NOVEL WEB Chapter 23: 22 Zhu Shi 3
"Zhu Shi, what are you thinking about?"
It seemed that I had been lost in thought for quite a while, leading Agent Kong to ask curiously.
"Nothing much," I snapped back to reality and shook my head, "we were just talking about the frequent occurrence of strange incidents, so I was reminded of that apocalypse prophecy circulating around Luo Mountain."
"You mean the one that says the world will be destroyed within ten years and all life and matter will vanish in a great calamity?" Agent Kong paused for two or three seconds before recalling, "That's just scaremongering. The situation around the world is indeed a bit odd now, but to say it's the end of the world is a bit of an exaggeration."
Agent Kong's attitude reflected that of the vast majority of Luo Mountain's populace, including myself.
Apocalypse prophecies have been around for a long time, not just in recent years. Throughout history, there have never been a shortage of exaggerated claims that "the world will meet its end at such and such a time." Some had predicted a great terror would come in 1999, destroying the world; others spoke of 2012. But now it's already 2023, and all those predicted doomsdays have proven to be just "another ordinary day."
The active period of strange phenomena is not a new thing in history either, and from a long-term perspective, such events may not even pose a greater threat to human civilization than global warming and the melting of the Arctic ice cap, among other environmental problems.
Those who propose predictions always tend to exaggerate the negatives, whether they are mystics or scientists. Of course, that's not to blame them. When one notices bad omens, their responsibility is to make those around them take notice as much as possible.
The problem is the source of that "apocalypse prophecy" is unclear, no one knows who started the rumor, and there's no direct evidence to lend credibility to it.
I hadn't underestimated this trend of increasingly frequent strange phenomena. The sands of time, piled on an individual, become a mountain. Even if the trend wasn't enough to shake everyone's world, it could easily shake the world of those around me and myself.
"Whether the world will meet its end in ten years, I have no idea, but if I can't complete the job assigned by my superiors, my end will come in ten days," sighed Agent Kong.
"Are you talking about that person-finding mission?"
Agent Kong would often share with me his experience accumulated from investigating strange events, which had been quite helpful when I first became a demon hunter, so I wanted to repay him: "If there's anything I can help with, I'm willing to lend my strength."
"That won't be necessary, after all, mentioning this job doesn't exactly sound good," he initially shook his head, then complained, "I really don't know who came up with this brilliant idea, making me pretend to be a police officer, accusing a girl who doesn't even look fourteen years old of being a serial killer and going door-to-door to investigate her whereabouts.
"Do you know? One of the houses I visited today was Zhuang Cheng's. When I handed him the girl's photo, his expression was as if he was asking whether I was talking in my sleep."
"If I remember correctly, that girl is the only soul loss sufferer known worldwide to have awakened, right?" I racked my brains for the information I had heard, "I remember her name is, is..."
"Her name is 'Mazao'. Mazao, like the 'ma' in troublesome and the 'zao' in early," Agent Kong took over, "Just yesterday morning, she awoke in the hospital and then immediately disappeared without a trace."
"I know she's very important. If possible, I would also like to find her. But is it necessary to go to this extent? To directly accuse her of being a serial killer without any consideration for her human rights," The thought alone felt very wrong to me, "Moreover, if we are looking for someone, why not ask the Public Security Department? They are much more capable in this regard than us at Luo Mountain."
"The higher-ups are very anxious for some reason and accused the young girl of being a serial killer without prior discussion. They are still negotiating with the Public Security Department to finalize this suspicion. But the Public Security Department hasn't given in yet," said Agent Kong with a sigh, "As for asking the Public Security Department to search... as you know, the relationship between Luo Mountain and the official forces has grown increasingly tense. Perhaps in the near future, a full-scale conflict will erupt."
Many demon hunters in Luo Mountain are arrogant about their abilities, they believe that power is the primary factor determining one's class and therefore think they should be the ruling class. They are out of place in today's society.
In name, Luo Mountain is a "demon hunter department" governed and directed by official forces, but in reality, it is anything but that. To the general public (if they knew about us at Luo Mountain), we might just be seen as a malevolent, violent organization outside the bounds of society.
This kind of conflict was bound to erupt sooner or later.
Rather, I'd like to ask just one question about a society that could bury such a landmine deep underground and allow it to develop to this day, "Is this reasonable?"
"Anyway, let's not talk about that for now..." Agent Kong pulled out a tablet computer, "I've found you the combat footage of the Fallen Demon Hunter. The official forces have been pondering how to combat demon hunters with heat weapons, and they found a Fallen Demon Hunter before us, deploying a team and engaging in conflict. And this is the result."
