“You can. Wait for me a moment.”
Lu Liang was tempted—he really was short on money right now.
“Order some food first. We can eat while you do your thing. What do you want?”
“Anything.”
He Wan was still wearing that expressionless face. She wasn’t much interested in food, only curious if Lu Liang had any connection to Monsters.
Her sense of smell was far sharper than an ordinary person’s. She could pick up scents normal people missed, and Monsters typically secreted a kind of hormone that produced a pungent aroma. Although Lu Liang had that scent too, it was very faint.
Just as Lu Liang had guessed, He Wan lacked evidence but was already beginning to suspect his identity.
After a while, Lu Liang returned carrying a dozen large skewers of grilled meat. He forcibly shoved a few into He Wan’s hands.
“Alright, when do you want to start smelling?”
He Wan shot Lu Liang a glance, sniffed the air, and frowned slightly. The faint aroma on Lu Liang was now completely masked by the smell of grilled meat.
“It’s all… grilled meat.”
“That’s not my problem.” Lu Liang grinned and took a big bite of the meat, spreading his arms wide.
“Deal’s done. You can’t back out now.”
“……”
He Wan looked at Lu Liang with a complicated expression, as if she’d been defeated by his shamelessness. She grabbed the corner of Lu Liang’s shirt, bringing it to her nose and sniffing carefully. Like a Siberian Giant Hamster on the hunt for food, she nuzzled closer, stroking the fabric as she tried to catch a trace of scent. When she found nothing, He Wan simply leaned in, grabbed Lu Liang’s hand, and, hugging his arm like a sloth, took a deep, dramatic breath.
She seemed to catch that faint Monster aroma, but the overwhelming smell was still the grilled meat, leaving her uncertain whether the scent on Lu Liang was from a strange insect Monster or another kind of Monster altogether.
After several fruitless tries, He Wan gave up investigating Lu Liang’s identity, her lips pouting in grievance.
“…Bad kid.”
She could tell Lu Liang was hiding some secrets, but he clearly didn’t want her to know.
“What’d you say? I didn’t catch that?”
Lu Liang pretended not to hear. When He Wan opened her cherry lips to say more, he was already ahead of her, plugging her mouth with a big skewer of meat.
“…Mm.”
“This grilled meat’s not bad, huh? Pretty tasty, right?”
Chewing the meat forced into her mouth, He Wan struggled to swallow. Her cheeks visibly reddened as she raised her arm; space distortion twisted around her, forming a Black Hole Vortex. In a flash, a Glass Bottle filled with Formalin emerged from the miniature black hole and landed in her hand.
What an impressive power.
He Wan clicked her tongue in admiration—her Miracle power as a Magical Girl far outstripped his measly Curse of Fortune Loss.
Stroking the glass jar, watching the four wrinkled spheres floating inside, He Wan’s mood improved considerably.
“Here’s your money…”
Pulling out her bulging coin purse, He Wan counted out 120 crisp hundred-yuan bills and handed them to Lu Liang. The transaction was done.
Looks like she had no intention of going back on her word.
“Pleasure doing business.”
Lu Liang grinned as he stashed away the cash.
A total of twelve thousand. At last, a pretty decent income. Lu Liang’s gaze toward He Wan immediately softened.
This girl’s behavior might be a little odd, but she really paid!
For a Magical Girl, she was way better than Star Splitter, who’d wanted to treat Lu Liang as her first case the moment they met.
Most importantly, He Wan was a little rich lady. If she weren’t a Magical Girl, Lu Liang might have considered trying his luck with her.
He handed over the Monster insect as agreed. He Wan stared at Lu Liang, her lifeless pupils like black holes that could pierce right through a person’s soul.
“…Do you have any information about the Dragon-shaped Freak?”
“Dragon-shaped Freak?” Lu Liang asked in surprise.
“You think I’d have Monster news?”
“Mm.” He Wan nodded.
