“I know everything.” Qiang Toucao hinted. “I installed the air conditioner and wifi for you.”
In just one sentence, its arrogant nature was fully revealed.
At this moment, he couldn’t pronounce his words clearly. Tonight might be the fastest time his brain was working.
After saying that, Qiang Toucao took another step outside the door as if afraid that Jian Xie would go back on his word. Even though the other party was extremely delicious in its eyes, and it was even so greedy that it could hardly maintain its human disguise, it still swallowed its saliva silently and did not dare act rashly.
After a few seconds of buffering, Qiang Toucao cautiously looked at his face, being very observant of his words and expressions.
When it found that Jian Xie had no intention of pursuing the matter, it immediately tactfully slipped away along the corner of the wall.
Of course, before leaving, it remembered to close the door thoughtfully, and managed to make the old door not make any sound. It was a mystery how it did it.
Jian Xie: “…”
The desire to survive is really strong.
He didn’t bother to argue with it, he just lowered his head, picked up the phone on the table, and pressed the power button.
Jian Xie released his hand and the screen suddenly lit up. He estimated that he would have to wait for a while before it could boot up. During these few seconds, he recalled what had just happened and was subconsciously distracted.
A Special A-class monster, or a guy named Wu Qinghe who looked very familiar. Its action of covering its face with its palms made it even more conspicuous and made people want to investigate.
But where has he seen him before?
[…Phone.] After a while, It gave a hint.
Jian Xie suddenly: “…”
Oh, he remembered.
He was the boss who insisted on dragging him into the lottery in the mall, and would cry in front of him if he didn’t want to.
This behavior attracted many passers-by to watch. No wonder it covered its face. It was probably because it was afraid that Jian Xie would recall its dark history and come after it for its social demise.
……
To be honest, it should not be called Qiang Toucao1墙头草: lit. grass atop a wall, meaning fence-sitter/somebody who goes whichever the wind goes, it would be more appropriate to call it Guo Tuizi2狗腿子: lit. dog’s leg, meaning lackey/henchman/somebody who follows the villain.
He originally thought that he had a sudden burst of good luck, he didn’t expect it was due to external factors… He just didn’t know how it became the boss of a shopping mall store. Could it be that the Special A-level monster has already penetrated into people’s hearts to the point where it could start its own business?
Jian Xie didn’t think his train of thought was strange at all. On the other hand, It paused, then laughed softly beside his ear.
“…It was just a little unexpected.” Jian Xie defended himself.
It lazily raised It’s eyebrows and said, [Of course, I believe you.]
“……”
Why did it feel even weirder?
The moment he finished speaking, the phone in his hand vibrated, reminding him that it was now turned on.
Jian Xie lowered his head and took a glance.
The phone screen was clean, with only the built-in browser installed. He clicked on it with his finger, and the website set as the default page immediately popped up.
Jian Xie entered Wu Qinghe’s ID and password. The loading circle turned for a few seconds and soon showed the full view of the intranet. He could see that the website was divided into two major sections and at the bottom was the personal account, with a chubby panda as the avatar.
Wu Qinghe actually belonged to the Weapons Department and was a B-level investigator.
It seemed that it was quite good at pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, but unfortunately it met It and Jian Xie, the two symbiotic fiends.
He paused, observed a minute of silence, then took a glass of water, pulled out a chair at the living room table, sat down, and clicked on the mission allocation.
Almost as soon as the webpage appeared, Jian Xie was dazzled by the content that popped up and frowned subconsciously.
There was just too much content and it was too complex.
[B/08 – Crawling corpses in the sewers, already rotten and deformed, time limit 30h]
[C→B/13 – Headless boy, initial separation, safe period within 90 hours]
[C/17 – Strange noises in subway line 6, no symptoms, safety pending]
……
…It instantly reminded him of all the horror novels he had read.
Although they were just some keywords in the title that were clear and concise as well as very businesslike, they were enough to make people think of some bad things.
