I'm being held captive by a monster

Chapter 252 You're a Beast
"Is there anything you need to bring?"

At 7:30 a.m., Jiang Rong drove a spacious but understated sedan and parked it at the entrance of the residential area.

"Having Xiaoye is enough."

Lin Xing'an first carried Xu Ye to the back seat of the car.

He then folded up the wheelchair and put it in the trunk.

"Are you comfortable?"

Lin Xing'an looked at Xu Ye, who was lying in the back seat covered with a thin blanket, and asked.

"Mmm...cough cough! Cough! It feels so good."

Xu Ye nodded and said.

Lin Xing'an tucked the blanket around her, especially her feet, which were wrapped up in it.

"You'll arrive after a nap."

He closed the back door, sat in the front, and adjusted the seat back.

The car slowly started and headed south.

"We've prepared a seaside house for you in the south of the city. It's not big, but the view is beautiful."

"The previous owner left not long ago, and there's everything inside."

Jiang Rong put on sunglasses and said.

"Thank you, grandma."

Lin Xing'an looked at the scenery outside the window and said.

He looked somewhat dejected.

"Once we get to the south of the city, I'll take you to get some weapons so you can arm yourself up first."

"Minister Zhang told me about it last night, but...Grandma, what is this weapon?"

Lin Xing'an asked with some curiosity.

The temperature inside the car had returned to normal, so Jiang Rong turned the heater down a bit.

"An'an, do you remember when I said that offensive power was actually easy to acquire when I absorbed the darkness to gain abilities?"

"I remember you said that improving physical fitness is the most important thing."

Lin Xing'an quickly replied.

"Well, for someone like you who lacks offensive capabilities but can enhance themselves, we can use weapons to increase our attack power."

"You can think of this weapon as anything imbued with darkness."

"It can be a sword, spear, or halberd, but it can also be a stone, a branch, or even a blade of grass."

"In short, any object, once imbued with darkness, will become a weapon."

After Jiang Rong finished speaking, she raised her right hand to Lin Xing'an.

On his index finger was a ring that looked like it was made of dried grass.

“Pull me up.”

Seeing that Lin Xing'an didn't move, Jiang Rong smiled and said.

After a moment of surprise, Lin Xing'an quickly grasped Jiang Rong's hand.

next second!
On Jiang Rong's index finger, the withered grass ring instantly came back to life, transforming into a thick vine.

They coiled around Lin Xing'an like giant, man-eating pythons!
The branches and leaves spread out, and the flowers bloom.

Then, as if time had reversed.

The vines that had bound Lin Xing'an so tightly that he could hardly breathe transformed once again into a ring made of withered grass, which was securely placed on Jiang Rong's finger.

"This is my 'weapon,' and I'm using it to attack you."

"In other words, I didn't use my abilities just now."

Jiang Rong withdrew her hand and said.

"..."

Lin Xing'an rubbed his already reddened neck and nodded seriously.

indeed……

If Jiang Rong infuses the withered grass with life through her [Vitality] ability, then her appearance should age instantly.

But Jiang Rong's appearance hadn't changed at all.

The only thing that changed was the straw ring on her hand.

"By infusing your own darkness into an object, the object will become your control and will also gain unique attributes of your abilities, somewhat similar to a ghost realm."

"For example, if you infuse darkness into a stone, your abilities can enhance your recovery speed, and you can strengthen yourself through faith in your mother."

"Then this stone will also become harder because of your faith in your mother, and it will also have a certain ability to 'restore' itself."

"Of course, I'm just giving a simple example, you understand, right?"

Jiang Rong looked at Lin Xing'an and asked.

Lin Xing'an naturally understood.

After all, Teacher Orange had told him this when he was six years old.

Moreover, last night, he injected darkness into the cat, turning the wooden phone back into a phone, using a similar principle.

Despite this, Lin Xing'an still frowned and pursed his lips.

"Grandma, I roughly understand the principle, but... how do I inject darkness into an object?"

He spoke, feeling the darkness within his body.

If Lin Xing'an did not have the ability to control his gloom, his gloom could not leave his body.

"Normally, you can't do it on your own unless you have special abilities."

"Therefore, if you want to obtain your own weapon, you can only do so by drawing out your darkness through special means."

"Before the Siege Department was even established, the committee had a weapons department that specifically provided weapons for the Gluttons."

"Once we get to the South City... I'll take you to find the old director of the weapons department, but I don't know if he's still mentally sound..."

Jiang Rong adjusted her sunglasses, shook her head, and said with a sigh and a smile.

"Grandma, since weapons are so useful and can greatly improve combat effectiveness, why was the weapons department disbanded later?"

"And I've never seen anyone use weapons on the committee."

Lin Xing'an asked with some curiosity.

Jiang Rong fell silent.

"Because weapons are not for dealing with humans and animals."

