Chapter 54: The Gun That Blazed with Blue Fire

Blue flames burned on the wounds of the ginger cat, like invisible fire purifying all the sins of the world. Its glow and hue were identical to the blue flash that burst from the muzzle of Katerina’s gun. The flames burned persistently, with wisps of black smoke curling up from the wounds from time to time, making it indistinguishable from real fire.

“Hey! Have you ever seen a gun that spits blue flames?” Chang Yu nudged Feng Sanpao, who was still in a daze beside him, and asked.

“I remember in CF, all the guns shoot blue flames, especially the Gatling,” Feng Sanpao recalled, thinking of a certain game.

He was remembering the famous Blue Flame Gatling, known throughout the country.

“Who’s talking about games!” Chang Yu smacked him on the head in exasperation. “I mean in real life, in reality!”

“No... I haven’t,” Feng Sanpao grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “In all the movies I’ve seen, guns always shoot yellow flames when fired.”

“Exactly, the flash at the muzzle is always yellow,” Chang Yu muttered to himself. “After all, this is the real world, not a video game.”

On the other side, the giant ginger cat also realized there was something extraordinary about the blue flame—wherever it burned, the wounds on its body continued to worsen. It was like a malignant curse, feeding on the flesh and blood of disaster as fuel, relentlessly expanding itself, the black smoke a product of its flesh being consumed.

It had to rid itself of the blue flame, or its wounds would only continue to fester.

With an enraged roar, the ginger cat released a surge of black miasma, quickly shrouding its entire body. Its form then swelled like a balloon, growing massively in just a few seconds.

If it had previously been the size of a normal cat, it was now as large as a young calf.

Its aura grew immensely, and its face twisted—half human, half feline, a ghastly visage. Thick black fumes seeped from its fur, enveloping the blue flames, lifting them into the air like a ghostly fire in the night.

Under its control, the blue flame, wrapped in black smoke, was deposited onto the ground nearby, and soon extinguished for lack of the disaster’s flesh to feed on.

With the blue flame gone, the wound on its body at last ceased to deteriorate.

“The higher-ups made a mistake,” Katerina said, staring at the now-enlarged ginger cat, her expression grim.

“What?” Chang Yu didn’t understand.

“This disaster,” she said, “it’s not a Class D, but a Class C. A Class D disaster could never have expelled my flame.”

Chang Yu froze, then felt a chill run down his spine. He asked instinctively, “How could they make such a mistake? In a situation like this, a mistake could cost lives.”

“I don’t know either. This sort of thing is rare,” Katerina took two unconscious steps back. “Maybe it never showed its true strength before, so they judged it as Class D. Or it might have just advanced to Class C recently, and they haven’t updated the records. Who can say?”

“I told you we should’ve waited for Shi Chengjin before charging in. What now?” Chang Yu complained.

“I thought it was just a Class D, so I figured I could carry you all through this. But that’s not possible anymore.” Katerina frowned deeply. “I’m not suited to direct combat, and neither is Feng Sanpao. So it’s up to you now.”

“What?” Chang Yu panicked, hurriedly explaining, “But this is my first mission! I’ve never learned how to fight a disaster hand-to-hand!”

“Have you ever watched martial arts movies?” she asked.

“Yes, I have.”

“Just imagine you’re Ip Man.”

“And then?”

“And then just charge in.”

Chang Yu was dumbfounded. Was this a joke? Was fighting a disaster, something so sacred, really this casual?

He wanted to say more, but the disaster didn’t give him the chance.

With a roar that was both feline and tiger-like, it let out a beastly shriek that echoed through the narrow alley, rattling everyone’s eardrums.

Rustle, rustle.

It sprang forward on all fours, lunging at them with lightning speed. The fierce wind whipped across Chang Yu’s face; the nauseating stench was right upon him.

In a flash, Chang Yu caught a glimpse of bloody, murderous intent in that half-human, half-cat face, as if a demon from hell had burst into the mortal world, ready to devour their flesh and suck their marrow dry.

No time for hesitation, no time for fear.

In that moment of crisis, Chang Yu summoned the spirit of self-sacrifice. Seeing the giant cat’s claws about to strike Katerina, he shoved her aside.

