Chapter 50 – Left ring finger

Translator: Xena

Jian Xie lived an extremely peaceful life over the next few days. It gave him the feeling that he had finally returned to normal.

But only during class time.

As soon as class ended, he would use his free time to look up mission information on the forum so that he could get a glimpse of what was happening in the Bureau. However, he was only looking because Qin Zhuo did not allow him to go out on missions during this period.

The being was asking him to make room and keep his appetite for what was about to happen next.

Jian Xie: …

Although he didn’t know what kind of appetite It meant, he still agreed with It.

After devouring numerous monsters in one go last time, he fell into a deep sleep for dozens of hours. The feeling of losing consciousness made him feel very uncomfortable.

The first thing Jian Xie did after waking up was to take out the box containing the daggers. He could clearly feel that he was more adept at it than before, but he still couldn’t pull out the second dagger. He didn’t know how many monsters he had to devour before he could unlock it.

The only good thing was that now, he could communicate with It directly in his mind without having to repeat himself several times just to convey a few words.

As for the neighbor… he hasn’t figured out what to do yet. Keeping them locked in a glass bottle wasn’t so bad, at least it was better than directly extracting the anomaly and turning them back into a corpse.

The classroom was filled with the sound of pens scratching onto paper.

All the students looked nervous and deep in thought.

Jian Xie, however, spun his pen with a relaxed look on his face. He stared at the test paper in front of him and asked in his heart: 【I thought those monsters would come looking for me because of what happened before.】

After all, he ate up an entire building, and even the Special A-level responsible for the sacrifice disappeared, so the commotion must have been quite big.

Wouldn’t the monsters behind them find it strange?

Only someone who was deaf and blind would fail to notice something unusual on his side.

【They won’t dare.】 Qin Zhuo said nonchalantly, 【They’d probably just think I was in a playful mood.】

——So even the monsters that were prepared were easily dealt with by It. This was not incomprehensible.

If it were him, he wouldn’t go near this residential area during this period of time for fear that Qin Zhuo would kill the monsters that explored it. Although it felt inappropriate to stay here, it would only be a matter of a few days, so Jian Xie’s doubts were meaningless in the short term.

Jian Xie: “…”

He felt like there were so many things wrong in that sentence.

It turned out that even monsters knew that the being in his body was moody and difficult to mess with?

After a while, the clock finally struck the hour.

【Anyway,】 Jian Xie put down his pen and checked the answer sheet once more and said, 【Today is Friday, I’ll get the material for your physical body.】

Qin Zhuo curled his lips and said lazily,【Then I’ll leave it to you. Let’s set off now. 】

Although the tone was asking for help, the voice was too pleasant and the person was deliberately leaning in too close that it made his ears tingle.

He felt uncomfortable all over.

“……”

Jian Xie stood up, picked up the test paper and answer sheet, and walked to the podium past the other students who were still writing furiously.

The invigilator looked at him in surprise, then looked at the wall clock at the front of the classroom. They knew that this midterm exam was definitely not easy. Even the other students who were immersed in their papers couldn’t help but look up to see who was so awesome that they finished half an hour early.

The English class representative wanted to say something in the examination room but didn’t say anything in the end.

He wanted to say that it was not an illusion, because it was too real.

Ever since the last time he was saved by Jian Xie…—well, one could barely call it saving—he had intentionally avoided the other party. Even though they were in the same class, he would be evasive and timid when they occasionally made eye contact. He was waiting for Jian Xie’s revenge, but in the end, nothing happened.

He actually felt somewhat lost about this.

The other person probably didn’t take his jealous provocations seriously.

Without paying attention to the other people’s complicated looks, Jian Xie picked up his schoolbag in front of the podium and left the quiet campus.

……

Even though Jian Xie’s family was well-off before his parents passed away, he rarely experienced extravagance.

The auction details were not available online, especially considering the sensitive nature of the items being auctioned.

Jian Xie had just walked out of the school when a car caught his attention.

Even among a bunch of luxury cars, the sleek, pure black sedan parked at the very edge was particularly eye-catching. Although he didn’t know the brand of the car, he could tell from its appearance that it was definitely worth a lot of money. He had only glanced at it when the window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a while. Did school let you out early?” Wu Qinghe said resentfully while rubbing his nose and looking carefully into Jian Xie’s eyes. After a moment, he breathed a strange sigh of relief and his tone became more relaxed. “Get in, I’ll take you there, everything you need is fully prepared.” 

But Jian Xie did not move. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the other party with a cold expression.

However, a black shadow emerged from the side, took his hand, and placed it on the car door without any hesitation. The meaning behind the gesture was unmistakably domineering.

