Artifact Report

Chapter 347 Dual Perspectives: Not a Severed Tie, But a Chapter Divided in Two

"I can use the nest however I want."

This sentence, nestled between lines of explanation and record, only surfaced from the turbulent currents of thought in Mak Ming Ho's mind when she boarded the car to go home.

That was what Anlu told Lan Jiesen the last time she appeared.

By then, it had been several months since Anlu had won the Domination game.

Mai Minghe sat in the Mercedes, staring blankly at the highway outside the window as it sped into the distance. He vaguely began to understand the source of Chai Si's confidence.

The illusion that the hunters repeatedly risk their lives to create is actually just a tiny, insignificant part of the lair.

Within the lair, there exists a force that has created scripts, traps, and rules; a being whose nature cannot be defined as either inhabitant or human; and means to alter reality, space, and even time…

When everything that humans can imagine and everything that humans cannot imagine are all in one person's hands, what is there to fear from a mutated mayor, a bizarre project, or a man who cannot eat?

“I’m not naive,” Chai Si said, his expression remaining calm. “I know that this process will most likely cause irreversible damage, such as people dying and never being able to come back to life. But if we approach this with a fearful attitude, we will gain nothing.”

He was very frank with Mak Ming-ho—Mak Ming-ho didn't know whether this was good or bad.

"Think about it carefully. If the hive wants to take action against humanity, what can we do?"

He spread his hands, and in the gradually dimming library, his two large hands, like white birds, spread their wings from the shadows.

"Without cooperation, no false reports will be obtained. Without false reports, no one wins the game, the domination game will continue, absorbing more players and causing greater damage."

Chai Si sat up.

As he leaned slowly toward the Mak Ming River, his arms resting on his knees, he resembled a giant predator silently sliding down the cliff.

"You want to protect humanity? Then come and help me."

Mai Minghe did not respond.

"The only way to minimize the damage to the lair is to end the domination game as soon as possible. You have no better choice than me." Chai Si stared unblinkingly into her eyes and said, "Because my goal is to make the Kai family—and Uncle Kai—possess the highest power and the greatest wealth in the world. If this world falls into pain, chaos, or even disintegration, then wealth and power will be meaningless."

When he laughs, it doesn't really look like a laugh; it's more like a prelude to a predation, just a prelude to splitting open his jaws.

"Among all the contestants, I am the only one who hopes that the world can continue to function smoothly. I don't even want to see war and the greenhouse effect in this world, because no matter how rich Uncle Kai and Aunt Hai are, it is hard to guarantee that they will not be implicated."

“I have power, resources, and manpower. I am one of the people with the most fabricated evidence, and I have the next fabricated evidence report in hand. I know every contestant; I have allied with one of them and killed another.”

“I am the ideal candidate to win. You know that very well.”

Mai Minghe couldn't find anything wrong with what he said. But—

"As long as you help me win the game, I will grant you even the wish for eternal life."

Chai Si used this sentence to end their conversation; Mai Minghe really couldn't think of anything else to say.

Ignoring Mai Minghe's refusal, he called the Kai family's driver and drove her all the way back to Blackmore City; without the hassle of changing buses and finding a car, Mai Minghe had more time to think things through carefully.

She didn't want immortality; she just wanted to live again and see the scenery she hadn't seen in her previous life.

She certainly didn't want to hand over the initiative to someone else and rely on them to fulfill her wishes.

However, the other side of fulfilling her wish on her own is that she monopolizes the illusion of time, preventing other players from winning the game of domination and allowing the nest to continue to cause harm to the world step by step.

Every word Chai Si said made a lot of sense, and she believed that Chai Si was a person who would keep his promises.

But the current situation is no different from that of these contestants racing against the nest.

Can they outrun the nest?

The nest has already done a lot of things—

“Oh, right,” Mak Ming-ho slapped her forehead, making the driver in the front seat glance at her.

While at the Kai family's house, one bombshell after another struck, leaving my brain a bit overwhelmed. I hadn't even had a chance to tell Chai Si about Evan's situation.

It wasn't too late to say anything; she immediately called Chai Si.

...It seems like the Kai family doesn't like answering the phone.

Has she fallen asleep again?

Mai Minghe thought for a moment and decided to practice his newly learned typing skills by sending a message to Chai Si; he would see it when Chai Si woke up.

It took her two minutes to bring up the keyboard.

"Why is this keyboard so small..." Mai Minghe muttered, holding the phone up to his eyes and tapping the letters with his index finger.

After finally spelling out the first word, she and her phone screen stared at each other blankly for a while, both waiting for the other to proceed to the next step.

What did the sea reeds say again? What were we supposed to do? Oh, right, we need to click "confirm," right?
Where is the confirmation button... I don't see "confirm".

