Chapter 68: Uploaded to the Forum, Causing a Sensation

The Heart Lamp had vanished, and all the Guards returned to headquarters with dark faces.

“Was it really that Gu Changqing?” Secretary Bai asked upon seeing Chi Hui return. She had just heard it from Sang Yeye, but still found it hard to believe.

“It was him!” Chi Hui’s expression was equally grim.

At the time, he had sensed someone watching him from atop the building, as if a blade hovered over his neck, so he hadn’t dared pursue Gu Changqing. As a result, Gu Changqing managed to circle back, and the Heart Lamp left behind by the Illusion Monk was lost.

The Guards had lost all face.

When Secretary Bai heard Chi Hui confirm this, her face flickered with uncertainty.

“How are Sang Yeye and the Ou brothers?”

“The Ou brothers are severely injured, but it’s nothing life-threatening. Sang Yeye’s eyes were both corroded and contaminated by some force—she’ll have to have them removed and replaced…”

“It’s that brat’s ability!” Chi Hui cut in coldly.

“That kid’s power is bizarre. It’s far more than just controlling blood. Corrosion, dissolution—he even seems able to devour strange entities. We just don’t know what effect devouring them has on him.”

“His rapid growth must be linked to that power.”

“No one has ever strengthened themselves by consuming strange entities!” Secretary Bai instinctively objected.

“There’s a first time for everything. It’s the only explanation that makes sense!” Chi Hui said gravely.

Secretary Bai was silent for a moment, then said, “This was my mistake.”

“No use dwelling on that now. Update his file and elevate his threat level to Earth-rank! We don’t fully understand his powers yet, but his martial arts are terrifying, with an indescribable edge. Coupled with his current rate of improvement, he’s more than worthy of an Earth-rank designation!”

Having fought Gu Changqing himself, Chi Hui knew better than Secretary Bai just how frightening the man was.

“Also… is there any chance we could bring him over to our side?”

A hint of discomfort flashed in Secretary Bai’s eyes, but she said, “I’ll give it a try! But this man is wildly arrogant—he may not agree.”

“It’s worth a shot.”

…

At that moment, Gu Changqing was at home.

Though he lived next door to the Guards, he wasn’t worried they’d come knocking. Even if there was friction, as long as he didn’t kill any of them, the Guards wouldn’t dare cause him trouble at his own house. That would be crossing a line.

If they did, he could just as well pay them a visit and deal with them himself.

After showering, Gu Changqing checked himself over but found nothing amiss. Perhaps it had been his imagination earlier—he could only set the matter aside for now.

He climbed into bed and unlocked his phone, where a string of messages greeted him:

“Captain, was that you?”

“Captain, that was definitely you, right? Did you get into a fight with the Guards?”

“Captain, you were absolutely explosive last night!!!”

Attached were several videos from various angles—by now, these clips were everywhere.

Gu Changqing watched them all, quite satisfied.

The next morning, he had breakfast near the Chongming headquarters before strolling in, unhurried.

“Captain Gu!” The staff at headquarters greeted him respectfully, making way for him.

Status was earned with one’s fists—especially in Awakened organizations like the Guards and Chongming.

“Captain Gu, you were incredible last night!” Li Yue ran up, bouncing with excitement.

A mountain had appeared in the city overnight, and the footage had gone viral. What’s more, Gu Changqing and the Guards hadn’t bothered avoiding civilians, so the videos had already circulated throughout Chongming’s ranks.

“But the Guards aren’t going to cause you trouble, are they?”

“I’d welcome it!” Gu Changqing grinned broadly.

“True, Captain Gu has nothing to fear from the Guards!” Li Yue nodded. Unless one of their own captains moved against him.

Then she paused, suddenly realizing—Gu Changqing himself was now captain-level. Previously, Chongming was too weak for the Guards to care, but with Gu Changqing’s meteoric rise, if the Guards’ captains made a move, it wouldn’t be unreasonable…

The thought made her uneasy.

Gu Changqing burst out laughing. “If they’re coming, they’d best hurry up!”

A level-five Awakened was roughly equivalent to Sixth or Seventh Layer Qi Training, but if he could break through to Fifth Layer, open his meridians, and nurture his spirit, he just might be able to kill them!

Back in the office, Qiao Renxia and Tan Li pressed him for details about last night. Gu Changqing simply smiled and said, “Focus on improving yourselves, and get ready for a new era!”

Recently, word of the Awakening Era forum had spread, and as spiritual energy grew ever denser, strange phenomena were emerging everywhere. He doubted the various governments could keep a lid on things much longer.

He was curious to see what would happen next.

He had a feeling it would be entertaining.

Returning to his office, Gu Changqing logged into his forum account and started a thread: “Who else dares?”—uploading the clearest, best-angled videos from his phone.