Even though it was his first time entering the intranet, Jian Xie could roughly guess the meaning based on the format.
For example, the first mission released [Crawling corpses in the sewers], B should refer to the preliminary classification of this mission, 08 refers to the eighth zone, followed by the current symptoms of the monster, and finally the controllable time observed by the “Eye”. If the safe period has passed, the mission would likely become extremely difficult.
Jian Xie slid through the interface and found that most of the tasks were at level B, with only a few at level A.
It was as expected because A-level investigators were relatively rare.
As for C, they were mostly ordinary exploration tasks, followed by a question mark. It was probably because it was just a simple detection of energy fluctuations but has not been confirmed. It required brave investigators to gamble on their own, which was equivalent to opening a blind box.
That was a question of probability.
Those who can become investigators have all experienced near-death situations and returned from the brink of death, so it was understandable that they could do such crazy things.
If a C-level reconnaissance mission actually turned out to be an A, then they could only blame themselves for bad luck, but if it was just a misjudgment, then they could still get the high salary and overtime pay.
For example, the second task he saw was suddenly upgraded from C to B. It was probably because some unfortunate investigator had opened the death package.
Jian Xie flipped through a few pages while ignoring those sensational keywords. He frowned and said slowly, “…The highest level is only A.”
Those investigators who live on the edge of a knife would probably vomit blood if they heard him say “only A”.
After all, A-level monsters were not cabbages that were everywhere on the street.
But it wasn’t that he intended to be so arrogant, it was just that this level was indeed not enough for Jian Xie right now.
It was just like an appetizer.
If Jian Xie touched an unsuspecting Special A-level monster, all its strength would be drained in an instant. A B-level monster probably couldn’t even get close to ten meters from his body. These were all facts.
He knew that It was listening, and he could also feel a vague eerie aura hovering over his right shoulder as if completely enveloping his body as he sat on the chair. That was why his voice was close to a whisper, unconsciously revealing an intimacy that belonged only to them.
This made It feel quite satisfied.
The black fog lifted up Jian Xie’s hair that had fallen in front of his eyes, blocking his vision, and tucked it behind his ear which revealed his own neat human profile.
From this angle, It could clearly see Jian Xie’s collarbone and neck, while the other was completely unaware of anything.
[Just take C.] It curled It’s lips and said as the black mist caressed his jaw, [Exploration mission.]
Jian Xie: “…………”
Oh man, it’s time to open the blind box.
Not only do his food tastes have to be demolished, but now he even has to rely on a lottery to find food.
“Why?” He asked.
[Let it answer.]
As soon as he finished speaking, the air in front of Jian Xie’s eyes twisted for a moment, and suddenly a crack appeared, as if a giant peeping eye had opened in the void. Although it was small, it leaked an extremely gloomy aura, like it came from another strange time and space.
The giant eye blinked, and a familiar doll figure fell out.
——It was the little bear doll that Jian Xie had let off before and put into the black fog.
It obviously disdained to explain the laws governing the monsters in this world and simply threw out this ready-made Special A-class monster to act as an artificial NPC to answer questions.
The little bear doll, who was thrown to the ground and rolled three times before stopping: “…”
Seeing Jian Xie appear in front of it, the small button eyes immediately revealed a variety of complex emotions such as fear, terror, and endurance of humiliation.
Finally, it managed an exaggerated service industry smile. Its cotton cheeks twitched, and it looked more attentive than a Haidilao waiter3It trended last 2023 because of the dance of waiters that was on the menu. According to CNN report: “The company will also provide corresponding incentives for employees who can gain customer recognition,” Haidilao said, though it stopped short of responding to online criticism..
It: “What do you want to know?”
Suddenly, Jian Xie was fed a mouthful of glutinous rice juice by the huge fear emanating from it, causing him to be a bit: “…”
He just ate a bunch of monsters when he got back to the community, and now he’s eating again. Isn’t that bad?
