Xu Ji had the driver take Han Su back to the apartnt. He was very interested in what had happened that night, itching to ask questions, but Han Su was impatient and scolded, “Ask what? Hurry back, forget all of this, and sleep quietly!”
After all, he had taken the Xu family’s money!
Xu Ji’s face instantly filled with grievance. “You’re so heartless. Use and then throw away, is that it?”
Han Su was surprised. “After I’ve used you, am I supposed to keep worshipping you?”
Xu Ji left, heartbroken, and midway through even transferred Han Su the assistant’s fee for the day—down to the last cent—just to insult him!
Han Su carried the makeup case upstairs. Before entering, he carefully checked all the little asures he had set up, confirming there was no sign anyone had entered. Still uneasy, he used his right eye to carefully scan the inside of the room.
Then he poured a glass of water and placed it beside him.
The ripples on the surface quickly disappeared, becoming completely still. Only then did he relax a little.
He placed the makeup case on his desk and, with a trembling sense of anticipation, slowly opened it.
This chanical fragnt was of great significance, and he couldn’t wait to study it.
The mont he had first heard that familiar ticking sound from the demonstration video, he knew this chanical fragnt might be connected to his kidnapping. Now, after seeing Wei Lan’s reaction to it, there was no longer any doubt.
With a slightly excited heart, he looked into the case—only for a dark line to appear across his face.
He imdiately understood why Wei Lan’s makeup case had seed so mysterious—because the personal items inside were indeed not sothing convenient to show others.
Even he could only frown, carefully picking them out one by one with two fingers, wrapping them in a plastic bag, and planning to mail them back to Wei Lan later.
Only then did he carefully examine the fragnt. It was about the size of two fists, made entirely of so dark-hued, unknown tal. It was definitely unrelated to copper. Its surface was covered with intricate gears and strange runes.
Most eye-catching was a component at the top of the fragnt that resembled a ti-asuring instrunt.
The design was retro, like a simple chanical watch.
At the mont, the dial’s hand was pointing to the “7” position.
He carefully morized every part of the fragnt, then thought about how it seed to have the ability to devour a person’s spiritual power.
After pondering for a while, he slowly focused his attention on his left hand and then pressed it onto the fragnt.
Sure enough, the mont he touched it, the spiritual power in his left hand was instantly absorbed.
At the point of contact, his spiritual power seed to seep out uncontrollably.
Its rate of consumption wasn’t as fast as the Fisherman’s Chant, but it was much stronger than ordinary encrypted spells.
“Hm?”
While mulling this over, Han Su’s pupils suddenly contracted—he noticed that as his spiritual power seeped in, the fragnt’s pointer gave a tiny twitch, moving from “7” to between “7” and “8.”
‘The pointer changes? What’s the reason for that?’
‘……’
He thought silently for a while but couldn’t make an effective judgnt. Then he rembered a video he had seen of researchers at the Central City’s Science Museum demonstrating how to activate the fragnt.
So he decided to try it himself.
Tick… tock… tick… tock…
The activation thod was simple. A light pull on a certain part of the fragnt, and all the gears suddenly began turning one after another in an uncanny rotation. The intricate, interlocking precision was strangely beautiful.
At the sa ti, that familiar ticking sound rang out—clear and with a sense of urgency.
Han Su’s body stiffened slightly. He had a bit of a conditioned response to this sound.
He carefully observed the fragnt’s operation and suddenly noticed that the numbers on the dial were quickly decreasing as the chanism ran—from “7” to “6,” and then to “5.”
A strange chill rose in his heart. He hurriedly shut the fragnt down. The pointer finally stopped between “6” and “5.” Even though it was no longer moving, it still carried a sense of shock.
‘Could it really be what I think it is?’
Han Su thought silently, watching the fragnt for a long ti before slowly locking it back into the case.
Perhaps, if he looked again in the morning, he would know.
Although he still didn’t fully understand all of the fragnt’s functions, there was now one thing he could confirm—
It could make the rescued children rember their kidnapping.
Wei Lan had confird this. So… would it also work if Xu Ji touched it, letting him recall sothing?
