CH 24

24. Aberrant, Ruminant Hound

Ji Mingzhu and Tian Quan hadn't interacted much, but in Ji Mingzhu's mind, Tian Quan had always been a dangerous individual. His marksmanship was impeccable, and despite being only slightly older than Ji Mingzhu, he was meticulous in his thinking and ruthless in his actions. When facing members of the Calamity Control Bureau, he would kill without hesitation, not even batting an eye. On the other hand, Tian Quan also knew that Ji Mingzhu used other people’s theft to take Axiu from the experiment facility, though he wasn't entirely clear on what exactly Ji Mingzhu had taken. Nevertheless, it posed a potential threat to Ji Mingzhu.

Ever since that night of the battle against the Calamity Control Bureau and Striker, Ji Mingzhu had actively avoided too much contact with the Calamity Control Bureau. Once he became a Titan pilot with the support of the Calamity Control Bureau, it wouldn't be difficult to distance himself from the Calamity Control Bureau. However, Ji Mingzhu never expected to encounter Tian Quan at Zongbingyi Academy.

Tian Quan's surprise and bewilderment mirrored Ji Mingzhu's own. He only knew that Ji Mingzhu had undertaken a mission for the Calamity Control Bureau, but he wasn't entirely clear on the specifics.

As they locked eyes, neither of them showed any signs of surprise or suspicion. After all, there were others present.

"Be careful, senior!" You Jia suddenly shouted.

The black-clad individual confronting Tian Quan wasn't passive either. Seeing Tian Quan's attention shift towards the two new students, another black-clad person swiftly stepped forward, attempting to seize the gun from Tian Quan's hand.

Tian Quan seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Faced with the ambush, he didn't even turn his head, simply shifting his body slightly to evade the attacker's grasp. Then, he stepped back, his shoulder forcefully colliding with the assailant's chest.

Even though the black-clad person was wearing tactical gear, it was easy to hear the muffled sound that came from his body, indicating that several of his ribs had been broken.

Ji Mingzhu had only witnessed Tian Quan's marksmanship in their previous mission. He hadn't expected that Tian Quan possessed such exceptional close combat skills as well. In the blink of an eye, Tian Quan swiftly dispatched three robust black-clad individuals.

Upon recalling his initial thoughts of ambushing Tian Quan in the elevator, Ji Mingzhu couldn't help but feel fortunate that he hadn't acted on it.

The attack from the black-clad individuals and Tian Quan's retaliation happened in an instant, but their actions seemed to trigger something. The tense standoff was instantly shattered.

"Woo, woo—"

The nearby Ruminant Hound emitted a cry reminiscent of a crying baby and lunged towards Ji Mingzhu and You Jia. Its canine-like head opened wide, revealing not sharp fangs, but rather a split piece of flesh protruding directly from its throat. The fleshy mass danced wildly in the air, releasing a pungent stench that made one nauseous.

Bang!

Tian Quan raised his gun, and the gunshot echoed as it hit the airborne head of the Ruminant Hound, causing it to explode instantly.

Blue blood splattered in all directions. Acting swiftly, Ji Mingzhu and You Jia immediately sidestepped, avoiding the splatter of blood.

In battles against aberrations, besides their formidable combat abilities, their blood was also extremely troublesome. Accidental exposure to their blood had a high probability of causing "corruption."

Ji Mingzhu had witnessed this when he saw a member of the Calamity Control Bureau's Fire Department being corrupted. The person, contaminated by the blood, transformed into a ferocious and grotesque monster before being mercilessly taken down by Jin Qing.

"You have to be more careful, senior!"

You Jia, relieved that he hadn't been splattered with the blue blood, anxiously shouted to Tian Quan.

"My apologies."

Tian Quan shrugged, showing little remorse on his face.

Several other Ruminant Hounds lunged at them simultaneously, leaving no time for further conversation.

"I'll take the left, you take the right."

You Jia whispered a few words to Ji Mingzhu, disregarding the injury on his left arm. He swiftly delivered a side kick to the jaw of the Ruminant Hound.

Ji Mingzhu assumed a defensive posture, facing the Ruminant Hound on the right, while simultaneously asking Axiu, "What are its weak points?"

"Its eyes, the side of its oral cavity, and about one-third of its neck," Axiu replied.

Axiu continued, "Crouch down."

