Having returned to the subway station, as expected, the subway line leading to the vicinity of Dusk Cathedral had temporarily suspended operation. Above the line was the site of the phenomenon, and after such an intense battle, it couldn't possibly continue running.
Zheng Yichen checked into a nearby hotel. He didn't use a fishing rod as a disguise this time, but simply opened his palm. The skin on his palm undulated slightly, and a black stick rapidly took shape, separate from his hand after forming.
The stick could be detached. As long as he held onto it, even if it wasn't stuck to his hand, it was an extension of his own body—a 'mouthpart' that could suck blood.
If he discarded it, it'd be like a mosquito's mouthpart being snipped off directly. But for Zheng Yichen, this didn't have much impact; it was just that the energy used to craft it couldn't be reclaimed. The discarded mouthpart would also 'decompose' after a short period.
He had tested this before. After detaching it, the surface would become pitted as if eroded by wind, and in less than ten minutes, it would disappear, leaving behind only some fine powder.
He thrust the black spear in his hand directly into the Skeleton head. The stable, pale blue flame fluctuated violently and, within a few seconds, vanished completely, just like a candle extinguished by the wind.
Zheng Yichen skillfully twirled the black spear in his hand, sensing his own changes... and it seemed there were no direct changes.
He clenched his fists. There was no intuitive increase in strength, and mentally, he couldn't tell. He forcefully dismantled the emptied Skeleton head, stuffed it into a bag, and went to wash up before heading to bed, sleeping with extraordinary restfulness.
There was no grogginess after waking up, which would have disrupted his usual routine.
"Feeling pretty good," he said, taking out his phone and opening up the Hazy City news. The incident from yesterday had come to a close. There was no report on when the phenomenon had disappeared, and details were similarly absent—just a simple statement that a serious Extraordinary event had occurred in that area last night.
But the phenomenon was resolved, and all the injured had received proper medical attention, and so on and so forth...
What Zheng Yichen was thinking was that Hazy City had harvested so many undead creatures' remains last night; would that mean Hazy City might develop something new from this in the future?
Honestly, the world he lived in was one with a not-so-low level of technology, and information on the internet was explosive, but the sudden invasion of undead creatures made everything seem instantly more fantastical. And clearly, there were more phenomena than just that one.
Zheng Yichen had had contact with the world of Dog Head George. Although he hadn't roamed around, just by looking at the clothes Dog Head George wore, and the weapons hanging at his waist, one could tell that the technology level there wasn't low either.
In comparison to Hazy City, aside from the human race, that place also had half-orcs? According to Hazy City standards, an Extraordinary creature like Dog Head George would qualify.
After washing his face and stretching his body, Zheng Yichen left the hotel and returned to the site of yesterday's battle. The traces of the fight were not yet completely cleared, and construction crews were busily at work—the irreparable areas were simply being leveled.
Some of the damaged ground had been re-cemented. Barring any surprises, this place could be back in use within three to five days, as if nothing had ever happened.
There weren't many people at Dusk Cathedral in the morning. Zheng Yichen saw some Hunters sleeping in, while a few nuns were doing simple tidying work. One of them, upon seeing Zheng Yichen, didn't approach him proactively to ask if he wanted to know something, as they had done the day before.
Zheng Yichen looked around and, not finding Hunter Arno, found a spot to sit down and began to eat the breakfast he had prepared.
He also had a large bag next to him, filled with various snacks. Prepared for the day, if there were leftovers, he planned to try the storage service here before going to the gun shop recommended by Lewis to buy a gun.
Yesterday, he had seen some Hunters purchasing guns here, and some even carried antiquated flintlocks, ostentatiously decorated. Zheng Yichen suppressed the urge to buy them, remembering the bartender's advice.
It's okay for Hunters to trade with each other, but during the novice phase, the items chosen for trade should ideally be those that seem useful but are actually of little use; definitely not weapons that guarantee personal safety.
He might not be able to buy any top-quality firearms from a regular gun shop, but at least he could ensure that all the firearms met the using standards. On the other hand, weapons bought from other Hunters could indeed be of exquisite quality, even top-notch.
But, as a newcomer, these would not be easy to come by. Instead, there was a higher likelihood of receiving substandard items. Zheng Yichen did not intend to eagerly test his discernment.
After breakfast, he spent some time on his phone, gradually feeling more and more lethargic, even a bit drowsy—mainly because the overall color scheme of Dusk Cathedral was too dusky. Even coming here in the morning, spending a while made him feel as if it were evening, creating a temporal illusion.
Feeling no crisis here, he simply laid down on the table to nap, intending to head straight to the gun shop after waking up.
