Chapter 32: The First Manifestation of Demonic Power

Ring, ring, ring. It was three in the morning when the phone rang.

Ye Yang crawled out of bed in agony. There was simply no way for him to get a decent rest—zombies, demons, just come and kill him already.

"Hello? Qi Fang? No way. What’s gotten into you this time?" Ye Yang said, rubbing his forehead wearily. He had just finished teasing her; was she back to cause trouble so soon? Was this girl not afraid of death?

"You... you jerk! You horrible jerk..."

The voice on the other end sounded wrong. Ye Yang froze. Perhaps he really had gone too far. He suddenly realized something: the girl was only seventeen, and both her appearance and mental maturity were even younger. Furthermore, spending all her time hanging around Uncle Zheng and his crowd, she must have been... well, that was likely her first kiss.

"Trouble. I really went too far," Ye Yang thought with a bitter smile. He had been exhausted and driven to the edge by Qi Fang’s bickering, leading him to kiss her without a second thought. It had been nothing more than a joke, but he hadn't realized that for this girl, such a joke was something she couldn't handle.

The sobbing on the phone was intermittent. No matter how much Ye Yang apologized, Qi Fang wouldn't answer, nor would she hang up; she just kept crying. Having grown up in a small village, she lacked the experience Ye Yang had in these matters, and a single kiss was enough to leave her heart in complete turmoil.

"There, there, Xiao Fang, don't cry, okay? Bodyguard Number One won't bully you ever again, alright?" Ye Yang pleaded, feeling utterly drained.

"How about this... after my field training next week, I'll spend the whole time playing with you, okay? Hmm... you like video games, right? I'll take you to a place where they have those machines—the kind where lots of people play together!"

"You're lying! There's no such place!" The girl’s sobbing continued, though her interest seemed piqued.

"There is! Bodyguard Number One promises you. As soon as I'm finished, I'll take you, no going back on my word!" Ye Yang gritted his teeth. There... should be, right? Arcade parlors ought to still exist in this era, surely?

The tears came and went quickly. After all, Qi Fang still had the temperament of a child, and the prospect of having fun was the best cure. It was exactly because of this that Ye Yang found it hard to see her as a woman, which was why he had made such an absurd joke. If it had been Chen Yun, he would never have dared.

"Alright, it's a promise, it's a promise. I won't go back on it even if I die." Ye Yang sighed helplessly. He hung up the phone and looked at the clock. There was no point in sleeping now. Why was his life so miserable?

Other people had beautiful girls following them around. He had girls around too, but why was the gap so massive?

The next day’s training was a hundred times more grueling than the first. It wasn't just simple running anymore; the Great Thunder King had come up with new tricks. Push-ups? A few dozen? Hundreds? Keep dreaming. Start with five thousand. Can't do it? A bolt of lightning would strike him down immediately.

However, Wang Feng couldn't follow Ye Yang around all day; as the leader of the military department, his duties were heavy, and he let Ye Yang go after lunch.

"Oh, right, I need to discuss something with you," Ye Yang said, scratching his head. It was time to bring up Chen Yun.

"I have a friend who wants to participate in the field training. But she's only Level 2. Well... her strength is barely passable, but her proficiency with her ability is quite high. Can she join?"

"Level 2?" Wang Feng paused and shook his head. "I told you to pick teammates so you could choose someone strong. Level 2 is far too weak; it's too dangerous."

"But her strength is actually decent; it's just that her demon power level is a bit low, which is why she can't rank up. Her ability proficiency is great, and she's good in all other aspects," Ye Yang pleaded persistently. In truth, he didn't know how strong Chen Yun really was—her proficiency was just what she had claimed—but in a matter of life and death, she wouldn't lie to him.

"What is her ability?"

"Freezing! Um... she can freeze a hotpot with a wave of her hand."

"That's just the basic level. What about the attributes? What attribute does she lean toward?"

"A sensory attribute. In team combat, a sensory attribute should be useful, right? She can track the enemy's location and movements."

Wang Feng nodded. Freezing and sensory abilities were both useful, especially for team coordination. However, he shook his head again, frowning. "If you really want to pick her, I don't care, but I want you to remember one thing."

"What is it?" Ye Yang asked immediately.

"This isn't a game. This is your field training, and these are the teammates you chose. Whether they are strong or weak, you picked them, and you are responsible for them. Their lives, their safety, everything—you are responsible for all of it."

"If you don't have the confidence, don't drag others down!" Wang Feng walked away, leaving Ye Yang standing there in a daze.

"That's a lot of pressure," Ye Yang muttered, curling his lip. It was true; if he really brought Chen Yun along, he would have to ensure her safety. Was he capable of that? Ye Yang didn't have a shred of confidence. It looked like he would have to rethink this.

On the third day, Ye Yang repeated the same coercive training. He was losing his mind. Couldn't Wang Feng teach him some ultimate moves? Or even some internal energy circulation methods?

