Chapter 3: Striving for Employment

"Is that his 'skillful hand'?"

"I heard he's a demon-possessed..." another whispered.

Someone expressed concern: "Isn't it too dangerous to let a demon-possessed person into the headquarters?"

"What's there to fear? Captain Huaisu is watching him personally. He can't possibly turn the world upside down!"

Gazes, filled with either curiosity or anxiety, were fixed on Chu Hengkong’s arm. Though white tactical masks concealed people’s expressions, they could not hide the deep hostility in their eyes. Chu Hengkong ignored this, observing his surroundings with the focus of a tourist visiting a metropolis for the first time.

The battle with the fanatics had taken place half an hour ago. After encountering them amidst a surge of weaponry, the blonde female officer, Huaisu, had escorted him to the "Resurrection Unit" operations headquarters.

It was a brightly lit hall. On the large bulletin board on the wall, gruesome wanted posters were pinned, each with a substantial bounty written beneath. Masked members, armed with various weapons, stood or sat, staring at Chu Hengkong as if scrutinizing a criminal.

"Move aside, we have a casualty!"

Suddenly, an urgent cry came, and people immediately cleared a path. Two masked members rushed past carrying a stretcher. The wounded man on it groaned in agony; his injuries were horrific, with mangled organs and shattered bones exposed through wounds that looked as if they had been torn by the fangs of a wild beast.

Chu Hengkong noticed Huaisu purse her lips at that moment. She hurried into a corridor on the side of the hall and pulled open the iron door of an interrogation room. The room contained nothing but a long table and a few chairs. Chu Hengkong sat down at the end of the table.

Neither spoke. They had already exchanged brief introductions on the way. Chu Hengkong was a killer, and Huaisu’s "Resurrection Unit" were the police of this place. They observed each other in silence, like duelists searching for a moment to strike a fatal blow.

Huaisu felt puzzled. Huilong City had no shortage of strange people, but this was the first time she had seen someone like him. The man wore a dark green hooded jacket and looked like an ordinary student. His demeanor was so calm it was almost docile; there had been countless opportunities to attack or escape along the way, yet he had remained entirely cooperative without a hint of resistance. It was hard to imagine that such a person had taken down Alex and his followers with his bare hands, yet the gruesome injuries of the fanatics were proof enough of his lethality.

Similar thoughts ran through Chu Hengkong’s mind. He thought that compared to her fully armed subordinates, this girl’s attire was surprisingly casual. She wore her long blonde hair in a ponytail, a white sports tank top with a brown vest, and nothing but cool denim shorts. It was an outfit suitable for any athletic college girl, flattering her tall, proud figure, but it clearly had nothing to do with a special operations unit.

However, he hadn't forgotten the shimmering golden shield she carried; that was likely another form of supernatural power, much like the Grand Wizard’s eerie "summoning." The fact that such an unprofessional-looking person could be the leader meant she was stronger than all her subordinates.

Chu Hengkong mentally prepared his opening remarks. Negotiation was like a duel between masters; the first move often set the tone. Since the opponent had the upper hand in intelligence, speaking too much would only lead to mistakes; it was better to first observe her style. Thinking this, Chu Hengkong nodded slightly, and the girl opposite him received the signal, taking the lead without hesitation.

"Do you eat roast goose lai fun?" Huaisu asked.

"...Huh?"

Chu Hengkong began to doubt his judgment. What the hell kind of approach was this? True, it was long past mealtime, but shouldn't the classic "cop" routine be about interrogation—who are you, where are you from, and where are you going? Furthermore, shouldn't she be briefing an outsider on the nature of demons after we just left the site of a bizarre ritual?

How did this girl skip the questioning and jump straight to the "are you hungry, let me make you a bowl of noodles" tradition? How was he supposed to respond to that?

The iron door opened, and someone really did bring in a bowl of roast goose lai fun. A whole roast goose leg lay generously atop the noodles, the fat melting into the broth and emitting an alluring aroma. The guy who delivered the bowl greeted her and left. The corner of Chu Hengkong’s eye twitched. "No thanks, I'm fine..."

"You're really not eating?" Huaisu beamed. "That's great, then it's mine! I haven't eaten for half the day, I was just looking for a midnight snack."

She picked up the bowl and started eating. She ate with great relish, a bite of goose meat, a bite of noodles, not even sparing the broth; it was clear she was truly hungry. Amidst his astonishment, Chu Hengkong felt a subtle sense of regret. It was like missing out on the pork ribs at the cafeteria because of a late shift; it wasn't a big deal, but the thought of that missed meal lingered in his mind all afternoon.

"I..." Chu Hengkong rubbed his forehead silently. "Fine, you win. I admit this is the first time I've been interrogated like this..."

Huaisu slurped on a goose bone. "What's the rush? You didn't make any trouble on the way here, so you're surely not stupid enough to cause trouble in our headquarters. You were ruthless enough against the cultists; why are you acting so agreeable with me?"

"Living alone in a strange world is challenging enough; I don't want to start my journey with the 'wanted criminal' status." Chu Hengkong took out his trophies, placing the transparent bead, tobacco, and watch on the table one by one, but leaving the pendant and the silver-eyed tome untouched.

"Your subordinates are very disciplined. They didn't manhandle me or rob me along the way, they didn't even handcuff me. I figured the leader of such a group wouldn't be unreasonable," Chu Hengkong said.

