Artifact Report

Chapter 201 Chai Si·The traitor Chai Si
"That won't work."

Han Liuyue seemed to have turned into a piece of human-shaped glue, blocking the gap between the door, using his body to stick the wall and the door into one whole piece, with no intention of giving way at all.

For Chai Si, it was the first time in his life that he had made a request and his subordinates took it for granted and ignored it.

Reflexively, he lowered his voice and asked, "...What did you say?"

The threatening tone usually had an immediate effect; but now when it fell on Han Liuyue, it was like dust falling in a corner - the world continued to operate as usual.

"I said no."

Han Liuyue said calmly.

She didn't turn around, her face still blocking the crack in the door. Her voice came from the black hair on the back of her head: "Didn't you emphasize it again and again just now? Your life is very important now. I can't let you go out and die."

To die? He—

Chai Si's legs, like two hollow wooden sticks barely supporting his body, trembled slightly at this moment, suddenly reminding him of reality.

Since his teenage years, Chai Si has gradually developed a strong confidence in his skills and reactions; his strength, speed and adaptability have long been part of him and are a natural part of his nature.

Just as a person wouldn't worry about suddenly forgetting how to breathe, he never thought about not having the strength to use it.

Just now, he subconsciously wanted to grab Han Liuyue and throw her out to make way for him.

It wasn't even a thought; after countless times of masterful muscle action, violence had become the default path, the shortest and easiest.

But now, this confidence has not had time to adjust and catch up with reality.

...How can we bring Jin Xueli back if we drag a body like this out?
"You just said you felt something outside the door," Chai Si asked in a low voice, "You didn't see anyone, so did you sense anything suspicious?"

From above Han Liuyue's head, he could see a line of alley outside the door.

Just as she said, there was no one outside the door.

The sensor light on the door was lit weakly, and white raindrops slid into the light and shadow; the darkness in the alley was disturbed and dispersed by the floating light, turning into layers of shadows.

"It's a hazy feeling, a sense that there's something extra. But I can't tell where it is, how big it is, or what it looks like..."

Han Liuyue's face was still blocked in the crack of the door. She said, "If I could see the person who assassinated you, I would have no problem killing him. It would just be a good opportunity for you to take me to see the mayor without worry. But I didn't see anyone, but I felt something outside the door. How could I let you go out and die?"
"Since Jin Xueli stepped on the landmine for you, you should have left through the main entrance immediately. Anyway, she's not necessary for me to meet with the mayor."

Chai Si was stunned.

…What nonsense is she talking about?
Where is the main entrance in “Backlight”?

Hearing his question, Han Liuyue turned around and looked at him intently for a second or two.

"I don't understand. The main gate is the main gate. What do you mean by 'where is the main gate'?"

"There's no main entrance to the backlighting," Chase said. "The main entrance, which used to be visible from the sidewalk down a flight of stairs, was sealed off years ago."

Han Liuyue paused, as if about to say something, but stopped herself. An indescribable expression seemed to appear on her plump face.

After a few seconds, she slowly said "Oh" in a long voice, looked at him, and said something meaningful.

"I see... Let me think about how this situation is best for me."

If I didn't still hold out a glimmer of hope that Han Liuyue would be resurrected, I really wanted to kill her.

Chai Si closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

...He was a little anxious.

The way he looked at the matter was wrong because Jin Xueli disappeared: fundamentally, he shouldn't have considered saving Jin Xueli now.

Jin Xueli is just a distraction.

If she is still alive, then she can be rescued by getting rid of the assassin; if she is dead, thinking about how to save her is a waste of time.

The key point is that the assassin has arrived; so, where is he and what method is he going to use?
He seemed to be able to make a guess about these two questions. The other party should be in the alley, near the back door, and might have set some kind of trap - but if the other party used a false image, it would be difficult to judge what form it would take and through what channel it would be launched.

Chai Si had previously dealt with a trap-type artifact that could exist in the form of particles and diffuse in the atmosphere.

Once released, an area as large as the entire Blackmore City will be immersed in the trap; however, only when the target's exhaled breath enters the atmosphere, the pseudo-particles in the air will target the target, increase the concentration in a short period of time, and suffocate the target to death.

No matter how vigilant a person is, he cannot live in a vacuum forever; no matter where he hides, he cannot escape the air - as long as the target is not dead, the pseudo-image particles will continue to spread.

