Chapter 18: Chapter 16 It's Not Certain When It Comes_1
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Giving up the license I had just obtained in exchange for an opportunity to join the system, how should one choose? If I hadn't fully entered into contact with anomalies from another world, I most likely would have seriously considered it, because it's easier to do things within the system.
Hazy City often experiences anomalies, and while Roy didn't say much, it was implied that 'things' from other worlds would emerge through these anomalies, and not all of them are as agreeable as Dog Head George.
Some of them carry strong hostility, meaning the frequency of my encounters with extraordinary creatures won't be too low, and that wouldn't be so bad to live with.
However, all these considerations are based on not knowing about them, but now that I'm aware, I'm full of different ideas, or in other words, a bit inflated with higher aspirations.
"I understand, but you can still do that even if you have ideas," Roy responded indifferently to Zheng Yichen's refusal. He had seen many novice hunters, and those who chose this path all had their own reasons.
Some would prevail, while others, after taking a harsh dose of reality and recognizing the truth, would join the countermeasure bureau. They did not welcome just anyone, though. To obtain a Hunter's license, one needed only the ability to deal with extraordinary creatures and some corresponding accomplishments.
As long as one was capable, anyone could obtain a Hunter's license, even those with criminal records, though they would first be approached by law enforcement for a thorough discussion...
Beyond capabilities, the countermeasure bureau's requirements included a clean personal record, as their personnel often had duties overlapping with the police, hence the necessity for such criteria.
"Alright," Zheng Yichen glanced at the giant rats around him, continuously thrusting his fishing rod, taking out a rat with each strike, prompting a strange expression from Roy.
Initially, Roy had thought Zheng Yichen was an expert, but as the giant rats were cleared out, he gradually noticed that Zheng Yichen was only very precise with his thrusting attacks, and quite ordinary in other aspects.
Oh, and physically exceptional too, since he didn't seem out of breath after more than a dozen consecutive bursts of action. He's a wild and untrained hunter who lacks a solid foundation, but it can't be denied that Zheng Yichen is correct to specialize in one method of attack.
Lacking a foundation is not an issue, as long as expertise in a particular attack method is honed to a certain degree, the lack of foundation can be compensated for indirectly.
As long as his attack speed is fast enough to seriously injure or even kill the enemy in a single strike, there will be no opportunity to expose other weaknesses, for the dead enemy can't observe Zheng Yichen as an Observer, albeit such specialized techniques are easily targeted...
"Aren't there any stronger ones? I want to try," I asked tentatively.
"...No, just stay here," Roy looked at Zheng Yichen disapprovingly. A gunman like Zheng Yichen, who lacked well-rounded skills except for physical fitness and fast and precise thrusting, was well-suited to hold a position.
The giant rats had been emerging through the drains in the sewer. Stationed here, Zheng Yichen could hit each one accurately. What was there to do elsewhere?
Deeper areas were not suitable for novice hunters.
"Is there a reward?" I inquired.
"Of course, there will also be some other things." Without elaborating, Roy left the area. In addition to Zheng Yichen, there were other countermeasure bureau members present. Zheng Yichen just had to precisely kill any of the giant rats that came out.
Those he couldn't kill in time would be dealt with by other officers. However, after the initial chaos, the number of remaining giant rats was not significant, occasionally taking advantage of inattention to suddenly appear, and Zheng Yichen's reaction speed was sufficient to keep up with these sudden appearances.
Left behind, Zheng Yichen skewered another giant rat that sprang out, stimulated by the scent of blood, and tossed it aside, feeling somewhat downhearted. He wanted to deal with larger extraordinary creatures; these rats were too weak, and their presence prevented him from draining them completely.
He could only extract a fifth of their blood at most, which felt like only taking one bite of a snack before throwing the rest away. Although the snack wasn't very nutritious, it was still a waste.
Desperately curious, Zheng Yichen gazed toward the source of the anomaly, torn inside. He was eager to sneak over and see if the anomaly indeed connected to another world and what kind of form that world took, among other things.
The sounds of more intense gunfire erupted, and Roy emerged from the mist, his normally impeccable police uniform now somewhat disheveled, with half an arrow on his shoulder, an arrow made of bone.
"Don't stay here!" Roy called for people as he came over, indicating a significant problem at the anomalous area, making the elimination of the extraordinary creatures a secondary issue. Zheng Yichen killed another giant rat that had lunged out, attracted by the blood.
"Did something emerge from the anomaly?"
"A group of things," Roy replied to Zheng Yichen's question without much fuss after arranging for the departure of personnel on-site. He quickly approached a police car, opened the trunk, took out a bottle of medicine, and popped two pills into his mouth, easing the painful expression on his face.
