Forge a path to success

"Let's test the strength of the chief detective to see if it's bronze or iron, otherwise we won't know how to judge it in a fight later." Jie An unloaded the cold weapons one by one from the cart. "It's like how magic scholars build new cars, smashing them to death as soon as they leave the factory, it's the same principle."

Van Der remained silent: "It's not like it's anything shameful, so why is this blonde woman arresting me..."

"If we don't catch you first, who knows what kind of nonsense your lousy mouth can come up with!" Ji Huaisu said viciously.

With a casual slap, Vande spun around in place, his cries rising and falling with the distance. Chu Hengkong shook the iron chain, subtly indicating that the wait was getting a bit long. Ji Huaisu stretched out her hand, and Jie An tossed over a long-handled knife, her voice rising and falling like a menu: "A basic sword-type relic. Its slashing power increases slightly with the battle cry. It can be used to chop melons and vegetables, or to cut trees and chisel rocks."

Ji Huaisu twirled his sword, cried out "Ah! Ah! Ah!", and then slashed at his partner's back. The slash was visually spectacular; the long-handled sword shattered like glass shards, the fragments flying wildly in the recoil, startling Vande behind him into curling up to avoid being accidentally injured.

"I didn't feel attacked," Chu Hengkong said.

Ji Huaisu threw down the bare hilt of the sword and said in a harsh voice, "Bring on the real sword!"

"Here comes the real deal!" Jie An shouted, handing over a gleaming... iron bar. "Level 1 Relic VV-764 Laser Blade, with weak light elemental damage. Low rating on paper but high performance in actual combat. It's the most sought-after flagship product in the low-end market in the last three years."

The mechanism at the top of the iron rod unfolded, and a blue laser beam shot out, bound into a single blade shape by a small force field. Ji Huaisu held the blade with both hands, tested its weight, and then shouted "Yaaaaah!" before suddenly slashing the blade towards Chu Hengkong's side!

This time, the scene was not very pretty, and even a bit funny: the laser sword immediately went silent as soon as it was touched, the blue laser went out, and no matter how much Ren Ji Huaisu tried, no new sword was generated.

Chu Hengkong felt it for a while and said, "It's quite warm, like drinking a cup of hot tea."

Ji Huaisu shook the hilt of the sword in disbelief: "What kind of broken sword is this that can heal people?"

The teru teru bozu (a Japanese doll shaped like a teru teru bozu) at the door stopped shaking, and Vande lazily spoke up: "That goes without saying. His bones come from the ultimate mechanical body, the pinnacle and ancestor of technology! You're trying to cut a mechanical body with a laser knife, which is like trying to hit a Fallen One with a Moonlight Palm. No matter how much effort you put in or how complex the principle is, it's just like a snack in front of the real deal."

Ji Huaisu tossed the laser blade handle back into the cart. Jie An stroked his chin, also finding it absurd: "But this is magic-based technology. Its energy source is magical force, and its principle is their self-developed magical circuits. It has nothing to do with technology..."

"Their magical power comes entirely from spiritual elements, a standard feature of the Floating Light Path. Not to mention their magical circuits, they're just knock-off circuit boards with a different architecture. They barely managed to get a glimpse of what they were doing with more complex methods and lower efficiency. Isn't that just standard secondary technology?" Vande scoffed. "I call this kind of technology self-deception. It does bypass the Empire's technological blockade, but it's meaningless otherwise."

“This little thing has a sharp tongue,” Jie An said seriously. “I have to record what he said and show it to the scholars.”

"No way! We have no grudge against each other, there's no need to do that!"

Vande's expression changed drastically in an instant, and he began to beg for mercy, filling the temple with a joyful atmosphere. Chu Hengkong concluded, "So for now, I'm not afraid of weapons related to technology."

“You don’t need to worry about your back for now, unless the level is too high,” Van Der corrected. “But you’re probably still afraid of your stomach and head. This heroine, you can try switching weapons and cutting off its head.”

"This is a tough one, we'll have to get the real deal." Ji Huaisu rubbed his hands together, eager to try. "Cook, get the knife ready!"

