Monsters Die When Killed-Chapter 40 - 19: The Hunt Begins

Su Zhou didn’t know if Shao Qiming had used some special channel, or if the merchant was just that fast at shipping.

In any case, Su Zhou was thrilled when he learned that the set of six premium, finished Chou Wood Rods he had ordered had arrived.

What man doesn’t love blades and polearms, armor and guns?

Even if you aren’t interested in fighting and killing, who would refuse the chance to just play around with them?

It was a large package, and it seemed to come with some kind of VIP service. In any case, when Su Zhou rushed home, the deliveryman was still waiting downstairs with a smile, ready for a signature.

It must have been a specialized delivery company, with professionals who weren’t paid by the order. Their attitude was excellent, and their words and behavior were so polite and cordial that Su Zhou felt like an honored guest.

’...Damn, so this is the efficiency of the rich.’

Watching the electric car with the ’Beifeng Express’ logo recede into the distance, Su Zhou hefted the long box. He was quite satisfied. ’It’s this heavy, and the packaging is solid. The quality must be pretty good.’

Zhengguo had heavily promoted the new energy industry twenty years ago, so electric cars were already widespread and the technology was fully mature. Coincidentally, Shao Qiming’s family had made their fortune in the solar energy industry around that same time.

In fact, for some unknown reason, all the world’s major nations had spent the last few decades gradually replacing petroleum products with alternatives like wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal energy.

Since this industrial transformation and reform was directed from the highest levels of government, the energy revolution didn’t cause any major disruptions. Any industrial turmoil that did arise was quickly suppressed.

Today, over fifty percent of the world’s countries had essentially entered a fully electric age, with very little gasoline usage. If research into controlled nuclear fusion succeeded, that number would likely hit one hundred percent, and Earth’s entire industrial sector would undergo a massive upgrade and revolution.

’I’ve heard that controlled nuclear fusion was actually achieved a long time ago. The new energy industry of the past ten-odd years has just been paving the way for building fusion power plants. After all, once controlled fusion becomes a reality, basically all fossil fuel power plants can shut down, whether they burn oil or natural gas. The world’s entire energy industry would be completely reshuffled.’

’Heck, even exploring the sea of stars might not be impossible!’

The Chou Wood Rods were too long for the elevator, so Su Zhou had to carry them up the stairs. As he climbed, he rambled to Yara, "But now that I think about it, could these preventive measures be related to the Spiritual Energy Revival? After all, a time might come when it’s impossible to ship crude oil from overseas, right?"

"’Perhaps. Your world’s technological level is already quite good for its era,’ Yara said noncommittally. It was, after all, only a remnant spirit and wasn’t very clear on the specific details of this world. ’I need more information about this world before I can make a judgment.’"

This was why it wanted to watch the news. While classified information was unlikely to be broadcast, a general overview could still reveal many interesting things about the Current Realm. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

When he got home and opened the door, it seemed his parents had been back for a moment, probably to grab something. Su Zhou saw two notes on the table. The first was in his dad’s handwriting and read, "The case isn’t going smoothly. Take care of yourself."

Beside it was another note. The handwriting was clearly much sloppier than his father’s—unquestionably his doctor mom’s. It said, "There’s an important research project at the academy. Professor Li and I have gone to a provincial conference. It’s been rather dangerous outside lately, so be careful and stay safe."

"’Not going smoothly is good. At least he won’t run into any Evil Demons,’ Su Zhou muttered after he finished reading. He put the notes away and started unpacking the box in the living room. It seemed to have ’Special Supply for Rui’an Martial Arts Hall’ written on it. ’So it’s from a place I know?’"

’So the legend about the Rui’an Fitness Training Department starting out as a martial arts hall was true.’

He opened the box. Inside were six straight Red Chou Wood rods. They were thick and sturdy, each about two and a half meters long. The wood was dense and hard, of excellent quality. The only drawback was that they were so tall when stood upright that they would draw too much attention. The box also contained a manual, which basically stated that small accessories like spearheads were not included and that the buyer would have to provide and craft their own.

’Not bad, just a little light.’

The shafts were too long to swing around comfortably in the living room, so Su Zhou just hefted one to test its weight. The feel was good, but he had a slight regret. ’Legend says that the mightiest generals in history used iron shafts. My physique is even stronger than theirs; I could even take on the romanticized versions from the novels... Wood will have to do—Hah!’

With a sharp cry, Su Zhou stepped forward and thrust the spear. The entire wooden rod seemed to undergo an Instant Teleportation, shooting forward more than a meter in a flash. The force of the movement kicked up a gust that howled through the room.

If that thrust hit someone, it would effortlessly punch a bloody hole through them. With Su Zhou’s strength, it wouldn’t even be hard to skewer a person and swing them around in the air.

"’Mm.’ Yara poked its head out from Su Zhou’s hair and examined the shafts. It, too, was quite satisfied. ’These rods were all grown from single trees, making them perfectly uniform. They’re very suitable for Enchantment.’"

