Artifact Report

Chapter 290 Kim Seol-ri's Idea

"kill?"

When Jin Xueli suddenly heard this condition, she involuntarily shrank back—at that moment, she subconsciously stepped back and stepped into a puddle on the ground, splashing up a few mud stains that are still on her pants.

She patted her pants hard a few times, but her mind wasn't on the mud.

Jin Xueli was not a professional killer; she never imagined that one day she would face the problem of killing for money—when the resident finished speaking, her first reaction was naturally no, impossible.

Dealing with stalkers is one thing, but killing an innocent person who has no grudge against you is quite another...

Besides, someone who's worth a hundred million to kill must be an important figure; she doesn't have that kind of ability.

Even though it wasn't a time to worry about this, the voices of the residents with money symbols once again reached her ears.

"You're wrong. She's not an important person, just an ordinary person. So she doesn't have such strong defenses. If it were a complete stranger, they could easily assassinate her without much difficulty."

As it squinted and smiled, the eerie green dollar sign in its eyeballs was flattened.

"I've said it before, money is like trash in the lair. That person's existence is just annoying, but she's going to die sooner or later... Hey, thinking about it that way, aren't you the same?"
"In short, we've already made arrangements. Whether you kill her or not, she's destined to die. I just want to use this pile of useless, space-consuming garbage to exchange for her dying sooner... even if it's just a month earlier."

With a thud, the trash can lid slammed shut; it felt like a sigh of disappointment from the heart.

The stacks of cash that had been piled high and full were now hidden from view, but it seemed as if they had already burned marks on her retina; she blinked several times, and there were still countless phantom images of banknotes, like stars floating up after rubbing her eyes too hard, swirling and scattering in the night.

I don't actually need you at all.

"I only approached you because I like people who like money. Do you think you're the only one who loves money? Whether you're willing to take 106.6 million or not, who cares?"

As it spoke, it grabbed the edge of the trash can and pulled it back to block itself.

"and many more,"

Jin Xueli cried out, suddenly panicking. However, all she could manage to utter was, "Wait, wait a minute..."

Silence reigned behind the trash can.

Go, go?
She stared at the shadow behind the trash can, trying to discern the shadow from the shadow itself; her breath caught in her throat, her face alternated between cool and hot—a hundred million in cash was like a raging fire, burning her to the point of madness.

"Hey!" she couldn't help but call out.

"…What are you doing?"

Jin Xueli was startled. "You haven't left yet?"

Before the other person could answer, she hurriedly said, "Anyway, I have to meet the first condition first, right? As for the murder... it's not too late to consider it after the first condition is met, is it?"

There was no sound from behind the trash can.

"But I need to know one thing...would you offer this deal to someone else? With the same terms?"

A few minutes later, just when Jin Xueli thought it was really gone, the resident suddenly smiled and said, "Of course."

Her heart sank.

"After you leave, I will continue to look for the next money-loving person. Whoever meets my conditions first can take this huge pile of garbage."

"But--"

Jin Xueli had just started speaking when she suddenly heard the rustling sound of papers being flipped through rapidly; she was startled and stood in the dimly lit alley for a few seconds.

When she mustered her courage and gently pried open the trash can lid with a hammer, she found it was empty.

...Maybe that person will die on their own then?
Kim Seol-ri knew this idea was a bit naive and ridiculous—but didn't the residents say so too?

They hated that person, so they had already made arrangements; if that person was going to be killed by external forces sooner or later, perhaps she could... find a way to hitch a ride.

If the person dies in the lair, it might be hard to fool the residents, but if the person is in danger in Blackmore City... there should be an opportunity, right?

Jin Xueli's mind was still mostly on that pale green banknote; she even couldn't help but fantasize about how to bring the money back to Blackmore City after she got it, and how to make it legal once she got it back.

Even if that resident looks for someone else, she still has an advantage—the first condition of "net worth nine million".

Even hunters who frequently travel to and from the lair rarely manage to reach the threshold of nine million.

To achieve this condition, she only needs one more source of the original solution.

Only the residents knew about the original solution...

However, after walking for nearly thirty minutes, encountering several close calls and near misses, Kim Seol-ri still hadn't seen a public phone booth.

The deep purple, snow white, and sapphire blue neon lights spun and swelled in circles under the night sky, as if injecting a heartbeat that was sometimes fast and sometimes slow into the streets that resembled the city of Blackmores; if you stood still and stared at them for too long, even your brain would start to slip.

