Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 106: Choice

"Pardon my bluntness, but if they can merge with humans and gain a physical form, wouldn't guns and military units be more effective than us?"

Zhang Zhizhen, seated to the side, asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"No, they cannot be killed with firearms. Damage to their bodies will cause them to revert to their spiritual entity form and find a new target. Psychic Power is needed to temporarily capture them. If a large number of regular soldiers with heavy weapons were stationed here, and one slipped past us into their ranks unnoticed, the destructive power and danger would be far more terrifying than you can imagine. We've suffered that kind of loss before, so deploying large-scale military formations is not feasible."

"As for people like us, who have a certain resistance to Celestial Demons, we can of course use firearms. However, the range of these weapons is far too great, extending well beyond the reach of our Psychic Power. This means that even if we kill or seriously injure them, they can abandon their host body at any moment and escape. They'll just find another body to inhabit. And every time they do that, it means another life is extinguished."

"On this island, there are over thirteen hundred innocent people caught up in this. To all of you, that might just be a number. But behind every ordinary life are family and friends. Behind what seem like simple casualty figures lies bone-deep pain and sorrow. And right now, the lives of these thirteen hundred-plus people are in our hands."

"Firearms... of course we can use them. But that is a last resort. If it truly comes to that, the consequences are something none of us want to see."

Chen Lingyun said, her expression calm.

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

"Right now, manpower at the Seal node is sufficient. Our primary area of responsibility is the town's quarantine zone. The Celestial Demon People hiding among the general population have not yet made a move. According to high-level speculation, the effect of the Eight Extremes Primordial Spirit Realm Image is at its weakest between two and three in the morning, so it's highly likely they will strike again at that time."

"Our plan is to add a sleep-inducing drug to the food supplied to the quarantine zone at noon today, putting all the ordinary people to sleep. Anyone still active under these conditions will certainly be a Celestial Demon Person. Then, we will install surveillance systems on every street in the town and station our combat personnel at various key points. As soon as there's any unusual activity, we can immediately pinpoint their location to kill or capture them."

Chen Lingyun said slowly.

"Now, there is a choice awaiting you all."

"When the time comes, we will divide into two groups. One will be the combat team, stationed in various areas of the town to carry out the Celestial Demon capture plan. They will engage the Celestial Demon People in direct combat, which is extremely dangerous."

"The other group is the Defense Team. They will assist our Warriors in setting up a defensive perimeter to prevent any from slipping through the net. If the situation changes and we have to use firearms, they will protect our Warriors from attacks by spiritual-form Celestial Demons and capture any disembodied ones they can."

"You are all the most elite Martial Artists below the level of Saint Awakening. In terms of skill, combat prowess, and Psychic Power control, you are likely far stronger than our Warriors. I sincerely hope you can offer us more help."

"However, I must also tell you that the danger posed by the Celestial Demon People is far beyond what you can imagine..."

Chen Lingyun continued.

"Alright, you can skip the long-winded speech. I'm sick of hearing it. I've heard about these things for a long time but never had the chance to see them. I'm quite curious just how strong they can be. Count me in for the combat team. What about the rest of you?"

Ji Yunzhou dug a finger in his ear, cutting Chen Lingyun off.

"Celestial Demons, huh? Sounds like something out of a legend. How could we not go see for ourselves?"

He Runlin said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I don't have a habit of hiding behind others."

A tall woman with a large frame but a surprisingly delicate face spoke faintly.

This was Liu Lingjun, the first female Martial Artist to successfully win a challenge before Zhou Yuanjue.

"And I don't have a habit of hiding behind women."

On the other side, a towering, incredibly muscular giant of a man spoke in a voice as deep and resonant as a great bell.

"Sounds like you're still not over it, huh?"

Liu Lingjun narrowed her almond-shaped eyes at the giant man.

"I was just careless that time. When we get back, I'll be asking you for another lesson."

The giant man said with a calm expression. He was none other than Yang Guhong, the successor of the Nine Dragons Sect.

"Alright, let's just skip this part. I don't think a single person here would shrink away and hide. Are you trying to insult our Martial Dao?"

As the two glared at each other, Zhang Zhizhen turned to Chen Lingyun with a smile and said.

