Chapter 55: I was born to be useful
Three o'clock in the afternoon, Chu Hengkong's single dormitory.
A newly purchased spring-loaded mannequin stood upright in the living room, swaying like a tumbler at the slightest movement. Chu Hengkong was circling the mannequin, hurling water bombs at a dizzying pace. His technique was uncanny. Dozens of water bombs ricocheted, but the impact vanished like mud sinking into the sea, preventing the mannequin from swaying an inch.
For a long time, the only sounds in the living room were footsteps and crackling, until Ji Huaisu looked up in despair: "Inspector, we just finished playing at the club the day before yesterday, right?"
"right."
"You just got out of bed yesterday, right?"
"right."
"Then can you take a break and do something other than training?"
Chu Hengkong stopped and glanced at her helplessly: "You took away my entertainment. What else can I do if I don't practice?"
Ji Huaisu quickly hid his phone, acting as if he was taking something that belonged to him. This girl not only snatched the phone but also occupied the entire sofa by herself, and very generously grabbed a pillow to cushion her so that she could lie down comfortably.
Ever since he started playing games, Captain Ji's downtime has become incredibly routine: regularly completing outdoor activity quotas, then running to his neighbor's house to grab their phone to play with. The whole routine feels perfectly natural and logical. Chu Hengkong sometimes thinks he has a golden retriever, as its behavior mirrors Captain Ji's: large, good-tempered, fights for treats, uses the couch as its nest, barks if you don't play with it, and smiles at you when you try to yell.
"Playing all day is bad for your eyes!" Ji Huaisu argued.
Chu Hengkong glared at her for a few seconds, then shook his head helplessly. Miss Big Golden Hair might be thick-skinned, but she still had a great figure. If she just closed her mouth and lay on the sofa, she looked like a gorgeous woman, so beautiful you couldn't even look at her. He casually threw a water bomb, and the spring-loaded dummy wobbled slightly before suddenly exploding from the inside, scattering into a blanket of shattered debris.
Ji Huaisu suddenly turned over and sat up: "Fuck, how does this work?"
"Push the power into the enemy like a thorn, and then use clever strength to detonate it." Chu Hengkong swept the floor with a broom. "I just learned a slightly more advanced Longxiang boxing technique this morning."
"You call this boxing..." Ji Huaisu said expressionlessly, "This technique is so outrageous that I can't even understand it..."
“The principle is very simple, you can learn it once you learn it.”
Chu Hengkong twisted the tentacle on his left arm like a spring, tightening and compressing it heavily. The tentacle naturally popped out, stirring up a circular airflow, blowing dust into the trash can under Ji Huaisu's blank gaze.
"And this, using the principle of immobility to enhance the 'gun', I think it will be quite powerful in actual combat." Chu Hengkong clapped his tentacles with satisfaction. "Learning new skills will also improve old ones. This is the joy of martial arts training."
"If you ask a hundred people on the street, they'll all tell you it's a superpower," Ji Huaisu said. "Please don't use the word 'technique' to describe your uncanny combat. A true technical expert would cry when they saw you."
"I want superpowers too." Chu Hengkong spread out his tentacles, "No!"
Since entering the city, Chu Hengkong had fought many skilled fighters. Bai Zhang possessed the ability to compress and increase physical strength, Du Muyan possessed the ability to transform into stone in addition to his swordsmanship, and even San Sen Wang Xiang, the initial fighter, could use his fingers like a water gun. Every skilled fighter possessed some "superpower" beyond their learning abilities, but Chu Hengkong...
How come after upgrading, there is no other change except for a stronger body and faster learning?
"That's because there are different types of dexterity." Ji Huaisu lazily slumped back down. "The ones you fought all had 'supernormal limbs,' so their supernormal abilities were enhanced. For someone like you who relies entirely on supernormal skills to ascend, becoming a dexterity is purely about enhancing your skills."
Chu Hengkong shook his tentacles vigorously: "Isn't this extraordinary enough?"
Ji Huaisu pinched the tip of the tentacle with his fingertips and pulled it, his voice low, "Akong... you've been transformed for three months, and there's still no sign. So this tentacle is probably nothing special, just the arm of a giant squid... Damn it, stop secreting mucus! It's splattering on my face!"
"This must be my extraordinary power." Chu Hengkong said expressionlessly, "With more practice, I can use slime to trap people. Use slime to make traps. Use powerful slime to launch slime bullets..."
"This superpower sounds pathetic. You'll become the public enemy of all the women in this city." Ji Huaisu wiped his face vigorously with a tissue. "Seriously, there's another possibility. This thing's extraordinary ability is manifested in places other than combat. You remember Sansen Wangxiang? That guy used to be a third-rate craftsman, but after his promotion, he became very good at making and modifying firearms."
Chu Hengkong was a little moved when he heard this: "Maybe I can also create relics?"
"You'll know after trying it!" Ji Huaisu grabbed him and walked out the door, "Come on, let's test your talent."
"You're probably so happy just because you found something to play with."
