Monster - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: An Outsider's Precision

Lou, who had been sound asleep, suddenly opened her eyes.

She had been sleeping with her forehead resting on Lin Sandie's shoulder, so the first thing she smelled upon waking was Lin Sandie's uniquely fresh scent. Lou lifted her head slightly and saw the carotid artery pulsing beneath the collar of Lin Sandie's pajamas. Her blood was being transported through that heart-like vessel to her clever, calm brain. Wrapped beneath a layer of fair, delicate skin, it was difficult for Lou to control the urge to take a bite out of that heart.

However, the upbringing she had received since childhood ultimately allowed her to restrain herself. When she was young, Little Rabbit was always going on about being polite. As a result, even after so many years, Lou still had a near-PTSD level of conditioning when it came to manners.

"What's wrong?" Miu the crow, bound to Lou, sensed something unusual about its partner and asked groggily.

"Someone is controlling me," Lou replied, gently lifting the blanket. She got out of bed carefully, not wanting to disturb the still-sleeping Lin Sandie. However, this act of resisting the law made her body tremble intermittently, like a tightly wound puppet.

"Controlling what?" Seeing someone as powerful as Lou trembling uncontrollably, Miu became fully awake and asked nervously.

"I don't know. A Legislator might have written a law concerning me." Lou moved as slowly as possible. She didn't turn on the lights, using only the faint glow of the room's nightlight to walk to the chair at the foot of the bed and pick up the black suit Wang Lirou had specially prepared for her.

"Right now, my mind is filled with the thought of going to the Disorder Land headquarters in Center City to register."

"So it's Zhang Jun's group? Zhang Jun has a Ruler Brooch, so it's not surprising they have a Legislator Brooch."

"That's what I think, too. But this one might be stronger, because we're not in Center City right now." Lou buttoned her white shirt, starting from the bottom and working her way up.

"You mean the law is effective throughout all of Leviathan?"

"Yes. The person writing the laws now is probably the big boss of this game." After putting on her shirt and fastening the shoulder holster, Lou saw that Lin Sandie was still breathing deeply, fast asleep. A smile involuntarily touched her lips, and her gaze held a tenderness and affection she herself was unaware of.

Lou continued to watch Lin Sandie's sleeping face as she tied up her long hair.

"Are you really going?"

"Of course. I can't resist this world's compulsory laws indefinitely. Let's go." Grabbing her gun, brooch, and other items, Lou didn't hesitate. She threw on her suit jacket, her eyes sharp as she headed downstairs. She was curious to see who was disturbing her peaceful sleep.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to Lin Sandie?"

"She's sleeping so soundly. Forget it."

Although she said that, Lou still took out her phone and wrote a timed message for Lin Sandie: I left at 1:32 AM. It seems someone is controlling me. I'll most likely end up in the Disorder Land. If we get a chance to meet again, can you properly fulfill your duties as the top? I've tried to seduce you so many times, but you just ignore me. Lou Lou is hurt. Lou Lou is doubting her charm. Lou Lou is about to cry...

One second she was radiating killing intent, the next she was acting like her brain had shrunk when it came to Lin Sandie. And she still claimed she didn't like her... Miu, who saw the message, rolled its eyes. It realized that Lou's issues, or rather, the points of her bedevilment, were far more numerous and complex than it had imagined.

Miu guessed that perhaps someone had once told Lou how relationships were supposed to work. Even as an adult with her own life experiences, Lou still strictly adhered to those rules. This was common for Sentinels; once they accepted something, they would follow it blindly, without questioning whether it was right or wrong. That's why even if she fell for Lin Sandie, she would think it was just because they were playing house. And this "playing house" was a self-developed defense mechanism for Lou.

Something like: I like you, and I want to play house with you, but I can't be with you forever because we didn't follow a certain correct process for dating, so the relationship isn't valid.

If Lin Sandie fell for Lou too, wouldn't that be exhausting? Miu thought gossipily. After all, this idiot Sentinel had no idea what real love was. She just liked being close to people.

Driving Lin Sandie's car, Lou headed toward Center City under the cover of night.

"Going just like this... we can't even use our own magical items right now. Aren't you afraid they'll beat you to death or cripple you?" Miu asked, a little timid and uneasy. Ever since infiltrating the villa, it had begun to seriously doubt its own abilities, which caused its intelligence to plummet and made it dependent on the powerful Lou.

"They won't kill me, but crippling me is a possibility," Lou replied as she drove.

"Why?"

"What do you think Yan Ting's people want?"

"To kill you, and to get Xu Yao's Notebook."

"Xu Yao's Notebook is probably their top priority. But the notebook was a gift from Xu Siqian, which means..." Lou left a blank for Miu to fill in.

