Artifact Report

Chapter 122 Mai Minghe: Her Decision

The atmosphere in the car was awkward for a moment.

In fact, this is understandable. After all, more than ten minutes ago, Mai Minghe’s strongest desire was to eat the young man in the back seat.

Now the desire has dissipated, but the memory remains and no one has forgotten it.

How people should start a conversation about food with their ex and ease the relationship may be an issue that has never been raised in human society.

Mai Minghe felt that she should say something to comfort Hai Luwei.

But the harder she tried to think, the more words she couldn't muster, and the silence in the car grew heavier and more unbreakable. After desperately trying to think, she finally blurted out a question: "Why were you sitting on the side of the road just now?"

In the rearview mirror, Hai Luwei was staring at the back of her head warily.

After two seconds, he said, "...I wanted to stay away from trouble, so when you were driving recklessly, I fled from the square."

"Oh, oh, yes."

On the road under the cover of night, Mai Minghe maintained his speed and said something to make conversation: "Why didn't you continue to run? It's so unsafe to sit on the road."

Hai Luwei's gaze passed through her body, as if it were real, like a branch hitting the back of her head. "...Didn't you break my ankle? I can't walk anymore because of the pain."

...even more embarrassing.

"Well, I'm really sorry," Mai Minghe said embarrassedly.

This was the nth time he had apologized, but compared to Hai Luwei's current situation, the words always felt a bit hollow. "I really didn't mean to—well, that's not right, I did mean to do that at the time."

"Why don't you just not make this kind of apology, which only makes people angrier?" Hai Luwei suggested.

She had hurt him so much; no matter how bad his temper was, in Mai Minghe's opinion, she deserved it.

If you think about it carefully, it was not easy for him to muster up the courage to get on the car after experiencing the crisis of being eaten; Mai Minghe decided to comfort him from this perspective.

"Don't worry, just take the bus. I'll make sure you get back to Blackmore City safely," she said. "I've completely recovered. If you don't believe me, just touch my head."

"Even if you give me all the money in the world, it won't be enough for me to touch your head." Hai Luwei said unhappily.

"Hey, it's really okay now. If you don't believe me, let me touch it and show you."

Mai Minghe was a little anxious and wanted to prove that she was very safe - even if Hai Luwei didn't trust her, she hoped he could feel at ease.

She raised her hand and rubbed her hair vigorously a few times, pushing it back and forth to expose her scalp, and then knocked on her skull a few times "dong dong" - as soon as the muffled sound rang out, her hand froze, and the two people in the car were silent for a few seconds at the same time.

"You, look, it's really okay." She said a little stutteringly.

Hai Luwei was quite perceptive. "Were you also thinking of what Fu Tailan said just now, 'Knock on the head, and another head will answer the door'?"

……yes.

Even just imagining a second head emerging from one's own head would make one's internal organs go cold.

Sea Reed sighed. "You remember everything?"

Mai Minghe swallowed.

"Yes... It was like a nightmare, but I remember it all so clearly. You know that feeling? It's so absurd, it shouldn't have happened, but when it happened, it felt so natural... I even remember the feeling of turning my head in both directions. Thinking about it now gives me goosebumps."

She thought about it and found another side of the matter: "Never mind, it's also an experience! It's quite unique and rare. Life is about constantly experiencing things, so that it doesn't feel wasted."

"The price of your experience is me."

"……sorry."

After a while, Sea Reed finally spoke. "You were really planning on eating me, weren't you?"

of course.

At that time, there was no taste in the world more tempting and delicious than him.

"...You were really in danger back then," Mai Minghe sighed. "I still remember that longing, that empty, intense craving. I just wanted to devour you right away... but I couldn't bear to do so, because if you ate it all, you'd be gone. I had to eat slowly. And the way the locals 'eat' is different from the way ordinary people 'eat'..."

She spoke in great detail but heard no response; when she turned around, she realized that she shouldn't have spoken in such detail - Hai Luwei was pale, and refused to make eye contact with her. He huddled in the corner of the back seat, one hand on the door handle, as if ready to jump out of the car at any time.

"It's all in the past," she hastily consoled him. "I've regained my human form. I have no desire to eat humans, and I've never killed anyone. Look, I'm driving you to your final resting place."

"Speaking of this..."

Hai Luwei spoke hesitantly, his hand still on the doorknob. "How did you know this was a safe path?"

"Do you remember when I became a resident, I said the nest poured a lot of information into my mind?" "Hmm... the safe path near the library was also one of the pieces of information?"

