Chapter Twenty-Two: Is There Anyone Even Stronger?

Hei Yu quickly swallowed two strands of fate.

These two seemed like separate individuals—Hei Yu had even thought they were twins—but the instant he consumed the strands, realization dawned. They were avatars. The true body was elsewhere. Aside from a few fragments of memory, he had gained nothing. This person had once been a notorious criminal, a master at sending out avatars to commit crimes. The avatars could share sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. The true body never acted, and even in this age where more and more people were awakening abilities, he remained a near-mythical figure.

The memory he saw was thus: the man had been hired for a job and dispatched five avatars to the garden of an antique dealer’s house to steal an unremarkable stone. The task was effortless—the security system was old and easy to bypass. He slipped inside with little effort, and upon opening the door, immediately spotted the stone sitting in a planter across the entrance.

Without hesitation, one avatar reached for it, but the moment his fingers brushed the stone, he sensed something was wrong—a thread stretched out from the stone, linking to him. At that moment, Kang Tiansheng stepped out from the stone and grasped his hand.

“Join us,” Kang Tiansheng said with a smile.

Bang!

The avatar turned to dust.

The remaining avatars tried to flee, but Kang Tiansheng pursued them, plucking them like fruit from a branch. Beams of light extended from his hands to the avatars, merging together and pointing to a single location.

In a room cluttered with comics, the man hiding there was startled as the light struck his chest. In the next instant, Kang Tiansheng appeared before him, casually picked up a volume of “Naruto,” sat down on the bed, and began reading, seemingly engrossed and having forgotten his original purpose.

The man tried to escape, only to find that all doors and windows had vanished. He summoned more avatars to attack Kang Tiansheng, but Kang simply twisted and dodged, neutralizing every attack with ease.

Half an hour later, the man collapsed to the floor, exhausted and unwilling. “Fine, I’ll join you,” he muttered.

Kang Tiansheng tossed him the stone. “Put your hand on it.”

…

The memory ended there.

Meanwhile, in the director’s office, Kang Tiansheng and a man with an explosive afro were sipping tea. Suddenly, Kang Tiansheng frowned and muttered, “That new kid’s not bad.”

The man with the afro chuckled. “Thinking of picking him?”

Kang Tiansheng stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Not quite yet.”

The afroed man just smiled, lowered his head, and continued drinking his tea.

…

Hei Yu arrived at the dining hall on the second floor.

The place had been transformed since the morning. Earlier, it was just a plain white ceiling; now, stars, a glowing sun and moon, and the occasional streak of a comet adorned the overhead expanse—a clear display of ability users’ handiwork.

In the center of the hall were two long tables, heavy with food. As soon as Hei Yu entered, the others began to eat. Wang Meng and Zhang Wu greeted him before digging in. Chen Yang nodded toward him, then seized a large lamb shank and started eating.

Everyone was focused on the food, paying no attention as Hei Yu passed. Hei Yu picked up a piece of cake and pretended to eat, keeping his senses sharp for any ambush.

But his caution seemed unnecessary—apart from his own group, no one spared him a glance.

After more than an hour, all the dishes had been cleared. Waiters entered to collect the trays, and Hei Yu tensed, expecting the others to make a move.

He edged closer to Zhang Wu, wary of being surrounded if left alone. Unless absolutely necessary, Hei Yu avoided group confrontations; he preferred one-on-one battles. The scuffle in the restroom had been an exception, but those two avatars counted as a single person.

The rest began to file out. Hei Yu grabbed Zhang Wu’s hand, signaling him to stay put. Chen Yang shot him a strange look, sneered, and left. Wang Meng gave them a meaningful glance, said nothing, and also exited.

When everyone else had gone, Hei Yu led Zhang Wu toward the exit.

But just as he was about to step out, a massive hand swept up from behind, seizing him whole.

Zhang Wu was untouched; even the hand Hei Yu had just held passed right through as if it were intangible.

A wave of terror emanated from the giant hand, engulfing Hei Yu.

The people who had just left gathered at the commotion, clearly expecting this—they watched Hei Yu with anticipation.

But inside, Hei Yu felt only fear; a gray haze clouded his vision.

Painful, unspeakable memories surged forth like a rushing tide, replaying before his eyes in relentless succession.

“Sorry to inform you, but you’re fired!”

“Due to company restructuring, you’re no longer in our plans…”

“You’re fired…”

“We wish you great success at your next company…”

Each dismissal dulled Hei Yu further.

The final image was the charred corpse of Uncle Liu.

These memories detonated inside him, one after another.

Hei Yu’s heart was on the verge of collapse.

“Uncle Liu, I will avenge you!” Hei Yu roared.

Bang!

The giant hand exploded, shattering into dozens of thin black arms reaching for Hei Yu from all directions.

The arms struck with blinding speed, but Hei Yu, empowered by the agility and speed he’d gained from Yi Ren’s tree, matched them move for move.

The spectators outside gaped in astonishment—what a nimble fat man!

The arms pounded the ground, leaving craters in their wake, but never once touched Hei Yu.

He was too fast. They started placing bets on how long he could last.

The arms attacked relentlessly, and Hei Yu began to slow.

His mind cleared. Should he reveal more of his abilities? The arms filled him with dread—even a slight touch had sent him spiraling into despair. If he hadn’t reacted instantly, he would have lost control.

He couldn’t afford to underestimate them. The fear didn’t come from the arms themselves, but from terror long rooted in his heart, now triggered.

Suddenly, Hei Yu vanished, reappearing in another corner as dozens of arms lunged at him.

“Incredible—he can turn invisible!”

The others watched with undisguised amusement, but Hei Yu was exasperated.

Were these arms just meant to force him to expose all his powers? Damn it!

Hei Yu materialized.

In the next moment, he didn’t move, but as the arms crashed down, they struck only empty air—Hei Yu was still standing where he’d always been.

This was the power of the manual.

You can’t hurt me, but I can hurt you.

Hei Yu threw a punch—the arms all shattered.

Now the onlookers outside couldn’t stay calm.

This fat man… is strong!

Hei Yu stood in place, surveying the room, then smiled and called out, “Anyone stronger?”