After picking and choosing for a while, Jie An presented a spiked club with both hands: "I haven't found a level 2 knife yet, so please make do with this club for now..."

The club was forged from fine iron, its nails rusted and clearly indicating it was a top-quality weapon with tetanus-inducing properties. Its authentication inscription lived up to expectations, demonstrating the professional level of this elite weapon:

[Scepter of Limitless Shockwave]

[Rating: Level 2]

【Origin: Longquan Township - Yueque Palace】

【Effect: 1. Upon hitting an enemy, the attack triggers an internal shockwave, causing destructive damage. The effect is related to the infused spirit.】

2. Spin the iron rod to throw iron nails, creating a wide-range, precise strike.

[Longing: The famous 'Wanderer' spent 33 days in his youth forging this deadly weapon that could kill at any distance, intending to use it to embark on a journey of wandering.]

His master, seeing the staff deep in thought, asked, "This staff is wondrous; what is its mechanism?"

The traveler replied, "By using nails to resonate, shock waves are generated. Throwing nails to defeat the enemy is a meritorious act."

The division commander remained silent for a long time before saying, "If we nail down the enemy, how can we generate shock?"

The traveler remained silent for a long time, then took his staff, went into the market, exchanged it for some gold, and returned to the mountain dejectedly.

While this iron staff has a slight, undeniable flaw, its destructive power as a purely melee weapon is still considerable. Ji Huaisu grabbed the spiked club, searching for openings, and reminded him, "I've never known the meaning of showing mercy, Chu Hengkong, you'd better focus on your defense first..."

Chu Hengkong looked relaxed, even extending his tentacles to infuse the iron staff with a lot of spirit: "Do as you please, I'm sure I can beat you in an arm wrestling match right now."

"Such a stubborn mouth, take this!"

Ji Huaisu mustered all his strength and swung his staff. This staff was already a second-level relic known for its destructive power, and infused with his own spirit, it swung with tremendous force. Even if the Iron Giant of the grasslands were to reappear, he would be blasted a hole in it with a single blow. With a deafening roar, the iron staff struck Chu Hengkong squarely in the back!

Then it was smashed in half on the spot.

The iron staff was bent into a sharp angle, the nail heads ground flat and tucked into the staff like a steel spotted dog. And on the person's back, there was only a small white mark visible only when concentrating intently.

Ji Huaisu threw down the iron rod: "This dung monster's flesh is terrible! I'm not playing anymore!"

"And the quality of the meat... You've been playing Monster X Man lately, haven't you, Miss One-Handed Sword?"

"One-handed swords are boring, I soloed the Gathering Hub with a greatsword." The blonde girl chuckled.

Shortly after the city opened, a batch of new products arrived, including a user-friendly memory bark controller and a locally produced projection water screen. Thus, Chu Hengkong's phone flexibly adapted to the environment, becoming their shared gaming device. Over the past few months, Miss Ji had completed Pokémon games 1-5, several classic Mario titles, and numerous other masterpieces on handheld platforms, and showed a tendency to transition from RPGs to action games after getting tired of them.

I just didn't expect her to already be playing Monster Hunter... Just thinking about how I was diligently consuming stones in Rocksteady while she was holed up in her dorm consuming stones at the same time makes me really angry...

Ji Huaisu tossed aside the broken spiked club, preparing to find another powerful weapon. Jie An blocked the pile of weapons, his face twitching with heartache: "Don't waste these treasures! Three items have already been damaged in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, enough for Detective Chu's wages for half a year!"

"My income was so low in the first half of the year."

“The city was poor back then, so there was nothing we could do.” Ji Huaisu turned the rack around. “Alright, bring over some cheap stuff and let’s test the strength of Detective Chu’s front.”

The comprehensive pressure test lasted for about forty minutes, and the results showed that Detective Chu's defense, except for his back, was quite good: attacks from level 1 relics were completely ineffective, and ordinary level 2 relics could only scratch the skin. To cause real damage, one would need a treasure like the Rock Blade. His back defense, however, was ridiculously high, just like the Immortal Mech itself; any relics that came into contact with it were bounced off.

