Chapter 22: What a Coincidence

In the past, after completing his missions, Tao Fangyi would always rush home, stay for just two or three days, and then set off again on assignments.

But now that he had gained control over his body, he could properly adjust his state before the next mission.

“You can give yourselves a vacation?” Wang asked Tao Fangyi.

“I can apply for leave, but after three months, pay would stop.” Tao Fangyi explained as he packed up various magical artifacts.

“Apply for leave… you all have real freedom.” Wang stood off to the side with his arms crossed, watching.

Tao Fangyi had started packing the pile of artifacts early in the morning. He fussed around with clinking and clattering for half the day. At first, Wang was shocked when Tao Fangyi pulled out high-grade magical artifacts, but the more he saw, the more desensitized he became.

Still, the pile of artifacts Tao Fangyi brought out were all very beautiful.

Tao Fangyi was something of a half-baked artifact smith himself, and he had made all of these.

Wang’s gaze locked onto a silver gun.

He didn’t understand how Tao Fangyi could be so out of touch with the times yet craft such an impressive gun-type artifact.

That gun was a high-grade magical artifact. Wang felt a stir of desire.

“Did you register this pile of artifacts?” Wang asked him.

“Done long ago.” Tao Fangyi had prepared for a long time. He packed the artifacts into individual gift boxes, and then placed these boxes into paper bags.

The paper bags were disposable spatial artifacts.

“Alright.” Tao Fangyi picked up the paper bags. “Let’s head out.” He changed out of his uniform and into a simpler outfit of a T-shirt and cargo pants, tying his hair up into a high ponytail. He put on a baseball cap, with the high ponytail threaded through the back closure.

According to Tao Fangyi, he had also kept talismans on him to lessen the effects of the Terror Buff affecting his body.

It was only then that Wang found out Tao Fangyi did have a Terror Buff, yet he was completely unafraid.

Wang followed behind Tao Fangyi, pondering whether the problem lay with himself or with the Nineteenth Level.

Tao Fangyi opened an iron door at the edge of the small town. Wang knew this was probably the town’s portal.

But wait, wasn’t Tao Fangyi going to visit neighbors? Why was he opening a portal?

Could it be that the Nineteenth Level had other “dormitories” for employees?

Wang followed Tao Fangyi through the door. The other side led to a large supermarket—a supermarket in the real world.

Wang: …

Wang quickly grabbed Tao Fangyi. “Wait just a minute! Who are you visiting?!”

“Didn’t I say? I’m going to see my old friends.” Tao Fangyi said. “Oh, you know, Wenren Huaishu and Wang Qiang.”

Wang: “…You go by yourself. I’m not going.”

“Hey! No!” Tao Fangyi quickly grabbed Wang’s arm. “You can’t go back on your own. They’re already here to pick me up. I know you have some issues with Wang Qiang, but Wang Qiang isn’t a bad person by nature, really.”

“I don’t want to see them.” Wang wanted to pull his hand back. “I’m scared of people from the Combat Department!”

“Very scared?” Tao Fangyi asked him.

“If I see them, I’ll have nightmares for half a year.” If his parents saw him in person, they would absolutely recognize who he was. He couldn’t take that risk.

“But they’re already here.” Tao Fangyi looked a bit worried. He glanced around, considering how to keep Wang from seeing his two old friends.

Moments later, Wang was transformed by Tao Fangyi into a chibified two-head-tall figurine the length of a finger, and hidden in the pocket of his cargo pants.

“Tao Fangyi!” An excited female voice suddenly rang out.

Tao Fangyi looked toward the entrance of the clothing store.

This supermarket was a disguised space of the Nineteenth Level. As long as one belonged to the Nineteenth Level, one could enter and exit the department through any door here.

Tao Fangyi had come out of a fitting room. The clothing store wasn’t crowded, and the sales clerk wasn’t surprised by his sudden appearance.

Tao Fangyi looked toward the source of the voice. A short-haired woman with red eyes spread her arms and rushed toward him.

“Huaishu!” Tao Fangyi was hugged by the woman and patted on the head.

“Haven’t seen you in forever.” A pair of tiger ears with white speckles emerged from Wenren Huaishu’s head.

Wenren Huaishu looked especially energetic—neat, slightly wavy, shoulder-length short hair; large, round eyes; somewhat brownish skin; and obvious muscle definition on her arms.

The silver-haired man followed behind. He just patted Tao Fangyi on the shoulder and greeted him as “Tao Fangyi” by way of a hello.

The man had waist-length silver hair, and his features were understated and coolly detached.

“Wang Qiang!” Tao Fangyi hugged the man and vigorously slapped his back.

Upon hearing his own name, Wang Qiang’s expression faltered for just a moment, but he quickly reined in his emotions.

Wang hid in Tao Fangyi’s pocket, listening to Tao Fangyi catch up with his parents.

“Little Fu isn’t here? I prepared a gift for him.”

Wait, was the gun meant for him? Wang suddenly realized.

Tao Fangyi felt Wang nuzzle his leg through the pocket fabric.

Upon hearing the words “Little Fu,” Wenren Huaishu and Wang Qiang exchanged a glance.