Everything before him was instructed by It.

“Is this your car?”

After getting in the car, Jian Xie fastened his seat belt.

“No.” Wu Qinghe sighed, unable to hide his envy as he touched the steering wheel. “It would be great if it is, but this is the 【Weapons Department】’s car.” 

There was no man who didn’t love luxury cars. Even if he was a monster, it has always enjoyed the most expensive luxury items as a source of pleasure.

“……” Using the company car for personal purposes?

For some reason, when Jian Xie heard that the car was from the 【Weapons Department】, he felt a sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach.

“Even if I slack off, I’m still a member of the Bureau.” Wu Qinghe’s tone was very reluctant. “The Bureau knew that an anomalous object appeared at the auction. Because it was related to that being, they took it seriously and stipulated that all investigators with a B-level insight value or above in the nearby area must go to the auction.” 

As one of the insiders, the heavens knew how much it wanted to avoid this plan!

But unless it wanted to give up this job which was too easy, well-paid and even allowed it to taste the fear of ordinary humans, it had to go and show its face. Moreover, if it didn’t go, those monsters would sense its disobedience, and its career of being a fence-sitter would come to an end.

“Please, protect me when the time comes.” Wu Qinghe gripped the steering wheel tightly. “Don’t get too excited and eat me by mistake. I taste really terrible.” 

In front of a high school student who looked extremely frail, it had none of the dignity belonging to a Special A-level monster.

This cautious look made Jian Xie want to introduce it to Dr. Li, as they would definitely have a lot in common.

“……”

However, after the other finished venting and he fully understood the meaning of its sentence, Jian Xie was suddenly speechless. “There’ll be a lot of people? Will Cheng Li come too?”

…Flags¹Could also be jinx, once they’re set, will they definitely happen?

And it would be fine if there were only a few people coming, but what do you mean that if investigators of B-level or above are nearby, they must be forced to participate? How many people are there in the world, really?!

“Well,” Wu Qinghe said tactfully and ambiguously, “maybe.”

“……”

If Cheng Li was going to come too, he would have to be more low-key. For now, he didn’t want people in the bureau to know that he was working with Qin Zhuo. Although Cheng Li looked like he had noticed something a long time ago, he was, after all, an investigator who would show disgust when talking about monsters.

Not only that, its words revealed a key point.

There were other things to worry about right now.

“…You mean, the Bureau knew about It’s identity?” Jian Xie looked pensive. 

They practically took a single anomalous object so seriously that they sent so many investigators, regardless of life or death, to get it at all costs.

“I don’t think they knew, they just thought it was a Super Special A-level anomalous object.” Wu Qinghe frowned tightly and couldn’t help but say, “Because the residual energy on the sacrificial statue is too high, I heard that the ‘Eye’ directly issued a Special A-level alarm after detecting it, and it echoed in the department for ten minutes!!” 

One should note that the normal Special A-level monster alarm only lasts for one minute…

If anyone was to blame, we could only blame It’s power for being too strong, enough to crush the entire game setting. It was merely a sacrificial statue that had once caught a glimpse of It’s true form and didn’t possess even one ten-thousandth of It’s energy, yet it had already caused the entire Management Bureau to panic!

Not only that, even many low-level monsters who were unaware of the plan would probably be alerted and take action.

Monsters like A-level and B-level, which have a certain level of intelligence, were still fine.

Even if one’s brain was not as good as that of a Special A-level brain, they would at least hesitate to examine if there was anything wrong. Unless they were so hungry that they lost their mind, they would never dare to participate in Special A-level matters.

But guys like C and D, who only knew how to consume energy instinctively and always liked to go out in large groups, would directly surround the auction just to be able to devour the remaining aura on the statue. The scene of the auction tonight would definitely get out of control.

What was more, there were ordinary people who would be at the scene——

Wu Qinghe put on a face of pain.

“There’s a benefit to us going there so early,” he said, forcing himself to be professional. “No one will see us moving together. No one will know you’re coming.”

Whether it be the investigators or monsters.

Jian Xie nodded.

He closed his eyes and took a nap for a while. When he felt the car stop, he opened his eyes and the scene outside the window had changed.

From the outside, the building was covered in a layer of warm orange light, with steps leading up to a dome-like archway, giving it an overall luxurious feel. It was obvious that this was not a simple club. There were two doormen standing nearby, and a team of fully armed security guards standing further away, indicating a high level of security.

Wu Qinghe handed Jian Xie a box, then raised the car windows and partitions.

All orange lightrays were tightly blocked to prevent any possible prying eyes. An artificial light came on above Jian Xie’s head that was apparently asking him to change out of his casual clothes.

