Chapter 31 The Police Bureau's Investigation
Seeing Guan Tong's expression, Xu Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh, "The other people in the hotel who saw my prop for the first time had the same expression as you, thinking it was too outrageous. Sigh, actually, I felt the same way."
"I was searching for things in the Ascension Shop earlier, and I happened to be a little hungry. I always like instant noodles, so I searched, and I actually found something! But when I saw the price was 100 Ascension Coins, I had no intention of buying it."
"Later, I searched for other things, but I couldn't find them. Helpless, I ended up buying this instant noodle prop."
Guan Tong, after regaining her composure, said, "I see. But it's not entirely useless; this third rule comes in handy."
From the second rule onwards, people knew that they could use mental power props to assist in completing challenges.
Now, Xu Xiaotian's mental power prop is instant noodles, which can be used perfectly for this [Fasting Therapy] rule. He doesn't need to endure hunger or spend Ascension Coins on food boxes; the mental power prop is enough.
"Yeah," Xu Xiaotian laughed. "So when the third rule came out a few days ago, I was overjoyed, and everyone in the hotel was incredibly envious."
As he spoke, a hint of helplessness appeared on Xu Xiaotian's face: "But the annoying thing is that instant noodles require mental energy to generate. I can only generate one box a day, which is enough to overcome the third rule, but it's not enough to fill my stomach."
Guan Tong comforted him: "It's okay, your mental energy limit will increase in the future, and you can generate more a day."
"It won't be of any use then," Xu Xiaotian complained. "If it weren't for the rule restrictions, I wouldn't rely on instant noodles to fill my stomach. Ever since the food became free, big chicken legs and big pork knuckles are now provided for free, and I never get tired of eating them!"
"…"
"But Guan Tong, you look so good. You haven't been starving these past few days, have you? Did you give up the challenge, or did you buy a food box?"
Xu Xiaotian couldn't say he was observant, because Guan Tong's complexion was rosy, and she certainly didn't look like she was starving. On the other hand, during the gathering earlier, many people looked haggard, clearly having not eaten for several days, and appeared very weak.
"I ate something," Guan Tong said.
Guan Tong's words were somewhat ambiguous, but Xu Xiaotian didn't seem to mind. He then suggested, "Do you have plans for the afternoon? Want to go out and have some fun?"
"Have fun? What's fun outside these days?"
Guan Tong felt that since the apocalypse began, while the entertainment industry had developed rapidly, it was mostly online.
For example, movies, TV series, games, anime, novels, live streaming, etc... Most offline entertainment venues had closed down. This
was partly due to the significant decrease in people, and partly due to the recent surge in random crime.
Entering the apocalyptic era, everyone who survived faced immense psychological pressure. No one knew if someone who appeared perfectly normal would suddenly break down and indiscriminately attack those around them.
Out of this fear, most people tried to stay home or indoors, rarely venturing out.
"Arcades!" Xu Xiaotian said. "Now you can play all those arcade games for free, no coins required. And amusement parks too, you can play as much as you want."
"…I think I'll pass, I might have something to do this afternoon."
Guan Tong thought to himself, he might have to go to the police station to give a statement this afternoon. Even if he didn't go, he wasn't interested in going to arcades or anything like that, he'd rather stay in his room and rest to save his energy.
"Alright then." Xu Xiaotian sighed, "Sigh, nobody likes to go out these days, but I'll make the most of my time in Yunhua. I'm leaving next month."
Guan Tong asked, "You're leaving Yunhua next month?"
"Yes, the Mind Power Development Academy starts next month, and I plan to enroll in the capital." Xu Xiaotian said with a smile, "Don't let my appearance fool you, my Mind Power cap is over 80, so I meet the enrollment requirements."
"I see."
Guan Tong wasn't paying much attention to the "Psychic Power Development Academy," so he didn't know anything about its construction or the specific opening date.
"Guan Tong, what about you?" Xu Xiaotian asked. "Since you have enough coins to buy food boxes, your psychic power must be over 80, right? Why don't we go to the capital together? We could keep each other company!"
Guan Tong had no intention of going to the academy and shook his head.
