Artifact Report

Chapter 343 Mak Ming Ho: Today, We Must Also Be Responsible for Public Safety
Ivan watched TV all night.

The bedroom was still filled with the smells of old age and medicine; under the pillow was the gun Ai Meili had given her. Mai Minghe lay in bed, watching the dim light flickering through the crack in the door, listening to the fluctuating volume of the people on the television.

"...The new store is officially open! Opening specials, this week's specials, and thousands of new products..."

"You lied to me. You clearly said you wouldn't do that..."

"...Sheriff, we've found a new lead..."

"...criticism and questioning regarding the suppression of protests reached a peak..."

The television volume wasn't high; when Evan occasionally mumbled along with the lines from the TV program, repeating the exercises, his voice went even lower. It took Mai Minghe several breathless listens before he finally realized what Evan was doing.

She didn't know what time it was before she finally drifted off to sleep.

She slept very restlessly that night, her dreams fragmented and overlapping. She dreamt that the newly installed lock on her bedroom door had been broken, and the door had been pushed open. Ivan stood in the doorway, but didn't come in—he just stood there, watching her, practicing chewing.

In his dream, as he practiced, he seemed to forget the chewing steps; his mouth remained open, like a black hole carved into his face.

Ivan forgot to shut his mouth, but he kept looking at Ma Ming River.

She knew she was dreaming, but she couldn't wake up until the morning light came out of the window, at which point she finally managed to open her eyes; her head was still foggy, as if she hadn't slept at all—but the bedroom door was still closed, and only Mai Minghe was in the room.

December 3rd, 6:25 AM. So early, no wonder you feel unwell.

Mai Minghe listened intently.

It was quiet outside. The TV was off. Perhaps Evan needed to sleep too?

She tucked the gun into the waistband of her pajama bottoms, slowly stood up, and walked to the door as quietly as possible, opening it a crack.

The living room sofa was empty; no one was there.

Huh?
Did she go to the bathroom? Or to the kitchen? Or maybe she went out?

She couldn't let him wander around—not because Evan was seriously injured, but because she was thinking of the citizens of Blackmore City.

Mai Minghe opened the door, took a few steps into the living room, and scanned the apartment with her eyes and body—at the end of this scan, a man stood motionless at the door of the storage room, his back to her.

She finally couldn't help but scream in surprise, stumbling back a few steps: "What are you doing?"

Ivan stood very close to the door, his face almost touching it.

Upon hearing Mak Ming-ho's question, he seemed to finally realize that someone was beside him. He slowly twisted his upper body from his pelvis and turned to look at Mak Ming-ho.

"Did I scare you?" His speech was much clearer than yesterday. "I'm sorry, I saw a room here..."

And then what? If you see a room, will you just stand there blankly at the door, staring at the door without moving?

"How long have you been standing here?" Mak Ming-ho asked.

“Not long,” Evan replied, “I was only distracted for half a minute when you came out.”

Lost in thought for half a minute... Mai Minghe recalled the process of getting out of bed and opening the door just now, which indeed took no more than half a minute, so he couldn't say for sure that he was lying.

Huh? Wait a minute.

Mai Minghe knew that Yiwen's gaze had been fixed on her, but at that moment, she couldn't control herself and couldn't help but look back at the bedroom door.

...When she got out of bed and opened the door, she missed a crucial step.

The door lock was installed yesterday. Mai Minghe used to live alone and had never locked her bedroom door before last night, so she only realized at this moment that she hadn't unlocked the door and had just opened it.

What happened? That dream—

Mai Minghe strode over and quickly checked the door lock; but the lock was fine and there were no signs of damage.

...Could it be that she thought she locked it, but actually forgot?

"What's this room for?" Evan asked abruptly, drawing her attention.

"Huh?" Mai Minghe didn't react for a moment. "I just put some odds and ends there..."

“What a strong smell,” Evan said, turning his head back to the door.

How can you be so rude? Is it as bad as the smell on you?
Mai Minghe managed to utter a single sentence, offering a reluctant explanation: "Perhaps there are too many old things..."

She stopped before she could finish speaking. Yes, she hadn't misheard—not long after she stopped, Evan took another deep breath against the door, as if trying to inhale every last drop of the smell emanating from the storage room into his lungs and blood.

