Pretty Lucky

The stretch from 100 to 120 meters was full of danger. At least, Heming thought so.

Heming was still asleep when he vaguely heard his phone ringing.

"Hey, Heming, it's Qiming. I'm so glad you're still alive. I forgot to tell you something: Freshwater Lake's structure is much more complicated than it used to be. The lake you're in now is over 100 meters deep. The creatures living below that depth are more than you can handle. Sometimes those guys come up to around 100 meters, too, though you don't see them often. Anyway, if you see something with colorful patterns on its body, run. They can't survive in water shallower than 100 meters, so they won't follow you up. Oh, right. According to the accurate information Pitch Black has gathered by observing the Water Dragon we currently have, it likes to stay between 100 and 150 meters deep, and it roams a fairly wide area. If you see it, remember two things: the bubbles it spits out, and its tail. That's all..." The call ended.

It stayed between 100 and 150 meters deep. That meant it was right in the area Heming needed to search. He could narrow his search to around 100 to 130 meters. That would increase his chances of encountering the Water Dragon, cut down on search time, and keep him from running into the things below 100 meters.

As he looked at the phone in his hand, Heming suddenly wondered why it hadn't been damaged in water a hundred meters deep. Was it because of the Chain of Ming? Or the Pitch Black Heart Method? No, it definitely wasn't the Pitch Black Heart Method. He had only used it once underwater, when the Water Centipede had attacked him from behind. It had to be the Chain of Ming. A hidden property? Probably. It was a good thing he had this Chain of Ming. Otherwise, how could he keep his clothes and everything else from getting wet underwater...

Heming stopped daydreaming and jumped into the water.

He swam straight down to a depth of 100 meters and began surveying his surroundings. The main creatures here were still the large fish, around two or three meters long. Sometimes he saw Water Centipedes darting away.

110 meters. His first search point. A difference of just ten meters seemed to make a huge difference. The smallest fish here was over a meter long, and Heming couldn't name any of the different species.

The biggest were over two meters long. They were completely white, with several long whiskers dangling beneath their mouths. Their eyes were red, and they looked frightening. Their mouths were lined with a sparse row of teeth. Most astonishing of all, they ate Water Centipedes.

Not long after Heming descended past 100 meters, he saw two Water Centipedes preparing to ambush a black fish over a meter long. Suddenly, an enormous white shape rushed up from behind and bit down hard on one of them. The Water Centipede was instantly snapped in two. The other one fled at once, while the huge white fish slowly sucked the Water Centipede into its mouth...

Fortunately, the white fish didn't attack Heming. He had tested it: even if he swam up beside one and touched it, nothing happened. The fish felt hard and slippery.

Another day of searching passed, and Heming still hadn't found the Water Dragon.

Back on the speedboat, just as Heming was getting ready to sleep, a long howl rang out.

The Water Dragon. Heming was almost certain of it.

He quickly swam toward the direction the howl had come from. He submerged about six meters below the surface, so he could launch a surprise attack if he ran into the Water Dragon.

When he reached the spot, what he saw astonished him. Two frigates were towing an enormous net, and inside it was the Water Dragon he had been searching for all this time.

Heming had a bad feeling about this, but he didn't dare reveal himself suddenly. He had no idea what kind of opponents he was dealing with if they could bring frigates all the way here.

After thinking it over, Heming decided he should speak to the people on the frigates first. If there was no other way, he could ask the Vietnam Company for help.

The frigates kept moving. Heming used the Pitch Black Heart Method and leaped onto one of their decks. A large group of people stood there, and they were naturally startled by his sudden arrival.

"Who are you?" asked the first person to regain his composure.

Heming bowed apologetically, then said in a friendly tone, "My name is Guangcheng Heming. I'm a member of the Pitch Black Special Operations Team. My current mission is to find and capture a mutated, evolved creature. I saw that your vessel had caught it before I could, so I came to introduce myself."

At Heming's explanation, the group stopped murmuring among themselves. One of them, dressed in a black suit, stepped forward. "Oh, dear Mr. Guangcheng Heming. We're just testing a new model of frigate for inland waters. We happened to run into that mutated creature and got a chance to test our new capture net. We're honored to have caught it on our first try. Of course, we don't plan to take it back. We would have released it before leaving the inland waters even if you hadn't come. If you'd like to take it back, you can—but would you agree to a small request from everyone here?"