Huaisu pulled out a pair of handcuffs, comparing their size to the tentacles. The tip of the tentacle was only slightly thicker than a normal index finger; even if she locked them tight, it would slip out with a slight pull.

"Unless you voluntarily tie your tentacles into a dead knot, is this thing of any use against you?" Huaisu said. "It’s much easier now that you’re being rational. Tell me your plans. You need to undergo an amputation, then stay in the observation room for three months. After confirming everything is normal and signing a non-disclosure agreement, you can return to a normal life. Isn't that gentle enough?"

Chu Hengkong remained calm. "To chop off someone’s arm just because of a suspicion is a bit too overbearing."

"Where exactly in the Dust Islands are you from? How can you be so oblivious to your own situation?" The blonde girl ground her teeth. "You are possessed by a Delusional Demon. If we don't deal with it quickly, your personality will be wiped out!"

"Are you sure you haven't misidentified it?" Chu Hengkong shook his tentacles. "I heard them say this is the 'Hand of the All-Knowing God'..."

"A common misunderstanding among believers. The Almighty Creator, the All-Knowing, the Great Existence... they love using such terms. But it has nothing to do with the true nature of demons; it’s just that people see the false images they crave within the demons," a third person said.

The door to the interrogation room opened silently, and a man in a casual sweater walked in. He held a paper fan, looking like a cunning advisor, and walked to the center of the room with a smile.

"Delusional Demons are purely spiritual beings. They are twisted in form and peculiar in temperament, making it difficult for them to exist independently in the material world. Therefore, they often inhabit the bodies of intelligent life forms to act," the man with the fan turned to Chu Hengkong. "Does your hometown have hard candy?"

Chu Hengkong was puzzled: "Yes."

The man with the paper fan pulled a piece of pink hard candy from his pocket and tossed it into Huaisu’s bowl.

"Dad! I haven't finished eating!" Huaisu protested loudly.

"Eating too much at night will make you gain weight." Huaisu’s father smiled. He closed his fan and pointed it at the bowl. The hard candy melted bit by bit in the hot soup, turning the broth as murky as vomit.

"This piece of candy is the Delusional Demon, and your body is that bowl of soup. The candy has just dropped in, so there’s still time to fish it out. If you wait until it melts completely, this bowl of soup will be ruined." Huaisu’s father looked at Chu Hengkong deeply. "Don't be blinded by that knowledge and power. Amputation is the best course of action right now. The demon's erosion will deepen over time. You wouldn't want to turn into an octopus-head or a noodle-monster, would you?"

A chill ran down Chu Hengkong’s spine. There were no strange patterns in the father’s eyes, nor did they glow, but deep within his gaze lay the sharpness of a steel spear. Standing before him, you felt like a transparent person; those dark pupils seemed to pierce through skin and marrow, seeing the most secret thoughts in your heart.

But the next moment, the sharpness vanished. The man stood there smiling, like a harmless convenience store owner. Chu Hengkong slowly loosened his clenched right fist and stood up: "Mr. Huaisu, impressive skill."

"You’re not bad yourself, young man." The father took out a severely deformed stone and placed it on the table; it was a fragment of the stone staff Chu Hengkong had kicked and broken earlier. "What kind of knowledge did that tentacle give you to grant you such skill?"

Chu Hengkong was stunned, then smiled. Since the battle ended, one unexpected thing after another had happened, and these people who didn't play by the rules kept his plans from taking root. But now, the subtext of the father’s words gave him an idea. He had finally waited for an opportunity—an opportunity to seize the initiative.

Chu Hengkong hid his tentacle-arm behind his back and tapped the table lightly with his right hand. At the sound of the tap, the stone fragment half a table away jumped on its own.

Huaisu stood up, alert: "Psychokinesis? Has the erosion progressed that quickly?"

Her father blocked her with his folded fan.

"Don't be nervous, Huaisu," he said. "It’s 'force transmission.' He used the table as a medium to complete the strike. It’s the same principle as striking across a mountain."

Chu Hengkong slowly stretched out his right hand, demonstrating through his actions that it was absolutely a human arm, with nothing to do with supernatural power.

"You two seem to have misunderstood. This tentacle arm didn't give me any 'knowledge' or 'ability.' My skills were practiced by myself, and they have nothing to do with any demon," Chu Hengkong said. "After all, this might not even be a demon’s arm. Maybe it came from a squid that crashed in just like I did? Chopping off a man’s arm is a big deal; please think twice."

"What do you know!" Huaisu pointed at him with the goose bone. "Do you have any idea how many demon-possessed people I’ve executed! That is definitely..."

The father opened his fan with a snap, looking thoughtful: "That does make some sense..."

"Hey, how does that sophistry make any sense? With Delusional Demons, it’s better to kill the innocent than to let one slip!" Huaisu exclaimed in shock.

Chu Hengkong sat back down, surveying the current situation. He had finally regained a bit of the initiative, and the next sentence was the crucial moment. What was the situation now? What did they need, and what were they worried about? Most importantly, what did he need most?

Long before he set off, he had a complete plan, so Chu Hengkong spoke with confidence.

"Since we all need a mutually beneficial solution..." Chu Hengkong said, "would you consider hiring me?"