From Demon Slayer to the Multiverse: The Ultimate Exploiter

The three of them finally felt the lingering gazes of the youths disperse as they left the Fallen Street. Gong Li let out a slow breath, his posture relaxing.

Tong Gu speculated that Gong Li might have trained in some ancient martial arts school—his breathing rhythm bore a certain resemblance to the breathing techniques from the Demon Slayer world.

Although Tong Gu had become adept at using the breathing technique himself, he couldn't teach it to others. Transmitting abilities from the Game of Fate to ordinary people required deep knowledge of those abilities, human anatomy, and the principles behind various styles. Because of this, Tong Gu suspected that Gong Li—or rather, the mysterious Mountain City Abnormal Bureau behind him—had an expert guiding them.

After getting into the car, Yang Yuanping spoke with deliberate implication:

"The friendships you form on Fallen Street might be heavier than you imagine."

Tong Gu toyed with the Log Pose in his hand, seemingly indifferent. Seeing this, Yang Yuanping sat up straight and spoke seriously:

"Do you know why, on the day of your Awakening Trial, the Harbinger of Death boldly appeared at Amber Square?"

Tong Gu placed the Log Pose and the golden bracelet into his backpack. The question lingered in his mind too. Though he gained a lot from entering the Demon Slayer world, the events at Amber Square that day were undeniably strange.

On such an important occasion as the Awakening Trial, not only did the vigilantes and heroes fail to appear, but even officials like Yang Yuanping were nowhere to be found, leaving the Harbinger of Death free to stand under the portal.

"So what was the reason?"

As Gong Li steered the car onto the main road, Yang Yuanping lit a cigarette, his tone distant.

"Because that day, Harbingers of Death appeared across various districts of Mountain City. Our forces were completely dispersed. Then, several unidentified squads attacked all the vigilantes and heroes in the Amber district!"

"Of the [Mountain City Twin Blades], He Chuo was killed, and Lü Ye was gravely injured. [Blaster] Xiahou Shunzhi lost consciousness. Among the white-ranked vigilantes and heroes, 13 were killed…"

Tong Gu was shocked. He hadn't realized such a catastrophic event had occurred. Yet neither the media nor the Destiny Forum had breathed a word about it.

Gong Li's face darkened, and the car sped up. The incident was a lingering humiliation for the Mountain City Abnormal Bureau.

Yang Yuanping smoked in silence for a while before continuing:

"At the time, there was only one person at the scene who managed to stop those attackers and rescue the unconscious Xiahou Shunzhi. Can you guess who it was?"

Tong Gu's thoughts turned to the young man they had just encountered.

"Mr. Wu?"

Yang Yuanping nodded.

"His real name is Wu Guangzhi. Since that incident, he's earned the title of [Shaman King], and his reputation has been growing lately."

Tong Gu quickly pieced things together. He thought of the badge Yang Yuanping had tossed him last night. Lowering his gaze, he spoke coldly:

"So, you suspect Wu Guangzhi—or rather, Fallen Street—intends to expand its influence into the Amber district, with his ultimate goal being administrative control over the area?"

"That's why you didn't expose his identity on the spot—so I'd end up clashing with him."

Yang Yuanping hadn't expected the 18-year-old Exploiter to connect the dots so quickly. Sensitive to others' emotions, he immediately sensed Tong Gu's growing anger. Hastily, he explained:

"As long as you live in that district, your notoriety ensures he'll pay attention to you. He—"

"Look out!" Tong Gu suddenly shouted.

A speeding pickup truck veered from the opposite lane, crashing directly into their car.

In the nick of time, Yang Yuanping pressed both hands against the car doors.

Boom!

The violent collision caused their car to flip over. Yet surprisingly, the vehicle remained intact, with its frame showing no deformation and the impact leaving the passengers unharmed. Only Gong Li, in the driver's seat, had a bruise on his forehead.

Tong Gu's sharp eyes noticed Yang Yuanping's hands pressed against the car's interior. He realized the man was an expert in reinforcement-based Nen abilities from the Hunter x Hunter world.

A few trendy-looking youths jumped out of the pickup truck, cursing as they approached the overturned car and yanked at the doors.

Bang!

The car door flew out, hitting one of them squarely in the face, leaving him bloodied.

Tong Gu climbed out of the car, stretching his body as he looked down at the approaching group. His irritation surged—whether it was the shady dealings on Fallen Street or Yang Yuanping's manipulations, everything was grating on his nerves.

The leader of the youths hesitated for a moment, taken aback by Tong Gu's unscathed state. Feeling the Exploiter's oppressive aura, he wavered but quickly signaled his companions to surround Tong Gu.

"Exploiter, huh? We're just here to tell you to stick to your livestreams and play the idol role. Stay out of things that don't concern you."

A sense of absurd detachment washed over Tong Gu.

The world was in ruins, yet people still clung to petty power struggles? In a world where countless were struggling to survive, they were playing out a second-rate intimidation plot?

Anger burned hotter within him.

"So, what exactly shouldn't I touch? And if I do, what are you going to do about it?"

The youths instinctively stepped back. The Exploiter's mere words made the surrounding temperature feel unnaturally hot.

It wasn't their imagination. Their cybernetic eyes detected that Tong Gu was like a fiery demon, radiating intense heat.

Even so, their loyalty to Wu Guangzhi left them no choice. One of them sneered and conjured a shimmering green blade from thin air. He brandished it confidently, preparing to threaten Tong Gu further—

Only for Tong Gu to smirk.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind struck. The youth's cybernetic eye registered massive incoming data, but his body couldn't react in time. His blade was instantly bisected, and he froze, pale and trembling, staring at Tong Gu's outstretched hand.

"Enough, Tong Gu," Yang Yuanping's voice broke in from the overturned car. He leaned against it, cigarette in hand, eyeing Tong Gu warily. The Exploiter's erratic aura worried him.

The remaining youths surrendered meekly, allowing Gong Li to cuff them. Their mission had only been to crash into Tong Gu's car and issue a warning; Wu Guangzhi hadn't tasked them with anything too extreme. Being arrested almost felt like a relief.

"Remember to send us to the portal tomorrow," one of them muttered to Gong Li. "Our time's almost up."

In this era, nothing was more important than the Game of Fate. Even criminals retained the right to enter portals, as failing to do so before the deadline risked forced transfers—tantamount to a death sentence.

Watching the scene unfold, Tong Gu gained a deeper understanding of his world and country.

While he had mostly encountered righteous individuals, scum was never in short supply anywhere.

Yang Yuanping, busy contacting headquarters for reinforcements, struck up casual conversation:

"Next world—do you have a preference or going with random?"

Tong Gu's body temperature seemed to have normalized. He glanced at the darkening skyline. The sunset over Mountain City felt shattered, as though heralding the end of all things.

"I need to finish my business with Doma in the Demon Slayer world," Tong Gu murmured. His attributes had nearly reached the threshold for black-iron level trials, so he had to make the most of this opportunity to prepare.

Hailing a cab, Tong Gu prepared to leave. Yang Yuanping sighed, softening his tone:

"Next Sunday, the Dongxia Players Association is hosting this year's Newcomer Conference in Mountain City. They'll probably invite you. The prize is an A-Rank Assembly Permit."

"If you don't want to get involved in this mess, start a mission that day."

Tong Gu didn't look back, waving dismissively. His voice carried clearly:

"Newcomer Conference? Sounds interesting."