End and Process

By the time Heming finished watching the performance, it was already time for the gathering, and Zeng and Deng were already waiting for him there.

The three of them entered the water together. Following Heming's instructions, they slipped into the area where the crowd was active and used a piece of camouflage cloth to conceal themselves; to anyone else, the three of them would look like nothing more than a rock in the water.

The three waited quietly. Deng held a special camera in his hand (in the current world, cameras and video recorders were strictly restricted; cameras could only be used for short periods in specific places upon application—for example, if you were visiting a certain park, you could pick up a camera at the entrance and return it upon leaving. The same applied to video recorders, though one could make a temporary one-day application for home use). Only by waiting patiently could they hope to see results.

As Zeng had expected, a strange creature about a centimeter in size slowly approached the crowd. Heming was the first to notice the thing in the water, and Deng quickly snapped a photo of the strange creature. The three of them decided not to act immediately; they wanted to wait a little longer to see how this monster attacked humans before making their move.

This might put others in danger, but if they didn't understand this type of creature thoroughly, they would be the ones to suffer later.

The strange creature was searching for a target. Once it locked onto one, its body began to grow slowly, and its tentacles—or rather, its feelers—extended. By the time it grew to about two meters, it was ready to launch its attack.

At this moment, Zeng shouted, "That's it! Heming, let's pull it apart and see. If that doesn't work, Deng, use the high-intensity light projector."

Heming and Zeng rushed forward instantly. The strange creature hadn't even reacted before it was grabbed by the two of them. Once Heming caught the monster, he pulled rapidly to the right, while Zeng pulled to the left. The strange creature tried to break free, but against two ability users, its monstrous strength was of no use. After being stretched to seven or eight meters, it tore apart, and its body quickly melted away and vanished.

Just as Heming and Zeng were looking toward Deng, another strange creature had already reached his back. Its giant mouth was wide open, and Deng was essentially already swallowed.

"Quick, release the restraints, break through it!" Zeng shouted loudly.

A powerful surge of energy erupted from Deng, rendering the strange creature unable to move. However, the two tentacles inside its mouth were slowly inching toward Deng; it was easy to imagine that those tentacles were surely coated in deadly poison.

With a forceful flick, Deng shattered the strange creature into pieces.

Is this their true strength? Heming felt secretly astonished.

The powerful energy flow startled the people on the lake shore, but by the time they swam down to look, the three had already left.

In the private room that afternoon, all three sat in thought...

What were they thinking about? They were naming the monster. Now that the monster had been discovered and the basic, detailed data was gathered, all that remained was to give it a name. When the time came to truly resolve the monster threat, it would be the US Special Operations Department doing it, not them.

"Let's call it the Soft Water Demon! The thing is soft, lives in the water, and its sneak-attack skills are top-notch," Deng said first.

Zeng and Heming shook their heads; it wasn't a good name.

"How about Tentacle Polyp Monster? I can't say why, but I feel like the name fits perfectly!" Heming suggested.

Zeng thought for a moment and nodded. Deng had no choice but to nod along as well.

Tentacle Polyp Monster: freshwater, circular body, covered in many flat tentacles about a centimeter long. When attacking prey, it changes to an appropriate size. No eyes or ears; it relies on its tentacles to determine direction and locate prey. It lays eggs inside the bodies of some prey. The tentacles in its mouth are likely used to release toxic substances.

The monster's data was compiled, and it would be submitted to the World New Creature Discovery and Confirmation Organization when the time came.

The mission was considered complete. Heming thought to himself that Ming Ying would never guess he could return to the country so quickly. As Heming pondered, Deng noticed something and asked, "Heming, what are you thinking about? Is something wrong? Tell us, maybe we can help."

Interrupted in his thoughts, Heming had no choice but to tell them what had happened. To his surprise, both of them immediately agreed to return to Japan with him. To Heming, they were now much-needed companions, as he didn't know what was waiting for him back in Japan.

Because Zeng and Deng could not board the Pitch Black private plane, Heming left before them. They agreed that Heming would wait for them at the airport for about two hours. With nothing to do on the plane, Heming began practicing the Pitch Black Heart Method.

Two hours after landing, Zeng and Deng arrived. They were still wearing their black suits. Once they left the airport, the three hailed a taxi to Heming's company.

Heming first settled Zeng and Deng in his office, then ran to the top floor to turn in his mission. Qiming was sitting there as usual. After Heming entered, he said, "The mission Kuo Ming gave me is complete. The information and data have been handed over to the World New Creature Discovery and Confirmation Organization."

Qiming nodded and said, "Alright, go back to your own affairs. This was a public service mission, and the rewards haven't been determined yet. I'll notify you when they are. That will be all; you may go."

Heming nodded and left. Returning to his office, he signaled for Zeng and Deng to follow him to find Ming Ying.

In Ming Ying's office, Rie was sitting beside her. Seeing the three arrive suddenly, Ming Ying could only gesture for them to sit.

Ming Ying took out a file and said to Heming, "I've already tracked down the people behind the attack. It was the work of some Bitter Monks. They've entered society and, because they have some skills, they've been hired as thugs for gangs or have become small-time bosses themselves. The people who attacked Rie's family are from the Liqin Gang. The Liqin Gang is a new gang organized here in Okinawa with over three hundred subordinates. There aren't many Bitter Monks, probably only three or four, and their strength is enough to take down a dozen normal people. Their area of activity is basically the bars south of the pedestrian street. Their boss is called Liqin Yuantian. Handle it as you see fit; the organization won't interfere. You can do whatever you want, just don't cause too much of an impact on normal people. Pretend it's a gang vendetta; that way, it'll be easier to explain later."

