Chapter 67 Good morning, Huilong City!
"Good morning, Huilong City! Welcome to the Tuanlu Daily News. Let's see what's new in the city!"
At 7:30 AM, at the Atrium Spinning Tail Station, former Grand Wizard Alex was at the end of the line, waiting with office workers for the morning's first dragon boat launch. The news was being broadcast from the water screen above the station's dome, and the announcer, who had a beautiful Bluetooth speaker, began with a familiar message:
"In the early hours of this morning, the third swamp faith conflict of this month was perfectly resolved. A total of 31 lucky individuals were blessed by the Dragon God. Long live peace!
The magic scholars have caused some new trouble in the workshop area, and today's water curtain may be colorful.
Meanwhile, the children of the Fufu tribe are still sightseeing in the courtyard. Citizens, please be careful with the beads in your pockets..."
Alex was taking out money to buy a boat ticket when he muttered, "What's the fufu tribe?"
"I wonder what country bumpkin from some small dusty island?" the male student in front of him laughed. "How dare he steal things in the city? Doesn't he know that Huilong City is protected by our invincible inspector... Hmm?"
The boy noticed Alex's gaze upward, and he looked up too. A shabby, brown ball of fur was squatting on top of the movie screen's water curtain. Its long, elephant-like trunk protruded from its grubby fur. It sniffed and let out a cheerful cry: "Fu! Fu!"
The beads flew from the boy's hand, flew out of Alex's pocket, and floated out of the backpacks and pockets of everyone in the station, forming a colorless river under everyone's dazed gaze. The fur ball jumped twice, sucked all the beads from the entire station into its nose, and said, "Fu."
It jumped off the water curtain and ran away.
At this moment, the first dragon boat arrived. As the hatch opened, a synthesized voice announced: "Passengers, please cast your beads according to the rules and board the boat in an orderly manner." The passengers looked at their empty pockets, then at the fur ball running to the exit. Their complex emotions suddenly turned into roars of anger: "Catch the thief! Catch the thief!!"
"Stop, you thief!" "Watch the stick and don't run!"
Alex leaped out first, using his exceptional leg length and strength to chase after the furry ball. They ran from the dock, one ball at a time, into a fruit market. Alex seized the opportunity to strike with his stick, but the furry ball was incredibly agile, dodging the blow and waving its trunk. "Fufu!" The air from its trunk blew up the colorful fruits and vegetables! Alex was buried under a mass of squash!
"Last week, the City Lord's Mansion issued Decree No. 107, announcing that the city's fine exemption standard will be adjusted from 'mental age children' to 'independent children.' Mothers with children, please be aware that children's excessive movements may result in fines," the host on the water curtain chattered. "The 'Blessed Squash,' a favorite among swamp residents, has been approved for sale in the courtyard starting today. Citizens should be careful when eating it, as there is a risk of the squash exploding..."
Alex's face twisted violently as he noticed the squash he'd buried was beginning to swell. The fruit vendors screamed, "No!" "My squash!" But it was too late. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The squashes exploded one after another! A brown, unidentified liquid and a terrifying aura instantly filled the market!
"Ugh!" "Melons, melons." "I miss it so much..." The fruit vendors sighed with mixed emotions. Fufu Ball was startled by the scene, not even caring about the beads as it ran away. Alex, seeing he couldn't catch up, angrily threw his cane and waved towards the nearby Tower of Divine Vision: "Robbery! Someone help!"
"--receive."
A gust of green wind swept by, and in the blink of an eye, scattered fruits and vegetables returned to their original places. They all looked up in the direction of the wind, only to see a silver tentacle reaching high into the sky. The daily news report was passionate: "But there is no need to worry at any time. If you encounter any problems, seek help immediately. Our inspectors and team members are always by your side!"
"Tomorrow I will suggest to Shuibo TV to remove this program," said Chu Hengkong.