"How could that be? I'm just trying to help you!"
Twenty minutes later, in the Huilongcheng cafeteria.
"What do you mean?" Jie An scratched his head. "You want to cook?"
"I've read in books before that there are people who are particularly good at cooking. Maybe Akong is one of those people!" Ji Huaisu was very excited.
Chu Hengkong was picking and choosing in the kitchen, taking out a knife or spoon from time to time to weigh it. His movements were steady and his technique was professional, like a murderer looking for a weapon.
Jie An's teeth ached. "Okay, it's just an empty stove... Brother Killer, have you ever cooked before?"
"I'm very good at surviving in the wild." Chu Hengkong said.
"Okay, fine." Jie An stuffed eggs into their mouths. "Hey, try something easier first and make some egg fried rice."
Chu Hengkong chopped some scallions and ginger, heated some oil in a wok, and started by cracking two eggs and frying them. Xie An felt a little relieved, at least the person he was dealing with wasn't the type to throw the whole egg into the wok. But then the conversation that slipped into his ears made his vision go dark.
"Akong, do you use raw or cooked rice for fried rice?"
Someone's innocent question received a firm answer: "It must be raw. Why stir-fry it if it's already steamed?"
"Ohhh. So the eggshells are just thrown away, right?"
"That's a waste. I'm used to cooking them all at once. They're still edible after being fried."
"Got it. Hey, how about adding some slime? Maybe your hand can be used as seasoning?"
"You can give it a try..."
Jie An pounded his chest hard, feeling the air stuck in his throat and rushing around, threatening to burst his lungs. He opened the window and gasped for air. When he came to his senses, the deadly duo had appeared, carrying a tray of unidentified objects.
The fried rice was a strange green in color. The heated mucus looked like foam on a poisonous swamp, the half-cooked rice in it looked like swimming insects, and the eggshells were hidden under the poisonous swamp like reefs.
The other cooks in the kitchen fled for their lives, using the excuse of going to the restroom. The two men pushed their plates forward and said, "Cook, would you like to try?"
Jie An took a spoon, shakily scooped a spoonful, and licked it.
"Get out of here, both of you! You're never allowed to set foot in the cafeteria again!"
Another five minutes later, in the city lord's study.
Ji Qiufeng was in a rather elegant mood today, sketching a line with a scepter. He didn't even look up when he saw the two of them approach. "What awful idea have you come up with?"
"We are trying to develop Akong's dexterity!" Ji Huaisu was very excited. "I just tested his cooking ability and found that he is not very good at it. I came to see if he can draw talismans and write spells."
Ji Qiufeng smiled and said, "Hengkong, do you think you have this talent?"
"It's worth a try." Chu Hengkong said with a stiff upper lip.
"Sure! Experimenting is always encouraged." Ji Qiufeng handed over a pen and paper. "Since you're just starting out, let's not discuss theory. Just start by drawing something and see how you feel."
Chu Hengkong took the brush, thought briefly, and then finished the painting. Father and daughter took the paper and stared at it for a long time. Ji Qiufeng frowned, "Your painting of the Fallen One is very similar, but records of the Outer Dao must not be left. Don't joke about this in the future."
Chu Hengkong was a little embarrassed: "I didn't draw the Fallen..."
Ji Huaisu stared in shock at the monstrous, black and red mud monster on the drawing paper, its fangs and claws bared. "...What is this?"
"A head falling from a twenty-story building." Chu Hengkong gestured, "A bird's-eye view."
“…”
The study was silent for about three seconds before Ji Huaisu silently shoved the stunning work back into his partner's hands. Ji Qiufeng rubbed his forehead and said thoughtfully, "Hengkong, your paintings are incredibly lifelike, and you possess artistic talent. However... the times may not be ready for your masterpiece yet."
Chu Hengkong was still planning to make one last effort: "Is there no hope for literary creation?"
"Not necessarily. I have a fellow disciple who is a prodigy who relies on his literary talent to master the art of talismans. How about you try writing a short story?"
This time, Chu Hengkong spent half an hour, using his tentacle to hold the pen, to complete a thousand-word masterpiece on the theme of assassination. The two editors' expressions changed several times as they reviewed the manuscript, which was a brilliant display.
"First of all, I can't say your writing is bad," Ji Qiufeng said. "Your scenes are very realistic, and some of the details are particularly vivid. You spent 300 words at the beginning writing about this... a brief history of the development of a certain family's coat of arms... which particularly shows your research skills. But therein lies the problem..."
"Too realistic!" Ji Huaisu slammed his hand on the table. "You even wrote about the insect fluttering its wings next to the target as the second hand ticked. Who would care about such details? You even gave the full names and lines of every speaker. And in this entire story, only one second has passed! At this rate, we'll have to wait three days before the protagonist utters his first sentence!"
"I didn't write it because I thought everyone knew the outcome of the assassination target..." Chu Hengkong frowned.
Ji Qiufeng had a rare headache: "Why do you assume we know the ending?"
