"Unless he can fight me."
"Big guy, we just met, no need for all this fighting..."
"Fine, let's fight."
Li Muhanying tried to ease the atmosphere, but before he could finish, Xia Yue jumped straight into the conversation, seemingly annoyed that Huo Tian had belittled Li Muhanying.
Huo Tian glanced at Xia Yue, and with just that single look, he felt an unprecedented wave of terror.
What kind of terrifying power was hidden inside that tiny body? The mere release of her killing intent made Huo Tian's legs tremble uncontrollably.
"Ten of you wouldn't be enough to beat him."
Xia Yue delivered the finishing blow.
"What did you say..."
Huo Tian was a man of passion. Although he knew the gap in strength between himself and Xia Yue, he could not stomach being humiliated like this.
In the end, Li Muhanying spoke up.
"Very well, Captain Huo, I'll fight you. Not to join the Special Management Bureau, but to prove that I am not the coward you make me out to be."
Hearing Li Muhanying's words, the smile on Lin Ze's face widened even further.
She hadn't expected Li Muhanying to be so reasonable and accommodating, which came as quite a surprise to her.
"Well, in that case, let's have a fight. This is the training room anyway. Besides, Li Muhanying, you can take this opportunity to get familiar with your Demon Power. Whether you join the Special Management Bureau later or not, it can't hurt."
"Understood, Director Lin."
Li Muhanying mimicked the people around him and gave Lin Ze a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"This time, Xia Yue, you cannot help him."
Lin Ze stated her final condition and stepped aside with Xia Yue.
Huo Tian took off his jacket, revealing a physique bulging with muscles. Li Muhanying felt a chill just looking at him—if it came to a brute-force contest, a few lives wouldn't be enough.
"Oh, right, one more condition."
Just as the two men were about to make their move, Lin Ze suddenly raised a finger and said, "Huo Tian, you are not allowed to use the power of your Domain. As for Li Muhanying, this rule does not apply to you."
Li Muhanying was slightly puzzled.
He looked at Lin Ze and asked, "Isn't that a bit unfair to Captain Huo?"
Unexpectedly, Huo Tian sneered and spoke before Lin Ze could answer.
"Kid, save that kind of talk for when you've actually managed to push me to the point of using my Domain."
The so-called power of a Domain was not exclusive to anomalies.
Most combat personnel in the Special Management Bureau were capable of using a Domain.
The tiers of Domains were also classified according to the disaster level.
From level one to six, they corresponded to the disaster grades: Chaos-grade, Chaos-grade, Cholera-class, Annihilation, Catastrophe, and finally, World-Ending-grade.
Logically speaking, Baal's Myriad Thunder Guiding Slaughter Domain should be World-Ending-grade, but the level Li Muhanying currently controlled was only tier two, which was Chaos-grade.
However, he was not foolish enough to tell Lin Ze and the others that the Demon Power inside him was actually World-Ending-grade.
If he did, he feared these people would pull out all the stops to ensure he never walked out of the Special Management Bureau alive.
After all, he really had harmed human beings, even if it was during a berserk state.
"Have you made your peace?"
Seeing that Li Muhanying remained silent, Huo Tian sneered and asked.
"I have a question, Captain Huo."
"Go ahead."
"Why did you join the Special Management Bureau?"
Huo Tian was momentarily taken aback, unsure why Li Muhanying would ask such a question.
"What? Trying to get on my good side so I'll go easy on you? Sorry, but when it comes to anomalies, I've always been ruthless. I hope you're mentally prepared."
"I just want to know what makes you willing to risk your life to undergo whatever special training this is."
This question seemed to touch a nerve, and Huo Tian's face instantly darkened.
"I must be a fucking idiot for trying to talk to a monster like you. A monster like you will never understand how much humans have to sacrifice to protect something."
Li Muhanying was thoroughly confused.
What did he say wrong? Why was this guy losing his temper?
"I'm actually human too..."
Before his voice even trailed off, Huo Tian's fist, moving like a cannonball, appeared right before his eyes.
Chapter 16: Baal
Li Muhanying's body reacted by reflex, wanting to dodge. After all, he had grown up fighting every day in the orphanage, and later, for the sake of Gu Ruoxi, he had practically lived with injuries on his body.
Thus, Li Muhanying's physical fitness was already superior to that of an average person his age.
Yet this punch was preposterously fast and carried immense weight.