However, he did not feel full. It seemed that low-level monsters really had no effect on him. It would be most useful to start with special-level monsters.
“You seem to know investigators well?” Jian Xie paused, “Then you must know their mission level classification.”
The little bear doll twisted. “Yes.”
“So, are C-level exploration missions special?”
Hearing this, it subconsciously wanted to let out a gloating snigger, but as soon as it assumed the expression, it realized who was in front of it and immediately restrained itself.
Jian Xie observed its series of actions and realized that there was indeed something unusual.
“Explain.” His voice unconsciously took on a hint of coldness.
“Because,” Facing Jian Xie, who had changed its face in a second and was infinitely close to the state he had been in when it was drained, the special A-level monster couldn’t help but feel cautious and changed his tone to a docile one, “it is very likely that a Special A-level monster will appear. It is really very easy for us to conceal our presence.”
The investigator that would be sent there has no idea what kind of malicious eyes would be watching him in the darkness.
Furthermore, there were differences among Special A-level monsters.
“The Investigation Department’s classification is really too arbitrary.”
Even if it was classified according to the formula book, it seemed a bit outdated.
After all, since the monsters were connected with the real world now, many unprecedented changes have taken place. Monsters at all levels were no longer restricted by space and could devour each other infinitely, resulting in a watershed in the strength gradient within the Special A-level.
It was just that based on the constraints of the rules of the game, Special A-level and Special A-level of the same level couldn’t devour each other, otherwise the little bear doll would not have been so arrogant.
After all, there was a difference between manipulating people’s hearts and being strong.
Just as mentioned before, a Special A-level’s strength was not necessarily higher than an A-level monster. Monsters were mainly divided into levels according to their IQ levels.
However, some Special A-level creatures have reached the special level in terms of both intelligence and strength, so even monsters must be cautious of them. In the seemingly ordinary C-level exploration missions, it was often easiest to encounter these creatures.
“In a C-level exploration mission, you may encounter something you never expected.”
However, just as the little bear was slowly imagining maliciously, it heard Jian Xie’s thoughtful voice, “…I wonder what it tastes like?”
He didn’t sound the least bit shocked and even seemed a little pleased.
It, immediately: “…………”
Help, this is too crazy!
The skinny high school student in front of it was even more cruel and terrifying than those Special A-level monster. After all, they don’t eat people casually, okay…?!
“Alright,” Jian Xie said calmly, “you’re useless.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the black fog floated over from behind, and the giant eye opened again in the air. The little bear doll showed a look of horror, and immediately wanted to struggle with all its might, but was instantly submerged in the pervasive black quagmire until it completely disappeared from sight.
[It’s quite interesting.] It said full of interest, [I like uncertainty.]
It was the standard hedonistic and pleasure-seeking evil god.
If Jian Xie wanted to master the ability of indiscriminately sucking the energy out of monsters before the autumn recruitment, then he really needed to replenish his body with energy in advance.
Thinking of this, his eyes subconsciously fell on the third mission.
Strange noises in subway line 6.
That was exactly the route he had planned to take tomorrow to go to the Central Hospital with the class officers to visit his English teacher who had fallen down the stairs.
………
[I have a gift for you.]
As if it knew that Jian Xie had made a decision, the thick black fog slowly dissipated. A seemingly real black smoke gradually filled the table facing Jian Xie.
It was as soft as a veil being blown by the wind. It floated past Jian Xie’s sight unhindered, leaving a mysterious pure black suitcase out of thin air in its place.
Jian Xie narrowed his eyes. After a while, he reached out and unfastened the buckles on the sides, revealing the entire contents of the box.
The moment he saw what it was, he froze in place.
…That was definitely not a gift.
Rather, those were lethal weapons.
The author has something to say:
The same black fog—
To monsters: Throw away, throw away
To wife: Careful, gentle
The old double standard is weird.jpg
