Chapter 55 – Gathering

Translator: Xena

Dr. Li was packing up.

Suddenly, the door clicked before emitting a creaking sound.

He busied himself without turning around. He crouched down to open a drawer and pull out documents as he spoke, “Who is it…? I’m about to wrap up for the day. If it’s appointment-related, please contact my front desk assistant. I do not accept walk-in patients without prior scheduling.”  

“……”

However, no sound came after a long while.

As if the person who came was staring at it without giving anything away and firmly holding the initiative in their own hands.

Its monstrous nature instantly sensed that something was terribly wrong. As a vicious Special A-level monster itself, it should have feared no human—except for one…

So, after hesitating for a moment, Dr. Li covered his face with the documents in his hand and carefully poked his head out from under the table.

The moment it recognized who came, it immediately slipped on its own feet and tumbled back under the table: “……”

—Good heavens, must you do this? This is the one human being it fears!

Jian Xie: “……”

“Aren’t you scheduled for tomorrow?” Dr. Li broke down and shouted, “Couldn’t you at least give me some warning, so I could have time to psych myself up…” 

The last time they met, the other’s behavior of squeezing and treating it like a snack left it with deep psychological trauma.

The last chorus of anger gradually subsided and became somewhat weak under the cold gaze of the human in front of it.

It finally seemed to realize who it was talking to.

“What’s the matter?” Relying on its human baby face, it swallowed hard and shamelessly feigned innocence. 

However, as soon as it twitched its nose and sniffed the air, it immediately frowned. “Where did you go? The heavy stench of monster blood clings to you, and that’s not good for your mental state.Those things aren’t exactly pleasant to look at after all, and just the sight of them is enough to put you in a bad mood.”  

Between the lines, it seemed as though it had completely excluded itself from the monsters’ ranks.

Moreover, only after speaking did Dr. Li realized whom it was being concerned about.

I’ve been a psychologist for far too long, I suppose. I’ve forgotten what my original intention was when I pretended to be one. Now I genuinely look like a doctor who cares for their patients.

This was undoubtedly a huge change in identity.

Jian Xie didn’t answer it. “I have something to ask you.” 

Suddenly, Dr. Li became alert. “What kind of thing is it? Does it involve intimidation towards me?” 

Jian Xie: “……”

He didn’t intend for the other person to remain so guarded. He didn’t come here today to eat after all, so he moved directly on to the next topic.

“Do you know Wu Qinghe?”

After dropping him off at the entrance of the mental health clinic, the other party didn’t follow him inside but obediently waited for him in the car.

The reason why despite being a Special A-level monster he behaved like a bodyguard, ultimately stemmed from Qin Zhuo’s casual tap of index finger against the driver’s seat backrest before vanishing. Though not forceful, each tap felt like it landed squarely on its spine, the meaning unspoken yet undeniable.

Upon hearing this, Dr. Li paused for a moment. “Wu Qinghe…? Who? Is it human?   

It had never heard of that name.

Seeing its reaction, Jian Xie surmised that it was likely because these monsters had crawled out of hell lacking human identity, and thus resorted to using many aliases.

So he paused, then switched to a different way of describing it. “He has the gloomy face of an overworked office drone, showing signs of premature aging, and dark circles hung down the corners of his mouth. When walking down the street, he would look like the kind of person someone might stop and plead with for fear that he might be contemplating suicide.” 

“……”

This was just too vivid.

The image of a certain individual immediately flashed through his mind.

This specific description was so precise that it was hard to find fault with it.

Dr. Li was a bit at a loss. “I know who you’re talking about, but… what’s wrong?” 

“Its working with me.”

With that, Jian Xie pulled out the chair in front of the desk. Though his frame was extremely frail, he gave off a very deep sense of oppression when he sat down. Together with the words “let’s work together” that came from his mouth, he suddenly seemed to carry a terrifying aura that was nothing like that of an ordinary high school student.

Dr. Li’s eyelid twitched.

It belatedly realized this wasn’t an inquiry, but instead… an interrogation long overdue!

“Didn’t you ask me why I smell like blood?” Though Jian Xie’s voice remained flat, his words were utterly shocking. “It’s because earlier, I disrupted a group of monsters’ plans and devoured several Special A-level ones. That was probably the smell they left behind.” 

Dr. Li: “……”

In comparison, he really treated Dr. Li well.

After all, it was someone he’d spent nearly a year with. Beforehand, Jian Xie had genuinely treated it as his therapist, even sharing things with it that he wouldn’t tell others. And it also helped him snap out of his daydreaming state and return to the real world.

“Are you aware of this plan?”

Jian Xie looked deep in thought. “l think you monsters are scheming something. Infiltrating the Investigation Bureau… is not just for It.” 