Even though Li Muhanying dodged with the absolute limit of his body's speed, he was still struck on the left side of his face.
Instantly, his body spun through the air as he was sent flying, before crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Though I'm sick of saying it, Huo Tian, keep it under control." Lin Ze yawned and said to Huo Tian.
"Apologies, Director Lin, but this is the Special Management Bureau, and he is an anomaly who refuses to submit to its regulation. I can't hold back against him."
"Fine then, finish up quickly. Today is my day off, you know."
"Don't worry, Director Lin, it won't take too much of your time."
Huo Tian sneered, his sharp, falcon-like eyes locked onto Li Muhanying, who had been knocked to the floor.
"Cough, cough... You fucking bastard, do you really want to ki—"
Li Muhanying propped himself up on the ground, just as he tried to stand and finish his sentence, the burly man in front of him rushed forward once more, throwing another ferocious punch straight at his head.
Bang—
Li Muhanying rolled aside to dodge. The punch landed on the floor of the training room, actually cracking the surface.
"Don't wreck the training room. Don't want your salary this month?" Lin Ze said with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"When dealing with anomalies, I cannot show mercy."
Huo Tian sneered as he looked at the dodging Li Muhanying.
"You've got quick reflexes. No, wait—did you figure out my striking pattern from the very first punch? You've got talent for fighting, but that's as far as it goes."
"It's not that dramatic, but I did figure out one thing: you really want to kill me."
Li Muhanying wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, spitting out a glob of bloody saliva and a few broken teeth, fixing a cold gaze on Huo Tian.
With a roar, Huo Tian lunged at Li Muhanying again, sweeping a whip kick toward his head.
Li Muhanying had indeed picked up on some of Huo Tian's patterns; he abruptly ducked to evade the kick and threw a punch straight at Huo Tian's stomach.
To his surprise, after missing his whip kick, Huo Tian immediately executed a spin kick, slamming his heel fiercely into Li Muhanying's abdomen.
Bang—
Li Muhanying was kicked backward, flying through the air before slamming into the wall.
"Hahahaha! You're a skilled fighter, but unfortunately, real combat is never static. After all, I'm not here practicing choreography with you!"
Huo Tian laughed loudly, mocking Li Muhanying.
Xia Yue made a move to step forward, but Lin Ze raised a hand to stop her.
"Have a little more faith in him."
Xia Yue then looked back at Li Muhanying, who was struggling to get up from the floor, and said, "What's wrong, Li Muhanying? Is that all you've got? You didn't actually think a few punches would be enough to take down our squad leader, did you?"
Li Muhanying knew, of course, that his fighting style looked childishly naive in Huo Tian's eyes, so he only had one way to win now.
But what if he used his Demon Power and lost control again?
Seeming to sense Li Muhanying's hesitation, Lin Ze sighed and said, "Li Muhanying, you're a Chaos-grade demon—what's the worst that can happen even if you lose control? Hurry up, stop dawdling. Are you a man or not?"
With Lin Ze's words, Li Muhanying finally made up his mind.
He slowly stood up and took a deep breath.
"Myriad Thunder Guiding Slaughter."
Boom—
A mass of thunderclouds began to gather within the massive indoor training facility, rapidly expanding to engulf most of the building.
Other staff members of the Special Management Bureau outside were curious.
"Who is it? Who's unleashing a Domain right in the headquarters of the Special Management Bureau?"
"It's the kid Director Lin brought in. Don't worry about it, Captain Huo Tian of the Seventh Squad is sparring with him."
Inside the training room enveloped by the gathering thunder, Huo Tian felt no fear at the sight before him.
Instead, an excited smile broke across his face.
"Hahaha! Good! Now this is more like it!"
He rushed toward Li Muhanying, raising a fist high and smashing it straight down toward Li Muhanying's face.
Huo Tian was holding nothing back with this punch; if it connected squarely, Li Muhanying's entire head would likely be blown to pieces.
Yet Li Muhanying simply raised a hand, casually catching the blow with effortless ease. Where their fist and palm met, intense flashes of lightning sparked violently.
"Not bad, kid! You've got some strong muscle!"
A slightly crazed smile played on Huo Tian's lips as he continued to pour strength into his punch.
Li Muhanying slowly straightened his posture. His pupils turned pale gold, a demonic horn sprouted from his head, and a thick demonic tail whipped continuously against the floor.