Then Wenren Huaishu let out a heavy sigh.

“We didn’t call him.” Wenren Huaishu said. “He purposefully asked about your situation. I was afraid he’d latch onto you.”

Tao Fangyi found this amusing. “What do you mean, latch onto? The kid’s not a Fierce Ghost.”

“Not much better,” Wang Qiang stated.

They took the elevator down to the underground parking lot, and then the couple drove home while explaining the backstory to Tao Fangyi.

Wenren Fu was naturally bloodthirsty.

Couldn’t tell whether it was a genetic defect from the start or because Wenren Huaishu had frequented places thick with murderous intent when she was pregnant.

“After he developed self-awareness, he displayed intense aggression. The targets of his attacks were me and Old Wang.” Wenren Huaishu explained. “For a long time, Old Wang suspected the child was mentally challenged, because he seemed far too much like a wild-raised beast of prey.”

“Later we found out his intelligence was fine, but he had a pathological obsession with the process of life fading away.” Wang Qiang continued. “He’s just purely rotten. You could call that having mental issues.”

Wenren Fu had joined the Combat Department. He even still held the record for “Youngest Combat Department Member.” It was just that he was later kicked back down.

“You know the Combat Department’s operational style. We don’t execute criminals unless necessary, but if lives are at risk, we can take action.” Wenren Huaishu’s tiger ears flattened backward, looking very stressed. “We discovered he lets his target subjects make mistakes.”

“He even deliberately shows openings to guide the other party into attacking, then ultimately tears them apart with his own hands.”

They had once considered sending Wenren Fu to the Nineteenth Level, but the prey Wenren Fu chose were already the most heinous of criminals, and they could hardly produce evidence proving Wenren Fu had engaged in guiding behavior.

In the end, they could only boot Wenren Fu back to the Reserves, hoping that as he grew older, he would stabilize.

After all, Wenren Fu still had a sense of morality.

Although his morality was more of an imitation—a choice made to live in this world.

Wang listened quietly. Meanwhile, in his dormitory, Wenren Fu, who was washing the blood from his hands, couldn’t help but click his tongue.

“He seems fine now, but we worry it’s a facade.” Wenren Huaishu looked at Tao Fangyi. “There are many in your Nineteenth Level who’ve made mistakes. Is there anyone with a condition like his?”

Tao Fangyi’s expression also turned grave. He hadn’t expected Wenren Fu’s situation to be so complicated. “I haven’t looked into that much, but I can ask around for you.”

Wenren Huaishu let out a breath of relief.

“But honestly, kids like this can easily go more and more overboard due to unsatisfied desires. If he crosses the line of his own sense of morality, it’s over.” Tao Fangyi had indeed seen this type before. It was just that most of them couldn’t join the Nineteenth Level, because a considerable number were executed and reincarnated after committing grave sins.

“No wonder you two didn’t react when I praised Little Fu.” Tao Fangyi finally understood what the couple had been thinking.

“I’m so worried!” Wenren Huaishu wailed.

She pressed her head against the headrest, and when her mouth opened wide, her two tiger fangs were especially prominent. “I’ve been worried ever since I discovered his problem! I don’t even dare to transform into my true form anymore. My tail is almost going bald in patches from worry!”

“How could a kid that cute be so bloodthirsty?” Saying this, Wenren Huaishu pulled out her phone and opened the photo album to show Tao Fangyi Wenren Fu’s true form.

Tao Fangyi’s eyes went wide. “Whoa!”

Wenren Fu was a hybrid of Jiao Dragon and tiger. An especially long, fuzzy Jiao Dragon with tiger ears.

His tail was still a Jiao Dragon tail, but his entire body was covered in white fluff, with only the claws of his hind legs having a few white scales.

His hind legs were Jiao Dragon claws, but his front legs were a pair of tiger paws. The tiger paws stretched open toward the camera, revealing pink toe beans. His eyes, one gold and one red, were also wide and round.

He didn’t have Jiao Dragon facial barbels either; in their place were tiger whiskers.

“Wah!!! This kid is really good-looking!!” Tao Fangyi was so excited. “How could there be such a beautiful creature in this world?!”

“Hehe, right.” Wenren Huaishu was quite satisfied with her kid’s appearance.

Though carrying him by the scruff of his neck when he was little had been a struggle, since that long body always dragged on the ground.

“So cute! Really so cute!!” Tao Fangyi really wanted to keep a fluffy Jiao Dragon at home, or maybe a long tiger.

Inside the cargo pants, Wang proudly lifted his head.

The car drove into the neighborhood’s garage, and Tao Fangyi followed the couple upstairs.

“We’ll have Wenren Fu meet you in a while,” Wang Qiang said. “We need to first make sure he really won’t latch onto you or relapse with you.”

They entered the elevator, and Wenren Huaishu reassured Tao Fangyi that they would forward his gifts to Wenren Fu.

The elevator doors opened, and a tall man stood in front of the doors, blocking their path.

“Dad, Mom.” Wenren Fu had his hands behind his back. He showed the people in the elevator his signature smile. “I knew it was you coming back.”

He narrowed his eyes and looked at Tao Fangyi. “Oh my～ Is this a guest?”