Chapter 44 Assassination Mission
Chu Hengkong lay in the passenger seat, groaning in pain.
He had just finished practicing for the day. Ji Qiufeng's requirements had been rising steadily in the past few days. The practice time had skyrocketed from two hours just after returning from the swamp to four hours. Apart from the daily routine of sparring, he was practicing the cramp-like posture to death. He felt like he was turning into a human sponge, squeezing out water every day until it was dry.
Fortunately, he finally learned it almost perfectly, otherwise he would have to take a week off if he continued like this.
"Brother Chu, why don't you take a break today?" Lu Xing, who was driving, said cautiously, "I don't think you are fit to work now."
"Drive your car... I'm fine..." Chu Heng's breath was almost gone. Lu Xing made a few strange noises with his tongue and parked the SUV on the side of the road. Under the gloomy sky, the 16-story Bangxing Building looked like a gray tombstone.
Chu Hengkong wiped his face with a hot towel, put on his green coat, and got out of the car. Lu Xing quickly turned off the engine and followed him. They walked to the familiar door with ease. After knocking, they heard hurried footsteps. The middle-aged man who opened the door shook hands with them in gratitude.
"Inspector Chu! Officer Lu! Please come in quickly, please come in quickly." Hain said excitedly.
The once slovenly man was now neatly dressed, his clothes immaculate, and even his frame seemed a bit stronger, a complete transformation from before. The discovery of his daughter had profoundly impacted Haien, completely changing his life. Tina approached them affably, a storybook in hand. Only the puppy retreated into a corner upon seeing Chu Hengkong, clearly traumatized by him.
"What are you hiding? If you don't bite, I won't hit you." Chu Hengkong laughed. He found two dumbbells on the floor of the hall and asked, "Mr. Haien, have you been working out recently?"
"Yes, yes." Haien nodded repeatedly, "I think men still need... a little muscle! That way, if something happens, I can protect my family... Although my daughter doesn't need my protection..."
Tina chuckled softly, and Chu Hengkong smiled too. "It's kind of thoughtful." They sat down on the sofa, Lu Xing acting as his assistant, asking about his well-being and trivial matters on his behalf, while Hai En answered them one by one with a bit of trepidation. How are you feeling lately... Have you felt anything unusual after being sealed for two months... Are you getting along well with your neighbors?
This was like a routine questionnaire, confirming that Tina's presence wasn't a nuisance to those around her. It also reassured the father and daughter that the inspector was keeping them informed and that they didn't need to worry about being harassed by the villains. After the last question, it was almost time to say goodbye, and Lu Xing, as usual, asked, "...Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yes," Tina said, "I have something to say to the inspector."
Lu Xing was stunned and exchanged a glance with Chu Hengkong. "Uncle Lu, go out and have a cigarette first." Chu Hengkong waited until Lu Xing left, then gestured for them to relax. He noticed that Hai En looked a little uneasy.
"Inspector Chu, I know our family really has no right to trouble you again, but..." Hai En hesitated, "I think you should be informed of this matter... It's just... out of selfish motives..."
"Don't mind it." Chu Hengkong encouraged them, "Just tell me."
Then Tina spoke in a childish voice, talking about how she had a very good playmate in the family downstairs, and how that playmate's family was very similar to hers, with a father who worked hard but didn't make much money, and a mother who was deceived into going to the club... Their child was very beautiful, and the parents had always hoped that the child would grow up healthily and become a teacher or doctor in the future... Then one day the mother broke down and cried in her own home because her child was about to be taken away, a place she would never be able to return to.
Hai En was terrified. He felt like he was causing too much trouble for the Inspector, but his limited empathy prevented him from just sitting back and watching. He stole a glance at Chu Hengkong's expression and saw that the Inspector was listening quietly, as usual, without showing any particular emotion. For some reason, Hai En felt a chill run down his spine.
"When did it happen?" Chu Hengkong asked.
"It was the morning before yesterday, and the person who took her daughter hasn't arrived yet." Tina said, "I didn't dare tell you directly. I felt that if Dad took the initiative to look for you, they would definitely find you."
"You did the right thing." Chu Hengkong stuffed a yellow crystal into Tina's hand. It was a relic of the long-distance communication device from the previous trip to the swamp. "Can you bring this crystal downstairs?"
Tina nodded.
"After I leave, give it to the aunt downstairs. Tell her that Inspector Chu knows about this and tell her not to worry." Chu Hengkong squatted down, touched Tina's little head, and forced out a smile that seemed too innocent for him.