Ji Mingzhu quickly crouched down, evading an attack from one of the Ruminant Hounds, as Axiu's signal echoed in his mind.

With Axiu's powerful analytical abilities, predicting the actions of simple-minded creatures like the Ruminant Hounds was effortless. Axiu seamlessly transmitted the appropriate response to Ji Mingzhu.

Ji Mingzhu didn't need to think about how to fight; he simply followed Axiu's instructions. Crouch down, throw a punch, kick, evade...

"Thud!"

Ji Mingzhu's elbow strike collided with the Ruminant Hound's neck, but to his surprise, the creature's outer shell was as tough as a metal plate. The tremendous force of the impact reverberated through Ji Mingzhu's arm, causing it to go numb. The striking force of the over one-meter-tall Ruminant Hound was equally astonishing. Although Ji Mingzhu's counterattack was flawless, he was still knocked off his feet.

You Jia watched in astonishment. "Are you that weak? Haven't you trained at all? How did you get into the combat class?"

Looking at Ji Mingzhu's fighting skills, they seemed decent. Although his movements were somewhat unorthodox, his timing for dodging and counterattacking was precise. However, his physical condition was lacking.

Ji Mingzhu replied, unenthusiastically, "Connections."

Quickly getting up from the ground, Ji Mingzhu picked up a tree branch from the nearby bushes.

"47° offset to the right, target speed 80, position deviation 5°..." Axiu's voice remained calm and composed. "Stab."

"Swish—"

Ji Mingzhu swiftly thrust the tree branch forward like a javelin!

The sensation of the branch piercing flesh reached him. The angle was perfect, stabbing into the side of the Ruminant Hound's writhing meat flower in its oral cavity. From the perspective of others, it looked as if the creature had thrust itself onto the branch in Ji Mingzhu's hand.

"Wu—"

The Ruminant Hound let out a pitiful cry. The close proximity of the stab caused Ji Mingzhu to feel dizzy and ringing in his ears.

Ji Mingzhu had underestimated the resilience of the Ruminant Hound, thinking that his strike would be enough to take its life. But he had miscalculated the creature's vitality. The Ruminant Hound, with its weak spot pierced, struggled frantically before its imminent death. As it thrashed about, the blue blood splattered in all directions.

Ji Mingzhu, still recovering from the dizziness, instinctively covered his forehead. When he looked up, he saw a figure passing in front of him, blocking the splattering blue blood.

In his hand, Tian Quan held a tactical jacket taken from one of the black-clad individuals. With a gentle swing, he unfolded the jacket like an umbrella, shielding Ji Mingzhu from the blood. Then he casually tossed the jacket aside and raised an eyebrow at Ji Mingzhu.

"Are you alright?"

Tian Quan's tone carried a teasing undertone. "Junior...?"

Ji Mingzhu regained his senses and met Tian Quan's gaze. He then squeezed out a rabbit-in-headlights expression of gratitude and said, "I'm fine. Thank you so much for being here, senior."

Tian Quan remained silent for a moment.

Damn it, I'm getting goosebumps.

Witnessing the typically silent and taciturn ace of the Calamity Control Bureau sporting such a vulnerable expression almost made Tian Quan burst out laughing.

Before their acting battle could continue, they heard a series of shouts from nearby.

"What's going on?"

"Who's there?"

"There are Aberrations?!"

"And students are there too! Quick, sound the alarm!"

"This is Security Officer UA077. We've discovered a Hardship-Level Aberration inside the academy, attacking students. Requesting backup, requesting backup!"

When Tian Quan fired his gun, he removed the suppressor attached to the black-clad person, and the loud gunshot quickly attracted the attention of the security personnel in the distance.

"Watch out, move aside!" shouted one of the security guards, and three shimmering electric nets flew out from the launchers in their hands, enveloping the remaining Ruminant Hounds.

"We finally got some backup..." 

Using his last bit of strength, You Jia took a few steps back to avoid the incoming electric nets and let out a sigh of relief. The loss of blood, heightened nerves, and physical exhaustion made him appear shaky and on the verge of collapsing, as if he would faint at any moment.

Tian Quan reached out and grabbed You Jia's body, and You Jia barely managed to open his eyes. "Senior..."

The next moment, he passed out.