Hearing him, Heming guessed what the request was.

"Sure. Let it out, and I'll catch it in front of you." Heming said it outright, then jumped into the water.

The people on both frigates used the loudspeakers to call everyone to the rear deck. A dense crowd gathered as Heming stood on the water, waiting for the enraged Water Dragon.

The net was hauled back, and the Water Dragon burst onto the surface, howling at Heming...

The Water Dragon was blue all over. It wasn't as complicated as the dragons in legend; it was just a water snake whose color had changed and which had grown four legs.

Pfft! A powerful bubble shot straight at Heming. Fortunately, he was on the surface, where he could move much faster than underwater. He easily dodged it.

But before he could react, the Water Dragon's tail slammed into him. The people on the frigates cried out in alarm.

Seeing his opponent sent flying, the Water Dragon stopped and watched Heming. Suddenly, a figure appeared right in front of it. Who was it?

It was Heming. Using the Pitch Black Heart Method, he punched the Water Dragon hard in the face.

"Ah!" The Water Dragon cried out in pain, its head lolling into the water while its body remained on the surface.

Seizing his chance, Heming took out the Demon Sealing Orb, channeled the Pitch Black Heart Method, and swung it hard at the Water Dragon.

A flash of white light appeared, and the Demon Sealing Orb absorbed the Water Dragon.

Cheers erupted. Everyone on the frigates was cheering.

If this movie had cost a hundred dollars to watch, everyone there would have gladly paid a hundred dollars for a show that lasted only a few dozen seconds.

Afterward, Heming jumped onto the deck, exchanged a few words with the man in the suit, then jumped back into the water.

Back on the speedboat, Heming lay on the deck and gazed up at the sky, thinking back to that moment.

When he had jumped into the water, he'd used Necromancy to create a zombie that looked a lot like him. The spell consumed a great deal of magic, so Heming hadn't been sure he could keep it going until the Water Dragon left itself open. Fortunately, in its rage, the Water Dragon hadn't noticed that its real enemy was lurking about six meters away...

The thrill was something Heming loved, and the cheers afterward made him feel even more satisfied...

After resting for three hours, Heming steered the boat to the lakeshore...

One day later, at the Pitch Black Japan Branch, Heming stood in Qiming's office.

"What? You're already back? Damn, that was fast!" Qiming was astonished to see Heming return so soon.

"I've completed the mission. This is the Water Dragon's Demon Sealing Orb, and this is the Demon Sealing Orb Kuo Ming asked me to give you." Heming took out two orbs and tossed them to Qiming one after the other.

"Hmm? All right, go collect your reward. Then head to the US Washington Regional Branch and find Kuo Ming." Qiming seemed eager to get Heming to leave.

Heming said goodbye and left.

At the Item Protection Office, Heming collected a new ring and a thorny black rose.

Back home, Heming began channeling the Pitch Black Heart Method into the Thorny Black Rose. It melted, transforming into a black pill and a strange pair of shoes.

"Congratulations to this lucky member on obtaining a One Month Cultivation Pill and a pair of special weapons, Foot Talons. The Foot Talons increase attack power and grant a certain amount of extra movement speed. Of course, these effects only appear when you're using the Pitch Black Heart Method. When you aren't using it, the Foot Talons are like air—no one can see them."

He really had been lucky this time, getting both a One Month Cultivation Pill and a weapon. Heming happily swallowed the pill, then put on the Foot Talons...

Heming had originally planned to head straight to the United States.

But then he suddenly remembered the female terrorist from last time, so he went back to the Pitch Black arcade on the pedestrian street.

Heming went up to the second floor and found that the original Real Combat Simulation System had been replaced. A sign now hung there.

"At the request of our many players, Pitch Black Company has decided to convert this area into the Real Ancient Roman Combat Simulation System in fifteen days..."

The Real Ancient Roman Combat Simulation System? That sounded thrilling. He'd have to come try it when it opened.

After leaving the arcade, Heming returned to the branch office. In his own office, he sat there, unsure what he was thinking...