Since A-level monsters possess near-human intelligence, they must surely plan multiple contingencies for any action they take, right?

Qin Zhuo was Plan A.

Then other unexplained phenomena must be the alternative options.

He was just wondering when they’ll finally catch on; that Qin Zhuo couldn’t care less about fulfilling their wishes.

Upon hearing his words, Dr. Li first looked bewildered, then instantly grew alarmed. He hastily explained, “I haven’t been involved in any of their affairs, not a single one. I haven’t attended a single gathering since I met you a year ago!” 

—Besides, it really isn’t hostile toward humans, okay?!

To prove how reliable his claims were, Dr. Li swiftly pulled out his phone, opened the Big Eyes social app in front of Jian Xie, paused the interface on his own account page, then slid the phone across the table, gesturing for him to look.

It was so eager that Jian Xie paused for a moment and looked down.

The account avatar on the phone was a little octopus, with over a million views and followers listed below. The ID looked familiar.

Even Jian Xie, who doesn’t pay much attention to the internet, knew this was a famous emotional chicken soup blogger on Toutiao.

“Because I’m constantly exposed to life-threatening situations while treating patients, the negative pressure is immense. That’s why I started sharing my experiences online. I never expected to become a big influencer whose every Weibo post gets tons of responses.” Dr. Li couldn’t help but boast, “Next month, my self-help psychology book is finally going to be published.” 

It felt pretty great to be sought after and have everyone’s support.

That was something one wouldn’t feel in hell. It would be good enough if monsters don’t prey on each other or dislike each other.

Moreover, patients sometimes confide their psychological stress and the fears they face in daily life.

Unlike the usual scheming to instill fear in humans, waiting for humans to willingly feed it emotional sustenance was as simple as moving a finger. With no need to worry about investigators knocking on its door, it could lie back and slack off without a care, living quite happily.

Of course, all those artistic endeavors still stemmed from Jian Xie.

After all, the other party had been constantly squeezing it dry with talk therapy over the past year. It was quite smart to be able to draw inferences from one example.

Jian Xie: “……”

Who would have thought that behind the red V badge of a famous mental well-being blogger, there was actually no real human being.

“In any case, I absolutely will not attend those Special A-level gatherings.” Doctor Li carefully put his phone away, wondering if he had gotten too carried away. He quickly said, “I know Wu Qinghe is a core member of that gathering. No matter what he says to you, you must be careful.” 

That guy wasn’t the quiet, well-behaved type. He was a real snob and a classic bully who picks on the weak and cowers before the strong.

Jian Xie paid no mind to this.

Wu Qinghe might betray anyone, but he would never dare betray Qin Zhuo.

Moreover, looking at it more practically, even though Jian Xie was human, he himself posed a significant threat to it.

It would be desperate to dare to offend two people at once.

“What gathering are you talking about?” Compared to pondering the impossible, this actually caught his attention.

Dr. Li paused for a moment before saying, “I’ve only been there a few times… You humans are organized, and investigators have always been expendable. That’s why many risk death by using A-level items. While they can’t actually kill us, they can inflict significant damage.” 

Like pesky ants, though they seem easy to deal with on the surface, they keep coming back in waves with considerable numbers.

Sooner or later, they would take a big chunk out of them.

“So you’re going to try to undermine it?”

Dr. Li’s mouth twitched slightly. “…You could put it that way. The Bureau actually has many non-humans—they just hide it well.”

In short, he needed to be more cautious.

Those A-level agents who boldly appear before investigators were merely treated as errand boys.

Truly clever monsters never show themselves; they simply reap the rewards.

“I know.”

Wu Qinghe was a prime example of such lurking threat, and it was clear that monsters like it were hardly few and far between.

Upon hearing this, Dr. Li breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he had successfully passed the test.

——That should cover all the questions, right?

However, it noticed that after Jian Xie uttered those words, he did not depart. Instead, he stared silently at him, those clear amber eyes possessing an insight unnatural for a human. He was weighing all its previous performances to make a further judgment.

Could it be… that Wu Qinghe wasn’t actually the main reason he came here, and those earlier words were merely a test of its stance?

……

Even as a high-level monster of the Special A-level rank, Dr. Li could not see what Jian Xie was currently witnessing.

In this room, Jian Xie was not the only visitor throughout his whole stay.

Having lost It’s physical form once more, It had long since transformed into an invisible black mist, leaning coldly against the wall by the doorway.

While Dr. Li was speaking, It kept squinting at it.

What sent a chill through its entire being and silenced it was not merely Jian Xie, but the unfathomable, unsettling presence of the evil god looming in the void.

