The End and the Process

By the time Heming finished watching the others perform, it was time to meet up. Zeng and Deng had already been waiting there for him.

The three of them went into the water together. As Heming had suggested, they swam to where the crowd was gathered, then covered themselves with camouflage cloth. To anyone watching, they looked like nothing more than a rock beneath the water.

The three waited quietly. Deng even had a special camera with him. (In the world today, cameras and video cameras were strictly regulated. A camera could only be used briefly in special circumstances, after applying for permission from certain places. For example, if you were visiting a park, you could borrow a camera at the entrance, but it would be collected when you left. Video cameras were regulated the same way. People who wanted to take photos or videos at home could also apply for temporary permission, which lasted one day.) They would see what happened only if they waited patiently.

Just as Zeng had expected, a strange creature about one centimeter in size slowly approached the crowd. Underwater, Heming noticed it first, while Deng quickly photographed it. The three of them still hadn't decided to act. They wanted to wait a little longer and see how the monster attacked people before making a move.

This might put others in danger, but if they didn't carefully learn about creatures like this, they'd be the ones to suffer later.

The strange creature searched for a target and locked onto one. Its body began to grow slowly, and its tentacles spread out. No, they were probably feelers. When they had grown to about two meters, it prepared to attack.

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

Heming and Zeng rushed forward. Before the strange creature could react, they had already grabbed it. Heming seized the monster and quickly pulled to the right, while Zeng pulled to the left. The creature tried to break free, but its strength was practically useless against two ability users. When they had stretched it seven or eight meters apart, it split open, and its body quickly melted away and vanished.

As Heming and Zeng turned to look at Deng, another strange creature had already reached him from behind. Its enormous mouth was wide open, and Deng had practically been swallowed.

"Quick, release your restraints and break through it!" Zeng shouted.

A surge of powerful energy burst from Deng. The strange creature could no longer move, but the two tentacles in its mouth were inching toward him. They were probably poisonous...

Deng simply gave a forceful flick, and the strange creature shattered.

So this is their true strength? Heming thought, amazed.

The powerful energy flow startled the people by the lakeside, but by the time they swam over to look, the three of them had already left.

That afternoon, in the private room, the three of them sat thinking...

What were they thinking about? They were trying to name the monster. Now that it had been discovered and they had most of the basic details, all that remained was to give it a name. In the end, it would be the US Special Operations Department—not them—that actually dealt with the monster.

"Let's call it Softwater Demon! It's soft, lives in water, and it's great at sneak attacks," Deng suggested first.

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

"How about Tentacle Polyp Monster? I can't explain why, but I think that name fits perfectly!" Heming suggested.

Zeng thought it over, then nodded. Deng had no choice but to nod along.

Tentacle Polyp Monster: freshwater, round body, many flat feelers about [unclear] centimeters long. When attacking prey, they grow to a suitable size. No eyes or ears. It relies on its tentacles, presumably to determine its position and find prey. It lays its eggs inside the bodies of some prey. The tentacles in its mouth are presumably used to release a poisonous substance.

Once the monster's details had been organized, they only needed to report them to the World New Creature Discovery and Confirmation Organization.

The mission was now complete. Heming thought Ming Ying wouldn't guess that he'd be able to return to Japan so soon. He was lost in thought, and Deng seemed to notice. "Heming, what are you thinking about? Is something wrong? Tell us. Maybe we can help."

Deng's question snapped Heming out of his thoughts, so he told them what had happened. To his surprise, they both immediately agreed to return to Japan with him. Right now, they were the companions Heming needed most. He still didn't know what awaited him when he got back to Japan.

Since Zeng and Deng couldn't take the Pitch Black plane, Heming had to leave ahead of them. They agreed that he would wait for them at the airport for about two hours. With nothing else to do on the plane, Heming practiced the Pitch Black Heart Method.

After getting off the plane, Heming waited two hours before Zeng and Deng arrived. They were still wearing black suits. Once outside, the three of them hailed a taxi and went to Heming's company.

He first settled Zeng and Deng in his office, then went up to the top floor to report the mission. Qiming was sitting there as usual. Once inside, Heming said, "I've completed the mission Kuo Ming assigned me. I've given the information to the World New Creature Discovery and Confirmation Organization."

Qiming nodded and said, "All right. Go take care of your own business. This is a public-service mission, and the reward hasn't been decided yet. I'll let you know when it has. That's all. You can go."

Heming nodded and left. Back in his office, he called Zeng and Deng to come with him to see Ming Ying.

In Ming Ying's office, Rie was sitting beside her. When she saw the three of them arrive unexpectedly, Ming Ying could only invite them to sit down.

Ming Ying took out a file and said to Heming, "I've found out who was behind it. It was some Bitter Monks. They've entered society and, since they've got some skills, they've been hired as enforcers for various gangs or become small-time bosses themselves. The people who attacked Rie's family belonged to the Liqin Gang. It's a newly formed gang here in Okinawa, with more than three hundred members. There probably aren't many Bitter Monks—maybe three or four. They're strong enough to take down about a dozen ordinary people. They mostly operate in the bars south of the pedestrian street. Their boss is Liqin Yuantian. You can decide what to do. The organization won't get involved in this kind of thing. Do what you want, just don't cause too much trouble for ordinary people. Make it look like a gang vendetta. That'll make it easier to explain later."

