Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 377 - Shadow Demon Troops and Muscle Organization

Three days later, on October 21.

It was early morning in East Sea City in East Sea County. White mist drifted through the city streets, filling the air. It thinned into a light layer as the morning sun gradually rose.

At the docks, golden light glimmered on the water's surface as seagulls circled and squawked overhead. A steel-hulled ship sounded its deep horn, moving out to sea like a massive creature. Workers bustled about, coming and going from metal sheds and warehouses around the docks as they hauled heavy cargo.

Further away, the blocky residential buildings were barely visible, echoing the dense crowd of cargo and fishing boats at the port.

A largely undeveloped coastal mountain range lay on the southern end of the residential area. Only a few flat sections held railway tracks, or the occasional villa and estate of the wealthy.

This area could generally be considered the outskirts of East Sea City.

Half a kilometer from the main road, a large warehouse was concealed within the green woods. Behind it, a cluster of supporting buildings appeared to form an estate-like base. The location was so hidden that it would be hard to spot without careful attention.

A black sedan smoothly rolled down the road, veering to the right toward the building complex. It finally came to a stop in an open space.

The car door opened with a soft click, and a figure stepped out from the back seat. He was tall, with long, lean limbs. His black trench coat, draped over his shoulders, exuded a cold, commanding aura.

As soon as he alighted, two men in tight combat suits approached with exceptional deference. One of them led the way, while the other walked beside the man in the trench coat, seemingly reporting on the recent situation at the base.

The three of them, led by the man in the trench coat, gradually made their way to the building's front. It was a large warehouse, shaped like a flat rectangle. The morning sunlight cast a metallic sheen over the roof. Shadows spread over the ground, enveloping the open space in front.

As their footsteps drew closer, the warehouse door was forcefully pushed open.

Inside, darkness reigned. The shadows seemed to coalesce into clusters of black mist, floating in the air. Sunlight streaming in through the open door only illuminated a span of five or six meters. Beyond that lay pitch darkness, obscuring any view.

One of the combat personnel beside the man in the trench coat suddenly took a large step forward, clapping his hands forcefully.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Instantly, pairs of blood-red eyes flickered into existence within the dense darkness. They glowed with cruelty, bloodlust, and savagery. Like a pack of wolves on a nocturnal hunt, they seemed to thirst for prey, ready to tear flesh and drink blood.

The hundreds of eyes in the warehouse projected a sense of oppression and shock, as though vicious beasts were staring out at them. Even the two combat personnel, members of this group, felt a shiver run down their spines.

The man in the trench coat, however, remained unfazed. As he faced the bloody aura before him, a slight smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.

It was a strangely sinister smile.

"Stand up and let me have a look."

The deep voice reverberated, sounding like a command. Rustling sounds filled the warehouse as clothes rubbed together.

At that moment, the lights flicked on. Hundreds of combat personnel dressed in tight black suits stood before them. They moved in perfect unison, with the cold and ruthless demeanor of assassins.

The man in the trench coat cast a cold gaze over them and spoke again.

"Show me your claws and fangs!"

As soon as the words fell, the shadows of all combat personnel began to writhe strangely. They moved like muddy sludge, or mist, twisting and intertwining like vines as they grew upward. In the end, they transformed into humanoid black figures.

Their arms stretched long, hanging down to the mid-calf even as they stood straight. Their sharp claws gleamed with a dark metallic matte, each one resembling a dagger.

They were all Shadow Demons, a type of parasitic dark creature. Now, they stood silently behind each combat personnel, motionless, as if they were puppets awaiting orders.

"Activate your Black Demon's Hand..."

Click, click, click!

All Shadow Demons in the warehouse spread their claws, revealing the vibrant vortexes in their palms. This was the power of Covert Martial Arts, a technique incompatible with dark creatures, yet strangely fused with them.

Cassius finally nodded in satisfaction.

