Gun Proficiency: 86%.
A cold sensation spread from his palm, and his muscle memory instantly awakened.
Scenes of grueling practice day and night on the police academy's training ground flashed through his mind like fragments. His perfect marksmanship test scores, the glory of ranking first in his year... Every sensation came rushing back.
He raised his arm, took aim, and pulled the trigger—all in one smooth motion, so fast it was almost impossible to follow!
"Bang!"
The sharp report tore through the rainforest's silence.
A bullet etched with a faint Anti-Magic Rune spun from the barrel and struck the Shark Person squarely in the crook of her left knee!
"Raaagh—!"
The Shark Person let out an agonized howl. The anti-magic power within the bullet invaded her body, brutally unraveling the secret art that had maintained her human legs.
Her legs twisted and fused together in a shimmer of distorted light, turning deep blue as fine scales rapidly sprouted and spread—
In the blink of an eye, her legs had been replaced by a massive fish tail covered in dark blue scales, strong but helplessly thrashing in the mud, fully exposed to the air!
She had lost all ability to move. She rolled and struggled miserably across the slick, muddy forest floor, coated in dead leaves and filth, whimpering in pain.
She jerked her head up. Her wet hair clung to her deathly pale face, and her inhuman pupils shrank from the pain and utter shock as she stared at the pistol in Chen Jin's hand. Her voice was shrill and trembling:
"Mechanism Art?! You... you're a Mohist Wandering Knight?!"
"W-wait! There's been a misunderstanding!"
[Mohist School]
[Founded by Mozi, the Mohist School advocated "universal love" and "condemning aggression." Its philosophy took benefiting all under Heaven as its guiding principle, and its adherents were willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause. Its disciples valued practice over empty talk, maintained strict discipline, and formed a system of their own. During the Warring States period, it was counted among the prominent schools alongside the Confucian School.]
[The Mohists valued righteousness and excelled at ingenious crafts. Their Mechanism Art and Puppet Art were peerless: they could build siege ladders and suspended chariots, repeating crossbows and gate mechanisms, and wooden kites that could fly for three days without falling. Bronze beasts could guard a city through the night without rest. Legend had it that the Grandmaster could command gigantic puppets, each one worth a thousand soldiers. Such secret arts, however, had become rare in the world.]
[In "The Five Vermin," Han Feizi denounced "Confucians who use writing to undermine the law, and knights who use force to break its prohibitions," regarding Mohist Wandering Knights as vermin in the state that had to be eliminated. After Qin unified the six kingdoms and rigorously enforced Legalist doctrine, the Mohist teachings of universal love and condemning aggression, along with their habit of forming groups and wielding force, violated the law. They were consequently suppressed and gradually vanished into the undercurrents of history.]
[Wandering Knight]
[They held life cheap and death lightly, endured hardship, and gave their lives for righteousness, wearing down the crowns of their heads and the soles of their feet to benefit all under Heaven. Many wandering knights were inspired by the Mohist tradition.]
[There were people in the world who were fleet of foot and swift of hand, who drew their swords without hesitation and believed that justice had to be carried out by one's own hand, and that using violence to stop violence was also a path. They called themselves "Wandering Knights." They sought no recognition and formed no factions, proving their chivalry through their deeds alone.]
[Since the Warring States period, they had traveled alone among the various states, punishing evil and aiding the weak without asking for reward or leaving their names behind. Wandering Knights usually fought alone, with little or no contact with one another, and often didn't even know each other. But no one needed to certify someone's status as a Wandering Knight. Whoever possessed a spirit of chivalry could be one.]
After reading Ren Tu's prompt, Chen Jin understood. Meeting the Shark Person's doubtful gaze, he calmly accepted the identity. "That's right. I am a Mohist Wandering Knight."
Yanfu Walkers were expected to follow certain rules and avoid using inherited powers or tools that clearly did not belong to this world. They could defend themselves when necessary, and Ren Tu would help cover things up, but they also had to accept scrutiny.
Chen Jin had worried that a gun would count as a tool that didn't belong in this world. But it seemed the Mohist School had already taken the blame for him.
"So, can you tell me who sent you to assassinate me?"
The Shark Person was clearly wavering. Her tail slapped anxiously at the muddy water, and her eyes flickered with indecision.
She fell silent for a moment, then finally shook her head. "I... I can't say. But... I can pass along a message for you. There must be some kind of misunderstanding here. If you're a Wandering Knight, then we should be natural allies."
"Whether we can become allies is too soon to say, but at least now negotiations are possible."
Just then, a jumble of hurried footsteps sounded in the distance, mingled with the clatter of armor and several familiar shouts—
"Fu!"
"Heifu! Did you catch that bandit?!"
His fellow guards had arrived!
Chen Jin's thoughts raced. Why was it them again? Was the team always the same whenever they went out on patrol?
That was a far cry from his experience in Director Xu's Field Operations Team.
Back then, his teammates changed from one mission to the next. Part of the reason was that many infiltration and surveillance missions required him to use his Metamorphosis ability to disguise himself. But then again, he'd rarely formed close bonds with the other team members.
Chen Jin had been used to following orders and had never thought much about it. Now, it seemed there had probably been another reason for the arrangement all along.
The Shark Person clearly understood her predicament. She lifted her pale face, eyes filled with fear and pleading, and spoke in a voice as faint as a thread. "Please... let me go..."
At that moment, with her secret art broken, the Shark Person was suffering severe backlash and was utterly weak. If he kicked her into the river, she might have a chance of escaping.
But Chen Jin couldn't very well help her get away.
Setting aside the absurdity of thinking she could brush off attacking him by claiming it had all been a misunderstanding, having a hostage would also give him an advantage when negotiating with the people behind her.
Chen Jin whispered, "In a moment, just pretend you can't understand human speech. Don't say a word."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Wu and two other guards burst through the curtain of rain and rushed over.
They were slightly out of breath. Their gazes swept over the scene, then settled on the enormous tail thrashing in the mud. Shock and confusion appeared on all their faces.
"W-what is that?" Ju, one of the guards, cried out. He instinctively tightened his grip on his halberd.
Wang Wu furrowed his brows. His sharp gaze passed over the Shark Person and fixed on the dark river. "Where's the bandit? And where did this Shark Person come from?"
In ordinary people's understanding, Shark People were aquatic beings. Coming ashore was practically suicide, let alone having anything to do with a "bandit."
Chen Jin had already prepared his story. He raised a hand and pointed to the churning river. "That fellow was slippery as an eel. When he saw he had nowhere left to run, he plunged right into the river!
"I went down and searched around, but didn't find so much as a scrap of his clothing. I reckon he drowned, and his body must've been swept out to sea."
He paused, then turned and gestured at the Shark Person, who was still twitching faintly, with the tip of his halberd. "Just when I thought my luck couldn't get any worse, I spotted this thing by the river, shedding pearls beneath that sliver of miserable moonlight peeking through the clouds. They were real Shark Pearls!
"Seems luck was on my side after all. I caught her on the spot. The bandit got away, but with this prize, our brothers didn't come all this way for nothing."
Guard Ji said enviously, "There's a story about a Shark Person who once sought refuge with a farmer. To repay him for saving her life, she wove Shark Silk and sold it to help cover the household expenses.
"Shark Silk is as thin as Zhufuyu, but doesn't get wet even when immersed in water. It's worth over a hundred gold pieces. When she left, she asked her benefactor for a dish and turned her own tears into pearls to give him."
"If that's the case," Wang Wu finally said, "then we'll report it as you described. The bandit drowned and his body was never found. As for this Shark Person..."
"We'll take her back with us and leave her to our superior."