Chapter 39 Killer Holiday
A faint white light appeared in the dark vision, and the room was covered with a hazy light.
Ji Huaisu moved restlessly a few times, and finally, unable to bear it any longer, she sat up and opened the curtains. The pale light made her head shrink reflexively. She stared out the window for a long time before she realized that there was actually sunshine today.
On the last day of the holiday, the weather in Huilong City cleared up!
Any local resident would find it hard to resist a sunny day, and this was especially true for Ji Huaisu, who had been traveling in the dark swamp for several days. The unpleasantness of being awakened by the light vanished, and she jumped out of bed, cheering inwardly, wondering where to go to spend this rare day off.
First, go to a safe workshop to soak up the sun... Get some exercise, then have lunch at an open-air restaurant... In the afternoon, consider boating in the public area... Afternoon tea is also a great option. Or maybe bike around the city? Maybe a picnic on the grass?
When Ji Huaisu walked out of the room, she wanted to follow someone else's example and jump off the building to take a shortcut, but this thought made her stop and look at Room 302 next door.
This floor was reserved for senior detectives, and due to the well-known shortage of staff, she had lived there alone from the beginning. But the situation had changed not long ago, and a killer who had made great achievements and was promoted was given a better dormitory and currently lived next door to her.
Thinking that it would be boring to play alone on a rare day off, Ji Huaisu tried to knock on the door: "Hey! Are you there?"
"Yes. Please."
The door opened automatically. Chu Hengkong had actually activated the voice control function in the house. Considering this guy, while he didn't particularly care for his appearance, he was never slovenly. He shouldn't have turned his house into a garbage dump... but...
Ji Huaisu took off her shoes in the hallway and entered the house. After searching for her slippers but failing to find them, a sense of foreboding settled over her. On such a beautiful day, this guy hadn't drawn the curtains or opened the windows, leaving the room utterly dead. Blinking, she took in her surroundings and cried out, "Oh my God... What the hell is wrong with you?!"
The dining table, cabinets, and walls were completely bare, a blanket of white, like a newly renovated home. The benches didn't even have a cushion, instead covered in dirty clothes, a stark example of a casual lifestyle where "clothes baskets are not essential, sofas are interchangeable." The floor was dusty, barely above the level of "it's time to sweep in a couple of days," a testament to the meticulous cleaning routine of a veteran. The dried fruit and snacks collected from the team were piled in a corner of the hall. Many of them seemed to have been opened, but the pile was so high that no one dared to delve into it.
Chu Hengkong's dormitory wasn't really a garbage dump, because there wasn't much garbage there... His dormitory was basically a doghouse! And it was an unfinished, unfinished doghouse!
"I live in a very ordinary place," Chu Hengkong's voice rang out from the bedroom. Ji Huaisu took two steps at a time and walked inside. She saw the man lying flat on the bed, calm and composed, like a dead pig fearing boiling water. She quickly opened the curtains to let in the sunlight, and looking around, she felt even more desperate. "Don't you think your house is missing something?!"
The room was cleaner than the outside. There was nothing in it except two or three pitiful books on the bookshelf... The green coat was hanging on the chair, and there were no other clothes. The entire closet was empty!
Chu Hengkong turned over and sat up, wearing the black clothes and trousers he usually wore when going out. Facing Ji Huaisu's questioning, he responded calmly: "It's less than when I lived here before."
"And then?" Ji Huaisu glared at him.
"It doesn't matter." Chu Hengkong felt very strange. "It won't affect my normal living."
"I don't even want to talk about your floor. Forget about the small decorations and stuff. Where are your clothes? Where are your slippers? Where are the other sheets?" Ji Huaisu stamped his feet frantically, pointing at the empty closet. "Comrade Killer, look at that thing. Don't you think you should buy something?"
Chu Hengkong looked down and saw the girl's white socks on the dirty floor of his house. He felt a little embarrassed. "Two sets of clothes are enough. I only bought one pair of slippers since I live alone... I'm sorry I forgot to remind you not to take off your shoes."
