Boom—
Jiang Huai's body was sent flying and slammed into the stone pillar of an abandoned building.
As Jiang Huai collapsed against the pillar and fell to the ground, the stone pillar also crumbled with a deafening crash, and the stones rained down on him.
It took him a long time to crawl out from the rubble.
"Teacher Yue... Was that a bit too harsh?" He gasped for breath, looking at the figure across from him. Yue Qinshan, who had grown impatient from waiting, was sitting on the steps smoking.
During the past week, Yue Qinshan had pulled out all the stops. Not only had he helped Jiang Huai become more skilled in controlling the power in his body, but he also taught him various combat and shooting techniques.
But Jiang Huai began to feel conflicted. What kind of weapon should he use?
His control over his powers in daily life wasn't a problem anymore.
But combat was a whole different story.
During their sparring, Yue Qinshan had provided Jiang Huai with a variety of weapons.
Knives, guns, staffs—yet all of these weapons were destroyed by Jiang Huai before they even made contact with the opponent.
Either the handle of the knife would be crushed in his hand, or his strength would break the weapon in half with a single strike.
So, in the end, Jiang Huai had become best at hand-to-hand combat.
Yue Qinshan also noticed that Jiang Huai was a fast learner. Every time he demonstrated a move to the kid, Jiang Huai's eyes would gleam with a faint blue flame. Then, he would flawlessly replicate the technique.
Once the form was mastered, the next step was understanding the intent behind it.
When all weapons failed to match Jiang Huai's immense strength, Yue Qinshan chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Why don't you try this?"
He pulled out an old revolver and handed it to Jiang Huai.
"A gun? I can't really use my strength with this, can I?" Jiang Huai asked.
During this period, Jiang Huai had been attending some lessons from Du Qinghong during the Night Demon patrols.
He'd learned that many enhanced awakening individuals also relied on firearms like pistols as their primary means of combat. However, the power of firearms was limited, depending on the materials and the weapon's ability to withstand the force.
There was once a four-star enhanced awakener who overexerted himself in a Beast Tide and didn't die at the hands of the beasts. Instead, he was killed by his own gun, which exploded due to excessive use of power.
Since then, the association had recommended that organizations train more cold weapon users.
After hunting down beasts, many of their internal cores and body parts could be repurposed to craft weapons.
For example, the insect queen from the movie theater had been dragged back by the Fearless Organization for support. Its shell had become one of the best materials for crafting weapons.
Of course, the same principle could be applied to firearms, but compared to the intuitive feeling of power that cold weapons gave, firearms weren't as satisfying.
The cost-effectiveness of firearms is not that high.
Hearing Jiang Huai's words, Yue Qinshan smiled. He shoved the old revolver into Jiang Huai's hands.
"Kid, for an awakener, a gun might be the least useful weapon, but you must remember this."
Yue Qinshan took out his own black and gold revolver from his waist and ejected the magazine.
"If you can use your power properly, then anything in your hands can become a weapon."
Click.
He loaded three bullets, then turned around and took a few steps back.
"Kid, dare to take three shots from me?"
Jiang Huai paused for a moment. His bones were like heavy armor—not only did they have strong destructive power, but their defense was also exceptionally robust. The full-force attacks from the Pioneer-level beast and the insect queen in the alley had left no mark on his bones.
Although Yue Qinshan was a five-star awakener, Jiang Huai didn't think his bullets could pierce through his bones.
So he nodded.
"Alright, Teacher Yue, I'd also like to test how strong my bones are when it comes to defense."
Yue Qinshan stopped when he was seven steps away. He slightly adjusted the brim of his cowboy hat and returned the revolver to its holster. But his hand stayed suspended in the air, holding the gun in a firing position.
"Jiang Huai."
"Hmm?"
"You're the first person in this world who has the courage to say you'll take three shots from me."
"Is that exaggerated?"
Jiang Huai thought Yue Qinshan was joking. He just smiled and didn't take it seriously.
But when Yue Qinshan turned around and slightly lifted his head, his eyes locked on Jiang Huai from beneath the brim of his hat.
Jiang Huai suddenly felt an unsettling, creeping presence closing in on him. In that moment, he could deeply sense that death was slowly drawing nearer.
"The first shot is the death knell for you."
Whoosh—
His bones instinctively shielded Jiang Huai's body.
Almost at the same time—
Bang!
Jiang Huai's perception barely caught the moment Yue Qinshan drew his gun.
Logically speaking, even if the bullet was in front of his senses...
Boom—
Jiang Huai felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, followed by the sound of his bones shattering.
The bullet ruthlessly passed through his bones and pierced through his shoulder.
The immense force sent Jiang Huai spinning in mid-air before crashing to the ground.
The bone giant turned in confusion, staring at his shattered shoulder. Blue flames flickered in his eyes.
"Ready?"
Yue Qinshan tilted slightly to the side, raised his gun, and gently blew the smoke from the muzzle.
Jiang Huai steadied himself, focusing all his attention on Yue Qinshan's movements.
"This second shot is the last words of the dead." Bang!
Yue Qinshan raised his hand and shot.
This time, Jiang Huai was completely focused, and he saw the bullet's trajectory. He suddenly raised his hand and punched the bullet.
Crack—
The bones in his hand shattered entirely, and the whole hand twisted and deformed from the tremendous force.
But fortunately, this punch deflected the bullet, sending it grazing his helmet and flying to the side.
Just as Jiang Huai let out a sigh of relief, he suddenly heard a crisp sound.
The bullet had hit the wall and started to rebound, finally coming back at Jiang Huai at an incredible angle.
Boom—
The bullet smashed into his waist, obliterating it. The immense pain forced him to crouch down on the ground.
What kind of power is this...
Both of Jiang Huai's hands were now useless, and his waist had a massive gap.
He was curious.
Why was this bullet so powerful? It hit the wall but didn't destroy it; instead, it rebounded.
He soon got his answer from Yue Qinshan's expression.
"You can control the strength of these bullets..."
"Heh, I don't like answering students' questions in class. Wait until you've taken my last shot, and then I'll tell you."
With that, Yue Qinshan aimed the gun directly at Jiang Huai's head.
"This third shot is the trial of the martyr."
Boom—
This shot was straightforward, immediately obliterating Jiang Huai's head.
Thud—
The bone giant fell to the ground, and when the bones scattered, Jiang Huai's "headless body" lay stiffly on the ground.
"Jiang Huai, forgive me."
Yue Qinshan walked to the "corpse," slowly crouched down, and patted Jiang Huai's back.
"Our time is running out, so I will use more direct methods to help you feel the power."
He knew that Jiang Huai was now unconscious, which is why Yue Qinshan could speak these words.
"Don't worry. After this Beast Tide, no one will look down on the Night Demon patrol anymore. What's left for you all will be a vast and free world."
"...I'm very sorry, Jiang Huai."