Chapter 216: The Extinction Wheel

Anomalies below Stage A were generally harmless to surface society. The real dangers were often hazardous and forbidden events and information.

They came in all kinds.

—Some were physical objects, like a book recording an ancient ritual;

—Or a sacred relic sealed within a dark shrine where village sacrifices were held;

—There were also folk songs of old villages and towns unintentionally learned by folklorists;

—And urban legends circulating online, or local ghost stories;

However, the most dangerous were naturally ordinary people who had experienced paranormal events. Therefore, to sever the roots of these dangerous informational entities, they monitored constantly. Through the three key points—Search, Secure, Destroy—they eliminated all possible traces.

(The survival chance for B5 wasn’t high. Next, it’s about dealing with the other four…)

They made contact with the other four survivors, striving to make them abandon evidence and forget everything.

If the target refused, they would erase their memory.

Depending on the situation, more complex “handling” methods might also be employed.

If related survivors involved had come into contact with more dangerous anomalous entities—meaning the anomaly hazard level reached “Stage A” or “Stage S”—the individuals would be dealt with outright to prevent the dangerous state from spreading.

This, too, was part of maintaining the world’s balance, an established fact ensuring the existence of ordinary society’s order.

Supported by forces hidden in the world’s shadows, present-day society endured.

“I hope this incident can still be ‘pacified’ too!”

Sea Fox murmured softly to himself, his tone laced with prayer.

——————

Hiding in a dark cave beneath a reef near the island for a while,

Fang Jing had been silently waiting.

He thought these unexpected arrivals were most likely from the government.

They had armed helicopters and fully armed soldiers. This was Japan’s territorial waters. Normally, no other factions should appear.

Even international mercenaries, in a country like Japan with strict gun control, acquired weapons only through local black markets, not by smuggling them themselves.

Susaka, whom he had killed, dealt primarily in weapons, privately manufacturing guns to sell on the underground black market or trade with freelance mercenary groups.

Naturally, a small number flowed locally, becoming deadly tools for domestic gang conflicts.

As for deploying armed helicopters and mobilizing a large group of fully armed personnel…

Come on, this wasn’t a war. Gangs or mercenaries wouldn’t muster such firepower or mobilize so many people.

If a major disturbance erupted, the government wouldn’t just ignore it.

Fang Jing even suspected that the Black Devourer Syndicate’s “unimpeded” operations in the Kyushu area, their encroachment and expansion, might have powerful figures pulling strings behind the scenes.

Inferring from source “Okamoto” the information broker, his analysis held some water.

The Black Devourer Syndicate was likely embroiled in factional struggles among upper-echelon power players. The truth was incredibly messy.

Fang Jing himself had no real leads.

Going head-to-head with government forces wouldn’t benefit his side much.

“Besides, that group wasn’t after me.”

The helicopter swept the shoreline once before flying far away. Fang Jing noticed the landing party was also withdrawing.

These people hadn’t fixated on the island; they quickly chose to leave.

After realizing they departed, Fang Jing slipped back onto the island again. He observed that the group had cleaned up some of the island’s traces.

Clearly, they intentionally erased signs of what had occurred.

“Which means… their presence here was purposeful.”

It was highly likely they came specifically to cover up the events that happened on Yūmi Island.

“Truly surprising… Their timing arriving on the island bordered on coincidence. If they weren’t prepared, it’d be impossible to explain.”

Almost immediately after the incident, they showed up. Considering Yūmi Island was such a small place, it stretched belief they came on short notice. It seemed more like they’d planned it for a long time.

Pondering this, he reached his own resolution deep inside.

The journey back wasn’t exactly easy either. After night fell, he activated the signal transmitter and stood quietly on the island, waiting for the fishing boat hired by the Sunao-gumi.

When the boat arrived, he swam from the shore to meet it.

The vessel didn’t return to the harbor immediately. Instead, it meandered at sea for two days before slowly returning to the fishing port in Ito.

“‘The Wedge’ is finally in hand. Time for a little rest.”

After obtaining “The Wedge,” his heart, long suspended in anxiety, gradually eased. It was like an “arrow” pulled taut to its limit finally finding release—a profound feeling of relief washed over him.

The automatic sedan accelerated smoothly forward.

He slumped heavily into the back seat’s chair. Below his vision field, in the skill bar, the icon for “Anomalous Martial Art: Extinction Wheel Fist” pulsed continuously.

“Alright… maybe now… time to deduce.”

He invested his Growth Value. Instantly, the words “Anomalous Martial Art: Extinction Wheel Fist” in the skill bar blurred then abruptly shifted.

After the deduction finished, the progress value behind the new skill slowly resolved from a blur.

(Anomalous Martial Art: Extinction Wheel Fist, First Layer, Progress 0%)

He ascended to the First Layer easily and straightforwardly.

Upon stepping into the First Layer, he sensed an immediate, distinct change within his body.

A faint, prickling sting radiated from his left chest. His muscles and blood vessels throughout his body pulsed rhythmically. His heart pounded thump-thump-thump with violent intensity, each beat seeming to reverberate through his entire frame.

His vision pierced through his own skin, instantly locking onto the strange phenomenon overlaying his heart.

Positioned right over the heart’s surface was something like an ashen-white mask—a beast’s mask.

“This is the Primal Rage Beast!”

Fang Jing was startled, yet he could feel this “beast” wasn’t illusory.

It was the core, the original part of the “Beast” that had long parasitized his own flesh.

Now, it seemed fused with his heart organ.

Fang Jing discovered the Primal Rage Beast was currently dormant. Yet, it seemed he could awaken it gently at will.

“Ah yes, now I recall… I have another skill bestowed by the Primal Rage Beast.”

That skill was called “Primal Rage Resonance Field.” He wasn’t quite sure of its specific use.

So, with a focused thought, an intangible aura emanated around him. Fang Jing could perceive it as a rotating field encircling his body, collapsing inwards.

Still in the car, he didn’t experiment deeply, but grasped the fundamentals nonetheless.

He guessed internally that this “Primal Rage Resonance Field” was likely a new skill meant to be used in tandem with the technique called “Annihilation Wheel Fist.”