Artifact Report

Chapter 169: Fu Tailan: Key of Unknown Origin
For a moment, Fu Tailan felt as if he was back on the summer highway.

My mother was standing next to the car and someone grabbed her arm, and she was also in the hands of the person and had no control over herself.

But he could choose again. It didn't matter if he made the wrong choice last time. As long as he walked towards her this time, he could stay forever and keep her.

"Sit back."

Chai Si's voice was like a pour of cold wine on his head, which made Fu Tailan come back to his senses and return to the reality.

Only then did he realize that he had stood up from the sofa without knowing when.

The symptoms of nest dissociation disorder this time...seem to be quite severe.

The body had long since left the nest, but the soul was still entangled between the nest and the human world, as if in a dream.

My father was sitting on the living room floor, his face pale and glistening with sweat; his shirt had been soaked through, leaving two dark shadows under his armpits, and the outline of his vest was faintly visible under the shirt.

His always carefully styled hair had completely fallen apart, slanting limply across his forehead, his hair thinning and revealing his high hairline. Fu Han looked several years older than usual. He looked at Fu Tailan pleadingly and called out, "...Xiao Tai?"

It is despicable, pitiful, and impossible to look away from.

"What key is that?" Fu Han whispered flatteringly, "Since he wants it, just give it to him. A key isn't that important to us, is it?"

When he was a child, Fu Han, who taught him to finish his meals and not to spend money indiscriminately, would make Fu Tailan very uncomfortable when he spoke in a flattering manner. She didn't know whether she wanted to be angry or cry.

"Children should listen to their parents," Chai Si smiled silently. But the next three words were devoid of laughter. They were deep, slow, and full of menace. "Sit down."

Fu Tailan had to bend her legs before she could sit back on the sofa.

The room fell into silence for a few seconds.

"Why would they recruit you?" Fu Tailan suddenly wanted to sneer, each word like a bullet. "You're not even a hunter. What can you do?"

"I can take your key." Chase said calmly. "Your father in exchange for your key. It's only fair."

Her tongue touched his cheek lightly, then slid away and disappeared.

Does this guy think he's so handsome? Long-tongued guy.

Chai Si's legs were resting on Fu Han's shoulders almost lazily, as if he was not exerting any strength; however, Fu Tailan knew that it was impossible to pull Fu Han out from under Chai Si's feet with his own strength alone.

Only the key can save his father's life.

But this is not the most serious problem at the moment.

“…I’m young and I have a question.”

Fu Tailan crossed his arms, and the large hoodie wrapped around his thin body loosely like an embrace.

"Suppose I give you the key. What happens next? Will you keep me to compete with you? In any case, I don't see a way for him and me to survive."

"I'm different from you. I keep my word. Give me the key, and I'll let Fu Han live." Chai Si cracked a smile and said, "As for you... you really have no way out."

Fu Tailan immediately glanced at Fu Han.

The latter was stunned, his face paling even further. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he felt as if he had lost his parents. For a moment, he seemed so anxious that he even forgot his own situation. Although he did not dare to twist his neck, he turned his eyes and said behind him: "Mr. Monroe, you can't be impulsive. There is no hatred between our two families-"

"This has nothing to do with the family faction," Fu Tailan interrupted him in a low voice. "You don't have to say it."

That's it...

Knowing that he didn't want his son to die, that was enough.

Fu Tailan looked at Chai Si for a few seconds.

He suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, I understand."

Chai Si's hands were folded in front of him, seemingly unarmed, but he could easily have a gun or some semblance of one hidden at his waist—more likely both. However, given his skill, even with his bare hands, Fu Tailan wouldn't have much of a chance of victory.

It's not surprising that he died, but asking him to die at the hands of Chai Si is like asking him to drown in the toilet, and his funeral will be a joke.

However, Fu Han had no choice but to rescue him.

I have lived for seventeen years, and I always suspect that if I look down, I will see an iron chain on my ankle; I don’t know when the iron chain will clang.

Fu Tailan smiled slightly.

"I'll give you the key, and you let him go. After he leaves, if you can kill me, you can come and try."

"Too blue!"

Fu Han suddenly cried out; after he finished saying this, he didn't know what to say and was stunned.

After a few seconds, he stiffened his neck again and tried to reason with Chai Si: "I don't understand. Why is it necessary to fight to the death? I'll give you the key, and we'll make peace..."

While he was muttering, Chai Si had already nodded - it seemed that he was not worried at all that the Fu Han he had let go would go and inform others and seek help.

Fu Tailan stood up, walked to the door, bent down to pick up the key ring he had just thrown on the ground, and began to disassemble the key ring.