"Excuse me, um... could you... could you help me with something?" A girl interrupted Heming's thoughts.

That girl? Ah! Right, she was the female terrorist from last time!

"Uh, what is it?" Heming asked. He was clearly still a beginner when it came to girls.

"Um... could you come with me somewhere? Ah... sorry... if you don't want to... that's fine... I'm sorry..." The female terrorist spoke in pure Japanese, stammering adorably.

Heming was already "captivated" by her, so he replied, "Oh, it's fine. I'll go with you."

"That's great... Oh... um... my name is Sanada Rie... You can call me... Rie." Her soft voice and cute face had completely won Heming over...

"Uh, I'm Heming. Where are we going? Let's go!" Heming managed to give a sensible answer. At least he hadn't introduced himself as Guangcheng Heming this time.

"Um... follow me... It's hard to explain..." Rie turned and walked out.

Heming followed without hesitation.

Two hours later, they arrived in Okinawa's red-light district...

On the way, Rie told Heming what had happened. The day before, in the last Real Combat Simulation System competition, she'd come first again, just as she had in the past. A few thugs from the Allied Forces hadn't liked it, but they didn't dare cause trouble in the arcade. So that morning, they'd kidnapped the two female classmates who were with Rie and told her to bring her first-place medal to ransom them. If she didn't, they'd rape the two girls. But Rie didn't have the medal, and that afternoon she'd happened to see Heming outside the arcade as he was heading back to the branch, so she'd followed him.

Before long, Heming and Rie reached the designated location, Yiji Bar.

Rie linked her arm through Heming's as they walked inside. It was easy to find the men who had kidnapped her classmates. A dozen or so of them were sitting in the middle of the bar, probably acting as its guards.

Heming walked straight to the middle of the bar and addressed the thug sitting at the center. "Let them go, or you'll end up in the hospital. Which do you choose?"

The thug gaped at him. One man had come alone and still dared to act so brazenly. He grabbed a beer bottle and charged at Heming.

As Rie screamed, Heming sent the thug flying two meters into a sofa.

The other dozen or so thugs at least had some loyalty to each other. They grabbed whatever they could and charged at Heming, but they met the same fate as their leader. They flew two or three meters and ended up groaning on the floor...

Heming grabbed the leader and lifted him up. "Where are the two girls? Let them go right now!"

"They're... in... the red... private room..." He passed out after answering. What a wimp.

Heming took the dazed Rie by the hand and ran to the red private room. Even from outside, he could hear the girls screaming.

Bang! He kicked the door open. Two fat men were about to strip the girls. If Heming hadn't arrived, they would have been violated!

He kicked each of the fat men once, sending them flying. "I'll put you two in the hospital for a few months. Let's see if you dare do this again!"

Swish, swish! Two throwing knives flew at Heming from behind. He spun around and kicked them both away. Then he used the Pitch Black Heart Method and charged at the person who had thrown them.

"Ice Release: Infinite Consecutive Fangs!" Countless ice spikes shot toward Heming.

"Hah!" Heming kicked out, sending all the ice spikes flying past him.

"Wait! Nakagawa, stand down!" called a voice, deep with age.

Heming stepped in front of Rie. The two girls had found some new clothes and put them on.

An old man walked out of the crowd and addressed Heming. "Chinese man! Why did you attack Japanese citizens without cause?"

Heming smiled and pointed at the people sprawled on the floor. "They kidnapped and extorted Japanese citizens." Then he pointed at the two fat men inside. "Those two were about to rape Japanese citizens. I was only stopping that from happening. By rights, you should be thanking me. Why did you attack me from behind?"

The old man glanced at the people on the floor, and his face immediately filled with disgust. He bowed to Heming. "Honored guest, please forgive my disciple's disrespectful behavior. My name is Oda Sankyoku. I'm the jonin responsible for protecting this place."

Heming smiled. "My name is Heming. Since everything's all right, I'll take the girls home. They've all had quite a scare."

Sankyoku nodded and let him pass...

After leaving the red-light district with the three girls, Heming gave them his phone number and left.

He felt that the farther he stayed from these girls, the safer they would be...