Artifact Report

Chapter 220 Jin Xueli: Jin Xueli's Shell and the Lipstick Without Shell

She actually has a very clear understanding of herself.

She is a person with a quick tongue, strong emotions and a brisk pace. She can chat happily with anyone, is easy to approach, and always likes to get close to people.

With such a personality and a face like hers, Jin Xueli knows that in the eyes of others, she is like a lively and naive little animal. Just as it is difficult for a beautiful woman to not know her own beauty, she is also very clear about the impression others have of her.

This impression is the shell she wears when she walks in the world; to be honest, it provides her with a lot of convenience.

If used well, one can even escape suspicion of murder.

It is a shell, but it is also a part of her.

However, if she was truly a completely consistent person, she would not have done such a thing back then—

Ah, can’t think about it.

Even though she was being pointed at by a submachine gun, Jin Xueli felt an inappropriate trance. Her thoughts seemed to have turned into the dense mist drifting in the rainy night, dispersing to who knows where.

Perhaps there are some "audiences" watching her now, listening to her self-confession, and secretly weighing what kind of person she is.

No matter what, I can't think about what happened in the past...

Fortunately, there is no shortage of things that can distract her at the moment.

"...You lied to me?"

Chai Si's words suddenly brought her back to her senses.

"what?"

"You said your goal was just money."

Chai Si stood four or five steps away, holding the gun in one hand; if you look closely, you can see that the muzzle of the gun is trembling slightly, and it seems that he is almost at the end of his strength.

"Did you trick me, or did you change your mind and decide to compete with me?"

Jin Xueli exclaimed "Ah", and seemed to understand a little. She looked down at the black cube in her hand.

It was about the size of a Rubik's Cube and could be held in one hand; in the other hand, she was holding her cell phone.

The message on the screen congratulating her on obtaining the target pseudo-image was interrupted by a "wait" before it was finished - at this moment, the phone was silent, as if it was also holding its breath, waiting to see how this scene would develop.

Just now, when the car chase was halfway through, she suddenly felt her body lighten, and then she was once again divided into countless components; she and Tianxi, together, staggered inside the black space and turned into two large "groups" of people.

Perhaps it was because her memory was also broken down, so when she recalled the scene in the black square, it was always a bit vague and she couldn't see the details clearly; she only vaguely remembered that Chai Si seemed not to be in it - she didn't know how Chai Si escaped or what he did outside.

She only remembered that after an unknown amount of time, the world suddenly turned and she was thrown back onto the road by a force.

The pain at that moment made a series of curses roll through her mind.

What a piece of crap! How can you handle it with care? You have no manners.

The moment she was thrown out, Jin Xueli felt as if she had become a character in a cartoon who was stuffed into a cannon barrel and was launched out with a bang - fortunately, she had rich experience in falling from the air and adjusted her body in time and rolled on the ground, so she did not suffer any serious injuries.

But the fall still made her eyes go dark and all the air in her body was squeezed out.

Fortunately... When Jin Xueli got up, her first thought was to be thankful.

Fortunately, when she was thrown out, the height was not high enough, so she was not thrown directly into the nest; otherwise, it would have been too unlucky.

"What's going on?" She gasped, recovered, and called out from a distance. "What happened?"

"Let's talk later," Chai Si was more than ten meters away from her at the time, holding up the flashlight on his mobile phone, searching for something on the road in circles.

In the misty rain, on the cross-sea bridge behind him, water vapor soaked countless car lights and street lights, soaking them into red and white light and shadows, extending all the way out; distant sirens, car horns, human voices, and the occasional click of a mobile phone shutter... The disturbed bridge and road became a stage backdrop.

Behind me, a car burning like a bonfire was flashing light in the rain; the cold rain evaporated into hot steam, rolling up thick white mist, permeating the sky and the earth, making everything seem like a strange place, not like the real world at all.

"Tianxi,"

Not far from her, Tian Xi just got up with a groan when his boss assigned him a task - "Go tie up the bodyguard on the ground and put him in the car."

Only then did Jin Xueli see clearly that there was a person lying on the ground in the distance.

Tianxi responded, dragging her rain-soaked body towards the man. Just as she was thinking, "I wonder how much the Kai family pays them to work so hard," she heard Chai Si call out to her, "Jin Xueli! Stay away from that truck."

When she turned around, she realized that the huge truck next to her seemed to have stopped on its own without any accident; through the window of the cab, she could vaguely see a face sticking to the glass and looking at her.

Although she didn't know what role she played tonight, Jin Xueli still didn't want the truck driver to remember her appearance, so she responded and walked forward.

Somehow, she felt a little dazed. Not only was her body walking in the rain and fog, but her mind seemed to be immersed in water, stretching out in all directions, feeling empty and light, without focus.

When he fell, his head must have been hit.

Jin Xueli lowered her head, rubbed the back of her head, and turned her neck back and forth, hoping to reduce the impact a little - as she turned, her sight was suddenly attracted by a square object.

She was stunned, took two steps forward, and picked up a black Rubik's Cube-like cube from the rear wheel of the truck.

……No way?

Every Hunter nerve buzzed, telling her it was an illusion.

She didn't know if it was because of the fall or because the feeling was too strong, but she even felt a little dizzy and the tinnitus penetrated into her brain - it was so long before she heard someone calling her.

"Jin Xueli!"

She looked up and saw Chase standing not far away, holding out a hand toward her. In his other hand, he held the submachine gun, dangling it toward the road. "Give it to me."

