Chapter 23: Is It Hard
Qin Huai didn’t respond for quite a while.
Ji Qing waited impatiently, thinking he went busy with other things, intending to close the phone and ignore it.
A second before closing the phone, Qin Huai replied. Although there seemed to be no major issue with the tone, Ji Qing just felt this person’s mood was terribly bad, like he ate a dynamite pack.
Qin Huai: [Who is he with.]
Ji Qing: […With me, obviously. Otherwise, how could I see him and message you?]
Ji Qing: [Oh right, and my surveillance target. He should have been brought in by Xu Jue—that A+ level succubus I’ve been watching for three months.]
After listening to Ji Qing’s description of “The Banquet” building, Qin Huai was rarely verbose.
Only after confirming via text with Ji Qing that the three individuals—Chen XX, Gu XX, and Lu X—were indeed not in the villa, and that succubi could not feed on each other, did Qin Huai seem to finally relax a bit.
[Ignore him. Just watch your own mission.]
Oho, not letting me interfere?
Ji Qing found it miraculous. He looked curiously at Duan Ke, and not long after, his phone vibrated again.
[Don’t look at him, and don’t talk to him.]
Ji Qing: … You manage a wide range 🙂
Anyway, Qin Huai wasn’t here and couldn’t get evidence or find a reason to revoke his ID. Ji Qing decisively snapped his phone shut, too lazy to heed his warning.
Light footsteps sounded from afar outside the door. Ji Qing and Duan Ke glanced at the room door simultaneously, knowing Xu Jue was coming back.
Ji Qing didn’t linger. Standing up and patting his thigh, he greeted Duan Ke casually, “I’m leaving first then.”
Duan Ke gave a puzzled “Eh” and turned to look at Ji Qing.
“Aren’t you waiting for Xu Jue too? Why leave? He’s coming soon.”
Duan Ke’s voice was small, his eyes dodging a bit, afraid to look straight at the stranger. Ji Qing was amused by Duan Ke’s tone and demeanor.
So well-behaved.
Assigning such an easy task to Qin Huai, isn’t that wasting Bureau human resources? I have to grab this handle and complain to Lin Jiangli.
“Since he’s coming, that’s exactly why I’m leaving.” Ji Qing smiled. “See you if there’s a chance.”
A question mark slowly emerged from Duan Ke’s forehead. This human is really vague, seemingly not intending for me to understand in the first place.
“Bye bye.” Although feeling this person was weird, Duan Ke responded.
Ji Qing was amused again. If not for the tight time, he would have liked to chat with this very obedient succubus boss, and roast Qin Huai together. But there was no time now; Xu Jue was almost at the door.
Duan Ke watched dumbfounded as Ji Qing walked to the window and started moving.
He’s climbing the window, but this is the second floor!
Contrary to his dangerous action, Ji Qing’s expression looked very calm, his movements agile. Duan Ke felt he probably wasn’t suicidal, so he sat obediently without stopping him, watching the man’s movements quietly and curiously.
Ji Qing skillfully found the latch on the window, opened it, and went down holding the pipes and eaves from the side of the building. In less than a minute, he briskly returned to the ground.
When the door was opened by Xu Jue, Duan Ke saw Ji Qing just returning to his car parked outside the villa.
“Lord Duan Ke, have something to eat.” Xu Jue was completely unaware of the scene just now, smiling as he put down the tray.
“I thought you should like sweets, so I took a little of every kind.”
Duan Ke indeed liked sweets.
Actually, human food was completely dispensable to him, but eating sweets made Duan Ke’s mood very good. During the period he just transformed, Duan Ke especially liked collecting small cakes and snacks in school, even vaguely addicted, scratching his heart and lungs if he couldn’t eat them.
Succubi were nocturnal animals. After transforming, they needed a long time to adjust to the human schedule. When Duan Ke hadn’t fully adjusted, he often woke up hungry from dreaming about cakes, then couldn’t sleep again, opening his eyes until dawn with sweet distress.
“Thank you.” Duan Ke took the strawberry cake Xu Jue cut for him and ate it in small bites.
The cake was indeed delicious. Duan Ke narrowed his eyes, licking his lips contentedly.
Then he hissed twice from the stimulation.
If my lips didn’t hurt, it would be even better QAQ
After enjoying afternoon tea, Xu Jue began to help his liege solve the problem.
“Lord Duan Ke, why would you have a conflict with your keeper? Is there a problem with your magic? But I see your magic is clearly unusually abundant…”
“Does it have to do with magic?” Duan Ke was puzzled. “My keeper won’t be affected by my magic either.”