"It means Xu Yao's Notebook is your legal property!" Miu's intelligence came back online. It remembered when Lou and Lin Sandie had tested the Legislator Brooch's function. Back then, Lin Sandie had tried to "legislate" an order for Lou to hand over the notebook, but it failed. However, when she "legislated" an order for Lou to hand over Yan Ting's phone, it succeeded.

From this, Lin Sandie determined that if an item was legally owned, even a legislative order couldn't be used to forcibly take it. But if the target of the order possessed an illegal item, it could be acquired.

Of course, even though Lou had obediently handed over Yan Ting's phone at the time, Lin Sandie had no intention of taking that hot potato. Some things you might have the strength to take, but not the fate to use. Only a crazy Outsider like Lou could act without considering the consequences.

"If that's the case, when you go over there, Yan Ting's phone will be taken from you."

"Yan Ting's phone is my legal property now, too." Lou grinned smugly.

"Why? Didn't you just secretly hide it away when she died?" Miu suddenly felt like it had missed something, since it wasn't with Lou all the time.

"I looked through Yan Ting's phone and found a will. Yan Ting left a will giving all her property to Lin Sandie. Yan Ting's feelings for Lin Sandie were really twisted," Lou sighed, saying something she, of all people in the world, had no right to say.

"...So according to the law, Yan Ting's phone is Lin Sandie's legal property. Then Lin Sandie gifted the phone to you, making it legally yours?"

"Yes. It was Lin Sandie's idea. She's so smart."

Miu guiltily shut its beak and stopped asking questions. It decided to think things through on its own. As a Guide, asking too many "whys" was practically the same as being an idiot.

But soon, it couldn't help but ask again, "Aren't you afraid those monsters will swarm you when you get there? Beat you half to death and interrogate you?"

"I've been thinking about that, too... Little Crow, I know you can imitate human voices. Can you help me record something? My voice isn't very intimidating."

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know if it'll work, but it's worth a try." Lou reached for the phone on the passenger seat and opened the recorder. "Use the most annoying voice you can and record this for me: If this Outsider can't contact me after entering the Disorder Land, or if I sense anything is wrong with her, I'll give the notebook and the phone to Sui Xi."

"...Damn it! Your voice is the most annoying one in the world!"

After driving at breakneck speed for over three hours, Lou arrived at the Disorder Land's Center City headquarters just as the sky was beginning to lighten. Thanks to the guidance of the law, even without knowing the exact location, her instincts led her right to it.

The Disorder Land headquarters in Center City looked unremarkable from the outside. It was situated on a road separating the Black Goat Walled City from Center City proper. It appeared to be a gray, three-story building with windows painted red, which looked a bit creepy in the dead of night.

As if waiting for Lou, the main gate outside the headquarters was wide open. A man in a black security guard uniform stood respectfully at the entrance. Through the gate, the wooden door of the gray building was also open. It was brightly lit inside, with flickering shadows, resembling a demon's lair from a nightmare. The entire place oozed a terrifying atmosphere.

Lou parked Lin Sandie's car on the side of the road. By the time she turned off the engine, her eyes had turned as black as obsidian.

A pair of long, straight legs stepped out of the driver's seat first. After getting out of the car, Lou put on her black suit jacket.

The sound of her hard-soled leather shoes on the stone floor echoed in the silent night. Lou drew the pistol from her shoulder holster and blew the head off the guard who was there to greet her.

"Don't use a monster to receive an Outsider. It's a matter of courtesy."

The mutated guard fell to the ground. Lou bent down, took a pistol from its body, and placed the phone with the recording on its chest, turning the speaker to full volume.

"IF THIS OUTSIDER CAN'T CONTACT ME AFTER ENTERING THE DISORDER LAND, OR IF I SENSE ANYTHING IS WRONG WITH HER, I'LL GIVE THE NOTEBOOK AND THE PHONE TO SUI XI!!"

A grating, irritating voice, like fingernails scraping across a blackboard, rang out in front of the Disorder Land headquarters. It shrieked with extreme arrogance, making anyone who heard it want to beat the speaker to a pulp.

Lou strode into the brightly lit gray building, letting Miu's voice roar into the night sky. The crow itself, overcome with shame, had already flown to the building's spire and was now using its "Island" to scout the situation inside.

"Hello, I'm here to register to enter the Disorder Land," Lou said to the receptionist behind the counter, her dark eyes reflecting the light with a chilling glint.

"O-Okay."

Bang! Another gunshot echoed through the hall—the kind of precision unique to an Outsider hunting monsters.

"Find a person to receive me, will you?" Lou politely asked the monster's corpse as it fell backward.

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