Chapter 75: The Twenty-Four Character Mantra

A massive pillar of radiant light erupted from Chang Yu’s palm, instantly engulfing the girl—or rather, the Calamity. Under the blazing beam, thick black miasma steamed off the Calamity’s body, dissipating into the air. Struck with such force, the Calamity’s face twisted in agony for a single moment before it was entirely consumed by pain.

This suit of iron armor, conjured by Chang Yu’s imagination, was no mere costume; it was fully capable of firing a real laser cannon. In the art of imagining and manifesting dreams, Chang Yu was a true master.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused me?” Chang Yu ignored the Calamity’s writhing, and mercilessly unleashed the holy light cannon at its maximum power.

Brilliant light, like a surging river, crashed down upon the Calamity and did not relent. “You, a Calamity, why don’t you just obey the rules? Why are you always causing us trouble?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to stay in your armor? Why insist on coming out and stirring up chaos?”

As he spoke, Chang Yu’s expression turned indignant. “If it weren’t for you, I’d still be lying in a hospital bed right now! Do you know what I’ve sacrificed because of you?”

“I can’t eat the braised beef that Katerina makes for me anymore, nor enjoy being pampered by her as a VIP guest. Forced to heal, discharged from the hospital—my two months of vacation ruined, all thanks to you.”

“Tell me, who wouldn’t be angry if this happened to them?”

Under the relentless barrage of the laser cannon, cracks began to appear in the girl’s body, the darkness on her skin fading as the black mist drained away. Just as her form was about to shatter and vanish for good, Chang Yu had a sudden thought and stopped the holy light cannon.

By then, the girl was desperately weak. Given a sudden chance to breathe, her first reaction was not to take revenge on Chang Yu, but for her legs to buckle, collapsing to the ground.

Though this beautiful girl was merely the Calamity in disguise, Chang Yu had to admit its imitation was flawless—she looked no different from an ordinary human girl. Now, her delicate features were full of pitiful helplessness, so weak and forlorn that she inspired sympathy.

“Heh heh heh.” Chang Yu rubbed his hands together, a twisted smile spreading across his face as he approached the girl sprawled on the ground.

“Do you know why I didn’t just finish you off, why I left you alive?” he asked. “Opportunities like this are rare for me, you know.”

“I’ve waited so long for this moment, restraining myself, and now my wish is finally fulfilled!”

Standing over the girl, he looked down with the air of a victor admiring his spoils. Slowly, he extended a hand toward her face...

But just before he touched her, Chang Yu suddenly raised his hand and gave the pretty girl a sharp rap on the head.

Then, hands on his hips, he shouted angrily, “Serves you right for being so arrogant! Will you dare next time?”

“.....”

The pretty girl—or rather, the Calamity—was utterly stunned. Clutching her aching forehead, she stared at Chang Yu, at a loss.

“This... doesn’t seem like how things should have unfolded...” she murmured, eyes hollow.

“You thought I’d do something indecent?” Chang Yu puffed up his chest, proud as a golden rooster. “Get your filthy thoughts out of here. I just want to teach you the twenty-four maxims of patriotism.”

“You’d better listen up! They are: Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony, Freedom, Equality, Justice, Rule of Law, Patriotism, Dedication, Integrity, and Friendship…”

“You must remember every word,” he earnestly told the pretty girl, “and remember your mission—to be a Calamity with ideals, ambition, and love for the people, who abides by the law.”

“I’m telling you all this for your own good. Did you think I was punishing you?” he went on. “No, no! I’m not so petty—I’m just teaching you how to be a person—well, how to be a proper Calamity.”

“Come, I know you can speak. Repeat after me… Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony…”

“.......”

Chang Yu had expected the Calamity to obediently repeat the twenty-four maxims after him, but to his surprise, it remained silent. Its eyes were wide, fixed on him with only one question in its mind…

Why, as a Calamity, should it behave like a human and follow the rules?

Before it could puzzle this out, Chang Yu gave it another sharp rap on the head, making its mind reel.

“What are you daydreaming about? Repeat after me!” Chang Yu’s patience was running thin.

