Chapter 16: Ghost Dog and Demon Child (Part 2)

10:30 pm, at the apartment door.

Chu Hengkong wrapped a spear around his tentacles. The spear was two meters and one foot long, made entirely of fine iron, and its weight was astonishing. In ancient times, most spears on battlefields had wooden or bamboo handles. A pure iron spear would be too heavy for most people, but it was just right for Chu Hengkong.

The gun wasn't a relic, but it was enough. He donned a newly customized leather glove on his right hand, with a sensory necklace embedded in the palm and two water bullet stickers on the back of his hand. This way, he could easily trigger both relics with a single clenched fist, saving effort.

He ate dinner early and walked for a while at night to let his eyes adjust to the dark. He always made full preparations before doing anything, whether it was killing someone or beating a dog.

As night fell, the atmosphere of the abandoned apartment building completely changed. The dim lights in the hallway suddenly turned on again, flickering and casting eerie shadows in the empty space. The evil spirit made no secret of its hostility, issuing a warning to the man outside. Chu Hengkong ignored all this. He quickly walked into the apartment and arrogantly struck the iron door with the barrel of his gun, the knock echoing in the hallway.

The evil ghost in the building was enraged by the intruder's provocation. It growled and a strong wind howled in the darkness.

Doors flew open across the apartment, and several dark figures darted towards Chu Hengkong with rusty iron weapons and knives. The demon's power had indeed increased during the night, its uncanny ability to teleport objects without even appearing in person. A dozen sharp weapons stabbed at him from all sides, like the sharp teeth of a demon, their speed exceeding that of ordinary water bullets. Chu Hengkong only had a spear.

The tip of his gun flickered.

In a split second, almost soundless, all the sharp weapons fell to the ground. The demon's control seemed to have failed, and the flying blades suddenly fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. The man with the gun walked leisurely around the debris. The evil spirit in the shadows was momentarily confused, not understanding what the man had done. Usually, stabbing an intruder with a large number of knives would make him flee, but this method seemed to have no effect on this man.

The evil spirit decided to change its strategy. It dragged up a large meat-cutting knife. The knife was broad and heavy, and its weight alone would have been enough to knock the man unconscious. However, under the evil spirit's power, it flew silently, completely hidden in the shadows. It sneaked up behind Chu Hengkong and slashed at its target's torso!

The meat cleaver sunk into the wall, a circular hole visible in the thick blade. Dense cracks reappeared around the hole, and the knife shattered like glass. The evil spirit was completely stunned. This time, it finally understood the reason for its failure. Chu Hengkong's spear tip moved before the knife accelerated, and he had already put it away when the blade shattered. The evil spirit saw the beginning and the end, but not the process. The moment of the spear thrust was almost hidden. Even the ethereal undead had left a trace, but the mortal man had delivered an invisible stab!

Chu Hengkong slowly raised his steel gun and pointed it at the damp wall.

"That's only this much speed at night?" He smiled. "That's not good enough. Better... let your master do it!"

The moment the last word uttered, he broke into a run down the hallway. The rifle zipped across the wall, its speed sending sparks flying from the tip. The soldiers waiting outside immediately covered their ears. They heard a piercing, piercing noise, like nails scratching a blackboard, only a thousand times more piercing. The noise resonated and echoed through the empty hallway, creating an indescribable cacophony of terror. The evil spirit in the darkness roared, unable to endure even a moment longer. The sound would be torture for a human, let alone a dog!

Instantly, the lights in the apartment shattered, and all the doors slammed shut. Shards of glass and blades formed a sharp storm, washing over the narrow hallway. With all hiding places blocked, Chu Hengkong had no choice but to defend himself or leave. Regardless of his choice, the noise would cease. However, the evil spirit miscalculated again, and the noise only stopped for a moment. Chu Hengkong slid his tentacles back, his right hand gripping the gun barrel, and with a loud shout, he unleashed his force. The iron barrel transformed into a club, smashing down into the center of the storm.

"drink!"

The blade rolled back, the storm reversed, and the evil spirit's attack was defeated! By a stronger wind! Chu Hengkong was empty in front of him, and the strong wind blew a path. He continued to run, and the tip of the gun turned to pierce the glass, making the noise more piercing.

This is the advantage of using weapons, the range is larger, the force is stronger, and there are more means available.

“Ahhhh!!!”

The barking of dogs exploded in the darkness, and glass windows shattered to smithereens. Even the team members waiting outside the building could feel the evil spirit's wrath. The evil spirit could no longer hold back, ready to tear the wrathful man to pieces. Dust and debris swirled toward the stairwell, and beneath the pale green light, a pitch-black beast emerged.

Gray dust formed its body, sharpened wood formed its claws and fangs, and its fist-sized eyes blazed with a blood-red fire of hatred and evil. The demonic spirit looked nothing like a dog; it was a giant wolf, the stuff of childhood nightmares. As it howled like an evil wind and charged towards him, Chu Hengkong smiled. His biggest fear was that the demonic spirit was hiding in the shadows, harassing him relentlessly. Revealing its true form would make it easier to deal with.

Chu Hengkong stood still and fired two shots. The shots were as swift as two streaks of silver light, striking not at the eyes or throat but at the wolf's claws. The wooden claws were pierced by the two spears, but the demon's ethereal form remained unscathed. It leaped high and bit Chu Hengkong's head. Its closed fangs only ripped through the air. Chu Hengkong ducked and dodged the attack. He gripped the spear in his right hand, a flash of purple light flashing from his hand. The spear brushed the ground, then lifted up, shattering the wolf's two hind paws.

