Chapter 73: Demons of Hell (Part One)

Kong Zhe was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "You don't have to comfort me. So many years have passed, I've long since let it go..."

Chirp!

Tuantuan suddenly stood up and swiftly kissed Kong Zhe on his left cheek.

Feeling the lingering warmth on his face, Kong Zhe was stunned, instinctively turning to look at Tuantuan.

"The contract is complete. Now the Vampire Queen and Blackwing Jax have formed an alliance..."

The little girl now sat upright, her face displaying an unprecedented seriousness.

"Our goal is to find the Corridor of Reincarnation. The Corridor is a wondrous space that links the past and the present. As long as we find it, we will surely recover your sister and my own."

Tuantuan suddenly hooked her pinky around Kong Zhe's, pulling it up and giving it a shake, muttering something under her breath.

After a moment, she finally broke into a broad smile, clapped Kong Zhe on the shoulder, and laughed, "Excellent! From this moment on, we're comrades on a united front. The grudges of our past lives have faded with the winds. There's no need to care about the opinions of ordinary people; just follow me, adhere to the truths of the world, the linked laws of heaven, and change this world..."

Kong Zhe stared at her in a daze, yet the corners of his mouth unconsciously twitched upward. Though her words were incomprehensible, her smile was infectious.

This seemingly carefree little girl might, in truth, possess a surprisingly delicate heart.

...

When Kong Zhe left home, he had replenished his magic—borrowed from Tuantuan, of course. Already severely wounded, Tuantuan became even weaker after her magic was drained, and soon collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep.

Their conversation had altered Kong Zhe’s impression of her considerably. He left her to rest, not too worried about her injuries—thanks to her awakened physique, the medicines he administered would be absorbed to the fullest, and he guessed she’d be lively again by tomorrow.

With his magic restored, he needed to quickly use his remaining fishing opportunity, lest someone else seize it first.

Before departing, Kong Zhe considered leaving the puppy at home, mainly fearing the gang from earlier might return for revenge while he was away. With the puppy there, at least it could buy him enough time to rush back.

Because Kong Zhe had cleared out all the magical beasts in the neighborhood, more people now dared to venture out in small groups—most were ordinary folk searching for food, though occasionally an awakened one would head to the outskirts to hunt for lone beasts.

With so many people moving about, the chances of his concealed fishing hole being discovered increased greatly, making Kong Zhe anxious; he hurried, picking up his pace toward the garden.

Moving faster, he soon arrived at the garden. But just as he reached the gate, he frowned and quickly ducked behind a wall corner to hide; he heard voices coming from within.

"Wang Feng, my men found this first—it should belong to me!"

"Hah, that's a joke—I got here before you!"

"You were only half a minute ahead, what's there to brag about?"

...

One of the voices sounded familiar. Kong Zhe peeked out and his heart sank: two groups were in a standoff, and the fishing hole he'd carefully concealed had been uncovered, exposing the faintly glowing water beneath.

Most of them were ordinary people; only two leaders were awakened, and one of them Kong Zhe recognized—it was Han Ke, who had clashed with him not long ago.

Han Ke’s face was tinged with anger as he stared at the young man before him. He’d already been vexed by Kong Zhe earlier, and now found himself embroiled in another conflict.

Glancing at the fishing hole on the lake, Han Ke frowned. Truthfully, he didn’t know what it was. His men had just reported finding a glowing fishing hole, prompting him to rush over. Since its glow was faint, he assumed it wasn’t anything valuable. Yet, the fact it had been so carefully hidden suggested someone knew its worth.

Wang Feng, facing him, was also a third-level awakened, and had awakened around the same time as Han Ke, gathering his own following.

If these two groups fought, neither would benefit. Most crucially, the fishing hole could only be used once—splitting it wasn’t possible.

Han Ke’s gaze flickered. He wasn’t sure about the fishing hole’s value, whether it was worth fighting for. Judging from Wang Feng’s demeanor, it seemed he was equally clueless, perhaps only opposing Han Ke for the sake of appearances in front of his own men.