Xu Jue clicked his tongue: “Why?”
But his mind was quick; he figured it out instantly, widening his eyes in uncontrolled surprise.
“Are you saying, since awakening, you have never used charm magic on your keeper…?”
Duan Ke nodded: “Yes. Doesn’t the Bureau have new regulations?”
Xu Jue momentarily didn’t know what to say.
Although he knew their new leader had a soft temper, seeing it with his own eyes, he was still shocked by Duan Ke’s good temper.
Xu Jue had lived for hundreds of years as a succubus, followed many leaders, and seen many Progenitor-level monsters. They either used power to amass wealth or practiced violence, being extremely unfriendly to lower-level monsters around them.
He had never seen one like Duan Ke, saying thank you for a strawberry cake and obediently obeying Bureau regulations in private.
Xu Jue stared at Duan Ke’s sparkling, hopeful almond eyes for two seconds, sucked in a breath imperceptibly, and held his soft hands.
Too! Cute! Right!
Just which blind human was favored by their King without knowing gratitude, daring to lose his temper at their King?!
Xu Jue gritted his teeth in hatred. Better not let me catch this person. But since Duan Ke insisted on resolving their conflict, Xu Jue couldn’t say much and could only offer ideas.
“Lord Duan Ke, actually the Bureau’s supervision isn’t as strict as you think. Look, a room full of us use charm magic, and no one has come knocking, right?”
“Uh, those who drained people to death did get caught… The keeper Lord Duan Ke chose shouldn’t be that incompetent, right? Right?”
“Really, it won’t be discovered! I use it fiercely every day and haven’t been caught, right? Would I lie to you?”
“Come come come, let me teach you how to use charm magic to make him obedient. First…”
Monster Administration Bureau.
Ji Qing, cigarette in mouth, lazily holding a file bag, went to Lin Jiangli’s office to clock out the mission.
Arriving at the office, he found Lin Jiangli absent. probably either drunk or out on field duty. Ji Qing was too lazy to find him, planning to just swipe and be done with it.
Just walking into the door, Ji Qing’s back suddenly felt cold. Reflexively drawing his gun and turning around, he cursed “Fuck” hard after seeing who it was.
“Fuck, are you playing ghost here?!”
This wasn’t baseless. Qin Huai, wearing an all-black uniform, leaned against the wall with his long legs propped up, looking at people coldly with black eyes. Really fucking ghostly.
Qin Huai said calmly: “Where is he?”
Ji Qing knew he was asking about Duan Ke. Walking to the clock-in machine, he replied, “Still at The Banquet. Didn’t you treasure him to death and forbid me from bringing him back?”
Qin Huai frowned immediately: “I didn’t.”
After speaking, Qin Huai added as if deliberately emphasizing: “Watch your wording.”
“…Fine fine fine, okay okay okay.”
Sick. Ji Qing really couldn’t be bothered with him. Cigarette in mouth, he shoved the documents in his hand onto the scanner.
Xu Jue’s photo was matched by the machine. The electronic screen on the machine lit up, displaying a line of text.
[A+ Class Monster Xu Jue, Person in Charge: Ji Qing. Confirm this monster has no potential threat?]
This was the Bureau’s special way of handling monsters above A-Class. Lin Jiangli assigned senior officers to monitor them one-on-one. If these monsters didn’t intentionally attack humans for a long period, the surveillance could be lifted.
Ji Qing thought, Succubi using a little charm on humans to feed—if not excessive, it doesn’t count as a violation, right? Can’t let them starve to death. Just catch the ones who go too far.
He didn’t hesitate much and clicked Yes. After the machine finished recording the information, Xu Jue’s file was automatically destroyed.
“I’m wrapping up, going on vacation,” Ji Qing said casually.
He looked down at the documents Qin Huai was pinching, adding, “Oh, you’re here to clear the mission too? Confirmed safe, right.”
Qin Huai’s eyes moved slightly. He gave a “Mn” as a response.
Clearing the mission means no need to run after the target all day anymore. Ji Qing felt the burden of three months finally lifted, incredibly relaxed.
He left Lin Jiangli’s office, humming a tune and thinking about how to reward himself tonight. Not far away, his steps suddenly paused. Looking back as if sensing something, he raised an eyebrow at Qin Huai.
Is clearing a mission that hard??
Ji Qing found it strange. This person had been particularly weird since two days ago, moody and unpredictable.
But Ji Qing was carefree and didn’t want to ask more, turning away quickly.
[Author’s Note]
Little Ke: Absorbing new knowledge O.O
Qin Dog will get it soon!
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