"I probably won't go."
"Oh... okay then, we'll talk later!"
Guan Tong watched Xu Xiaotian leave, then returned to his room. He checked his terminal panel; his psychic power hadn't fully recovered.
Just as he was about to turn on the TV, his phone rang. The caller ID showed it was the Public Security Bureau.
"Mr. Guan, would you please come to the station this afternoon? We have some crucial information that needs your confirmation."
"Okay."
Guan Tong hung up, wondering what "crucial information needs confirmation" meant. Had they discovered some clues in the case?
He waited until 1 p.m. and went to the Public Security Bureau.
To his surprise, besides the two police officers who had visited his home the day before, he was also greeted by a man wearing black-rimmed glasses—Li Meng, the director of the Public Security Bureau.
Director Li Meng and the other two police officers led Guan Tong to his office, where they showed him a photograph on a large screen.
Guan Tong was slightly startled upon seeing the photograph, as it clearly showed two corpses.
"Take a closer look. Are these the people who knocked on your door last night?"
Guan Tong asked after a few glances. "Do you have a clearer photo of their faces?"
"Yes," Li Meng replied, instructing one of the police officers to switch the photos; close-ups of the faces of both corpses were now displayed.
Although both men had injuries on their faces, bruised and swollen, Guan Tong could still recognize them because the time interval between the photos was so short.
"That's right," he confirmed. "These two are the ones who went to my house last night posing as sheriffs."
Li Meng nodded. "Just as I suspected."
Guan Tong's gaze was still fixed on the photos on the large screen. "Excuse me, who is this…?"
"They were probably silenced," Li Meng said. "But the person who silenced them certainly didn't expect us to find the buried bodies so quickly."
"Who exactly are they? What is their purpose?"
Li Meng gestured to a sheriff, who explained, "Our initial assessment is that this is a gang-related criminal organization. As for their purpose, based on previous similar cases, it's likely that they are looking for and kidnapping individuals with high psychic abilities."
Guan Tong frowned. "Why would they kidnap individuals with high psychic abilities? Are they going to traffic people?"
"That's what we want to know too," Chief Li Meng said in a deep voice. "Based on these two bodies, the bureau has already obtained some clues, and we will immediately launch an operation."
Chapter 32 Experiment Successful
After returning to his room at the Limei Hotel from the Public Security Bureau, Guan Tong kept thinking about the case.
He still felt a chill; if he had been tricked into opening the door, he would likely have been ambushed by the two young men.
Even if he had realized their malice and confronted them directly, whether he could have won against two opponents was another matter.
Guan Tong hadn't held out much hope before, after all, two fists can't fight four hands. But ever since he consumed the [Gene Optimization Essence] from the Glory-level box, besides the immediate increase in his mental strength limit, he felt his body was gradually strengthening over time.
Although there were no detailed test records, Guan Tong could feel that he was faster, had better stamina, and his strength had increased somewhat. He
couldn't say whether this change was due to the [Gene Optimization Essence] or the increase in his mental strength limit, but it was a good thing nonetheless, and there was no need to worry too much about it.
Guan Tong felt that with his enhanced body, he might be able to take on two opponents bare-handed—but it would be different if the opponents were armed or using mental power items.
He had seen people online publicly showing off their mental power items.
One boxing coach's mental power item was a pair of boxing gloves. After wearing them, he could gain a significant power boost simply by consuming mental power; a full-force punch could even shatter a solid rock!
That boxing coach even posted a video online showing him breaking the rock while wearing the gloves, and many people left comments expressing their envy.
This was Guan Tong's concern.
If those suspected kidnappers possessed mental power items with offensive attributes, their combat power would undoubtedly be enhanced. They could achieve very good results by taking the enemy by surprise.
That's why Guan Tong started trying to add words to the [Wordless Book]. He wanted to develop the offensive attributes of his mental power item, not to harm others, but simply to have the power to defend himself in the face of danger.
"And what would they do if they kidnapped people with high mental power?"
Guan Tong couldn't understand.
Since psychic power can't be transferred to others, and Ascension Coins can't be traded through commodities, even if you arrest someone, you won't get anything. Are you forcing them to work for you?
