According to Arno, the Bone Dragon they'd encountered last night hadn't dared come over because of this "environment adjustment." It had been extremely powerful in its own world; even concentrated firepower hadn't been enough to take it down.
But once the Bone Dragon came over to Longcheng, things were different. Roy had said at the time that if they went over there, they'd be throwing their lives away. But if the Bone Dragon came to them, their firepower might not be enough to kill it, but it could hold it off.
Casualties could be ignored. The important thing was to hold it off.
As long as they held the Bone Dragon back and stopped it from returning, Longcheng's reinforcements would arrive and teach it a lesson.
Unfortunately, the Bone Dragon never came over.
"So a powerful being might become very weak after entering an anomaly and coming into contact with another world? And a very weak being might become very strong?"
"That's only half right." Arno shook his head. "A powerful being might become 'weaker' because of environment adjustment, but a being that was already very weak won't become very strong just because of it."
"An ordinary person will still be an ordinary person in a new environment. What matters is the nature of the individual."
So an ordinary person would still be ordinary in another world. Then a martial arts expert who went to a world where power was less suppressed would probably go from being able to smash a brick with a slap to slapping out several dragons?
Arno didn't go into detail on that. In his eyes, Zheng Yichen was still an "outsider" who hadn't truly entered an anomaly. He'd only shared all this because of what Zheng Yichen had experienced the night before. Not everyone who could become a hunter was able to enter an anomaly.
Arno had met people more capable than himself, and even they couldn't enter anomalies easily. The pressure ignored "resistance"; the only way in was through special methods or means.
Because of this environment adjustment, even if some worlds connected to anomalies were wonderful places to live or vacation, and offered an incredible experience, some people still couldn't stay there forever.
There was no other reason. They could enjoy life in those worlds, but the price was losing the near-invincible state they had in their own world. They were far more likely to be killed there, even by a local resident with a gun.
It sounded as ridiculous as a Super Saiyan being killed by a laser gun, but it had actually happened.
"Brother Arno, you've entered an anomaly before, right? What was it like?" Zheng Yichen asked because he'd thought of some of the things Arno had displayed earlier. Hadn't some of them come from other worlds?
How to put it? Zheng Yichen thought this world was quite special. Traveling between different worlds wasn't some closely guarded secret. Ordinary people might not know about it, but it wasn't that hard to learn about in circles beyond theirs.
It wasn't treated like some unique secret that had to be kept under wraps. Once someone outside the ordinary world had learned a little about it, they could look into it further, provided they could find someone willing to talk.
"...Once you get used to it, it doesn't feel like much." Arno shook his head. After a moment's hesitation, he continued, "If you want to learn more about this, you can talk to the nuns here."
"That's possible?" Zheng Yichen had suspected from the beginning that the Twilight Chapel was no ordinary place, but Arno's words confirmed it.
"Of course. It just depends on whether the nuns are willing to discuss it with you. But before you do, I recommend improving your abilities. Improving your body may be difficult, but you can hone your fighting skills anywhere, and they'll always be useful."
Speaking of improving his fighting skills, Zheng Yichen wanted to ask Arno to teach him a few moves. But Arno shook his head, saying his fighting style wasn't suited to Zheng Yichen. He looked at the guns Zheng Yichen had chosen and said they were a good fit for someone as strong as him.
He also reminded Zheng Yichen not to try entering the center of an anomaly just because he'd learned all this.
He'd only gained a basic understanding of the subject. The other side of an anomaly might not be safe. Even if nothing came through, local residents might be lying in wait on the other side. The moment he went through, they could seize him...
The odds of that happening weren't very high, but it was possible. He could try once he grew stronger, but he'd have to prepare thoroughly. After crossing an anomaly, he'd need to leave its center as quickly as possible. Some people could withstand the pressure at an anomaly's center, but that didn't mean the pressure wasn't still there.
People who could function at high altitudes didn't necessarily feel comfortable or perform at one hundred percent. The pressure inside an anomaly affected people in much the same way.
Arno's warning made Zheng Yichen realize that he'd already figured some things out, such as the fact that Zheng Yichen could enter the center of an anomaly.
As for the pressure Arno had mentioned, Zheng Yichen thought it over. It seemed to have very little effect on him.
