Free Web NovelChapter 96: Chapter 96: What’s Your Friend’s Name
Jiang Che’s voice wasn’t loud, but his question stabbed sharply into everyone’s ears.
Compared to a big force like the Flying Tiger Squad, Jiang Che and his group were just ordinary people with some strength and a bit of potential.
"You know, when you asked just now, I was totally stunned. Wrongly accused out of nowhere." Xiong Jie spread his hands helplessly. "Do you really think we’re on the level where we could fight Flying Tiger over something?"
"What? You’re only bullying those weaker than you? Problem is, we’re not exactly weak now either. We’re just not as strong as them."
Jiang Che turned to look at Xiong Jie sidewise. He was just following logic, asking why they didn’t suspect Flying Tiger Squad. He hadn’t said it wasn’t them who took it.
After all, it wasn’t just him and Uncle Xiong in Red Pearl Mental Hospital at the time.
Jiang Che didn’t deny that he hadn’t taken it; he just found it odd that nobody considered suspecting anyone else.
But Uncle Xiong had straight up denied having done it at all.
Sure enough, as soon as they spoke, the faces of the ten or so people opposite them turned bright red all at once, like a pot of boiled shrimp.
"How about this: if you want to chase after Flying Tiger, they shouldn’t have gone far yet. If you really need to, I have their contact info. Want me to call them for you?" Xiong Jie said as he took out his phone.
"Sorry to bother you." The leader glanced longingly at the shattered glass display cabinet in the hall behind them.
No one outside knew that this relatively small psych hospital actually had an exhibit hall storing such precious artifacts.
People with money, or top-tier strong people, wouldn’t care for such things. Some of the strong didn’t need this kind of art to flaunt themselves; or maybe they’d already enjoyed the pinnacle of luxury, and stuff like this no longer had appeal.
But for people like them, it was different. These art pieces might actually be exchanged for some useful tools.
Just like with Xiong Jie—even if it’s just for a watch that can rewind one second, it could come in handy at the crucial moment.
Dungeon tools like this—quantity matters, but if you can have quality in the mix, that’s even better.
The group quickly moved off. Seeing that they didn’t even bother to check if the items were buried in the dirt, Jiang Che reflexively stamped his feet on the ground a few times.
"Aren’t they suspicious that you lied?" Jiang Che watched the group recede quickly.
"Cheng, remember this: a double negative is a positive." Xiong Jie earnestly shared a bit of his own understanding of the world.
This was also what their boss required: that, within the limits of his ability, Jiang Che should protect himself, not get tricked so easily.
Back then, he’d wanted to retort—probably the biggest con Jiang Che would ever suffer in this life might come from the relatives he trusts most.
But then he thought, maybe for Jiang Che himself, and the evil spirits in the Dungeons, it didn’t count as being conned.
None of that mattered—he just had to execute the boss’s orders.
"You deny it once, then I deny it once more, and they’ll believe Flying Tiger really took those things."
"But if they go ask Flying Tiger Squad’s members, wouldn’t everything become clear?"
"And that’s why I say, bullies only dare target the weak; they don’t have the guts to ask." Xiong Jie sneered, and as he thought about this, he let out a sigh. This era—it feels both chaotic and not at all.
Especially now that people know humanity actually has tech that can detect Dungeon levels, avoid higher-level Dungeons rationally, and wait till they’re ready before taking them on.
He couldn’t help but wonder—when the supernatural descends, is it really humanity’s tragedy?
The further things go, the more it seems—humans are the ones controlling the tempo.
Entering a Dungeon—almost feels like a human choice.
The Hunt’s arrival—that’s the evil spirits’ counterattack plan.
"Uncle Xiong, you mentioned the Hunt arriving. When’s the next Hunt?" Jiang Che glanced back reluctantly at the hospital, as if he’d thought of something, and suddenly hurried toward the records room.
He remembered his close friend, who’d supposedly been cured and discharged. The records room should have info on that, right?
"Where are you going?" Xiong Jie asked, puzzled. He’d planned to take Jiang Che back home, and also settle things with his own nephew.
As for Jiang Che wanting to make money, Xiong Jie didn’t care about that at all. In this world, as long as you’ve got strength, making money is the easiest thing.
"Looking for my friend. They were discharged a while ago—I want to check the records to see where they went." Jiang Che knew the layout of the hospital like the back of his hand; after all those physical exams, he’d walked these routes hundreds, maybe thousands of times.
Xiong Jie quickly hurried after him. He already knew where "discharged" mental patients generally ended up.
He instantly started weighing his options—should he let Jiang Che learn the truth, or just take him away and keep him in the dark?
After a few turns, they finally saw that old, small building. Its blue-grey walls showed marks from years of sun and rain; moss grew green on the shaded sides, and weeds waist-high almost hid a person from view.
Jiang Che slipped in along a narrow path.
This little building—people from the rich districts had come to visit before, and the hospital staff hadn’t exactly kept it secret. After all, they were the suppliers, the visitors were the clients.
From the outside, it looked abandoned: old-fashioned hinge windows coated with stubborn grime and spiderweb cracks.
Xiong Jie followed right inside. In the end, he decided not to hide things from Jiang Che, and to tell him that his friend was dead.
He knew he was aligned both with the evil spirits and with humanity.
But right now, with Jiang Che, he was on the closest "team."
He could see Jiang Che wasn’t stupid, just... sometimes a bit naïve.
What Xiong Jie needed to do was shatter that naiveté.
That way, next time he acted with Jiang Che, he hoped Jiang Che could become a useful teammate.
Only once you go through the little door do you realize everything outside was just set dressing.
Inside, it was a neat and spotless research institute, with many small rooms along the way, each containing different examination equipment.
Jiang Che walked straight to the back, familiar with every step. Xiong Jie followed, glancing up at the electroplated metal door sign.
[Records Room]
He pushed the door lightly—it was locked. Just as Xiong Jie was thinking there should be a key around somewhere, he watched as Jiang Che gave the door a heavy shove.
CRACK—
The sound of the door opening was intense, like something being violently torn apart.
He turned and saw the door lock area was wrecked, not something you could just fix by changing the door.
Xiong Jie stared at Jiang Che in disbelief, then realized—wait, wasn’t this exactly what he’d taught him?
But he’d only meant robbing some art pieces—money always tempts people, after all.
But for things beyond riches, Xiong Jie’s brain always defaulted to more civilized solutions.
Turns out his way of thinking was still too... normal...
"What’s your friend’s name?" He glanced at rows and rows of records and files lining the walls, booting up the nearby computer.
