Chapter 83.3 – True identity (3/4)

Translator: Xena

The person who appeared in front of Jian Xie was a popular celebrity who had appeared on television many times.

It was even wearing its stage costume still, and its face still bore traces of makeup, clearly indicating that it had just finished performing.

For some reason, it almost melted under Jian Xie’s gaze. Its eyes darted around aimlessly, but its gaze still inadvertently fell on Jian Xie, unable to hide its interest in him. It wasn’t until Qin Zhuo squinted at it that it completely turned its face away.

“You smell really good.” It murmured, “The rumors were right about that at least.” 

Its voice revealed something.

The monster was jealous of the evil god who could embrace this human and knead him all he wanted.

Jian Xie: “…”

“Stop talking nonsense,” Qin Zhuo said coldly. 

The monster finally realized what it had just said without thinking. Its breath caught in its throat, and it quickly tried to salvage the situation, “I… am giving the explanation.” 

It took a deep breath and recalled the scene from earlier

The moment the evil god appeared before it, it knocked over the hot drink its assistant had prepared for it. Its human body was scalded and blistered, but it didn’t even realize what was happening. If it hadn’t been for the last shred of reason that stopped it, it would have almost collapsed to its knees on the spot.

No monster dared to defy the evil god.

It represented absolute authority and power.

So when the other party asked it to do something in a lazy voice, it agreed without even thinking.

Subsequently, it arranged for Qin Zhuo to be in the position closest to the stage, and then deliberately and frequently cast its gaze in It’s direction, using its own fame to turn all the media’s attention and curiosity toward the evil god until they finally successfully broadcasted the scene through the camera.

Then, it casually mentioned during a break between songs that a longtime friend had come to the show.

As for who this friend was, it went without saying.

“I have to admit, humans are quite convenient in one respect.” Qin Zhuo spoke casually, resting his chin on Jian Xie’s head. “They love to focus on things that are famous, and they unconsciously start to expand on them and let their minds wander.” 

His brief appearance at a concert had garnered the attention of countless people.

The monster said weakly from the side, “Actually, I’m not just ‘somewhat’ famous, I’m a top celebrity with millions of fans…” 

Its voice abruptly stopped.

Because it felt superfluous.

Qin Zhuo’s fingers slid to the back of Jian Xie’s neck, brushing against him ever so slightly, as if urging him to respond.

Jian Xie: “…”

Does this mean he’s asking for a reward?

“So, you actually knew I would choose you,” he said, his lip corners lifting. “You already started preparing for this the moment I made my choice.” 

Given that speed and efficiency, Jian Xie wondered if, had they not previously shared a body, Qin Zhuo could have gathered all the materials in less than a day.

To this, the evil god gave a very cunning reply. “I just know you will keep your promise.” 

“Won’t you?” He was asking a question in return. 

“……”

Indeed, it was only after Qin Zhuo told him that he had prepared a choice for him that he made a vow to the other party.

But he did not regret doing it.

“I was planning to do something else.”

Jian Xie decided to put the matter aside for the time being. He stood up from the ground and gave the monster a meaningful look, which made it tremble involuntarily. “But since you’re finished already, there’s no need for me to continue. Let’s talk about something serious.”

His gaze fell on Wen Heshu, who was standing not far away.

He has been there all along.

Jian Xie guessed that he had returned because he hadn’t heard from him for some time, and then looked after him while he was unconscious until Qin Zhuo returned.

He glanced to his side. The black box was closed and sitting right where it had been.

Even so, Wen Heshu probably never even touched it. What a wise man he is.

When he mentioned the word “serious business,” Qin Zhuo simply leaned back slightly, remaining seated on the steps, as if waiting for Jian Xie to ask his question.

“What did that player promise you?”

“……”

The monster swallowed hard and glanced at the evil god, only to find that the other party wasn’t even looking at it. It was painfully obvious whose side It was on.

It had already noticed and deeply understood this point when Jian Xie was still asleep.

Anyone present with eyes could see how the evil god treated this human being. It was as if he were a fragile and easily broken treasure.

He even let him lie on It’s lap.

But the human regarded this action as commonplace and did not give any special reaction.

The monster became somewhat panicked.

This was completely different from what it had heard before, that the evil god merely regarded the human as a plaything for amusement.

Those monsters that disappeared early on—

“He said the passage opened itself, and that he possessed a third key.” It couldn’t help but gasp, feeling as if it had discovered a secret. “All he needs to do is find a way to summon It and bring out the other daggers left behind in Hell, and then he can fulfill the wish we’ve always had, which is to make the Investigators disappear.” 

His guess was exactly right.

Jian Xie glanced at it. “Do you think so too? That all investigators should disappear?” 

This was a very dangerous question.

Upon hearing this, the monster hurriedly defended itself. “I was just a little interested in what he said… that’s all.” 

That was why it quickly realized the loopholes in the other party’s words and withdrew from the last gathering.