He glanced at the array of firearms in the trunk, then grabbed one: "How's your shooting?"
"Just completed the registration, was planning to buy a gun to practice. I can practice now too!" Zheng Yichen's tone perked up with eagerness.
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"..." Roy's hand paused, and he silently put the gun he had picked up back into its place, instead taking out a rocket launcher. He had no intention of lending the firearm to Zheng Yichen. Under Zheng's somewhat disappointed gaze, he closed the trunk of the car again.
He didn't mean to give Zheng Yichen a gun.
"Don't get me wrong, if the situation on site is under control, I don't mind lending you a gun, but right now the scene is pretty chaotic. You'd better stick with that nice weapon of yours."
So that's your reason for swapping the gun with a rocket launcher? Zheng Yichen swung the fishing rod in his hand and clicked his tongue, feeling somewhat annoyed, and his disappointment grew when he arrived at the scene and saw what was emerging from there.
Indeed something had come out of the anomaly, and it was very ferocious, but this time, what came out wasn't some creature, but some rotting flesh and bone skeletons!
"Does this kind of situation happen often?" Zheng Yichen looked at the bone skeletons wielding bone bows. Those things were definitely skeleton soldiers, right? And then there were some walking corpses and such. Which fantasy world had they come from?
As a transmigrator from Earth, the moment he saw those things, his mind raced through numerous possibilities.
"Not really." Roy shook his head, hoisted the rocket launcher on his shoulder, aimed at the bone skeletons emerging from the mist, and pulled the trigger. The explosion's blaze didn't completely dissipate the mist on that side but did manage to shatter the targeted bone skeletons to pieces. Due to the blast's aftermath, nearby skeletons were also scattered about, but the skeleton soldiers weren't completely dead from that.
The skulls were still clacking away.
After Roy's shot, it wasn't the most outstanding action. There was heavy firepower suppressing the area from other places. Zheng Yichen saw a burly man, almost bursting out of his uniform, wielding a six-barreled Gatling gun with a huge ammunition box on his back. As he swept his firearm, it looked like he was wielding a long chainsaw.
The undead creatures running out from the mist collapsed in droves, like wheat being harvested.
"..." Watching this scene, Zheng Yichen silently regarded Roy, whose expression wasn't awkward.
"If you had any experience with guns, I would have lent you one, and as you can see, firearms aren't that effective against these creatures."
"But a cannon can." Zheng Yichen looked at Roy's rocket launcher. Firearms really were passive against skeleton soldiers; hitting them would just break a bone or two. Aim for the legs? The skeleton soldiers' legs were much thinner than those with flesh.
The burly man had mowed down a large number of skeleton soldiers, yet their bones hadn't completely died, some of their upper bodies still intact, capable of wielding their bone bows for long-range attacks.
Zheng Yichen thrust his fishing rod out, touching an arrow, and knocked the bone arrow aside.
"Impressive." Roy watched this scene and gave a compliment. The arrows weren't as fast as bullets, so being able to block and deflect them with a thrust was already great.
In the center of the anomaly, they saw a huge skull, and although obscured by mist, its presence still drew the attention of the entire area.
It was a skull as big as a cargo truck, with blue flames burning in its eye sockets, sending chills down one's spine. The huge wings were faintly visible in the mist, and without a doubt, it was a standard bone dragon...
Holy crap, had the Lich King invaded an alien world? Wasn't that something the Combustion Legion would do??
Zheng Yichen couldn't help but swallow, thinking if he had a chance to hit that thing, could he extract some marrow from those bones...
"Can our firepower here take down that thing?" clutching his fishing rod, Zheng Yichen didn't get a response and looked towards Roy. Roy had already put the rocket launcher down on the ground and was busy calling for backup on a communication device, with no time to answer his question.
Had Hazy City always been in such dire straits??
"What did you ask just now?" After finishing his call, Roy's expression relaxed considerably.
Zheng Yichen repeated his earlier question, and Roy shook his head: "The firepower here is enough to clear those 'dead' things, but it definitely won't be enough against that big guy."
"I just consulted the experts, and if we attack that big guy directly, we would be wiped out for sure. But if that big guy comes to us, our firepower should be enough to hold it off!"
Uh? So was there some underlying secret? He wanted to ask, but Roy dismissed him with the reason that the details were classified and if he knew too much, he might be conscripted by force.
The bone dragon in the depths of the anomaly was moving now, its blue breath piercing through the mist and converging massively, and then it took a deep breath towards their side!
"Evade!!"