The comedic effect of this test reached its peak after an outsider was brought in. Miss Huaisu, who had been fighting the rotten fleshy monster for a long time, could no longer bear it and went to the workshop area to invite Qisu, an expert in secret texts. Miss Qisu was no slouch either; with a flick of her staff, a huge "Shuai" character flew out, a vicious method that specialized in attacking the mind.

However, just as the secret text approached Chu Hengkong, the hard bones on his back suddenly glowed with golden light. The Netherworld Annihilation Force Field was triggered in a low-energy manner, and the character "衰" (shuāi, meaning decline or decay) was instantly deflected, striking Qi Su squarely on the forehead!

Qi Su slumped against the wall, clutching his cane, his face filled with sorrow: "I'm short, flat-chested, and have a bad temper. What am I going to do if I never grow taller...? I might as well just die..."

"The attack of the word 'decay' is terrifying!" Ji Huaisu was shocked.

"Look on the bright side, you couldn't have gotten any worse if you'd been dead already," Vande said, enjoying the spectacle.

Qi Su began striking the eyeballs with his staff, while Vande nimbly dodged in mid-air until the Shadow Blade cut the ropes, causing Vande to fall headfirst to the ground. Ji Huaisu sheathed the Shadow Blade and shook his neck: "Test over, thank you all for your cooperation~ Chef, take the little girl out to rest, Vande stays."

Qi Su's eyes welled up with tears: "Little girl... I'm clearly older than all of you combined... Waaah..."

"Alright, alright, Grandma, come this way. Have some calming soup first."

"Grandma... I'm so young and yet I'm being treated like an old person... Waaah..."

"This girl is so annoying."

The cook helped the gloomy, low-spirited ghost lady out the door. Vande sneaked towards the door as well, only to be stepped on and fall to the ground. He sprang up with a bang, protesting fiercely, "Hey, you surnamed Chu! Can't you control this savage?!"

Chu Hengkong shook the iron chain on his hand: "Captain, there's no need to target it."

“It’s not targeted at anyone, it’s necessary, it’s necessary.” Ji Huaisu stretched her arms and legs on the spot. “Now that they’ve all left, we don’t need to hold back anymore, let’s just come directly.”

"Endure what?" Van der exclaimed in shock. "What...what do you want me to do?!"

"I wasn't talking to you, get out of the way."

She stared straight at Chu Hengkong, who lowered his head and flicked his wrist slightly.

"You're overthinking it. I'm fine..."

Ji Huaisu took out the light shield and smiled warmly.

"Ah Kong," her voice was incredibly sweet, "your murderous intent is making my back itch."

Chu Hengkong raised his head, and horizontal slash marks appeared in his eyes, turning them blood red.

As the chains snapped, fragments of light drifted up like flower petals. A sudden, powerful punch shattered the shield, and tentacles, like ropes, gripped Ji Huaisu's throat!

Chapter 97 The remnants of the real weapon

The light shield shattered in an instant, and the tentacles tightened around Ji Huaisu's neck, retracting swiftly like chains. Chu Hengkong's demeanor was as cold as a machine; his first move was a killing blow aimed at severing life. As the tentacles retracted, he brought his right hand together like a blade, unleashing a hand-blade strike with the shortest possible distance—a strike that would pierce Ji Huaisu's heart!

A powerful surge of energy burst forth, creating a layer of colorless "qi" on Chu Hengkong's right arm. As his hand-blade thrust forward, a vacuum formed within a meter of him, the energy striking Ji Huaisu's clothing before his fingertips could react. The energy blade collided with light, a faint, opposing force. A new light shield formed before the hand-blade, its light rapidly expanding, like an airbag that propelled both of them away!

Chu Hengkong adjusted his posture in mid-air and landed quickly, swinging his tentacles in an attempt to smash his enemy away. Ji Huaisu's hand surged with shadow energy, and a dagger-shaped shadow blade slashed at the tentacle. The tentacle withdrew from its neck and shrank away; without unbreakable bones, it would be impossible to withstand this strike.

The retracting tentacles suddenly stiffened and froze in mid-air. Ji Huaisu lightly touched the shadow of one of the tentacles with her toes. Her fingertips brushed against her neck, which was red from being strangled, and then stopped in front of her T-shirt, which was stretched high.