"As for you, don't run around, and don't worry." Chu Hengkong said, "The police officer is a man of his word. He promised to help you kill him, and he will definitely do it."
Tina nodded vigorously and said crisply, "I believe in Inspector Chu!"
Chu Hengkong said goodbye to the two and went downstairs alone. Seeing him coming, Lu Xing downstairs quickly put out his cigarette and even stepped on the butt several times. As he got into the car, he whispered, "Brother Chu, there's someone following us outside the building."
Chu Hengkong stared out the window indifferently, wondering whether he should continue his patrol as planned to avoid alerting the enemy, or take this opportunity to catch a few more snakes. At this moment, the car's communicator glowed red, and a familiar voice came from the private channel.
"Hello, Chu Hengkong, can you hear me?"
"Yes. What's up?"
"Return to headquarters immediately." Ji Huaisu's voice sounded nervous. "There's an emergency meeting!"
·
"Eradicate the Maivia Club within 24 hours," said Ji Qiufeng.
This was the first sentence Chu Hengkong heard upon entering the room, and it also became the core topic of this emergency meeting. Ji Huaisu was extremely excited, and Jie An's face turned pale, but they were both equally surprised. Chu Hengkong spoke for them both, "So urgent?"
"Can you please stop for a minute?" Ji Huaisu finally recovered. "I absolutely support Dad's action, but isn't 24 hours too urgent? I was just thinking about what to eat for lunch five minutes ago. How did it develop into this?"
Ji Qiufeng placed a small bottle on the table. Ji Huaisu suddenly stopped talking, his expression solemn as if he was facing a powerful enemy.
It was a small object resembling a perfume bottle, with dozens of gleaming facets, each engraved with a different phase of the moon. Turning the bottle in a circle, one could see the progression from full moon to new moon. The liquid within was a viscous black, clearly unaffected by any external force, yet it undulated and moved like a living thing.
As Chu Hengkong gazed at the bottle, he felt as if he were looking at something alive. The crystal bottle was flesh and bones, and the black liquid was its blood. Subconsciously, he wanted to look away, but he found himself staring at the black blood in the bottle. Ripples of blood rippled through the blood, and a familiar scent wafted through it. The fragrance of white roses, the fumes of cigar smoke, the smell of gunpowder, and the bloody scent that permeated the night...
"Hengkong!" Ji Qiufeng shouted softly and covered the bottle.
Chu Hengkong woke up as if from a dream. He closed his eyes before speaking: "What is this?"
"The blood of Shuoyue's bastard," Youyou said darkly, its blue eyes narrowed like two slender knives. "It's a different kind of heretic than the Yingshi. This kind of heretic is born with the ability to perform rituals!"
The word "ritual" triggered Chu Hengkong's memory. He raised his tentacles and asked, "Summoning ritual?"
"Yes, but definitely not as friendly as you experienced," Youyou said. "The Shuoyue Bastards... the aliens associated with the moon... are a type of heretic who values 'family relationships'. These heretics consider each other as blood relatives, and when their 'family' grows to a certain size, they gain the ability to summon 'elders'."
"It's like a person summoning a demon." Chu Hengkong guessed.
"But it's even faster and worse than that," Ji Qiufeng said. "Among all the outsiders, only the Bastard's line can summon superiors far more powerful than themselves through 'blood'. If the 'elders' truly answer the call... the situation will become very dire."
"Dad, what mass do you think it will be?" Ji Huaisu asked in a low voice.
"It's hard to say. The Abyssal Outer Path doesn't distinguish between particles. The 'elders' who can be summoned must have a combat power of at least 5..."
Chu Hengkong pursed his lips; he, too, was feeling nervous. This truly was a frighteningly insane place. Minutes ago, he'd been contemplating how to take down the gang, and the next, the issue had escalated to the survival of the city. He was thankful he had a strong enough heart to withstand such a contrast, but others lacked such composure.
Xie An's mouth dropped open, as if he'd just realized what was happening. He collapsed onto the table, wailing in agony, "Please, have mercy on me! I finally made it back from the swamp, and now there's another evil god!!"
"It could also be an alien." Chu Hengkong said, "I've seen alien evil gods that look like octopuses in novels before."
"Can that thing be caught with the sperm ball?" Ji Huaisu asked.
Chu Hengkong tried to explain: "No, that's not a work..."
"Oh my god, can you guys just shut up!" Jie An wailed. "That's the evil god on the moon! Shouldn't we be holding hands, hugging, and writing suicide notes or something? Why are you all so calm?"