"Ultimate moves? Internal energy methods? Do you think this is some martial arts film?" Wang Feng said with disdain. "This isn't martial arts. It doesn't require step-by-step progress, and it isn't internal cultivation where you could suffer a qi deviation. I am simply forcing out the potential you already possess. Methods? Go run another hundred laps—that’s your method!!!"

Ye Yang was on the verge of tears. He shouldn't have hoped to reason or negotiate with this Great Thunder King; the man was completely impervious to logic or emotion.

Yet, Ye Yang had to admit that Wang Feng's methods were effective. By the third day, he could feel that so-called demon power. He couldn't control it, but he discovered that whenever he was pushed to the brink of exhaustion and felt like he was about to die, a surge of heat would well up from deep within his heart, flowing through his limbs and bones. Soon, he would be able to move freely again.

Feeling that heat, Ye Yang was so excited he almost jumped. Was this demon power? He had finally truly become one of the superhumans!

"Don't get ahead of yourself. That’s not even worth a fart as far as demon power goes; it's worse than a zombie's. Keep practicing."

Wang Feng’s cold remark sent Ye Yang back into the abyss. Gritting his teeth, he went back to running.

The distance for the third day was twice that of the first, yet the fatigue felt much more manageable.

"Have you used this method before? Did you know it would definitely force it out?" Ye Yang asked, feeling the heat in his body, still finding it incredible.

"Of course. As long as you have it, it can be forced out. This is simply the process of human evolution," Wang Feng said proudly.

"But... how do I use this power? I don't know how to control it!" Ye Yang frowned. Knowing he had it wasn't enough if he didn't know how to use it.

"We'll talk about how to use it tomorrow. For today... go run another hundred laps."

"Damn it! Run, run, run. That's all you know how to do." Ye Yang was beyond complaining. Wang Feng’s personality was truly atrocious; the guy wouldn't be satisfied until he worked him to death.

"Oh, right, I remembered something," Ye Yang suddenly turned and ran back, rolling up his sleeve. "I don't know why, but when I'm extremely exhausted and the demon power starts to emerge, this tattoo appears on my arm. Look... what is this?"

"A tattoo?" Wang Feng paused. He looked at the faint tiger pattern on Ye Yang’s arm and suddenly froze.

"It appeared yesterday. Is this related to the demon power? Do you have one too? Hmm... it seems a bit more distinct than it was yesterday."

Wang Feng stared at it for a long time, then took a photo with his phone before saying nonchalantly, "It’s likely something left behind when your father implanted the evolutionary cells in you. Yes, that’s it. As your evolution becomes more complete, it appears."

"Huh? Evolutionary cells? So you don't have this tattoo?" Ye Yang was immediately interested; the pattern had been bothering him for quite a while.

"No. But you are different from us. Your evolutionary cell implantation was the earliest, I suppose... Why do you care about such trivial things? Go run!!!" Wang Feng snarled. It was truly difficult for him to explain it clearly to Ye Yang.

More importantly, Wang Feng didn't want to explain. He didn't want Ye Yang to know too much. Even though he knew Ye Yang was misunderstanding certain things, he simply played along without correcting him.

"Damn it!" Ye Yang gritted his teeth and left. But perhaps, as Wang Feng said, it was something his dad had tattooed? He just didn't know why his father’s taste had suddenly become so poor; this tiger looked so ugly.

"Right, just run another hundred laps today and then stop. I'll show you something. Hand over your phone." Wang Feng called Ye Yang over and sent something to his phone.

"You need to look at this very carefully. This can be considered a masterpiece of combat without abilities. Watch it when you get back."

"Remember, you can only stop after another hundred laps. I won't be staying with you, but if you think about slacking off, hmph!"

"Damn, you really are a devil," Ye Yang gritted his teeth. He put away his phone, feeling a sense of confusion. A masterpiece of combat without abilities? What could that be? But he’d finish the remaining three hours of running first.

With Wang Feng gone, Ye Yang didn't intend to stop running, but... surely running a bit slower wouldn't be a problem?

"What do you think?" Wang Feng asked, frowning, over the phone.

A series of sighs came from the other end—it was Lin Tian’s voice. "The image you sent me... I've seen it before. I saw it back in the laboratory. At that time, we didn't know what demons were, so we just called the thing a monster."

Wang Feng pondered for a moment. "Although it's still faint, if I'm not mistaken, it should be the same thing as those guys."

"Yes, exactly the same. It's strange. Could it be that Xiao Yang... sigh, I can't say for sure, but he is definitely human. Decide what you're going to do yourself; I don't know anymore."

With a bitter smile, Wang Feng hung up the phone. "What to do? Just roll with it. We've already come this far; how can we stop now? That demon power is just too strong—how could anyone be willing to give it up!"

"I just hope I haven't made the wrong choice. Kid, don't let me down!"