But how can you expect someone to willingly work for you by arresting them so brutally?
Besides, doing so would quickly attract the attention of the Public Security Bureau.
With the country's population drastically reduced, everyone has become extremely valuable. Those with high psychic power are especially important to support, and arresting them is tantamount to going against the authorities, who will definitely crack down hard.
Guan Tong's case is a prime example; those two guys knocked on the door last night, and the body was found today. Such high efficiency shows how much importance the Public Security Bureau attaches to the case.
"Just to be on the safe side, I should be extra careful lately," Guan Tong thought. "And I can't easily reveal that my psychic power limit exceeds 80, otherwise, I might attract the attention of someone with ulterior motives."
For the next few days, Guan Tong stayed in room 306 of the Limei Hotel, never leaving the room.
The authorities did send him a free accommodation application form, but he didn't fill it out.
Like many others in the hotel, he felt that staying in the hotel was quite nice. This large hotel has a bar, gym, laundry room, and even a swimming pool, providing all the necessary amenities. People take turns maintaining it, making life very convenient.
Others might choose to stay here to avoid loneliness. At least here, a large group of people gather in the lobby every morning to encourage each other and keep their spirits up.
As for Guan Tong, it was more for safety reasons. There are many familiar people in the hotel, so they can face danger together. Moreover, it's very close to the police station; a phone call and the officer will arrive in minutes.
During this time, he repeated the process of adding characters, restoring his mental power, and adding characters again every day. Occasionally, Xu Xiaotian, who lived in room 305 next door, would chat with him and invite him out, but he mostly declined.
He also casually reminded Xu Xiaotian that there were suspected criminal gangs kidnapping people with high mental power in Yunhua, and advised him to be careful when out and about and not to reveal his mental power level.
After five days, after Guan Tong used up another food box, he finally completed the last stroke of the character.
"Body…"
Guan Tong picked up his pen and wrote the last stroke of the character "Body," the small "one", finally completing the addition.
The original two characters "Guan Tong" on the first page had now become the four characters "Physical Guan Tong."
Would there be any change?
Guan Tong was both expectant and nervous. He waited a few seconds and found that the four characters did not float out as before.
He thought for a moment, then channeled his mental power, making the shadow detach from the book and enter reality, just like before.
"Shadow, come out."
Whoosh—!
The black shadow, the same size as Guan Tong, emerged from the book and stood in front of him.
When Guan Tong saw the shadow, his eyes immediately lit up with surprise.
"Success!"
The shadow before was completely hollow in the middle, with only an edge outline.
However, the shadow standing in front of him now had its middle part completely filled with shadow, as if a pure black Guan Tong was standing in front of him!
Guan Tong raised his right hand, and under his mental control, the shadow opposite him raised its left hand.
The moment the two hands, one black and one white, clasped together, Guan Tong's heart pounded with excitement.
"The shadow has actually materialized!"
To be honest, Guan Tong hadn't had much confidence beforehand; he was just adding words to the first page as a trial. He never expected it to actually succeed; it was almost unbelievable.
"With the shadow materialized, everything is different!"
A materialized shadow has many new uses.
Most importantly, it means it can interfere with the real world and interact with the physical world.
This way, when facing danger, Guan Tong can summon his shadow and control it with his mind to fight for him.
However…
amidst his excitement, Guan Tong glanced at the panel on his personal terminal, and his smile turned slightly bitter.
"The materialized shadow consumes so much mental energy…"
Looking at his rapidly decreasing mental energy value, Guan Tong felt helpless but knew it was inevitable. The deeper the mental energy item's development, the greater the mental energy consumption.
He calculated that the non-materialized shadow, with his current mental energy limit of 118 points, could only last about 8 minutes.
Now that the shadow is materialized, the duration is drastically reduced. 118 points of mental energy, estimated to last for less than 2 minutes, means almost 1 point of mental energy is consumed for every second it exists.
"The duration is less than two minutes. Although it's short, a few seconds might be enough to solve a problem in a critical moment… However, to use it for a longer period and further develop the abilities of the shadow, I need to increase the mental energy cap."
