Jian Xie never expected that It would give this kind of thing as a gift.
Although, this was indeed It’s usual dictatorial style.
Just as It often showed disdain for other things and did things without any regard for detail and in a rather unscrupulous manner, It would also not care about so-called human etiquette. That was why it was not that difficult to understand that It would give such a shocking gift.
[Do you like it?] It curled It’s lips.
Although it was a question, there was no tone of doubt in It’s voice, as if he was very sure that Jian Xie would give a positive answer.
Quite self-centered.
Jian Xie lowered his head expressionlessly and took another look at the so-called gift.
In the grooves of the black box in front of him, there were four oddly shaped daggers, fastened with leather buckles.
They did seem to conform to the shape of any daggers in history. The blades were warped and coarse, like lurking poisonous snakes. There were no traces of artificial forging. They looked like they were directly formed from the terrifying abyss, absorbing all the light that shone on them.
A dark golden light condensed on the blade, carrying a sinister and dangerous aura. It was evident that they had no intention of submitting to the master who was about to use them.
The four daggers were not of the same size. Although they were all pure black, almost blending into the box, it was actually not difficult to distinguish between the four. After all, apart from their strange shapes, their patterns and carvings were not exactly the same.
He squinted his eyes to see and was stunned when he saw it clearly. It actually illustrated a distorted curve of human beings suffering from the tortures of hell!
Jian Xie: “…………”
To be honest, this gift was a bit hot to the touch, but it was slightly better than giving someone a watch on their birthday.
[I just think they’re meant to be yours.]
It was completely unaware of Jian Xie’s speechlessness and seemed very satisfied with It’s choice. The black fog mimicry in the air was thicker than before, revealing a bit of ostentatious display, coupled with the strong gaze cast on him from the void which was impossible to ignore.
Although it felt unusually odd to put this description on It, Jian Xie still suspected that It was waiting for his praise.
“……”
“…They look expensive.” He asked cautiously after a while, “What are these?”
[Tsk.]
Apparently, the being who gave the gift was not happy with his cursory evaluation.
As soon as his voice fell, Jian Xie suddenly felt as if there was something behind him. Goosebumps suddenly appeared on the back of his neck because of vigilance.
The light in the living room dimmed, and a terrifying atmosphere came over him.
This was not an illusion, because the next moment, a cold body leaned over and approached him.
At the same time, the pair of hands that always attracted too much of his attention emerged from within the black energy, grabbed his wrist from behind, and forced him closer to the black box on the table.
[Take another look.]
Under It’s guidance, Jian Xie’s fingers brushed across the grooves on the black box one by one. His fingertips did not actually touch the blades, but were shrouded in a faint black mist, which completely eliminated the possibility of his fingers being cut and injured due to It’s sudden hold.
Jian Xie felt a weight on his shoulder. It’s chin rested on the curve of Jian Xie’s shoulder, and enumerated the things in front with a lazy voice.
[Eight cold hells, eight hot hells, wandering hell, and lonely hell.]
They add up to the eighteen levels of hell. Dividing hell into four categories was a method used in Buddhism, but It did not seem to be simply giving Jian Xie common knowledge, because every noun It spoke out casually was given after sliding directly above the corresponding dagger.
Using this intimate method, It was hinting at the names of the four daggers with the intention of making a deep impression on Jian Xie.
In other words, It was actually a disguised way of revealing the true value of this gift.
After all, judging from the names alone, they definitely possessed unimaginable power, and it was by no means something that could be simply understood as ordinary weapons.
Jian Xie, who had just subconsciously measured it with money: “…”
Understood. I was too superficial. I will know how to praise It next time.
For some reason, after pointing out the names of all the daggers in the black box, It still did not let go.
Jian Xie ignored the strange sensation of having his wrist grabbed and chose to examine the patterns on the dagger more attentively. Sure enough, he found the correspondence that It had just described.
The pattern of [Eight Cold Hells] was drawn with lines depicting humans with frostbite and no clothes, wailing with cracked lips due to the extreme cold; [Eight Hot Hells] depicted raging fires with no escape, and burnt and pungent bodies that have been roasted until they curled up; [Wandering Hell] has four small doors surrounded by thorns, leading to unknown abyss.
