Chapter 143: Without a Word

Chang Yu watched silently as the young man vented his fury upon his enemy, not uttering a single word.

The boy’s figure appeared lonely and stubborn, much like a wounded, defeated dog; the mere sight of him made it difficult for anyone to even consider stopping him. Chang Yu wondered what kind of deep grievances Hao Qifu must have suffered to harbor such resentment toward his enemy. Had the school truly become a biological chain where the strong prey upon the weak? Since when had the nature of schools begun to sour? Since when did they cease to be sanctuaries for students to study, transforming instead into dark, violence-ridden places?

Only when the boy was drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted did he finally bring the one-sided beating to an end. After all, he was still just a frail boy, and ten minutes of high-intensity exertion had reached his limit. After heaving heavy, ragged breaths for a while, the boy’s angry heart slowly began to calm. As his reason returned, he began to reflect on the events of the day.

"Who were those people who came to school today?" he murmured to himself. "They didn't look like teachers."

"Could they have come to investigate the two missing high school students? After all... two living people disappearing for no reason is bound to attract the attention of those who care."

At this point, he glanced toward the two unconscious men, Uncle A and Uncle B. "Those two must be with that group. It seems I need to keep a low profile for a while."

"However, there is one thing that concerns me. Just a short while ago, I suddenly lost the sense of the mosquito swarm."

"If the swarm wasn't wiped out, I can't think of any reason why their presence would suddenly vanish."

"I suppose it must be connected to that loud noise during the day..."

While thinking about how to face the impending crisis, he subconsciously rubbed the ornament hanging from his neck. It was a necklace with a skull pattern, worn close to his chest. To anyone else, it looked like an unremarkable iron trinket, but in Chang Yu’s eyes, the black mist shrouding it was palpable. Wisps of black energy leaked into the air, emitting an intensely ominous and nauseating aura that even Chang Yu, hiding in the distance, could clearly perceive.

"This sensation..." Chang Yu’s expression turned solemn. "I’ve only ever felt this from a Calamity."

"But the boy is clearly just wearing a necklace. Could it be that the necklace itself has been possessed by a Calamity?"

Chang Yu’s suspicion was not without merit. For instance, the swindler surnamed Hu they had encountered earlier had been controlled by a Calamity that possessed a suit of armor he was obsessed with. Was the boy before them suffering the same fate, controlled by a Calamity inhabiting the necklace? Otherwise, how could he have acted in such a crazed manner just moments ago?

"His situation is different," Katerina whispered, her lips forming the words silently to Chang Yu. "That necklace is not possessed by a Calamity."

"Oh?" Chang Yu, having understood her, was momentarily stunned. If it wasn't possessed, why would it emit such a black aura?

"That object is a 'Calamity Tool,' a type of artifact capable of unleashing supernatural abilities," Katerina continued. "Even an ordinary person can rely on it to release the supernatural power inscribed within. If you must use an analogy, it is more like a magical piece of equipment in a game that can cast spells at any time. It doesn't require the user to expend magic to activate it, because it contains its own source of power."

"However, compared to a standard Calamity Tool, this one has been severely eroded and contaminated. That necklace must have been tainted by the aura of a Calamity; otherwise, it wouldn't emit such a dense, ominous presence."

"I see," Chang Yu thought to himself.

A Calamity Tool—a truly remarkable thing. Compared to Calamities, which were difficult to control and prone to backlash, such inanimate tools were clearly better suited for human mastery.

"The conditions for creating a Calamity Tool are incredibly harsh, making them extremely rare; they aren't something one just stumbles upon," Katerina added. "Currently, all known Calamity Tools in H City are either recorded by the Calamity Investigation Bureau or controlled by various hidden organizations of talented individuals. Even if a new one were to appear, it would be quickly discovered and recovered."

"Therefore, the appearance of this tool is no coincidence; someone must have released it intentionally to stir up trouble. Furthermore, it is usually difficult to encounter even one Calamity, yet this time, we saw so many mosquito-type Calamities. I don't believe this is a random event. There must be a greater mastermind behind this boy."

*Good grief,* Chang Yu thought, *everything always comes back to a conspiracy theory.*

Just as the two were pondering the identity of the mastermind, the boy suddenly raised the necklace high, chanting in a language others could not understand. In Chang Yu’s eyes, the necklace suddenly erupted with a violent, black light.

*Buzz, buzz, buzz...*

The familiar sound of wings returned, though it was much quieter than before. A scattering of mosquitoes swarmed in from all directions, gathering into a small cluster. Aside from two or three larger mosquito-type Calamities, the rest were just ordinary mosquitoes. Compared to the massive swarm from before, this was nothing. If the previous swarm was the brilliance of the full moon, this was merely the light of a grain of sand.

