Artifact Report

Chapter 203: Chai Si: What He Is Good At
When he turned around from the door, Chai Si felt like laughing for some reason.

Yes, things are dire right now.

He was weak and incapable at the moment, and his muscles trembled every time he took a step.

The fact that he had "rumors" must have been exposed, and Brianna was probably not the only person who knew about it.

After Uncle Kai was attacked and injured, he has never had a good talk with him; the person who attacked him also sent the Kai family hunter to the grave not long ago.

Even though he was running around, the illusion of a passage that could have given him still fell into whose hands he had no idea.

The girl whom he met by chance but helped him several times in a row had probably been torn into countless pieces and her original appearance could no longer be seen.

Han Liuyue, that once pleasant and reliable subordinate, was one of the reasons why he was caught between the trap and the attack, with nowhere to go. At this moment, on the phone, she was calmly saying to the assassin, "...Send someone to block him from behind now. There's still time."

Before he could tap the screen with his finger, Han Liuyue hung up the phone.

Yes, everything is terrible.

But the vague feeling in his heart at this moment...how to describe it?
If I have to make an analogy, it's like a poor son returning to the slums, hyenas welcoming the night, and an escaped prisoner being put back into prison... The current chaos, absurdity, and hopelessness are the life that Chai Si is accustomed to.

He seemed like a fish that had mutated after being polluted, and was relieved to return to the poisonous water.

In the face of chaos, one can act recklessly; this is how he has always been.

He didn't know when the assassin had sent his men into the bar, and it didn't matter.

Chai Si walked down the steps by the door.

He walked along the corridor, his steps unsteady and slightly swaying, but his eyes were fixed on the end of the corridor, on the door leading to the bar.

That door could be pushed open at any moment, and in would walk a tense-looking person, perhaps carrying a weapon that could crack a skull with one blow...

It's ok.

Not to mention just being poisoned, even if his bones were broken, as long as he still had a breath left, he would never let the person who treated him as prey stand up again alive.

Since he decided to kill Damian more than a decade ago, Chase was ready to trade his life for another. But at that time, he didn't know that the place where he would eventually die was in this ordinary narrow alley where the office was located.

……and many more.

He suddenly stopped, put one hand on the wall, and looked into the office.

The door was not closed tightly, leaving a gap.

Yes……

"Against the Light" is busy tonight; the waiter just brought Chai Si and his group in and handed them over to Megan, then went back to look after the bar.

At that time, Megan told them that the hunter with the lipstick had just left and it was still in time to catch up with him; because it would be best if she was present when calling for help, she quickly left with Jin Xueli.

Megan must have thought she would be back in a minute or two at most, so she left her office door unlocked.

Chase glanced quickly towards the end of the corridor.

There is a round frosted glass on the door at the end of the corridor. Through the frosted glass, you can see a blurry figure approaching the door - about to push the door open and come in.

Chai Si made a prompt decision, turned around, stepped into the office, and immediately closed the door gently and locked it.

Almost as soon as the door was locked, he caught a glimpse of movement outside - a few steps away from Chai Si, on the corridor separated by a door, a series of heavy footsteps walked past.

Judging from the sound and the faint vibration of the floor, the person who just passed by was also a tall and strong guy.

Chai Si was very sensitive to the passage of time; it took about forty seconds to get from the office to the back door.

When that guy reaches the back door and sees no one, he'll probably spend at least a minute looking around, feeling lost, and trying to contact his boss. By the time he realizes what's going on and turns back through the back door, he'll definitely quicken his pace and reach the office door in about 20 seconds.

In other words, he only had two minutes of safety margin left.

He had to come up with a solution within two minutes.

He quickly scanned the room.

Aside from a photo on the wall showing Megan hunting a denizen, it looked like any other office: computers, desks, chairs, filing cabinets, safes…

Safe?
Chai Si's eyes flashed.

It was only slightly larger than a typical hotel room safe, and also used a combination lock; judging by its size, it couldn't possibly hold any high-powered weapon—was it a pistol? Or was it an illusion?
If the bar is operating on the day with cash, it will be of no use at all.

However, even if Chai Si was at the peak of his physical strength, he would not be able to smash open a safe with his bare hands - after all, he is still a human being.

Don't waste time on things that you can't do; just a few seconds later, Chai Si dialed the phone number of the "Against the Light" bar.

He had no idea whether "Against the Light" was collaborating with Brianna; but there was also no sign of any collusion between the two.

This is also a blind gamble.

After the call tone rang several times, he heard the voice of the Shar Pei bartender again: "Hello, hello, Ni Guang——"

"I'm Chase Monroe. We just met."

The bartender was visibly startled. Even without being able to see him, one could guess that he was probably looking around: "Huh? Mr. Monroe? Didn't you just—"

"Be quiet and listen to me."

Chase interrupted him and said, "There's a safe in your office. What's in it? Artifacts or weapons? Name your price. I want to buy them all."

The call time shows that 10 seconds have passed.