"Why? Everyone likes it." The partner chuckled in the communication channel.
"That's stupid."
Chu Hengkong retracted his tentacles and swung away by inertia, gliding lightly like a feather over the rooftop of a building. Fufu Ball, realizing he was being pursued, quickly leaped from his perch and scurried into a busy alley. It was lunchtime, and the streets were lined with breakfast shops. Fufu Ball dove and dove into the crowd, startling everyone with cries of surprise.
"Help me catch a few thieves along the way." Jie An interrupted lazily. "One stole gems, one stole cars, and one was trying to cause trouble... I've sent you the coordinates."
Chu Hengkong landed on top of a tin shop. The towers in the distance flickered, signaling him. As he leaped, he snapped his fingers, and a green leaf flew out. Like an arrow, it pierced the collar of a monkey-like creature, sending it flying through the crowd and pinning it to the wall. The monkey's neck and hands were draped with gold, silver, and jewelry; it was obvious it had just robbed a jewelry store, and its face was dazed as it was hung.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak?" (Who caught me?)
Chu Hengkong was already far away. As he passed a residential building, he whipped the outer wall with his tentacles, sending the force like a shockwave through the wall and into the interior. A fat man with a face covered in red hair bounced off the bed and flew out the window, his expression still as if he were sleepwalking as he landed.
"What the hell?" the red-haired fat man said in shock. Three leaves pierced his pajamas and pinned him to the wall. From afar, a detective's voice came: "You're under arrest for car theft."
Chu Hengkong jumped off the roof and returned to the snack street. The fufu balls had already become a dull brown patch at the end of the street. Residents cheered as they saw the thief, pinned down by leaves. A middle-aged woman with a fish head placed a three-layered, specially prepared seafood burger on a plate, holding it aloft as if offering a treasure. A whirring green wind swept past, and the burger vanished, replaced by a flowing bead of the same size.
"He's always so handsome," the fish-headed woman said with stars in her eyes. "And so generous!"
Chu Hengkong took a big bite of his burger. Today's fillings were fried shrimp cakes, cuttlefish cakes, and fried chicken. The freshly fried patties were juicy and rich. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, he skipped through the snack street and arrived at the city square, where the fountains were located. The fountains in the square were ablaze with color, and thirty meters away, the daily morning show would begin.
He concentrated his mind, allowing his emotions to flow through his blood, transforming into the "spirit" that is a martial artist's hallmark. This spirit, focused on his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, instantly heightened his perception, transforming the myriad auras in the square into a wealth of intelligence.
Pedestrians. Vendors. Tourists. Freshly made ice cream. Birds flying overhead. Fufu balls hiding under benches. Air gathering in the fountain. He landed in front of it, stepped forward, and the force stirred the water, sending a translucent human figure flying from the fountain!
Chu Hengkong raised his leg and kicked and hooked, knocking the invisible man to the ground. The man was holding several explosive bombs in his hands, and a malicious attack was stopped in time before it could happen.
The invisible man stared at him as if he had seen a ghost: "You can't possibly..."
Chu Hengkong stomped him unconscious, telling him in the most powerful way, "I can do it." The fufu ball quietly disappeared into the grass, and then the tentacles suddenly pulled out and wrapped around its nose, hanging the little creature upside down above the fountain.
"Fu! Fu!" the fufu ball tossed and turned. "Spit it out." Chu Hengkong shook his tentacles, unfazed, tossing it around like a wallet. The fufu ball shrank, a stream of liquid spraying from its nose into the fountain. According to the wishing fountain's standard, it could grant about 100 wishes.
It made a pitiful "fu" sound, indicating that it was gone. Chu Hengkong increased his strength and shook it hard, and the fufu ball suddenly spurted out a large stream of beads, which really cleared the stock.
