Ita Era

Chapter 87 Death's Call
Ding Shi turned off the electric scooter's lights to avoid becoming a target. He took out his crossbow, loaded it, and scanned the surroundings using its night vision function, then observed the ground. The rain wasn't heavy, but clear traces of blood were visible; someone was dragging the butcher into a shanty.

This two-story shantytown had severely peeling paint, revealing broken bricks inside. The front door was wide open, and a shoe lay on the threshold, blood seeping deep into the interior.

Ding Shi hates the Grim Reaper, and who knows if that guy will set up traps inside, but since he's already here, he has no choice but to go in for the sake of points.

Ding Shi slowly stepped through the gate, crossbow in hand. Through his night-vision scope, he spotted a woman holding a sharp knife, hiding in the wall near the entrance. Seeing that Ding Shi hadn't turned on his flashlight, the woman made no attempt to conceal herself, waiting for him to come upstairs so she could stab him in the back.

Ding Shi slowly walked towards the stairs, gently turned the crossbow, and shot an arrow into the woman's head from a distance of 3 meters. The woman fell to the ground without a sound, dead. Ding Shi walked to the woman's side and saw the butcher's corpse.

Ding Shi searched the corpse and found 20 yuan, a gold necklace, half a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and three crossbow bolts. He also discovered numerous bruises on the woman's body, indicating she had been beaten.

Speculated story: A butcher beats his wife for no reason; the wife suffers from Stockholm syndrome; she helps her husband cover up evidence of his crimes and also helps him sell stolen goods. Upon seeing her husband's body, the woman is heartbroken and drags the corpse away, luring Ding Shi into pursuit in an attempt to avenge her husband.

System notification: Shoot the Rain Night Butcher, gain 20 points. Shoot the Rain Night Butcher's accomplice, gain 10 points. Embezzle funds, deduct 50 points.

"No, I'm just helping to keep it safe." Ding Shi explained to the surrounding air while taking out cigarettes and other stolen goods, trying to explain, "It's raining outside, and I'm afraid the stolen goods will get wet. The gold necklace definitely has the criminal's fingerprints on it, and if I don't keep it, it will hinder the later investigation. In reality, I'm a policeman, a very professional one. I've never taken any dirty money, and I don't even take a salary. I rely entirely on justice. If you don't believe me, you can check; you'll find out."

System notification: Attempt to embezzle funds failed; 30 points deducted.

You dog system, you better not let me know your dog name, or I'll build you a tombstone on this island and poop on your head every day.

A phone call was made, and plainclothes officers arrived, searched the premises, discovered the stolen goods, cleaned up the mess, and continued patrolling at Ding Shi.

Ding Shi released his ordinary bicycle and slowly pedaled towards the big mushroom. It was midnight, and there were hardly any people on the road. Even the lights in the houses were scarce.

Just as they returned to the big mushroom house to rest, another scream rang out, and Ding Shi rushed over. There was a light at the door of the house, and a scantily clad woman lay on the ground with blood and a fruit knife on the ground. A man was fighting with her for her handbag.

Putting aside the dagger and fruit knife, this scene was incredibly similar to the previous ones, leaving Ding Shi momentarily stunned.

Ding Shi took out the Wildcat Crossbow, loaded it with bolts, and stepped forward.

The man said urgently, "Officer, I'm a good person, she stole my things."

"I know." Lightning won't strike the same target twice; given the system's nature, it won't use the same trick twice. Ding Shi told the man to step back, then squatted down to examine the woman: "You have four weaknesses. First, it's a men's bag. Second, the amount of bleeding is so little, it's less than a nosebleed. Third, you didn't ask me for help. Fourth, the bag's strap isn't sturdy; why couldn't the two of you break it?"

After saying that, Ding Shi raised the crossbow in his hand, and a meter away was a man holding a knife, ready to stab him.

System, have you no shame? Two robbers staging a scene to rob a policeman? You actually came up with this kind of story?

The man's head was shot through, but the woman did not resist. A professional body search was conducted; she was unarmed. Ding Shi turned her over, handcuffed her, and dragged her off the ground.

Hmm? The wind seems to have suddenly picked up. Oh no, Death is up to something.

It was dark all around, and he couldn't see clearly. Shamelessly, Ding Shi squatted down under the girl's buttocks and looked around. A flowerpot fell from the sixth-floor balcony. Ding Shi pulled the girl, and she fell backward. The flowerpot hit the girl's collarbone, making a crisp sound of breaking bones.

An old billboard, battered by wind and rain, crumbled from the darkness towards dawn. The billboard was made of very thin plastic, theoretically harmless, but because its edges were so thin, they became like a knife.