Hey, why are so many words automatically following one word? She didn't type that.

Which one to confirm? Mai Minghe fumbled and practiced, and after several mishaps, he sent Chai Si four or five messages, each one like this:
I

I forgot

I forgot to tell you, Nestlé coffee

I made a typo, sorry.
I forgot to tell you, the Nest also helped me rescue a drowning man. He was in my house, and I suspect he has something wrong with him.

Mai Minghe originally wanted to explain the whole story in detail to see what Chai Si thought, but after sending the fifth message, she was exhausted and felt that she had explained enough, so she simply put her phone away again.

If he has any questions, he'll probably call me.

Riding in a private car is so much faster; it felt like she had only been lost in thought for a moment, but when she glanced out the window, she realized she was almost home.

The driver was very polite, taking her to the door, opening the car door for her, and watching Mak Ming Ho enter the building before slowly driving away.

But the real danger, the thing that people really don't want to face, is in their own homes.

No, perhaps the young man, like Jonah, was simply possessed by something within the nest; she shouldn't call him a thing. If that's the case, she'll have to think about how to save him…

Mai Minghe pondered for a moment, then gently turned the doorknob.

It was still locked from the inside as it had been before he left; Evan seemed unable to magically unlock it again.

Could it be that I really forgot to lock my bedroom door last night?

Mai Minghe took out his key, unlocked the door, and went inside.

The apartment was lit; the overhead light was dim, while the table lamp cast a warm yellow glow.

Someone was cooking in the kitchen. Amidst the clanging of pots and pans, she smelled the vibrant, fresh aroma of onions being added to hot oil, which wafted into the living room.

The television was on, and the news anchor was analyzing the aftermath of Nixon's resignation as president; the nursery door was ajar, and Maming could hear the soft tinkling of the toy wind chimes in the gentle breeze outside the window.

"You're back?"

Her husband peeked out from the kitchen and smiled at her. His voice was clear and calm, his throat sounded healthy. "I'm cooking. Tonight we're having beef and onion pasta."

Mai Minghe stared blankly at him, at the apartment; in a daze, she placed the bag containing the pistol on the small cabinet by the door.

****
After Mai Minghe left, the strength that had sustained him finally dried up—Chai Si collapsed onto the small bed where the Kai family hunters were temporarily resting, realizing for the first time that maintaining calm also required so much energy.

The body is completely shattered, and then gradually gathered together, just like grinding bones into powder and then solidifying them again. Sleeping for a day is almost useless.

As the tension eased, even my mind was filled with fog again.

...Wouldn't what I said to Mak Ming-ho be appropriate? Shouldn't it be convincing?

He had long suspected why the Nest had caused the mayor to mutate, but he hadn't thought about it as deeply as Mak Ming-ho—because the changes were too frequent and the crises came one after another. When he was trapped in the Black Abyss, he couldn't even maintain his sanity, so Chai Si had no time to think.

But the moment Mai Minghe expressed his concerns, Chai Si, who had just woken up and was still groggy, immediately realized it.

He could use the world as leverage to force Mak Ming-ho to stand by his side.

She needs to understand that the ultimate goal of the game of domination is indeed the domination of the lair; it truly is a power that is almost omnipotent.

If you want to protect humanity, then let me win.

Besides him, who else could she rely on? Should she rely on herself, or go and help Fu Tai Lan?
Once Fu Tailan becomes the master of the Nest, he might be even more eager to change the distorted world than the Nest itself...

I can't take it anymore, I can't hold on any longer.

Everything can wait until he wakes up. Even if he sleeps for a long time, the world and the nest will not disappear...

I think I forgot my phone in another room. Oh well, never mind...

With his last bit of strength, Chai Si kicked off his pants; his shirt was no good. He lay face down between the blankets and pillows, his eyelids closing heavily, and with longing, he plunged once again into the endless darkness.

He didn't know how long he had been unconscious.

When I am woken up by someone calling my name, I am filled with confusion, bewilderment, annoyance and even a bit of panic. It is like being hit in the head, and the only way to escape is to open my eyes.

Chai Si's anger was a fraction of a second slower, but it still flared up the moment he opened his eyes.

Who keeps calling him? What trivial matter is it? Didn't I already say—

"Chai Si," a familiar male voice, devoid of any hint of anger, called softly from the doorway, "Chai Si, are you in there? Chai Si? Chai Si?"

Are you annoyed?
Is he a member of a family faction?
Chai Si's body seemed to be resisting waking up; moving his limbs felt as heavy as pulling a stone.

“…Who?” he asked hoarsely.

The room was dark, and outside the window lay a starless, moonless night. The house was quiet; he had specifically instructed that the Kai family hunters could return home at night.

“It’s me, Chess,” the person outside said. “It’s me, Dr. Nate.”

(End of this chapter)