Chapter 33 Xu Xiaotian in Danger
The 11th day since the third apocalyptic rule took effect, with 4 days remaining until the end.
In an arcade in Yunhua City, Xu Xiaotian stared dejectedly at his character collapsing and dying on the screen.
"Damn it, I died again!"
He'd been playing this game for days, still unable to beat the final level.
"This difficulty is insane! I've tried dozens of times and still can't get past it," Xu Xiaotian muttered. "If I had played before the apocalyptic rules, how many game coins would I have had to waste to beat it?"
"Dude, you can't get past this level."
A voice came from beside him. Xu Xiaotian turned to see a long-haired young man in a jacket.
The long-haired youth looked at the screen and said, "The last level of this game is unsolvably difficult. It was designed not to be passed by players; it's purely for ripping off players."
"Huh?" Xu Xiaotian exclaimed in surprise, "That's ridiculously difficult?"
"Yeah, that's how ridiculously difficult it is."
Seeing that the long-haired youth looked a few years older than him, Xu Xiaotian said, "Hey buddy, how did you know? Have you been ripped off a lot of coins before?"
The long-haired youth grinned, "I used to work here, so how do you think I know?"
"I see!"
"But buddy, you're quite patient." The long-haired youth said, "You've played it so many times and still can't pass it."
Xu Xiaotian smiled, "I'm just bored. Besides, I loved playing arcade games when I was a kid, but I never had enough money to buy tokens. Now you can play games without inserting coins, it's so cool."
The long-haired youth nodded, "It is pretty cool." As
he spoke, he looked Xu Xiaotian's face and laughed, "Judging from your expression, buddy, you've probably given up on the challenge of the third rule, right?"
"Huh?"
"That's how it is for most people who come out to play," the long-haired youth explained. "Those who want to pass the rules listen to the official advice to minimize activity and reduce energy consumption, right? That's why I said most of those who come out to play have given up."
"Oh, that's true!"
Xu Xiaotian hadn't thought about this much before. Because he had the instant noodle prop, he didn't pay much attention to the official advice on the third rule, and naturally, he hadn't read the official challenge guide.
Now that he thought about it carefully, it made sense. Those who wanted to pass the rules were basically staying at home and wouldn't go out to consume extra energy. And those who came out to play wildly were basically people who had given up on the challenge.
"What, buddy, you didn't give up?" The long-haired youth asked immediately when he saw Xu Xiaotian's expression.
Xu Xiaotian nodded.
"Wow, not bad." The long-haired youth's eyes lit up. "So you bought the food box? To be able to afford it with Ascension Coins, your mental strength must be over 80, right?"
"I guess so, hehe." Xu Xiaotian replied with a smile, wanting to continue playing, but his arm was held down by the long-haired youth.
"Dude, I know another arcade. They have all the new games you've never played before. Want to come with me?"
"Really?!" Xu Xiaotian's eyes lit up. For an arcade enthusiast like him, new games he hadn't played before were incredibly appealing.
"Sure, would I lie to you? Let's go."
"Let's go!"
Xu Xiaotian followed the long-haired youth downstairs. On the way, the long-haired youth went to the restroom to make a phone call.
After leaving the arcade, the two waited for a while by the roadside.
Xu Xiaotian asked, "Dude, aren't we going straight there?"
"Someone's coming to pick us up. Let's wait a bit," the long-haired youth said.
"Okay."
A short while later, a black sedan pulled up.
Xu Xiaotian glanced at it; there were three people in the car: one in the driver's seat, one in the passenger seat, and one in the back.
Including himself and the long-haired youth, that made five people in total.
"Why are there so many people?"
"These are all my buddies, get in."
The long-haired youth opened the back door. Xu Xiaotian looked at the tattoo on the neck of the young man sitting in the back seat and felt a sense of unease.
He suddenly remembered what Guan Tong had told him before, that there was a criminal gang in Yunhua suspected of kidnapping people with high mental strength.
Recalling how the long-haired youth had tested his mental strength in the arcade earlier, he panicked.
