Artifact Report

Chapter 97: The End of the Chai Si Nest Communication Network

Chase has always had good luck; but it was not entirely luck that he caught Ashley at the moment before the "Nest Communication Network" ended.

"Let's split up and look for it carefully."

When everything was about to come to an end and Director Ashley still couldn't find her, Jin Xueli finally couldn't help it and suggested to him, "After all, there is not much time left. If I find her, I will lock her up and call you."

Chai Si knew that she was looking for an opportunity to leave.

Perhaps because her "saving method" was so precious, she didn't bring it with her. This meant that Jin Xueli had to leave here alone to use that "saving method" without being noticed; perhaps it was hidden in the nest -

So what?

Chai Si made a "hmm" sound in his throat.

When Jin Xueli hurried away as if running away, he didn't even turn his head back.

She and what she hid were not important at this moment.

Once the "Nest Communication Network" is ended, everything that happened in the Central Police Station today, including the identity of the mastermind behind the attack on him, will be drawn into the shadows and disappear from the world along with the nest.

He didn't care what crime he was accused of - whether it was one person or two people who died, whether it was Vesile or the street sweeper, it made no difference to Chase.

But as time gradually ran out, he still couldn't find Ashley's shadow, and another thought gradually became heavier and darker like a dark cloud, pressing lower and lower on his heart.

...Who is he?
Chai Si knew very well that he was nothing.

In the eyes of the world, this orphan is just Uncle Kai's dog.

Eliminating him was meaningless unless that person was motivated by personal vendetta. He was more worried that the person behind the scenes was actually targeting the Kai family; today's event was to eliminate this obstacle.

If Ashley's information were to disappear from the world along with her, would it mean that from today on, the Kai family would have to be on guard against hidden arrows that might be shot from anywhere?

However, before finding Ashley and asking her name, everything was just speculation.

When Chai Si caught a glimpse of a man's face out of the corner of his eye, his eyelids twitched and his thoughts were interrupted; he turned around, stretched out his arm, and immediately pressed the mercenary's shoulder.

The mercenary was so frightened that he almost screamed. He looked at him and stammered, "Mr. Monroe..."

"What are you looking at?"

In fact, Chai Si followed his gaze and happened to see Jin Xueli's back disappearing on the stairs from afar; but he still asked a question - because the mercenary's face flashed with surprise the moment he saw Jin Xueli's back.

A hint of surprise that shouldn't appear at this moment was piercing his vision.

Mercury's mercenaries should have heard by now that he was not taken to the police station alone, and that another woman was later released from the cell.

Since he knew, what was he surprised about?
The mercenary was once a hunter after all, so he calmed down and said cautiously, "I didn't mean anything else... I just thought she looked a little unfamiliar, so I took a closer look."

Chai Si studied his expression.

He seemed to have vaguely seen Ashley's back blending into the shadows and the blurry footprints she left behind as she fled and hid.

This is a hunt; to be a hunter in the world, you must know where to look and what clues to look for.

"Yes," Chase whispered, "Is this the first time you've seen her?"

The mercenary's neck seemed to be stiff, and he nodded slightly.

"You should know that there was another woman who was taken to the police station with me, right?"

"Yes...I know."

Chai Si looked at him and asked, "Have you ever seen another woman before who you thought was my companion?"

The mercenary's face turned pale. At this point, he should have pieced the clues together.

"Yes. She had short black hair that covered one eye..." He answered softly, "She also asked me, 'Where is Mercury?'"

……I see.

At that moment, Chai Si almost wanted to laugh.

It turns out that Ashley took advantage of the fact that Chase didn't know the mercenaries and the mercenaries had never seen Jin Xueli, so she was able to hold on until now - she asked "Where is Mercury", because Mercury was the only one who recognized all the mercenaries and Jin Xueli, and was the biggest danger.

Was she hacked?

Now that I think about it, she was most likely invaded, otherwise she wouldn't have escaped the first wave of capture carried out by Mercury and his men - but the degree of mutation shouldn't be serious, probably only one eye is affected?

Mercury is Mercury. As soon as Chase told her, "Ashley has a normal appearance," she immediately figured it all out and even laughed out loud, clapping her hands. "No wonder he was able to hide for so long. This is the only way!"

Now that we know where to find people, the next step is the leg work.

Chai Si started from the first floor and quickly looked at every place where people could hide and every face he passed by, sweeping through the floors like a gust of wind; behind him, Mercury led the mercenaries to search and gather people, no longer giving Ashley any chance to sneak in.

