Artifact Report

Chapter 224 Mai Minghe: The Problem of the Niece's Granddaughter

She had been mentally prepared.

When Tian Xi recognized her as one of the people present at the gunfight in Rain Alley, Mai Minghe would use a set of arguments she had prepared long ago and try her best to convince Tian Xi that she really needed a job and had no other purpose - she couldn't say how likely it was to succeed.

After all, she was affected by the gunfight at Kai's house the night before, and a day later, she came to the house for an interview. It was a coincidence that was too suspicious.

But to her surprise, when Tianxi saw her, he was just slightly stunned and asked her to sit down.

How can I not be surprised?

It was as if he didn't recognize me... Is this possible?
Mai Minghe watched him put the phone to his ear again, his mind racing, recalling the alley where the gunfight took place that night.

The alley was dark, darkened by the rain. She was crouching against the wall, with a huge trash can as tall as a man between her and Chai Si and Tian Xi.

The person who was lying on the lid of the trash can and firing the gun was Chai Si, and Tianxi was a few steps behind him - ah, so to speak, Mai Minghe didn't actually see Tianxi's appearance clearly that night.

The reason she knew that the man with a long braid hanging down his chest was in the same alley with her in the early morning of the 22nd was because she heard Chai Si calling his name; just before she was led into the room, the hunter who led the way told her, "Tianxi will see you soon."

If you think about it carefully, from the beginning to the end, no one has ever called out the name "Mai Minghe" -

"...I'm hanging up now."

The last few words Tianxi said before hanging up the phone immediately drew Mai Minghe's attention back.

"Sorry," Tianxi glanced at her and indeed didn't seem to recognize her, only vaguely puzzled. "Have we met before?"

“I don’t remember ever having that,” Mai Minghe said cautiously.

Even if they didn't see each other's faces clearly, it was possible to have a vague impression of their figures and feelings. So she added, "The hunter community isn't large, so maybe we've passed each other somewhere."

Since falling out of the black side, Mai Minghe hasn't said a word and slipped away early with the other two; it is certain that Tianxi has never heard her voice.

He nodded, seeming to accept this.

"Would you like something to drink?"

Mai Minghe was stunned: "No, thank you."

The afternoon sun filtered in through the tall window panes, illuminating the center of the room like a thickly carpeted stage; bright dust particles floated in the light and then disappeared into the shadows at the four corners of the room.

Mai Minghe didn't expect that the difference between the Kai family and the Morgan family was so great.

The word "interview" gave her the illusion that what she was about to see would also be a company or an office; but after actually seeing it and walking in, she was still in a vague trance of amazement.

Tianxi noticed Mai Minghe's darting gaze and sat down on another chair three or four steps away from her. He smiled and introduced the building, "This building was built in 1889, during the Queen Anne Revival period. It was invested and constructed by a wealthy businessman and took ten years to complete. I heard the architect's design was very bold, blending several European styles. In some details, you can even see some Victorian influences."

Apart from a few chairs, a carpet, a fireplace, tall arched glass windows, and decorative paintings on the wall, this room, which is several times larger than an ordinary living room, is empty.

The Kai family made only minimal renovations to this house that looked like a church—no, like an aristocratic villa. Looking at the dark wooden walls and high ceilings, Mai Minghe even suspected that he had come to the wrong time.

"The head of our faction, Mr. Kai, has a more retro aesthetic."

"It's truly beautiful," Mai Minghe said sincerely. "Modern architecture no longer has such intricate and exquisite details."

"It's more than just aesthetics," Tianxi said, seeming to agree deeply with her words. "The Kai family has some persistence, which is rare nowadays. For example, we are one of the few families that do not adopt the corporate system. In our eyes, the hunters who join the family are not just employees, but partners worth relying on for life and death."

He paused, raised his hand, and gestured. "After all, you can't leave your life in the hands of your colleagues, right?"

Mai Minghe couldn't help but nodded.

"However, trust isn't something you give blindly. So when we choose a future partner, we try to gain a comprehensive understanding of a person's background and past. The more important the responsibilities you assume, the more detailed our understanding will be. This is Kai's custom." Tianxi glanced at her and said, "Your presence for the interview today means you agree to our background check, correct?"

This time, Mai Minghe nodded much more reluctantly than last time.

She hoped the other party didn't see her guilty conscience.

Perhaps the Hunter Aftermath Organization has many ready-made identities to choose from; but her biggest difficulty is that she has no money to buy them.

"86-year-old Madam Mai Minghe" was another identity that would only cause more trouble if revealed—and with time running out, the best solution she could come up with was to use "86-year-old Madam Mai Minghe" to create a new identity for herself. She just needed a stepping stone; she didn't need this new identity to last long.

