Chapter 52: Chapter Twenty: Vigilance

Su Xiao stepped out of the auction house; it was daytime, and ghouls typically appeared at night.

“Mr. Baiye, hello~.”

A lazy voice came from nearby; Su Xiao turned to see the white-haired Shinku Suzuya.

“Here’s your credential.”

Shinku Suzuya handed Su Xiao the credential, grinning foolishly at him.

The moment he took the credential, the Circle of Reincarnation gave a prompt.

【Promoted to First-Class Investigator, Contribution: 525/2000.】

Seeing the contribution required for “First-Class Investigator,” Su Xiao frowned.

The contribution needed to advance from “Third-Class Investigator” to “First-Class Investigator” followed no fixed pattern—sometimes increasing nearly tenfold, sometimes nearly fivefold.

Yet achieving 2000 contribution points might require killing hundreds, even thousands, of ghouls.

“Mr. Baiye~,” Shinku Suzuya asked curiously, “what are you thinking about?”

Shinku Suzuya stared at Su Xiao.

“Nothing…”

Su Xiao was about to speak when suddenly he felt a sharp prickle at his back.

As if someone was watching him—the same sensation he’d felt before, when that little hamster stared at him in the restroom.

His eyes instantly sharpened; he scanned the surroundings without expression.

“Crack, crack, crack~.”

A faint gnawing sound emerged, drowned among car horns and pedestrian chatter; Su Xiao’s gaze locked onto a trash pile.

On the lid of the trash bin stood a small hamster, gnawing on something.

This familiar scene made Su Xiao’s pupils contract sharply.

This hamster was wrong—very wrong.

As soon as Su Xiao focused on the hamster, it stopped eating and extended a small piece of apple toward him.

Su Xiao instinctively wanted to look away, but suddenly sensed something unnatural.

Previously, whenever the hamster made this gesture, he’d left the restroom and stopped suspecting it—why?

Su Xiao fixed his gaze on the hamster again; the creature abruptly froze mid-chew, dropped the apple piece onto the bin lid, and turned to flee.

This little thing was surveilling him.

Su Xiao sprinted across the street, ignoring oncoming vehicles.

The hamster ran fast, heading straight for a side alley, but Su Xiao moved faster, closing the distance.

In a house five hundred meters away, a green-haired girl lying on her bed suddenly opened her eyes.

“What the hell? Why didn’t Level 3 Deception work?”

The green-clad girl’s lazy expression vanished; her face grew anxious. The hamster was her symbiotic partner, granting three passive abilities—extremely valuable.

“Leaf, what’s wrong?”

The Knight Armor Queen looked at the green-clad girl—Leaf—confused.

“‘Crack-Crack’ was spotted by that man—he’s running for his life. Queen, hurry and save Crack-Crack!”

“Impossible.”

The Queen couldn’t believe it; the hamster was their most vital intelligence source.

“I’m going now…”

The Queen rushed out, her armor clinking sharply with every step.

…

Su Xiao chased the hamster; two hundred meters ahead lay a sewer entrance—if it reached it, his chance of catching it would vanish.

Zhanlong Flash appeared in his hand; Su Xiao spun it twice, adjusted his grip, then hurled it with full force.

“Ping.”

Zhanlong Flash pierced the hamster’s body cleanly, its blade sinking deep into the ground while the hilt remained perfectly still—proof of its extraordinary sharpness.

Su Xiao stepped forward, pulled out Zhanlong Flash, then crushed the hamster underfoot into pulp; the feeling of being watched vanished.

He’d sensed the surveillance because his Intelligence was 12 points—Intelligence enhanced perception—but also because he trained in sword arts.

The hamster wasn’t easy to spot; Level 3 Deception was sufficient to fool human vision—otherwise, the green-clad girl wouldn’t have let it appear so openly.

Five hundred meters away, the Queen hadn’t even stepped outside when she heard a piercing scream behind her.

“Crack-Crack~.”

The green-clad girl collapsed in grief, tears streaming down her face.

“Drip… drip…”

Blood dripped from her nose; she slumped to the ground, as if drained of all strength.

“Leaf! Leaf, what’s wrong?”

The Queen lifted her up, face tense—clearly, their bond was strong.

“Crack-Crack is dead—someone stomped him to death. I saw it through shared vision… waaah~.”

Leaf broke into uncontrollable sobs.

The Queen’s face darkened; Crack-Crack’s death was a major blow to their three-member team.

“Crack-Crack had Level 3 Deception—how could he be spotted? Even I sometimes unconsciously ignore that little thing.”

Clearly, even the Queen was puzzled—none of them had anticipated this.

Leaf’s tearful voice came again.

“Higher Intelligence improves perception—but even with 12 Intelligence, his perception shouldn’t be this sharp.”

Normally, 12 Intelligence wouldn’t grant Su Xiao such acute perception—but his sword training had enhanced it.

The meditation technique Master Geng Siliang taught him also boosted perception; meditation had become Su Xiao’s habit.

“I won’t let this go. I’ll kill that bastard—right now!”

Leaf stood up and stormed out, burning with rage.

“If you want to go die, don’t drag me and Black-White with you.”

A cold voice rang out; Leaf shuddered.

Though the Queen was usually easygoing, when she grew serious, Leaf couldn’t help but fear her—she was, after all, their captain.

In Leaf’s adventuring team, defying the captain carried severe consequences.

“Calm down. We strike tonight. Black-White is already scouting high ground—warn her to be careful. If Crack-Crack was spotted, Black-White won’t escape that man’s perception.”

The Queen pulled out an earpiece, tapped it lightly, and contacted Black-White.

…

In the alley, Su Xiao stood motionless, Zhanlong Flash gripped tightly in hand.

He’d nearly missed the enemy’s surveillance—luckily, he caught it in time.

This was a lesson: in the ghoul world, he’d sailed smoothly, and had grown careless.

Su Xiao was now alert—he could not relax for a single moment in any derivative world.

The hamster, now reduced to pulp, was no ordinary animal. Every time it offered him food, his hostility vanished, and he unconsciously ignored it.

This reminded him of skills within the Circle of Reincarnation.

He’d encountered one in the real world once—and escaped only through his sharp perception.

Su Xiao paused, then asked the Circle of Reincarnation:

“Circle, is there a way to probe enemy data?”

【1. Detection equipment. 2. Apostle-type summons. 3. Reconnaissance skills… Permission insufficient. Cannot view below content.】

The Circle’s reply satisfied Su Xiao; he resolved to obtain one of these three after this derivative world ended.

“Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles without danger”—this saying held truth.

At minimum, he needed to understand enemy attributes; their values could roughly indicate strength.

Just as Su Xiao prepared to leave the alley, the Circle of Reincarnation suddenly flashed a new prompt.

【Detected Hunter Level: Lv.2, one level below current derivative world. Temporary Skill activated.】

【Temporary Skill: Basic Detection. Cost: 800 Circle Coins. Yes/No?】

【Note: Temporary Skill disappears upon leaving this world.】

Seeing “Basic Detection,” Su Xiao rejoiced—but upon seeing the cost, he cursed inwardly: damn expensive.

Though the Circle of Reincarnation clearly exploited his desperation, he truly needed this ability now.

Su Xiao knew clearly: the hamster he crushed was tied to an enemy Contractee.

Danger in derivative worlds came not only from missions or NPCs—but also from other Contractees.

“Heh~. The little mouse is dead. Its master won’t be far behind.”

Su Xiao felt a flicker of anticipation—he’d never fought another Contractee before.

ps: (New book period—please vote for recommendations~! Your votes are my greatest motivation.)