"It's not a question of whether to remind or not..."
At this moment, Ji Huaisu felt a deep sense of despair. This despair stemmed from a fundamental difference in perception. Some people felt that the dormitory was their home and needed to be well-maintained, while others felt that a place to rest and sleep in was enough. Generally speaking, the latter were either unlucky children who had lived a hard life or people with special experiences... Thinking of this, her whole body went cold and she quickly confirmed: "Hey, did you live in this kind of environment when you were a killer?"
Chu Hengkong looked puzzled.
"No. I lived in a villa converted from an ancient building. There were many famous paintings on the floor and on the walkways."
"Then why do you live like this?" Ji Huaisu was completely devastated. It was like a rich young man willingly living in a doghouse and thinking it was great. There was no way to understand him.
"I'm a killer, I'm only responsible for my job." Chu Hengkong tried to explain common sense to his partner, "House, car, these...issues outside of work...the boss will help me with them."
"Your boss's image in my mind has instantly changed from a ruthless mafia member to a fussy housekeeper!" Ji Huaisu covered his face. "I've had enough! Get up and clean up! Wash all the sheets and quilts while the weather's nice, and then come with me to go shopping!"
Chu Hengkong couldn't believe it: "Are you sure I'm on vacation today..."
"Give it to me! Fuck!"
·
"My vacation was wasted." Chu Hengkong said expressionlessly.
Under Ji Huaisu's orders, he spent nearly an hour and a half cleaning his room. Much of the work was meaningless, like wiping dust from areas that didn't need to be touched, sweeping the floor, which looked okay, and washing the sheets, quilts, and pillowcases that weren't too dirty. Now, Ji Huaisu had dragged him to the shopping street again, where he walked alongside young men and women in the sunshine, selecting small, useless paintings, rugs, and potted plants.
Ji Huaisu was examining a spherical cactus. Hearing this, he sneered, "So what were you planning to do? Practice martial arts all day?"
"Practice martial arts for half a day," Chu Hengkong corrected. "The remaining half a day is spent fishing in the swamp. If you have time, wash your coat."
"Oh my god, I forgot about that coat you never take off..." Ji Huaisu threw the spherical cactus into the shopping cart. "Even if you like a piece of clothing, you don't have to wear it every day, right? It's not a very beautiful piece of clothing."
Chu Hengkong was very stubborn: "This coat is a high-end product custom-made by my family. It's my...souvenir. It used to be very beautiful, but it became like this after wearing it for a long time."
"Then you can go to the clothing store to get it cured. A high-end 400 beads will be enough." Ji Huaisu said casually.
"...What solidification?"
"The craftsmanship of the Netherworld Divine Kingdom's craftsmen." Ji Huaisu glanced at him indifferently. "You've never heard of it, right? You don't care about anything other than combat and missions, right? You're completely isolated from normal society. I suspect if you had no orders, you'd rather starve to death on the street than ask if there's any free porridge around."
Chu Hengkong was speechless. He had to admit that this statement hit the nail on the head. Two months after crossing over, he was well aware of the manpower of various factions in the city, knew the danger zones and crime hotspots, and had used most common relic weapons. But he had never considered whether there were any services or facilities that were different from those on Earth, let alone where to find merchants with fair prices or stores with sufficient goods.
This city has technology and immigrants from various Dust Islands, but Chu Hengkong knows almost nothing about their characteristics outside of combat.
"You're right." Chu Hengkong admitted, "I should pay attention."
"Is that so?" Ji Huaisu said in a long voice. "Hey, this is great! You can put it on your desk."
She chose a pot of green succulent plants that looked like upright rubber swords. Chu Hengkong glanced at them and picked up a blue conch: "I'd rather put this one here so I can listen to the waves."
The conch shell swung, and the sound of waves echoed, a desolate and lonely scene. Ji Huaisu's expression was quite strange: "Wow, you really are a psychopath... Why not listen to the sound of the waves?"
