Chapter 85 – Mutation

Translator: Xena

At midnight that day, Jian Xie received a phone call.

The person on the other end of the phone was someone he hadn’t expected.

“I’ve found the ‘player’.” The other person’s voice was tense, revealing their inner anxiety, “Can you get here now? Something’s fishy.”  

It was Cheng Li.

Jian Xie frowned.

Why did the matter shift from Wen Heshu to Cheng Li?

But he wasted no time and quickly arrived at the scene as instructed.

Because it was midnight, large patches of dark clouds hung low in the sky, presenting an ominous and gloomy atmosphere that made the man in a suit standing in front of the unremarkable apartment building look even smaller. In Jian Xie’s view, the other person looked somewhat disheveled as he shrank into his coat.

At the same time, the way he looked around anxiously showed just how worried he was.

Jian Xie said calmly, “Cheng Li.” 

Although he didn’t mean to scare him, Cheng Li still shuddered.

He turned his head and looked at the teenager who had appeared in front of him.

It was yet another outfit that he believed Jian Xie would never choose. It was obvious who put it together, yet it clearly brought him a sense of comfort.

“You’ve arrived.”

Jian Xie nodded, then shifted his gaze to the residential building in front of him.

Seeing this, Cheng Li paused for a moment, then decided to take the initiative to explain, “I previously took on the mission to track down Wu Qinghe—that Special A-level monster who infiltrated the Bureau, and then I discovered this place, which perfectly matched the description that Wen Heshu told me to keep an eye on.” 

“Before this, Wu Qinghe must have had contact with that player, otherwise there’s no way to explain it.”

Jian Xie: “…”

No wonder Wu Qinghe ran so fast, even reaching B City, and even getting ahead of him here.

Meeting in the library was hardly a coincidence.

It seemed that it appeared only to prove his innocence in person for fear that Jian Xie would come to the same conclusion as Cheng Li.

“I have already informed Wen Heshu, who will report the intelligence to Minister Zhang, while Yu Jinghe will handle the deployment of additional personnel.” Cheng Li considered for a moment and said, “No matter what the mission is, as long as it’s S-rank or higher, you’re in absolute priority… So, I think we can go in now, what do you think?”

He was asking for Jian Xie’s opinion.

After all, a human who can interact with monsters and manipulate them at will couldn’t be a pushover.

And since the investigator capable of controlling the situation was probably no one else but the person in front of him, he didn’t see anything wrong with his attitude.

Jian Xie glanced at him, though.

“Let’s go.”

In the end, he said nothing and walked straight towards the residential building. “Which floor?” 

Cheng Li’s voice came from behind, “…Sixth floor.”

Braving the cold wind, the two figures quickly disappeared into the dark stairwell.

Jian Xie could smell a strange fishy, ​​rotten odor in the air. The garbage strewn everywhere was nauseating, and a layer of black, sticky slime clung to the steps.

The dim light made it impossible to make out Jian Xie’s expression, but the further they went with Cheng Li following behind him, the more his brow furrowed and the more wary his expression became.

He had encountered many monsters.

However, the scene before him seemed more serious than anything he had ever seen before.

Is what they’re looking for really just a human player?

The place looked alright from the outside, but as he went deeper, it gave him a dark, lair-like feeling.

【He’s been in contact with things he shouldn’t have for too long.】

Qin Zhuo scoffed, his icy breath brushing against Jian Xie’s ear, making it itch.【So, he’s destined to pay the price.】

In just two sentences, the evil god had already cruelly judged the other party’s fate.

“……”

Jian Xie didn’t speak, but a chill ran through him.

He knew what Qin Zhuo meant.

Before Cheng Li called, he tried to pick up the fourth dagger, [infinite Hell], which shared the same origin as Qin Zhuo’s, but it did not react at all.

This was different from the existing [Wandering Hell] scenario.

The fourth dagger seemed incomplete, as if missing something, which was why he couldn’t fully inherit the title of [Eighteen Evils].

In other words, the evil god did not belong entirely to him right now.

Some parts had been taken away.

If this was indeed the case, then the last problem would be easily solved.

This was probably the real reason why that player was able to bring out the [Wandering Hell] key.

He used some method to remove the item from the dagger, so Hell temporarily considered him as the “Eighteen Evils,” even though he was not actually qualified to use it.

The stalemate was ruthlessly broken only when Jian Xie appeared.

The evil god didn’t seem surprised that something had gone wrong with the fourth dagger.

He merely curled his lips slightly, then suddenly moved to grasp Jian Xie’s hand that hadn’t yet released the dagger.

At the same time, a cold body pressed close.

He spoke in his usual languid tone, lips brushing against Jian Xie’s cheek and breath reaching his Adam’s apple. His voice was barely a whisper, sending shivers down the other’s spine. 【Please, take me back, because I want to be yours.】

The voice carried a hint of laughter, making him sound extremely malicious.

Jian Xie: “…”

He seemed to be enjoying this rescue drama a little too much.