"Um, bro, I suddenly remembered I have something to do, how about we go another time!"
Xu Xiaotian said and turned to leave, but he was grabbed by the arm after taking only two steps.
"Don't go, buddy." The long-haired youth pulled Xu Xiaotian back, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, "If you leave now, you're not giving us any face."
"I…"
At this moment, the two people in the passenger seat and the back seat got out of the car and, together with the long-haired youth, the three of them surrounded Xu Xiaotian.
脖子上有纹身的那个人恶狠狠道:"小子,不想挨揍就立刻给我上车!"
这连装都不装的纹身男,顿时让徐晓天脸色一阵苍白,知道自己真的遇上歹徒了.
他看着凶神恶煞的三人,假意服从地缩缩脖子:"知,知道了,我跟你们上..."
话说到一半,徐晓天忽然发难!
他一甩右手,从储存箱里召出自己的心灵力道具——泡面.
"哗啦!"
徐晓天用力一泼,滚烫的面条和汤汁顿时泼了三人一脸,疼得他们哇哇大叫.
徐晓天趁机拔腿就跑,边跑边掏出手机,按下通讯录最上面的号码.
电话接通后,响起的竟然是关瞳的声音.
"喂,晓天,有什么事吗?"
因为两人最近才认识,交换了手机号,所以关瞳的号码就在新收录的最前面.
"Guan Tong!" Xu Xiaotian cried out in terror, "Oh no! I've run into a kidnapper! Right here in the arcade! Call the police for me, I—ouch!"
Before he could finish speaking, he felt a kick in his back and stumbled to the ground.
Looking up, he saw that the person chasing after him was the young man in the driver's seat. Because he hadn't gotten out of the car, he had avoided being splashed with instant noodles.
At this moment, the driver started punching and kicking the fallen Xu Xiaotian.
"You little bastard, you dare to play dirty tricks! I'll beat you to death!"
"Ouch!"
At this moment, the other three also caught up and started kicking him wildly.
"Where did this little bastard get his instant noodles? They're scalding me! I'm going to beat him to death!"
"Stop hitting him! Put him in the car and take him home!"
"His phone, smash his phone!"
Crack—
this was the last sound Guan Tong heard, and then only a beeping sound came from the phone.
"Xu Xiaotian has been kidnapped? We need to call the police immediately!"
Guan Tong couldn't delay with a matter of life and death.
He and Xu Xiaotian had gotten along quite well these past few days, and he himself had almost become a victim in this series of kidnappings; he certainly couldn't stand idly by.
He immediately dialed the police station and reported Xu Xiaotian's situation. The police station was already rigorously investigating kidnapping cases, and upon receiving the latest lead, they immediately attached great importance to it. The operator even asked Guan Tong to come to the station when he had time to report in person.
Guan Tong agreed. He hung up the phone and went to the police station, wanting to get the latest news on the kidnapping case as soon as possible.
Chapter 34 Facing the Conflict
When Guan Tong arrived at the Public Security Bureau, he saw Director Li Meng leading a large group of officers, hurriedly leaving.
Upon seeing Guan Tong, Li Meng paused, then asked, "Why are you here again?"
"I just called to report that someone kidnapped a friend of mine. The operator asked me to come and explain."
"So you were the one who made that call," Li Meng said, realizing. "Don't worry, I immediately dispatched a group of officers to track your friend. He definitely won't escape this time!"
He looked at Guan Tong, paused, and asked, "I'm about to take a second wave of support. Do you want to come along? Since the kidnapped person is your friend, it'll be easier for you to identify him. You can just sit in the car."
"Sure." Guan Tong had come to the Public Security Bureau to find out what was going on.
He got into a car with several officers, and then the second wave of support, consisting of six vehicles, set off. Reports from the first wave of officers came through the walkie-talkies inside the vehicles.
"Reporting to Director Li, we have located the target vehicle, a black Volkswagen Worsley with license plate ST7739. It's traveling along Qingchi North Avenue and can be intercepted at any time."
"Don't intercept it." Li Meng's steady voice came through the walkie-talkie. "Follow the car closely, don't expose yourself. This time, we're going straight for their hideout!"