Chu Hengkong glared at her: "Does it offend you that I like fishing?"
"It's not about fishing. The sound of waves is the most depressing sound in the world." Ji Huaisu snatched the conch and put it down. "Imagine yourself sitting alone on the edge of a cliff, watching the sea. The world is empty, with only the hollow sound of the waves. That sense of emptiness and loneliness seems to strangle you. It's cold and lonely."
"It's simply because your thinking is different from that of ordinary people." Chu Hengkong saw her walking towards the cashier and tried to argue before paying: "Besides, I don't see the highlight of this thing..."
Ji Huaisu put the small plant next to his face and looked at him with a smile: "Think about it again, don't you think it's cute?"
"Okay, I'll buy it." Chu Hengkong readily agreed. "I'll buy it."
They spent another hour shopping for various clothing items. The variety of materials available amazed Chu Hengkong, including silk spun by certain insects (which kept him cool in the summer), lightweight metals from hot regions (which felt like cloth and retained heat), and fabric sewn from colloids and plastic (which resembled jeans, but was incredibly durable). By the time they were done, it was already noon, and he was taken to a restaurant on a converted wooden boat for stewed chicken, salad, and seafood noodles.
"Half of my vacation time is gone."
"Don't be silly, you are on vacation!" Ji Huaisu said happily, the pendant on her chest shining with silver light.
Today she wore sunglasses, a long-sleeved white shirt, and slim-fitting jeans. Her golden hair fell over her shoulders without a ponytail. You could see someone trying to project a mature charm, but her perpetually sticky bangs still made the outfit seem a bit out of place.
Ji Huaisu noticed his expectant gaze and Chu Hengkong didn't have the heart to say anything hurtful, so he said, "The pendant is nice."
It was a sparkling little gadget, with a crescent-shaped base and a cluster of radiant protrusions, like a meteor rising from the depths. Ji Huaisu smiled wryly, "I usually wear it..."
"I know." Chu Hengkong said frankly, "That's all I can praise."
"Go away." Ji Huaisu tried to pinch his tentacles, but gave up because they were too slippery. She wiped her sticky hands and said, "But this thing is quite nice. I heard from my dad that it was there when he picked me up. It might be a relic of my parents."
This time Chu Hengkong was really surprised: "You are not your father's biological child?"
Ji Huaisu looked at him as if he were a fool.
"Why do you think a single man with black hair and black eyes would have a daughter with golden hair and purple eyes..."
"Your place is such a mess, why do you care about hair color? Besides, you look exactly like him."
"Really?" Ji Huaisu leaned over, leaning on the table. "Do you think I look a lot like Dad?"
"The temperament is exactly the same." Chu Hengkong said firmly.
"Is that so~"
Ji Huaisu immediately cheered up, rolling the seafood noodles into a ball with a fork and eating them happily. Chu Hengkong's mouth twitched, feeling that he had wasted his time. It was clearly a rare and good time, but he was just talking about meaningless things.
Is this what a typical vacation is like? You change into nice clothes, go out for a stroll, eat, drink, and shop, trying to make your life different from your usual self.
"I still prefer fishing." Chu Hengkong said, "or playing games at home."
"Don't be so old-fashioned, okay? So, what are these games? Cards or something?"
Chu Hengkong tried to explain: "It's a video game. You control other people on a screen to move around, buy things, drive, or fight..."
"Wow, wow, wow, that sounds so unrealistic. Why don't you do this in real life?" Ji Huaisu took off his sunglasses and looked at him.
Chu Hengkong took out his phone from his pocket and shook it at her: "Because often there are things in the game that don't exist in reality. I have a lot of old games saved on my phone that I play whenever I have time, but it's a pity that I can't play them now that the battery is out."
"Oh~~" Ji Huaisu looked at it for a while, "Why don't you buy a charging plug and try it?"
“…”
"I know you haven't heard of it. Come with me after dinner."