Ignoring the girl's screams, Ding Shi, with his eyes and ears open, heard a sound from the east and pushed the girl forward. The wind suddenly changed, and the billboard, which had been pointing at the girl from the side, now faced her head-on. The collision resulted in almost no injury. The billboard fell to the ground, stuck to it by the water, and could no longer fly.

A nearby phone booth opened slightly, and a venomous snake that had escaped from a nearby pet store quietly slipped into the booth and coiled up behind the warmest part of the phone.

Ding Shi dragged the girl to the vicinity of the phone booth, made her stand facing the wall, took out a coin, and walked towards the phone booth.

Ding Shi stared at the phone booth for a long time, then said to the surrounding air, "Do you think I'm an idiot, or are you the idiot? The phone booth has a glass outer shell and a light inside. Don't you understand glass, or don't you understand light?"

Shaking his head speechlessly, Ding Shi entered the phone booth, used his baton to flick the venomous snake to the ground, tapped it on its vital spot, stepped on the snake's head with his boot, inserted coins, and dialed the police station: "This is Officer Ding Shi. Two robbery suspects were found opposite the Nightingale Hair Salon in the Night Rain Street area. One was shot dead, and the other was arrested. Okay."

Ten minutes later, plainclothes officers arrived with two police officers.

System notification: Killed the male robber who robbed in the rainy night, gained 10 work points. Captured the female robber who robbed in the rainy night, gained 20 work points.

At 2 AM, the workday ended. 8 hours and 8 points were earned, for a total of 20 work points. The total work points for the first day were 28.

I rode my bicycle home, but there was no one to be seen on the road. Suddenly, the phone rang in the quiet night.

Ding stopped the car and looked at the phone booth less than five meters away, where the phone kept ringing.

Ding Shi pondered for a moment, then continued riding his bike forward. The phone in the phone booth he had left behind stopped ringing. At the same time, the phone in the phone booth ahead of him started ringing.

And so, Ding Shi's phone rang constantly as he walked.

Finally, Ding Shi opened a public phone booth and picked up the phone: "Hello?" He had no choice but to answer, since he also had a phone at home.

A neutral voice came from the other end of the line: "I am Death."

Ding Shi was silent for a moment, then replied, "I am a dead ghost."

He paused for a few seconds, trying to keep his tone calm, but a hint of anger could be heard: "I heard you're very arrogant."

Ding Shi was taken aback; this line seemed like a common opening line used by petty thugs to extort money from students. Ding Shi humbly inquired, "Who told you that?"

How should I answer this question? The voice fell silent again, then after a long pause said, "I'd like to invite you to my home." It abruptly skipped over the question.

Ding Shi immediately asked, "What's in it for me?" Inviting someone to dinner doesn't necessarily mean they owe you a favor; it could mean you owe them one. Besides, you say you're the Grim Reaper. If the Grim Reaper invites me to dinner, wouldn't you feel bad if you didn't show some sincerity?

This time, the pause was longer before he said, "It's my treat."

Ding Shi refused: "Not enough, do I need an A-grade playing card?"

The voice asked in confusion, "What is that?"

Ding Shi sneered, "You don't even understand this? How dare you call yourself the Grim Reaper?" Since they're all after him anyway, he might as well gain some verbal advantage first.

After hesitating for a long time, the voice finally relented and asked, "What benefits do you want?"

Ding Shi said, "You must not target me again." Being on guard against death like this is indeed exhausting.

The voice said, "No, I'll only agree to kill you three times a day at most."

Ding Shi: "What? You're not confident you can kill me in your own house?"

The voice paused for a very long time before saying, "Once, if you come to my house as a guest tomorrow and leave alive, I will kill you at most once a day in the future." Ding Shi: "Thank you, but that's not enough! Far from enough."

Voice: "Don't go too far."

Ding Shi: "Goodbye."

"Wait a moment." The voice hesitated for a moment, "I can tell you a secret about Ham Town, the secret of why so many serial killers suddenly appeared there. You eliminate one serial killer, but new ones will be born. You should solve the problem at its source."

Ding Shi said, "Add one more time to the secret."

Voice: "Secret plus three times."

"one."

"three."

"One"

"three."

"one."

The voice gave up: "Fine, I'll kill you once a day and add a secret. The mayor bought a large number of serial killers from his cousin's prison in order to build more factories and force the residents to move away from Ham Town." Fearing there might be other trouble, the voice blurted out the secret in one breath.