Clenching his teeth, he stomped down, and his inner energy surged furiously through his body. He ducked under the cat’s swipe with a tiger-like crouch.

The ginger cat’s claws brushed so close over his scalp that the chill made his skin crawl, but he ignored it, focusing on channeling his energy.

A torrent of energy rushed through his limbs, converging in his arms like a surging river; stardust-like sparks filled every vein, every muscle, even down to the cells.

Recalling Ip Man’s invincible presence on screen, Chang Yu instinctively delivered a close-range punch, striking the ginger cat squarely in the abdomen with thunderous force.

Bang!

He didn’t feel the expected softness; his fist met flesh as hard as iron, sending pain shooting up his arm.

Only then did he realize that the beast before him, as large as a hound, was no ordinary cat, but a disaster known for its terrifying strangeness.

Staggered by the blow, the cat dropped from midair to the ground.

Chang Yu glanced at its belly—it had taken his best punch, but not a single hair was out of place.

It was his own bones that were left trembling from the impact.

Was this thing made of iron?

“Come on! If you want to win Sakura’s heart, you have to prove your courage first!” Feng Sanpao waved his arms enthusiastically, shouting encouragement at Chang Yu, oblivious to everyone’s reactions.

Chang Yu, who had been facing off with the ginger cat, flushed with embarrassment at these words.

“What nonsense are you spouting! Comrade Guihua and I are comrades-in-arms, nothing more!” he shouted loudly.

Had this been said in private, he wouldn’t have reacted so strongly—he might even have been pleased. But Katerina was right there! Why did this lunatic Feng Sanpao have to blurt that out in front of her?

What if she took it seriously?

While Chang Yu was distracted, a surge of wind approached—the ginger cat leapt at him, claws slashing for his throat.

“Damn! Not good!”

At the critical moment, Chang Yu dove to the ground, narrowly avoiding the lethal swipe, his movements more than a little clumsy.

With a dull thud, he landed hard on the ground, pain shooting through his elbow and his rear end stuck high in the air.

He had overestimated his strength. Though his body was sturdy after its transformation, it was still no match for the unyielding earth.

Ignoring the dirt, he rolled quickly and got back to his feet just in time to dodge the cat’s next attack.

In the following moments, Chang Yu and the ginger cat clashed over a dozen times.

On the surface, they seemed evenly matched, trading blows, but Chang Yu knew he was at a disadvantage.

First, the cat was incredibly agile—he was barely able to dodge, let alone land a hit.

Second, its fur was as tough as steel—if he did manage a lucky strike, it did little to harm it.

And most importantly… Chang Yu had never received any martial arts training. His skills were laughably poor, full of flaws even to his own eyes, let alone the cat’s.

If not for his raw strength, he wouldn’t have lasted this long.

So after only a short while, while the cat remained unscathed, Chang Yu’s arms and legs were covered with scrapes and cuts from the struggle.

Bang!

A familiar gunshot rang out—Katerina had seized an opening during the standoff and fired at the ginger cat.

The bullet, wreathed in blue flame, embedded itself in the beast’s body, and it let out another agonized howl.

Katerina’s attack finally enraged the beast. It lashed out with its forepaws, then sprang into the air, leaping over Chang Yu’s head to pounce straight at Katerina, its eyes glinting with cold, murderous intent.

In that instant, the cat had completely abandoned Chang Yu, making Katerina its top target.

“Get out of the way!” Chang Yu shouted in panic. Who was Katerina? She was his destined wife! How could he stand by and watch this beast harm her?

As the cat’s claws swept toward her delicate face, Chang Yu knew if it landed, she’d be scarred for life.

Beast!

At the last moment, Chang Yu leapt like a diver, spinning his body a full 180 degrees in midair thanks to his incredible core strength.

He grabbed the beast’s tail with all his might and yanked, pulling it away from Katerina in a flash.

Then, pinning the ginger cat by the neck, he used his weight and momentum to slam it to the ground.

Ignoring the pain in his fists, Chang Yu rained down a flurry of punches on the creature’s grotesque face—neither human nor cat—without hesitation.