"Is that all that's left?" The boy looked at the scene with disappointment. "It seems the losses this time were truly heavy."

So, the boy’s purpose in raising the necklace was to perform a summoning ritual. These mosquitoes had been summoned using the Calamity Tool in his hand. The boy gently extended his hand, and a mosquito-type Calamity the size of a cockroach landed slowly on his palm. It appeared incredibly docile, resting gently on the boy’s palm, devoid of its previous ferocity. The boy showed no fear; instead of looking at it with disgust, he stroked its wings with a faint smile.

"This is truly strange," Chang Yu observed, completely baffled. "Why would that mosquito-type Calamity be so obedient to the boy? Is it due to the control of the Calamity Tool? If so, the power of this tool is not to be underestimated. You have to realize, that is a D-class Calamity! The kind that can drain an ordinary human dry in minutes! Why are two naturally hostile species coexisting so harmoniously?"

Suddenly, the mosquito-type Calamity on the boy’s palm became restless and agitated. It twisted its body, its wings buzzing violently, and its two antennae began to twitch frantically.

"Oh? You’re saying there are others here besides us?" The boy seemed to understand the mosquito's meaning and began to look around.

"Go, help me find them," the boy commanded after finding nothing, tossing the Calamity into the air.

The mosquito-type Calamity took flight, circled the boy twice, and flew straight toward the spot where Chang Yu and his companions were hiding.

"Oh no, we’ve been spotted!" Chang Yu felt a jolt of alarm and immediately prepared for battle.

If one knows enough about mosquitoes, one discovers they are highly sensitive to scent, capable of picking up a smell from a hundred meters away. So, just as Chang Yu and his group thought they were well-hidden, the mosquito’s naturally keen senses caught their scent first.

Watching the mosquito-type Calamity fly closer, Chang Yu could no longer sit still. His internal energy circulated involuntarily, and each move of the Fuling Fist style played back in his mind like a revolving lantern. A whirlwind stirred within the air-raid shelter, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still, frozen by Chang Yu’s will. He leaped out, pinned the mosquito-type Calamity to the ground with one hand, and slammed it down with force.

A milky-white radiance emanated from his palm, a natural byproduct of the Fuling Fist. Chang Yu’s pupils burned as if lava were erupting within them, determined to burn everything away with his fury. Katerina watched his expression with astonishment; she had never seen him so enraged. Clearly, the humiliating memory of being chased by a swarm of these creatures had turned the usually calm youth into a furious beast.

"You little runt, you dare act presumptuously in front of me just because you’re the size of a bean?"

"I might not have been able to beat your whole swarm, but I can certainly take you down! Who do you think you’re looking down on?"

Only when the crushed mosquito-type Calamity turned into a puff of black smoke did the fire in Chang Yu’s eyes begin to fade. Katerina finally understood. So... this guy was just trying to find some self-worth by picking on a lone mosquito because he couldn't handle the main force? It seemed the whole display was just a man’s pride getting the better of him.

Seeming to realize he had lost his composure, Chang Yu took a deep breath and stood up.

"Alright, come on out," Chang Yu called to Katerina and the others behind him. "We’ve been found; hiding anymore is pointless."

Led by Katerina, the group walked out from the shadows and stood behind Chang Yu.

"Yo, young man over there, we meet again," Shi Chengjin greeted Hao Qifu enthusiastically. Judging by his carefree demeanor, one would think they were long-lost friends rather than bitter enemies.

"It really is you," Hao Qifu said with a dark expression and a hostile tone.

"That’s right, it’s us," Feng Sanpao, not even knowing what Hao Qifu was referring to, added cheekily.

"I knew it! You killed my little darlings!" Flames of fury burned in Hao Qifu’s eyes. People are not made of wood or stone, and during his time with the mosquito-type Calamities, he had built a deep bond with those fierce-looking creatures. To the boy, humans were a hundred times more terrifying than Calamities; at the very least, Calamities didn't have as many ulterior motives as humans. They would not betray him, nor would they harm their own kin.

"Today, all of you will pay with your lives," Hao Qifu hissed through gritted teeth. The agony of losing his companions had cost him his sanity. With a violent wave of his hand, the small cluster of mosquitoes lunged toward Chang Yu and his group like arrows released from a bow, led by the last two remaining mosquito-type Calamities.

"Sanpao, it’s all on you!"

Chang Yu stepped back and patted Feng Sanpao on the shoulder with a heartfelt expression, reminiscent of Liu Bei entrusting his heir. *Yes, the mage is definitely better suited for large-scale crowd control.*