Chu Hengkong pointed to the avant-garde art masterpiece from half an hour ago.
"My head fell from the 20th floor," he said.
Ji Qiufeng put down his manuscript and sighed deeply. Ji Huaisu grabbed his partner's hand and said affectionately, "Akong, you must not quit the literary world. If you leave, we will never see the Chaos Shit School again..."
Chu Hengkong threw the painting into the trash can: "I'm going to practice martial arts."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute! There are other possibilities, right?" Ji Huaisu pushed him back to his seat. "Dad, you were also very skillful back then. How did you develop your extraordinary powers?"
"No development." Ji Qiufeng took a sip of tea. "I upgraded through hard work and practice. I don't have any special abilities. After upgrading, I officially started learning."
"So our Longxiang martial artists, generation after generation, are all...blank slates?" Chu Hengkong asked.
"Except for a few special species, yes." Ji Qiufeng nodded seriously, "Look, you still have a tentacle, how great! When I was a kid, everyone would be envious."
Ji Huaisu was deeply shocked: "How did someone as strong and honest as Longquan Xiang manage to make it in this hellhole of ours?"
Ji Qiufeng opened his folding fan and waved it, smiling, "Because great strength and skill are more useful than most special abilities. No matter how unique the enemies' powers are, they were still defeated by Hengkong."
Ji Huaisu started to argue: "What if you encounter an extraordinary special ability, such as instant death and time stopping..."
"We naturally have more profound secrets and stronger powers to break it." Ji Qiufeng smiled, "Okay, Dad has to go to work, let's go play somewhere else."
"So I can go practice martial arts now."
"No! Let's keep trying. I don't believe we can't figure it out this afternoon!"
·
Over the next two hours, Chu Hengkong tried playing musical instruments with his tentacles (the surrounding residents were so horrified that they went out to call the police, and the responding police officer, Lü Xing, had a complicated expression); crafting relics with them (after wasting three good pieces, Mrs. Ansa politely asked them to leave); and playing games with them (which he failed miserably after smearing the screen with slime). Finally, they returned to the sofa in their single-room dormitory, Chu Hengkong's eyes empty, filled with regret.
"Well, how should I put it?" Ji Huaisu pinched his hair. "As the saying goes, everyone is born with talent and it will be useful. Your talent...maybe falls into the category of being particularly good at fighting..."
"Otherwise, how can I become a killer?" Chu Hengkong sighed. "When Huilong City gets better, I will probably be out of work soon. By then, I'm afraid I will have to go to other small islands and volunteer to be a bodyguard."
"There's no need to be so pessimistic. Look at me!" Ji Huaisu gave a thumbs up. "Aside from fighting, I'm not good at anything else!"
"Your kind of comfort makes me even more pessimistic."
"That's right. Fighting is the most sought-after skill. Once Huilong City gets better, there will be plenty of things for you to do. As the Chief Inspector, you definitely won't be idle." Ji Huaisu said, "Once you can fight better, maybe I can step down as the captain and retire with honor."
Chu Hengkong's heart moved: "You don't want to do it anymore?"
"Not really, how should I put it..." Ji Huaisu smiled awkwardly, "It's just a small personal goal."
Chu Hengkong suddenly realized her origins. Ji Huaisu was an adopted child; her biological parents and hometown were certainly not in Huilong City. It was natural for people to want to see their biological parents.
"Hometown?"
"More than that." Ji Huaisu cast a light shield and examined it carefully. "My ability is innate. Neither Dad nor Youyou can teach me. My own... 'remember'... technique is only up to Particle 2. If I don't look for it outside, I can't stay at Niying forever."
"Just upgrade step by step like a normal Transformer."
"...I feel like I'm different from them," Ji Huaisu said vaguely. "Sometimes I have this urge to go somewhere, to defeat some enemy, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like having something on the tip of my tongue but forgetting it. It's so painful I can't put it into words."
Chu Hengkong seemed to understand, but instinctively sensed that the other party was telling the truth. He scratched his head and said, "Then you might consider becoming an adventurer and searching for clues to your hometown."
"Indeed, I think this approach is good too!" Ji Huaisu's eyes sparkled, but he puffed up his lips again, "But I don't think my father would let me out even if I turned well..."
"So hard power is the key. Practice hard before chasing your dreams."
"Hey, why are you boxing again?"
"I don't have any special abilities!" Chu Hengkong sighed, "I can only make up for it with technology."
Deep down, Chu Hengkong knew this tentacle was no ordinary thing; the large book that only he could use was the best proof. But after all the trouble he'd gone through, he didn't really care.
I was born to be useful. Just as Ji Huaisu was born a knight, he was born to fight, and he was happy to do so. It is a rare blessing for a person to be able to engage in a career he loves.
He twisted his tentacles, contracted them, and then struck out. The simple exercise gave him a sense of peace of mind. Ji Huaisu was noisy on the sofa, and they chatted occasionally. He repeated this over and over until late at night.
(End of this chapter)
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