Artifact Report

Chapter 288 Jin Xueli - Missing Person Notice

2026年11月28日，10：31PM，天气晴。无信号。

The phone screen lit up, and white text floated into the darkness; the light quickly went out again, and darkness returned.

Kim Seol-ri pretended not to see the person's feet that were briefly illuminated by the light across the way.

...As long as you don't turn on the lights and pretend you can't see her, you won't run into her.

She took a deep breath, washed her face with cold water as usual, drank some coffee, and sat quietly on the ground for a while, waiting for the dizziness brought on by the alcohol and inhibitors to pass.

Her talent as a hunter was truly terrible... It wasn't until almost eleven o'clock that Jin Xueli finally stopped feeling acid reflux with the slightest movement.

The radio was still waiting for her in the same old spot.

The world, steeped in alcohol, swam in circles in her mind; Jin Xueli pressed the button twice before turning on the radio.

"Welcome to Nest 173 Radio. This is a recording of 'A Virtual Guide to Infinite Illusion'..."

The familiar, pleasant male voice remained as calm as ever.

No matter what changes or upheavals occur, the broadcast seems to be completely isolated from the "Nest Domination Game"; before and after this, it will continue to report on the changes in the nest without being affected at all.

"I am the host—"

A hissing sound from the electrical current blurred the words that followed.

Jin Xueli raised her hand and slightly adjusted the old-fashioned knob; by the time the electrical sound returned to a clear and stable tone, she had already missed the date and time announcement.

Although she came in this time to find raw materials for "brain hacking," it would be good to hear if any new artifacts were being developed; most importantly, she needed to know where the mutations had occurred and which areas she should avoid.

"...The renovation project on Wuming Street, which lasted for two weeks, has finally been completed today, marking the end of the renovation. I think many residents were hoping that Wuming Street would become a new trap of rules, right? But unfortunately, everyone will be disappointed."

Jin Xueli immediately perked up her ears.

Things that disappoint the residents are usually good news for the hunters, and this time was no exception.

"On the nameless street today, a new abandoned building has been erected, which looks like it has been abandoned for more than ten years."

Such illogical and absurd words could only be heard in the nest—their irrationality was strangely endearing.

"Besides hoping that the hunter will lose his footing and fall to his death in the ruins of the building, what else can we, as residents, do? According to our intelligence, there is a 'quality realization' mirror in a corner of the abandoned building. This mirror does not exist anywhere else."

Jin Xueli suspected that the alcohol was still affecting her, causing her to not understand what he was saying.

"Because this mirror can bring people in front of it some 'qualities' they didn't have before—such as beauty, height, hair color, straight teeth, etc., and can even eliminate nearsightedness and facial paralysis—you can imagine that Nameless Street will attract a lot of attention from hunters in the coming months. In other words, although the abandoned building is not a rule trap, it will become a good hunting ground."

The host paused for a moment and then said, "Of course, although the mirror exists inside the abandoned building, there is no mirror inside the abandoned building."

This cannot be called human language at all.

...Couldn't we just take a detour? Although she did wish her eyes could turn green.

"Next broadcast: Missing Person Notice."

Jin Xueli tapped the map lightly with her pen—the missing person notice shouldn't concern her; it seemed this was the first time she'd heard of it. Why hadn't the report on the changes in the lair area started yet?
"Please keep an eye out for a human woman over forty years old with dark, shoulder-length curly hair. She is of Caucasian descent, about five feet six inches tall, and weighs approximately 135 pounds. Call her 'Jacolin,' and she will turn around. She's used to it; after all, she's been called that for over forty years."

"When she fell into the nest today, she was wearing a loose pullover and yoga pants, and had no wallet or phone on her. She had blue eyes, thin lips, and was still wearing her wedding ring on her left hand. For some residents who are more sensitive to fertility issues, it should be obvious that Jacqueline has a son and a daughter."

"In short, everyone should know who this woman is. One of our listeners is looking for her. If any listener spots Jacqueline, please contact us immediately, and try to remain calm and not harm her. If you must harm her, please try to leave her body intact."

"This is so unlucky," Jin Xueli thought to herself.

Having suddenly fallen into a nest, the woman named Jacqueline probably still doesn't understand what's going on.

