Just...
After hemming and hawing for a long time, he still couldn't help but ask, "That, um, those people...what exactly is going on? Could they be vampires or something?"
"Blood Thirst, in the hospital, well, it's labeled as the 109th most dangerous plague virus by some hospital. Hmm, talking to you about the Superior Nine Evils would only confuse you right now, so you might as well think of it as a sort of zombie-vampire infectious disease."
Wen Wen said indifferently, "Somebody in Cliff City is secretly spreading this virus and causing trouble. Most of the people who attacked you are its infectees.
A large part of them will seek medical help after falling ill, some hide in fear, while others...might see this as a gift from heaven, even wanting to use it for their own purposes, and well, you've seen the results. Reduced to beasts, ugly and oblivious, alive they are puppets of others, and in death they don't even leave a whole corpse, instead becoming offerings."
Ji Jue swallowed hard, his whole body bristling with unease.
Let's not even talk about why this freaky thing only ranks at 109, whether there are 108 even crazier ghosts above it. The mere fact that Blood Thirst is being spread by human hands in Cliff City is enough to make him desperate to pack up with Lu Ma and flee immediately.
"Relax, just wait peacefully for your discharge, go to school if you need to go to school, go to work if you need to work, your life should continue as normal."
Wen Wen cracked a smile, suddenly laughing, "While I can't just disclose the progress of the investigation, the bastards of the Dragon Sacrifice Ceremony won't be able to hide for much longer. In a few days, just wait until I turn that dog's ashes to dust, everything will be sorted."
As she said this, her smile deepened with meaning, "Of course, if you're worried and want to get personally involved, I wouldn't mind that either."
"No, no, no, I'm a big, big waste of space! With no strength to truss a chicken, getting involved would just make the Security Bureau's rice more expensive, so I won't bother you," Ji Jue frantically shook his head like a rattle-drum.
"Is that so? That's a shame."
Though she said it was a shame, Wen Wen seemed unconcerned, not even probing into the abilities and strange behaviors he exhibited last night, but simply patted his shoulder.
"Since you're ill, you should rest well... Oh, here, take this, consider it a keepsake."
Saying this, she pulled out a sealable bag from her pocket and casually tossed it onto Ji Jue's bedside table, the snap making Ji Jue's eyelids twitch.
He glanced at it, froze, rubbed his eyes, and looked again, but no matter how he looked, the clear sealable bag seemed to contain a lady's wristwatch.
And it appeared, seemed, looked like, maybe it was...the 'Red Wing' Zhu Hong had been wearing last night?
Five million one hundred thousand?!
As this figure flashed through his mind, Ji Jue felt electrified, his ears buzzing, "This, this, this... Is this appropriate?"
He stared blankly at Wen Wen, beginning to suspect that this woman was coveting his looks. Or had his mind gone wrong?
But that was five million one hundred thousand...
So much money!
Enough for one hundred Ji Jues to grow from orphans to adulthood, enough for seven Ji Jues to pay off Tianmen University's student loans in one go, enough for one Ji Jue to sell it and swap for a seaside penthouse in the city, buy a Universal Mustang he could only ever dream of cleaning, no, forget the car, invest the money in a rental property, and he'd become a noble upper-class citizen of the city.
So... Is it too late for him to bow his head and swear loyalty and service now?
He sat in silence, his eyes as if glued shut, for a long time, only wishing to slap himself twice and look away, waving his hand, "I can't accept this, really."
Take it away, please, I'm really going to regret this.
Let's not talk about it anymore.
Wen Wen seemed neither surprised nor concerned about his refusal.
This was what the police had 'customarily' 'honored' her with after clearing the scene, and of course, it wasn't just this watch; they had even given her far more, hoping for her to be merciful and not to cast the net too wide.
She didn't know what kind of murderous maniac they made her out to be on the outside, but regardless, she had no intention of sparing any of the necessary chickens. As for the monkeys not involved in this, if they learned to behave, she had no reason to go killing entire families.
Don't touch what you shouldn't touch; this principle is best learned well.
"Ease your mind, if you don't want it, it would just be sold by those wastes anyway. It's better given to you.
Think of it as...compensation for the victim, besides, didn't you bravely fight against the evil forces?"
Wen Wen patted his shoulder again, her smile twisted, "Especially that catchy saying, it was truly ear-shattering, my colleagues were quite impressed hearing it."
"Stop, please, just stop."
Ji Jue just wanted to hold his head, dig a hole in his bed to bury himself, preferably to the center of the earth, as he desperately exclaimed, "I was possessed then, that wasn't me, really! I'm not that pretentious in normal times!"
"Whether you're pretentious or not doesn't matter, but I really liked what you said."
Wen Wen's expression became serious, "Ji Jue—in this day and age, it is exceedingly rare to find someone who can awaken on their own, without the aid of a Secret Ritual, and be chosen by destiny. There are even fewer like you.
Yet apart from you, I've seen too many Chosen Ones who think they're above everything else."
"Some people start out full of themselves, thinking they're invincible with their newfound power. After setbacks, they become radical and eventually mouth off about having no choice, all for the sake of others' welfare and the future, and then they head down a dark path toward their own destruction.