Chapter 58: An Overwhelming Aura of Ferocity
“Old Bear, are you on the road?”
On the highway, inside an off-road vehicle, sat a man as burly as a bear, one hand holding his phone.
“Just over an hour to go! I want to see who’s so brazen!”
“Be careful. Mingxue and Huo Guangzhou both lost!” The voice on the phone made Old Bear’s heart skip a beat.
“They lost?”
“Neither of them is weak. Nanshan specializes in physical enhancement, Mingxue commands ice, Huo Guangzhou has steel bones—their fighting styles are completely different, yet all three lost?”
With Nanshan defeated, Old Bear was sure that the awakened one in Angang, Gu Changqing, had to be at least a level-four awakened, or at the very least possessed power on par with one.
But for three different types of awakened to all lose to him, it meant either his combat style was extremely versatile, or his strength simply surpassed theirs by a wide margin.
“Yeah, that guy posted photos to the forum and even said, ‘Is there anyone else?’ He’s arrogant, all right.” The other person laughed.
Old Bear could picture the man’s expression as he said ‘Is there anyone else?’ and felt his blood surge.
He grunted, “We’ll see. Nothing’s certain until I fight him myself!”
He hung up and drove straight to Angang.
...
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, a man nearly two meters tall and built like a bear slammed into the wall, blood spraying from his mouth.
Old Bear tried to get up for another round, but Gu Changqing kicked him into the air, then landed a punch to his gut mid-flight, the force passing straight through to his back.
He crashed into the wall again, as if pinned there, and only after over ten seconds did he slump to the ground.
Gu Changqing walked over, snapped a photo from above, then turned and strode out.
This one could really take a beating—the only one who’d survived two of his punches.
None of the others at headquarters dared meet Gu Changqing’s eyes, each averting their gaze.
With every victory, his presence grew, the ferocity in his eyes becoming more menacing.
After defeating five level-four awakened in a row, even without deliberately rousing his blood energy, just standing there he radiated overwhelming menace.
Of course, it also had to do with his ruthless fighting style.
Even Mingxue, a courageous woman, would have been shown some mercy by anyone else. Yet he’d broken seven or eight of her bones with one kick, and pierced her knee.
The others fared no better.
Because of this, Li Tiefeng even went to see Gao Wenxin—it was simply that Gu Changqing’s attacks were too severe.
After all, they were all members of the same organization; there might be opportunities for cooperation in the future.
But Gao Wenxin only smiled casually and said she was aware, then said nothing more.
...
Returning to his office, Gu Changqing uploaded the photo to the forum and posted:
“I told you, I’m not targeting any of you!”
This time, not a single reply in three minutes.
In the various city branches of Chongming, countless people saw that message, but no one spoke up.
Five now!
Was this man really a rookie who’d only awakened a month ago?
No matter how much they disliked his arrogance, at this point no one could utter a word against him.
To reach this level of power just one month after awakening—it was simply explosive! So explosive it made everyone’s scalp tingle.
In just one day, he’d made his name known throughout Yongzhou.
After posting, Gu Changqing saw no replies and headed downstairs.
Seeing Li Yue, he said, “If anyone else is coming, tell them to show up earlier tomorrow.”
“Captain Gu, I’m afraid no one will!” Li Yue stuck out her tongue. Though Gu Changqing had seemed fierce on his first day, only today did they truly understand what ‘ferocity’ meant.
Now she believed what he’d said that day.
On his first day, he’d said to keep a low profile.
At the time, she’d thought he was joking… now she realized, he’d actually been holding back!
---
Gu Changqing called Meng Xi. He’d fought several matches in a single day, and now there was a savage gleam in his eyes whenever he looked at someone.
He felt he needed to relax.
As Gu Changqing walked out the main gate, Gao Wenxin was standing by the window, smiling as she made a call while watching him drive away.
“Yes, he’s a rookie who awakened just a month ago. I poached him from the guards!”
“Of course it’s my guidance—don’t you think he reminds you of someone?”
“Transfer him to Yongan? You must be dreaming! If you dare try… either your whole family or I will have to die!” Her tone remained as gentle as ever, yet the words made the person on the other end shudder and abandon the idea.
No one was fooled by Gao Wenxin’s perpetual smile. She’d behaved well these past years, but no one could guarantee she wouldn’t go mad again.
Someone had covered up her past, and she’d changed her name, so few knew the truth.
Gao Wenxin hung up with a smile, then reclined lazily in her chair.
She was in a good mood. That man had really brought her honor.
...
When Meng Xi opened the car door, it felt as though a wild beast sat inside.
It was still the same man, the same face, but something about him sent chills through her.
A single glance from Gu Changqing made goosebumps rise on her skin, the hairs at her nape standing on end.
She got in, took a deep breath to steady herself, and asked softly, “Did something happen today?”
“Something happy!” Gu Changqing grinned broadly.
Yet that smile sent another wave of chill through her.
Still, Meng Xi forced a charming smile. “What made you so happy? Should we celebrate?”