My partner's gaze was quite hurtful, as if he were looking at a bag of garbage.

"Start the match here... Hey Kong, weren't you the kind of guy who would take advantage of the situation to get physical during sparring sessions?"

"........."

Chu Hengkong, with his crimson eyes, paused for a second, then broke free from his Shadow Step and lunged forward. His movements were as unpredictable as a snake, making it difficult for Ji Huaisu to catch his shadow. She simply transformed her Shadow Blade into a handy greatsword and countered with a wide-range slash. Chu Hengkong fell diagonally as his sword struck, dodging the attack at an angle almost touching the ground.

He pulled out a tentacle and coiled it towards Ji Huaisu's ankle. Fueled by his inner energy, the strike combined the speed of a thunder whip with the sharpness of a heavenly spear, blasting a hole in the protective light shield once more. Seeing the tentacle successfully entangle his left foot, Ji Huaisu flicked his finger at the light shield. The shield instantly disintegrated, turning into shimmering fragments of light that scattered in all directions. These fragments formed square, slender "light plates" that surged towards Chu Hengkong, binding him tightly from head to toe.

Discipline Seal - Shattered Light Shackles.

Ji Huaisu moved her fingers swiftly, drawing a magic circle in mid-air that resembled a lock. She shrunk the shadow blade into a black "key." Once the key was locked, the seal was immediately completed, and those who violated the precepts would never be able to break free.

However, the Shadow Blade Key could not be locked, the sealing array was severely distorted as if it had been bent from the inside, and the Shattered Light Shackles trembled violently.

Ji Huaisu gasped, "Damn, I'm really going to lose this arm wrestling match..."

With a loud bang, her seal shattered from the inside!

The shattered light scattered like needles, illuminating the bizarre figure crawling on the ground. Chu Hengkong braced himself with one hand on the ground, his flickering crimson eyes tracing two ghostly trails. He crouched low, exerted his strength, and charged forward like a cannonball, approaching his enemy in the shortest and most efficient way. His speed was beyond imagination; Ji Huaisu didn't even hear the sound barrier before being struck.

When she was struck, the world was utterly silent, without a sound. She couldn't even feel the assassin's heartbeat or breath. A Thousand Autumns of Qi. She realized that her opponent had activated a secret technique at the start of the battle, which explained the unnatural surge in speed.

Then the silence vanished in an instant, and the shattering sound barrier assaulted her eardrums. She was blasted away head-on, leaving a crater three meters in radius in the temple wall. Chu Hengkong stopped after the successful impact to prevent being attacked again by getting too close. He braced himself up with one hand and performed a one-handed somersault like an acrobat to get closer.

His eyes darted around like cameras, locking onto every light source in the environment. Any potential shadowy spots were kept out of the enemy's attack range, and his free tentacles gathered power during this process. As he rose, the Heavenly Spear was ready to fire, its tip aimed at Ji Huaisu's brow. But a chill ran through Chu Hengkong's left arm; a massive, mountain-like black block of ice appeared out of thin air, and his tentacles were frozen solid.

The contact during the previous impact... a trap set using that opportunity...

Black ice stretched through the air, freezing his right hand as well. Then, golden flames appeared behind him, carrying a fierce and warm power. His shadow lengthened in the light, and Ji Huaisu's shadow blade shot out, piercing the shadow's shoulder. A blossom of blood erupted on Chu Hengkong's left shoulder; the attack had bypassed his strong bone defenses, causing him injury.

Ji Huaisu leaped out of the pit, taking the opportunity to subdue the assassin and straddle him. Chu Hengkong's hands were both frozen solid, but he suddenly raised his head and bit the other's neck. The two rolled on the ground, switching positions. In this contest of strength, he had the advantage; his sharp teeth could tear blood vessels and airways in an instant.

Her partner's voice was filled with anger as she brought her sword and shield closer.

"If this makes you happy, then keep biting!"

Vande, watching from the sidelines, was dumbfounded. The entire exchange had only lasted a few seconds. It wasn't until now that it recovered and hurriedly jumped forward, shouting, "Stop! Stop!!"