"Yes, Director Li."
Guan Tong breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing that the target vehicle had been tracked.
This meant Xu Xiaotian should be rescued.
He wasn't too worried about the criminals killing people. Because from any perspective, the purpose of these criminals kidnapping high-level mental power users was definitely not simply to kill them.
The first group of officers who were tracking the vehicle continued to report its location in real time. About twenty minutes later, they reached their destination.
"Director Li, the target vehicle entered a construction site that had been abandoned. We were afraid of being discovered, so we didn't immediately follow it in."
"Good." Li Meng said, "You stay put, we'll be there soon."
The second group of six vehicles sped up and arrived at the construction site gate a few minutes later, meeting up with the four officers from the first group who had been tracking the vehicle.
Click!
After getting out of the car, Chief Li Meng immediately drew his service pistol, released the safety, and sternly told the security officers, "Hold your weapons. The target could be a vicious gang criminal. Don't be careless!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Xiao Zhao, Xiao Qian, you two stay at the gate. If anyone tries to escape, stop them! And Guan Tong, there might be danger inside the construction site. You stay in the car at the gate and don't wander off."
After giving his orders, Li Meng led nearly thirty armed security officers into the construction site. Xiao Zhao and Xiao Qian, the two officers guarding the gate, also gripped their pistols tightly, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
Inside a foreman's room on the construction site, Tiger Brother's expression changed drastically when he saw the surveillance footage on the screen on the table.
He abruptly stood up and slapped the long-haired youth behind him to the ground, cursing, "You bunch of useless bastards, you actually got followed by the cops?!"
The long-haired youth sat on the ground, covering his face in terror, "How is this possible? Could it be... because of that phone call, that kid made that..."
"You arrested someone and he still managed to make that call? And you didn't even mention it when you got back?" Tiger said through gritted teeth, his eyes practically overflowing with murderous intent.
The long-haired youth and his companions were afraid of Tiger's anger, which was why they hadn't dared to tell him that Xu Xiaotian had made a brief phone call before being arrested. Now that their scheme had been exposed, they could only beg for mercy: "Tiger! It was all that kid's dirty trick. He had some kind of instant noodle prop, and we didn't dodge it and got splashed in our faces—"
"Shut up!" Tiger immediately pulled out his phone and dialed a number, saying after the call connected, "The cops are here. If you get caught, tell your boss to get me out! Otherwise, if I get caught, your boss won't be any better off!"
After saying that, Tiger pointed at the long-haired youth and his group, saying, "Take that kid hostage immediately. With a hostage, the cops won't dare to make any rash moves. Go now!"
"Yes, yes!"
The men hurriedly ran out. Tiger spat a few curses and glanced at the surveillance footage again.
A large group of police officers entered through the front gate and quickly dispatched a team to guard the back gate, clearly not wanting to let anyone escape.
Tiger pondered for a moment, opened a box in the room, and took out a white police officer uniform that fit his body, putting it on.
This was a disguise he always prepared and carried with him, for use in crucial moments to deceive the enemy.
Then, while his men were entangled with the police officers outside, he took a secret path made of cement pipes and headed towards the construction site gate. Having been
in the underworld for many years, Tiger knew that in this line of work, you had to know when to betray your teammates in critical moments. You could always find another underling, but if the boss fell, that was a real disaster.
Based on his years of experience dealing with sheriffs, he knew that the fewest cops would be stationed at the main gate. He figured if he slipped out, stole a car, and drove off, the
cops would be long gone by the time they realized what was happening. At the construction site gate, Guan Tong sat in his car. He noticed that shortly after Li Meng and his men entered the site, within three or four minutes, several shouts rang out.
"Don't move!"
"Lie down!"
"Put down your weapons immediately!"
Following the shouts, a series of gunshots rang out. It seemed someone had resisted arrest, forcing the sheriffs to open fire. Hearing
the gunshots, the two sheriffs on guard at the gate, Xiao Zhao and Xiao Qian, tensed up, worried about the safety of their colleagues inside.
Just then, a sheriff walked out of the gate with his head down. Xiao Zhao and Xiao Qian hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How come you..."