Jin Xueli squeezed her eyes shut. Even if she found a public phone, she might not be able to find the contact information for the "Virtual Guide to Infinite Environments"...

But what other options did she have?
She slowly turned around, her gaze sweeping over her surroundings.

Actually, it's not hard to find a phone number.

In the distance, amidst the cluster of skyscrapers standing against the blue-purple night sky, are all company offices; typically, commercial building offices have telephones, because when a nest gives birth to a building, the internal equipment is often produced along with it.

However, the reason why Kim Seol-ri didn't go into the office right away was for a reason that every hunter knows: theoretically speaking, the more something falls under the category of public basic services, the safer it is; the more private and not open to the public, the more dangerous it is.

In the private sphere, the larger the number of people who can gather, the more dangerous it becomes.

In other words, parks are safer than residential buildings, and residential buildings are safer than office buildings.

Since becoming a hunter, Jin Xueli has never entered a commercial building—money is good, but you have to be alive to spend it; besides, office buildings also vary in size. Can a ten-story building and the skyscraper in front of her be considered to be at the same level of risk?

Another place where you might hear a phone call is a restaurant, cafe, or other establishment that might accept takeout orders.

Let's start with restaurants and eateries.

However, fate seemed determined to deny her this stroke of luck: even stepping into a restaurant was a considerable risk. Jin Xueli tentatively explored and observed, choosing three or four restaurants that seemed relatively safe, only to be disappointed one after another, leaving her empty-handed.

“These days you all order food through apps or websites, nobody calls anymore.”

In one of the restaurants, a resident waiter who claimed to be harmless to humans, with half of his left eye sunken into his right eye, kindly explained to her, "Although we don't live like humans, don't underestimate our nests; we also keep up with the times."

The fifth small restaurant not only had a telephone, but it was also hung directly on the wall.

Jin Xueli was both surprised and delighted. She didn't even notice the few "people" eating in the restaurant and grabbed the microphone off the wall.

"Use it as you like," the shop owner said softly from the kitchen.

The thin strands of white wire, like countless spider webs woven together, were pulled apart between the microphone and the telephone; the moist sound was like flesh slowly splitting open, with blood and fat flowing out.

Jin Xueli was taken aback and subconsciously glanced at the microphone in her hand.

It must be from the earpiece that countless tiny, white, bud-like things are protruding.

With a soft "pop," a few white strands were pulled out from the other end of the device, twisted around the microphone, and touched her hand.

"It's a nerve," the words flashed through her mind—the next second, a flood of noise, like snow or static on a television screen, poured in like water being released from a dam.

Come quickly, let's connect. We can experience each other's emotions and the world together, sharing joy and sorrow. Absolute understanding, absolute understanding, absolute understanding—that is true companionship and love.

Jin Xueli suddenly flung her hand away, and several white nerves, like fingernails, scratched at the back of her hand, but ultimately failed to catch her and slid down.

Startled, she immediately turned and ran; out of the corner of her eye, she vaguely saw a diner suddenly turn his head toward her—his lower face was covered with white nerves that looked like tentacles, twisting and turning.

This is so annoying...

Their own cell phones were unusable, so they had to find a phone from the resident's home network, but the residents didn't have cell phones.

Look, here's another reason why they absolutely cannot become residents—they don't even have cell phones; how can they live without cell phones?

Jin Xueli touched the phone in her pocket, but decided against trying it.

After all, she had to pretend to be a resident of the nest and call a radio program—she hadn't fully figured out the specifics of the operation yet, but one thing was certain: if she used a human cell phone to make the call, even if it went through, she would probably be exposed.

Surely this trip wasn't a waste of time?

I really want to shout like the residents, "Original liquid original liquid original liquid original liquid original liquid!"—even if I can't shout it out, at least it would make me feel better.

She let out a soft groan, walked around the scaffolding on the road ahead, and stepped onto the edge of the road, scanning her surroundings in circles.

Today's situation wasn't too bad; I didn't attract any residents to follow me, but that doesn't mean...

and many more.

Jin Xueli stopped in her tracks.

She stood on the side of the road, thought for a few seconds, turned around, and raised her head.

The office building undergoing exterior renovations looks like it's wearing a long mask in the night; through the dark windows, one can see glimpses of the outside world.

……scaffold?

It seems... it seems like we can make use of it?

Her heart pounded as an idea came to her.

(End of this chapter)