Gu Changqing glanced at her, noticing something off.
It seemed he’d need to find someone else to unwind with in the future.
His power was growing, his blood energy heavier, and the intent and force he cultivated through the Eight Desolations Fist wasn’t something ordinary people could bear.
They found a restaurant for dinner, but within twenty minutes, they were the only patrons left.
A group of men and women entered.
“Welcome!”
But the moment they saw Gu Changqing, they felt their hearts leap to their throats.
“Never mind, let’s try somewhere else today!” They turned and left immediately.
Even ordinary people, lacking a beast’s instinct for danger, still had a basic drive to seek fortune and avoid harm.
“This place is usually packed—you never get the place to yourself! Today’s quite a win!” Meng Xi laughed, then, her eyes twinkling, teased Gu Changqing: “You seem so different today… like you’re even more impressive!”
“No need to guess—soon, you’ll know exactly how impressive I am!” Gu Changqing laughed heartily.
That night, in his arms, Meng Xi trembled like a frightened rabbit.
Gu Changqing felt she was growing… less able to keep up. He believed he could take on eight more!
The next morning, Gu Changqing went in to work and asked, “Did anyone else show up last night?”
“No, Captain. Two people ended up in the hospital yesterday, and now the forum’s full of complaints about how rough you are…” Tan Li replied.
Gu Changqing snorted.
“If they’re that timid, they might as well go home and drink milk!”
He’d already been holding back—after all, these were all colleagues in law enforcement, and none had been left disabled.
If this counted as too heavy-handed, what would they do in a real mission?
He opened the forum; sure enough, people were saying he was too ruthless, even to fellow officers.
I’m Not Targeting You: If you’re this cowardly, just go home and drink milk!
I’m Not Targeting You: No one left? Frankly, you’re all trash!
After posting twice, Gu Changqing waited to see if anyone would take the bait that afternoon.
After all, the Eight Desolations Fist’s intent could only be nurtured by fighting opponents of similar or greater strength.
Otherwise, he’d have beaten everyone in the department already.
---
Next, Gu Changqing went to logistics to ask about custom knuckle-duster spirit gear.
“A first-tier piece costs 200 points; second-tier is 1000.”
“How many do I have now?” he asked directly.
“Three hundred… Actually, that’s a lot. The blood-flesh thralls and puppet master before were worth over two hundred together. Other people can’t earn points as fast as you—you go on more missions.”
Gu Changqing truly did earn points quickly; a few missions and he’d have enough for a second-tier piece, provided there were enough assignments.
“You might want to rephrase,” Gu Changqing said, pulling out a wad of cash.
“Captain Gu, I really can’t help. Points and materials all go through headquarters—even if I wanted to, it’s out of my hands,” the staffer replied with a wry smile.
He knew all about the forum and training ground incidents, but Gu Changqing’s reputation within the department was decent.
Apart from injuring a rookie on his first day, as long as you didn’t provoke him, he was—apart from being a bit arrogant in dress, walk, and speech—pretty polite.
But Gu Changqing was about to be less polite.
He pocketed the cash.
“Make two first-tier knuckle-dusters for now. Put spikes on the front, laced with a potent paralytic poison!”
He decided to settle for two interim pieces. First-tier gear was sturdy enough, and with added materials, could do real harm to phantasms.
Unless… he handed in the blade he’d taken from Yu Xuanzheng.
After all, it was a cultivator’s weapon, made with materials and craftsmanship unknown to this world.
But that thought never even crossed Gu Changqing’s mind.
...
Gu Changqing waited until evening, but no more awakened showed up.
After all, aside from Yongan, Yongzhou had just eight cities, each with only a few level-four awakened.
The five he’d beaten yesterday were already nearly half the number outside Yongan.
The rest, even if unconvinced, had to admit he was entitled to his arrogance.
As for the geniuses in Yongan, they simply looked on with cold detachment.
“I’m requesting a few days off!” This time, Gu Changqing remembered to inform his supervisor.
Gao Wenxin glanced at him. “I’ll need a reason.”
“Need to adjust my state,” Gu Changqing answered lightly.
“Three days,” she replied just as casually.
“Five,” Gu Changqing insisted—he planned to stay longer, mainly to search other towns for cultivators.
...
That evening, Gu Changqing packed his things.
The leather pouch made things much easier. Though only half a meter in length, width, and height, it held nearly as much as two large suitcases.
He stuffed it with essentials and food.
After changing, he tucked the pouch into his jacket, focused his mind, and appeared in a courtyard’s corner.
He slipped an earpiece behind his ear, listened for a moment, then scaled the wall, slipping through a window into Li Youling’s small building.
She was seated at her desk; startled at first by his entrance, her eyes then shone with delight, and she rose to greet him with a traditional bow.
Her face, still touched with youthful innocence, burst into a radiant smile, as though a hundred flowers bloomed at once—her voice soft and pure.
“Sir!”
Chapter Four is out. Please vote next month.
I’m heading to bed; I’ll continue writing tonight.
From now on, three chapters a day.
(End of this chapter)