl of water or an apple on their head; for the less demanding students, it means standing under the scorching sun. While the students tremble with fear, the master strolls by with his hands behind his back, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. If he's particularly strict, he'll immediately grab anyone who dares to move, no matter how tall or strong they are, and send them sprawling.

Ji Huaisu had clearly suffered similar hardships, and as he spoke, he seemed to recall unbearable past events.

"Don't even mention it... It took me two years to even stand properly like this. Even my dad, who's known for his inclusive approach to education, has to admit I'm not cut out for martial arts." She sighed. "How could someone as experienced as you make such a basic mistake?"

Chu Hengkong's tentacles had been moving constantly while he was practicing his stance, sometimes slightly adjusting their position, sometimes changing their length—this was the reason Ji Huaisu joked. He stopped his stance and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

"I'm not used to my new arm yet, so I'm adjusting my center of gravity."

The tentacles were slightly lighter than Chu Hengkong's original left arm, and the body's center of gravity would subtly shift as the tentacles extended and retracted to different lengths. These minor changes could be gradually adapted to through standing meditation, but the truly serious problem lay in the differences in "shape" and "hardness."

The biggest difference between tentacles and human hands is that they lack fingers, bones, and joints. Without five fingers, they cannot perform actions such as stabbing or grabbing; without arm bones, they cannot effectively defend themselves by raising their arms; and the loss of the elbow joint is even more fatal, meaning that powerful strikes such as elbow thrusts and smashes are completely unavailable to the left arm.

Last night's failed Iron Mountain Lean attack served as a wake-up call for Chu Hengkong. His retractable tentacles, effective at mid-to-long range, became a hindrance in close-quarters combat. If he couldn't quickly overcome the disadvantage of his new arms, he would inevitably stumble because of them. However, new fighting styles couldn't be developed overnight; what he needed now were contingency measures… such as a suitable weapon or concealed weapon…

"I earnestly advised you to cut off your arm last night, but you wouldn't listen. Now you regret it, don't you?" Ji Huaisu said with a gloating look. "Let's go! Let's finish breakfast quickly and set off."

"Okay, Captain, who should we chop up today?" Chu Hengkong responded enthusiastically.

"Please have some self-awareness as a law enforcement officer and stop acting like a thug... although I know you are a high-level thug." Ji Huaisu sighed. "On your first day of work, instead of going to work, I'll take you to the workshop to get the relics you care about most."

Ji Huaisu walked towards the stairwell on the side, while Chu Hengkong paused for a moment, quietly moving his ankles.

He acted as usual during the conversation, but inwardly he was taken aback. Ji Huaisu's hook was far more powerful than it appeared; he almost thought he had been tripped by the demonized Hugos. Such immense strength, disproportionate to her size, was inexplicable by common sense, unless she was born with extraordinary talent.

If someone like that is considered to have no talent in Mr. Ji's eyes, just how high are the requirements for warriors in this other world? He suppressed his doubts and quickly followed the captain, a sense of excitement rising in his heart.

I need to find an opportunity to have a good fight with her.

·

The two had goose meat buns and soy milk for breakfast. Captain Huaisu, who was eating as they walked, led him into a strange "elevator".

The elevator was located deep within the headquarters building, at the end of a narrow corridor. A faint sandalwood scent filled the air, and the surrounding brown walls had a rough texture, displaying grain patterns reminiscent of raw wood. Its ascent was incredibly fast, reminding Chu Hengkong of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It was once the world's tallest building, a money tower constructed by oil-rich sheikhs with their extravagant wealth, and its elevators were once the fastest, reaching the top floor in less than a minute.

The headquarters elevators were significantly faster than those in the Burj Khalifa, and they had been standing in one for over two minutes. If it were Chu Hengkong's first time going to the "upper level," he would have been astonished by the height figure he had mentally calculated. Now, however, he was simply amazed by the seemingly unfathomable technology behind it.

This is his second time here.

The elevator stopped silently, the overhead panel swung open, and the whistling sound of clashing swords swept across the sky. The water curtain and the tide of weapons, so close they seemed almost within reach, appeared before Chu Hengkong once more; he had returned to the place where he had been summoned. Chu Hengkong immediately prostrated himself on the ground after exiting the elevator, mirroring Ji Huaisu's actions.

