Chapter 3: Striving for Employment
"Is that his 'sleight of hand'?"
"I heard it was a demon-possessed person..." another person whispered.
Some people were worried: "It's too dangerous to let someone possessed by a demon into the headquarters."
"What are you afraid of? Captain Huaisu is watching over you personally. How can you possibly rebel?"
Eyes, either curious or worried, focused on Chu Hengkong's arm. White tactical masks masked their expressions, but they couldn't hide the deep hostility within their gazes. Chu Hengkong ignored all this, carefully observing everything around him, as focused as a tourist visiting a metropolis for the first time.
The battle with the fanatics happened half an hour ago. After meeting him in the tide of weapons, the blonde Ji Huaisu took him to the combat headquarters of the "Resurrection Force".
It was a brightly lit hall. A large bulletin board on the wall was covered with ferocious wanted posters, each with a hefty sum written beneath it. Masked soldiers, armed with various weapons, stood or sat, staring at Chu Hengkong as if he were a criminal.
"Make way, there are injured people!"
Suddenly, urgent shouts were heard, and people immediately made way. Two masked soldiers rushed past carrying a stretcher. The wounded man on the stretcher groaned in pain. His injuries were extremely horrific, and his broken organs and broken bones were exposed from the wounds, as if his chest and abdomen had been torn apart by the fangs of a wild beast.
Chu Hengkong noticed that Ji Huaisu pursed her lips at this moment. She hurried into a corridor off the hallway and opened the iron door of the interrogation room. The room contained only a long table and a few chairs. Chu Hengkong quietly sat at the end of the table.
No one spoke. The two had already briefly introduced themselves on the way. Chu Hengkong was a killer, while Ji Huaisu's "Resurrection Unit" was the local police. They observed each other silently, like swordsmen in a duel, searching for the moment to strike the killing blow.
Ji Huaisu was surprised. Huilong City was full of unusual individuals, but this was the first time she had encountered one like this. The man, wearing a dark green hooded jacket, looked like an ordinary student. His demeanor was calm, almost docile. He had countless opportunities to attack or escape along the way, but he cooperated perfectly without even a hint of resistance. It was hard to imagine such a man taking out Alex and his followers with his bare hands, but the fanatics' horrific injuries were enough to prove his brutality.
Chu Hengkong's mind raced with similar thoughts. He thought to himself that compared to his heavily armed subordinates, this girl's attire was surprisingly casual. Her long blond hair was tied into a ponytail, and she wore a white sports vest with a brown waistcoat, and only cool denim shorts. This outfit would suit any athletic female college student, showcasing her tall and impressive figure, but it clearly had nothing to do with special forces.
But he hadn't forgotten the gleaming golden shield in the other's hand. It was likely some other kind of supernatural power, like a great wizard's strange "summoning spell." For such an unprofessional person to be the leader meant she was stronger than all her subordinates.
Chu Hengkong secretly prepared his speech. Negotiation is like a duel between masters; the first move often sets the tone. The other side has ample intelligence and is on the defensive. Too much talk will only lead to more mistakes. It's better to see what they're up to first. Thinking of this, Chu Hengkong nodded slightly. The girl opposite him also received the signal and took the lead.
"Would you like to eat roast goose rice noodles?" Ji Huaisu said.
"……ah?"
Chu Hengkong began to doubt his own judgment. What the hell was this strange trick? It was indeed past dinnertime, but shouldn't the sir's opening three things be: doing what you were told and going back where you came from? Besides, since we had just left the strange ritual, shouldn't we have explained the demonic setting to the outsiders?
How come this girl skipped the interrogation and went straight to the traditional part of "Are you hungry? I'll make you a bowl of noodles"... How can anyone respond to this?
The iron gate opened, and someone actually brought a bowl of roast goose rice noodles. A whole roast goose leg lay generously on the noodles, the fat blending into the broth, emitting an enticing aroma. The guy who brought the noodles said hello and left. Chu Hengkong's eyes twitched: "No, thank you..."
"You really don't want to eat?" Ji Huaisu smiled happily, "That's great, it's mine! I haven't eaten for most of the day and I'm craving a midnight snack."
She lifted the bowl and began to eat. The girl ate with relish, taking bites of goose meat and rice noodles, not even leaving the soup. It was obvious she was truly hungry. Chu Hengkong was stunned, but also felt a subtle sense of regret, like getting off work late at noon and missing out on the canteen's spareribs. While harmless, the thought of missing out on the plate of bones filled his mind all afternoon.
"I..." Chu Hengkong silently held his forehead, "Okay, you win. I admit that this is the first time I've seen someone interrogate me like this..."
Ji Huaisu chewed on a goose leg bone. "Why are you so anxious? You didn't cause any trouble all the way here. You wouldn't be so stupid as to cause trouble in our base camp. You were so ruthless against the cultists, but why are you so polite around me?"
"Living alone in a different world is very challenging. I don't want to add the hellish start of being a 'wanted criminal' to myself." Chu Hengkong took out his spoils and placed the transparent beads, tobacco and watch on the table one by one, but did not touch the pendant and the silver-eyed book.
"Your subordinates are very well-behaved. They didn't touch me or steal my things along the way, and they didn't even handcuff me. I think the leader of such a group of people would not be an unreasonable person." Chu Hengkong said.