She said quietly.

"……What's the meaning?"

"It means that the weapons are for dealing with the gluttonous ghosts, and for dealing with our own people."

Jiang Rong said directly.

"Although this wasn't the original design intention for the weapon, there's nothing we can do about it."

"After all, we don't need weapons to easily deal with most people and animals."

"So weapons gradually evolved into a means of internal struggle."

"People gradually changed their purpose in manufacturing weapons from targeting humans and animals to targeting other gluttonous ghosts."

"Moreover, once a gluttonous ghost has a weapon, it has a significant advantage over other gluttonous ghosts of the same level, which leads other gluttonous ghosts to also start crafting weapons."

Jiang Rong seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly revealed a slight smile.

"Sometimes, the function that something is designed to serve is completely opposite to its original design purpose."

She said with a sigh.

Lin Xing'an nodded silently and didn't ask any more questions.

"An'an, do you know what your mother's weapon was back then?"

Before they knew it, the car had already driven out of the northern part of the city.

On the highway, the ring on Jiang Rong's finger transformed into vines, wrapping around the steering wheel and freeing Jiang Rong's hands.

"Mother……"

Lin Xing'an's mind was once again filled with Yu Yu's gentle image.

"It's sunlight."

"……Sunlight?"

Lin Xing'an was taken aback. "Sunlight... can it also be used as a weapon?"

"It is a ray of sunshine on a spring afternoon."

Jiang Rong did not answer Lin Xing'an's question, but spoke to herself instead.

"At that time... Yu Yu was about fourteen or fifteen years old."

“She collected a ray of sunlight into a glass bottle the size of a thumb, and had the head of the weapons department at the time fill it with darkness, saying that this was her weapon.”

"Although we've never seen her use it, and we've never seen that little glass bottle again, I think... sunlight might really suit her."

"Her smile was like sunshine, it made you feel warm."

Jiang Rong looked up, feeling the sunlight streaming through the car window, and said.

"yes……"

Lin Xing'an nodded, "It's like sunshine, but..."

But Yu Yu was gentler to him than the afternoon sun in March...

A smile unconsciously crept onto Lin Xing'an's lips.

Then, silence fell over the car.

"An'an, what are your thoughts on your own weapon?"

After a long silence, Jiang Rong broke the silence and asked.

"I……"

Lin Xing'an shook his head. "I don't have any thoughts."

He had been thinking about what would happen if his [death rewind] ability were turned into a weapon.

Including controlling darkness, etc...

Moreover, since he was the former director of the weapons department, he must be very experienced.

When you inject him with darkness, will you be able to detect the problem with his abilities...?

"An'an, I think water would be a better weapon for you." "Water?"

"Yes, after injecting darkness into the water, let the water become your weapon."

Jiang Rong took two bottles of water from the storage compartment in front of the car.

He handed one bottle to Lin Xing'an and the other to Xu Ye behind him.

After getting on the bus, Xu Ye couldn't fall asleep and kept coughing, looking like he wasn't feeling well.

"Grandma, we'll just drink one bottle."

Lin Xing'an turned on the water tap and first handed a sip to Xu Ye behind him.

Did you catch a cold last night?

He touched Xu Ye's forehead.

"It's okay, it's just that my throat is a little sore."

Xu Ye took a few sips of water, cleared his throat, and obediently said.

Lin Xing'an took a sip without any sign of disgust.

Seeing this, Jiang Rong smiled as well.

"Your recovery ability is well-suited to water; if used properly, it will have unexpected effects."

"But... let's see when we get there."

Jiang Rong stepped on the gas and didn't say anything more.

"Xiaoye, it already looks like spring outside."

Lin Xing'an pointed out the window and said.

The further south you go, the warmer it gets.

Now you can see green trees and flowers outside the car window.

If you listen carefully, you can also hear the sound of the ocean.

"So heartwarming~"

After driving for a while, Xu Ye rolled down the car window.

Feeling the warm breeze, she rolled down the car window completely.

The warm breeze, carrying the scent of the sea and sunshine, tousled her long hair, bringing a happy smile to Xu Ye's face.

"Xiao Ye, when we get to Nancheng, we can go to the beach together and lie on the sand to sunbathe."

"You can go on a picnic in the park, feed the animals, or go fishing by the river."

Seeing Xu Ye's happy and expectant look, Lin Xing'an also spoke.

"As long as I'm with Lin Xing'an, I'm happy wherever we go."

Xu Ye leaned against the car window and said with a smile.

Such blunt words made Lin Xing'an glance at Jiang Rong, and he rubbed his nose somewhat awkwardly.

After Xu Ye finished speaking, he realized that Jiang Rong was still there. He coughed lightly twice and blushed.

After that, none of them spoke again in the car.

After driving for nearly an hour, they finally entered the southern part of the city.