"That's the purpose of this meeting. Our goal is to prevent that thing from coming and keep this matter under the scale of a 'gunfight.'" Ji Qiufeng waved his fan and returned to his nonchalant demeanor. "Don't be too nervous. The ritual requires a long preparation and it makes a lot of noise when it's activated. So as long as we deal with Maivia first, everything will be fine. Hengkong, you used to be a killer. As a professional, what advice do you have?"
"Assassination." Chu Hengkong said without hesitation.
"Tell me about your plan."
Chu Hengkong picked up a black pen and started drawing on the whiteboard.
"Next time Maivia holds a banquet, I will sneak in disguised as a waiter. After finding the target, I will chop it down with a knife and then go home..."
Ji Qiufeng's relaxed demeanor seemed to falter a bit. Ji Huaisu slammed the table and stood up. "Holy crap, is this what you call assassination? Where is your assassination?"
"I will pretend to be a waiter." Chu Hengkong said seriously.
Jie An couldn't stand it anymore: "No, buddy, can you take a look at your left arm first?"
Chu Hengkong glanced at his tentacles and realized that this plan, which had always worked so well, wasn't going to work. He felt helpless. "There's no better way. Maivia won't leave the base camp, and there's no way to infiltrate without the banquet. We can't expect him to go out and die on his own."
"I knew assassination wouldn't work." Youyou sighed, "Can we start with his 'children'? Eradicate the filthy blood, and even the head of the family won't be able to perform the ritual."
"Maiweiya's child lives with him," Ji Qiufeng pointed out. "It's essentially a problem. There's no chance of escape."
"Damn it! I let them get to this point without even noticing..." Youyou gritted his teeth, "Let's prepare for a frontal assault."
"Let's not engage in a fight yet." Chu Hengkong frowned deeply. "Less than half of the team members have changed into their equipment. We are not prepared yet."
"But the enemy won't wait for us to attack, kid." Youyou said, "They might already be preparing for the ceremony. We have to race against time."
The conference room fell silent for a moment. The situation had come so suddenly that everyone was scrambling to process. Chu Hengkong was deeply opposed to a direct confrontation, believing it would result in excessive casualties. Human wave tactics weren't as effective against the Ascended, and they didn't have the manpower... However, an assassination attempt also lacked a point of entry. Maivia's banquet had ended two days ago, and the enemy leader wouldn't leave his lair to die...
Think about it, what will the enemy do now? They will definitely want to complete the ritual as soon as possible, so they will take additional actions... such as collecting materials... or...
New "children"?
Tina's request flashed through Chu Hengkong's mind, and he recalled his suspicions from long ago. He knocked on the table.
"There might be a chance," he said. "I have an idea."
·
Two hours later, Yazi lay in bed, her heart pounding. She hadn't expected her plea for help to actually work. Tina had sent the citrine. Could it be a protective amulet from the inspector? Could it protect her daughter? She had no idea, and that was precisely why she was growing increasingly anxious.
"Can you hear me?" a man's voice came from the crystal.
Meizi straightened up reflexively and said as quietly as possible: "Yes! I am Meizi! I can hear you!"
"Senior Inspector of the Resurrection Corps, Chu Hengkong." Chu Hengkong said, "I understand your situation. I have something I'd like to seek your advice on."
"Please go on..."
Meiko listened in agony, listening to the man in the crystal's plan. It was simple, even crude, yet it carried risks she couldn't ignore. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, struggling to form a response.
"...The choice is yours," Chu Hengkong said. "Whether you participate in the operation or not, I will definitely ensure the safety of your entire family."
Yazi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The faces of her daughter and husband, Baimei's face, the scenes she witnessed every night in the club, everything in a chaotic state flashed before her eyes.
"...You're the Chief Inspector. I trust you." The woman said softly but firmly, "I have no other choice."
"Remember this. When you hear the wind, turn around and run home."
Chu Hengkong closed the crystal and placed it in his arms, then took a deep breath. The light outside the car window was peeling away like a thread, and the streetlights on the side of the street were lighting up one by one.
Night is coming.
Lu Xing put his hands on the steering wheel, looking at the rich area with bright lights and wine in the distance. Somehow he remembered the man next to him that evening who walked into the abandoned building alone to eliminate demons.
"Brother Chu, do you want a spear?" he asked.
"Help me find a knife." Chu Hengkong said.
Beat the dog with a stick and kill people with a knife.
(This book will be available tomorrow! Therefore, there will be three updates tomorrow ~ one chapter at 8 o'clock and two more chapters at 8:30~)
(End of this chapter)
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