【It didn’t lie.】 Qin Zhuo said with boredom, 【If you don’t trust it, just kill it.】

Jian Xie: “……”

He finally understood.

Except for the rare patience It showed toward him, It always appeared listless and unmotivated toward other monsters and humans. It’s way of thinking was fundamentally at odds with that of humans, and what other creatures deemed precious life was utterly contemptible and laughable in It’s eyes.

No wonder, the most appropriate description is “evil god”.

What a moody guy.

Jian Xie turned his head and looked at Dr. Li. “Did you know that I’m It’s sacrifice?” 

Upon hearing this, it instinctively murmured, “If I’d known they’d pull something like this… I wouldn’t have been so foolish as to become your shrink…” 

Its expression was unusually somber.

It accidentally got itself killed while foraging. This tragic real-life encounter was quite convincing.

“Actually, there’s another reason I came here.”

Jian Xie pushed his chair back and stood up. Under Dr. Li’s tense gaze, he walked to the cabinet. His eyes skimmed past the psychology books on the top shelf and settled on the patient records in the transparent glass display below, seemingly drawn to the row of deep blue files.

Paper documents were neatly collected and stacked in orderly rows, with name initials affixed to the hard spines, which was likely a measure to protect patient privacy.

“You should still have my medical records, right?”

“……”

Jian Xie turned his head, his gaze cold and inscrutable. I need you to hand over everything to me, including the hypnosis and recordings that other doctors have done on me.”

Dr. Li was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.

“But t-this doesn’t seem to align with my professional ethics.”

Jian Xie said lightly, “I’m craving a snack.” 

Just a single sentence instantly shut it up.

It searched through the documents with unprecedented efficiency. In no time, it had produced a thick stack of materials and handed them to Jian Xie. “I don’t have the full details here. If you want the complete information, I suggest you go to the original hospital. I’m a law-abiding citizen, and my authority doesn’t extend that far.” 

Hearing the words “law-abiding” from the mouth of a monster was truly a strange feeling.

“And there’s more.” Dr. Li opened a drawer, took out several bottles of vitamin candies, and said with a reverent expression, “Here, these are for you.” 

Annoying, but I’ll let it slide today too.

……

Jian Xie glanced through the documents while riding in Wu Qinghe’s car and found himself back at the residential complex before he knew it.

He tucked the papers into a folder, got out of the car, and headed straight to the apartment building.

But this time, he didn’t have to climb seventeen flights of stairs. As soon as he stepped into the cold, damp hallway, he walked straight for the elevator.

If there was anything worth celebrating during this period, it was that he could finally free his legs from the burden of hauling his body up the multiple story building. Moreover, from another perspective, the entire building now belonged to him, just as if a person owned an entire building—

With this thought in mind, Jian Xie opened the door and saw the glass bottle placed right in the center of the table.

The neighbor remained in the form of an insect, having been listlessly lying at the bottom of the bottle. The moment the door opened, it immediately began darting about inside the bottle while emitting a “squeak squeak” sound as if welcoming him home, eager to catch his attention.

Jian Xie: “……”

I somehow feel like I’ve adopted an enthusiastic little dog.

“I understand.” Walking past the table, Jian Xie touched it through the glass jar. “But I can’t let you out now. I don’t trust the anomaly inside your body.” 

After several days of observation, Jian Xie discovered that the neighbor hadn’t completely lost his mind or been utterly controlled by the anomalous entity to the point of retaining only the urge to eat. Yet, he couldn’t be considered particularly lucid either.

If we were to measure it in terms of human IQ, it’s probably about the same as a young child right now.

Meanwhile, the Special A-level monster capable of possessing a human host had perished, yet his neighbor remained, indicating they were independent entities.

He couldn’t simply abandon this lead. If the anomalous object had been extracted and the neighbor died just like that, he’d have no way of knowing anything at all—

About that blurred missing person’s flyer tucked in his pocket.

When Jian Xie touched the paper, it seemed to stir his emotions, compelling him to wonder who the missing person might be.

He always felt like…

This had to do with his neighbor, together with the fact that the monsters deemed him worthy enough to be sacrificed to Qin Zhuo.

To Jian Xie’s surprise, the insect that had seemed slightly agitated actually calmed down under his touch.

It even extended its tentacles and tentatively strained against the glass wall to reach for Jian Xie’s fingers. This comical sight made him chuckle.

【—Would you like to try my gift?】

A voice interrupted their interaction. Jian Xie looked toward the source of the sound, still holding the glass bottle in his hand.

Seeing this, Qin Zhuo clicked his tongue. 【Aren’t you supposed to be interested? It’s the second dagger, you should be able to pick it up now.】