"..."

Looking at these streets, which are almost exactly the same as those in my memory.

A feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar arose in Lin Xing'an's heart.

"Is it all memories?"

As they passed the train station, Jiang Rong noticed Lin Xing'an's somewhat complicated expression through the rearview mirror.

"...I never expected to come back in this way..."

Lin Xing'an said quietly.

The shops near the train station are still the same as they were more than ten years ago.

Perhaps the biggest change is that the road leading directly to the train station, which used to be lined with unfinished construction sites, has finally been completed.

"This is where you and Yu Yu used to live, right?"

"Want to go down and take a look?"

When passing by the Happiness Garden residential area, Jiang Rong deliberately slowed down.

"Next time, there's plenty of time later."

Lin Xing'an said with a smile.

"Row."

Jiang Rong nodded.

The kindergarten is just ahead.

At this time, the children are playing in the yard, all looking carefree...

"Get off the car, we're here."

Jiang Rong drove the car into a residential area and stopped opposite the innermost building.

Lin Xing'an then lifted Xu Ye back into the wheelchair.

"So warm."

Xu Ye raised his head, feeling the warmth of the sunlight, and spoke.

"Yes, it's a great place to live."

Lin Xing'an gently ruffled her slightly messy long hair.

"Building No. 10, Unit 7, Room 3408".

Jiang Rong took out the key and tossed it to Lin Xing'an.

"You guys go up and take a look. I'll wait for you down here. Once we've finished dealing with the weapons, I'll head back to North City as soon as possible."

She waved her hand and leaned against the car to look at her phone.

"it is good!"

Lin Xing'an pushed Xu Ye into the elevator.

"This neighborhood is really well designed."

"Xiao Ye and the others can wander around the yard by themselves when they have nothing to do."

He said with some surprise.

Because from the moment you enter the community until now, there has been a gentle slope next to every step.

Wow...it's so warm.

Opening the door, Xu Ye blinked and exclaimed.

The room's floor was brown wood, and the sunlight shining on it gave it a particularly warm feel.

And just as Jiang Rong said.

Although the house is not big, it has a strong sense of home and immediately gives people a feeling of being at home.

"Lin Xing'an, go ahead and get busy, come back soon."

Looking through the window, Xu Ye saw Jiang Rong below and said.

"it is good!"

Lin Xing'an glanced at the time; it was already 10:30 a.m.

After leaving the two bottles of water for Xu Ye, he quickly ran downstairs.

"Let's go, it's not far!"

Seeing Lin Xing'an come down, Jiang Rong also put away her phone and put away her serious expression.

Seeing this, Lin Xing'an didn't ask any further questions.

The two drove along the coast into a small fishing village.

"Just call him Uncle He. If he's still mentally sound, let him help you."

"If he's completely senile, then move to another place."

The gravel road ahead looked unusually bumpy, so Jiang Rong stopped the car.

He led Lin Xing'an through the village to the seaside at the end of the village, to a small, run-down shop that repaired cars and boats.

The store looks quite old.

The sign was just a wooden board with red paint sticking out "Car Repair" and "Boat Repair".

Exposed to the wind and sun, the wooden planks had long since turned black, with two corners broken and rotten beyond recognition, hanging crookedly.

The paint on it had faded so much that it was no longer visible.

Pushing aside the rain curtain, I entered the courtyard, where only a rusty, dilapidated boat lay beside me.

"anyone there?"

Jiang Rong waved her hand, blew away the dust in front of her, cleared her throat, and asked.

Seeing that no one answered, she led Lin Xing'an directly to the backyard.

The beach is right outside the backyard, and the sea is just a few dozen meters away.

On the beach, under an extremely dilapidated parasol, a dark-skinned, very thin old man was sitting in a deck chair.

It was like a wooden sculpture nailed to the beach, quietly watching the boundless sea.

"Old He! Old He! Skinny He!"

Jiang Rong took off her shoes and walked onto the beach, calling out as she did so.

But it wasn't until she walked up to Uncle He that the old man realized what was happening.

"Old He, do you still recognize me?"

Jiang Rong raised her hand and waved it in front of Uncle He.

The old man stared at Jiang Rong for a long time, his cloudy eyes filled with only confusion.

But when he caught sight of Lin Xing'an out of the corner of his eye, his gaze suddenly sharpened!
"Yu Yu! Yu Yu!"

Uncle He pointed at Lin Xing'an and shouted!

Then, leaning on his cane, he stood up hunched over, walked shakily to Lin Xing'an, and carefully examined him, his face full of joy and excitement!
But as he looked, it was as if he regained his senses; the turmoil and excitement in his eyes gradually faded. "Something's not right..."

He Bo suddenly grabbed Lin Xing'an's hand and stared intently at him!
"You are a beast."

(End of this chapter)