Li Muhanying slowly turned his head, locking eyes with Huo Tian.
A hint of madness burned in both of their eyes, and a fanatical smile crept onto the corners of their mouths.
"Hahaha! What a rush! Come on, let's keep going!"
Boom—
Huo Tian exerted a sudden surge of strength, slamming the demon-form Li Muhanying halfway to his knees.
Golden light flashed wildly in Li Muhanying's eyes. The instant he raised his head, a pair of combat boots slammed viciously into his face.
"A demon, huh?! An anomaly, huh?! A Domain, huh?!"
Huo Tian rained blow after blow down onto the demon's head.
Every punch sent shockwaves of thunder and sparks flying.
Xia Yue furrowed her brow, while Lin Ze maintained her calm smile.
Just as Huo Tian prepared to deliver one final punch to smash the demon's face to pulp, Li Muhanying, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly smiled once more.
"Had your fun yet?"
Li Muhanying spoke, his voice deep and raspy, as if echoing from the depths of hell.
Boom—
A surge of electricity blasted Huo Tian directly backward through the air.
The moment he hit the floor, a hand clamped around his throat, lifting his entire body off the ground.
"Let go! Let me the fuck go!"
No matter how Huo Tian struggled, his fists could not break free from Li Muhanying's grip.
Panicked and furious, he began hammering away at Li Muhanying with his other hand and leg.
Yet these strikes landed on Li Muhanying like tickles, unable to make his body budge even a fraction of an inch.
Crackling—
A trace of lightning sparked across the hand gripping Huo Tian's neck.
Reflected in the glow of the lightning was Li Muhanying's expression of near-total madness.
Boom—
Finally, the arc of lightning engulfed Huo Tian's entire body. The six-foot-three giant twitched a few times before collapsing limp onto the floor.
Li Muhanying released his grip and turned to look at Lin Ze and Xia Yue.
Xia Yue was deeply tense.
She knew very well that if Li Muhanying failed to retain his self-awareness, the Special Management Bureau would undoubtedly treat him as an uncontrollable ticking time bomb.
Lin Ze kept her hands in the pockets of her suit trousers, a calm, undisturbed smile still resting on her face.
"Don't worry, nothing's going to happen."
However, Li Muhanying flashed them an utterly eerie smile.
Those golden pupils were brimming with bloodlust.
"He's lost control," Xia Yue said quietly, moving to step forward, only for Lin Ze to catch her by the arm and stop her.
"Relax, just watch quietly."
Possessed by Baal, Li Muhanying reached out and shoved Huo Tian—who was just crawling back up to attack—right back down to the floor.
"What the hell? His strength is insane!"
Huo Tian's face was a mask of shock; no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't make the demon's hand budge a millimeter.
Immediately after, Li Muhanying's hand began to transform into black, sharp claws replacing the palm, gripping almost the entirety of Huo Tian's face in his grasp.
Just as the demon was about to crush Huo Tian's skull, a dark green radiance suddenly burst from his chest.
Terror instantly flooded Li Muhanying's face.
The source of that green light was none other than the pendant Lin Ze had made him wear earlier.
He seemed to be suffering agonizing torment from the dark green pendant, prompting him to shove Huo Tian aside and desperately claw at his own chest to rip it off.
The moment his claws touched the pendant, it began to change. Countless black threads shot out from the trinket, slithering all over the demon's body.
The demon tried to tear the threads away, but the moment his flesh made contact with them, it emitted a sizzling sound of being scorched, and a roar of agony echoed through the entire training room.
"Holy crap, is that for real?"
Having cheated death, Huo Tian didn't care about anything else. He scrambled on all fours over to Lin Ze's side, and the group watched the demon's transformation unfold.
Those dark green threads ultimately converged on the demon's face, covering nearly half of it.
Swish—
The threads wrapped tightly around the lower half of Li Muhanying's face, transforming into a binding mask resembling something worn by a fierce hound.
The mask extended all the way to his jawline. The moment the mask fully formed, Li Muhanying abruptly jerked his head back, his pupils going hazy.
His entire body shook uncontrollably.
He wanted to roar, wanted to destroy everything in sight, but now the mask was relentlessly compressing his power inward.
In the end, he dropped to his knees, head bowed, his body trembling slightly.
"You didn't tell me this would happen." Xia Yue looked at Lin Ze with some displeasure.
"Oh, come on~ Didn't I mention it earlier? When he uses his Demon Power, the pendant plays a supplementary role."
