The Fishman's Second Evolution!

It was late at night at school.

Drip.

Drip.

"Mm...?"

"What was that sound?"

Chu Yang groggily opened his eyes. The dormitory was quiet, with no one making a sound. His roommates were all sleeping deeply.

Drip.

Drip.

A series of wet footsteps came from the hallway.

Still half-asleep, Chu Yang waited for a moment, only for the sound in the hallway to suddenly fall silent.

"Haaah..."

Chu Yang yawned and was about to lie back down when a strange, raspy cry suddenly came from the hallway.

"Wuwuwu... wuwu, awuwu, wu..."

Chu Yang frowned. Who was crying in the middle of the night instead of sleeping...?

Hm?

Crying?

Chu Yang jolted upright. "Crying, wet footsteps... Let me first make sure I'm not dreaming."

"If I'm not..."

Chu Yang quickly covered his ears!

"Wuwuwu, wuwu..."

For some reason, that strange crying was getting closer and closer!

"Too late, I've already heard it!"

Run!

Chu Yang dressed as fast as he could, put on his shoes, flipped out of bed, and got up to push open the door!

"No, that's not right..."

As if remembering something, Chu Yang abruptly turned and rushed toward the window!

Click!

At that very moment, the sound of a door opening came from behind Chu Yang!

"Found! You!"

A foul fishy stench came from behind him, along with a chilling, hateful presence that pierced to the bone. Chu Yang did not even need to turn around to confirm it!

Number 002!

There was no mistake!

Gritting his teeth, Chu Yang yanked open the window and flipped out!

This was only the second floor. The fall would not kill him!

After landing, Chu Yang rolled to the side and sprang to his feet, then looked up at the window.

There, beside the second-floor dorm window, stood a huge, mysterious figure clad in a black raincoat, completely motionless.

But the next second, the mysterious figure vanished without warning.

"Gone?"

A bead of cold sweat rolled down Chu Yang's forehead.

Had it left? Was it chasing someone else? Or had it... already gotten behind me?

As the saying went, spiders were not scary. What was scary was when the spider disappeared.

For a moment, both Chu Yang's palms were drenched in sweat. He glanced behind himself from the corner of his eye and saw a dark shadow materialize there!

Chu Yang put all his strength into a sudden attack. His body had not even turned, but his fist had already arrived!

Bang!

His punch landed squarely in the black-clad figure's abdomen!

The figure staggered back two steps. Chu Yang spun around sharply, leaped up, and drove his knee straight toward the mysterious figure's temple!

Smack!

At that moment, the mysterious figure made its move!

It grabbed Chu Yang's knee. Its black rubber glove split apart, revealing hook-like claws and dark green scales!

Chu Yang gritted his teeth, twisted his body with force from his lower half and pulled back his leg, then drove an uppercut directly into the figure's jaw!

Bang!

The blow connected, instantly snapping the figure's head backward. Its black raincoat hood and mask were flung aside as well!

What appeared before Chu Yang was a fish head with bulging orange-yellow eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth!

Damn it, it really was Number 002!

The monster from that game had actually appeared in reality!

What kind of joke was this?!

"Wu... awuwuwu..."

"Dead, wuaaa!"

The fishman let out a bizarre cry mixed with sobs, shook its head, and pounced on Chu Yang like a tiger!

Chu Yang took a step back. "Hey, hey, get this straight. I don't even eat fish under normal circumstances!"

Because fish bones got stuck in his throat!

"I rarely even go to the beach. If you want revenge on humanity, you can't start with me!"

At the very least, it should start with people from that country where they lived pretty well!

No matter what Chu Yang said, the fishman remained unmoved!

Its eyes seemed to contain only Chu Yang!

Backed against the wall, Chu Yang fiercely kicked off it for leverage, launching himself into a flying kick that struck the fishman!

The fishman was kicked back again, but it seemed even angrier now!

This time, it dropped to all fours in a twisted posture and crawled like a hyena, its speed suddenly increasing!

That posture!

It was about to pounce!

Chu Yang rushed at the fishman. The fishman also dug both claws into the ground, stretching its body like a spring before lunging forward like a vicious tiger!

Now!

Chu Yang stomped the ground hard, sharply bent his body sideways, and fell to the side in an inverted position!