He had successfully replicated his method of reverse refining Shadow Demons with the Shadowless Clan. His Golem Seed had been implanted in every member of the Shadowless Clan, guiding the miniature golem aura released during their breathing exercises to assimilate the life magnetic fields of the Shadow Demons. Then, using life vibration energy as a lubricant and power source, the golem aura would enter the Shadow Demons. The host could then indirectly control the Shadow Demons by activating the Golem Seed.

Moreover, as dark creatures, the Shadow Demons could also cultivate the unique ancient Covert Martial Art of the Black Demon's Hand, enhancing their combat power.

This was one of Cassius's ingenious ideas put into practice. The only drawback was the high consumption of life vibration energy. He had repeatedly negotiated with the Black Ops Agency to secure a large supply of low-grade life vibration energy. As a result, Amos had not shown Cassius a pleasant face recently.

But it was all worth it. Cassius had established a Shadow Demon troop, with most being Sharp Claw-level Shadow Demons, and a smaller portion being Red Eye-level Shadow Demons.

They might have surprising effectiveness in dealing with dark creatures. A dark creature’s aura was the most perceptive to its kind. Just like Cassius, having been parasitized by Shadow Demons, had become highly sensitive to dark creature auras, the same principle applied here.

The combat personnel of the Shadow Demon troop had greater aptitude for detecting and tracking dark creatures, making them exceptionally useful within a confirmed range. Cassius felt that using dark creatures to hunt dark creatures was a stroke of genius.

Overall, he was quite pleased, though there were two minor drawbacks. First, the Shadow Demon troop consumed an excessive amount of life vibration energy. Although it consisted mainly of low-level energies that were useless to Cassius, the sheer quantity required was daunting. Operating the Shadow Demons required life vibration energy as a power source. However, this was a necessary early investment, and once the Shadow Demon troop truly came into action...

They would then be able to hunt and capture dark creatures themselves, extracting life vibration energy until they could establish a sustainable cycle. As the Black Demon's Hand training progressed, the strength of the Shadow Demons under the Shadow Demon troops' control would also increase. Consequently, they could capture a larger quantity of higher-quality dark creatures more efficiently, providing Cassius with enough life vibration energy that even he could not overlook.

Secondly, there is the issue of the control range of the Shadow Demon troops. The range at which the fighters can control the Shadow Demons was not unlimited. Once they exceeded a certain distance, the Shadow Demons had the tendency to go completely motionless, as if disconnected, and lose their combat ability. Thus, the fighters in the Shadow Demon troops needed to stay within a suitable distance of their Shadow Demons, which was hardly good news.

However, there was a solution to this. The Ace of Spades assassins, who had trained themselves into muscle-bound powerhouses, could easily serve as close-range bodyguards. They can skillfully use both high-powered firearms and close-combat techniques to protect the Shadow Demon fighters, so there was no issue.

At noon, Cassius ate lunch in the battle base’s canteen. The food was all heavy on meat, and some of the fighters looked uncomfortable while eating.

It wasn't that they disliked meat but rather that they had grown sick of it. The Black Demon's Hand training benefited most from the vitality of massive beasts and strange phenomena, with humans as a secondary option, and ordinary livestock as the least preferred. As such, they had to purchase large numbers of live livestock to train in Black Demon's Hand.

Once the livestock died, it couldn't go to waste. While they could sell it to the city's meat-packing plants, they also kept some to make meals. Thus, members of the Shadowless Clan had been practically drenched in animal fat lately. At first, it had satisfied their cravings, but over time, they were so disgusted that they wanted to throw up at the sight of it. Yet, they had no choice but to eat it.

When Cassius learned of this, he spoke with the person in charge on behalf of the Shadowless Clan members. The general idea was that the organization wasn't short on money, and regularly changing up the menu was quite important.

***

Meanwhile, in Beiliu City, at the Ace of Spades headquarters.

A vast training hall stood between various buildings. A sturdy man about six feet tall strode quickly through the entrance and down the corridor. He wore a black uniform, yet his bulging muscles strained against the fabric, exuding a sense of intimidation. As he entered the training hall, the sounds of metal frames clanging, sandbags being pounded, and shoes scraping against marble floors flooded the air.