"Is there a normal road here!" Chu Hengkong shouted. He had to shout; the noise of the weapon tide was too loud.

“They used to exist, but they were all destroyed after the war!” Ji Huaisu called out, handing over a small, somewhat heavy cloth bag. “Don’t wander off, come with me!”

Ji Huaisu knew the "safe route" well. The two crept forward for about ten meters, then stood up and crouched slightly higher in the tide. After another ten meters or so, they crouched down again, and stood up completely at the edge of the platform. Ji Huaisu unfolded the cloth bag; it contained a simple hang glider that had been rolled up.

"Is this also a relic?" Chu Hengkong deftly organized his equipment. The small glider was made of a triangular cloth with a magic circle drawn on it and a few wooden sticks. Its safety was beyond worry and resembled a portable suicide device.

"Standard equipment for the Resurrection Unit; just grip the tripod and it's ready to go." Ji Huaisu gave a thumbs up. "A new recruit is leaving. If you fall off here, you'll become the biggest joke in the whole unit!"

She took two steps back, unfurled her rudimentary, toy-like hang glider, and burst into the air with a cheer. Professional athletes on Earth would probably have a stroke from seeing that. Chu Hengkong tightened his tentacles around the support frame and, mimicking Ji Huaisu, leaped into the wind.

His vision instantly turned pure white, the raging wind high in the sky almost depriving him of his hearing. For a moment, he thought he had jumped into a crevice between heaven and earth, a place empty except for endless loneliness and falling. Then, a touch of gold appeared in the pure white world—the girl's swaying ponytail. Her delicate face turned in the wind, her bright, amethyst eyes shimmering like ripples on water.

“Light,” she said.

Light indeed appeared; two faint golden spheres formed, completely enveloping the two people in the air. Chu Hengkong immediately felt a lightness in his body; the noise and wind pressure seemed to disappear as if they didn't exist. The magic array on his wings emitted a faint light, transmitting a strange thrust and lift, allowing him to move steadily forward in the air.

He subtly adjusted the angle of his wing surfaces, curving himself closer to the girl. The two orbs of light merged as they approached, like two luminous raindrops merging into one in the high sky.

Ji Huaisu winked at him: "The professional assassin's first gliding performance wasn't very good."

"I was already in control when you made your move." Chu Hengkong's face was tense.

"Really?" the female captain drawled.

"Just one second later," he admitted helplessly. "Is that your ability?"

"It's a little trick. Now look back at what's behind you, and you'll be able to recognize the place pretty much at a glance."

Chu Hengkong slowly turned around, and a towering brown wall crashed into his view. From a distance, he realized it was actually a magnificent tower, and where they had been was its top floor. Following the tower's contours downwards, he could see hundreds of thick, sturdy "branches" extending from its brown, bark-like surface.

The branches intertwined and twisted, stretching far into the distance, each cluster supporting a small island-like piece of land, upon which stood gray workshops and stone towers. Dozens of these "empty islands" were arranged in concentric circles, resembling a gray canopy covering the city. No, not just "resembling," they were genuine branches and leaves.

The giant tower is a huge tree that reaches the sky and stands upright.

"Now it's time for the captain's friendly science lesson." Ji Huaisu whistled. "Huilong City is a three-dimensional city, divided into three levels. These sky islands are the top level area, the 'workshops' for salvaging, appraising, and selling relics. The loot you're most interested in is on one of the workshop islands. When we get there, stay close behind me and don't wander off."

But Chu Hengkong paid no heed, completely forgetting about his spoils. Compared to such a magnificent and even grand spectacle, mere relics seemed like dust.

A long-lost sense of youthful joy welled up within the assassin; he was once again amazed that he had truly arrived in another world. He was heading towards the workshop on the sky island, with a blonde girl who could manipulate light beside him.

Chapter 9 Relic Vortex

After gliding for several minutes, the two landed on a medium-sized floating island.

The floating island was very close to the giant tower. The buildings on the island were sparser than those on the ground, and most of them were gray stone towers. Strong young people stood on the top of the towers, firing white jets of water with devices that resembled cannon barrels. Many of them had recently healed wounds.

"Is that 'salvaging' relics?" Chu Hengkong asked. "It looks a lot like fishing."

