GAMMT - Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Treasure?
Fu Chuan, disguised as Xie Keli, wore a startled and fearful expression. "Y-you, do you need something?"
She was so uneasy, as if she had done something wrong and was afraid of being caught.
Could it be...
The leader narrowed his eyes and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Though he asked, he had already stepped inside. His tall, burly frame made the already small restroom feel incredibly cramped. Xie Keli was forced into a corner, his back pressed against the cold tiled wall. He stammered, "I... I coughed up blood. I really didn't hurt that woman, I didn't harm anyone. She seduced me, and the fire started because she knocked over an oil lamp and ignited some plastic."
A scumbag who lied through his teeth would naturally be terrified and panicked when facing a powerful being who could kill him in an instant, instinctively avoiding the subject he feared most.
The leader suddenly realized that the source of the young man's fear was this, and not something else...
"You coughed up blood? Are you sick?"
Panicked, he stammered out a single word, "Pro..."
"Pro-what?!" The leader's interest was piqued, his sharp eyes focused. Could it be the item? He still didn't know what it was, only that it was treasured in a box, according to his master. It was almost certainly a treasure.
"Prostatitis, does that count?" Fu Chuan recalled the state of that bastard Xie Keli when he'd dropped his pants. She had been shocked at the time, and utterly disgusted.
!
The leader's expression became as indescribable as Fu Chuan's had been. What kind of degenerate would have such a condition and still be in a rush to assault someone? He was like a dog in heat.
"But that wouldn't make you cough up blood. It's not like it's cancer."
"I bumped into something by accident, really. When I was running out, I hit the doorpost." She was lying deliberately, as she absolutely could not reveal that she wasn't the original person. But as for why they had saved the real Xie Keli, she had some idea.
From the very first day she had transmigrated into the body of this world's Fu Chuan—a girl with the same name—she had been assessing her situation.
The original owner's status as a slave was untenable. A dog running away wasn't a crime, but if she fled, Madam Miley—who had nominally adopted her but in reality enslaved her for free labor and held the right to sell her—could beat her to death in the street or report her to the official inspection team to have her captured.
Fortunately, the sordid dealings between Xie Keli and Madam Miley were not hard to discern, so she had been preparing to turn the tables all along. Furthermore, Arcane Throne was not a novel adaptation. The core of the game was its power system—the Arcane—but as a role-playing game, it naturally had a plot.
She excelled at alchemy and the Arcane knowledge system but wasn't an expert on the plot. Still, she remembered that many players in the early game chose to start on the garbage star, because that's where the male protagonist was from. Xie Keli was merely a stumbling block on his path to power. An important detail was that Xie Keli was the illegitimate son of a noble. After he assaulted a minor female character, causing her to commit suicide out of grief, the town's residents and the inspection team attempted to execute him and divide his property according to the local company's rules. However, guards sent by Xie Keli's biological father arrived just in time to stop everything. This incident also created a feud between the male protagonist and Xie Keli, as the protagonist had known the female character—they were something like childhood friends.
In other words, this Xie Keli character came with the benefits of being born with a silver spoon, but also carried the risk of being killed by the protagonist in the future.
After weighing the pros and cons, Fu Chuan still chose to devour him. She knew that in this world of Arcane, even the lowest-ranking nobles possessed inherent privileges and a degree of inherited Arcane talent. If, by some stroke of dumb luck, this scumbag's paternal family had a powerful ancestor who passed down a decent gene chain, she would have hit the jackpot.
The only prerequisite was that she could safely return to that family.
Thinking back, those mounted guards had emerged from the street to the left. Further down that way was a dead end. There was a fork, but it led to a narrow path, not a road wide enough for a large group to enter from outside the town. This meant they hadn't just arrived suddenly; they had been nearby for some time, perhaps even for several days. They might have been observing Xie Keli, or only acted to save him after receiving orders from a superior.
In that case, they must have known what Xie Keli was doing and that he was a scumbag, yet they still saved him. This meant they didn't care. Her lies wouldn't change anything, but they could help solidify her persona. As she spoke, she deliberately covered her chest.
"Is that so? How careless. Did the post grow claws and scratch you?" the leader asked with feigned curiosity. Xie Keli immediately looked embarrassed, but he thought to himself that this man clearly looked down on him, yet was suppressing his contempt. It was clear the man wasn't sure if "he" would be able to return to the family as a young master, which meant he had to control his temper.
That meant her situation wasn't so bad after all.
The leader didn't press the issue. He asked if he was certain that his mother hadn't mentioned any important heirlooms before she died.
Fu Chuan again confirmed that there were none.
After a moment of thought, the leader softened his tone. "Well, did she have anything she particularly cherished? The truth is, we were friends of your mother. Before she passed, she was keeping something very important for our master. Our master is currently away, but his family needs this item, so they sent us to find it."
Fu Chuan thought to herself: He's clearly an illegitimate son, yet they won't say it outright. It seems this illegitimate son's future is indeed precarious.
In that case, she couldn't just hand this "item" over to them.
