Chapter 89
“Right, you can understand it that way. Those mutated beasts you see on TV aren’t actually mutated beasts; they’re monsters. There are many such monsters, and they keep appearing. Many of the well-known supernatural events and serial murders in recent years are caused by evil spirits and monsters, though there are also some out-of-control revivers.”
At the entrance of the hotel surrounded by police cars.
Luo Saihu and Chen Huai'an squatted by the roadside, watching the passing vehicles and pedestrians.
“Want a smoke?”
“No, thanks.” Chen Huai'an shook his head at the cigarette offered by the bearded man.
His mind was still in a haze, and it was clear that only this uncle beside him could help clear it up.
“Am I a reviver?” He pointed at himself.
“Exactly.” Luo Saihu lit a cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he squinted and said, “I was planning to contact you anyway; I just hadn’t decided whether to let you know the truth about this world. Compared to other revivers and monsters, your body is quite weak, but one thing is undeniable: your reviving ability is impressive.”
“Are you talking about the talismans?” Chen Huai'an looked at his charred palm.
The moment the talisman exploded, he was thrown back, but for some reason, the talisman that could have shattered the black-furred monster into pieces didn’t destroy him; it only left his hand with a slight burn.
“Your talismans come from a game on your phone, right?”
Chen Huai'an was taken aback. “Uncle, can you see that game?”
“No, I can’t see it; only you can.” Luo Saihu shook his head, blowing out a smoke ring. “This is your companion spirit object. Only you can use it; no one else can control it. However, your ability to completely shield others from your spirit object is quite rare.”
“Companion spirit object…” Chen Huai'an pondered the implications of Luo Saihu’s words.
All along, he had thought the changes in his body were a result of the cancer cells’ transformation.
But upon reflection, it seemed his life had started to change dramatically after he got the game “Electronic Girlfriend.”
Without that game, he wouldn’t have climbed Mount Liao.
If he hadn’t climbed Mount Liao, how would he have encountered so many opportunities?
“I know a reviver whose ability is very similar to yours,” Luo Saihu suddenly said. “His initial evaluation was Class A, nicknamed ‘Divine Brush.’ His companion spirit object is a pen, and whatever he draws can become real. Depending on the logic and uniqueness of the creation, he has to pay different costs, the highest being his own life.”
His gaze fell on Chen Huai'an, growing increasingly profound.
“Creating something from nothing is often the hardest. And your talismans were also created by your companion spirit object, right?”
Chen Huai'an nodded; that made sense.
Besides the talismans, he had also obtained a protective charm, a string of spirit stones, and a plant.
No wonder he had never managed to catch that mysterious delivery person who brought him the items, no matter how quickly he rushed to the door.
It turned out there were no hackers or delivery people at all.
These items were all conjured out of thin air by the companion spirit object from the “Electronic Girlfriend” game.
“So, what kind of price do you have to pay to create a talisman like this?”
Luo Saihu stared intently at Chen Huai'an, a hint of urgency in his eyes.
He desperately needed to know what it cost to exchange for these powerful talismans.
This was related to Chen Huai'an’s initial classification as a reviver and the future of the Tianfu Demon-Slaying Division.
Chen Huai'an met Luo Saihu’s gaze, opened his mouth, and fell silent again.
Was it money he had to pay?
He had a nagging feeling that this answer wouldn’t be good.
If what Luo Saihu said was true, this world was about to be overrun by monsters, ushering in an era of revivers.
In that case, money wouldn’t mean much to these revivers.
An innocent man can still be punished for possessing something valuable.
If money could buy such talismans, what would be the difference between him and a walking treasure chest?
What if he got caught and dissected?
What if he was kept in captivity, forced to produce talismans every day?
What if someone tried to steal his companion spirit object?
Luo Saihu said that the companion spirit object could only be used by him; could that really be true?
Chen Huai'an didn’t want to assume the worst about others.
But countless painful experiences in his life constantly reminded him—people are not to be trusted.
If people were trustworthy, he wouldn’t be living on a tight budget with that meager compensation; if they were trustworthy, his ex-girlfriend wouldn’t have cheated on him; his college roommate wouldn’t have tried to take his spot as a low-income student.
So…
“The price is life.”
Chen Huai'an locked eyes with Luo Saihu.
His face remained calm, his heart steady, as he gave that answer.
…
…
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Chapter 95: The Masses
“Life! Such a heavy price?”
Luo Saihu opened his mouth, and the half-burned cigarette fell to the ground.
He suddenly felt very guilty; after all, the talisman was something Chen Huai'an had exchanged his life for, and he had just bought it for a mere hundred thousand!
At that time, Chen Huai'an probably didn’t know the value of the talisman.
In that case, it seemed he had been deceiving him on purpose.
“How did you know the price was life? I remember you didn’t know this talisman could be used before, right?”
Chen Huai'an had long prepared his words, speaking without a hitch: “I really didn’t know before. As for how I determined the price was life…” He rolled up his pant leg to reveal the dense growth of bone tumors to Luo Saihu.
“To be honest, I’m a late-stage cancer patient, but just a week ago, I was still in the mid-stage.”
Luo Saihu stared at the bone tumors on Chen Huai'an’s leg, dumbfounded. “So, because you exchanged for the talisman, your cancer worsened?”
“Exactly. The doctor said my cancer cells are spreading at an unprecedented rate, and the deterioration happened right after I exchanged for the talisman.”
“Then, how long do you have left?”
“Who knows?” Chen Huai'an smiled. “Maybe six months if I’m lucky, or a month if I’m not.”
Luo Saihu was stunned, struggling to comprehend that the sunny, handsome guy in front of him was already a dying man.
But the tumors on his leg told him it was true.
‘I should be ashamed!’
He mentally slapped himself hard.
As the head of the Tianfu District Demon-Slaying Division, he had deceived a late-stage cancer patient, tricking him out of such a precious talisman for just a hundred thousand! Not to mention his own conscience, what if the other districts’ demon-slaying divisions found out? Wouldn’t he be in deep trouble?!
“Huai'an, I’m really sorry.”
To ease his conscience, Luo Saihu quickly apologized to Chen Huai'an.
“I shouldn’t have tricked you out of a talisman.”
“Ah, it’s fine~” Chen Huai'an waved his hand. “I still have plenty of talismans. I was already a terminal patient, destined to die; losing a bit more life doesn’t make much difference.”
Luo Saihu silently gazed at Chen Huai'an, feeling even worse.
“I’ll transfer you another hundred thousand!”
“Sure.” Chen Huai'an swiftly opened his phone to show the payment code.
Luo Saihu: “…”
After the money was transferred, the atmosphere between the two became noticeably more sincere.
“Huai'an, what are your plans for the future?”
“Plans…” Chen Huai'an and Luo Saihu both looked at the flow of traffic. His plan was actually to keep making money to spend on the game. Before he knew that “Electronic Girlfriend” was a companion spirit object, he was willing to spend; now that he knew, he was even more willing to spend. What if one day the game released an item that could cure his cancer?
Also, was the world in the game real?
If the game was fake, why was his electronic girlfriend so lifelike?
But if this game was a real world, wouldn’t that civilization have long surpassed Earth? After all, a mere ordinary talisman like the Thunder Fire Talisman already had such terrifying power; what about a celestial-grade talisman? And other higher-grade talismans? Wouldn’t they be as powerful as missiles or even nuclear bombs?!
This made it even more confusing.
The three-dimensional world surpassing the two-dimensional world was clearly unreasonable.
Moreover, this world had so-called main quests, storylines, and even dialogue choices.
What right did he have to control the course of a real world?
If he were that powerful, he would have become an immortal by now.
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