The crimson in Chu Hengkong's eyes began to fade, and he immediately relaxed all his strength. Ji Huaisu took the opportunity to roll back to the top. He let go, looking at his indifferent reflection in his purple eyes. Bloody teeth marks remained on the girl's beautiful neck.

“…I’m sorry,” the assassin sighed softly, “I tried my best to suppress it.”

“I know, but playing so badly isn’t like you,” Ji Huaisu grinned. “Pull down your collar.”

He did as she said, bewildered, and the girl bit down hard, leaving a deeper bite mark on his neck. Chu Hengkong grimaced; this was arguably the most difficult test of the day—he had to completely remove the protective layer of his hard bones and soften his muscles, otherwise her little teeth wouldn't be able to bite through at all.

Ji Huaisu raised his head, his delighted expression causing him to hallucinate a swaying tail.

“We’re even now.” She poked someone’s chest. “Don’t suddenly become this strong next time, understand?”

"Alright," the assassin said helplessly. "I'll do as you say, Captain."

Van der crept to the front door, hoisted himself up with a rope, and began pretending to be a harmless teru teru bozu (a type of doll). The two coughed awkwardly a few times, then stood up and straightened themselves. Chu Hengkong tried to lighten the mood: "At first... that was due to the influence of the strong bone, not my intention..."

Ji Huaisu was shocked upon hearing this: "Your bones still have sexual desire?!"

"..."

Chu Hengkong desperately wanted to strangle his past self, but his partner's line of thinking, as always, exceeded his expectations. Ji Huaisu clutched the wound on her neck, her eyes filled with horrified horror: "So you bit me because your bones had an appetite..."

"no!"

The blonde girl jumped back several times: "Holy crap, that's even scarier! You bit me because of lust? Ah Kong, do you have such a perverted taste?!"

Chu Hengkong silently covered his face, suddenly understanding the feelings of Fan De, who had voluntarily gone AFK. The Eye Demon Sunny Doll spun around, its eyes filled with melancholy: "From that day on, Chu Hengkong earned the title of 'Lustful Beast'..."

"I'm going to throw you out."

"Look at your ugly face! Is this how you treat your brothers?" Van der was heartbroken.

Chu Hengkong's eyes were indifferent: "It's Immortal Machine's idea to do this."

"This bone structure is so flexible! Now it's showing signs of killing intent again!"

After rambling on for a while, he felt much better. The chilling killing intent dissipated, and his humanity returned vividly to his body. The steel worm that had been clinging to his back was gone, but he knew the real machine had simply retreated back into its skeleton, waiting for its next opportunity to strike.

Whether it was a lingering effect of the previous fierce battle or a necessary price to pay for the transformation into a true machine, he felt a faint killing intent ever since the transformation ceremony ended. When there were few people around, he could control it, but as more creatures gathered, the machine's killing impulse surged, turning his vision crimson.

This desire is particularly strong in the presence of certain creatures. When facing Ji Huaisu, Ji Qiufeng, and Youyou, it takes a great deal of effort just to restrain himself from attacking. When facing Jie An and Qi Su, his killing intent is no different from that of an ordinary person. As for the strange fellow Fan De, he is somewhere in between. Even Zhen Xie seems to hesitate whether to seriously kill him or just kick him aside.

The feeling of constantly suppressing his murderous intent is unpleasant. If this continues, he'll eventually lose control...

“You usually live too much like a real machine. Now, it’s hard to tell at a glance whether you’ve really been infected or just in a bad mood.” Ji Huaisu waved his hand at him. “Are you feeling better now that you’ve vented?”

"Much better, thank you." Chu Hengkong flexed his right hand. "The last move was good, almost at the next level?"

"I'm also diligently cultivating, if it weren't for the lack of channels, I would have reached level 3 long ago." Ji Huaisu took out her communicator, "Cook, bring some gauze! I have a minor abrasion."

Before long, Jie An brought over Qi Su, who was still lifeless. His eyes scanned the identical wounds, and he clicked his tongue in amazement: "Wow, this test is really intense! The test results seem to be very credible! What level is the Chief Inspector at now?"