The white column of water remained relatively still, like a fishing rod poised amidst the tide of weapons. Suddenly, a suit of armor "flowed" into the water column from the sky. The young men gasped and made tiny adjustments to their equipment, their faces glistening with sweat, as if they were walking a tightrope with explosives hanging from their belts.

“You read that right, they are waiting. The force of the water column used for retrieval is too strong. If you are not careful during the operation, you will be swept away and die without a trace. Therefore, the retrieval workers spend most of their working time waiting for the relics to naturally ‘take the bait’,” Ji Huaisu explained. “Skilled retrieval workers can actively hook up the relics, but most of the people in this area are outsiders who are just trying to make a living and they don’t have that ability.”

"It's an interesting job." Chu Hengkong was eager to try it, thinking he might as well give it a shot when he had time. "So the main business of the workshop area is salvage and selling..."

“Retrieve, appraise, sell,” Ji Huaisu corrected. “This is common sense across all Dust Island; relics must be appraised before they can be used.”

As they spoke, the two arrived at a tin warehouse, which looked like one of the logistics centers in the workshop area. Salvage workers were constantly pulling carts in and out, transporting relics into the warehouse. Their destination was a red brick building built against the warehouse. The windows of this building were taped shut, as if they had just broken and hadn't had time to be repaired. To the right of the entrance, an entire brick wall was displayed with various cold weapons, and behind the counter opposite sat a short, plump middle-aged woman.

Chu Heng raised an eyebrow. This place resembled a hastily modified iron paddle shop, but what interested him more was the female owner behind the counter. Her face was flat, and her skin was covered with pale green scales, suggesting she didn't have much of a human body.

“Hi, Mrs. Ansa,” Ji Huaisu greeted. Mrs. Ansa’s eyes lit up, and her tone was much kinder than her appearance suggested.

“It’s so nice to meet you, little Huaisu.” She slowly took out two boxes from under the counter. “This is the newcomer who joined yesterday? Her tentacles are beautiful.”

"Your...scales are also very green." Chu Hengkong carefully chose his words of greeting.

“Thank you, but we usually use words like ‘glossy.’ My great-grandfather always said it was proof of ancient dragon blood, but we all think it’s probably because some slut messed around with a lizard a few generations ago.” Mrs. Ansa muttered as she opened two boxes, inside which lay the pendant and iron ring.

"Come on, let me take a look at your goods."

Chu Hengkong first picked up the pendant, and several lines of glowing words appeared in his mind.

[Pendant-type Basic Relic - Enhancement]

Rating: Bottom-tier

[Effect: Gripping the necklace enhances perception for 1-3 seconds. The degree and duration of the enhancement depend on the level of emotional intensity.]

Is the duration of the deceased's belongings linked to their emotional state?

He picked up the iron ring that enhanced his strength again, but this time the instructions were different from what he had imagined.

[Bracelet-shaped basic relic - Power Accumulation]

Rating: Bottom-tier

[Effect: When the bracelet is colorless, it can actively accumulate power. The more power stored, the deeper the color, turning black when fully charged. The accumulated power can be actively released during an attack; the maximum release amount in a single attack depends on the level of emotional engagement.]

"Captain, you're right. Authentication is a crucial step." Chu Hengkong shook his head. "I thought it was a power amplifier..."

The bracelet is now ivory white, indicating that the power it contained has been completely squandered. That fool Hugos completely misunderstood the use of the relic; it was clearly meant to be used for a decisive, fatal blow at a crucial moment, yet he treated it as a show of force.

Mrs. Anza chuckled, "It happens all the time. Lots of foolish young men try to save money by not having the artifacts appraised, only to be ripped off by the artifacts' effects. You wouldn't believe how bizarre their deaths were; each one a classic joke..."

Seeing that Mrs. Ansa was about to start nagging, Chu Hengkong quickly asked the question he was more concerned about: "Madam, these two relics are so powerful, why are they only considered 'low-class'?"

Mrs. Ansa and Ji Huaisu laughed at the same time.

