C15 Return to the New World

Kunoha.

Ninja School.

"Fenng!"

As soon as she entered the classroom, Ino clung to him like a vine.

She nestled into Ye Fenng's embrace, her eyes brimming with a longing that felt almost tangible.

"You finally remember to come back. Off on a mission, and you send a clone to let me know?"

Ino pouted adorably, her voice tinged with reproach as she spoke to the young man.

A single day apart felt like an eternity.

After half a month, she had been nearly dying to see Ye Fenng again.

"There, there."

Ye Fenng offered a tender smile, soothingly running his fingers through Ino's hair.

Soon after.

The young couple enjoyed a brief, tender moment.

"Hee hee, Hinata has been mentioning you every single day. I've almost grown weary of it."

Ino giggled, contentedly linking her arm with Fenng's.

"Didn't Hinata come to school today?"

At her words, Ye Fenng scanned the classroom, but Hinata was nowhere to be seen.

"I heard her family needed her, so she asked for the morning off."

"Okay then. When Hinata arrives this afternoon, I'll treat you both to some ramen."

"It's not often you offer to pay... By the way, how much bounty did you earn from this mission?"

"Two thousand taels."

...

After a delightful afternoon spent with the two little girls, Ye Fenng joined Anko for an evening stroll and some dumplings.

Thus, his first day back in the village bustled by.

Despite a bit of nagging from the little girls and Anko's playful teasing, Ye Fenng found it all rather endearing.

Life in Kunoha was indeed a balm to the soul.

So peaceful, it almost sapped one's will to strive.

At home, the young man lay on his bed, lost in thought.

The night passed in silence.

...

The following morning.

Dawn was just breaking, painting the sky with the first light of day.

The young man had already risen from his bed.

"Paper Clone Technique."

A clone, identical to him in every way, slowly took shape and stepped out of the room.

Having informed the girls in advance of his departure, he was free from concern.

"Black Bullet, huh..."

"When comrades reunite, it's a tearful affair indeed."

Reflecting on the particularly stubborn little girl enthusiast, Ye Fenng let out a mischievous smile.

"Let's do this, System."

As a white light flashed, Ye Fenng vanished in an instant.

In the dark world of the Black Bullet.

A decade ago, the apocalypse arrived, and the Gastrea invaded the human realm.

These horrifying creatures boasted massive size, inconceivable strength, and seemingly endless vitality.

Whenever the Gastrea were attacked, their wounds would rapidly heal—

Except when struck by Varanium, the only metal capable of inhibiting the Gastrea's regenerative powers.

Bullets crafted from Varanium had the power to kill the Gastrea.

Yet, the most horrifying aspect of the Gastrea was their ability to assimilate humans.

Once infected with Gastrea bodily fluids, a person would quickly succumb and transform into one of them.

An irreversible transformation.

...

"So, you're the cop sent to back us up?"

"Is he just a kid?"

The officers scoffed at the sight of the young man dressed in black.

"It can't be helped,"

"I am a policeman, after all."

Rentarou faced them with an icy stare, his expression unflappable.

"Tendo Civil Security, right?"

"Never heard of it."

The policeman's gaze skimmed the work ID, his demeanor as infuriating as ever.

"Aren't you going to explain what your job entails?"

Snatching back his ID, Rentarou replied icily.

"On the fourth floor..."

...

Elsewhere.

"Rentarou, you heartless jerk!"

"Rushing or not, how could he just fling his 'fiancée' off the bike like that? What on earth is he thinking?"

The little girl with crimson twin tails and eyes dashed through the streets.

Blue Origin Pearl.

A member of the Cursed Children and also the one who initiated Rentarou.

In certain cases, if a pregnant woman absorbed the bodily fluids of a Gastrea, the resulting daughter would be born with strength rivaling that of the Gastrea.

Yet, these girls' bodies were still being slowly overtaken, and they would inevitably become monsters themselves.

Hence, they were known as Cursed Children.

To fend off Gastrea attacks, human officers and Cursed Children teamed up, with the male as the promoter and the female as the initiator.

Ye Fenng was at a loss for words upon hearing Little Yanzhu's brazen remarks.

Despite being just a ten-year-old little girl, she was surprisingly precocious, going to extreme lengths in her pursuits.

Rentarou's protagonist aura was over the top. Little girls flocked to him, each one dreaming of offering themselves to him.

Truly, a fellow inmate.

"I didn't expect to find myself transported to this era."

"It seems I won't be seeing Kagetane for a while."

Ye Fenng stroked his chin, his gaze drifting into the distance.

Little Yanzhu was conversing with an uncle who was nearly consumed by corruption.

"Little girl, could you give me directions?"

The middle-aged man in white spoke up.

A closer look revealed the left side of his body was wounded and stained with blood.

"Uncle, are you aware of your current state?"

Yanzhu regarded the man with a sympathetic gaze.

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you."

"Do you recall what happened to you last?"

"…"

The conversation lasted less than a minute.

The man, who had been human just moments before, began to swell at an alarming rate, transforming into a monstrous golden spider.

"That's quite the sight."

Ye Fenng had seen his share of gore, but he couldn't help feeling nauseated.

Nevertheless, presented with the opportunity, Ye Fenng was eager to test his mettle against a Gastrea.

"Step back, little one. I'll handle this."

Ye Fenng's voice was calm as he gently pulled Little Yanzhu behind him.

"Dance of the Paper Shikigami."

His figure became spectral, ascending into the air as his body fragmented into myriad fluttering sheets of white paper.

The ordinary-looking paper spun rapidly, morphing into a barrage of illusions that sliced through the spider.

"Puchi."

The golden spider was shredded into chunks of flesh in the blink of an eye.

But a moment later, the heap of blood and tissue began to twitch and coalesce, its regeneration visible to the naked eye.

Explosive Talisman, detonate!

Ye Fenng's brow furrowed, and with a low command in his heart, a burst of golden light erupted from the papers.

"Get down, Yanzhu!"

Rentarou, who had just arrived, was initially bewildered. But sensing the impending blast, he quickly grabbed Yanzhu and made their escape.

As for the policemen who were present earlier, they had already scattered, frightened beyond measure.

"Boom!"

A fierce blaze erupted, nearly obliterating the street and leaving a massive crater nearly ten meters deep.

Upon his arrival in this strange new world, Ye Fenng did not hesitate to offer his own explosive 'welcome gift.'