"Yes, but in the eyes of the residents, this isn't called a 'safe path'. Rather, it's a route that residents need to be especially careful to avoid tonight. Places where residents aren't allowed to go generally have few traps or rules, so for humans, that's a safe path."

Generally, hunters have to carefully explore and observe the surrounding environment when they are on the move; however, no matter how cautious a person is, he or she will often run into a trap.

Mai Minghe didn't have this concern at the moment. She just needed to drive based on the information in her memory - this was also one of the reasons why she was able to leave Fu Tailan far behind.

Even if that young man had more men under his command, he would not be as efficient as Mai Minghe who knew where to go.

The pity is that most "safe paths" are not permanent; after a period of time, the path may change, and then she would not dare to walk on it so confidently - after all, after she stops being a resident, the time-sensitive information in her mind will not be updated.

"How long can the safe path last?" Hai Luwei became interested and asked, "Why does the safe path exist?"

"How long it will last is uncertain. After all, the lair is a place of chaos and darkness."

Today, when Mai Minghe talks about his nest, he is very clear and organized, and he is as familiar with it as if he is talking about the place where he has worked for several years.

"Some safe routes have been in place for over a decade, while others change in just a day or two. An entire road can become unusable all of a sudden, or there's a temporary change of route or a detour. There are all sorts of situations."

As for why it happened, she couldn't really say.

"The lair is filled with countless...what should I call it? Force fields? Rules? Thoughts?"

Mai Minghe thought for a moment and said, "In short, these 'force fields' each have their own characteristics. They overlap, interlock, and form a chaotic mess. Some areas where these 'force fields' clash are harmless to humans but dangerous to the residents."

"To use an analogy, the safe path is like the gap between two continental plates. If residents walk on the gap, they might be crushed into a pile of rocks by the plates, or they might be pulled in half by the two plates."

This feeling is really strange; the things I talk about now would have seemed like the ravings of a mental patient in the past, but the audience in the back seat are listening with great interest.

"I can't believe it. I was supposed to be your guide, but now you're the one telling me so much about the nest."

Hai Luwei sighed and glanced at his watch. "Well, there are still more than seven hours left. After we get to our destination, I can sleep--"

He glanced at Mai Minghe warily and changed his tone, "I'm not too sleepy."

...Why am I so worried about her?

The punishment Hai Luwei received was to serve as Mai Minghe's guide for twelve consecutive hours; now that no one died and no one was eaten by anyone else, it must be assumed that the "twelve-hour" requirement was still in effect - Mai Minghe suspected that if it were not for this reason, Hai Luwei would not have gotten on the car at all.

"Is your place well-hidden?" Mai Minghe asked, a little worried. "Will Fu Tailan find you? I'm afraid he's still looking for me."

She didn't even think about the possibility that Fu Tailan was killed by the screenwriter Meng - that kid was so smart and cunning, she might as well worry about the screenwriter Meng.

"If he's determined to search the entire lair for you, then hiding yourself will be of no use."

Sea Reed seemed listless, perhaps due to his leg injury or exhaustion. "Why is he so determined to pick on you? Is it because of that—something about nest domination? Even if you became human, he still wouldn't let you participate?"

Mai Minghe fell silent.

She glanced at the car screen, which had always been quiet - Hai Luwei had told her that when this small screen lit up, there would be a broadcast.

"He wants the fake image in me."

Mai Minghe said softly, "In my previous life, I didn't gain many valuable things in this world, so this illusion is the only thing I can't give up no matter what. When it expires, so will I. I just want to keep it... Only by keeping it can I try to live a complete and rich life. As for that game of domination, I have no interest in participating."

She just longed for a new world and wanted to see wonders she had never seen before.

It's really boring to hear that people go to great lengths just to rule and control another group - doesn't ruling the nest indirectly mean ruling the hunters?
Once the nest has a "king", it will be so boring.

"Although I don't believe that game is real at all, I can actually understand your thoughts." Hai Luwei thought for a moment and asked, "Then do you know?"

"what?"

"The expiration date of that artifact you're wearing."

Mai Minghe was stunned. "I...I don't know yet."

"It should be written on the pseudo-image." Hai Luwei pointed ahead and said, "The apartment building in front is my place to stay. If you want to find a safe place and check the expiration date... then I can lend you my place to stay temporarily."

　Yesterday I had one of my favorite dreams.

　　I dreamed that I was about to leave the earth on some kind of completely transparent vehicle. The ascent process was thrilling. When I looked back, I found that on the surface of the planet was a new world that I had never seen before... The specific details have become blurred, but I still remember the feeling of shock and dizziness.

　　So my interest in writing is to create different worlds and explore them in my imagination, because I think the best experience in life is "seeing it for the first time".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)