“I have my own human identity.”It shrugged, trying not to look at Jian Xie’s face. “I’ve heard there are many monsters like me. Since I can easily use this identity to obtain negative energy from humans without attracting the investigators’ attention, why should I worry about anything else?” 

It was very well-behaved and willing to answer any of his questions.

Moreover, it wasn’t entirely because of Qin Zhuo. In fact, it was actually somewhat afraid of this human.

Seeing this caused a hint of surprise to flash in Wen Heshu’s eyes, who looked at Jian Xie with some surprise.

He could sense that the monster was actually a little afraid of him, but why was that?

If it were just because he was an S-class investigator, it would only arouse the monster’s hostility and hatred, but this kind of trembling attitude was unprecedented.

However, Jian Xie simply hummed in response, seemingly unsurprised by its reaction.

…It’s even stranger now.

“Have you seen that player’s face?”

The monster nodded, its tone somewhat contemptuous. “Of course I’m not stupid enough to believe a human’s nonsense without seeing any proof.” 

Jian Xie asked, “What was the proof?” 

“He used ‘Hell’ right in front of us.”

“……”

“You can go now.” Jian Xie said, “The phone in your pocket has been ringing the whole time.” 

Upon hearing this, the monster looked embarrassed and muttered, “It must have been my agent. He probably discovered I was missing.” 

Having given its contact information and received Jian Xie’s permission, it finally breathed a sigh of relief knowing it had passed the test.

The monster glanced at Wen Heshu warily, took a few steps back, and quickly disappeared from everyone’s sight.

【Now you know.】 Qin Zhuo sat on the steps, looking up at him. 【Do you still need to interrogate me?】

Jian Xie paused for a moment before responding. [We’ll talk about this later.]

……

After the monster left, there was a moment of silence.

Wen Heshu could no longer suppress his doubts, and from a distance, he asked, “Who exactly are you?” 

He overheard the conversation, and although he didn’t understand a word about “key” or “hell,” he realized that the player referred to the mastermind behind it all. He was both the culprit who released the monsters and the target they needed to find for this mission.

“I’m also looking for the answer to that question.”

“……”

“Please send the photos of the registered players under suspicion to the monster from earlier.” Jian Xie handed the contact information to Wen Heshu and said calmly, “I know the Bureau has special ways of tracking people. As soon as you identify someone, please tell me their name immediately.” 

His voice carried a chill, making people feel inexplicably cold and terrified for whoever he was targeting.

Wen Heshu paused. “You want to…” 

“I will handle this.” Jian Xie interrupted him, “As for what happens next, that’s not something you need to worry about.” 

It wasn’t just because he actually unearthed monsters from hell.

It was also because [Wandering Hell] has fallen into Jian Xie’s hands, subjecting him to inhuman torments, and ultimately, making him bear some responsibility for the accident that happened to his parents.

He felt it was necessary to make this kind of person pay for his crimes in blood.

Moreover, he had been trying to touch something—

That is, an evil god.

Although no one mentioned this point from beginning to end, Jian Xie picked up on subtle signs of this trend.

Jian Xie’s intuition told him that his purpose in getting the dagger was definitely not to send the investigators back to hell. That was just a pretext to get the monster to help him.

Perhaps the truth has actually come full circle.

This audacious player kept his eyes fixed on Qin Zhuo the whole time.

……

On the way back from leaving B City, Jian Xie first glanced at Wen Heshu, confirmed he was focused on driving, and then looked at Qin Zhuo beside him before finally asking his question.

[Why is he a fake?]

Upon hearing this, the evil god opened his eyes, a hint of contempt flashing in them. 【I have never acknowledged his identity, and Hell does not belong to him.】

The other party was able to obtain [Wandering Hell]  because they used entirely different means.

If it were truly under his control, he wouldn’t have simply brought it out and allowed monsters to escape. It never acknowledged him in the slightest.

【He doesn’t deserve to have Hell.】

But that would contradict what the monster mentioned earlier.

After all, according to the monster, the other party had used Hell once.

Jian Xie was pondering how the other party had done it when he discovered the evil god watching him.

It seemed that he himself was the answer to this question.

“……”

……Oh.

It wasn’t hard to deduce the answer to the question he raised earlier just by looking at that gaze.

The reason the other party was able to give the monsters the impression that he had used Hell was because he impersonated Jian Xie. After all, Jian Xie always left immediately after finishing his work without leaving a single trace to indicate he was responsible, which allowed a clueless player to take credit for it.

【We should be more high-profile,】 Qin Zhuo said.

[……]

After a long pause, Jian Xie slowly said, [I… originally intended to be more high-profile.]

It was a concert.

Since their mere appearance easily landed them on the trending topics list, he has many ways to make them appear together in this era of monetizing online traffic…

The evil god paused suspiciously for a moment.

Through the shared connection, It probably heard the plan that Jian Xie hadn’t said aloud but flashed through his mind.

【I can bring it back and make it hold another concert.】

The evil god’s words remained as unrestrained and arbitrary as ever, perfectly matching the impression It had always left on him.

Jian Xie: “…”

That’s not necessary.