She probably never imagined that she was already on a missing person list, and that all the residents of the entire hive who heard the broadcast were starting to pay attention to her.

"The listener who posted the missing person notice said that they would reward the resident who finds Jacqueline handsomely." It's unfortunate to be noticed by a resident, but this matter has nothing to do with her.

Jin Xueli patiently listened to the broadcast and found that the host hardly mentioned any changes in the area of ​​the nest or construction information—this did not mean there were no changes; it only meant that she had to venture in blindly.

She sighed and locked the old radio back up.

The only clues we have about the "Brain Hacker" serum so far are a few words from Morandow.

"The Knight family's structure is rather unique among the hunter families."

The fact that he could temporarily stop thinking about the dead seemed to give Morando a brief sense of relief.

"In some ways, its internal structure is somewhat similar to that of the Kay family, so I'm not surprised that the two eventually reached a consensus... Oh, that's another story. The biggest difference between the Knight family and other hunter families is that it is truly a hunter family composed of family members."

It's unclear whether this pathway can truly be inherited through bloodlines, or if it's just a coincidence:
Starting with their grandparents who are still alive, the Knight family has three generations, almost all of whom are hunters.

"A dozen or so hunters who were related by blood naturally formed a core. Apart from marriage, it was impossible for outsiders to enter this core—hunters like us who joined the Knight family later were actually in a loose outer structure."

To give an analogy, it's somewhat like the relationship between a moat and a castle.

The Knights, a group of hunters, offered a fair price to hire outside hunters, forming a protective moat around their territory: missions, finding decoys, security and defense... When the Knights didn't need manpower, the outside hunters could act freely, unbound by the contract.

Of course, when the hunters from outside acted freely, they received no support or assistance from the Knight family.

The core of the Kai family consists of a group of hunters who are not related by blood but are bound together by loyalty. Outside the core, there is also a group of hunters who are far from the decision-making center; however, they are supported, protected and constrained by the core hunters of the Kai family, and their freedom is greatly reduced accordingly.

"That's why I chose the Knight family in the first place."

Morando said, "Back then, I didn't want to give up—I wanted to earn money on my own as soon as possible. Joining the Knights would guarantee a stable income and give me the freedom to hunt for illusions, which was perfect."

Outside hunters will receive missions from the Knight family; however, what the Knight hunters discovered in the lair, what illusions they tracked, and who they clashed with... all remain a mystery.

"The Knight family, spanning three generations, seems like a vertical, closed cylinder. Even though I've lived with the Knights for several years, I still don't know anything about their inner workings... They're very guarded and tight-lipped; I don't even know who's whose father or aunt."

But what does this have to do with the original solution?
Kim Seol-ri sometimes has to remind herself that she has far less patience than most people.

"Until one day, several hunters named Knight suddenly came to me and asked me about my whereabouts on certain days, the school I graduated from, and my relationship with Ches Monroe... It was only then that I belatedly realized that there was a conflict between the Knight family and the Kay family because of something."

Morando paused at this point.

"Among the hunters named Knight, there was a young man. He was human, there was no doubt about that. But during our conversation, I noticed that his eyes were gradually expanding... his entire eyeballs were stained olive green, and his pupils were black and round, even expanding behind his upper and lower eyelids."

She whispered, "The other Knight, probably his brother, immediately took him out the door without explaining a word to me."

Morando reached out and tapped Jin Xueli's phone screen.

"Thinking back on it... he took a sip of something when he first came in."

Morando couldn't be sure whether the person was drinking the same original liquid.

With only this ambiguous and unclear clue, Jin Xueli had to enter the lair and start searching for a needle in a haystack. Morando seemed to feel very sorry—he even apologized to her.

However, this little bit of information already far exceeded the clues that Jin Xueli originally had.

...Even if the original solution was discovered by the Knight family, where should she even begin to search for it?

The Knight family is known for its low-key and secretive nature, and there are virtually no rumors about them within the hunter community. In fact, the residents are probably more familiar with them than the hunters themselves…

Eh?
Jin Xueli was stunned.

Can...can we ask the residents?
Didn't someone just broadcast a missing person notice on the radio?

If she can also find a way to contact the radio station... then, could the host offer a reward for clues to find the original solution without revealing that she is human?
(End of this chapter)