"’Besides, Su Zhou, you shouldn’t underestimate wooden rods. Compared to weapons forged from Mortal Iron, wooden rods were easier to successfully enchant before the Era of Spiritual Qi Revival, making them more suitable for hunting Extraordinary Species. And don’t forget, you still have the Wisdom Tree to make use of.’"

The Snake Spirit was the expert in this area, and Su Zhou began preparing the materials for the Enchantment.

Of course, first came the familiar Holy Water.

He once again took the Pudding Holy Water (his words) out of the Cross Bottle, replacing its contents with fresh Holy Water. Su Zhou then grabbed the Holy Water ice cubes he had prepared earlier from the freezer. He bit his finger open forcefully, pressed an ice cube against the wound, and squeezed a few viscous drops of blood into the Pudding Holy Water.

This was also the first time Su Zhou had seen what his blood looked like after his body achieved Perfection... It was still bright red, but its consistency was very heavy, almost like Mercury, and a faint, purplish-blue Spiritual Light shimmered within it.

"’Your blood can now be considered the blood of an Extraordinary Creature,’ Yara explained. ’It’s far more effective than the blood of ordinary Magical Beasts or Demon Beasts, and it has a higher synchronization rate with you.’"

Yara guided Su Zhou as he used a carving knife to inscribe a series of strange symbols onto one of the Chou Wood Rods. Su Zhou’s hand was incredibly steady, as precise as a machine, and he successfully carved all thirty-two ancient, oracle-bone-like Runes near the tip of the rod in one smooth attempt.

Then, he coated the wooden rod with the Holy Water that had been mixed with his blood. Instantly, the thirty-two Runes flashed with Spiritual Light, faintly forming a small Array Formation and conjuring an illusory, translucent Air Blade Gunhead!

"Whoa!"

Seeing such a distinct supernatural effect, Su Zhou’s eyes lit up. He reached out and touched the Air Blade Gunhead. He immediately felt a bizarre sensation: the blade couldn’t harm him physically, but if he willed it, it could easily wound his own Spiritual Energy, causing immense pain to his Soul.

"’This is one of the simplest Rune Arrays: ’Breaking Evil.’ It can create a Spirit Blade to slay Ghosts. It can also increase the sharpness and durability of the physical object to a certain degree. Given the quality of this wooden rod, it should be comparable to steel.’"

Once it confirmed the Runes were correct, Yara nodded in satisfaction. It gestured for Su Zhou to bring over the other five rods, coat all of them with the blood-infused Holy Water, and place them beside the Wisdom Tree Pot Plant.

"’The material of these rods is just Mortal Wood, after all. You can’t inscribe overly complex Runes on them, and they can’t automatically absorb the surrounding Spiritual Qi to sustain the effect. Each time you apply the Holy Water and Spiritual Blood, it will last for about five hours. Of course, getting an enemy’s blood on it during a fight will also power it, it’s just not as effective as your own.’"

"’For now, use this one as your weapon. Place the other five rods by the Wisdom Tree in a Pentagram formation. They will absorb its overflowing Spiritual Energy. In ten days to half a month, they might just become infused into the most elementary grade of Spirit Wood.’"

Su Zhou, however, had another concern: "Will this have any effect on the Wisdom Tree?"

Since the Wisdom Fruit was currently the only thing that could shore up his weaknesses, Su Zhou was very concerned. He frowned. "I don’t really care about Spirit Wood. If it affects the Wisdom Tree..."

"’You’re overthinking it.’ Yara just shook its head at Su Zhou’s concern. ’Even a Divine Wood needs to interact with the outside world. Arranging these rods in a Pentagram to form a small Array will actually help to contain its Spiritual Light, preventing it from being discovered later. Turning them into Spirit Wood is just a side effect.’"

The Snake Spirit had a point, and Su Zhou had no rebuttal. Not that he wanted to talk anymore anyway. As he caressed the enchanted spear shaft, the young man’s eyes shone with joy and anticipation.

Soon, it was late at night.

「July 27, 12:01 a.m. The hour of Midnight.」

Having taken a nap earlier, Su Zhou finished a late-night snack and once again coated the Runes on his wooden spear with the blood-infused Holy Water, making them glow. He stood on his balcony, activated his Spiritual Vision, and gazed down at all the Dark Shadows wandering through the city below. A smile spread across his face.

Through his Spiritual Vision, he saw them. Amidst the black Undead and white Wandering Souls that roamed the darkness, peculiar Spirit Bodies were moving about, emitting strange Spirit Sounds. And those were his targets.

’The "small fry" designated by Yara?’

Interesting!

—From this night forward, the nightly hunt begins!

P.S. For reasons I’m sure everyone understands, some modern terms will be replaced in the future with words like Patrol, Police Superintendent, Armed Patrol, the Criminal Justice Department, the Five Military Gates (Five Chief Military Commissions), the Ministry of Punishments, and so on.

When you think about it, since this is the era of the Supervision of All Saints, it’s only right to use these kinds of titles.