His hands braced against the ground, his legs rising as he flipped backward!

The fishman had lunged with tremendous force. It threw itself forward at full speed and smashed headfirst into the wall!

Bang!

Hearing the impact behind him, Chu Yang did not look back. He quickly turned and sprinted toward the distant school building!

A moment later.

Chu Yang hid inside a classroom.

"Though I fought Number 002 in the game, that was only in the game. There are no all sorts of items in reality, and there are far more things to consider. The situation is also much more complicated and unpredictable!"

More importantly, he only had one life!

This was not a game. If Chu Yang died, he would truly be dead!

Drip.

Drip.

The wet footsteps came again. Chu Yang immediately held his breath and covered his ears with both hands.

"Wuwu, wuwu ah..."

The crying began again, and Chu Yang suddenly froze.

That wasn't right!

Even if people covered their ears, they could still hear some sounds, especially Chu Yang, whose hearing had been enhanced!

So even with his ears covered, he could still hear the fishman crying!

This was bad!

"Wuwu, awu..."

The sound had been far away just moments ago, but in the next instant, it was right beside Chu Yang's ear!

Chu Yang whipped his head around and saw a pair of huge, round yellow eyes staring directly at him from behind!

Damn it!

Chu Yang threw a punch, while the fishman swung its claws at the same time!

Slash!

Blood splattered as the fishman's claws tore open the back of Chu Yang's hand, then stabbed straight toward his throat!

Chu Yang's pupils shrank as he abruptly withdrew his fist and stepped back!

The fishman spread its claws, Chu Yang's blood dripping from its hooked talons.

The air became thick and heavy in that instant.

Tearing pain pulsed from the back of his hand, and Chu Yang's breathing began to quicken.

"Huff... huff..."

That was close.

"You still haven't answered my earlier question. Why are you attacking me?"

After hearing him, the fishman twisted its neck, dropped to all fours again, and crawled toward him at high speed in that distorted posture!

Seeing this, Chu Yang grabbed a desk and hurled it at the fishman!

Bang!

The desk hit the fishman, only to be instantly sliced in half by its claws!

But Chu Yang had vanished from the classroom.

Seeing this, the fishman suddenly covered its eyes. "Wuwuwu aaa, wuwu..."

"You can't escape, Chu Yang!"

After saying that, the fishman seemed to pinpoint his direction and rushed out at full speed!

Chu Yang was running nonstop now, yet the crying continued to echo around his ears!

"This damn crying makes no sense at all!"

Even zombies needed to smell the breath of the living to determine their target's location.

But Number 002 located its prey by making them hear its voice!

What kind of logic was that?!

"And... right!"

Chu Yang suddenly took out his Bluetooth earbuds, put them on, played a song on his phone, and turned the volume all the way up!

Noise flooded Chu Yang's eardrums, and the fishman's crying vanished.

Chu Yang went straight to a corner.

His mind raced. "Since I can't escape, I can only go all out."

"If my guess is right, as long as I can't hear its voice—even if it's drowned out by other sounds—the fishman won't be able to find me."

"There are no other rooms around this corridor. To find me, it will come upstairs from here. If I use this chance to ambush it..."

"Hm?"

At that moment, a pure black Raven suddenly landed beside Chu Yang.

A Raven?

Why would there be a Raven at school?

Wait, a Raven?

As if realizing something, Chu Yang thought, Could this Raven be...?

"Sequence 001?"

Have I offended God or something? Why is every one of them coming after me?!

Upon hearing Chu Yang's words, the Raven froze for a moment, then flapped its wings and shot away.

Chu Yang was somewhat puzzled by this.

But before he could think further, the fishman had already reached the stairwell!

Chu Yang gathered his strength in the darkness, ready to strike. One more step up, a little closer...

Now!

In the darkness.

The fishman had just taken a step when a figure suddenly sprang from the shadows the next second!

Bang!

One punch!

Chu Yang's full-force punch struck the fishman directly in the head!

The blow was incredibly powerful, leaving the fishman somewhat dazed!

At that moment, Chu Yang found the feeling he had in the game. He swept the fishman's legs out from beneath it, then fiercely attacked its head!

The fishman's head was its weak point. As long as its head was attacked, it would fall into a dazed state!

With his ambush successful, Chu Yang pressed his advantage, throwing fists and kicks in rapid succession at the fishman's head!

