Chapter 126: A Den of Sly Foxes (Two-in-One)

"Is that it?"

"What a waste."

Zhou Shu stood beside Tong Tianhua's corpse and muttered.

"Young brother, what did you say? *Cough, cough*..."

Feng Hai stumbled over, holding his chest, and asked.

Zhou Shu turned his head, slightly out of breath, and quickly steadied Feng Hai. "Oh, it's nothing. I just meant that it was too dangerous just now. Are you alright, Master Feng?"

"*Cough, cough*, no major problems. *Ptooey*—"

Feng Hai coughed up a mouthful of blood, spat it out nonchalantly, and added, "I have to thank you for the rescue; you saved my life."

Zhou Shu stared at the blood on the ground: "???"

He called this "alright"?

Well, it seemed he had already spat out a fair amount of blood while getting beaten earlier, so this bit really was a trifle by comparison.

However, facing the praise from a senior, Zhou Shu felt a bit embarrassed. After all, their teamwork had consisted of Feng Hai taking the hits on the front line while he handled the shooting from behind.

There were several times when Tong Tianhua tried to hammer Zhou Shu, only to be held back by Feng Hai, which resulted in Feng Hai being brutally pummeled by the enraged Tong Tianhua.

In truth, Zhou Shu had wanted to tell Senior Feng that he didn't need to intercept Tong Tianhua's attacks on him—he could have dodged them using Bullet Time. All Feng Hai needed to do was block Tong Tianhua from dodging his bullets.

But the situation had been too critical at the time. Facing a Tong Tianhua whose attributes were infinitely close to 5, they couldn't afford a single moment of distraction. So, Zhou Shu could only watch as Feng Hai took the beating.

All he could do was finish off Tong Tianhua a second sooner.

So, he said apologetically, "No, no, it was my fault for arriving late and letting you suffer so many injuries."

"Hey, it's fine," Feng Hai said, taking it in stride. "If you hadn't come, I'd be the one lying on the ground right now."

He finished by looking Zhou Shu up and down. "By the way, which branch are you a genius from? How come I've never heard of you?"

"To have the strength of a Level 3 Demon Slayer, and to be so skilled with firearms... most importantly, to be this young—it’s impossible not to have heard of you. Did your branch hide you too deeply?"

Zhou Shu said weakly, "Master Feng, we’ve actually met before, but you didn't really pay attention to me..."

"Oh, is that so?"

It wasn't actually Feng Hai's fault. It was just that Zhou Shu had kept such a low profile; the two had only met briefly before, and Zhou Shu had been introduced as an "engineer" at the time.

Later, when the Command Center held high-level operational meetings, a minimum rank of Level 3 Demon Slayer was required to attend. As a Level 1 newcomer, he hadn't even been considered, so it was perfectly normal for them not to know each other.

As the two chatted, a crowd of people rushed over. Medical personnel quickly carried away the Level 3 Demon Slayer who was still lying on the ground and hurried to check and treat Feng Hai’s injuries.

Large numbers of people were also searching through the ruins, as the entire building had been severely damaged and many people were trapped beneath it. Before this, while the two monsters were fighting, no one had dared to approach.

Zhou Shu was also surrounded by a group, though his injuries were minor. His only external wound was a layer of skin and flesh on his arm, corroded by Wu Xinghe's poisonous hand.

However, having previously invested points into his Constitution, and with the restorative effects of his Origin Essence energy, the wound had already scabbed over.

As for the tiny bit of toxic gas he had inhaled earlier, that was even less of a problem; the moment he increased his Constitution, he had sobered up instantly.

As for his "What a waste" comment, it was simply because the risk he had taken and the rewards he had gained didn't match up.

He had killed Tong Tianhua, whose attributes were all 4.9, and he had expected to net at least 3 points of Origin Essence energy. But after absorbing it, he discovered that not only was it not 3 points, it wasn't even one damn point.

For such a massive Dharma Image of the Guardian Deity, he had only received 0.95 units of Origin Essence energy.

The "what the hell" feeling he had at that moment was immeasurable.

It was truly a massive loss.

Reflecting on it later, he realized it might have been because this was a battle of attrition.

Previous battles had always ended quickly—some monsters were killed before they could even display their full strength, so there was a lot of residual energy.

Tong Tianhua, however, had been worn down bit by bit; one only had to look at his body, riddled with bullet holes like a sieve, to see that.

He was lying there now, having already bled out a whole vat of blood.

Moreover, blood had been splattered everywhere during the fight; he was truly drained of all vitality, which was why Zhou Shu had said, "You are actually already dead."

The Hunter System had been monitoring the opponent's condition in real time, which had cost Zhou Shu a fair amount of mental energy, but it was all worth it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to stand calmly on the second floor, watching Tong Tianhua's final lunge with a smile.

This battle had been difficult; it was essentially the most dangerous fight Zhou Shu had faced in the real world, yet he still felt it was a loss.

He checked his attribute panel and found that, except for Constitution, everything else had increased by 0.01—better than nothing.

