Translator: Xena
Sorry for the late upload! Was super busy with a christmas presentation this week. Will upload the latter half of this chapter tomorrow to make up for it! Thank you for reading !
It’s just… so much like what my younger brother would say.
When she had seen the body of her younger brother with whom she depended for survival, she had been in a daze, unable to accept the tragic scene before her eyes.
Having experienced what had transpired, she now felt like her head was spinning, even harboring a flicker of doubt about her own existence.
“……”
Jian Xie gave her a faint glance.
Amidst such chaos, the teenager—who was merely a high school student—remained remarkably composed, which greatly deepened her impression of him.
This psychological resilience was enough to outshine most investigators she has ever encountered.
Although they were investigators, most of them were still ordinary people, especially when it came to psychological resilience.
Just as a Special A-level monster isn’t necessarily stronger than an A-level monster, it’s merely a classification based on intelligence. Lu Xueya, though a Special A-level Investigator, doesn’t necessarily possess greater psychological resilience than some A- or B-level Investigators with higher Insight values…
Perhaps she was simply more prone to losing her mind and throwing caution to the wind.
Although Jian Xie hadn’t yet said whether he was willing to believe her or not, Lu Xueya could no longer bear the doubts that had begun to take root within her.
In the blink of an eye, she removed the ornament from her wrist and thrust the sharp end directly into the back of her hand.
If struck there, the wound would surely be deep enough to expose bone. If she really had a problem, the wounds on her hands would heal at an inhuman speed.
Ordinary physical attacks simply couldn’t harm monsters—this was currently the simplest and most direct way to test it.
However, Jian Xie acted faster than her.
The instant she raised her hand, he swiftly slapped it away. His decisive action caught her off guard—
It was as if he knew exactly what she was going to do!
Lu Xueya watched helplessly as the jewelry flew straight out of her hand, crashing onto the ground. The entire bracelet made a sharp clattering sound.
“Calm down.” Jian Xie’s voice was flat as he said, “I believe you.”
It was still a very simple way to judge.
Being highly sensitive to emotions, he knew the fear in her eyes when she heard about his brother’s appearance was genuine. Her pupils had dilated without a trace of pretense. Yet his other digestive system revealed something even more honest: she hadn’t let him taste anything.
So when the person outside the door uttered the first sentence, Jian Xie knew it was lying.
Lu Xueya: “……”
Though his voice was not loud, it was enough to dispel all her inner hesitation. Though she didn’t know how he had come to that conclusion, he truly possessed a commanding presence that inspired trust.
She couldn’t help but stare at his profile.
And all this happened in a mere two seconds, yet he hadn’t spared her a single glance throughout. Now he still stared thoughtfully toward the doorway.
Compared to him, the unidentified young man on his left seemed utterly indifferent to the entire scene.
He gave Jian Xie a smirk before casually settling back onto the sofa, propping his chin up to fix his gaze squarely on the other man.
As if… he were a spectator enjoying the performance.
……
Lu Xueya paused for a moment.
She opened her mouth, but said nothing in the end.
The door lock was turning. The person outside was trying every possible way to open it, but even violently slamming against the door proved futile. Frustrated, they began cursing under their breath.
“Is it that hard to make a sound?! I need to know if you’re still alive!”
Jian Xie turned his head and fixed his gaze on Lu Xueya.
“You saw crows every single time?”
The question came out of nowhere, and though she didn’t know why, she still nodded.
Even if it’s just for show, the monster shouldn’t be putting on such a thorough performance at the door. Based on the information Jian Xie has gathered so far, it clearly has the ability to break through the door directly, yet it was wasting time there. There must be a reason.
The crows appeared before Lu Xueya’s safe house every single time, which could only mean it had detected her presence but never made a move.
Was it simply to make her afraid? Like how the teddy bear toyed with the class president?
Not really.