I took the tablet and began to watch.
The conflict had taken place in a bamboo grove on the outskirts, and a drone captured the whole process from an aerial perspective.
The bamboo grove was lit up by several flares, as bright as day, while a monster of strange and grotesque shape appeared in one corner of the screen.
The monster looked like a demon from an oil painting, with a ferocious goat-like head, a tall body over two meters high, its skin a dark red color, wearing no clothes or accessories, with black fur covering its wrists, ankles, and private parts.
This guy who resembled a demon was a Fallen Demon Hunter.
Of course, he was not a demon, but a human with the ability to transform.
There was also a well-trained modern combat team in the bamboo forest, not only armed to the teeth but also brought along combat vehicles equipped with heavy weaponry.
When the Fallen Demon Hunter blatantly appeared, they immediately lifted their weapons and launched a tight-knit offensive against the enemy from different angles. The natural scenery instantly turned into a battlefield, and the barrage was like a destructive storm, effortlessly mowing down vast swaths of bamboo, and also completely enveloping the Fallen Demon Hunter.
But all of it was of no use, the Fallen Demon Hunter didn't even attempt to dodge. He simply squatted and then, like an arrow released from a bow, his body became a blurry shadow that blasted forth.
The barrage was effortlessly torn apart by this terrifying shadow, and it wasn't just the guns that were ineffective; flame throwers, sonic weapons, and other special weapons also had no effect on him. The Fallen Demon Hunter slaughtered at will within the bamboo, the whole scene reminiscent of mowing grass.
This was no longer a battle, but merely the Fallen Demon Hunter's unilateral mechanical operation.
Soon after, the battle recording ended.
"...What do you think?" Agent Kong asked with an apparent calm.
"It's pretty much the same as my last fight with him," I stated my conclusion, "He's at least at 'Residence' level and also has comprehensive Physical Enhancement, he's a top expert among all the demon hunters at Luo Mountain. It's not impossible to defeat him with firearms, but the firepower of this magnitude can't do it."
In novels and comics, Physical Enhancement seems pretty ordinary, almost like a standard ability for weaklings.
But from a warrior's point of view, "Physical Enhancement" is a first-tier ability. A powerful body means powerful offensive, defensive, and mobility capabilities. Some Physical Enhancement abilities can even enhance the user's sensory abilities, regenerative abilities, and immunity, granting them strong reconnaissance capabilities, higher chances of survival, and resistance to toxins and curses.
And what about other abilities? Take the Flame Ability for example.
Being able to summon flames out of thin air sure has a dazzling visual effect and considerable lethality. But it doesn't provide any defense, which means a very low margin for error during battle. An ordinary person could potentially land a fatal shot from behind; it doesn't offer any mobility, which means only moving at the speed of an ordinary person, if faced with a fast and agile enemy, they would be at a disadvantage— after all, speed is essential.
Not to mention shortcomings in reconnaissance and other aspects. Many Flame Ability Users have even accidentally burned themselves or caused explosions nearby, ensnaring themselves or suffocating to death from the dense smoke in their environment. There are so many injury and death cases that Luo Mountain's internal magazines have compiled them into a collection of dark humor.
In fact, many special abilities, because of their "high offense, low defense" nature, make their wielders less like true demon hunters and more like ordinary people with special weapons. And since they are ordinary people, there are countless ways to take them down.
What determines how much water a bucket can hold is always the shortest plank.
An ordinary person, even with the ability to stop time, is vulnerable to sneak attacks, poisoning, and other tactics, just as fragile as any other person.
Don't be fooled by the modern combat team in the recording; they appeared powerless against the Fallen Demon Hunter, but if faced with those special ability users, who knows how many ways there are to put them to death.
"So what about you?" Agent Kong put away his tablet, "If you were to face this Fallen Demon Hunter, what chance do you have of victory?"
"I can't accurately calculate it to an exact percentage," I conservatively said, "I can only say that if I rely on my own cultivation to fight him, the outcome would be unknown. Whether it's him who dies, or me, neither would be surprising."
"And what if it were a top 'Accomplished' level demon hunter? Or..."
Agent Kong hadn't finished his sentence when I suddenly sensed a strong mana fluctuation and involuntarily stood up.
I turned my head towards the distance.
There were two sources of mana fluctuation in the distance, currently in conflict with one another.
I recognized one of them as the Fallen Demon Hunter's mana fluctuation.
The other was unfamiliar, it felt like a raging fire.
The fervor of the flames overpowered the former in an instant.