But Qin Zhuo was right.

He truly wanted It to be his, whether out of human nature or simply out of emotion, this was very important to him.

……

Jian Xie quickly arrived at the sixth floor.

He didn’t rush to knock on the door, but instead took a half step back, scrutinizing the door with his eyes.

The sticky black liquid that had coated the stairs left its final traces in the crack of this door; one could still see fresh pus oozing out in thin streams, emitting an unbearable stench. It wasn’t hard to imagine the nauseating scene that lay within.

“It stinks even worse than a toilet here,” Cheng Li said in a low voice, unable to bear the smell any longer. “It smells worse than fruit that has been rotting for a month.”

But that was precisely what made this situation so unusual.

After all, it was impossible for a normal person to live in a place with such poor hygiene conditions.

Jian Xie didn’t move.

Seeing this, Cheng Li offered his suggestion. “Let me knock on the door.”

If he remembered correctly, Jian Xie was quite particular about cleanliness, so it was better for him to do this.

However, just as he finished speaking, the door that had been tightly closed creaked open, revealing a crack about the thickness of a little finger.

Cheng Li felt a chill run down his spine, his hand already resting on the gun beneath his suit jacket.

However, the next moment, a groan came from inside the door, as if someone was in extreme pain.

“Help……”

The cries for help were faint, like those of an old man who had been thrown into a chamber, pleading for help from the person outside the door.

Cheng Li glanced nervously at Jian Xie.

“Do you think…” he turned his head and said, “Do you think the person inside the door is genuinely asking for help?”

Jian Xie replied, “I’m not sure.” 

He could indeed sense a dying soul in there.

However, given that Qin Zhuo had said that the player would pay a price, he was unsure whose death was about to occur.

But that was not very important.

After all, in the face of overwhelming power, schemes and tricks were the least of one’s concern.

Cheng Li wavered somewhat, “So, it’s also possible that the victim is actually asking for help.” 

His former profession made it impossible for him to ignore requests for help from others.

But Jian Xie didn’t respond to that, he just pushed open the door and went straight in.

Because of the other party’s decisive action, the latter was stunned for a moment before quickly following.

The room was dimly lit with the only light source being an overhead chandelier, half of which had fallen off, leaving everything before their eyes a blur of shadows.

The living room was strangely decorated, and the originally spacious area suddenly narrow into a passage leading to the kitchen. Stools were fixed firmly to the ground everywhere, making it look extremely eerie. The groaning figure was in the kitchen.

Half of his figure was visible, revealing him as an elderly man.

Cheng Li instinctively wanted to save the person and immediately rushed forward a few steps.

However, a force grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

Although the force wasn’t strong, Cheng Li felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being controlled. This instinct completely stopped him from moving.

He turned around and found Jian Xie with a blank expression.

“He—”

Cheng Li’s eyes widened.

He turned around abruptly, about to step back, but then Jian Xie had already grabbed his wrist and led him a few steps forward, bringing them to within half a meter of the old man.

They turned down the hallway.

Without nothing to block his view, Cheng Li watched as the old man’s body suddenly twitched, revealing a thick, long, red object wrapped around his waist, which yanked his body several meters back… Only then did he realize that the old man had no lower body at all.

This was a corpse, used to lure him closer.

Cheng Li was immediately startled.

At the same time, he could feel the already narrow corridors on both sides shrinking further. His shoes felt wet, and when he looked down, he found that a sticky liquid had somehow seeped into the room. The squeezing force was pushing him forward, trying to make him slide into the kitchen.

The area that was once the kitchen had turned into pitch-black void, like a deep well ready to swallow them whole.

“Be careful,” Cheng Li said immediately, feeling a little guilty. After all, he was the one with the most experience between them. “I should have thought it wouldn’t be that simple.”

He tried to reach out and steady himself, but the sticky liquid on the corridor walls not only made him feel psychologically disgusted, but also made it impossible to get a firm grip.

Seeing that he couldn’t hold on much longer and the ground had begun to shift, he couldn’t help but curse.

“What on earth is this place?”

It didn’t feel like a predation field because it was just too realistic.

Cheng Li looked up and found that the person he was worried about was standing in the same spot, unaffected by the strange scene, and instead had a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Don’t you think this place looks a lot like something?” Jian Xie asked. 

Upon hearing this, Cheng Li was taken aback, and his struggling movements unconsciously grew weaker.

…What kind of place does it resemble?

He subconsciously glanced around at his surroundings, which he had previously overlooked. The excessive and neatly arranged stools resembling a row of teeth, the long, bright red tongue wrapped around the old man’s upper body, and the still-slippery, disgusting sensation under his hands—

……

This place was almost like the inside of a human mouth.

Cheng Li suddenly felt a shiver run through his body, unsure whether it was from being repulsed by the association or simply from fear. “You mean…” 

Does he want to eat them?

“But how is that possible?” Cheng Li frowned deeply. “Unless… he’s no longer human!”