…

Huo Guangzhou was recuperating at home.

Since being transferred from Angang Hospital, he’d been resting for several days. His broken ribs had mostly healed—he could move about, though there was still a dull ache.

Yet the thought of that man from Angang left a sour taste in his mouth.

He was idly browsing the forum when he saw a new post:

“Who else dares?”

He didn’t even need to check the author; he immediately thought of that man from Angang, his face darkening.

A quick glance confirmed it—the post was by “Not Targeting You.”

The man had barely been quiet a few days, and now he was stirring things up again!

He tossed his phone aside.

Yet, not five minutes later, a friend from another division called. “That guy’s at it again!”

“Oh?” Huo Guangzhou replied indifferently, not interested in the topic.

“Check the forum! He posted videos—damn, he’s fierce! Absolutely ruthless!”

“Who was it this time?” Huo Guangzhou asked offhandedly.

“The Guards! He took on four of them at once—all level-four Awakened! He injured three, then fought a level-five! Damn, he’s terrifying! Honestly, you can’t feel bad about losing to him!”

“I’ll take a look,” Huo Guangzhou said, curiosity piqued.

After hanging up, he opened the forum.

Watching the videos of that towering, beast-like man, Huo Guangzhou’s ribs started to ache again.

He finished the videos, muttering, “That guy really is hated by man and ghost alike.”

“But fierce—he’s truly fierce!”

Scrolling down, the first comment was from Nanshan: “You again!”

The second, also from Nanshan: “Can’t complain about losing to you!”

The discussion below was lively: “Those two are the Ou brothers, right? Famous for their combined attacks, pretty well-known in Angang.”

“The one using fire is Shen Zhen, a level-four fire-type Awakened! Who are the other two?”

“The ones who tried to stop him were Luo Xiu and Chi Hui. The one injured at the end was Sang Yeye, a psychic Awakened. This guy carried Chi Hui while still managing to seriously injure her! Must’ve been because Sang Yeye used a psychic attack on him during his fight with the Ou brothers and pissed him off.”

There weren’t that many prominent Awakened in the region, so Sang Yeye and her group were quickly identified.

“So, he withstood Sang Yeye’s psychic assault to seriously injure the Ou brothers, then went after Sang Yeye herself, all while fighting a level-five Awakened—and got away! What exactly is his ability? And how did Sang Yeye get injured? It’s not clear!”

Nanshan: “His power is blood-related, but his greatest weapon is his fists—a terrifying punch! Facing him is like facing a wild beast!”

“Yeah, he’s arrogant, but he backs it up with strength. He’s no weaker than those prodigies from Yong’an!”

After a while, Huo Guangzhou closed the forum, his thoughts much like Nanshan’s.

Watching Gu Changqing clash with the Guards—more ferocious, more brazen—injuring several openly, then retreating after fighting a level-five Awakened, he realized he truly couldn’t blame his own defeat.

Though he still resented Gu Changqing’s heavy hand, he had to respect the man’s strength.

He thought for a moment, then messaged Ming Xue to comfort her.

“Check the forum!”

“That guy’s been in another fight—this time with the Guards!”

“Honestly, you didn’t get beaten that badly compared to this.”

Huo Guangzhou felt this was quite consoling.

…

Yong’an, Chongming headquarters.

“Zé, take a look at this!” A young man with a shaved head sidled up to another youth with short hair, showing his phone.

The short-haired youth was Ning Ze—a striking young man with delicate features and a cold expression. The shaved-headed youth was Pei Yuntai, another of headquarters’ prodigies and a level-four Awakened.

“Oh?” Ning Ze uttered a surprised noise after only a glance.

“Who is this guy?”

“Haha, got your attention, didn’t I? He’s that arrogant one from Yong’an!” Pei Yuntai grinned.

“So it’s him!” Ning Ze had heard of Gu Changqing—the furor he’d caused on the forum had reached him, though he hadn’t paid much mind.

He hadn’t expected the man’s strength to be so great.

“Still, he’s lacking a little,” Ning Ze said after watching the videos carefully.

The man was strong, but not quite his equal.

“Interested now? You’ll probably get your chance soon!” Pei Yuntai laughed.

“Oh? There’s news from the Qingjiang battlefield?” Ning Ze looked over.

“Yeah. Things inside are getting strange. They’ll need to deploy a lot of manpower to explore further. With his strength and being in Angang, he’ll definitely be sent in!”

“If that happens, not just him—the Guards will send their top people too. Those experts might be there as well!”

…

Gu Changqing scrolled through the replies to his post, feeling quite pleased.

Wearing brocade in the dark—if no one else knew how formidable he was, what was the point?

He spent half the day in his office before being summoned to the Minister’s office.

Had to head out for some errands today—running a bit late, but I’ll continue writing when I return.

(End of chapter)