However, her Devouring Scroll was a low-end version and couldn't absorb the target's memories, so she genuinely didn't know.
"My mom? She loved to drink, eat meat, dance, and sing. As for what she cherished most, that was definitely me. She always called me her treasure."
The corner of the leader's mouth twitched. He thought to himself that, as expected, only such a classless woman could raise such a useless wastrel. "We'll continue searching. You can mind your own business."
He then observed the young scumbag's reaction and saw that he looked reluctant but held his tongue. Finally, out of sheer weakness, he sheepishly moved to the side, only occasionally muttering for them to be careful, that certain vases were valuable, and so on. His voice was soft and polite, a perfect blend of cowardly and petty.
It didn't seem like he was feigning indifference while hiding the truth.
The last bit of suspicion in the leader's heart faded. However, after he went out, he reached over and scraped the blood from the washbasin, collecting it in a test vial with a cold expression.
This type of cryogenic test agent was one hundred percent accurate, but it had a long reaction time, requiring twelve hours. In twelve hours, they would be able to determine whether this scumbag Xie Keli was worth keeping alive.
After leaving the restroom, Fu Chuan saw them ransacking the house again, turning the place into a complete mess. The storage room was turned upside down; even the spare gas canister inside was knocked over so they could check its base for hidden compartments.
She feigned terror, watching them with a trembling demeanor, while inwardly thinking that this "item" definitely existed. It must be something that posed a threat to the noble father, and it would be best if she could get her hands on it herself.
But where could it be hidden?
Xie Keli's mother was indeed a hedonist. Many patrons at the tavern used to gossip about her out of a mix of jealousy and envy, revealing quite a bit of information. One detail was that she loved to play mahjong and had once purchased a whale bone mahjong set for a high price.
Looking at the mess, Fu Chuan suddenly felt that something was off. Where was that mahjong set she had bought for twenty thousand copper coins?
Half an hour later, the group finally stopped.
The leader, having found nothing, looked displeased. He said to Fu Chuan, "A lot has happened today. You get some rest here. We'll be at the TX Hotel. If you need anything, call this communicator number. My ID is..."
After they exchanged numbers, the man left with his people.
Fu Chuan saw them to the door. Once they were gone and the door was shut, she stood facing it with a thoughtful expression. The house has been turned upside down, yet they're telling me to stay here, and even volunteering the name of their hotel? Why so casual and trusting? Unless... there are surveillance cameras, and they're hiding nearby, ready to rush back at any moment.
Something was definitely fishy. He was just an illegitimate son. Was it necessary to go all 007 on him?
Her expression remained unchanged. She turned, tidied up a few things around the house, and made something to eat. When she came out of the kitchen, she glanced toward the hotel across the way, then lowered her head and finished her ramen. Without cleaning up, she stood up.
In the hotel across the street, the leader and his men sat in a room, watching the footage from the surveillance cameras on a screen.
They had installed numerous cameras throughout the chaotic house, and every one of Xie Keli's movements was under their watch. At first, nothing seemed amiss. But after gorging himself on a meal, he began to search the place.
This was normal. After they had searched for so long, it would have been strange if he wasn't the least bit curious.
"I wonder if he can find it. The master wants it urgently and ordered us to find it no matter what."
"Let's watch."
Fu Chuan deliberately rummaged through cabinets and drawers, but she was actually pinpointing the locations of the surveillance cameras. Once she had found them all, she sat on the sofa to think. She knew the item had to be stored with the things Xie Keli's mother cherished most, like that mahjong set.
But where were they kept? She recalled the layout of every piece of furniture she had memorized the moment she'd returned home.
A lazy slob like Xie Keli never cleaned, and his mother was lazy as well, so she hired a servant to tidy up. The house was therefore reasonably clean. The hiding spot had to be somewhere a servant wouldn't find—a place that wouldn't be disturbed during cleaning, yet was still easily accessible to his mother.
Fu Chuan suddenly thought of something. She mentally mapped out the camera positions near the spot—it was no good. The area was covered by a camera.
If she went to retrieve it, they would certainly see her. It was an impossible situation. If she took it, she would be discovered. But if she didn't, the moment she left, who knew what kind of riffraff would occupy the house and find it.
Then... there was only one way.
Fu Chuan stood up, feigning frustration. She kicked a chair on the floor and paced back and forth before making a call to the servant.
The leader and his men heard him arranging for someone to come clean up first thing in the morning. He even told the person to find a scrap dealer to haul all the junk away.
This made the leader and his men anxious.
"This brain-dead idiot!" one of the men cursed. "Boss, we can't let him sell all that stuff. What if the master's item is hidden among it? Besides, our cameras will be sold off too." The leader frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "It's not just that the item might be lost. He's very likely to discover the cameras. If he ever returns to the family and becomes a young master, he won't hold a grudge against our master, but he will definitely hold one against us. In the future, he could deliberately assign us to a dangerous mission and get us killed without lifting a finger."
The gap between classes was a mountain.
After a brief discussion, they decided to remove all the cameras under the cover of night.
