10: Chapter 10 Fire Release in the Left Hand, Water Release in the Right

Zhou Ming thought for a moment and said earnestly, "I'm scared. But you're my Brother Wang, so even if I'm scared, I have to accept it."

Wang Lin paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Alright, from now on, the two of us are truly on the same side."

Zhou Ming blinked. "Brother Wang, you mean..."

"I mean," Wang Lin turned and walked toward the outside of the alley, "that in the future, if we run into trouble, we can look out for each other."

Zhou Ming paused for a moment, then grinned.

The smile was as bright as a fool's.

"Brother Wang! Wait for me!"

He chased after him and walked side-by-side with Wang Lin under the moonlight.

"Brother Wang, that transformation of yours was so cool. Those tentacles were flashing everywhere; they're way cooler than my shadow..."

"Shut up."

"I'm serious! My shadow is useless except for scaring people, but your tentacles can tie people up, stab people, and even eat..."

"I told you to shut up."

"Alright, alright, alright, I'll shut up, okay? ..."

"But Brother Wang, there's one thing you need to keep in mind."

"Zhao Yan has an older brother named Zhao Xu, who is with the Night Watchers Investigation Bureau and has a few people under him."

"The key is—his sequence is 035, a Water Controller."

"You killed Zhao Yan, his own younger brother. He definitely won't let this go."

Wang Lin's footsteps faltered. "First a Fire Release was sent over, now a Water Release is coming?"

"What Fire Release, Water Release? What are you talking about?" Zhou Ming was anxious. "It's 035! That's a legitimate Controller sequence, and his ability is water. He has a huge advantage fighting in the city!"

"Our crappy place is lacking in everything, but it's not lacking in sewers and water pipes! Brother Wang, did you hear me?"

"I heard you."

"If you heard me, why aren't you panicking at all?"

Wang Lin stopped walking and turned his head to look at him.

"Is panicking useful?"

"When Zhao Yan died, there were no witnesses at the scene, and the surveillance cameras were broken."

"As long as you don't say anything, no one will know I did it."

"I definitely won't say anything!" Zhou Ming patted his chest in assurance. "But Brother Wang, those Night Watchers have all sorts of methods. What if they trace it back to you..."

"Then let them come. Why panic~,"

"By then, your brother will have Fire Release in his left hand and Water Release in his right, it won't be too dashing..."

Zhou Ming paused, suddenly feeling that Brother Wang was a bit different today.

...

After parting ways with Zhou Ming, Wang Lin didn't rush back to his residence.

He circled the city a few times, confirmed no one was tailing him, and then turned into an abandoned old industrial zone.

This area had been planned for demolition years ago, but the funding never came through. Half the factory buildings had collapsed, and the weeds grew taller than a person—it was an excellent place to test his abilities.

Wang Lin found a relatively intact dilapidated factory building and barred the door from the inside.

He stood in the center of the factory, took a deep breath, and began to recall how Zhao Yan looked before he died.

"How did that trash control fire again?"

As soon as the thought arose, his palm suddenly grew hot.

Wang Lin looked down and saw a ball of flame jump out of his palm.

It wasn't the orange-red fire like Zhao Yan's, but a ghostly blue, burning quietly in his palm like a will-o'-the-wisp.

The rhythm of the flickering flame was eerie, unhurried, as if it had its own breath.

Wang Lin stared at the flame for a few seconds, then raised his hand and flicked it to the side.

The blue fire landed on a section of an abandoned machine tool and spread instantly.

There was no thick smoke, no pungent odor; the flames licked silently at the rusted metal.

Ten seconds later, the surface of the machine tool began to turn red, deform, and melt.

Molten iron dripped onto the ground, sizzling.

His blue flame was much stronger than that trash Zhao Yan's.

Just as Wang Lin was thinking this, he suddenly felt the power within him begin to stir.

He knew what it was: the power of Calamity.

As soon as the thought arose, his body began to change.

Dark red patterns appeared on the surface of his skin, and a tearing pain came from his back. Those tentacles broke out of his body, more numerous, longer, and thicker than when he had transformed before.

At the same time, the ball of blue fire he had just released was drawn by some force and drifted back to his side.

The blue fire landed on the tentacles, and its color began to change.

The blue gradually faded, replaced by an eerie black.

It was a black that could absorb even light.

As the flames flickered, the surrounding moonlight dimmed slightly.

Wang Lin raised a tentacle, and a ball of black fire condensed at the tip.

With a gentle flick of the tentacle, the black fire landed on the concrete floor.

There was no sound. There was no light.

A hole the size of a bowl appeared directly on the ground, its edges as smooth as if it had been cut by a laser.

It was impossible to tell how deep the hole was, because it was pitch black inside, and even the moonlight couldn't shine into it.

He twitched the corner of his mouth and muttered to himself, "This damn thing is a bit like Itachi's Amaterasu."

Wang Lin took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing that power.

The tentacles slowly retracted into his body, and the dark red patterns gradually faded.

He stood in place for a few seconds, waiting until the tearing sensation in his body completely disappeared before he thoroughly relaxed.

When he was in his human form, the flame was blue. When he transformed into his Calamity form, the flame became black.

It felt kind of cool...

Returning home, Wang Lin found dinner laid out on the table, and his younger sister, Wang Xiaoyue, was dozing off beside the dining table.

Wang Lin gently shook her awake. "Xiaoyue, wake up."

Wang Xiaoyue opened her eyes groggily, and upon seeing it was her older brother, she immediately smiled. "Brother is back!"

"Yeah." Wang Lin rubbed her head. "Why are you the only one home? Where are Mom and Dad?"

"Mom and Dad said they went out and will be back later, so they told us to eat first."

Wang Xiaoyue pointed to the dishes on the table. "Mom made red-braised pork; it smells so good."

Wang Lin paused. Mom and Dad aren't here?

He lowered his eyes to look at the food on the table; steam was still rising from it.

There were three Calamities in the house, and now only this youngest one was here.

If all three were together, he definitely wouldn't be a match for them. He knew nothing about what type the two old ones were or what abilities they had.

But right now, only his younger sister was here... This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; he could take them out one by one...

Wang Lin raised his head, his face already replaced by a gentle smile.

"Xiaoyue, how about Brother plays a game with you?"

"Okay! Okay!"

"Then Xiaoyue, close your eyes first, and Brother will show you a magic trick."

"Okay!"

Wang Xiaoyue immediately closed her eyes, her eyelashes still trembling slightly.

Wang Lin looked at her. "You have to keep them closed, okay? Don't open them until Brother says so, you know?"

"I know!" Wang Xiaoyue nodded vigorously. "Xiaoyue listens to Brother the most!"

Wang Lin smiled. The smile appeared exceptionally gentle under the light.

Then his face began to distort.

His skin peeled open in all directions like flower petals.

In the blink of an eye, his face transformed into a giant gaping maw, with layers of fangs growing inward, slowly writhing.

He stood up and slowly walked toward Wang Xiaoyue.

At this moment, Wang Xiaoyue was still keeping her eyes closed, with a look of anticipation on her face.