"I've been in Blackmore City for less than a year, and a hunter even less than that. I'm afraid I don't have much valuable information," Mai Minghe said. "I originally came to Blackmore City to find a job and take care of my elderly great-aunt... Oh, her name is also Mai Minghe."

Tianxi raised an eyebrow. There were many people named after his parents, but not many named after his great-aunt.

"She raised my mother when she was a child, and we have a deep bond," Mai Minghe explained with a smile.

"How old is she?"

"Eighty-six," Mai Minghe said. "If necessary, she can vouch for me and provide you with my background information. I've done nothing wrong. She's lived in Blackmore City her entire life. You'll know once you investigate."

When she spoke, she also tried to use the tone that she thought someone who had just come to Blackmore City from a small place would have.

If the Kai family really called the landline at Mai Minghe Apartment, she had already thought about what to do; even if it was just to temporarily untie the "snake belt", she would have to use her old voice to vouch for her younger self.

Tianxi nodded and said, "I understand. We're not the police. We don't care if you've done anything illegal in your past... Few people in our line of work abide by the law. It's even safe to say we don't need to, and it's best not to. What we care more about is whether we can understand what kind of person you are from your background history."

"I heard," Mai Minghe asked tentatively, "that you're in a hurry to get someone this time?"

The rumors released by the Kai family a few days ago only said that they needed to recruit a group of people as soon as possible, but there was no further details - for example, what specific work would be done and what the requirements were - there were only rumors in the hunter circle that the Kai family seemed to have offended some enemies and urgently needed to quickly strengthen their strength.

...The so-called opponents should be the "Vesile Team" and Brianna, right?

Chase and Brianna were both participants in the Domination Game, and the gunfight on the early morning of the 22nd clearly revealed the source of this war. Mai Minghe only learned about the attack on Kai's family when she was trying to find out about it, and she felt it was closely related to the Domination Game.

"Yes, the situation is special recently."

Tianxi nodded. "We don't have time to complete the background check and then test the hunters' abilities, so this time we're going to use a different approach. We'll first organize a group of people into the lair and decide the next step based on their performance."

"Enter the nest?" Mai Minghe was shocked.

The look Tianxi gave her made her immediately regret her hasty words.

"Without entering the lair, we won't know a person's talents, adaptability, and abilities." He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Don't you know? Any family that recruits will make the final decision based on the lair's performance."

It does make sense when you think about it. If you don't enter the nest, how can you tell whether a person is worth having?
Perhaps because this was so obvious, neither Hai Luwei nor Megan told her.

Mai Minghe smiled bitterly to himself.

After discovering that the lipstick had disappeared, she discussed it with Hai Luwei for a long time with a frown on her face, and finally felt that it must be related to the black party that had disassembled all the people; since it was related to the black party, it must also be related to the Kai family.

Chase Monroe's reputation, besides being cruel, is also generous. If he really picked up a lipstick, there is no need to worry that he would keep it for himself, but there is a problem - he also wants to buy the lipstick.

Since he wanted it, and it was already in his hands, the best outcome would probably be for him to transfer some money to Mai Minghe. But no matter how much money it was, it was not as important to her as the "False Image Report" right now.

No, it would be better to say that who the other party is is not the point. As long as there is a possibility that the other party will not return the money, Mai Minghe would not dare to go directly to negotiate and alert the enemy.

After much thought, the only method that seems a bit far-fetched but not impossible is to sneak into Kai's house, find out the situation, and then find a chance to steal the lipstick.

Is it considered stealing if you quietly take your own things?

In order to help her get in among the hunters who were going for the interview, Hai Luwei and Megan (she thought Mai Minghe wanted to join the job and make money) put in a lot of effort, inquiring for her, giving her urgent common sense lessons, and helping her to expedite the application... Due to the tight time and many things to do, they actually overlooked something that everyone knew.

"I know, but I have a minor injury on my foot," Mai Minghe said, concealing the injury. "So I don't know whether I should go into the nest right away..."

Tianxi glanced at his watch.

"Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, the hunters who have passed the preliminary screening in this interview will form a team and enter the lair, led by me. If you can't participate, then the screening is unnecessary and you can go home now. It's your decision."

　Wait a minute, great-aunt corresponds to great-niece, right?

　　Last night I may have had a midlife crisis 25 years early (18). I suddenly wanted to quit my job, take a leave to write, dump my cats and dogs at someone else's house, and throw away all my responsibilities. I packed a suitcase and headed to the endless horizon, going wherever I wanted... This is the life a nomad should lead.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)