Chapter 23: Ultra-Miniature Fireball Technique

The black cat had originally been lying on a tree branch. At this moment, it quickly stood up and stared unblinkingly at the light coming through the window.

A blurry shadow could vaguely be seen projected against the glass surface, constantly shifting shape as though someone was moving around inside the room.

A few breaths later, the light brightened slightly.

A shadow shaped like a snake abruptly appeared on the window.

The black cat’s eyes immediately widened.

It recalled something Cheng Han had once said:

“There are several botanical gardens in the school, yet the mastermind specifically targeted the soft silk vine. He’s probably researching vines.”

The black cat leaned its head forward slightly, becoming even more focused.

Could that snake-like shadow actually be a vine?

It felt the possibility was extremely high.

After another short while, the black cat noticed a new change.

The shadowy figure walked back and forth around the room. No one knew exactly what he was doing, but bulges began appearing on the surface of the shadow, rapidly swelling like balloons.

The shape soon became completely unrecognizable and no longer resembled a snake.

The black cat was slightly confused.

Had it guessed wrong?

Was that not a vine?

In the next instant, realization suddenly struck it.

Leaves!

The vine had grown leaves!

A trace of astonishment appeared in the black cat’s eyes.

So the other party could rapidly accelerate the growth of vines.

Another half hour passed.

The light disappeared completely, and the window was once again swallowed by darkness.

The black cat patiently waited for a while longer, but there was no movement from inside the house.

It understood.

The target had likely gone to sleep.

The black cat stood up, preparing to return home and report to its owner.

Its master had said that tonight was only the first reconnaissance mission. It absolutely must not recklessly enter the house. First, they needed to understand the target’s background before deciding on the next step.

This was called “never fight an unprepared battle.”

The black cat carefully climbed down the tree and soon disappeared into the distance.

2 AM.

Cheng Han used the Omniscient Eye to analyze the sun once more.

The completeness of the True Flame Remnant Mark increased to 1.88%, while skill proficiency rose to 112/1000.

Snap!

Cheng Han snapped his fingers, and a tiny orange flame appeared at his fingertip.

Compared to before, the flame’s color had deepened significantly.

That meant the temperature had increased.

Naturally, its power had become stronger as well.

A thought suddenly appeared in Cheng Han’s mind.

“Right, I can test the flame’s temperature.”

Even though he did not possess a thermometer, it did not matter.

As an engineering student, how could such a small problem stump him?

Cheng Han found a pair of tongs, clamped onto an iron nail, and held it above the flame. The nail rapidly turned dark red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Dark red iron generally meant a temperature between six hundred and seven hundred degrees Celsius.

The corners of Cheng Han’s mouth curled upward.

“The nail heated up abnormally fast. Truly worthy of an extraordinary flame!”

He extinguished the fire and thought to himself:

“Other people dream of extraordinary powers beyond their reach, yet I spend all day using mine to light stoves and cook. That really feels somewhat beneath me.

“This world contains Outer Gods, and their followers are constantly stirring up trouble. I absolutely need to develop practical combat techniques with extraordinary flames if I want the ability to protect myself.”

Cheng Han immediately thought of one of the most common game skills—Fireball Technique.

He grinned.

“If I encounter an enemy in the future, I’ll start by throwing a fireball at them and let them experience this young master’s burning passion. Just imagining it feels awesome.”

Unfortunately, ideals were full and glorious, while reality was cruel and skinny.

Cheng Han strained so hard his face turned red, yet he only managed to condense a fireball the size of a sesame seed.

Well…

Calling it a spark might have been more accurate.

He tried several more times in succession, but the “ultra-miniature fireball” only flew slightly over two meters before losing control and dispersing into a puff of flames.

Cheng Han shook his head helplessly.

“Looks like I can only walk the melee route.”

He struck an extremely chuuni pose and shouted,

“Take this—Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms!”

Right at that moment—

A small wooden panel in the corner of the roof was suddenly pushed open, and a pitch-black cat head poked out from inside.

This was Police Chief’s private little entrance.

The black cat had coincidentally returned at this exact moment.

“Meow~”

It let out a puzzled cry, seemingly asking:

What are you doing?

Man and cat stared at each other.

The air froze.

The atmosphere became slightly awkward.

Fortunately, Cheng Han possessed extremely strong psychological fortitude. Without changing expression, he thrust his right palm forward while shouting:

“Regret of the Subdued Dragon!”

At the same time, he activated the True Flame Remnant Mark.

Accompanying the palm strike, a burst of bright fire erupted into existence, instantly forming a gorgeous arc of flame before vanishing.

Seeing this scene, the black cat’s eyes widened into perfect circles once more.

A moment ago, it had thought its owner looked a little silly.

Now, however, it felt he was unbelievably amazing.

Cheng Han smiled and asked,

“Cool or not?”

Not only did that move look flashy, but its destructive power was absolutely formidable as well. If an ordinary person were struck by those flames, they would undoubtedly be burned until their flesh split open. Most likely, funeral preparations could begin immediately.

“Meow~”

The black cat’s voice was filled with disbelief.

Cheng Han waved toward Police Chief.

“Come down already.”

The black cat leapt downward, planting its front paws against the opposite wall before using the recoil force to spring backward. Finally, it landed on the floor with perfect stability.

Honestly speaking, leaping down cleanly and gracefully from nearly three meters high was also pretty cool.

Cheng Han asked,

“Did you find anything?”

The black cat nodded.

“Meow!”

Cheng Han raised one finger and instructed,

“Focus your mind and recall what you think is the most important information.”

After being improved, the Spirit Taming Remnant Mark could not only transmit information to the black cat, but also directly extract information from its mind.

It was now a two-way communication channel.

The black cat jumped onto the sofa and called out,

“Meow~”

Its meaning was:

Ready.

Cheng Han took a light breath, activated the remnant mark with his mind, and touched Police Chief’s forehead with one finger.

In the next instant, he received the black cat’s memories.

From the moment the shadow first appeared in the window of that building, until the room finally fell dark once more, every single detail was included without omission.

Cheng Han praised it fiercely.

“You did an amazing job!”

The black cat happily swished its tail.

After rubbing the cat’s head several times, Cheng Han said,

“Your judgment was completely correct. The shadow projected onto the window really was a vine.”

He sighed.

“A soft silk vine transformed into a grass hound in the school botanical garden, while vines also appeared inside Qin Zicheng’s house. This absolutely cannot be a coincidence. Looks like that guy truly is the mastermind.”

Previously, he had only suspected it. He could not be completely certain.

But now, he possessed undeniable proof.

The black cat tilted its head upward toward its owner and meowed several times.

It was asking:

What do you need me to do next?

After thinking for a moment, Cheng Han instructed,

“Tomorrow, help me catch a few birds. I need smaller ones—preferably not larger than a palm.”

The black cat became utterly confused.

“Meow~”

Yesterday, Master had clearly said not to catch birds anymore.

Why had he suddenly changed his mind?

(End of Chapter)