With a hint of reluctance, he exhaled slowly.

"Old stuff?" Ivan put a hand on the doorknob, as if wanting to open the door, but didn't turn it. "How old? How much?"

“Some of them have been piled up for decades…” Mai Minghe didn’t understand for a moment why he cared about the storage room. “There’s nothing valuable there, it’s messy and cluttered, and I rarely go in.”

He wouldn't be trying to go in, would he?
The room was indeed empty except for some worthless junk, but his inhalation just now made people feel uneasy.

Should we change the subject and distract him?
Before Mai Minghe could figure out what to say, Yiwen abruptly turned back.

He seemed to suddenly lose interest in the storage room; as he approached, his face glided horizontally toward her as if he were walking on a slide, finally passing her and returning to sit down on the sofa.

I'm still sitting in the same spot as last night, my upper body straight, facing the TV.

"Don't you want to go in and take a look?" Mai Minghe asked tentatively.

“No need,” Evan said.

From the moment he saw him this morning, Mak Ming Ho had already made a decision in secret.

“You should rest at home for a while,” she said before walking back to her bedroom. “I suddenly remembered that I have to go out today.”

Ivan didn't turn his head, his eyes flicking towards the corner of his eye. "Where to?"

“I have something to take care of,” Mai Minghe said vaguely.

"still coming back?"

This question is infuriating.

“It’s my own home, why wouldn’t I come back? If I don’t come back, I have nowhere else to go.” She thought for a moment and then instructed, “Don’t go out. I only have one key. If you go out, you won’t be able to come back.”

She still had a spare key, but she didn't need to let Evan know. She could just take it with her when she left the house—keeping him at home was the best course of action, and preventing him from going out was her responsibility to the public safety of Blackmore City.

Although Evan is just behaving strangely, he hasn't shown any danger yet.

Of course, you still need to lock the door after you leave; but again, you don't need to tell Evan this directly.

After changing her clothes and slinging her bag over her shoulder, Mai Minghe hesitated before leaving, then quietly slipped her pistol into her backpack. She didn't have a gun license, and getting caught would be disastrous; but as a hunter, she now knew that the world was full of things far more terrifying than the police.

Following her memory, she took cars and taxis along the way, got lost, and walked for quite a while. By the time she finally arrived at the Kai family mansion, it was almost noon.

"How did you come?"

As luck would have it, the person who opened the door was Sha Xue. Although she wasn't entirely clear on the details, she seemed to know that Mai Minghe had done something to rescue Chai Si, and a smile immediately lit up her face. "Does Tianxi know you're here? I haven't heard him say anything."

“I forgot to get his phone number,” Mai Minghe said a little embarrassed. “I called Chai Si, but no one answered… It seems that Suo Beihua has gone on a mission again.”

Compared to last time, Sha Xue's expression and attitude were much lighter and brighter. When she led her into the house, her steps were almost like those of a swallow. "Brother Chai Si is sleeping. He's been sleeping since yesterday afternoon, but Tian Xi said it's probably far from enough. Is there anything you need? Should I call Tian Xi?"

Mai Minghe suddenly stopped in his tracks. "He went to sleep yesterday?"

“Yes,” Sayuki said with a smile.

The fact that Chai Si can sleep soundly might mean...

"That—Han Liuyue—"

Sayuki nodded, understanding her meaning, and her smile brightened: "She's back."

No wonder she was all smiles as soon as the door opened!
"Really?"

Mai Minghe stammered, feeling a mixture of disbelief, genuine joy, and a touch of worry, unsure of what to say: "Really everyone's back? Nothing's been left behind?"

She had never dealt with Han Liuyue when he was healthy, but what could be better than saving a young man?
But... that would only be good if they were actually saved.

Sayuki hesitated for a moment.

“I don’t really know the details,” she replied. “I heard that most of them have returned. To be honest, I find that strange… Why don’t you talk to Tianxi? Or do you want to wait for Brother Chai to wake up? I’m afraid he won’t wake up anytime soon—”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t wait,” Mak Ming-ho said in a low voice. “I have to wake him up now… There’s something I need to talk to him about, the sooner the better.”

(End of this chapter)