Because he had used "Gun-Fu" throughout the entire fight—the heavy sniper rifle version of "Gun-Fu," at that—his firearm proficiency had increased, reaching "Mastery 66%," a very auspicious number.

***

The Origin Essence energy was a loss. He had thought he would get at least 3 points, which would have allowed his energy storage to break through 16 in one go. Unfortunately, he only got 0.9, and his energy reserves only pushed past 13.7.

Seeing the massive influx of personnel on the big screens starting to clean up the aftermath, the Command Center finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, news from the other branch battlefields arrived.

Everything had gone basically perfectly!

The only place where a major blunder occurred was the main battlefield.

Actually, it was still acceptable. Even data model simulations couldn't guarantee 100% success, and achieving this level in actual execution was quite good.

They had even simulated the outcome of all their high-end combatants being wiped out.

No one had expected that outcome to almost happen.

Who the hell could have guessed that the enemy leader could use such a perverse transformation mode?

According to the higher-ups, entering the Fourth Stage indeed brought about tremendous changes, comparable to the difference between 0.99 and 1—the boundary between a normal person and a superhuman.

Ability users in the first three stages were strong, but not ridiculously so. However, by the fourth stage, their power underwent a qualitative leap.

The absurd transformation was only one aspect; they could not only grow larger but even shrink.

It was more ridiculous than bone-shrinking arts.

But Tong Tianhua's "Four-Armed Mahakala" was even more absurd—something that had only been seen in historical records had actually appeared.

And the opponent had been able to suppress a "Heavenly Master." They would need to investigate thoroughly whether or not he had broken through to a new stage.

Their own high-end combatant had almost been killed, but luckily, a special high-end combatant had suddenly emerged.

Feng Hai had cooperated with Zhou Shu and actually managed to turn the tables and suppress the opponent.

Oh, of course, Master Feng Hai had been the one taking the beating the whole time, but his role had been crucial.

Still, this Zhou Shu... he was something else.

The battle was over, and various data had been calculated.

Because there was no specialized equipment and both sides were in intense combat, they couldn't get accurate readings of his radiance, but some data could still be estimated.

Zhou Shu's movement speed had been very obvious, so the power foundation supporting that speed certainly wasn't low.

Comparing it with the data of Demon Slayers at various levels, his strength attribute had entered at least the third level.

His dodging maneuvers were also very flexible. Considering he possessed danger perception and slow-motion capabilities, his actual agility attribute might be lower, but it had at least reached the third level—perhaps even higher than his strength attribute.

As for endurance and constitution, it was unclear. After all, Zhou Shu hadn't "transformed," and the consumption shouldn't have been high, so it wasn't easy to tell.

Constitution was even harder to gauge.

However, even if those two attributes were low, as long as his main combat attributes were at the third level, he was a genuine third-level ability user.

Not to mention this "Gun-Fu" of his—it was simply outrageous!

As long as Zhou Shu had a gun, though they didn't want to admit it, Master Feng Hai might not necessarily be able to beat him.

It might even be a worse outcome than the battle against Tong Tianhua.

The reason why ordinary soldiers with guns couldn't hurt ability users wasn't that the weapons were ineffective; it was that the soldiers wielding them weren't up to the task.

They couldn't keep up with the movement speed of the ability users.

If it were someone like Zhou Shu, whose own strength was already formidable, and whose powerful physique allowed him to handle even more violent weapons, then those of the same level were like chicks to him, and even those a level higher couldn't easily escape with their lives.

Yes, as long as Zhou Shu was given the right weapon, even a Level 4 or S-class ability user would only have their life to lose.

Perhaps only those truly powerful Level 4 experts could remain unafraid of Zhou Shu's threat, or someone like Tong Tianhua, whom they weren't sure whether to classify as a peak Level 4 or a Level 5.

Of course, there was one prerequisite here: that Zhou Shu didn't get his hands on even more powerful weapons.

The flight speed of gunpowder-based bullets was "too slow." To achieve higher speeds, you needed more propellant and larger, longer launchers, and in doing so, the weight of the firearm would skyrocket.

Once the weight reached a certain threshold, it would affect Zhou Shu's mobility and flexibility, which would conversely cause his "combat effectiveness" to drop. So, in another sense, the power of the weapons he could wield had reached its peak.

However, there was an issue here regarding the weapons Zhou Shu held. They had seen it clearly through the footage transmitted back by the observers: it was true that Zhou Shu had no reloading movements, and it was also true that he had fired dozens of heavy sniper rounds in a short period.

How were these two things compatible?

Could that tiny magazine really hold dozens of 20mm sniper rounds?

Or did his gun have the ability to 3D-print bullets, just like the future weapons in *Call of Duty*?

But this was a question no one would ask.

Regardless, the current Zhou Shu was worthy of the title "Heavenly Master."

Even if he hadn't met some of the basic criteria, the most rigorous conditions were no longer an issue.

***

Heh, you don't agree? Why don't you go fight him yourself?