The idea was tempting, but soon he couldn’t help frowning again.
The fragnt’s contamination ability was terrifying.
Wei Lan was so strong, yet she had nearly been overwheld. Xu Ji was just an ordinary person—he’d never withstand it.
Besides…
Thinking of Xu Ji’s usual unserious self, Han Su sighed softly.
This guy might be a fool, a troublemaker, and a spoiled rich brat—but he was still a brother. Safety ca first…
……
After sorting through his thoughts, Han Su reached a preliminary conclusion—
The fragnt was definitely connected to the kidnapping case.
If even the Ancient Castle’s butler had to steal it personally, then having it in his possession was already a victory.
But then he suddenly realized sothing important—
Where should he keep it?
He didn’t have the Lilac Courtyard owner’s kind of sinister hidden chamber, and this apartnt wasn’t even his. Was he supposed to just shove it under the bed?
It was safer to carry it with him.
But the box was too big to carry conveniently…
Just then, his phone beeped. Han Su froze, picked it up, and saw a ssage from Miss Ai:
【Dear Mr. Butcher, your specially customized Investigator Suitcase and credentials are ready. When would you like to collect them?】
【……】
‘The Disaster Managent Bureau is faster than I thought.’
He rembered Miss Ai’s explanation of the differences between suitcases for various staff mbers of the Disaster Managent Bureau. An idea stirred in his heart, and he typed: 【Can the custom suitcase include hidden compartnts to block scanning and supernatural probing?】
Miss Ai replied instantly: 【Of course.】
【An investigator’s suitcase is their personal safe. Often, our esteed investigators must walk in a vast world full of mystery and the unknown, facing constant scrutiny and tests.】
【Ensuring classified docunts and precious investigation results are never leaked is very important.】
【So such hidden compartnts and functional divisions were designed long ago.】
【Friendly reminder: Mr. Butcher can fully trust your suitcase. From the start, it was designed to block all kinds of scanning and prying—including from !】
【……】
Her words gave Han Su a strange feeling. Instead of replying imdiately, he asked: 【Why?】
Miss Ai answered: 【Because despite my wholehearted efforts to protect the line of reality, I am not trusted among the high-level figures of Qinggang City…】
‘There she goes adding sentence particles again…’
Han Su felt even stranger, then slowly replied: 【Then prepare it. I’ll pick it up first thing tomorrow.】
……
That night, Han Su didn’t do much else and quickly fell asleep. Even though he could recharge his battery, sneaking around and channeling spiritual power into the fragnt had left him genuinely exhausted.
As Zhang Chiguo had said, when spiritual power was greatly depleted, a good night’s sleep was very important.
The next morning, he took the case out from under the bed and examined it closely—sure enough, the pointer had moved back half a mark overnight.
He rembered clearly that last night it had been between “6” and “5,” but now it was pointing exactly at “5.”
This discovery made his heart stir. ‘No way…’
He pulled out his notebook and did so quick calculations. A strong suspicion was about to be confird.
It had been five days since he escaped from the Ancient Castle, and judging from the shortening interval, his ti in the “present” was only about ten days this round. The next Flicker would arrive when the pointer read “5,” wouldn’t it?
Realizing this, a jolt ran through him.
‘This thing shows the ti until the Flicker arrives?’
‘……’
He had guessed it last night, but seeing it confird in the morning made it hard to stay calm.
Then another exciting thought occurred to him—
‘If spiritual power can affect the fragnt, could I delay the Flicker’s arrival?’
‘……’
Nothing could be more important. Han Su imdiately adjusted his state, checked the apartnt thoroughly again, and then sat beside the fragnt.
He focused his spiritual activity and slowly placed his palm on the fragnt. As his spiritual power seeped in, the pointer began to move—
It seed to be shifting from “5” toward a higher number.
But… it was too weak.
At this level, it was far from enough—like a child trying to swing a giant hamr.
So Han Su narrowed his eyes and suddenly invoked the Fisherman’s Chant:
【Gods descend with their divine decree!】
【Spiritual activation!】
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