The Disturbed Monster Hunter

Chapter 19: The Disturbed Exorcist

The incident involving Jupita 3 was captured by satellites and, at the behest of certain parties, spread rapidly, continuing to ferment throughout the TPC and reaching the outside world.

The fact that a monster even an Ultra Warrior could not defeat was overcome by humans inspired everyone.

It filled people with vigor while they worked, and even the task of recruiting new members became much simpler.

It was hailed as a miracle, a light of humanity, but Zhou Hong and Shinjoh shared the same view.

This was no miracle.

A miracle represents something extraordinary, almost synonymous with a singular exception.

But in this universe, this was merely the manifestation of self-will, the sublimation of their own conviction reaching its absolute peak.

The stars continued to twinkle, but whether what was gestated beneath the starlight was good or evil was no longer of much concern to Zhou Hong.

The training room of the Recruit Squad, the seventh unit dedicated to the TPC, had been exceptionally lively lately.

The leather sandbag squeaked in protest under the blows, and the steel chains above groaned under the strain until they could protest no more.

With a heavy thud that sounded like a strike against a heart, the iron chain snapped, and the sheer force of the blow sent the sandbag and its chains slamming into the wall.

Exhaling a long, hot breath, Zhou Hong grabbed a towel from his side to wipe away the sweat, clenching his fist, which was brimming with power.

Long-term training had made his stamina more abundant and his breathing much deeper; this sense of fulfillment gave Zhou Hong immense peace of mind.

"The Vice Captain is getting more and more exaggerated. He's been punching for a whole day now, hasn't he?" Kariya Kohei remarked in a low voice.

"I don't think his combat power is even within the range of a human anymore."

Their discussion reached Zhou Hong's ears. "Within the range of humanity, there are still those stronger than me."

Hibiki Gousuke choked on his own saliva and coughed twice, waving his hands repeatedly to show he didn't believe it at all.

If the current era and spacetime were normal, he could pull over a Kurenai Gai or a Jugglus Juggler to show them.

Come to think of it, could those two even be considered human anymore?

Rubbing his chin, Zhou Hong looked at the sky outside.

There was still some time before the sun set, but by the time they reached that place, it would likely be dark.

"Tell me, are you all afraid of ghosts?"

"Cough, cough, cough—ghosts?!" Yumimura Ryo spat out the water she was drinking.

The two team members beside her also looked at Zhou Hong, feeling a chill run down their spines.

"Ah-Hong, you must be talking about something similar to Jupita 3, right?" Hibiki Gousuke said calmly, turning to speak sternly: "As elites of the TPC, how could you be afraid of ghosts?"

"Ghosts don't even exist, do they?"

Seeing Zhou Hong slowly shake his head, Hibiki Gousuke's voice grew increasingly weak.

"It's a real ghost, and an ancient one at that," Zhou Hong said as he put on his jacket.

The rest of the Recruit Squad gasped, looking at Zhou Hong in disbelief.

"If you don't believe me, I'll take you to see someone whose combat power surpasses mine."

"Even though he's already dead and turned into a ghost, and his combat power has declined, he's still stronger than me."

Zhou Hong added a silent note to himself: in a human state.

"But this way, you'll definitely believe me." No sooner had he put on his TPC training uniform than the team members were already clinging to his side.

"Vice Captain, we believe you." Yumimura Ryo smiled, looking Zhou Hong straight in the eyes, attempting to persuade him with sincerity.

"Yeah, yeah, we believe you."

"I also think you wouldn't lie to us, Ah-Hong." Hibiki Gousuke's expression was dead serious.

"We don't have to go, do we?" *n

"I refuse," Zhou Hong heartlessly rejected them. "I don't think you'll truly admit it unless you see it with your own eyes."

Knowing full well the ghost is stronger than the Vice Captain, why are we going to our deaths?

With tears streaming down their faces, they were grabbed by the Grip of Immortality and hauled onto the transport plane, dropped off at the TPC hangar, and then forced into a jeep.

The summer sun still provided a hint of warmth in the twilight, but the people in the car felt a bone-chilling cold.

"Vice Captain, is it really okay for us to go like this?" Kariya's hand, holding his gun, was still trembling slightly.

"It's not a big deal; it's just a matter of dying once. You'll be a hero again in eighteen years." The fluorescent light from the jeep's navigation system cast a particularly eerie smile on Zhou Hong's face.

A chill shot up their spines to the tops of their skulls, making their heads tremble and deepening the fear of those who were already terrified.

The jeep was traveling at over a hundred miles per hour, and the slightly opened window emitted a sound like a ghostly howl, causing the temperature of everyone in the car to drop even further.

The jeep suddenly fell into a heavy silence, which prompted Zhou Hong to increase the speed, and in no time at all, they arrived at Mount Sona.

The "hour of the demon" had long since passed; the group's hearts calmed slightly, but they remained cautious.

The bright moon was obscured by thick, dark clouds, and the dense foliage blocked out the already sparse light, leaving the mountain path shrouded in profound darkness.

It was like a gaping maw, a giant beast waiting for its prey to walk into the abyss of its own accord.

"There is no road ahead, we will have to walk for a bit."

Yumimura Ryo glanced back at the path already swallowed by darkness, then hunched her shoulders and hurried to catch up.

The remaining few looked at one another, huddling close together as they stayed firmly by Zhou Hong's side.

Under the beam of the searchlight, the mossy trail was not particularly difficult to traverse, and they arrived at their destination in no time at all.

It was a small shrine used for offerings; under the illumination of the light, it was not clearly visible in the night, and the pure white ribbons isolated from the world seemed to float in defiance of gravity, making the group even more terrified as they waved their firearms about.

They were deathly afraid that a ghost might pop out the next second to give them a fright.

Zhou Hong stood at the entrance of the shrine, pressed his palms together, and offered a silent prayer for a moment before firing a single shot to shatter the shrine's long-rusted lock.

As he pushed with both hands, the aged little wooden door let out a creaking groan.

What came into view was the sword enshrined within.

"Pardon the intrusion, Ida Iryu." Zhou Hong spoke the words without a shred of sincerity.

With one hand, he drew the sword, leaped out of the shrine, quickly placed it back inside, then drew it out again and put it back once more.

Eh, he was just messing around.

"Ah-Hong, what are you doing? Are you performing some kind of shamanistic ritual?" Although Hibiki Gousuke was terrified, he still maintained the dignity of a captain.

"Indeed, young man, if you act like this, it will be quite troublesome for me."

An ethereal and unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed throughout the area.

The group, already like frightened birds, instantly huddled back-to-back, their firearms sweeping wildly to and fro.

Yet, they still could not see a soul.

"There was no other way, after all, this is the only way to wake you up, Lord Ida Iryu."

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