Thump!
Suddenly, this "sheriff" attacked, a brass knuckle duster appearing out of thin air on his previously empty right hand, and he punched Xiao Zhao to the ground!
Xiao Qian, standing nearby, was shocked. He had just raised his gun halfway when the attacker's fist came again! The thick fist, clad in brass knuckles, slammed into Xiao Qian's abdomen. Xiao Qian was in so much pain that he couldn't even scream; his face contorted, and he collapsed like a shrimp.
The attack was too sudden. Not only Xiao Zhao and Xiao Qian, but even Guan Tong, sitting in the car behind, didn't react in time.
This thug in the uniform of a sheriff was ruthless and decisive. He knocked down two sheriffs with two punches, demonstrating extraordinary strength. He was definitely not an ordinary person.
Moreover, the brass knuckles had appeared out of thin air on the thug's right hand, clearly a tool of his mental powers!
At this moment, Tiger Brother also noticed Guan Tong sitting in the back seat. His fierce eyes narrowed: "There's another one?"
Guan Tong knew that a conflict was inevitable. He watched the thug run towards his car and immediately took out the [Wordless Book] from the storage compartment.
Shadow, come out!
"Crack!"
The thug's right fist, clad in brass knuckles, smashed the car window with a punch. He reached in to grab Guan Tong's collar, trying to drag him out of the car.
But just as his hand reached into the car, two pure black arms suddenly emerged from behind him, gripping his neck tightly!
"Ugh!!!"
Chapter 35 Shadow's First Battle
"Ugh!!!"
Tiger felt someone strangle his neck with an arm. Struggling to breathe, he looked down and saw two pure black arms.
What was this?!
He initially thought it was a sheriff choking him from behind, but these two pure black, hairless arms looked more like the arms of some monster, definitely not human!
"Crack...cough!"
Tiger struggled desperately, his fear compounded by his right hand, clad in brass knuckles, pounding the black arm, hoping it would release its grip.
However, little did he know that the shadow had no sense of pain. No matter how he struck, the shadow's arms remained firmly locked around his neck.
Sitting in the car, Guan Tong watched as the ferocious criminal was subjected to a rear-naked choke by the shadow he controlled.
This rear-naked choke was a simple yet effective fighting technique he'd seen on television before, capable of rendering someone unconscious in a very short time. He never expected it would come in handy now.
In less than ten seconds, Tiger's face went from white to green, then to purple, until foam spilled from his mouth and he rolled his eyes and passed out.
Guan Tong got out of the car at this moment. He looked at the unconscious thug on the ground and frowned slightly.
"This guy must be a dangerous person."
He had thought he could just stay in the car and wait to identify Xu Xiaotian, but unexpectedly, such a vicious criminal appeared.
Guan Tong withdrew his shadow and wanted to check on the two police officers who had been knocked down by the thug. At this moment, Li Meng rushed out of the construction site gate with several people and was shocked when he saw the scene.
"What happened?!"
Guan Tong said, "A criminal disguised as a police officer escaped and ambushed and knocked down two police officers. When he tried to attack me, I was lucky enough to knock him unconscious."
Li Meng checked on his two colleagues and, after confirming that they were not in mortal danger, breathed a sigh of relief.
He then walked over to the unconscious thug, turned him over, and exclaimed in surprise, "Shen Zuohu!"
"Director Li, do you know this thug?"
Li Meng nodded, his voice deep. "This bastard was imprisoned more than ten years ago for running a criminal gang. He was only released at the end of last year. I didn't expect him to be back in business in less than a year!"
As he spoke, Li Meng seemed to remember something, looking up at Guan Tong in astonishment. "Shen Zuohu is known for his ferocity and ruthlessness. I remember you were a student, right? You managed to knock him unconscious… you seem to be hiding your true strength." Guan
Tong didn't respond to this, instead asking, "Director Li, how's the situation at the construction site?"
Li Meng stood up and said, "It's all over. Several who violently resisted were shot dead, and the rest are handcuffed. The others who were tied up are fine, they were just knocked unconscious and haven't woken up yet. Your friends should be among them; you can go and identify them."