Jian Xie opened the box and found that it was a suit that had been ironed perfectly and worth a fortune.

At the same time, Qin Zhuo’s figure also appeared in the back seat of the car. Although It had no physical form, It instantly made the entire back seat feel crowded. It picked up the tie in the box and kneaded it loosely in It’s hand, while the other hand supported It’s chin.

The cruel eyes that always revealed disdain and contempt were akin to dried blood, now staring at him unblinkingly and appearing to be extremely focused.

Jian Xie tried his best to ignore the look It was giving him, and quickly took off his clothes and put on the suit.

Its size fit the wearer surprisingly well, especially the waist, which perfectly hugged the wearer’s body shape, as if it was tailor-made for him. After the suit shirt was buttoned up, it completely encircled his slender wrists, neither feeling tight nor too loose.

“……”

Jian Xie’s hands, which were buttoning his sleeves, paused.

He couldn’t even think about why this dress fit him so well, otherwise he would lose his calm expression at this moment.

Suddenly, a pair of cold fingers reached out and slightly lifted his chin. Jian Xie subconsciously held his breath as someone broke through his safety distance. Qin Zhuo spent a few seconds helping him tie his tie, stepped back a little, squinted It’s eyes to admire It’s work, and said lazily, 【I knew it would suit you very well.】

Jian Xie: “…”

Inside the suit packaging, there was an exquisitely crafted little box, which he caught in his peripheral vision.

【I haven’t forgotten this.】 Qin Zhuo hummed softly, and then suddenly he was interested, 【Let’s open it and take a look?】

There was this… bad feeling.

The corners of Jian Xie’s mouth twitched, and he resisted a little in his heart, but after a moment, he still succumbed to Qin Zhuo’s gaze.

He took out the box and opened it. At first glance, he thought he was seeing things. However, after he realized what it was, he immediately closed the box with a “click”.

“Human rules… are very different.” He tried to act normal and calm his breathing. “You can’t give this kind of thing away casually.” 

——Help, why is it a ring?!

【I know.】

Qin Zhuo raised his eyebrows and said lazily, 【Of course I know, that’s why I gave it to you.】

Jian Xie’s mind was completely puzzled by these words.

He held the ring box in his hand, which was so hot that he almost let it drop. He couldn’t help but blurt out, “I just turned 18, I’m still a few years away from the legal age for marriage!” 

Qin Zhuo suddenly laughed.

【Is that what you’re focusing on?】 It did not hide It’s good mood. It stared at the other party’s extremely rare expression and deliberately spoke slowly, 【This is just a declaration of ownership. In your human terms, it’s a symbol of a binding contract. Didn’t we make an agreement?】

Jian Xie: “…”

Jian Xie: “Oh.” 

It was probably something like a blood pact signed with an evil god, but now that they live in a civilized society, they could use a relatively acceptable method.

With a wooden face, he took out the ring and put it on his index finger. The size was just right.

Qin Zhuo: 【Ring finger.】

He paused, took it off and put it back on.

【Left hand.】

Jian Xie: “…Okay.”

…The ceremonial feel was quite strong.

After watching Jian Xie do all this intently, Qin Zhuo reached out It’s hand and knocked on the partition nonchalantly. “Done.” 

Almost immediately after It finished speaking, the partition was lowered. Wu Qinghe turned around and saw Jian Xie push open the car door and get out. Although it was only a flash, the ring on the ring finger of his left hand that closed the door had clearly caught its eyes, making it freeze on the spot with a stunned expression.

Actually… it actually worked???

It has been less than ten minutes, and already—it didn’t expect Jian Xie to be so easy to talk to?

As someone in the know, it was aware that It had only appeared before the other party two weeks ago, yet now the latter had already married at a young age.

“Should I give a red envelope or something?” Wu Qinghe looked confused. “Um, I w-wish you happiness…?” 

Jian Xie: “…Is there something wrong with your brain?”

Following its indescribable gaze, he saw the ring on his hand and immediately understood what the other party was thinking. “It’s not what you think. Have you been in human society for long? Can you look at it from a non-human perspective?”  

Wu Qinghe: “…”

The existence in the void seemed to glance at it, and it felt a sudden chill on its back.

It suddenly understood something!

The desire to survive made it change its words immediately, nodding repeatedly. “Yes, yes, yes, it’s my fault for being too dirty-minded and wanting to be a human being too much!” 

“……”

“Let’s go in quickly, it would be bad if someone else came—”

Just as it finished speaking, a shockingly familiar voice suddenly came to its ears, “Jian Xie…?” 

The author has something to say:

Qin Zhuo: As always, easy to fool (referring to vitamin candy)

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  Could also be jinx ↩︎