Their situations were identical; fighting over an unknown fishing hole was pointless. What both needed was a way to step down gracefully.

Suddenly, Han Ke’s eyes lit up as an idea struck. He looked at Wang Feng and said, "Wang Feng, I’m willing to let you have this, but I have a condition!"

"What condition?" Wang Feng crossed his arms.

"Simple. The fishing hole is yours, but afterward, you must join me to kill someone!" Han Ke spoke mysteriously.

"Someone?" Wang Feng rubbed his chin, not immediately agreeing. He glanced around at the men surrounding them, puzzled. "We’ve got forty, maybe fifty people between us—just to kill one person? Who could possibly warrant such a show of force?"

"Alright, I won’t hide it from you. Earlier..." Han Ke quickly recounted what had happened that morning, omitting certain details—like being forced to hand over his silver coins, a humiliation he never wished to mention again.

Wang Feng listened, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. After a moment, he frowned and said, "So, you’re saying he’s a fourth-level awakened, stronger than most, and has a third-level kobold pet?"

Han Ke nodded gravely.

"That’s right. As much as I hate to admit it, I can’t defeat him alone—but together, we definitely can!"

Han Ke smiled persuasively, "If he’s on our level yet stronger, he must have secrets—maybe powerful equipment. Once we kill him, we split the loot, and those two talented women with him—each of us gets one. I’m not exaggerating, they’re both exceptional. What do you think?"

Han Ke knew the other man was a lecher; he’d ravaged countless women these days. The mention of beauties would be irresistible.

Sure enough, Wang Feng’s eyes sparkled. If Han Ke spoke the truth, the offer was tempting.

He decided to agree for now, sizing up the situation. If Han Ke was right, they’d attack; if not, he could simply leave. Either way, agreeing meant he’d secure the fishing hole—a win-win.

Pretending to ponder, Wang Feng finally nodded. "Fine, but you said it—this hole’s mine. Even if I fish up divine gear, don’t get jealous!"

"Heh, I know, I know!"

Han Ke agreed on the surface, but secretly sneered—divine gear? It wasn’t so easily found. With such a faint glow, even if something could be fished up, it would likely be white-grade equipment at best—nothing worth fighting over.

He recalled Kong Zhe’s hateful face, clenched his fists, and cursed—daring to snatch what belonged to him, he’d make Kong Zhe pay tenfold.

Alone, he had no confidence. But with forty or fifty men, a dozen guns, and two strong awakened, Han Ke believed that as long as Kong Zhe was human, he wouldn’t escape. He could already imagine Kong Zhe kneeling and begging for mercy.

Wang Feng didn’t notice Han Ke’s cold smile; he was already chuckling, sitting by the lake to begin fishing.

Just as he prepared to channel his magic, a cold voice rang out behind him.

"I advise you not to touch that fishing hole!"

"Who’s there?"

Everyone instinctively turned toward the source of the voice.

At the garden entrance, a young man walked in leisurely. His cold, sharp gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Wang Feng by the lake, releasing unabashed killing intent.

Wang Feng instantly felt as if a venomous snake had locked onto him. The fishing rod he’d just conjured could no longer be lowered. The fierce bloodlust made him frown, and he stood up.

Noticing Kong Zhe’s hostility, those with guns all raised their weapons, aiming at the approaching young man.

"It’s you!"

Han Ke immediately recognized Kong Zhe, exclaiming in surprise.

"You know him?"

Wang Feng frowned, assuming Han Ke was acquainted with the newcomer.

"He’s the one I just told you about!"

"Ah?"

Wang Feng looked Kong Zhe over again, checking for the awakened mark above his head, but saw none. He asked, "Didn’t you say he’s an awakened? He looks like an ordinary person."

"Don’t be fooled by him. He’s concealed his information using a special method!"

Han Ke sneered. He’d already confirmed earlier—there was no one else behind the young man, not even the pet dog.