Chapter 104: Emergency Mission
In the classroom, a professor specializing in Otherworld research spoke eloquently from the podium.
"So far, humanity's understanding of the Otherworld remains quite limited. Exploration has only scratched the surface, with the vast majority of regions still shrouded in mystery. Of course, there are many reasons for this. On one hand, the number of Martial Artists among humans is limited. Out of a global population of seven billion, there are only about 200,000 Martial Artists—roughly one for every 30,000 people. Registered Explorers are even fewer, numbering around 50,000.
Meanwhile, the total number of discovered Spatial Gateways worldwide has already surpassed 500,000 and continues to grow steadily. With only 50,000 Explorers assigned to 500,000 Spatial Gateways, humanity simply cannot concentrate its Strength to delve deeper into any single area.
On the other hand, the Otherworld is also extremely dangerous. According to global data, over 3,000 intelligent races have been discovered so far. Barbarians are merely the most numerous, widely distributed, and least threatening to humanity among them. Some races, though rare, pose far greater dangers than barbarians.
For example, in 2005, a supernatural creature temporarily invaded the country of Oya. Internationally designated as a Hill Giant, it stood 60 meters tall. The sheer force of its punch sent armored vehicles tumbling, and even armor-piercing rounds from heavy artillery could only wound it, not kill it outright."
"Was it ever killed?" a Martial Artist asked curiously.
"No. Being an intelligent creature, it fled back to the Otherworld as soon as it realized the situation was unfavorable," the professor replied.
Picking up his thermos, the professor took a sip of water and continued, "Then there are the true Deities of the Otherworld—we won’t even go into them. These terrifying supernatural beings remain largely beyond human comprehension. But don’t worry too much. During Otherworld exploration, They generally don’t go out of Their way to kill a human Martial Artist."
"Why do you say that?" Chen Shouyi couldn’t help but ask.
He had once encountered a being suspected to be a Deity on a train, and the memory still sent chills down his spine.
"Would you go out of your way to step on an ant?" the professor countered.
Chen Shouyi fell into thought.
Indeed, compared to Deities, human Martial Artists were far too insignificant in Strength. Moreover, these beings sought the faith of mortals. From Their lofty perspective, creatures of Earth and barbarians of the Otherworld might all be viewed the same.
Of course, this wasn’t universally true.
As a child, he had killed countless ants out of sheer boredom—whether by squashing them one by one, burning them with a lighter, scalding them with boiling water, or drowning them in urine. He could spend an entire day amusing himself that way.
...
The class lasted from morning until evening, with four different instructors covering topics ranging from an overview of the Otherworld, map drawing, and basic intelligence analysis to the format and writing of exploration logs.
At most, there were only twelve Martial Artists in attendance, and at times as few as eight—truly a small-class education. Particularly for map drawing and exploration logs, each session included an hour of tutoring afterward, specifically for those who fell behind or arrived late.
For several consecutive days, Chen Shouyi attended classes at the Martial Arts Academy every day, while the family shop was finally settled and began renovations.
On this particular day, during class, Bai Xiaoling suddenly rushed to the classroom door, panting heavily.
Chen Shouyi's heart sank as he stood up and walked out of the classroom.
"A mission has come up, and we need your assistance," Bai Xiaoling said with a grave expression.
"What happened?" Chen Shouyi asked as he quickened his pace.
"The incident occurred in the Gaomei Residential Area in the lower district. I don’t know the specifics."
Exiting the dense woods, they found the car already parked outside. Bai Xiaoling placed a police siren on the roof.
Chen Shouyi swiftly pulled open the car door and got in, and the vehicle soon sped off.
"First, stop by my house. I need to grab my weapons!" Chen Shouyi said, watching students hastily move aside outside the window.
"No need. Weapons are already prepared. Before coming, I borrowed a War Bow and a sword from the academy—they’re in the trunk. You do use a sword, right?"
Chen Shouyi nodded. "Good."
Once the car left the campus, it raced through the streets, overtaking other vehicles and running countless red lights.
In less than an hour, they arrived at the entrance of a residential area. With a screech of tires, the car came to an abrupt stop.
The entire neighborhood was under lockdown. Over a dozen special police officers armed with Submachine Guns stood guard at the entrance, their expressions stern as if facing a formidable enemy. Among them were five or six Snipers crouched on the walls, aiming into the complex.
What kind of situation warranted such a heavy response?
Chen Shouyi’s heart grew heavier. He stepped out of the car, opened the trunk, and retrieved the sword, War Bow, and two quivers.
At that moment, the Bureau Chief hurried over, his face drenched in sweat. "The mission is canceled. The situation inside is too dangerous. Two Security Consultants have already been killed. We’ve requested the intervention of a Great Martial Artist."
"What’s happening inside?" Chen Shouyi asked, glancing toward the residential area.
The Bureau Chief wiped his cold sweat and spoke rapidly.
"A terrifying Humanoid Creature—no idea which Spatial Gateway it crawled out of. It moves incredibly fast, and firearms aren’t very effective against it."
Chen Shouyi noticed panicked figures in the windows of the residential buildings ahead. Clearly, many people hadn’t been evacuated, severely limiting the use of high-powered weaponry.
This was humanity’s weak point in Defense. Once Otherworld creatures infiltrated densely populated areas, the situation became extremely complicated.
Chen Shouyi didn’t let overconfidence cloud his judgment and charge recklessly into the complex.
He knew his limits. While he was stronger than an ordinary Martial Artist, the gap wasn’t overwhelming, and he was still far from the level of a Great Martial Artist.
Before long, another Martial Artist arrived by car.
This was a middle-aged man with a shaved head, towering in stature like a small Giant, standing at an estimated height of two meters.
As soon as he stepped out of the car, he glanced at the surrounding special police officers and said casually to the Bureau Chief, "Old Huang, don’t tell me it’s another major case."
"The mission is canceled. I’ve already requested a Great Martial Artist," Director Huang said, shaking his head. "Let me introduce you. This is Chen Shouyi, our new Security Consultant at the branch. Consultant Chen, this is Wei Xiang, Consultant Wei."
Wei Xiang glanced at Chen Shouyi, giving him a faint nod as a perfunctory greeting, clearly indifferent. He then turned to Director Huang and asked, "Did you call the city bureau's chief consultant?"
"Yes, Chief Consultant Cui is already on his way," Director Huang replied.
Chen Shouyi merely smiled at the bald Martial Artist's cold demeanor, unfazed. Gripping his sword, he turned his attention to the residential area.
Just then, he suddenly spotted a small figure darting past like an afterimage, swiftly hiding behind a colossal tree.
Chen Shouyi's pupils constricted. He had initially assumed the invading Otherworld creature would be a powerful barbarian, but it turned out to be nothing of the sort.
Standing only about 1.5 meters tall, it was remarkably petite, its face covered in fine scales. A snake-like tail swayed and twisted behind it. Its mouth hung slightly open, revealing rows of bloodstained, razor-sharp teeth, with fresh blood slowly dripping from the corners.
A pair of deep purple eyes glared venomously in their direction, sending a chill down one's spine.
Then, gunfire finally erupted!
Select a chapter to jump to.