The last one was [Lonely Hell], which displayed empty mountains and valleys with no one in them, a sight of hopelessness and loneliness.
Jian Xie fell into deep thought.
These weapons…
It seemed to coincide with the information Cheng Li showed him.
Then there was no doubt that these were top-notch weapons for hunting monsters!
[Since the monsters come from the Eighteen Layers of Hell, they deserve to be punished.] It’s tone was nonchalant. It didn’t seem surprised by Jian Xie’s reaction. It curled It’s lips and said, [While investigators need weapons, all you need is a nice set of cutlery.]
It actually described a box of deadly daggers as cutlery.
What It said implicitly also made one point clear: What others have, It’s human must also have.
Although it may not be necessary since Jian Xie obviously didn’t need the help of props to hunt monsters and they could only serve as icing on the cake.
Almost instantly, Jian Xie thought of the gun that Cheng Li had shown him before which was equipped with special ammunition. Investigators would indeed be equipped with necessary weapons and props. The impressive bullet made from monster blood was only of B-level, meanwhile, the things given by “It” would definitely not be lower than A-level.
He took another look at the black box: “…”
In fact, judging from the gift-giver’s background, an A-level for the weapon was probably a bit low, but it should still be within It’s tolerance.
And these were not a kind of cutlery. Considering their names, they were clearly torture instruments used to execute criminals in hell.
He reckoned the monsters would want to commit suicide after seeing this, which would be considered a better option than being treated as a medium-rare steak by Jian Xie.
[I hope you can keep it well.]
Jian Xie nodded subtly, his eyes still fixed on the daggers.
After a while, the force that had been holding his wrist loosened and his shoulders lightened. It’s tone became one of interest. [You can try and see which you can pick up.]
Hearing this, Jian Xie started trying from the first dagger, and found that he could only lift the first one. The other three did not seem heavier than the first one and could even be said to be much lighter, but they remained motionless despite his several attempts.
He raised his head, turned slightly, and looked tentatively at the huge black fog behind him.
Almost immediately, It gave the answer as if not surprised by Jian Xie’s confusion.
[As I said, I’m waiting for you to become stronger. ]
Jian Xie understood what It meant.
His current strength has not reached the corresponding level, so he couldn’t use the other three daggers, which virtually served to measure Jian Xie’s current ability.
So, he turned around and picked up the first dagger again.
The previous contact time was too short, and Jian Xie just wanted to test whether he could lift it, but once he actually held it, he immediately felt something unusual. Biting cold spread from the handle and barely stopped at his fingertips, unable to spread any further.
It seemed as if there was a non-existent soul leaping between his palms and he could crush it to pieces or control it with just a bit of effort.
[You will need it.] It said.
Jian Xie put the dagger away, fastened the leather buckle back onto the dagger, and then closed the black box, blocking the conversation that was likely to continue.
Then, he picked up the phone left by Wu Qinghe. The moment he unlocked it, an interface for connecting to the wifi popped up on the phone.
When he saw the name clearly, his fingers stopped.
If there wasn’t only one wifi connection in the building, provided by a nice and socially anxious neighbor next door, Jian Xie would have thought he had found the wrong place, because the name had been changed into a strange string of vague phrases like something a drunk had uttered it, appearing completely illogical.
[I you in pain don’t be angry behind the door friend friend]
Jian Xie was stunned for a moment, frowned subconsciously, paused, clicked the connection and then entered the password.
The password was a string of numbers that looked like a date. It was written on a piece of paper by the shy and socially anxious neighbor who handed it to him with his head lowered.
He was confirming.
After a few seconds, a symbol appeared on the top part of the phone showing that the wifi connection was successful. This was indeed the neighbor’s hotspot.
…How strange.
Instead of continuing to connect to the wifi, Jian Xie cautiously disconnected it and used his phone’s built-in data to open the intranet of the Supernatural Management Bureau. He logged into Wu Qinghe’s account and attempted to take on the C-level investigation mission for the strange noises on subway line 6.
This post unexpectedly received many replies and was extremely popular, probably because this was a mission for Area 17 and the bigger the number, the safer the mission area.
In addition, the C-level investigation mission was estimated to be very simple, so for most investigators, this was a rare opportunity to make money.