“Tentacle Bro, do you really think this is anything special?” Mrs. Ansa’s eyes filled with nostalgia. “If you had come to Huilong City twenty years earlier, you wouldn’t have asked such a question! Back then, our shipping routes connected over three hundred Dust Islands. The most outstanding geniuses would come to the city with merchant caravans to exchange ideas, bringing with them the most precious treasures from their homelands. The workshops were ablaze with fire day and night, and appraisers barely had time to rest. Even level three or four relics weren’t worth our time. We’ve seen halberds that could tear the heavens and earth apart, scepters that controlled time and space, and elixirs that could exorcise all evil… That was the glory of Huilong City…”

Mrs. Anza's eyes were unusually bright, as if she were depicting a perfect, golden dream. She tried her best to describe the brilliance of the dream, using the most beautiful words to outline a corner of it. But suddenly, her voice lowered, she awoke from the dream of the past, and what she saw in her eyes was no longer brilliance but dust on the table.

“And those remarkable relics are gone, vanished in the great war along with their owners,” she sighed. “You’re right, these things are now the city’s treasures, the most coveted items.”

Ji Huaisu couldn't bear to listen any longer, so she changed the subject: "Don't think about it, Mrs. Ansa, things will get better! Speaking of which, there's still one of your belongings that we haven't brought out yet, isn't there?"

"Ah, that book..."

Mrs. Ansa smiled slightly. This time, she didn't use a box; she simply took the Silver-Eyed Book from the drawer. Chu Hengkong rolled up the book with his tentacles, and the new authentication text surprised him:

【unknown】

Rating: Unknown

[Effect: Unknown]

[Note: Throw it as far as you can]

“The best appraisers died in the war, and I, a mere amateur, can’t see the details.” Mrs. Ansa was quite pleased; those who did appraisal always loved unusual items. “The last line is my advice: throw it away immediately. Things of unknown origin are always synonymous with misfortune and death.”

"I'll consider it." Chu Hengkong stuffed the large book back into his coat and looked around at the various types of weaponry in the workshop. "Excuse me, do you sell prosthetics here?"

“You really are a newcomer,” Mrs. Ansa said subtly. “Prosthetics and artificial hands are the most common types of relics. Don’t even mention me, you won’t find a safe prosthetic arm anywhere in the city.”

"……Why?"

Faint voices could be heard outside the workshop; the salvage workers seemed to be arguing. Ji Huaisu leaned closer to the door and said with a wicked grin, "Most prosthetics are malicious traps, designed to swindle those who want to take shortcuts to advancement."

“I want to be a ‘skilled hand’ so badly! Don’t stop me from achieving my dream!” Mrs. Anza mimicked the silly tone typical of young people. “Then, in less than half an hour, that silly boy will be devoured by the ‘bad stuff’ in his prosthetic leg and turned into a brand-new mud monster, a robot, or something even worse. Take my advice, if you want to get promoted, you have to rely on yourself. Shortcuts always lead to a dead end.”

This time, Chu Hengkong didn't quite understand, only realizing that getting a prosthetic leg was probably out of the question. He nodded and looked at the dilapidated window: "By the way, how's the security in the workshop area these days?"

Ji Huaisu said succinctly: "Very bad. Squat down."

Mrs. Ansa muttered something and immediately ducked under the counter, covering her head. The next second, the sound of shattering glass broke the tranquility; the newly patched window had been smashed by a large rock. A short, hooded man leaped in through the window, his eyes filled with greed and madness.

"One last push before heading back to my hometown—ah!"

Chu Hengkong reached out with his right hand and easily pinched the thief's face as if he were catching a chick. He then slammed the thief to the ground, his face making intimate contact with the ground, his legs trembled, and he fell silent on the spot.

"Go back to your hometown?" Chu Hengkong raised an eyebrow.

"Damn it, when will those outsiders ever stop!" Mrs. Ansa exclaimed angrily.

Chu Hengkong stepped out of the small hut and peered out. His eyesight was exceptional, good enough to see clearly the scene beneath the distant gray stone tower. Young salvage workers were scattering in all directions, while dozens of bandits armed with strange firearms seized the salvage tower. They had crude burlap sacks over their heads, and amidst the noise of splashing water bullets, the bandits' fanatical chants rang out:

"Break the curtain! Leave the city! Return home! Break the curtain! Leave the city! Return home!"

The bandits' water bullet guns possessed a peculiar power; an unfortunate salvage worker was hit by a water bullet after only two steps. Upon impact, the water bullet transformed into a torrent shooting straight into the sky, instantly propelling the salvage worker high into the air, nearly tearing him apart by the weapon within the water curtain.

Ji Huaisu had already run out first: "Temporary mission, attack!"