That artifact could only be used once, yet it still sold for a price so high it was practically impossible to count the commas.

Since then, Chase has realized two things:

First, he, and every person on Earth, is now breathing artifact particles that can no longer attack; second, artifacts can be beyond imagination and are impossible to guard against.

If the assassin was from Vesile's side, then he must have plenty of good stuff... In this light, he should thank Han Liuyue for stopping him.

The other party guessed that he had revealed his whereabouts in order to lure the assassin, right?

So the assassin took advantage of the situation and set a trap next to the only exit - "Backlight Room" was semi-underground, and Chai Si had no other way to go and would definitely fall into it.

But for the assassin, it was really unfortunate that Jin Xueli and her group appeared at this critical moment, and they just happened to reveal the danger to Chai Si one step ahead.

Chai Si knew that his luck had always been good. Even the trap was set for him by the girl who had just saved his life.

…No matter how beyond imagination the false image is, there should be traces to follow.

Even particle artifacts cannot be invisible from air composition detection.

"Open the door," Chase said suddenly. "I'm not going out. I just want to take a look outside and see if there are any clues."

"really?"

If Han Liuyue grabbed him, he wouldn't be able to get out even if he wanted to force himself out - but Chai Si didn't say that.

"Han Liuyue," he whispered, "Which of the promises I made to you was a lie?"

Xuebai looked at him, frozen in silence for a moment.

Beneath this mask-like face, there is still a part of the real Han Liuyue.

"……I see."

She finally pushed the door open slowly, but her feet did not move. She still stood in front of Chai Si and blocked the door with her body.

"If someone comes and shoots, I will close the door immediately."

Han Liuyue said "close the door", but did not take action; therefore, the speed at which the facial fragments penetrated the human body was indeed not as fast as that of a bullet.

Chai Si stood behind Han Liuyue, watching the alley open up before him.

Raindrops drifted down from the sky and landed in the uneven gaps between the floor tiles. The dark accumulated water was trembling with light and fine shadows, which flickered on and off under the raindrops.

The area around the door was completely empty. Standing on one side of the door and looking diagonally out, one could only see the dark shadows of two large trash cans two or three meters away. If someone was hiding behind the trash cans, they would be completely invisible.

The left side also responded to his gaze with an empty and dark scene, as if it had not been disturbed by any human presence that night.

"Can we go back now?" Han Liuyue said, "I can't see anything."

Chai Si didn't answer her, still staring at the darkness and alley outside the door.

"The only door is currently unsafe, so you should just go back and sit there quietly, waiting to receive a false image that can help me take down the mayor. When we receive it, we'll leave. Don't even think about sitting there for hours, you have to wait for days or even weeks—by then, this backdoor, no, this door, will probably be safe."

It was indeed the best solution for her. As for whether Jin Xueli would still be alive at that time, Han Liuyue did not consider it at all.

"Give me a few more minutes," Chase said.

"What the hell are you doing?"

“…Enjoying the rain.”

Han Liuyue didn't understand at all. "What?"

He wasn't lying. He was watching the rain.

No poet, farmer, or weather observer in the world had ever observed the rain with such meticulous attention; he took in every drop, every drop, every splash. To see more clearly, Chai Si half-knelt on the ground, his cell phone flashlight illuminating the alleyway like a blazing snow.

After a few minutes, under Han Liuyue's repeated urging, he finally stood up again.

"Have you seen enough?" Han Liuyue asked.

"Well, that's enough."

Chai Si's cooperation was almost meek. He lowered his head and whispered in Han Liuyue's ear, "...about three meters, square."

"what?"

It's not that she didn't hear clearly, but that she didn't understand.

"I promised I wouldn't go out."

Chai Si straightened up, raised his chin, and signaled her to close the door. "Look, I didn't go out honestly, did I?"

The door opened outwards. Han Liuyue leaned forward a little, stretched out her arm to reach for the door handle, and said as she reached, "Oh. Thank you?"

"You're welcome."

Chase looked at her back as she leaned forward and extended a hand towards her.

"But I never said I wouldn't push you out."

He murmured these words after he had used all his strength to push Han Liuyue into the alley.

　The title fully reflects my deep hatred for Chai Si.

　　This chapter is considered finished, but I have a feeling that tomorrow's update will only get stuck, and this stuck will probably last for several days. If I don't finish writing this part about Chai Si, my skin will be stuck again and again.

　　Is it easy for me to draw a skin and wear it?!?!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)