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Under Chu Yang's barrage of wild punches, the fishman was beaten so badly that scales flew everywhere and blood splattered through the air!

At that moment, he no longer cared about techniques or forms!

He simply straddled the fishman and rained blows down on its head!

Blood sprayed everywhere. He did not know whether it was from his own fists or the fishman's body. After who knew how long, Chu Yang finally stopped punching.

The fishman beneath him had already lost the ability to resist.

"Whew..."

Chu Yang exhaled a breath of hot air, then yanked a steel bar from the stair railing.

"Just in case."

Chu Yang suddenly exerted himself and drove the rusty steel bar straight into the fishman's chest!

Squelch!

The sound of flesh being pierced rang out. The fishman's eyes widened, its limbs twitched, and it soon stopped struggling.

After beating the fishman to death, Chu Yang instinctively looked for the Raven.

But after looking around several times, he saw no trace of it.

"Did it really leave?"

With that thought, Chu Yang directly called the police.

"I wonder if the police can handle something like this..."

As Chu Yang thought that, he blinked once, and the fishman's corpse vanished.

"Hm?"

"Where... is the fishman?"

By then, his call had already connected.

"Hello, North Ridge City Public Security Bureau."

Hearing the voice from his phone, Chu Yang froze for a moment. "Hello, I... I was attacked by a fishman."

"..."

The air fell silent.

There was no sound from the other end of the line.

Chu Yang sighed. No one would believe him even if he said it, would they?

After all, a fishman...

Chu Yang was about to hang up when the voice on the phone suddenly changed to that of a man.

"Hello, may I ask where you are now?"

"Yangshan District, Second High School."

"Please remain where you are. We'll be there shortly."

What...

was going on?

Chu Yang blinked. "No, wait... The fishman's corpse is gone. When the police get here, how am I supposed to explain this?"

Half an hour later.

A group of police officers found Chu Yang. Leading them was an officer nearing thirty.

"Hello, my name is Yang Yan. Are you the student who made the report?"

Chu Yang nodded. "Yes, I... I made the report..."

Yang Yan took out a flashlight and shone it around. "You said earlier that you were attacked by a fishman. Where is it now?"

Chu Yang pointed at the ground. "It was originally right there... but when I blinked, the fishman disappeared."

Yang Yan frowned and began inspecting the ground with his flashlight.

He first put on gloves and touched the ground. "Blood... and a fishy smell."

Several officers also crouched down with flashlights and began examining the ground.

"There are fish scales here."

"I found some too. It looks very similar to the previous cases."

Yang Yan placed the scales into a transparent bag and handed it to a colleague.

"Take these back for testing. See if they match the other scales."

After saying that, Yang Yan looked at Chu Yang again. "You... seem to be fine?"

Chu Yang's mouth twitched. "Uh, so I'm supposed to be hurt...?"

Yang Yan patted his shoulder. "Of course it's best that you're fine. But are you certain it was a fishman?"

Chu Yang nodded. "I'm absolutely certain. Its entire body was covered in fish scales, and both its speed and strength far exceeded that of a normal person."

Yang Yan thought for a moment. "All right, then please come back to the station with us."

"Don't worry, we just need you to make a statement."

"Counting your case, there have already been six fishman cases."

"You're the only survivor of a fishman attack. We have a lot of questions for you."

Chu Yang nodded. "Of course. As long as I know the answer, I'll tell you everything."

After that, Chu Yang followed the police to the school gate.

But as soon as he arrived, he smelled blood.

He instinctively looked around and saw two broken forks on the ground.

If he remembered correctly, those forks seemed to belong to...

Chu Yang abruptly looked at Yang Yan. "Officer Yang, before you found me, did you see anyone else?"

Yang Yan nodded. "When we arrived, we found that the school gate railing had been damaged. An old man was lying here at the time. Judging from his clothes, he should have been your school's security guard."

"We called an ambulance immediately. The good news is that he has no life-threatening injuries, only a broken hand bone."

"Fortunately, we found him in time. With emergency treatment, he should be all right."

"Was this done by the fishman too?"

Chu Yang was not sure.

"I don't know, but I think it probably was."

Yang Yan's expression was somewhat strange. "But according to our previous experience, there have never been survivors in fishman cases."