He had felt pressure, but it hadn't been anything like altitude sickness. Though he'd never experienced altitude sickness since crossing over.
So when he came into contact with an anomaly, the pressure wasn't something he needed to worry about. What mattered was whether the other side was safe, and whether a group of armed men would be lying in wait to seize him the moment he arrived.
Wait, if he barely felt the pressure, couldn't he just keep jumping back and forth? Other people would have to keep enduring the pressure from "environment adjustment," building up a great deal of strain. But that didn't apply to him.
Then the biggest problem was how to find an anomaly he could access.
Longcheng's public security forces were very capable. Hunters carried guns, and ordinary people could get their hands on guns through certain channels. Putting aside whether it was legal, if they had to use special channels, it was definitely illegal.
So how could Longcheng's public security be anything but strong? And with anomalies around, the support those forces received naturally grew in turn.
If an anomaly appeared somewhere in Longcheng, and he couldn't get there within twenty minutes, the scene would definitely be sealed off.
And how was he supposed to talk with the pretty nuns at the Twilight Chapel about "other worlds"? How should he bring that up? Arno hadn't been deliberately cryptic, but he hadn't explained everything, either. The Twilight Chapel was no ordinary place. So how did the authorities in Longcheng regard it?
Would the nuns seek him out once he got stronger?
Arno took out a deck of cards with a dark gold background. "Want to play?"
"Sure." Zheng Yichen nodded. This world had cards too, though they weren't like the ones he knew. He'd once thought about making playing cards and Mahjong, but back then he'd been too young, so he'd never gotten around to it.
Now that Arno had taken out a deck, Zheng Yichen had a few ideas. The cards weren't playing cards, though. They were Beast Cards, somewhat like poker. Zheng Yichen had never heard of them before; Arno must have gotten them from another world.
After Arno explained the basic rules, Zheng Yichen understood. He wondered if they could each get a set and start saying, "My turn. I draw!"
"You've got a knack for this," Arno said after they'd played a couple of rounds. Beast Cards weren't too hard to pick up, but they weren't easy, either.
"I've played other strategy games before. Next time we meet, I'll show you one I know."
"I'm looking forward to it. It's your turn to play a card." Arno nodded.
As time passed, more people came into the Twilight Chapel, then gradually left. Zheng Yichen had to go, too. Arno put away the cards, looking reluctant to stop. "Once you've seen more, we can put something on the line when we play."
"See you next time." Zheng Yichen left all the snacks in his bag behind. Though Arno had said his fighting style wasn't suitable for others to learn, he'd told Zheng Yichen plenty about his experiences while they played cards.
The stories all centered on Longcheng. Zheng Yichen wanted to ask about other worlds, but felt it would be rude.
Still, Arno's stories had taught him a lot. They mentioned all kinds of strange beings, so if Zheng Yichen encountered one, he wouldn't be completely clueless.
He left the guns at the chapel. Tomorrow, he'd come back and find a suitable place in the suburbs to practice.
By the time he headed back, the sealed subway line had reopened. The subway was still crowded, and what had happened the day before hadn't affected the people of Longcheng. Or perhaps they were all used to things like that. He made it safely back to where he lived.
Zheng Yichen worked out with the equipment, then took a shower. As he was falling asleep, he thought of the dream he'd had at the Twilight Chapel that day... More than six hours had passed since then. He should be fine, right?
He slept until dawn. As usual, Zheng Yichen stared at himself in the mirror and ran a hand over the skin on his chest. It felt slightly rough, like skin that had started peeling after a sunburn.
He needed to find a new Abnormal Creature. Low-level ones like the Giant Rat—no, ground-level Abnormal Creatures—could no longer improve his own abnormality. He needed to find something meatier. As for going after people, he hadn't tried it and didn't want to.
After all, his abnormal ability manifested as a Black Gun that drained blood. If the situation was urgent, he didn't mind stabbing someone with it. But without that kind of emergency, he was still uneasy about it. Besides, he hadn't encountered any enemies with abnormalities so far.
Ordinary people wouldn't go looking for trouble with him for no reason, and Zheng Yichen wouldn't attack anyone just to test things out.
"First, I'll go to the Night Banquet Bar..."
The bars in the Lower City didn't have so many rules. They could stay open around the clock.
Before you continue