Heming nodded and left with Zeng and Deng.

Rie, still in Ming Ying's office, hadn't quite understood what Heming was going to do. Ming Ying smiled and told her, "He's getting revenge for you."

Leaving the company, the three found a clothing store to change their outfits, then ran to a spot on the pedestrian street to pick up a few tools in preparation for their move. To pose as gang members seeking revenge, their attire and weapons were carefully chosen, and they even had their excuses ready.

Among the three, Deng looked the most like a hoodlum, so Heming and Zeng walked slowly behind him, posing as his underlings.

The three first ran into one of the bars. Deng walked in brazenly, ordering seventeen hostesses and an uncountable amount of alcohol. At first, the three drank normally, while Deng looked for an excuse to start a fight.

Over there, a few other Japanese men were pointing at Deng and saying something. The excuse had arrived. Zeng stood up and ran over angrily, saying, "Bastard, you dare point your finger at our boss? Go to hell!" With that, he picked up a wine bottle from the table and smashed it. Bang! The man who had been pointing at Deng fell to the ground. The others looked at Zeng in terror. Zeng kicked their table over and ran back to Deng's side to continue drinking.

At this moment, a few men in suits walked out of a private room. They were likely the people they were looking for. They prepared to walk over to Deng, but they didn't expect Zeng to be the first to pull out the tools they had just bought and charge at them.

Two minutes later, the guys who had run out of the private room were basically all on the ground. Zeng had a few scrapes on him, but it was clearly staged.

"You unreasonable bunch actually wanted to attack my big brother? Where's your boss? Call him here!" Zeng was questioning a thug on the ground who was still conscious.

"Boss... is... at... Shuidianlan..." He finished speaking and passed out.

Zeng released his foot and walked toward Deng. Deng stood up and walked toward the door. Heming threw a large stack of bills on the table and followed them out.

At the door, Deng said to Zeng, "Damn it, don't you go hogging all the fun. Leave those Bitter Monks to me later. You guys take the normal ones; I want to test the power of this MPS-01 (a high-powered, twelve-round grenade launcher invented by the US two years ago)."

The three wandered around the entrance of the Shuidianlan bar for a while until Zeng had confirmed the escape route. Only then did the three walk into the bar brazenly. Heming was a fast learner; he could already blend in with Zeng and Deng. At a glance, they really looked like three hoodlums.

Shuidianlan bar had three floors and could hold about 200 people. To avoid harming civilians, the three beat up the guards at the entrance as soon as they entered. Seeing trouble, most of the patrons took the opportunity to leave.

Immediately, twenty or thirty people rushed down from the upper floors, all holding samurai swords. Heming smiled at Zeng and charged forward. Engaging in hand-to-hand combat with his abilities suppressed to the minimum, Heming took on twenty-some people alone. Although he was taking them down one punch at a time, these guys didn't know the meaning of fear; they fought back whenever they could. Heming sustained several knife wounds, but he didn't care, continuing until he had knocked the entire group to the ground.

Heming felt great. He enjoyed this kind of hand-to-hand combat; it was a quick way to improve his combat experience. Deng and Zeng watched from the sidelines. Just then, dozens of thugs surrounded them from all sides of the bar. On the second-floor gallery, a man with short hair in a black suit walked out, followed by a few guys in short shirts and shorts. This was likely the person they were looking for. Heming could feel the energy radiating from these men; no wonder they were so arrogant.

"You lot dare to cause trouble on my Liqin Gang's turf! Go to hell!" the short-haired man shouted. His underlings rushed toward Heming like a tidal wave...

BOOM! Deng suddenly pulled out the MPS-01 and fired at the gallery. The massive explosion and the screams of the victims blended together, while every punch and kick from Heming sent several men flying...

"Boom, boom, boom, boom!" The MPS-01 fired all its grenades. The exhibition hall was left with almost nothing, yet among that group of fellows, a few with stronger capabilities remained standing.

Zeng immediately drew his Dragon Gallant Spear and leaped into the fray. Deng also pulled out the BP-16 he was currently using (a 20-round pistol capable of loading the latest high-explosive bullets and supporting single-shot firing). Heming had already finished his own battle; those lackeys were almost all lying on the ground, groaning.

"Dragon Radiance Sky!" Zeng unleashed his ultimate technique against these Bitter Monks. The Dragon Gallant Spear transformed into a dragon as it surged forward, piercing directly through the chest of the short-haired one. Meanwhile, Deng channeled energy into his gun. "Sky Full of Crimson Flash!" This was Deng's signature move; the bullets whistled through the air like fireballs, and those Bitter Monks, having nowhere to hide, were completely wiped out.

Heming was puzzled as to why Zeng and Deng had ended the battle so quickly.

Zeng leaped down from above and said to Heming, "We have an emergency assembly in Tokyo. There's no other way, we have to act fast. This guy's strength is decent; although you wouldn't have a problem handling him alone, you would certainly get injured. We're heading out first." Having said that, he signaled for Deng to follow him as they ran out.

Police sirens wailed, and Heming ran according to the route they had originally decided upon.

Qiming, who was waiting for Heming downstairs at the company, suddenly felt that something was wrong, so he activated the Pitch Black Heart Method and vanished.

In an alleyway, Heming was fighting five or six men in black, but it was clear that Heming was no match for them; even the Corpse King he had summoned was easily dealt with by them.

Among them, a few people stood to the side, watching...