"This time, there are suddenly two of them. It really is a little suspicious."

Chu Yang returned to the police station with Yang Yan and the others. Along the way, he told them everything about his encounter with the fishman.

Of course, regarding why he had been able to defeat the fishman, he attributed the main reason to the Eight Extremes Fist taught to him by the old security guard.

But in truth, the cause of it all had been a mysterious game.

In the game, their consciousness would enter a specific setting and fight monsters to the death.

As long as they defeated the monsters or survived for a set amount of time, they would win. After winning, they could receive all kinds of rewards. There was no penalty for dying, but participating in the game required paying an entrance fee.

Chu Yang had never expected that the monsters from the game actually existed!

However, the game itself was full of suspicious details. Chu Yang only knew that the organizer's name contained the character "Chen."

Inside the police station, the officers all frowned deeply as they looked at him.

"So it really was a fishman..."

"Say, is Eight Extremes Fist really that powerful? Should we add it to the police academy's required courses?"

"Why not just make it part of the nationwide elementary and middle school radio calisthenics?"

"Kid, are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

"I'm sure."

"Tsk..."

"Chief, you heard him too. Do you still think it was someone in a costume?"

The chief gritted his teeth, his brows knotting together. "Damn it... Didn't they say that nothing was allowed to become a spirit after the founding of the country?"

Yang Yan shook his head, then looked at Chu Yang. "By the way, you said the fishman hunts based on its prey's hearing?"

"That's right. As long as someone hears the fishman crying, no matter where they are or how far away they are, the fishman can find them," Chu Yang said.

"No wonder..."

As Yang Yan spoke, he took out a case file. "The Weeping Fishman was first registered as a case one month ago."

"There were nine victims at the time. We found a recording at the scene that captured the sound of the fishman crying."

"Listen. Is this it?"

As he spoke, Yang Yan took out a playback device and began playing the recording.

Within the recording, Chu Yang heard an extremely familiar crying sound.

Mixed into the crying were some indistinct words, accompanied by repeated sobs.

The crying was so unusual that anyone who heard it once would never forget it.

"That's it."

After receiving Chu Yang's confirmation, Yang Yan looked at the chief again.

"Chief, you've seen it too. That's the situation."

"I'm submitting my proposal again. Establish the Non-Natural Existence Investigation Team!"

The chief was silent for a moment. "Tsk... Fine, approved. Submit a written application to me again tomorrow morning."

"But let's be clear. Just because it passes my desk doesn't mean the higher-ups will approve it. Still, I'll explain the situation to them."

"Thank you, Chief!"

After speaking, Yang Yan looked at Chu Yang again.

"You're the only survivor of the fishman case. If the fishman isn't dead, it may come looking for you again."

"Therefore, I'd like to invite you to assist us in investigating the Weeping Fishman case."

"During the operation, we will do everything we can to protect your personal safety."

Chu Yang thought about it. That was fine.

If another monster attacked him, having police officers around would give him a few more safeguards, wouldn't it?

Besides, Chu Yang also wanted to learn more about monsters.

Inside Chen Ye's coffee shop.

The Wall Breaker was wiping cups at the front counter when Raven Girl suddenly burst in with the fishman!

"Quick... Go get Lord Aus! Number 002 is dying!"

The Wall Breaker froze for a moment, then hurried over to check on him.

"What?"

"How did this happen?"

A steel bar was embedded in the fishman's chest. His body was covered in injuries, and his breathing had become so faint that it was nearly nonexistent.

"Who could injure Number 002 this badly?"

"Don't worry about that right now. Take care of him. I'll go find Lord Aus!"

As she spoke, Raven Girl transformed directly into a raven and flew toward the second floor!

"At this hour, Lord Aus is probably already asleep, but the fishman is almost..."

"Damn it, that idiot!"

"If Lord Aus scolds me because of him, I'll make him into a full fish banquet!"

The Raven flew in through the window, only to find Chen Ye inside, holding a potion and continuously shaking it.

"Master!"

Chen Ye turned around at her voice. "Number 002 is about to die?"

The Raven froze. "You... already knew?"

Obviously.

There was only one ceiling between them. They were making so much noise that even the neighbors' kids could hear it.

"I'll go check on Number 002 first."