"Fuwafu! Where have you been?" A large brown ball emerged from the crowd of onlookers. It was an adult Fufu. It used its frog-like paws to grab the Fufu's nose and whispered an apology: "I'm so sorry... It's still a cub, so it hasn't developed any brains yet. It just wanted to eat the flowing beads..."
"It's okay. The bill will be sent to you later. Please compensate the vendors for their losses." Chu Hengkong said, "The pet shop next door sells collars. If you want to save some money, just keep an eye on the child."
"You're a wasteful fufu!" Fufu's mother (or maybe father) sniffed the child, and the unfortunate child snorted at it and cursed at its fufu clan. It thanked it profusely and left with the chubby child. At this time, the fountain in the square began to perform, beating out a fluent scale with its changing water flow.
Chu Hengkong was chewing a burger by the fountain, helping to watch the water while waiting for his teammates to arrive and clean up. He saw a large man with a cane running towards him, panting and smelling strange. It was the former great wizard Alex.
"Out of prison?" Chu Hengkong waved his tentacles at him.
"Yes, yes..." Alex gasped. "Seven months of hard labor in the workshop...! How dare they order me around? I'm a high-ranking intellectual!"
This guy's story was hilarious. On the first day Chu Hengkong traveled through time, he was beaten black and blue and taken to the police station along with his followers. However, a check of his criminal record revealed that he was innocent and had no record of any murders. His only violent act was when he was about to kill Chu Hengkong on the day of the summoning...
Considering the chaotic state of the swamp at the time, the great wizard was a breath of fresh air. Therefore, he was sentenced to labor reform, and because of his good behavior, he was released early.
"For several days after I got out, I thought I'd been exiled to another Dust Island," Alex said. "Is this still Huilong City?"
Together, he and Chu Hengkong gazed at the diverse races around them, the wondrous facilities everywhere, and the clear, unclouded sky. It felt like another world, exactly like this. Chu Hengkong finished his burger and tossed the wrapper into the trash.
"It's only been open for three months, so there's a lot of adapting to do."
"I never dreamed it would be this good..." Alex muttered to himself. He turned and stared at the tentacle: "Ah, right! Lord God! After so much time, have you received any divine revelation?"
Chu Hengkong shrugged: "Then it's probably a squid."
"...Alas! It's a good thing the city was saved after all." Alex sighed dejectedly and stood up with the help of his cane. After seven months of forced labor, he had lost some of his obsessive energy and looked much more down-to-earth. Perhaps he had realized through labor that praying to God was useless. He picked up his beads and thanked Chu Hengkong. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked cryptically:
"By the way... a question that everyone is very concerned about..." He looked around, "Inspector Chu, when will you upgrade to Semantic Point 2?"
There was no one in front of him anymore, only the sound of laughter gradually fading away.
"Hurry up!"
As his tentacles extended and retracted, Chu Heng drifted through this familiar yet unfamiliar city. Brass-masked magic scholars were busy constructing in the workshop district. Soldiers and sugar fairies from Paradise danced and sang around fountains. Water curtains across the city were broadcasting new programs, showcasing avant-garde works and ballads. And the craze for weapons continued to surge overhead. Speculators from various Dust Isles rushed to Sky Island by boat, hoping to scoop up magical weapons and treasures.
Everyone who saw him greeted him, and the different voices were filled with the same respect. The city was alive again. It was far from returning to its former glory, but it was changing and growing.
Chu Heng returned to the rebuilt headquarters and walked through the window to the City Lord's office on the 33rd floor. Ji Qiufeng was flipping through a scroll of bamboo slips at the table. Seeing him, he smiled and said, "You're here so soon?"
Chu Hengkong pulled a stool and sat down, impatiently asking, "Mr. Ji, should I be able to upgrade to Mass Point 2?"
"You've come just in time. I just discussed with Youyou about your upgrade to Strong Bone..."
Ji Qiufeng rolled up the bamboo slips and said with a smile, "It seems there's no hope at the moment."
"………………ah?"
(End of this chapter)
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