"Huh? Wait, I don't understand, how are you—are you—"

"I don't have time," Chase emphasized, "answer my question."

When he's not facing Han Liuyue, his threatening tone is still very useful.

"Well, for safety reasons, there are no weapons and no artifacts in the safe." The bartender really suppressed his doubts and answered his question first: "Actually, there is no problem if you want to buy it, but please try to be low-key afterwards." When he said "there are no weapons and no artifacts", Chai Si was stunned for a moment - of course this possibility is not impossible, but when you really realize that it has become a reality, no one can avoid that moment of confusion.

He almost didn't hear the next few words the bartender said. It was only when he suddenly heard the name "Jin Xueli" that he suddenly came to his senses.

"...She should know because she often comes to me and asks me to mix her alcohol mixed with central nervous system depressants."

Chase blinked.

Jin Xueli has been coming here to buy alcohol containing central nervous system depressants?

He looked at the screen and found that forty seconds had passed since the call; the assassin's subordinates should have realized by now that he was no longer at the door.

One minute and twenty seconds left.

"You just said... the safe is full of medicine?"

"Yes," the bartender said. "Some hard-to-get, prescription-required medications that hunters might need from time to time."

Wait... maybe there is still a glimmer of hope.

"Are there any amphetamines?" asked Chai Si.

The answer is yes.

Since there are central nervous system depressants, it is natural to have central nervous system stimulants.

He knew that the reputation of the Kai family and himself was not all good; but he was able to half persuade and half force the bartender to tell him the password first in just a few words, and then ask him to collect the bill later. Even Chai Si himself could not help but be a little surprised.

"We have both short-acting and long-acting types—"

The bartender had barely begun his introduction when Chai Si, staring into the safe, immediately asked, "Which one is short-acting?"

When I hung up, the call lasted exactly two minutes and fourteen seconds.

He tilted his head back and swallowed a few pills.

The poison used by Fu Tailan was mixed with amphetamine, and no one knew what the consequences would be.

Chai Si sat at his desk, quietly waiting for his body's next reaction. Would it be a coma? Vomiting? Or a gradual feeling of joy and excitement?

Chase certainly didn't care whether it brought him pleasure or not; he just needed it to do one thing.

Give him back the power.

In the corridor outside the door, footsteps were coming towards the office quickly and heavily - they finally came, but much slower than the two minutes Chai Si had expected.

It seems that guy is not very smart... Only the confusion about where Chai Si went made him waste more than a minute.

The office door handle was turned, but it didn't open. Then someone kicked the office door hard with a "bang".

"Chase Monroe? Are you in there?" a strange voice shouted in a low voice through the door.

Chai Si remained seated at the table, motionless. Even short-acting medication wouldn't work so quickly.

He didn't say anything, and the person outside the door also stopped talking and started banging on the door again and again; the office door was not thick, and after a few bangs, the door frame showed signs of collapse, and several splinters of wood appeared.

Chai Si watched quietly as the door was finally pushed open and a burly figure rushed in. When his eyes met his, the man was startled, hurriedly stopped and raised a pistol.

"I've heard of you a long time ago. People say you're cruel and ruthless, and no one wants to mess with you."

The man looked at him for a few seconds, smiled, and kept the gun pointed at Chai Si.

"I think you're so arrogant because you have subordinates, right? When you're alone, you're not very courageous. You even hid in your room and locked the door - are you really that afraid of death?"

Chai Si raised his hands and slowly stood up from the table.

He stood up smoothly without any tremors in his leg muscles.

But it's not enough.

"Go," the man gestured with a gun and tilted his head towards the door.

Chai Si looked at the person who came and slowly smiled. "...Where are you taking me?"

"Stop talking so much nonsense, get out!" The man held a gun in one hand and grabbed Chai Si's arm with the other, pushing him out the door. "Go to the back door!"

"Okay, okay, I'll go." Chai Si said, and walked into the corridor obediently.

The two walked through the corridor, one in front of the other, towards the back door. As they walked, Chai Si explained to the man who kept urging him, "I'm injured and can't walk fast."

"Go up,"

At the foot of the steps at the door, the man pointed with his gun, motioning him to go up first.

Chai Si slowly climbed a few steps and stood in the open doorway again. Outside, in the darkness, the rain was still falling in wisps of white hair; he did not see Han Liuyue.

Perhaps she and the assassin were waiting nearby.

He felt the man approach from behind him and reach out his hand.

When the other party grabbed him, Chai Si gently turned his hand back and grabbed the man's arm at the same time.

He hadn't actually regained his full strength; after all, he was only taking prescription medication, not an illusion.

...If this were told to the man who was falling out with his eyes wide open, he would definitely not be willing to die.

　What should I say today? I’ve insulted Chai Si enough, and I can’t keep poisoning him alone.

　　Oh! The cat food delivery guy today was a handsome guy! I never thought that I would be sitting at home when the handsome guy rang the doorbell. He came downstairs with unkempt hair and dirty face, wearing home clothes that looked the same age as me (18), and carried the cat food back with a sense of shame.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)