Chen Ye changed clothes and went downstairs. The moment he entered, he saw the fishman covered in blood, with a steel bar embedded in his chest.

Looking like that...

He had better not let the police station across the street see him.

Chen Ye raised his head and looked across the road. Fortunately, it was the middle of the night.

"Hm?"

Why were the lights on in the police station across the street?

Chen Ye shook his head. Never mind that. Saving him came first.

He crouched down. The fishman had already lost consciousness.

The fishman's breathing was so weak. He did not know whether he could still be saved...

Forget it. Treat a dead horse as if it were alive.

Chen Ye uncapped the potion and poured it into the fishman's mouth.

Gulp.

Gulp.

The bottle was quickly emptied. Once the potion entered his stomach, the fishman's body began convulsing violently.

"Urgh... argh!"

The fishman abruptly opened his eyes. His limbs first swelled, then contracted!

His abdomen expanded the most, nearly ballooning up, before deflating again in an instant.

The fishman laboriously raised a hand, then grabbed the steel bar lodged in his chest. "Urgh... Aaargh!"

Splat!

Blood sprayed as the fishman forcibly yanked out the steel bar!

The muscles in his chest twisted together, and the bleeding quickly stopped.

"Phew... phew... phew..."

Watching the fishman gasp for breath, Chen Ye took back the bottle.

This potion had two main ingredients: the Queen Bee's blood and the Black Forktooth Fish the fishman had brought back.

But to heal the fishman's injuries, Chen Ye had also added the salamander intended for the Vampire Potion.

"It worked. Drag him inside."

Raven nodded. With a turn, he transformed into a muscular man and dragged the fishman directly into the warehouse.

"Sequence 005, clean up the shop."

Wall Breaker nodded, then picked up a mop and began cleaning the bloodstains.

Chen Ye went to the counter and made himself a cup of instant coffee.

"...Number 002's injuries probably weren't caused by a gun."

Wall Breaker replied as he mopped the floor, "Yes, sir. Number 002's injuries were clearly inflicted by someone's fists."

Fists...

Chen Ye narrowed his eyes. "A fishman's physical abilities are twice those of an ordinary person. In water, they can reach three times that level."

"Even if Tyson had come, he couldn't have beaten him into this state."

"Looks like the opponent isn't simple."

As Chen Ye spoke, he suddenly recalled the boy he had encountered during the day.

"Was it him?"

Chen Ye had sent the fishman to collect blood, yet he had returned in this state.

"Two possibilities... The first is that the boy himself possesses some kind of special ability."

"The second is that there are still many Extraordinary Powers in this world that I have yet to encounter."

As Chen Ye pondered, Raven flew out of the warehouse.

"Master, Number 002 can't be entirely blamed for this operation. He was reckless, underestimated his enemy, and let his guard down, but at its root..."

Chen Ye took a sip of coffee. "Get to the point. Tell me exactly what happened."

Raven nodded. "Yes..."

Raven reported the earlier events to Chen Ye one by one. After hearing his report, Chen Ye drained his coffee in one gulp.

"Interesting. Even during the day, I felt that there was something about that boy drawing me in..."

"Sequence 001, once Number 002 has recovered, take recording equipment and find that boy again. Then bring the footage back to me."

"Also, be careful. That boy is useful to me, so don't kill him."

The next day.

The fishman sat up in the warehouse. He had already returned to human form, and all his wounds had healed.

Just then, a girl in a black dress appeared before him.

"You recovered well. Congratulations, you've undergone your second evolution."

Second evolution?

The fishman looked at his hands. "It really does feel different. Stronger... closer to perfection."

"Did Lord Aus save me?"

Raven Girl smiled. "Who else could it have been? Given the state you were in yesterday, even immortals would have been useless. Other than Lord Aus, who could have saved you?"

The fishman clenched his fists. "That lord clearly said he wouldn't care whether experimental subjects like us lived or died, yet he still generously gave me such a precious potion. I truly don't deserve it..."

"I underestimated my enemy yesterday, but there won't be a next time. I can't disappoint that lord again."

Raven Girl shook her head. "Don't raise that flag too early."

"Lord Aus has ordered us to find that boy again. This time, I'm to record everything. It's for no other reason than to see what abilities that boy possesses."

"But don't go and get yourself killed again."

The fishman's eyes widened. "I won't make the same mistake twice."