The thick scent of sweat-laden heat lay over it all.

Looking around, the place resembled an enormous gym, equipped with both modern devices and ancient Covert Martial Arts training tools. Over a hundred robust men were sweating profusely, their arms raised in a boxing stance, repeatedly punching the sandbags in front of them.

The massive bags, each the size of a human torso, swung in long arcs with every punch, the metal frames they were attached to on the walls shaking from the strain. Suddenly, there was a loud bang from the left side.

It turned out a hulking man nearly six-and-a-half feet tall had accidentally punched through a sandbag. Black iron sand spilled out, scattering across the floor. Some of the men nearby whistled in admiration, while others joked mischievously.

"Even the wild buffalo hide sandbags can't take it, huh?"

"Mantauro, you broke another sandbag! Sir White Bird warned you last time about controlling your strength. This time, the punishment might not just be an eighty kilometer sprint and fifteen hundred squats. Maybe he'll toss you in the alloy training room to be a sandbag yourself!"

"Hahaha..."

The face of the giant known as Mantauro turned red as he retorted defiantly, "It wasn't on purpose! Whoever used that sandbag yesterday must've punched it too hard! As for the alloy training room? Like I'd be afraid of that! At worst, it'll just be—"

There was a creak as the door at the end of the corridor opened. A towering man with a bare upper body stepped out, ducking slightly to fit through the doorway. He was over two meters tall, with shoulders as broad as a wall. His muscles resembled layers of rock, giving him the physique of a bodybuilder.

"Hey, Sir White Bird is here. Mantauro, do you dare say that to him directly?" The crowd around him started jeering.

But the loud-mouthed Mantauro instantly deflated, looking away as if he was trying to hide. His ostrich-sized frame shrank to the side, making him appear more like a timid, resigned figure.

However, White Bird paid him no attention. He brought the messenger who had come with him into the training room and closed the door.

Five minutes later, after the report was delivered, White Bird's eyes gleamed brightly, his nostrils flaring as he took a deep breath. "Finally, something to do! Are we going to hunt those dark creatures we discussed before? This is the perfect chance to test the progress our Ace of Spades organization has made! The only downside is that we won't be acting alone; we have to cooperate with the Shadow Demon troops."

He shook his head regretfully. "It doesn't matter; once the battle begins, Sir Cassius will surely see which side plays the greater role!"

"I have faith in our brothers! What about you?"

White Bird turned toward the high-ranking members of the Ace of Spades around him. To his left, a burly man wearing gym shorts grinned, letting a five-hundred-kilogram barbell he'd been holding with one hand fall to the ground with a thud.

He was Red Fang.

To his right, an elderly man with graying hair shattered a metal post with a single punch. When he turned his head, he revealed a powerful physique at odds with his aged face. His eight-pack abs formed two perfect rows, with sweat flowing between the muscular ridges.

He was Gentleman.

In the corner, a woman was doing handstand push-ups, the only difference being that she was balancing a half-ton barbell with her feet. Her arms rose and fell in a spellbinding rhythm, her back and shoulders displaying a powerful and fluid muscular curve that exuded strength.

She was Purple.

On the far side, two shirtless figures were sparring. Punches struck their muscles with resounding smacks, leaving red marks. Sweat burst into mist with each impact.

They were Wealthy Heir and Professor.

When White Bird posed his question, all the high-ranking members gradually stopped what they were doing and looked over, their eyes almost ablaze.

"Of course!" they replied in unison.

***

Two days later, on the night of October 23. In Beiliu County, at a hall on the outskirts of Beiliu City.

The streetlights were dim, casting shadows over the road. Two groups stood in the darkness, one in front and one behind, each dressed in either gray or black combat suits.

The men in gray combat suits were all brawny, their faces showing barely contained excitement, their muscular frames merging into the shadows.

Those in black combat suits resembled assassins, their auras cold and detached, with faint shadows following closely behind them.

"Hunt, crush, capture!"

"Let's get started already..."

"We can't wait any longer!"