Chapter 56.1 – Temporary worker

Translator: Xena

Qin Zhuo’s words reminded Jian Xie.

After another meal, he should try to see if he could pick up the dagger.

Jian Xie let out an “Oh,” set down the small bottle, and frowned. “But… why didn’t I pass out this time?” 

Following the pattern of the previous times, he should have entered a state of complete unconsciousness after consuming Special A-level monsters—the [Digestion State].

Jian Xie had braced himself for Qin Zhuo to take control of his body once more, but unexpectedly, he hadn’t lost consciousness as anticipated. On the contrary, he felt no discomfort whatsoever, as if he hadn’t just feasted at the auction.

Qin Zhuo finally curved It’s lips when It saw his gaze return. 【Because you’re gradually adapting.】

Jian Xie’s expression was complicated: “……”

That’s like comparing it to a person’s appetite which could expand and adapt.

Though only the two of them were present, Qin Zhuo still responded in his mind. This led Jian Xie to discover that It would occasionally switch between different modes of speech.

It was It’s own choice whether It wanted for everyone to hear It’s voice. It’s motives were simply explained by It’s arrogant character, which didn’t seem to make sense.

【Because every word I utter carry its own energy.】

Qin Zhuo knew what he was thinking, and since It always spoke openly to him, It didn’t consider any of It’s affairs to be secrets to Jian Xie:【Similar to how a residual energy lingers after a monster’s predation zone closes. Though this metaphor disgusts me, it’s pretty much the same concept.】 

Due to It’s overwhelming power, even a fleeting glimpse of the deity’s true form in the void endowed the sacrificial statue with immense energy.

Similarly, even just one sentence would overflow with energy that other monsters could hardly reach, attracting their attention.

Therefore, communication was best done within Jian Xie’s mind.

Moreover, aside from matters concerning Jian Xie, Qin Zhuo had no desire to communicate with other beings. At other times, he couldn’t even be bothered to snort.

“……” Jian Xie.

He was quite surprised to receive this answer.

So, at the end of the day, it was all about worrying about Jian Xie. The fear that this might attract unwanted monsters to prey on him, making things difficult for him…

His heart stirred slightly.

If Jian Xie had been thinking about something else before, he was now genuinely curious to see what the second layer of Qin Zhuo’s gift looked like.

As he thought this, he casually set the bottle down on the table and walked into the bedroom to retrieve the black box he kept safely stored away.

Since Jian Xie last used it, he had placed it under the bed and never touched it again.

He was also going to put the materials he got from Dr. Li into his backpack while he was at it.

As soon as his figure vanished from sight, Qin Zhuo no longer leaned against the wall. Instead, he walked to the desk, slowly picked up the small bottle, and squinted as he examined it.

Though no further action was taken, it was enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

No matter what creature it was, staring into those dark crimson eyes akin to dried blood at such a close range would make one’s heart leap in terror, as if plunging into an abyss.

Even though Qin Zhuo possessed a handsome appearance similar to that of a human, it did nothing to diminish this dread and still evoked a nightmarish sense of horror.

With just one glance, it was clear It could never be human.

Only Jian Xie could remain utterly unmoved upon seeing It’s true form manifest, even finding the composure to appreciate It’s features.

Others didn’t even have the courage to look It in the eye.

Under It’s icy stare, the insect frantically flipped over, struggling desperately to escape from the young man before it.

But the bottle was only so big, and no matter how much it struggled, it was utterly helpless. Soon it froze in terror, not daring to move a muscle nor utter a sound in It’s presence.

“……”

As Jian Xie emerged from the room carrying the black box, he saw Qin Zhuo with It’s head bowed, gently placing the glass bottle back on the table.

“What happened?” He stopped in his tracks and asked. 

Qin Zhuo said lazily, 【Nothing.】

“……” If you say so.

Jian Xie’s gaze swept past the neighbor and found that the insect was still intact. After he emerged, it hadn’t made a sound, appearing almost too docile.

There were no signs of injury.

But in those few seconds he vanished… perhaps its spirit was wounded.

Fully aware of Qin Zhuo’s despicable character, Jian Xie shot It a glance but ultimately said nothing.

He knelt on one knee and set the black box down on the ground. His fingers touched the cold casing, and the weighty, stone-like chill instantly radiated back through his skin, causing his movements to pause momentarily. Then, his fingertips slid downward, deftly undoing the two leather buckles on either side.

Before opening the box, he had braced himself to see it filled with cold ice, just like last time. But to his surprise, this time it was completely ordinary.

If Qin Zhuo hadn’t told him the second dagger was ready to be picked up, he would have thought nothing had changed.