A moment later, Jian Xie lifted his head and spoke coldly toward the door, “If I’m not mistaken, you need the homeowner’s permission to enter the house, right?”
As his words fell, the sound of fiddling with the door ceased.
The sound vanished instantly.
The atmosphere fell into a deathly silence.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xueya’s eyes widened, and she quickly caught on.
All those words were designed to plant the idea in Jian Xie’s mind that “letting him in would help me.” At the very least, even if he hadn’t figured out who the real monster was between them, his frustration would make him think, “If I could get him inside, I could determine whether it’s really him or not.”
So, the reason she was still alive was because the other person couldn’t enter her room while she was asleep…
When she was awake, it couldn’t determine whether she, being a Special A-level investigator, had backup props. So it had no choice but to keep using the crows as an informant, following her from behind.
Lu Xueya couldn’t bear to imagine what would’ve happened in a few hours when it realized she truly had no means to protect herself.
She would likely be torn to pieces.
Just like her brother, whose entrails were torn out and scattered everywhere.
The reason it dared to show herself openly now was most likely because it heard Jian Xie say that she lost her props and could no longer maintain her immortality.
She shivered.
Compared to Lu Xueya’s lingering fear, Jian Xie felt nothing out of the ordinary. He simply said, “So even A-level monsters are similar to investigators.”
He said this because he remembered something.
An investigator’s capabilities are constrained by their tools. As a Special A-level investigator, Lu Xueya becomes nothing but her high Insight value to monsters once deprived of her prop. Similarly, Special A-level monsters appear to face inherent limitations. No matter how powerful, they couldn’t transcend the rules binding them.
In that case, investigators and monsters were not so different after all. They share so many common traits.
He had only heard of investigators being transformed into monsters, but apart from deaths caused by monsters preying on humans, he had never heard of any ordinary people being transformed.
It seemed that transformation must occur between similar entities.
No wonder investigators were bound to go to hell. They were pretty much the same thing after all.
Jian Xie meant no harm; he was merely stating the facts. Yet both Lu Xueya beside him and the monster outside the door instantly paled.
Lu Xueya was exposed for the truth she had been desperately trying to maintain, leaving her utterly humiliated.
The monster, however, took it as a direct taunt.
“Heheh.”
Suddenly, a sinister chuckle echoed from the monster outside the door.
The voice that had previously sounded like the brother vanished, reverting to a hoarse and dry tone.
As if someone were scratching a chalkboard with sharp fingernails, it echoed the raucous noise of crows outside the window; it’s cackling laughter unbearable. “I’m so scared, so scared. What a clever investigator. But what’s the point of knowing? You’re not planning to cower indoors like a coward, are you?”
The monster made no attempt to conceal its smug arrogance.
To its knowledge, the Supernatural Management Bureau only had three Special A-level investigators, and the other two were not present.
As for this guy who sounded pretty young, wasn’t he a friend who was temporarily staying at that woman’s safe house after it was completely abandoned? What a loser.
It didn’t usually prey on humans. After all, at its level, human fear excites it far more than scattered flesh and blood. It revels in the agonized screams that accompany the process of torment.
But since this guy dared to try some clever tricks on it, it would certainly give him a taste of his own medicine.
And this taste…
It licked its lips, swallowing the saliva that had involuntarily welled up.
It abandoned the safer option of a sneak attack, and went against its crow’s nature to attack head-on. It was because it smelled the sweet flesh and blood of this human that it found such delicious food. Its stomach had been empty for too long, and finding such a satisfying meal was a pleasant surprise for it.
“Once you step over the threshold, I’ll kill that meddling woman first, then devour you bite by bite.”
At those words, Lu Xueya felt a chill run through her entire body.
Her own death was one thing, but Jian Xie was just being implicated by her.
They couldn’t possibly stay cooped up forever, and the other investigators capable of defeating it were all on assignments that would keep them away for days.