No one present objected. They all acted as if it were a matter of course, seemingly paying no mind to the "danger" Chen Lingyun had mentioned. Some of the Martial Artists who knew each other were already chatting amongst themselves, more curious about the strange species known as Celestial Demons than anything else. They showed no trace of fear or hesitation.

"You all..."

Chen Lingyun was slightly taken aback, seeming to have gained a deeper understanding of the term "Martial Artist."

...

...

「Haisa Island, in the quarantine residential area near the coast, north of the small town.」

A six-story guesthouse had been temporarily requisitioned as a quarantine building.

On the third floor, a family of three was eating the lunch provided for them on a regular schedule by the Secret Inspection Bureau.

"This is like living in a prison. When is this going to end? It's all your fault for picking a place like this for a vacation. Who knows how long we'll be quarantined? Xiaohan is going to be a high school senior next semester. What if he falls behind in school?"

A slightly overweight, middle-aged woman in her forties spoke with a worried expression to the middle-aged man beside her as she ate.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine."

The middle-aged man said slowly, continuing to eat.

"What do you mean, 'it'll be fine'?! How could you possibly know that? They claim it's a possible unknown virus, that's why we're in quarantine, but who doesn't know the real reason? It has to be connected to that filthy thing they dug up in town! Who knows what that even is? And have you forgotten the scene when they took away those 'patients'? That wasn't escorting patients, that was a full-blown anti-terrorist operation!"

"If you ask me, it's all your fault! You were the one who insisted on coming to this godforsaken place, going on about how great the scenery was! I don't care, you'd better be responsible for getting us all back home safely!"

Hearing the man's perfunctory reply, a wicked anger suddenly flared up inside the woman for some reason. The more she spoke, the more fear crept into her eyes. Her emotions seemed to be spiraling out of control, her voice growing louder and louder.

Hearing her shrill voice, a strange glint flashed through the eyes of the man, who had his head down, eating.

"Can't you just let me eat in peace? Nag, nag, nag, all you do is nag all day!"

A sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy sitting at a corner of the table said with dissatisfaction.

The middle-aged woman immediately shut her mouth, as if she'd instantly regained her senses. She shot the middle-aged man a glare and went back to eating with her head down.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, filled with a strange, oppressive atmosphere.

Suddenly, the middle-aged woman felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her and couldn't help but yawn.

"That's strange, I'm so sleepy... I'm going to go lie down for a bit."

With that, she put down her bowl and walked into the bedroom.

Before long, loud snores could be heard coming from the room.

"You should restrain yourself a bit. It's not time to 'feed' yet."

Hearing the snores, the boy who had been eating silently lifted his head and looked at his "father."

"This woman is as annoying as a fly. I really want to swat her dead right now and savor her fear."

"Can you feel it? A sleep-inducing drug. The dose doesn't seem small, either—enough to make a normal human sleep until tomorrow."

The middle-aged man squinted, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and gestured at the food in front of him as he spoke.

The boy nodded, stood up, and walked to the window. Peeking through a gap in the curtains, he saw the busy figures of the Secret Inspection Bureau and the stationed troops on the street below.

"Installing surveillance equipment everywhere? Have they calculated that we will make another move today?"

The boy slowly sat back down at the table.

"Sleeping drugs, surveillance equipment... tsk, they're still worried about the lives of these thousand-plus ordinary people. Wouldn't the best solution be to use modern weapons, gather all thirteen hundred of them, and then destroy them all to eliminate any future trouble? Then they could slowly hunt us down."

"Overly cautious, bound by their inherent morals and concepts... That's why humans are such a weak race. That's what gives us this opportunity, isn't it?"

A slight smile touched the corners of the middle-aged man's mouth.

"That is something they call 'faith' and 'righteousness.' Humans are strange creatures. Sometimes they're degenerate, sometimes they're foolish, but at other times, they can erupt with incredible power. It seems they've made quite a few preparations to deal with us. I hope it doesn't affect our plans."

The boy said faintly.

"This time, they've deployed two 'Celestial Generals' and nearly a hundred 'Celestial Beings.' With just these people, they won't be able to stop us."

The middle-aged man said with a light chuckle.