Compared to the other daggers, it was the shortest and most misshapen of them all. Just looking at it was enough to make one feel uneasy.

“What’s it called?”

Qin Zhuo paused before responding: 【Hell of Solitude.】

[Hell of Solitude], also known as the Hell on Earth.

Those condemned to this hell shall endure boundless solitude for all eternity, trapped in a place devoid of all, unable to die even if they wish to.

Jian Xie’s own understanding of Buddhist teachings regarding various hells was relatively superficial. The reason this particular hell left an impression was that numerous real-world reports align with its descriptions. Whenever such news appear, some idle chatter inevitably surfaces, claiming that these creatures must have been punished and sent to the Hell of Solitude.

Just the other day, he came across a report about a fish in a stone that seemed in between real and fake.

In the remote wilderness of an uninhabited mountain, someone discovered a pool of living water within a rock. A small fish survived in this confined space. No one knew how it had managed to live there, how it had entered, or how long it had been there. This clearly defied the laws of nature.

Had no one discovered it, who knew how much longer it would have remained trapped there.

Jian Xie’s hand involuntarily reached for the dagger, intending to pick it up as he had done before. Yet the instant his fingertips touched it, with utter surprise, the dagger shattered before his very eyes, leaving him holding nothing but ashes.

He paused for a moment, then instinctively turned his hand over and opened his palm.

Immediately afterward, the ashes slipped through his fingers like sand, vanishing into thin air just before they could fall into the black box.

Jian Xie: “……”

Wait a minute, so this time they didn’t even go through the process, he just absorbed it outright?

As he remained frozen in a half-kneeling position, Qin Zhuo approached him and bent down to firmly grasp his wrist, which drew his attention back.

【Don’t be distracted.】 It said lazily, 【Though I don’t mind being pressed against you, the house is shrinking.】

Upon hearing this, Jian Xie was startled.

It was precisely It’s reminder that made him pay attention to the changes happening around him.

In the mere seconds he had been distracted, the ceiling of the room suddenly seemed to lower, while the walls were closing in from all sides. The sofa and table had already been squeezed together, and every piece of furniture in the entire room was shaking, as they were being shaken and pressed together by some unknown force.

Jian Xie had no doubt that if anyone were watching from outside, this apartment building would undoubtedly appear to be warping in the most bizarre way!

“This is…”

This was absolutely nothing like the [Eight Cold Hells], which could be described as a predation field. It was something entirely different.

It was important to understand that the concept of a predation field involved creating a separate, independent space to draw prey into it.

It existed separately from the real world. Therefore, no matter how much destruction monsters wreak within the predation field, once it vanished, the shattered buildings remain perfectly intact. This was precisely why ordinary people struggle to detect the monsters’ presence.

The class president’s former residence was genuinely destroyed and that was because Qin Zhuo had intervened. it’s power clearly transcended the realm of monsters, to the extent that it could influence reality.

But Jian Xie could sense that what was happening now was exactly the same as what he had witnessed Qin Zhuo doing back then!

His intuition told him this wasn’t some other dimension and his house was indeed shrinking.

【You noticed, as expected.】 Qin Zhuo curved It’s lips. 【As you can see, this is the only hell that can connect to the real world.】

Could such a miracle really happen, like the fish living in the stone described in the report?

A typical supernatural fiction.

But if monsters truly exist in this world, it was no coincidence and was merely a reflection of hell upon earth.

The walls kept closing in, almost forming a perfect cube. The oversized furniture creaked painfully, and within seconds, it was completely crushed and warped. The wooden table was crushed so hard that splinters flew off, narrowly missing his face.

Snapping back to his senses, Jian Xie swiftly reached out, snatched the small bottle into his hand, and shoved the panicked neighbor into his pocket.

“How do I stop it?”

He seized Qin Zhuo, who was within arm’s reach, and finally felt a shred of tangible reality. He steeled his nerves, looked up and said, “If we don’t act now, we’ll be trapped here.” 

Though his house wasn’t big, just over 80 square meters, the price shouldn’t have dropped like this!

Yet in such an urgent situation, Qin Zhuo remained unflappably calm, even taking the time to lift his hand and smooth down the hair that Jian Xie had tousled.

Due to the cramped space, the two bodies were being visibly drawn closer and closer together.

The shortening distance subtly gave Jian Xie the illusion that he was being cornered against a wall.

He couldn’t fathom why Qin Zhuo remained intangible yet still clung to him as if they must stay pressed together while the room shrank. But as very fragment of debris hurtling toward Jian Xie was pulverized into nothingness by the black mist swirling around Qin Zhuo, he decided there was no need to push It away.

It was probably to prevent him from getting hurt…