So, she could only hope that he truly possessed the strength befitting an S-level investigator…
“Looks like information doesn’t travel fast among you monsters.” Jian Xie paused for a moment. “Or are you just a messenger after all?”
He has repeatedly eliminated A-level monsters while deliberately concealing his presence, and has almost always exterminated all monsters present. Therefore, his motives should be questioned.
However, some monsters knew about Jian Xie’s false identity—
Qin Zhuo.
They all believe that It now has control over his consciousness.
So even if Jian Xie’s behavior is unpredictable now, they see it merely as further proof of It’s reckless abandon.
Dr. Li was unaware of this matter because it was a marginal figure in the monster gathering. As for the one at the subway station, it had only recently made its official appearance, so its ignorance was understandable. Even with the teddy bear, it was merely a matter of not recognizing It immediately or making the connection at first glance. In reality, it was still aware of Qin Zhuo’s existence.
“Is this a test? New food.
[It’s a monster deliberately sent here.] Jian Xie thought to himself, [Probably because they didn’t expect you to leave that building.]
After all, Jian Xie had devoured the sacrifices the monsters offered It one after another without giving any response. It was only natural for them to feel suspicious.
Not to mention, the monsters have now found Qin Zhuo’s old props.
They didn’t have the guts to ask It directly what It was thinking, but sending over some food that could hint [We’ve gathered all your eagle eyes—come pick them up anytime and drive away those annoying investigators while you’re at it] was the best solution they could come up with for now.
Moreover, if Qin Zhuo’s consciousness hadn’t actually taken over this body, this Special A-level monster should have already disposed of Jian Xie.
This monster was more than enough to handle an untrained investigator, in their eyes.
Killing two birds with one stone.
【Maybe.】 Qin Zhuo didn’t even shift his posture on the sofa, and just said lazily, 【Whatever. Since it’s been served, I’ll eat it.】
Her dark red eyes held a thin layer of coldness.
Jian Xie: “……”
He was clearly thinking of Qin Zhuo’s best interests, only to discover he had been worrying unnecessarily.
It couldn’t care less about what his followers thought, even adopting an indifferent attitude as if to say, “You can do whatever you want with them on my behalf.”
“What did you say?!”
The monster outside the door was instantly enraged, feeling repeatedly humiliated. Especially since Jian Xie had delivered the insult in such a matter-of-fact tone.
—Listen to this! These lowly humans actually have the audacity to call it food!!
It simply couldn’t contain the resentment in its heart, letting out a series of cold laughs. “You really think I can’t get in?”
Even if it meant breaking the rules, it would kill this audacious human investigator immediately, teaching him a lesson about speaking out of turn!
Lu Xueya’s expression changed, and she instinctively glanced at the youth beside her, wondering how he would react—
However, she merely heard Jian Xie say, “Oh.”
“……”
Though short, the word was extremely insulting.
It was as if the opponent had made a whole lot of threats, but with just one strike, he had already dealt a fatal blow.
However, what happened next was even more unexpected.
Jian Xie swiftly made his way to the door. The next moment, he actually opened the keypad door!
The scene outside the door instantly came into view.
Caught completely off guard by the sudden face-to-face encounter with the person inside, even the monster froze in place, still maintaining the motion of knocking on the door, unable to process what had just happened.
Even the crows perched on the canopy and bushes behind him fell silent, as if they had lost their voices the moment he opened the door.
“You want to come in?” Jian Xie’s voice was flat as a board. “I never said you couldn’t come in.”
“……” Monster.
Lu Xueya: “……”
1 thought on “Chapter 62.1 – Fish in the stone (1/2)”
Haha 😆, come in and serve yourself nicely on a platter please. Thanks Xena! I had my share of stress with lots of different stuff last week and I’m looking forward to my vacation over Christmas and New Year. If you have too much to prepare, then take your time! I think everyone would understand. Hope you have a nice time with family and friends. Thank you so much for your dedicated translations🥰