“Because you have the Monster scent. Very faint, but very fragrant…”
He Wan seemed convinced Lu Liang knew Monsters.
This suspicion, oddly enough, relieved Lu Liang—at least the girl hadn’t guessed he was a Monster himself, just suspected he was in cahoots with them.
“Why are you looking for the Dragon-shaped Freak?”
By all rights, He Wan didn’t seem short on money. If she wanted, what Monster intel couldn’t she buy? Why insist on the Dragon-shaped Freak?
Could it be there was some secret about the Dragon-shaped Freak that Lu Liang didn’t know?
He Wan pondered Lu Liang’s question for a moment before slowly replying.
“Because I want the Dragon Pearl beneath the Dragon-shaped Freak.”
“Hmm?” Lu Liang’s expression stiffened, body tensing up.
The Dragon Pearl beneath…?
That’s just—his balls!
With that realization, Lu Liang stared fixedly at the four wrinkled spheres in He Wan’s glass bottle.
Could these four balls actually be the so-called “Dragon Pearls”?
A cold chill shot between Lu Liang’s legs, a phantom pain instantly washing over him.
So He Wan paraded around all day with four balls hanging from her hip?
Did this girl have some kind of mental issue?
Lu Liang glanced at He Wan.
Not sure. Better ask again.
“What’s the use of collecting these Dragon Pearls?”
Lu Liang swallowed hard and asked.
“The use?” He Wan tilted her head. The gesture was cute, but remembering the four balls she always carried made it more creepy than anything.
“For a wish.”
He Wan replied earnestly.
“Collect seven Dragon Pearls and summon the Dragon God… then your wish will come true.”
She spoke those words with utmost sincerity—yet they sounded positively demonic.
Never mind whether that’s possible; these Dragon Pearls are not those Dragon Pearls!
Lu Liang instantly concluded that, cute as she appeared, the girl before him definitely had a few screws loose.
And loose in a big way.
“As your partner, let me give you some advice.” Lu Liang patted He Wan on the shoulder, speaking sympathetically.
“How about this: go buy a ticket, hop on the bus, transfer to subway line 13, walk three streets, take two turns, and cross a bridge—you’ll reach your destination.”
“That’s where the Dragon-shaped Freak lives?”
He Wan blinked her eyes.
“No, that’s the address of the Spirit Hospital.”
“……”
After a moment’s silence, He Wan pulled out her purse.
“If you get news of the Dragon-shaped Freak, tell me… I’ll pay you. A lot.”
Looking at the fat purse brimming with red bills, Lu Liang felt his blood rush and his heart thump wildly.
His eyes narrowed as he reassessed He Wan.
He took back what he’d thought—this woman was not to be underestimated. She knew all too well how to tempt people.
Whether she was crazy or not, right now, He Wan was the smartest person in the world to Lu Liang.
“Yes, boss! Your wish is my command! But, I really don’t have any news on the Dragon-shaped Freak right now.”
“If you hear anything, let me know.”
He Wan understood, not expecting to get information on the Dragon-shaped Freak right away anyway.
Not long after the deal, He Wan got a call. Whatever was said, after hanging up, she dashed out in a hurry.
“No wonder she’s a Magical Girl—she really is a busy woman.”
After finishing the last skewer, Lu Liang was about to leave too when his phone started vibrating.
“Hm?”
He pulled out his phone to find that an unfamiliar friend had messaged his alt account on qq with the following:
“Hello, I have a job for you—high pay, light work, great benefits, no risks. Interested in learning more?”
A scam? They’re targeting me now?
Lu Liang sneered. He’d seen this trick too many times—high pay, little work, great benefits, no risk. Who’d actually believe that nonsense?
He replied without hesitation:
“Idiot.”
And attached a middle-finger emoji.
Elsewhere, in the Police Department, Lin Deqing—recently promoted to Deputy Chief of Police for his meritorious Monster insect capture in the sewers—stared at the taunting emoji in reply, his face darkening.