Ji Mingzhu watched everything clearly from the side. As Tian Quan held onto You Jia, his other hand lightly tapped the back of You Jia's neck with his knuckles. The force wasn't strong, but it was enough to cause You Jia, who had already relaxed and entered a state of exhaustion, to fall into unconsciousness.

The several black-clad individuals behind them had already been dealt with by Tian Quan, lying on the ground trembling and writhing in pain. The Ruminant Hounds trapped in the electric nets were struggling to break free, with crackling sounds of electric shocks filling the air. Although it was only a matter of time before the Hounds could escape the nets with their strength as anomalies, the alarm had been sounded, and reinforcements would soon arrive. They couldn't escape.

The security personnel swiftly approached and engaged in a struggle with the Hounds impacted by the electric nets. You Jia was already unconscious, and no one noticed Tian Quan and Ji Mingzhu on this side.

Ji Mingzhu's fearful expression quickly transformed into the emotionless demeanor characteristic of Tian Shu. He looked at Tian Quan and said in a calm tone, "How did you know I was here?"

Tian Quan smiled and shrugged. "Don't misunderstand, I wasn't tracking you. It's just a coincidence."

Pausing for a moment, Tian Quan couldn't hide his curiosity and asked tentatively, "That noisy transfer student during the day... it's you, right? I didn't expect to find you here. Is your mission..."

"You shouldn't ask what shouldn't be asked, so don't ask," Ji Mingzhu interrupted.

"Alright." Tian Quan shrugged again, no longer pressing the issue. "Then let me ask another question. How did the Striker members end up here? Has your identity been compromised?"

"I don't think so," Ji Mingzhu shook his head.

If his identity as Tian Shu had really been exposed, the ones coming to kill him wouldn't be just this group. Several black-clad individuals only carried one gun each, and with a few Level-A Aberrants, it would be more than enough to deal with an ordinary civilian student. However, if they wanted to kill the ace of the Netherworld Organization, it would seem a bit lacking in strength.

Ji Mingzhu shifted his gaze towards the black-clad individuals lying on the ground.

The security personnel from Zongbingyi Academy had arrived, and what would happen next was beyond his control as a student. The purpose of the Striker organization appearing here was something that the Calamity Control Bureau, rather than him, would be more eager to find out.

However, just as this thought crossed his mind, the black-clad individuals on the ground, who were still emitting low groans, suddenly stiffened. Then their bodies twitched twice and fell completely still.

Ji Mingzhu was taken aback.

"Are they dead?"

Tian Quan, on the other hand, was unfazed. "Now the Calamity Control Bureau will have a headache."

There are many underground organizations attempting to subvert the rule of Sky City, but most of them are inconsequential. The Netherworld Organization stands out among them as a unique resistance organization that can challenge the power of the Calamity Control Bureau. Their members are deeply rooted and have infiltrated the Satellite City to a great extent.

The twelve Satellite Cities of humanity, apart from the openly acknowledged Satellite City government and the direct control of the Calamity Control Bureau, are a complex web of different factions. However, unlike other corporations and underground organizations, the Striker organization is the most enigmatic. Other factions usually have their own agendas, whether it be for profit or power, but the purpose of Striker is completely inscrutable. They are like a group of freaks who exist solely for destruction and slaughter, devoid of any sense of belonging to humanity, and regard anomalies as the true masters of the world.

In theory, the Netherworld Organization's attempt to subvert the rule of Sky City aligns with the interests of Striker to some extent. However, Striker shows no intention of cooperating with other factions. They dare to kill people from Sky City, and when it comes to the Netherworld Organization, they have no qualms about eliminating them.

Describing them as "madmen" and "cultists" would be quite fitting.

What makes them particularly troublesome is that Striker has the ability to control anomalies. According to intelligence, Striker can only control Level-A and Level-S anomalies. They have no command over the Level-Big Disaster, Level-Calamity, and Level-Catastrophe anomalies. However, this is still enough for the Calamity Control Bureau to view Striker as their number one enemy, with a higher priority than the Netherworld Organization.

"Oh, by the way," Tian Quan seemed to suddenly remember something and said to Ji Mingzhu, "I forgot to tell you something. I was planning to send you a message in a couple of days, but since we've met today, it saves me the trouble."

Ji Mingzhu frowned. "What is it?"

"*Tian Ji wants to meet you."

*Gamma Ursae Majoris in the Big Dippe