Chapter 42: Chapter 41: Courting Death Again?
After checking out of the hotel, the family headed straight for their new home.
They also picked up some groceries on the way. Supernatural incidents usually occurred at night, and with dusk fast approaching, there was no need to go out to eat.
They would just make a simple, home-cooked meal to celebrate moving in.
He Xiaotian, meanwhile, was carrying two large boxes. He had no choice; the two Big Hammers were too conspicuous.
If he didn’t keep them in the boxes, how could he possibly explain them to any ordinary person he might run into?
After the family cooked and ate a home-cooked meal, they each went to their rooms to rest.
He Xiaotian also returned to the one-bedroom apartment across the hall, but he didn’t go to sleep.
Instead, he lay on his bed, thinking about how to get more Experience Points.
Without a doubt, Experience Points were the very foundation of his survival.
Only by becoming stronger could he hope to survive in this world teeming with demons and monsters.
Joining a government agency was one possible path.
If nothing else, their intelligence network would be second to none.
Unfortunately, He Xiaotian rejected the idea almost immediately.
He just wanted to lie low in a corner and level up safely, not get dragged into a bunch of trouble.
He could just imagine that an agency full of people with special abilities would be anything but peaceful.
’Besides, as a "newbie," wouldn’t I just get played for a fool by those crafty veterans?’
’What if I get into a conflict with someone and offend a superior? What would I do if they tried to make my life difficult during a mission? That wouldn’t even be the worst part. The real fear is them stabbing me in the back—the kind of backstabbing that could get me killed.’
’Don’t think it’s impossible. Workplace politics never go away.’
’Even among superhumans.’
’And there are always plenty of people willing to sacrifice the greater good for their own selfish desires.’
’If I really ran into a situation like that, what would I do?’
’Swing my 300-plus-pound Big Hammers and crush them all one by one?’
’Get real.’
’If I actually did that, I’d probably end up on a wanted list.’
’Going solo is the only option.’
’Huh?’
’Find a few like-minded people with special abilities?’
’That’s a surefire way to get myself killed.’
’People with special abilities are already monitored by the authorities to prevent them from causing trouble or committing crimes.’
’And at a time like this, I’m supposed to form a small group?’
’For what?!’
’To form a Brotherhood of Mutants? Or a Hellfire Club? Or are you planning to build an organization like Hydra?’
’As long as you keep your head down and live a quiet life, the country will leave you alone.’
’But if you dare to form a group, you’ll have people kicking down your door before sunrise.’
’Then they’ll beat the crap out of you, give you some ’legal education,’ and finally ’recruit’ you.’
’Not willing?’
’Fine. Then I’ll charge you under Article 300 of the Criminal Code for organizing and using secret societies and cults to undermine national laws and administrative regulations. You’ll be sentenced to three to seven years in prison. And since your case is particularly serious, we’ll make that seven years or more.’
’So, besides being ’recruited,’ what other choice is there?’
He Xiaotian sighed, took out his phone, and opened up an online forum, planning to see if any strange incidents had occurred locally.
The result: a whole string of 404 errors.
[Room 302 in Tuanjie Community on Haining Road has become a haunted house, claiming 3 lives in one month. Finally, no one dares to take the challenge. The bounty for success is now rumored to be ten million yuan.]
He clicked on it. "Sorry, the post you are viewing has been launched to Mars."
Then, a 404 error page appeared.
[Midnight Attacker Targeting Women in Red! Who is responsible? Why is every victim found completely drained of blood? Police offering a 500,000 yuan reward for a single clue.]
He clicked. "Sorry, the post you are viewing has been launched to Mars."
[Third-Tier Star Zheng Qi Missing for Ten Days. His Final Variety Show, "Real Man," Becomes a Hit Before Airing.]
’Nothing special there.’ He didn’t bother clicking on it.
He had no interest in celebrities.
[Dragon Roars Heard from the Pujiang River! People claim to see a giant shadow at the river bottom at night. True or false? Street rumors say the Dragon King is angry. Seventeen more people perished in the river today.]
And again, launched to Mars.
A big 404 silently mocked He Xiaotian.
’You wanna see?’
’No way!’
’Tomorrow, I’ll head to the Medical University first to see what’s going on. After that, I’ll ask around about that ten million yuan bounty.’
With that thought, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Even though he was a martial artist who had reached an outstanding level of mastery, the day’s events had left his spirit somewhat weary.
The night passed without incident.
「The next day.」
He Xiaotian’s father and his uncle took the car to get it registered, since it was from out of town.
Without the local registration, they would be subject to driving restrictions.
Thankfully, the car wasn’t registered in his name. Otherwise, he could forget about visiting the Medical University; he’d be stuck going with them to handle the paperwork.
Having attended university in the city for two years, he was fairly familiar with the area.
He took a bus to the Medical University.
He swiped open his new phone and tapped on a familiar fat penguin icon.
He decisively searched for groups with the following criteria: Scope: Local. Keyword: Supernatural.
He hit search.
Results: 0.
’So they’re even censoring keywords on messaging apps now?’ he thought.
Then, an idea struck him. He typed in "Modern Stories."
A long list of chat groups immediately filled the screen.
He clicked on the first one without hesitation.
It had the highest activity level, and its member count was 1999/2000.
Just one spot left. He Xiaotian couldn’t stop his finger from tapping it.
For the verification prompt, he simply typed the word "Supernatural."
The group owner approved his request almost the instant he sent it.
DING! DING! DING!
Seeing the "99+ unread messages" notification, He Xiaotian grinned. ’This group is a little too active, huh?’
[Real Men Don’t Look at Explosions]: "Room 302 in Tuanjie Community on Haining Road. The challenge bounty is up to ten million yuan. Any heroes in the group want to try and claim it?"
The moment he joined, he saw they were already discussing the bounty.
[Real Women Fight Me Face-to-Face]: "You crafty old bastard, you’re up to no good. Three people in a row who didn’t believe in ghosts went in. And the result? They’re all gone. The police haven’t even found their bodies yet. [eat_shit.jpg]"
[Call Me Daddy]: "Is the ten million for real?"
[Real Women Fight Me Face-to-Face]: "Bro, that name is asking for a beating."
[Real Men Don’t Look at Explosions]: "@Call Me Daddy, PM me."
A private message window popped up, and three messages immediately bombarded He Xiaotian.
[Real Men Don’t Look at Explosions]: "The ten million is for real. A few rich kids started it as a bet. The prize wasn’t that high at first, but after a few people went missing, the pot just kept getting bigger."
[Real Men Don’t Look at Explosions]: "The whole thing would’ve been called off if just one of them had backed out. But they’re all too proud to lose face, so they’re sticking with it. If it weren’t for their influential families, the victims’ relatives would have beaten them to death by now."
[Real Men Don’t Look at Explosions]: "I can put you in touch, but if something happens to you, it has nothing to do with me."
[Call Me Daddy]: "[confused_emoji] Why are you so eager?"
[Real Men Don’t Look at Explosions]: "If you succeed, I get a one-million-yuan referral fee."
’So that’s how it is,’ He Xiaotian thought. ’No one does anything for free.’
[Call Me Daddy]: "Go ahead and set it up. After I succeed, I want five hundred thousand of your cut."
[Real Men Don’t Look at Explosions]: "?! Bro, are you sure? This is no joke. If you can really survive one night in there, what’s 500,000 to me?"
He Xiaotian closed the private chat and shoved the phone into his pocket.
’Ten million yuan. Where else am I going to find a deal this good?’
’The Pig Grudge and that black shadow... didn’t they both fall to my Big Hammers in the end?’
He refused to believe that he would be taken down by some so-called haunted house.
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