Chase raised an eyebrow. "It's tied to your house key?"

"No," Fu Tailan said, "It is the key to the front door of this apartment."

"……oh?"

"Isn't it obvious that the best place to hide a leaf is in the forest? Don't you understand that?"

As Fu Tailan spoke, he took out the house key and showed it to Chai Si. As if he suddenly remembered something, he said, "Oh, or... you don't know what the target key looks like?"

Looking at the other person's calm face and silence, Fu Tailan smiled lightly.

"After I got it, I had a lock made for it and replaced it on my apartment door. I knew it would be a matter of time before someone would set their sights on it, so I made preparations. Not to mention that most people wouldn't think my door key was a target artifact, even now, even if I gave it to you clearly, you wouldn't believe it was the real thing, right?"

"Your words are not even as trustworthy as those of the residents. Moreover, considering your father-son relationship, my suspicion is quite necessary."

Chai Si smiled almost sympathetically - he really wanted to smash this man's smile and pull a nest resident out of his mouth.

"Throw me the keys."

After he finished speaking, Fu Tailan still held the key tightly, motionless.

...Who can be willing?
After a few seconds, Fu Han panicked first and called him softly, reminding him: "Xiao Tai..."

"I understand," Fu Tailan let out a deep breath.

He raised his hand and threw the key over - he deliberately didn't throw it in the right direction, and the key was thrown into the air more than half a meter away from Chai Si; but Chai Si was tall and strong with long limbs, and he didn't even stand up. He just stretched his arm sideways and grabbed the key in mid-air.

But when he moved his body slightly, Fu Han shuddered as if he had been electrocuted, and immediately broke out in a sweat.

...So, the right foot pressed against Fu Han's neck seemed to have never moved. The edge of the shoe was always pressed tightly against his skin, making Fu Han dare not even turn his neck.

No way, this isn't a spy killer in a movie. Is there really someone so exaggerated as to install blades on their shoes?
This style of equipment is so gaudy, Fu Tailan thought, gaudy, ostentatious, and tasteless.

Never mind, even if I could detect a weapon on him, it would be better than knowing nothing at all...

Chai Si lowered his head and looked at the key for a while.

Fu Tailan knew exactly what he was looking at; on one side of the key, there was a small line of words engraved: "7704 Days".

There are no hours, no minutes, the key's countdown is measured in days—

"Why is there only a number of days?" Chai Si asked this question.

The key turned over in his fingers.

"How should I know?" Fu Tailan yawned, not bothering to look at him. "The key is too small to write on it."

"...Twenty-one more years?" Chai Si's words sounded more like a muttering to himself.

But Fu Tailan immediately took advantage of the situation and said, "Why, are you afraid that you won't live long without the key?"

The glance that Chai Si gave him was like a gust of wind rushing out from a narrow gap, causing a dull pain.

"Next question," he said, his hand clenching as the key was swallowed up by the giant hand and lost sight of it. "How did you get it?"

Fu Tailan couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"It's over," he turned to Fu Han and said, "He's going to kill you."

Fu Han stared and exclaimed, "Huh?"

"Because there's no way he'll believe what I'm going to say next." Fu Tailan sighed and said, "As for why...old men his age lack an open and tolerant heart."

Chai Si didn't seem to find him funny at all.

Before he could further anger her, Fu Tailan spoke first: "I don't know where this key came from."

"Have you run out of lies?" Chai Si sneered.

"Even if you kill him right away, this is all I can say." Fu Tailan shook his head and said, "Would I use words that cannot be trusted as lies? Only the truth can make people unbelievable. One day when I came home, this key was already on the table. When I picked it up——"

He cut off the second half of the sentence in time and completed it with another sentence at that moment.

The side effects of nest dissociation disorder cannot be underestimated. I almost let it slip.

"...I realized it was very similar to the key that Vesile had acquired. I'm afraid it's one of the seven targets of the nest. Seeing you today finally confirmed my suspicions."

　Today's post is short because I'm tired, not because I'm bent on subscribing! Speaking of which, I have to stay up late every night and get woken up by scam calls in the morning. It's really like burning the candle at both ends...

　　I was woken up by a YTO Express today. They asked me what room number I was in the hotel. I was stunned. Hotel? It’s been almost half a year since I last stayed in that hotel.

　　The person on the other end immediately understood what was happening and said, "I know! This is a scam package. I weighed it and it's empty, so I'll take care of it for you!"

　　I was confused at the time and didn't ask. Now I think, is there still a scam using packages? How does it work? Should I learn how to do it? (bushi)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)