"Okay."
"I'll have someone send my injured colleagues and the victims first. As for this Shen Zuohu..." Li Meng said with a sneer, "If I don't interrogate him thoroughly and dig out everything he knows from the womb, I'll be doing a disservice to this uniform!" Guan
Tong was surprised to hear this. Li Meng, the bureau chief, looked quite refined with his glasses, but he was actually a man of strong emotions.
"As for you..."
Li Meng looked at Guan Tong and stroked his chin.
"Strictly speaking, you've assisted in the arrest of a major suspect, and according to the bureau's regulations, you should receive a bonus from the Public Security Bureau. But these days, money is useless, and as for gold, the bureau simply can't afford to pay that..."
Guan Tong shook her head and said, "No need for a reward. I just hope Director Li can solve the case as soon as possible and find out why Shen Zuohu kidnapped a person with high mental strength, and what his purpose was. After all , I am also related to this case."
Li Meng nodded and said, "Okay, then let's leave it at that for now. I'll have someone notify you to come to the station when there's news. In this major case, you are both a victim and an important accomplice in solving the case. After the case is solved, you should know what happened."
Afterwards, Li Meng took all the arrested criminals back to work overtime for interrogation. Guan Tong went to the hospital with a car and the unconscious Xu Xiaotian. When
they arrived at the hospital, the doctor examined Xu Xiaotian and found that he seemed to have been given a sedative. It would take at least several hours for him to wake up.
Guan Tong waited at the hospital. After more than three hours, Xu Xiaotian woke up groggily.
"Guan Tong...? Where am I?"
"The hospital. Have you forgotten about being kidnapped?"
As soon as the words "kidnapping" came out, Xu Xiaotian quickly came to his senses. After learning what had happened from Guan Tong, he was extremely grateful to her.
"Guan Tong, no, Brother Tong! Thank goodness you notified the police in time, otherwise I would be dead! From now on, you're my big brother!"
"Alright. You need to be more careful in the future. Your mental strength and items should be kept secret," Guan Tong said. "After all, you shouldn't have the heart to harm others, but you can't be without the heart to guard against them."
"Right! Right!" Xu Xiaotian nodded hurriedly. "I've learned my lesson this time. Sigh, next time someone asks me random questions, I'll just pretend I'm deaf and dumb!" Guan Tong
checked the time: "If you're alright, go back to the hotel. Rest and calm down. I reckon the police will probably call you in for a statement later."
On the way back, Xu Xiaotian explained in detail how he was kidnapped. He recounted everything from being approached and tricked into revealing information, to the arrival of the criminals' accomplices, and his failed escape attempt.
When Guan Tong heard that Xu Xiaotian used instant noodles as a weapon, he thought the kid was quite resourceful. If the driver hadn't missed the trap, he might have actually managed to escape from them.
"It's too dangerous outside, I'm never going out again." Back at the hotel, Xu Xiaotian still looked shaken.
"Tong-ge, I've decided that before I register for the Capital Academy next month, I'll be a shut-in like you, just staying in my room and not going anywhere!"
"...While you're idle in your room, you can practice using your mental power more, and develop your instant noodle gadget," Guan Tong said. "That way, your potential will increase faster."
"Okay, I'll go back to my room and lie down for a bit, my heart is still pounding!"
Xu Xiaotian went back to his room, and Guan Tong swiped his card to enter his room, 306.
He sat at the table, pondering today's experience.
It wasn't exactly thrilling, but it was definitely exciting. What
satisfied Guan Tong was that the "Shadow's" performance in its first real-world application met his expectations, indicating that his path of in-depth development was correct.
"The functions of the materialized shadow are completely linked to me. In other words, if I want the shadow to become stronger or faster, I also need to train harder in those areas."
"However, the shadow is stronger than me in that it doesn't experience pain, itching, or fatigue. And it's almost impossible to kill… as long as I can continuously supply it with mental energy, it can quickly regenerate even if it's cleaved in two."
Based on these characteristics, Guan Tong gradually formed a vague plan on how to further enhance the shadow.