If she were still her normal self, she would definitely realize the delicacy... and danger of the current situation.

But her dazed attention shifted to something else—she remembered hearing her phone ring. Her usual lively and talkative self seemed to have been shattered by the fall, cracked, and a bit unsettled. She looked at Chai Si, who said nothing, his expressionless face lowered as he pulled his phone from his trouser pocket and glanced at it.

...The Nest was congratulating her on obtaining the target artifact?
The nest said, wait?

What are you waiting for?
When Jin Xueli raised her head belatedly, she saw a gun pointed at her.

The anger came a little late, but it finally came.

"Jin Xueli", the quick-witted "Jin Xueli" in the eyes of the world, would definitely be both cowardly and angry at this moment - she would never explain calmly and then hand over the black piece.

"What do you mean by 'lie to you?'" She raised her voice, her voice almost as fast as a bullet: "I was distracted, how can that be considered a lie to you?"

"...Give me the black side." Both Chai Si and the gun muzzle did not move.

"I'll give it to you. Who wants a piece of junk like you?"

Jin Xueli raised her hand, threw the black square over, and watched him grab it with a snap.

"Do you think I don't know my own situation? I have no money, I don't belong to any family, and I don't have a bunch of subordinates to command. I'm not a strong competitor, and I'm too lazy to rule over anyone, so I thought you would be a good partner who can help me gain the greatest benefits."

Chai Si held the black square and lowered the gun - both of their cell phones started ringing at the same time, but no one looked at them.

He looked at her and said nothing.

"I know my situation isn't as good as yours, but you don't have to remind me all the time. I just happened to find it and handed it to you a few seconds late, so what? If I wanted to argue with you, wouldn't I have just let you die in the hospital? If you think I'll always find an opportunity to trip you up, why are you cooperating with me? Go it alone! I've helped you so much, but I haven't seen much in return, and now you're holding me at gunpoint—do I owe you that?"

Chai Si seemed to be stunned by the barrage of words that came at him.

"I'm so pissed off," Jin Xueli said, getting angrier and angrier. Her face flushed, and she started to walk away. "Get out of the way! I'm going home."

“You don’t have a car—”

"I don't have a car and I don't have legs? I can't get off the bridge and take a taxi?" She walked past Chai Si and said without turning back, "Do you think you're going to be like you before, wobbling every step? And I had to support you."

Tianxi had just stuffed a person into the back of the SUV and was looking at her with his mouth half open, a little stunned.

After taking a few steps, Jin Xueli thought of the most important issue again.

"You know my account number. I saved your life, so it's up to you. How much do you think your life is worth? Just give me whatever you want. If you don't give me a cent, I won't ask you for it. The worst that can happen is that I'll tell everyone that Chase Monroe—"

She swallowed back the word "dog" and said, "This life is not worth a penny. He decided it himself."

Jin Xueli, driven by anger, walked quickly, saying, "I wish you and the nest a long and happy marriage!"

No one called out to her from behind, and no one shot her.

When she walked past Tianxi, Tianxi was looking behind her; she didn't know what expression on his face attracted her, but Jin Xueli stopped and looked back.

A dozen steps away, Chai Si was still standing there looking at her; in the rain, her expression could not be seen clearly, she just felt that he seemed to be in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.

Their eyes met from a distance, and Chai Si seemed to come back to his senses.

"I'm going to take Han Liuyue to see the mayor right now," he said in a deep voice, "Aren't you going with us?"

Han Liuyue - no one knew where this ghost was hiding just now - immediately floated up from the roadside when he heard these words; a large snow-white face emerged in the dim rain and fog.

"Hi," Han Liuyue waved at her.

Beneath the shell, a suspicion emerged.

Is this Chai Si testing her?
Completing the action point of "Bring Han Liuyue to see the mayor" will give you a hint about the next target artifact.

If she didn't have a strong desire to rule the nest, but still insisted on following and completing the action point, it would be suspicious.

This thought process is not expressed by the "shell".

"Why would I go? Is it you, her, or the mayor who's prettier? I haven't seen a penny, and I haven't done enough. If I don't go, the dog will continue to be your escort."

Tianxi took a breath.

Chai Si was not angry.

"Tianxi," he simply turned around and ordered, "Let's clean up the surrounding area. It's time to leave."

Does this mean it's none of her business?
Jin Xueli folded her arms and walked out along the bridge.

Less than half a minute after she walked out, she heard Tianxi calling her from behind and hurried over.

"What's wrong?" Jin Xueli asked.

"Is this your fake image?" Tianxi picked up a round tube-like object and showed it to her.

Oh, it’s not Chai Si who wants to give money.

The rain and fog dampened her vision; she only glanced at it, and for a moment she felt that it seemed familiar, yet she had never seen it before.

"It's not mine," Jin Xueli said to Chai Si's men, not being very nice. Although she loved money, she would not take other people's things.

"It probably belonged to those two people just now," Tianxi said, putting it in his pocket. "I'll take it back and store it in the family warehouse."

　Happy post-Christmas everyone!

　　I originally thought that this scene on the cross-sea bridge could just be described briefly in profile, but after careful consideration, I felt that it was not possible.

　　I really enjoy exploring the different facets and complexities of a character; I don't like to write flat labels. I love that Kim Sulli is more complex than she appears.

　　Of course, trying to write about the complexity of human beings may not necessarily be understood and accepted by others. It will just be generalized or labeled... Well, I don’t care about Hamlet or Harry Potter, I still have to write.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)