Shuddering, the girl remembered the terror of the holy light. She realized that if she didn’t want to be blasted to dust, it was best to obey.

So, after some hesitation, she opened her mouth and, wronged and pitiful, began: “Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony…”

...

The scene shifted. Chang Yu had successfully left the dreamscape and returned to reality.

The scammer, Hu, was still clad in armor, standing before Chang Yu and the others like a walking skeleton. The Calamity, still attached to the armor, remained but its aura was now feeble, most of its black mist gone.

Originally, after consuming Hu’s blood essence, its power had been surging, growing ever stronger. Unfortunately, it met Chang Yu…

And was easily beaten back to its true form, nearly brainwashed into a law-abiding, patriotic Calamity with ideals and ambition.

It seemed its greatest mistake was using a psychic attack on Chang Yu.

Glancing around, Chang Yu saw that everyone else was still lost in their personal dreams—only he had woken up first.

Katerina was faring better than the others. She stood motionless, her expression shifting between pain and anger, her beautiful eyes shut tight, corners twitching as if reliving some unhappy memory. Even so, she remained so quietly vulnerable that it tugged at the heart.

In contrast, Feng Sanpao and Shi Chengjin were causing a huge ruckus.

Shi Chengjin pounced on Feng Sanpao like a starving tiger, face twisted in outrage as if he’d suffered a terrible humiliation. His iron grip seized Feng Sanpao’s collar, shaking him violently as he shouted, “No one has ever dared say my feet stink in front of me! I hate that the most! So what if my feet stink? That’s not a crime. Did my smelly feet eat your rice? Wear your clothes? Demolish your house or smash your car?”

Feng Sanpao wasn’t much better off. Wearing a blissful smile, he muttered to himself, “I am Naruto Uzumaki! I’m destined to become Hokage. Orochimaru, answer me—are you afraid of me or not?”

“Sigh!” Chang Yu covered his face in embarrassment, refusing to look at the two fools. He felt that if he looked any longer, he’d get a sty.

He had underestimated the power of psychic attack, and overestimated his friends’ resistance to it.

To think that they were routed so thoroughly by a mere D-class Calamity—what a disgrace!

It seemed saving the world would ultimately fall to him, Chang Yu, alone.

“Calamity, take this!” He swung his massive fist, charging at Hu with the force of a storm.

His punch landed squarely on the black mass above Hu’s head—the Calamity’s true form. He expected to blow it apart in a cataclysmic show.

But to his surprise, his fist simply passed through the black mist as if through thin air, causing no harm at all.

He missed completely.

“What’s going on?” Chang Yu stared in confusion at his own fist, half-convinced he was still trapped in the dream.

He had thought that defeating the Calamity with one punch would awaken everyone from their illusions. But after all his effort, he’d accomplished nothing.

Then he recalled Katerina’s words before they arrived—this Calamity was an intangible type.

Suddenly, Chang Yu understood why his punch had failed.

Like those legendary ghosts, this Calamity was incorporeal; physical attacks were useless against it.

So only energy or magical attacks could harm it?

No wonder Katerina had wanted to enchant Shi Chengjin’s knuckle dusters in the car.

“But now there’s a problem,” Chang Yu realized, stroking his chin. “I’ve never learned any magical attacks!”

“Ha ha ha.”

As if sensing his predicament, the Calamity hovering above Hu’s head let out a strangely human laugh, as though mocking his overconfidence.

“What are you laughing at?” Chang Yu retorted, hands on hips, undaunted.

“Did you forget how I beat you to a pulp in the dream?”

The Calamity was enraged. A tendril of black mist separated from the armor, striking Chang Yu. Immediately, a deep lethargy welled up from within him.

Even on such a perilous battlefield, he grew so drowsy his eyelids drooped. His conscious thoughts grew muddled and faded, as a strange voice echoed in his ears.

“Hm? What’s that sound?” Chang Yu wondered.

He listened closely for a long time before finally making out the words:

“I am your father, I am your father… so you must do as I say,” the voice insisted.