As he walked up the stairs to the fifth floor, he heard a faint conversation in the distance, deep in the corridor. "...I have promised that the police will not be your enemy..."

He walked lightly up a step.

It’s Ashley… Unexpectedly, Jin Xueli found her first.

It sounded like Ashley was trying to win Jin Xueli over to her side; every word she said made sense and was very tempting.

As the police chief, Ashley promised to completely erase the records; Jin Xueli happened to have a case that could not be made public. She didn't know what would happen after the "Nest Communication Network" ended, so she had no reason to disagree.

Even if we consider that Jin Xueli has a "means of rescue", she will at most not help either side, or act according to circumstances - no one in the world will choose Chai Si.

As he walked forward, his five fingers stretched and contracted, preparing for the upcoming conflict in the silent darkness.

"…The first suspicious death was that of his adoptive father's biological son, his stepbrother, Damian."

Chai Si stood in the darkness for several seconds, without moving.

He suddenly remembered that today was still November 19th, and the day hadn't yet passed. As if the "Nest Communication Network" had come down, cutting off any outside signals, he breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself to forget the date.

He watched a movie many years ago called The Truman Show.

What if someone told him that everything that happened today was just a special program for November 19th, designed to catch him off guard by hearing the name "Damian," to bring him to this moment, to face once again the words "he killed his stepbrother with his own hands"; and that outside of this program, Uncle Kai and Aunt Hai were staring intently at his face, waiting for his reaction...

When he came to his senses, Chai Si found that he had bent his body slightly without knowing it, and was covered in cold sweat.

It's ridiculous that it's been so many years.

Now that he's killed, he's killed... Even if it happens again, he will still kill Damian.

Then use the rest of your life to atone for your sins.

The conversation between the two seemed to be as far away as an ocean, vague and only a few fragments floated over.

"If I break the contract, what good will it do me?" Ashley continued to persuade, "...You are not an ordinary person who can be easily messed with..."

Chase continued up the stairs, his footsteps deliberately making no sound. Ashley was fine, but Jin Xueli was a hunter, and if he was discovered in advance, it would be difficult to do anything.

Although he felt that he could completely suppress the two people with force, Chai Si was unwilling to leave any loopholes for accidents.

It’s almost time, the moment Jin Xueli nods.

When he felt a slight vibration in his trouser pocket, he didn't understand what was happening for a full second.

There is only one person who can call this phone.

……but why?
He took out Jin Xueli's cell phone, looked at the strange number on the screen, listened to the conversation between the two people deep in the corridor, and finally came to his senses and walked step by step behind Ashley.

Jin Xueli stood in a half-dark, half-white room, unable to make out her face or expression.

When he first saw the girl, he thought she was a happy-go-lucky person who had never encountered any major events in her life; her being a hunter was probably like someone liking to watch horror movies.

Such a person, even if he has committed a crime, is a human being on a different track from people like him who are immersed in the depths of darkness.

Now Chai Si couldn't say for sure.

He slowly cracked a smile at the half-lit and half-dark Jin Xueli and gently placed his hand on Ashley's shoulder.

"Wait a moment,"

Ashley was tense all over, but seemed to have decided what to do. He spoke quickly, "You just want to know why you were arrested? I tell you, you don't have to go to the point of killing someone! The person who came to find me didn't reveal too much to me, but I know he arrested you to remove you from the situation. He did it for the sake of your—"

Oops.

When Chai Si's heart suddenly skipped a beat, he also realized that there were not many things that could make him neglect his time, but he encountered them twice in a row when he went upstairs just now - Ashley had endless words to say.

The "Nest Communication Network" ended at this moment.

The next second, the second half of Ashley's unfinished sentence turned into a long, high-pitched laugh; she suddenly raised her head, and the shadows of two long arms suddenly stretched out from her eye sockets, startling Jin Xueli so much that she took a step back.

The Central Police Station reverberated with countless shrill, frantic, and muffled laughter and cries. The sound surged like a surging wave, crashing against the walls like a final curtain call and revelry as the residents retreated from the world.

But Chai Si heard nothing.

Ashley's last half sentence drowned out all the noise and madness.

Even at the cost of going to war with the police system, he still let the man behind the scenes succeed.

　I haven't felt hungry lately, and I don't know why. I usually only remember to eat when I feel weak and listless. I count calories all day long, wondering if I've eaten enough today. It seems I haven't, so maybe I'll add some fruit...

　　However, this way of eating doesn’t make me lose weight at all. Is life completely unreasonable?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)