After finishing the call, Fu Chuan packed a few things, played a game for a while, and then went to sleep. That night, inside the tightly sealed house, a wall suddenly seemed to melt. A hidden human shape emerged, and a dark figure slipped through, dismantling the cameras one by one. When it reached the master bedroom, it saw the person sleeping soundly on the bed. The figure's eyes narrowed slightly as it drew closer and reached out its hand...
Fu Chuan, only pretending to be asleep, had been nothing more than a studio owner in her previous life. This was her first time facing such a situation. Although she had anticipated their actions, she had no real-world experience. She struggled to keep her breathing steady as the hand drew near. Click! A finger detached the camera from under the base of the lamp on the nightstand. Then, the person's fingers formed a seal, and she heard a low chant.
An Arcane spell, consuming elemental energy. Then, he seemed to melt away, vanishing without a sound.
Fu Chuan didn't dare move, because she could sense the breathing of a second person in the room. These guards weren't yet powerful enough to hold their breath while using Arcane arts—that was a level of physical control for a Level 2 Arcanist, a standard they had yet to meet. Therefore, as long as her perception was sharp, she could detect them in the darkness.
This person was observing her.
After a while, Fu Chuan sensed the person's breathing vanish. They must have left.
But she remained still for another two or three hours. Then, in the dead of night, as if half-asleep, she deliberately got up, turned on the lights to use the restroom, and walked the path down the hallway. She observed that all the cameras had indeed been removed, including the one in front of the storage room.
She didn't take any action, simply returning to her room, turning off the light, and going back to sleep.
Across the street in the hotel, the leader and his subordinate had already returned to their room, holding the dismantled cameras.
"Keep an eye on him. It's too late now. I'll contact the master tomorrow morning and ask for instructions."
When they later saw Fu Chuan get up to use the restroom, they didn't think much of it. They were all men; they understood.
While the house was still under surveillance, long after the bedroom light had gone out, Fu Chuan climbed out of bed. She crawled along the floor to the storage room, quietly opened the door, and scanned the inside with a small flashlight, quickly finding her target.
The gas canister.
When searching for something, who would think to open a gas canister? That was just asking for an explosion.
But Fu Chuan had observed the canister's model and condition, comparing it to the brand-new one in the kitchen. She had a theory. Xie Keli's mother played mahjong every day, often all night long, and frequently cooked for friends at home. She must have gone through gas canisters quickly. Even so, she had never brought this old one out for use. One might assume she had forgotten or was simply too lazy, but the woman was flamboyant. Her home was tidy and filled with new things; most old items had been thrown out. She clearly wasn't the sentimental or frugal type. Therefore, the very presence of this old gas canister was strange.
Unless... it was an empty, discarded canister whose shell was being used for something else.
Fu Chuan carefully examined the valve and found it was screwed on tight. She took a deep breath and twisted it slightly.
Sensing no release of gas, she unscrewed it completely and removed the top.
Just as she thought. The inside was filled with miscellaneous junk to mimic the weight, but nestled in the middle were a set of whale bone mahjong tiles and an exquisitely decorated box.
Indeed, the mother was far smarter than the son.
Fu Chuan quickly took them out, leaving the other junk untouched.
She checked the mahjong set first, finding nothing unusual or hidden within it. Then she opened the box... and found a thick stack of letters.
Could these be letters containing the noble father's secrets? Oho!
Fu Chuan's hands trembled with excitement as she opened one. After reading for a moment, her expression became one of utter speechlessness.
The first two lines read: In the moment I fall asleep each night, I yearn for the first ray of sunlight from when we met. I thought I was missing the brilliance of that moment, but I later came to understand that you are, in fact, my sun. If the sun must eventually set, then you can only set into my arms at night, merging with me to fulfill the rhythm of our lifelong destiny.
Fu Chuan: "???" It wasn't just cheesy; it was nauseating.
If this was truly love, would he have let a mother and her son languish on a garbage star for so many years without a word?
What a bastard. The signature at the bottom was just a single character: An. How cunning, refusing to use his real name for fear of exposing his identity. Heh.
"All this 007 business, and it was just for a bunch of cheesy love letters?"
Fu Chuan rolled her eyes and put the letters away, feeling deeply disappointed. Was this paltry collection really worth all their caution? Had she missed something?
Wait. The signature didn't reveal his identity, so the letters themselves couldn't be much of a threat. Unless... there was another secret.
Fu Chuan suddenly looked at the whale bone mahjong tiles.
She began to inspect them one by one, finally finding a flaw in the third-to-last tile.
The seam along its edge wasn't perfectly flush; it had been pried open before.
There was something inside.
Fu Chuan used a small knife to pry it open. With a soft click, the two halves split apart. A small groove had been carved into the interior, and nestled inside was a crystal bead the size of a marble. It glowed with a clear, azure light, resembling fine jade. Within it, mysterious and wondrous blood-red filaments coiled into a double helix, just like a gene chain.
Ah? This is...!
Fu Chuan recognized it at a glance, her heart pounding with elation. This was it!
Comments
Post a Comment