About three minutes later, Li Muhanying slowly raised his head. Cold sweat soaked the bangs across his forehead, making his slightly long hair even messier than before.
A trace of gold still lingered in his gaze, but the eerie, malicious aura from moments before was entirely gone.
"...Am I still alive?"
These were the first words Li Muhanying spoke, though his voice came out muffled through the mask.
Noticing this himself, he reached up to touch his face. The moment his fingers brushed against the mask, a wave of panic hit him.
"??? Director Lin, what the hell is going on here?"
Li Muhanying looked at Lin Ze for help.
Lin Ze pondered for a moment, studying Li Muhanying with keen interest.
"Not bad-looking at all, this mask."
As he tried to yank the mask off, he demanded of Lin Ze, "Wait, you can't take this damn thing off?!?"
"Of course you can. Once you release your Domain, it will revert back into a pendant. This is the latest achievement from the Special Management Bureau's Science Council. Since we've never contained a demon before, this was custom-made on short notice. The head of the Science Council calls it the 'Demon Suppressor 1.0'."
"It helps suppress the excess Demon Power inside you and distributes your strength rationally based on your current capabilities. Think of it as having an external processor installed. This thing is very expensive, you know." Lin Ze smiled and said.
Finally, when Li Muhanying deactivated his Domain, the mask melted away, returning to the shape of a pendant.
"This feeling is really... bizarre."
He looked at the pendant resting quietly against his chest, completely unable to grasp the principles behind it—especially since the people who invented such a contraption were none other than the Science Council.
Could it be that the ultimate destination of science really was mysticism?
............
One hour later.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!!"
"Welcome to the new recruit!"
Inside a small, cozy tavern, Huo Tian laughed heartily as he clapped Li Muhanying on the back.
Li Muhanying wasn't fond of drinking, but under these circumstances, he had no choice but to raise his glass along with the rest of them.
As soon as Huo Tian had recovered, he insisted on dragging Li Muhanying out to a celebration party, joined by the other three members of the Seventh Squad.
There was Yin Qi, the short-haired girl responsible for preliminary reconnaissance; Su Xue, the tall girl in charge of long-range fire support; and Lin Ziyu, the teenage boy handling equipment maintenance and logistical backup.
All three of them were around Li Muhanying's age, and all of them were human—meaning Li Muhanying was the sole anomaly among them.
Chapter 17: Reasons for Joining
Su Xue, a tall girl with light pink hair, walked over with her glass and sat down next to Li Muhanying. She possessed a stunning figure and delicate facial features.
Even though she was dressed in professional office trousers, her long legs remained absolute eye-catchers.
"Li Muhanying, I heard you got into a fight with the captain. Our captain's cerebellum developed faster than his cerebrum, so he only thinks with his muscles—don't hold a grudge against him."
"Little Peach! What kind of talk is that!"
Though Huo Tian was flushed red from drinking, he still caught Su Xue's remark and bellowed in his booming voice.
Li Muhanying guessed that the nickname "Little Peach" for Su Xue probably came from her lovely pink hair.
This gathering served as the Seventh Squad's welcome banquet for Li Muhanying. His strength had earned Huo Tian's approval.
And since these squad members placed immense trust in Huo Tian, they readily accepted Li Muhanying as well.
Li Muhanying also came to understand that this squad was currently in an awkward situation.
"Damn it! Why aren't they assigning us any missions?!"
A drunken Huo Tian hammered his fist against the table and roared in frustration.
Lin Ziyu, the logistics boy, comforted him from the side while warning his captain not to smash the table, noting that the squad's budget was already running dangerously low.
"Captain, if you break anything else, we're really going to end up having to sell that piece-of-junk van of ours. Yin Qi, you too—stop just eating and say something to him."
Yin Qi, the scout, was relatively quiet and hadn't spoken much throughout the gathering. She had a petite build, wore a cap that made her look a bit like a kid, and her large eyes kept darting over toward Li Muhanying every now and then.
This left Li Muhanying somewhat perplexed.
"Our squad's situation is a bit special."
Su Xue cast a wry smile at the drunken Huo Tian and explained to Li Muhanying, "Normally, combat squad members are all combat personnel of the Special Management Bureau, but they also include one anomaly. This helps ease the combat pressure on the squad and prevents them from getting wiped out entirely due to a deficit in fighting power when things get critical."