After the first blow, the wolf landed on the ground, before Chu Hengkong could even get up. The wolf grew complacent, believing that an unarmed man couldn't hurt it at all, only able to shatter the wood and disrupt the dust. Its form suddenly disintegrated, and when it reappeared, it had teleported behind Chu Hengkong, its bloody jaws biting down fiercely.

Chu Hengkong felt the wind behind him and heard the giant wolf's footsteps, but he still didn't stand up. He didn't need to do so yet. His half-bent right foot was gathering strength, and his forward-stretched left foot had quietly retracted. The moment the giant wolf opened its mouth, he suddenly pushed off the ground and rose up. His right foot stepped forward, his body swung to the left, and the spear shaft, driven by the force of his arm, swung back and buckled!

The blow pierced the wolf's dusty coat and struck something deep within its body. The wolf's movements froze instantly, as if struck by electricity. It rolled on the ground, wailing in pain. Chu Hengkong's attack had actually worked; he had wounded the ghost with his iron weapon.

This was the outcome he had anticipated, for he had prepared for this attack from the very beginning. He had broken the wooden claws to reduce interference, and dodged by possessing them to close the distance. Earlier, when the giant wolf flew overhead, he had activated his perception pendant, and its enhanced vision allowed him to peer through the dust and see clearly into the wolf's body.

There was a stone collar hidden deep inside the giant body, and he guessed that this was the key that allowed the evil spirit to wreak havoc.

Considering the countless humans and animals who die unjustly in Huilong City every year, how could a pet dog become the evil spirit of the building? It must be some strange bloodline, or perhaps it's the power of a relic. Now, this crucial relic had been struck by a spear, like a venomous snake being strangled in its vitals. The giant wolf rolled several times in pain, then stood up and ran away. Behind him, Chu Hengkong calmly swung out his tentacles, his front iron spear catching up with the wolf's body, stabbing the stone collar three more times.

These three precise strikes hit the same spot, completely damaging the stone collar, with several cracks appearing on its surface. The giant wolf wailed and fell to its knees. Chu Hengkong stomped the collar onto the ground and slowly raised his gun, as if to shatter it completely.

“——Stop fighting!!”

A little girl's cries echoed from the darkness, and a strange suction force snatched the collar away, leaving Chu Hengkong's spear in vain. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that if he didn't stab now, even a dog would be able to tell he was letting her go. He turned around and shouldered the iron spear.

Sure enough, the little ghost girl who had appeared during the day appeared. This time, she was no longer hiding in the wall, but still timidly hiding in the green light. The giant wolf whimpered and lay beside her, as docile as a real pet.

"Sir, please stop hitting us." The little ghost girl said pitifully, "Hawu shouldn't have provoked you. Please let us go."

Chu Hengkong got a headache when he heard this tone. He was never good at dealing with women and children, and this ghost was a little girl. He sighed and asked abruptly, "Is she a good child?"

The little ghost girl opened her mouth halfway, not understanding what this meant. She hesitated and said, "I, I am..."

"Be a good kid when you're alive, and don't cause trouble for others after you die." Chu Hengkong said coldly, "Huilong City is very big. No one will care about you and your dog if you don't cause trouble. But if you don't behave yourself, there will be people like me who will deal with you."

The little ghost girl said nothing and took two steps back. Chu Hengkong slowed his tone, trying to appear kind and gentle, which was quite difficult for a killer. "I don't kill children. Give me the collar and behave yourself. This matter ends here."

“…I won’t give it to you.” The little ghost girl held the collar tightly.

Chu Hengkong pressed his eyebrows together. The little ghost girl's eyes were filled with stubbornness, like nails. This was why he didn't like children. Children were always stubborn and single-minded. Once they held on to something, they would never let go. Even if you kicked or hit them, there was no hope of changing their minds. They would only use the nails in their eyes to pierce you, and they would make the smallest thing into an enemy of the whole world.

Chu Hengkong made one last effort: "I am a policeman. If you have any enemies, the police uncle can help you kill them..."

"So you're a police officer." The little girl lowered her head. "Are police officers useful?"

"You weren't here when my mom was beaten to death, and you weren't here when they beat Hawu and me... I screamed until my voice was hoarse, but no one came... Now my mom and dad are dead, and the police have finally come to beat my dog...!"

Bloody tears flowed from the little ghost girl's eyes. She stared at Chu Hengkong intently, howling almost to tears: "My whole family is dead, what's the point of you coming here! Go to hell! All of you go to hell!!!"

A shrill explosion followed the cry, and Chu Hengkong immediately raised his spear. The next moment, a pale green force erupted from around the female ghost, and the giant wolf rushed out, more than twice as fast as before!

The wolf's head collided directly with the iron spear, and it felt a tremendous impact from the spear body. The force was like a giant hammer, smashing Chu Hengkong directly into the ceiling. In an instant, the mezzanine between the three floors was broken one after another, and Chu Hengkong was thrown from the second floor to the fifth floor. The impact penetrated the iron spear and hit his flesh, causing him to spit out blood.

At the same time, Chu Hengkong felt severe pain all over his body. Invisible blows fell like raindrops. There was clearly no one around him, but he felt like he was being beaten by dozens of evil spirits!

(End of this chapter)