Jian Xie scrolled through the comments and looked back at the main post. He found that the review hadn’t yet approved any investigator’s request.
…Whatever, let’s just go and rob it.
He thought very unfeelingly that after all it was first come first served, the process was not important at all, plus he couldn’t use Wu Qinghe’s identity to collect the overtime pay anyway.
As for money, Fu Huanyu still owed him 100 million.
Having already decided to take it by force, Jian Xie put down his phone and looked at the black box again, only to find that there was a carry strap on top of the box.
He thought that if he were to carry it and walk on the street, it would probably look like something straight out of The Matrix. Who would think that he would actually be going to a buffet, or even planning to dine and dash.
[……]
Retracting his gaze, Jian Xie said, “I’ll take them tomorrow.”
He was hoping that there would be something beyond Special A-level in the subway station. The suitcase was quite heavy… Also, can he pass the security check?
“Anyway, it’s time to go to bed now.”
He glanced at the screen of his mobile phone. The time was already at five in the morning. He feared that if he continued to investigate, his sudden death might make the headlines tomorrow. Maybe no one would find him because he lived alone. It would be tragic if his body started to stink.
Jian Xie was now convinced that the other party would not joke about these things. After all, on the one hand, he has nothing to lose except himself. On the other hand, Jian Xie suspected that there was nothing in this world that It couldn’t get directly.
After all, It acted so recklessly and without regard for the consequences. Jian Xie came to understand that It had the confidence to do so.
Moreover, since he would use them, there was no rush to figure out their functions.
——Tomorrow, he could practice on site.
Jian Xie always had a very good attitude.
Ever since he saw the first B-level monster, his nature has not changed. He was still as brave and adaptable.
“…Aren’t you sleepy?” Jian Xie raised his head and said weakly, “I’m very sleepy. I haven’t endured this long.”
As a roommate sharing a body, he announced that he was going to turn off the lights.
However, turning off the lights here referred to closing the eyelids. He personally believed that he still has the right to control his eyelids.
“I’m going to bed. Go to bed early, and rise early so you’ll feel better. “
It: [……]
This was the first time a human dared to manage It.
Moreover, It was told to go to bed early and rise early.
If it were someone else, It would not even give them the opportunity to speak to It on an equal footing, let alone interrupt It and make decisions for It without authorization. They would probably be crushed into pulp without hesitation before they could even think of doing so and disappear from this world completely.
After all, It has never been an easy person to talk to.
But in front of him was Jian Xie.
Not feeling that there was anything wrong with what he said and seeing that It did not raise any objections, Jian Xie assumed that the other party agreed. He took a shower first, then changed into pajamas. Within fifteen minutes, he had tidied himself up and collapsed on the bed successfully.
The nights had become longer and longer for him, and he felt more and more involved in staying up late.
…Who would have thought that he would stay up all night several times.
The moonlight outside has turned a bit dim, shining through the window without a curtain and onto Jian Xie’s face. Perhaps on a whim, before closing his eyes and falling asleep, he slightly raised his hand and made a shadow of a puppy with the help of the moonlight.
Just an occasional childish fun.
He looked carefully at the shadow cast on the wall, and then made a few pretend biting motions with his fingers. He personally felt that it was quite similar to the real thing.
Just as Jian Xie was about to withdraw his hand, the shadow that was originally the puppy’s head suddenly stood up the next second, like a real puppy and unlike a simple shadow made by overlapping palms. The shadow cast on the wall opened its mouth and mischievously bit his finger lightly then stretched out its tongue to lick his knuckles.
As his knuckles trembled subconsciously, the other side’s attack was clearly getting more and more intense.
The stunned Jian Xie: “…”
After a while, he slowly realized what had happened.
Almost immediately, Jian Xie put his hands back into the blanket, lay down properly, ignored the warmth on his cheeks, and pretended that he was asleep.
He was obviously a person who hated the hot and humid summer the most, but at this moment, he buried his whole body in the blanket, leaving only the red tips of his ears outside the sheets. Although he still maintained his usual expressionless face, it had become a little stiff amidst It’s chuckles.
How could he forget that his own shadow had now occasionally become It’s mobile venue and It could easily control it.
……
——From now on, absolutely do not play with shadows casually anymore.
