Chapter 146 - 120: The Black Dragon Emerges

Chapter 146: Chapter 120: The Black Dragon Emerges

His home was located in the far north of the city, almost right on the edge.

It was definitely in the outermost suburbs, where you could see the mountainside just by looking up.

But because of this, the land was cheap enough for him to afford a secluded little courtyard on his meager salary.

Though there wasn’t a neighbor in sight for several hundred meters, it made no difference to him, as he lived alone.

Just as he always did, Hammond opened his courtyard gate.

But the moment he stepped through, his body froze.

"Strange. How did you notice?"

"I didn’t find any traps on the gate, but to be safe, I’ve always hopped the wall to get into your house."

"As an ordinary person, you shouldn’t have been able to detect my intrusion."

"Could it be that you’re not an ordinary person?"

A stranger’s voice drifted out from inside Hammond’s house.

Hammond’s expression shifted several times, but in the end, he walked into the courtyard just as he usually would.

"Who are you?"

"Why have you broken into my home?"

After opening the door, Hammond saw a blond man sitting on his familiar workbench.

But he appeared surprisingly calm and composed, showing no sign of panic.

"Hammond. Profession: Scholar. Suspected High-level apprentice."

"You’ve entered and exited the Lanyu Kingdom three times in the last ten years. Currently, you’re teaching at an elementary school in Black Iron City."

"This is all the information I could find on you."

"So, could you satisfy my curiosity? Are Scholars not affected by the King’s Game?"

The blond man in Hammond’s room was, of course, Chen Qi.

He was currently using the alias of Jomoya Chris.

As for Hammond, he was none other than the true mastermind behind the Blood Salt Case.

"Hmph. Since you know I’m a Scholar, you should also know that effects related to Spirituality are useless against us."

"The Demon Game is incredibly powerful, but as long as we don’t reside here permanently, we won’t be affected by it."

"You must be a player, right? Why did you seek me out?"

Even though the man before him was likely a player in the Demon Game, Hammond remained fearless.

If Chen Qi didn’t know what he’d done in secret, he might have actually believed this man was a person of unyielding integrity.

"Why did I seek you out? You should know the answer to that in your heart."

"You’re the one who created this Blood Salt, aren’t you?"

"As for proof... well, the fact that I was able to find you already says a lot."

Chen Qi picked up a small, jet-black stone from the workbench and began to toy with it casually.

Under his meaningful gaze, the composure on Hammond’s face finally cracked.

"How is that possible?"

"How could you know there was something wrong with that stone?"

Hammond’s workbench was covered in many small stones, which looked like a collection of interesting rocks he’d gathered as a hobby.

The one Chen Qi held in his hand was extremely unremarkable.

But Hammond’s reaction said it all.

...

"So this is the remains of the Mountain God?"

"You’re really something else. To think you’d use human brain cells to cultivate those magnetic field life-forms."

"But what’s the purpose?"

"Becoming a Scholar means you’re no fool."

"Even if you feed these Mountain God cells until they’re fat and healthy, what then? I don’t believe you’re doing this for the Resurrection of the Mountain God."

"Because it’s simply impossible."

Chen Qi tossed the small stone up and down in his hand. Now that he knew the truth about Blood Salt, he had nothing to fear.

These field-based life-forms were simply too weak. Even without using his Spirituality, Chen Qi could obliterate them with his Life Magnet Field.

The only ones these things could bully were ordinary people, and only by invading them unnoticed and causing destruction from within.

"Hmph. You found this place because of that Earth Master’s Compass, didn’t you?"

"How did that thing end up in your hands?"

"Shouldn’t it be with that guy, Spade A?"

Hammond’s face turned ugly. After seeing the Compass hanging from Chen Qi’s waist, he knew he had been exposed.

’Did Spade A and his people send him to get rid of me?’

’That shouldn’t be it. Could it be that their plan is nearing success, so they’re trying to eliminate all loose ends?’

Thinking of this, Hammond decided to "persuade him with reason."

"I don’t know if Spade A told you about how special we Scholars are, but killing me will bring you a world of trouble."

"I advise you not to meddle in the affairs between us!"

Hammond became brazen again, convinced he could persuade the man before him.

’So that guy’s Card is Spade A!’

"Thanks for the intel!"

"That being the case, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know the guy, and he didn’t send me to kill you."

"You can only blame your bad luck. It just so happens that I’m in charge of the Blood Salt Case!"

"As for this Compass... it’s mine now!"

Chen Qi hadn’t expected to learn the Card of the Compass’s original owner from Hammond.

Now that he knew the man’s Card was Spade A, Chen Qi was confident he could find out his true identity with just a little digging.

But business was business, and he couldn’t let Hammond go because of this.

"So you weren’t sent by Spade A. It seems my luck really is a bit poor."

"But your luck might not be any better than mine."

"There’s no way I’m letting you take me alive. Your timing is fitting, though. I didn’t have much time left anyway."

After hearing Chen Qi’s explanation, Hammond began to mutter to himself, and his whole demeanor turned strange.

Chen Qi frowned. Hammond wasn’t lying. The man’s Life Magnet Field was comparable to that of an eighty or ninety-year-old man; he truly didn’t have much longer to live.

"I know all about you Scholars. The rumors say you’re extremely troublesome after death."

"That’s why I never planned on killing you. I’m just here to arrest you and close the case."

"Why don’t you just cooperate with me?"

Chen Qi tried to persuade him nicely. Although he was confident he wouldn’t get tripped up by some unexpected detail, it would be even better to complete the mission smoothly, wouldn’t it?

"Impossible. If you take me back to the Order Keeper headquarters, Spade A and his people will definitely kill me."

"They didn’t dare touch me before because they’d learned their lesson from past mistakes and knew that Scholars are trouble."

"But things are different now. I secretly have a piece of the Mountain God’s remains. Once this is exposed, they will absolutely not tolerate my existence."

"In the end, killing me is just a bit of a hassle. It would just make them pay a certain price."

"But once they know I could threaten their plan, they will be sure to kill me."

"Fortunately, I anticipated this long ago. I never planned to make it out alive."

"A Scholar... what a pathetic profession. We have limitless knowledge, yet our lives are worse than those of ordinary people."

The more Hammond spoke, the more agitated he became, his face eventually contorting with grief and indignation.

Clearly, the life of a Scholar was not a happy one.

...

’What a pain!’

’This guy’s spilling a lot of information!’

’I just want to investigate a case, I have no intention of ruining someone else’s bullshit plan!’

Chen Qi looked at Hammond with a grave expression. It seemed this man had long been discontent with being a Scholar and was actively seeking death.

But the death of a Scholar was not a simple, clean end.

This Hammond fellow was definitely plotting something.

Otherwise, he could have just killed himself. Why bother cultivating Mountain God cells?

After carefully examining Hammond’s physical condition, an incredible suspicion began to form in Chen Qi’s mind.

’No way. Hammond can’t be that insane, can he?’

Finally, unable to suppress his curiosity, Chen Qi asked the question.

"Did you take the Blood Salt, too?"