Heming nodded and left with Zeng and Deng.

Rie, still in Ming Ying's office, hadn't yet figured out what Heming was going to do. Ming Ying smiled and told her, "He's going to get revenge for you."

After leaving the company, the three of them changed into different clothes at a nearby store. Then they went to a spot on the pedestrian street, picked out a few weapons, and got ready to act. To make it look like a gang vendetta, they had carefully chosen their clothes and weapons, and even prepared an excuse.

Of the three, Deng looked the most like a thug, so Heming and Zeng walked slowly behind him, playing the part of his underlings.

They first went to one of the bars. Deng swaggered in and ordered seventeen hostesses and countless drinks. At first, all three of them deliberately drank peacefully. Deng was looking for an excuse to start a fight.

A few Japanese men nearby were pointing at Deng and saying something. The excuse had arrived. Zeng stood up and stormed over. "Bastards! How dare you point at our boss? Go to hell!" He grabbed a bottle from the table and hurled it. The man who'd been pointing at Deng collapsed to the floor. The others stared at Zeng in fear. Zeng kicked over their table, then went back to Deng and continued drinking.

Just then, several men in suits came out of a private room. They were probably the people they were looking for. They started toward Deng, but Zeng surprised them by pulling out one of the weapons they'd just bought and charging first.

Two minutes later, most of the men who'd rushed out of the private room were on the floor. Zeng had a few scrapes himself, but they were obviously fake.

"You bunch of bastards actually tried to attack my big brother!" Zeng demanded of a henchman on the floor who was still conscious. "Where's your boss? Get him here!"

"Boss... is at... Shuidianlan..." he managed to say before passing out.

Zeng took his foot off the man and walked back to Deng. Deng stood up and headed for the door. Heming tossed a thick wad of cash onto the table and followed them out.

At the entrance, Deng said to Zeng, "Damn it, don't hog all the fun for yourself. Leave those Bitter Monks to me later. You two handle the ordinary guys. I want to test out this MPS-01—the American-made, twelve-round grenade launcher with massive firepower, invented two years ago."

The three wandered outside the Shuidianlan bar for a while, until Zeng had settled on an escape route. Then they swaggered inside. Heming had learned quickly and now knew how to play along with Zeng and Deng. At a glance, they really did look like three thugs.

The Shuidianlan bar had three floors and could hold about two hundred people. To avoid hurting ordinary people, the three beat up the guards at the entrance as soon as they went in. Most of the customers took the opportunity to leave when they saw the trouble.

Two or three dozen men immediately came down from upstairs, all carrying samurai swords. Heming smiled at Zeng, then charged forward. He kept his abilities to a minimum and fought hand to hand against more than twenty men. He was landing a punch with every blow, but those bastards didn't seem to know the meaning of fear. They fought back whenever they could, and Heming suffered several cuts. He didn't care about such minor wounds, and kept going until he'd knocked them all to the floor.

Heming was enjoying himself. He liked this kind of hand-to-hand combat; it rapidly improved his combat experience. Deng and Zeng watched from the sidelines. Just then, dozens of henchmen surrounded them from all sides of the bar. On the second floor, a short-haired man in a black suit appeared from the gallery with several men in shorts and T-shirts. They were probably the people Heming and the others were looking for. Heming could sense the energy coming from them. No wonder they were so arrogant.

"How dare you come to my Liqin Gang's territory and cause trouble? You're dead!" the short-haired man shouted. His underlings surged toward Heming like a tide...

"Boom!" Deng suddenly pulled out the MPS-01 and fired at the gallery. The enormous blast mixed with screams, while every punch and kick from Heming sent several men flying...

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!" The MPS-01 fired all its grenades. The gallery was almost completely destroyed, but a few of the men were strong enough to remain standing.

Zeng immediately took out his Dragon Gallant Spear and leaped forward. Deng drew the BP-16 he was currently using—a twenty-round pistol that could be loaded with the latest high-explosive rounds and supported [unclear] shots. Heming had finished his fight; almost all the underlings were sprawled on the floor, groaning.

"Dragon Radiance Sky!" Zeng unleashed his signature move against the Bitter Monks. The Dragon Gallant Spear shot forward like a dragon and pierced the short-haired man through the chest. Deng poured energy into his gun. "Sky Full of Crimson Flash" was his signature move; the bullets roared through the air like fireballs. The Bitter Monks had nowhere to dodge and were wiped out in an instant.

Heming couldn't understand why Zeng and Deng had ended the fight so quickly.

Zeng leaped down from above and said to Heming, "We've been called in for an emergency gathering in Tokyo. We're out of time, so we had to move fast. This guy was fairly strong. You could've handled him alone, but you'd definitely have gotten hurt. We're heading off first." With that, he called Deng over and ran out together with him.

Hearing police sirens, Heming ran along the route they'd already planned.

Qiming, who was waiting for Heming downstairs at the company, suddenly sensed something was wrong. He used the Pitch Black Heart Method and vanished.

In an alley, Heming was fighting five or six men in black, but he was clearly no match for them. Even the Corpse King he summoned was easily dealt with.

Several others stood nearby, watching...