Ding Shi asked, "Isn't this secret a bit too cartoonish?" Why did he feel this Grim Reaper wasn't quite like a Grim Reaper? A real Grim Reaper should be aloof, cruel, wise, pretentious, slapping people in the face, and seeing through everything. But this Grim Reaper was actually bargaining with him, and most importantly, he won! He just felt like an idiot.

Voiceover: "There are many twists and turns and reasons involved, but it can be summarized in this sentence."

Ding Shi: "OK, where do you live?"

Voiceover: "The invitation has been delivered to your home. We hope you like it."

There's a hidden meaning in his words.

……

99 Bell Street.

Ding Shi unlocked the door with his key, reached out and turned on the light on the first floor. As he did this, half of his body was outside, and he held a crossbow in his left hand, ready to run away or fight at any moment.

Everything was as usual. Ding Shi went downstairs, closed the door, and locked it.

Damn it, I'm seeing ghosts even in my own home.

Ding Shi gently pushed open the kitchen door with his foot, turned on the light, and, carrying a crossbow, searched all the possible hiding places.

Upon reaching the second floor, the study was lit. Ding Shi moved forward with his back against the wall and saw a red book on the desk. After observing his surroundings, he entered the study, first searching the room, then using his crossbow to open the book. Inside was an invitation.

Mr. Ding Shi is cordially invited to stay at the Earl's Villa in the affluent district for one day, before noon tomorrow. Signed: Earl Liu Decai

Liu Decai? Ding Shi felt the name sounded familiar; he seemed to have seen it somewhere before. Ah, I know, Andy Lau.

Ding Shi dialed the police station from his study: "This is Ding Shi. I'd like to ask for a day off tomorrow. Okay, thank you."

The NPC colleagues are very easy to talk to; they'll lend you money and give you a thumbs up.

A man wearing a mask made from cut-up trousers was crouching in the darkness on the 2.5th floor of the stairs. He held a dagger in his right hand and a kitchen knife in his left.

Upon seeing Ding Shi enter the bedroom and close the door, the man tiptoed downstairs, opened the door, and ran away.

The phone on the street rang, and the man answered it.

Death asked, "Why didn't you take action?"

The man answered honestly, “I can’t beat him. Do you know what he has? A wildcat crossbow, a wildcat crossbow that can pierce an elephant’s skull. That’s not the point. The point is that I have principles. I won’t kill a kind person.”

Death: "Are you afraid?"

A car drove by, its headlights shining into the phone booth. Wasn't that the man, Sha Bi?

Instead of answering, Sha Bi asked, "Why were Wang Meng, Ding Shi, and I matched into a 100-player dungeon? Are you targeting me because of my outstanding performance?"

Death: "I don't understand your question."

Silly Bone: "You don't need to understand. Don't worry, I'll be at the party tomorrow."

Death God: "Killing Ding Shi will earn you 100 work points."

Silly Dagger: "No, no, I'd rather earn 20 points at a time than harm such a kind gentleman." He couldn't win, he really couldn't. Silly Dagger was heartbroken. Whether in Ithaca or in reality, a one-on-one fight was a near-certain death for him. Besides, the other man was holding a Wildcat Crossbow.

Death: "Don't forget, you mortgaged your soul for 200 points before I agreed to invite the prey to tomorrow's party. If you can't repay the 200 points, I will take your soul. Believe me, losing your soul is a far more terrifying thing than death."

Foolish Dagger: "I'll lend you another 50 points, and you can take back Ding Shi's invitation." Ding Shi has a Wildcat Crossbow; if he sees me, he'll definitely kill me with a single shot. I'm not like Wang Meng; those two have been together for six years, saved each other's lives, and have some brotherly bond. I and Ding Shi are sworn brothers, bound by life and death, ready to fight to the death if we meet.

Should Wang Meng be recruited again to deal with Ding Shi? The problem is, given that Ding Shi has the Wildcat Crossbow, Wang Meng would probably be more willing to rekindle their brotherhood. Even he himself, in front of the Wildcat Crossbow, could praise Ding Shi as a kind person.

A wise man knows when to yield. Foolish dagger will only unleash his true nature when he can be resurrected and has complete control of the situation; otherwise, he is quite cautious.

Death laughed in anger. What kind of people are these?

Sha Bi asked, "Why did you offer such a high bounty for him?"

Death: "There's a light emanating from him that makes me really want to kill him."

"Light? Ultraman?" Silly Bike was baffled.

There's no point in searching the third floor during the Ding Shi period. Assuming there's a thief on the third floor, and they have malicious intentions, they would inevitably enter the bedroom. The crossbow in the bedroom is set up as a trap; if anyone opens the door, the crossbow bolt will shoot through both the person and the door. If there's no thief on the third floor, then why search it at all?

(End of this chapter)