The next destination was not far from the restaurant, a recently renovated three-story building on the tree-lined Luyong Road. The shop was like a museum, filled with oil paintings, bottled ships, and all sorts of oddities. The old man who managed it was pleasantly surprised to see Chu Hengkong. "Ah, it's Inspector Chu! Take whatever you want!"
This place was called the Iron Paddle Shop, the very shop he had smashed up on his first day there. Chu Hengkong took off his coat and placed it on the counter, waving his hand to decline the old man's offer. "Thanks, I'll just pay normally. Could you please help me solidify my clothes and give me a charging plug?"
The old shop owner searched the warehouse for a long time and handed over a small gadget that looked like a power bank.
"This thing is running low on stock," the old shopkeeper told him. "Few Dust Islands dare to use 'electricity' as a power source... You know, it's extremely dangerous in every way... So its energy conversion rate is also low. You might have to spend 200 flow beads to... Let me think about how to say that..."
"Charging." Chu Hengkong said.
"That's right, charging!" the old shop owner was delighted. "How interesting! Every time I see these rare little things, I want to buy them. Please wait twenty minutes while I help you finish the jacket."
Chu Hengkong found the round hole behind the charging plug for the beads. The "charging cable" was a deformable metal that automatically transformed into the shape of a USB port when it was close to the phone. He tried charging it and found that it actually worked.
"Oh My God."
Ji Huaisu squinted his eyes: "Is this kind of thing worth your lament?"
“It’s totally worth it.”
The old shop owner was quick and efficient, finishing the jacket in just ten minutes. After the curing process was complete, the dark green jacket looked brand new. Chu Hengkong was pleasantly surprised to find the family crest on the back of the jacket had returned. It was a cane made of two intertwined snakes, worn from years of wear, but now it looked as lifelike as if it had just been sewn.
They returned to the dormitory, carrying large and small bags of belongings, and modified the doghouse into a "barely habitable" state. After finishing their work, Chu Hengkong opened his phone with one hand, went straight to the simulator, and selected an old game from the early 21st century.
"What is this... a monster emerald...?" Ji Huaisu poked his head inquisitively.
"It's a very classic old game." Chu Hengkong stared intently, "If you're curious, you can sit aside and watch me play."
Ji Huaisu watched the pixelated figures walk out of the truck and couldn't help but sigh, "Your Dust Island is really weird! What's the point of this stick figure-like thing?"
Ten minutes later.
"Catch it~! Oops, I didn't catch it... Throw another ball, throw another ball!!"
"There's no ball."
"Go buy it quickly!" Ji Huaisu was very excited. "I want to catch that little green thing!"
Twenty minutes later.
"How can this yellow fox run away? How can he be so rude?"
"Don't take the game too seriously."
"The little green thing has good output... How can this thing survive in the wild? Can I fight it for it?"
Ten minutes later, Ji Huaisu was clutching a bag of potato chips, his expression serious.
"Let's discuss it. How about a bag of potato chips in exchange for ten minutes of playtime?"
"What if I say no?"
"I'll just grab it." Ji Huaisu grinned.
"You're a captain, can you please have some manners?" Chu Hengkong said bitterly, "Why are you still snatching it?"
Ji Huaisu let out a strange cry, stretched out her claws, and pounced, grabbing the phone like an oversized child. Seeing her so focused, Chu Hengkong simply gave way. Ji Huaisu cheered and received the game, staring at the small screen with him, laughing. He turned his attention away from the game and noticed that the wooden bench had extra cushions, making it very comfortable to sit on. The cleaned house was bright and tidy, and the floor reflected the light from outside.
"Do you want to go out boating later in the evening?" Ji Huaisu asked casually.
"Sure." Chu Hengkong said, "It's a day off anyway."
They huddled together to play games, golden hair brushing against his ears, and the room was dotted with the sound of a girl's fussing cries. Chu Hengkong felt like this was a waste of time, but at the same time, he thought it might as well be a while longer.
He had to admit that this kind of holiday was not bad and much more enjoyable than vacationing alone.
(End of this chapter)
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