The "Heavenly Masters" followed orders, considered the country and the people, and would step up in times of crisis, but they wouldn't share their survival skills with others.

The matter was concluded, and the "Super Vanguard" had undergone excellent field testing. The results were very good, and it would soon be mass-produced.

As the person who played a leading role in this, Zhou Shu’s contribution was not small. Combined with his combat merits, his "noble rank" could be elevated once more.

However, just as the Command Center had this idea, an order from the headquarters of the Demon Suppression Division came down and suppressed the matter.

Rewards would be given, but certainly not now. Even the previously set plan for him to "debut as an idol" was canceled.

Zhou Shu only learned of this after returning to the Dongyuan City Demon Suppression Division.

After returning from the Great Snow Mountain, the Division Chief personally spoke with him and told him about the higher-ups' plans.

"Good grief, how come there are so many old schemers up there?"

Zhou Shu was stunned at the time.

"Hey, don't say that," the Chief quickly explained. "They just want to keep you hidden so that you can have an unexpected effect at a critical moment, just like you did before."

It made sense. Suddenly jumping out with a combatant who was no less capable than a "Heavenly Master," and who used guns to boot—that destructive power was far greater than that of an orthodox "Heavenly Master."

As his combat power grew higher, Zhou Shu cared less and less about these things. As for money, he wasn't lacking anymore.

When he was broke, he had thought about what he would buy once he was rich, but now that he actually had money, he didn't seem to want those things anymore.

Absurd.

What he cared about now was the growth of his strength, and besides his own abilities, there was one other thing.

"How is the development plan for the small-scale mecha going? Did the higher-ups approve it?"

"Approved, approved. Since your rank was high enough, it wouldn't have been right for them to suppress your promotion. Although it's part of the plan, they do owe you something, so the small-scale mecha development plan was given the green light," the Chief said.

"That's good," Zhou Shu nodded, reasonably satisfied.

In fact, he had talked to Li Decai before the battle, and the latter had mentioned showing him the system data he had organized long ago. He hadn't expected to encounter such a massive target during the battle, which made the "size" of the mecha seem not so large after all.

Coupled with the excellent performance of the "Super Vanguard" in this battle, the higher-ups were also looking forward to whether Zhou Shu, the "Father of Practical Powered Exoskeleton Armor," could cobble together a usable mecha as well.

He didn't know who had come up with that title. Zhou Shu was only 18!

How was he a "Father of something-or-other"?

He didn't want to become the subject of a medical miracle like, "Sorry, I'm 22 this year, and my son is 16."

The Chief showed Zhou Shu the detailed documents. Zhou Shu discovered that not only was the plan approved, but it was also receiving strong support in all aspects.

Not only was there sufficient funding, but the participating personnel were all top-tier experts in relevant fields, and he was the overall lead.

Hmm, Li Decai was under his command again.

This could be considered "an eye for an eye."

Zhou Shu looked at the documents, and the Chief looked at him.

He hadn't expected that Zhou Shu's surprises would never end, and this time, he had delivered a big one!

Although the public title of "Heavenly Master" could not be given, his Demon Slayer rank would not be raised, his salary wouldn't increase, and his battle merits wouldn't be elevated to the corresponding "noble rank," his invisible status had been climbing steadily.

As the direct person in charge of the Dongyuan City Demon Suppression Division, the Chief was one of the few who knew the truth, so he had to treat Zhou Shu according to the rank of a "Heavenly Master."

However, from a rank perspective, a "Heavenly Master" was higher than a branch chief like him. But when these Heavenly Masters came down to participate in operations, they didn't put on airs; they basically treated everyone as equals.

From the start, he had treated Zhou Shu like a treasure, and his attitude toward him had always been very kind. Zhou Shu had been very free, so the way he was treated now hadn't changed much.

It seemed that his initial decision to support Zhou Shu had been a blessing.

A "Heavenly Master" had emerged in Dongyuan City during his tenure, so his own "merit" was not small either.

As for Zhou Shu, if the Chief had actually started treating him like a Heavenly Master, he would have felt very uncomfortable, so keeping things the way they were was just right.

He had been very free from the very beginning.

"By the way," the Chief seemed to recall something. "This time, the Demon Suppression Division swept away the country's largest illegal superhuman organization with thunderous momentum, which directly intimidated those restless small groups. So, the higher-ups have discussed it, and this year's college entrance examination will proceed as planned. Do you want to go back to school to review for two days?"

"No need to review. Isn't the college entrance exam just something you can pass with your hands?"

Zhou Shu looked up at him. "Besides, there are only five days left until the exam. At this point, teachers usually want students to relax."

"Haha, true, I almost forgot," the Chief laughed. "Your academic grades seem to be excellent as well. Shall I look forward to you winning a top scholar title for our Demon Suppression Division?"

"I can't guarantee that. After all, when others were reviewing, I ran off to the Great Snow Mountain to fight a war. Maybe I'll barely manage to get a runner-up or third place, but that’s only at the provincial level—it doesn't mean much," Zhou Shu said, digging his ear.