Truth in the Mist

"Ha ha ha... cough, cough."

"I won!"

On the cold ground, Tang Qi held the dog's headless corpse and laughed brilliantly.

Just now, he had taken a gamble.

With the physical abilities of an ordinary human, it would have been impossible for him to fight a monstrous mad dog one-on-one with his bare hands while being hunted down.

But with a Supernatural Firearm, everything was different.

In the end, at the cost of having his arm bitten, he successfully unsealed Blood Python No. 1 and blew off that dog's head at the last moment.

Feeling the corpse in his arms gradually turn cold, Tang Qi struggled to his feet. Instead of immediately checking his injured arm, he looked at the imposing pistol still clutched in his other hand.

Within his eyes, the transformed Special Interface appeared.

Curio: Blood Python No. 1.

Status: Restored.

Information Fragment One: This was a weapon that had accompanied its Original Owner through war. During an accident, it killed a Cave Demon Dragon. After being stained with the dragon's blood, it gained Transcendental Power—Dragon's Might (False).

Information Fragment Two: Its basic attributes were explosive force and armor-piercing. It could modify bullets, granting them different temporary attributes.

"Good stuff!"

Although Tang Qi was only a rookie who had just entered the Supernatural Realm, he still possessed basic appraisal skills.

Especially with Omniscience, his Cheat System, the information on this Supernatural Firearm was laid bare. It was definitely a weapon that could drastically increase Tang Qi's combat power in an instant.

That was clear from the Bronx Dog-Faced Man, now a corpse in his arms.

"Hm?"

The moment Tang Qi's thoughts turned to the monster's corpse in his arms, he saw the mangled mad dog carcass suddenly begin to rot.

Its tumor-covered body deflated bit by bit like a balloon that had lost its air. A huge rotten patch appeared, its flesh dissolved, followed by its bones, which turned from ghastly white to pitch-black. When a breeze swept past, it scattered away like dust.

From where the corpse had vanished, a hazy soul rose up, still wearing an expression of anguish. It was the Drug Addict Ghost Tang Qi had killed.

The moment it saw Tang Qi, it was as though it had seen a terrifying natural predator. An even more venomous expression appeared on its already twisted face. With a shriek, it turned to flee.

Unfortunately, at that moment, a pale hand suddenly shot out and seized its neck.

Before it could open its mouth to scream, there was suddenly a bang within Tang Qi's palm, and faint golden flames ignited.

The instant it touched those flames, the Drug Addict Ghost's vengeful soul melted rapidly like lingering snow beneath the blazing sun. It thrashed desperately with all its limbs, but a second later, it still turned to ash.

In that instant, Tang Qi seemed to see a small stream composed entirely of golden motes gather from his palm and surge into that strange space filled with mist.

Boom

Tang Qi's body trembled. An incomparably warm sensation enveloped him, accompanied by endless strength flowing through every limb and bone.

The chase and counterattack should have exhausted all of Tang Qi's stamina.

But now, apart from the faint pain in his arm, Tang Qi felt no depletion at all. He was in better condition than ever before.

"This feeling...?"

Buzz

Tang Qi slowly stood up, abruptly closed his eyes, and entered his Mental Space. He quickly emerged again and looked at himself once more.

Sure enough, the scene he had expected appeared.

The skills section had changed once again.

But this time, the Golden Furnace Meditation Method had changed.

A set of parentheses had appeared in the previously blank space, reading: Beginner, progress 0.01%.

"The Meditation Method has entered the beginner stage too."

Feeling the abundant Mental Power in his mind, Tang Qi smiled faintly and said.

At that moment, he suddenly understood the deciphering verse for the Golden Furnace Meditation Method.

The sun was a golden furnace, and the only fuel was the soul.

Perhaps he had found the correct path for cultivating the Meditation Method?

Tang Qi vaguely understood something, though a faint doubt still remained.

But this was not a good place to think. Tang Qi took off his coat and wrapped it around his badly injured arm, then glanced at the ground, which should have been a complete mess.

Because the monster's corpse had dispersed, aside from some black ash, there were only six yellow-orange shell casings and a few drops of Tang Qi's own blood.

Though it was late at night and this place was secluded, with no corpse left behind, there was no need to worry about explaining anything even if someone showed up.

Still, following the principle that less trouble was better, Tang Qi dealt with the scene.

He picked up the shell casings and put them into the box along with Blood Python No. 1, then kicked over some dirt to wipe away the blood.

After confirming that everything was in order, Tang Qi turned and headed home.

Once back at the Brick House, Tang Qi treated his arm using a rather strange method. He crudely disinfected it with strong liquor and applied herbs. Neither the Original Owner nor Tang Qi himself possessed such knowledge, so it had clearly come from Old Morgan, that native of the Saha Continent.

Tang Qi had devoured half of his soul and acquired some fragmented knowledge as well.

After everything was settled, Tang Qi neither cultivated the Meditation Method that had just entered the beginner stage nor fiddled with Blood Python No. 1, the Supernatural Weapon he had just obtained.

Instead, he quickly went down to the first floor, entered the cramped storage room, and dragged out a bundle of old newspapers and a pile of magazines and other publications. The date on the topmost one was yesterday's.

After carrying those ink-scented publications to the study, Tang Qi began flipping through them quickly.

His focus differed from that of ordinary people. He did not read political news or business reports.

He specifically looked for strange incidents, unreliable Urban Legends printed in tiny columns, or simply bloody tragedies that sounded horrifying at first glance.

On April 29th, Divine Eagle Calendar 102, a Snow Monster was suspected of appearing at Mount Ghana, a famous Federation tourist destination. A Giant covered in ice and snow burst from deep within the mountains, snatched a child from a tourist couple, and fled.

On April 30th, a street in the center of Saint Eagle's Nest City, the largest metropolis, collapsed. A creature resembling a mermaid appeared in the sewers. The official explanation was that it was some kind of marine creature that had wandered into the sewers.

On the same day, in Carthage City, the second-largest metropolis, members of a cult attempted to burn themselves beneath a statue of the Lord of Thorns. They were stopped by the police, but before they could be escorted back to the station, all the cultists mysteriously vanished.

On May 1st, a serial killer appeared on Highway No. 5 in the Federation, murdering more than a dozen people along the highway. Devil-like runes were left at the murder scenes.

As he read more and more of this information, Tang Qi's brow furrowed tighter. The vague speculation in his heart gradually became clearer.

By the end, Tang Qi was no longer satisfied with the Divine Eagle Federation. He expanded his search directly to all of Blue Star.

The amount of related information exploded severalfold, flooding Tang Qi's mind.

On April 30th, 102, Blood Mist suddenly erupted within a rural ancient castle in Franci, a member nation of the Europa Alliance. It did not disperse until dawn the next day, and every living thing within the shrouded area had died.

On May 1st, in the southern Atlantic Ocean, a passing cruise ship was suspected of being capsized by a Sea Monster shaped like a Giant Octopus. Most of those aboard died, while the few survivors all fell into states of delirium and madness.

On May 2nd, deep within the Eritrean Ocean, all kinds of eerie and terrifying roars were detected. It seemed that monsters were fighting in the depths of the vast sea. A day later, a vast area of seawater at the center of the ocean had been dyed blood-red.

On April 28th, a violent pillar of light suddenly erupted from the Siren Trench. The beam pierced through the ocean, even briefly illuminating most of the trench. Within it, the phantom image of a pair of wings could vaguely be seen. Many insisted that it was likely a Divine Miracle.

The source was Wings of Freedom, which the Divine Eagle Federation had lost for centuries. Rumor had it that the Federal Government had already organized scientists and religious scholars to investigate and salvage it.