Ji Huaisu took out a pair of handcuffs and compared them to the tentacle. The tip of the tentacle was only slightly thicker than an average person's index finger, so no matter how tight the handcuffs were, they would slip out with a slight pull.
"Unless you voluntarily tie a knot with your tentacles, how can this thing be used against you?" Ji Huaisu said, "Being rational is much more convenient. Tell me about your next plan. You will first undergo an amputation surgery, and then stay in the observation room for three months. After confirming that everything is normal and signing a confidentiality agreement, you can return to normal life. Pretty gentle, isn't it?"
Chu Hengkong remained calm: "Chopping off someone's arm just because of a suspicion is too overbearing."
"What island are you from? How come you don't even understand your own situation?" the blonde girl gritted her teeth. "You're possessed by the demon of fantasy. If you don't deal with it soon, your personality will be destroyed!"
"Perhaps you've made a mistake?" Chu Hengkong shook his tentacles. "I heard them say this is the 'Hand of the Omniscient God'..."
"It's a common misunderstanding among believers. They like to use words like the Almighty Creator, the Omniscient, the Great Being... But this has nothing to do with the devil's original intention. It's just that people see the illusion of what they desire in the devil," said the third person.
The door to the interrogation room opened silently, and a man in a casual sweater walked in. He held a paper folding fan that looked like a dog-headed military advisor and walked to the center of the room with a smile.
"Imaginary demons are purely spiritual creatures. Their forms are distorted and their temperaments are bizarre. It's difficult for them to exist independently in the material world, so they often possess the bodies of intelligent beings." The man with the folding fan turned to Chu Hengkong, "Do you have hard candy in your hometown?"
Chu Hengkong was confused: "Yes."
The man with the paper fan took out a piece of pink hard candy from his pocket and threw it into Ji Huaisu's bowl of noodles.
"Dad! I haven't finished eating yet!" Ji Huaisu protested loudly.
"Be careful not to get fat if you eat too much at night," said Father Huaisu, smiling broadly. He closed his paper fan and pointed it at the bowl of noodles. The hard candy melted slowly in the hot broth, turning it pink and murky like vomit.
"This piece of candy is the imaginary demon, and your body is the bowl of soup. Now that the candy has just fallen, there's still time to scoop it up. If you wait any longer, the candy will completely melt, and the bowl of soup will be gone." Father Huaisu gave Chu Hengkong a deep look. "Don't be blinded by all that knowledge and ability. Amputation is the best solution right now. The demon's erosion will deepen over time. You don't want to turn into an octopus head or a noodle monster, do you?"
Chu Hengkong felt a chill run down his spine. There were no mystical patterns or sparks in Old Man Huaisu's eyes, but deep within them lay a sharp, steely intensity. Standing before him, you felt invisible. Those black pupils seemed to pierce through flesh and bone marrow, reading into a person's most intimate thoughts.
But the sharp feeling disappeared the next moment. Father Huaisu was still standing in the distance, smiling like a harmless convenience store owner. Chu Hengkong slowly loosened his clenched right fist, stood up and said, "Mr. Ji, you have great skills."
"Your skills are not bad, little brother." Father Huaisu took out a severely deformed piece of stone and placed it on the table. It was the fragment of the stone staff that Chu Hengkong had kicked off earlier. "What kind of knowledge did that tentacle give you to enable you to have such skills?"
Chu Hengkong was stunned for a moment, then smiled. Since the battle, unexpected events had unfolded one after another. Those unpredictable individuals had prevented his plans from coming to fruition. But at this moment, Father Huaisu's subtext resonated with him. He had finally waited for his chance, the chance to seize the initiative.
Chu Hengkong put his left arm behind his back and tapped the table lightly with his right hand. As the tapping sounded, the stone halfway outside the table suddenly jumped up on its own.
Ji Huaisu stood up vigilantly: "Telekinesis? Is the erosion speed so fast?"
Old man Huaisu stopped him with his folding fan.
"Don't be nervous, Huaisu," he said. "It's 'force transmission.' He used the tabletop as a medium to complete the strike. It's the same principle as hitting a bull from behind a mountain."
Chu Hengkong slowly stretched out his right hand, showing with his actions that it was definitely a human arm and had nothing to do with supernatural powers.
"You two seem to have misunderstood. This tentacle arm doesn't give me 'knowledge' or 'ability'. My kung fu is my own skill, and it has nothing to do with demons." Chu Hengkong said, "After all, this may not be a demon's arm. Maybe it came from a squid that wandered in like me. Cutting off someone's arm is a serious matter. Please think twice."
"What do you know!" Ji Huaisu pointed at him with a goose leg bone, "Do you think I've killed many demon-possessed people? What you said is definitely..."
Father Huaisu flicked open his folding fan and said thoughtfully, "That makes sense..."
"Hey, what's the point of this sophistry? The utopian demon would rather kill the wrong person than let him go!" Ji Huaisu was shocked.
Chu Heng sat back down in his chair, taking in the situation. He had finally regained some initiative, and his next words were crucial. What was the current situation? What did the other party need, and what were their concerns? Most importantly, what did he need most?
He had made all the plans long before setting off, so Chu Hengkong was confident when he spoke.
"Since everyone needs a solution that satisfies both parties..." Chu Hengkong said, "Would you consider hiring me?"
(The joyful adventure story of the Tentacle Killer is updated every day at 8 pm. Welcome to read and comment!)
(End of this chapter)
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