In the dark alley, Tang Qi clutched his abdomen, his expression pale white as he panted. His mouth twitched slightly as he looked helplessly at Sally beside him who had resumed the look of a scared bunny.
Tang Qi was not injured. Just that after the strenuous exercise, he experienced some pain in his chest after this girl knocked into him excitedly.
However, such an interruption made the atmosphere in the alley a little better.
On the dirty ground, the three bodies remained lying still.
Tang Qi had killed someone.
This was not like his first day of his new life where he relied on the witchcraft's loophole to counterattack Old Morgan.
He had indeed made the move to kill someone.
The incident happened so fast that even Tang Qi did not have much time to think.
Just as he caught up with Sally, he found her in huge trouble.
Just by seeing how those three hooligans behaved, had Tang Qi not stepped forward, Sally would have been in grave danger.
And had Tang Qi approach them head-on, similarly, the outcome would not have been good for him.
Tang Qi did not have the confidence to fight against the three by himself.
Even if he used the derived skill Furnace's Eyes which he had just attained, it would not be able to help him fight against the three by himself. He had just grasped that skill. While he might be able to frighten a high school student, it might not be sufficient to deter crazy and vicious people like these drug addicts.
Seeing that "tragedy" was about to happen, Tang Qi had to use the only technique he got from Old Morgan's notebook that he could rely on to fight — the Chaga Fighting Technique.
A set of very simple and crude combat techniques with frightening lethality.
It seemed to originate from the war between the barbaric tribes of the Saha continent, put together with hunting.
Originally, Tang Qi was only practicing it for self-defense. He did not expect to kill anyone the first time he used it.
In the instant he made his first strike, Tang Qi felt like he had entered into a special state. His strength, speed, and reaction had an unknown increase, enabling him to complete the originally difficult movements.
Now that he was done, Tang Qi immediately felt the pain of needles stabbing throughout his whole body, as well as the burning sensation of blood boiling, making Tang Qi suspect that he did not kill three people but instead had run an entire marathon.
However, there were benefits.
During his violent gasps, that special interface appeared again in Tang Qi's eyes.
There was an additional item under the skill column.
Skills: Golden Furnace Meditation Method, Furnace's Eyes, Chaga Fighting Technique (Elementary, Progress 0.01%)
"This has… converted into a skill?"
Just as he was thinking, a piece of information fragment materialized.
[Information Fragment: This is a fighting technique from the Chaga tribe of the Saha Continent. It was born from war and hunting, and spread among the various tribes of the Saha Continent. It is easy to learn but few have practiced it to a proficient level.]
"With just an elementary stage and a progress of 0.01%, I could sneak up and kill three people in succession?"
Initially, Tang Qi didn't pay much attention to the fighting technique recorded in the notebook. He only learned a little about it as that was the only thing, apart from cultivating the meditation technique, that would not be detected by the old witch.
Now, it appeared that since it was recorded in Old Morgan's precious book of witchcraft, this fighting technique was clearly remarkable.
Tang Qi quietly raised the importance of this fighting technique in his heart and then retracted his gaze.
After a long breath, Tang Qi finally adjusted his breathing, and the needle-like pain subsided.
After glancing at the corpses on the ground and recalling the details of what had happened just now, he was satisfied that he did not leave anything such as fingerprints.
"Go."
After saying that indifferently, he turned around without any hesitation while Sally hurried to keep up.
As for the three hooligans' corpses, Tang Qi did not call the police nor had the intention to destroy them.
While the surface of Moses City might appear peaceful, the Bronx area was generally accepted to be a mess.
Here, robbery and murder were as normal as eating and drinking.
It was said that in the early hours of the morning, the Bronx Police Department would send a corpse collection vehicle to haul away dead bodies in various dark alleys or from last night's gunfight scenes.
Only when the residents were well dressed would the police then ask the forensic detective to examine the bodies and perform some investigation.
If they were obviously hooligans or gang members, they would directly be sent to the incinerator.
Also, it did not matter if there could be policemen showing up at his door. Strictly speaking, Tang Qi was regarded as "acting bravely for a just cause" and would not run into any trouble.
…
In the dim and dirty street, Tang Qi let Sally lead the way while he followed by her side. His expression was calm, as if he was not affected by what happened earlier.
However, only he knew how intense were the aftershocks that remained in his heart.
In hand-to-hand fighting, he killed the three easily.
Although the process was not bloody or violent, the Chaga Fighting Technique was a vicious killing technique once grasped.
After all, three fresh lives became cold and dull through his own hands. Earlier, as his warm blood surged and his skill activated, Tang Qi entered into a frighteningly calm state. Now that he had regained his senses, he immediately experienced extreme shock.
If not for the fact that there was a warm aura slowly surging within Tang Qi's mind, gradually flowing to his limbs and bones, he would have completely lost his mind by now.
After a long time, Tang Qi regained his composure under the influence of the furnace's spiritual force.
Only by now did Tang Qi discover something strange.
He was able to remain calm after killing because of the cumulation of his adult mindset, special experience, and meditation technique in his mind.
How did Sally, who was in front of him, manage to remain calm?
One had to realize that Tang Qi personally killed three people in front of her. Although it was to save her, ordinary girls would not let Tang Qi send them home in this situation.
"Perhaps, she is also not an ordinary girl."
Tang Qi recalled Sally's calm attitude when faced with three crazy hooligans earlier.
In a bad situation, her first thought was not to scream or beg for mercy, but to kill herself. Obviously, this was something ordinary girls would not be able to do, let alone a high school girl.
Despite thinking about this, Tang Qi maintained his composure on the outside.
He did not ask or talk about what happened earlier.
As they walked towards Sally's house, their shadows were elongated by the moonlight on the streets. The remaining journey went smoothly, and they did not encounter any dramatic or incredulous incident.
About ten minutes later, the two stopped in front of a small building.
This was a narrow green-colored brick building that was sandwiched between two larger brick buildings, with a gap of less than twenty centimeters. With its mottled walls, old iron gates, and rusty fire service ladder, this was the typical mansion for the poor in the Bronx area.
Standing in front of the big iron gate, Sally still looked like the frightened bunny as she lowered her head and whispered, "I~I am home."
She clearly had very good qualities. Unfortunately, because of her personality and family background, she could only become a plain girl who often got bullied.
She was different from Tang Qi. From the various details, Tang Qi could see that Sally's family should be worse off than an ordinary family. There must be something special that developed her personality.
There must be only one reason why she could enter Holy Thorns High School. This girl was extremely intelligent.
Unlike Tang Qi who entered through the back door, she probably qualified by taking the examination.
At the moment, Tang Qi was trying his best to be a high school student. He would let everything happen naturally, such as making friends.
The girl in front of him was Tang Qi's first friend at Holy Thorns High School.
Had he been a normal boy, he probably would not choose to be friends with a plain girl who had a weird personality and was ostracized by the hot girls in the campus.
However, Tang Qi did not mind.
Just as he thought about this, Tang Qi smiled faintly and reached out his hand to stroke Sally's messy blond hair. He then said with a smile, "Go home. Next time, if you need me, just let me know. I can send you home. After all, you are my first friend in Holy Thorns High School, and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."
"Ah~"
As soon as Tang Qi's words landed, the girl in front of him immediately raised her head, pleasantly surprised. The beautiful face that was covered by the black-frame glasses revealed a bright smile, and the dim pair of eyes that were initially frightened now gave off a look that was able to move people's hearts.