As he slept there, he felt half-asleep, half-awake. It seemed as if other nuns were passing by, and yet they appeared to be none of Dusk Cathedral's nuns. Moreover, he heard the voices of others conversing nearby.
They were likely Hunters, but what they said was muffled—not because the people were unclear in speech, but because a multitude of voices overlapped, resulting in this muffled mix.
He wanted to wake up, but his body lingered persistently in this semi-conscious state. Initially, it was bearable, but as time passed, it grew increasingly uncomfortable.
"Do you need any help?" a gentle voice rang by Zheng Yichen's ear. Stuck in that semi-conscious state, Zheng Yichen felt a sudden lightness and jolted upright, facing a nun dressed differently from the other nuns of Dusk Cathedral.
Her eyes were still the dusky orange-red of twilight, but her hair was a rare shade of milky white, setting her distinctly apart from the others.
"Thank you, I'm fine," Zheng Yichen shook his head; slightly lightheaded, he didn't pay much attention to the nun in front of him.
"Would you like me to check your health?"
"?" Zheng Yichen took a sip of water, looking at the nun in surprise. Hadn't Hunter Arno said that the nuns here are quite reserved and it's difficult to engage them in additional conversation?
The reaction of this nun made Zheng Yichen momentarily entertain the illusion that he was very handsome and charming—otherwise, why would she initiate conversation?
"Isn't this place only for treating injuries?"
"That's true, but we can also do health checks," the nun explained. "Some Hunters can be affected by remnants of parasitic Extraordinary creatures, which require a physical examination to detect."
So issues caused by the parasitism of Extraordinary creatures weren't considered illnesses here? Even so, Zheng Yichen was still resistant to having his health checked.
"Dusk Cathedral has treated Extraordinary Beings; you need not be overly averse to this,"
The nun's voice remained soft and unchanged, but Zheng Yichen felt that any further hesitation would result in the nun asking no more questions and simply leaving.
"What's the cost?"
"A basic check is only two hundred."
That seemed acceptable—was it worth a try? It mainly appeared that he had been recognized as an Extraordinary Being. Since he had transmigrated here, he had only been checked once, when he first obtained his local identity, and that check was very simple.
Back then, his body hadn't withered because of his Extraordinary abilities, but after the withering symptoms appeared, he became resistant to such examinations. To say he wasn't curious about new changes in himself was impossible.
"Your mental state is overly active, making you prone to having abnormal dreams when asleep," the nun told Zheng Yichen upon revealing the results of the examination.
"And my body?"
"Your body is very healthy."
Zheng Yichen looked at the nun, who didn't even bother to give him a written report after the checkup, and pressed on, "How long will this condition last?"
"Within six hours."
After leaving the examination room inside Dusk Cathedral, Zheng Yichen returned to his previous spot. In less than five minutes... two hundred? Well, that was fine. Regarding the issue of his overly active mental state, he had no direct perception of it and was unclear about how such a state could lead to abnormal dreams.
Having recovered from that strange dream, he decided not to take a nap there to alleviate some of the tiredness. He left the snacks he brought to be stored at the cathedral and headed straight for the gun store recommended by Lewis.
The gun store was in the upper city district. Initially, he didn't want to rush over, as it would take a while to get there from Dusk Cathedral.
On this subway ride, he encountered no accidents. There was no heavy fog today, only the usual thin mist.
Upon arriving at Lewis's recommended gun store, Zheng Yichen, seeing a dazzling array of guns, couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. Besides selling guns, the place also operated as a firearm club.
Some who appeared to be Hunters were exchanging information there, mainly discussing topics related to certain Extraordinary events.
"Recommended by Lewis? How much experience do you have with guns?" the owner of the gun store sized up Zheng Yichen's build—nice physique; that made it easier to recommend heavier firearms, unlike with those slender and weak young men, for whom advising on guns always felt less satisfying.
Heavier guns would prove too cumbersome for those young men.
"I'm here to get a membership for the shooting range."
"...That's too much trouble. We have a shooting area in our club here, but as a Hunter, you'd be better off with more real combat practice," the gun store owner continued with his burly arms crossed. "Since you're not familiar with guns, start with this type of firearm; it's well-suited for beginners like you."
The gun store owner recommended a large-caliber shotgun to Zheng Yichen. With his robust physique, he could handle the recoil of such a weapon; otherwise, the owner wouldn't have suggested it but would have directly handed Zheng Yichen a ladies' pistol to practice with.
"Use birdshot for regular use, switch to flechette or buckshot when dealing with Extraordinary creatures. In the future, once you've improved your marksmanship, using a shotgun slug wouldn't be bad either. Also, take a look at this!"
As he spoke, the owner brought out another gun—a hand cannon.