A Good-for-Nothing

271. Scythe

Translator: Dragon Rider

“When night falls, the Grim Reaper ruthlessly swings his scythe and gets a good harvest at some seemingly insignificant moment.”

In an alley in East Coastal City.

Shu Laibao the mouse Yōkai, as a long-time informant of SMB, enjoyed special subsidies provided by the department. On top of that, he ran a small restaurant, so he had been living a pretty good life.

On this night, Shu Laibao closed the doors of his restaurant, planning to go to a cupcake store nearby to buy some goodies. His wife had borne him yet another big litter of little mice, so he had to buy some food for his children.

Registered Yōkai also had to comply with the two-child policy and must not add to the government’s burden, but it was a natural thing for a female mouse to give birth to over ten little mice at a time. Because of the specialness of this species, the Department of Homeland Security had made an exception. His wife had controlled herself and only given birth to sextuplets, but it had still almost made the headline.

Shu Laibao, delighted that he had got more kids, was humming a tune when walking towards the main road.

A shadowy figure materialized behind Shu Laibao. Shu Laibao, though still looking relaxed, was actually on the alert. There were many tramps and hooligans wandering to this alley on a frequent basis, but he was a Yōkai, and ordinary human beings were no match for him.

Shu Laibao had got a plan. If the one behind him attacked, he would teach them a lesson; if not, he would let it go.

The shadowy figure was gaining on him. Shu Laibao sighed and came to a halt.

The black shape also stopped.

Shu Laibao twisted his head around but did not look up at the stalker. In a resigned voice, he said, “Please walk away, buddy. I’ve had a tough day, and I’m really not in the mood for a fight.”

There was no reply.

It was only then that Shu Laibao, somewhat confused, lifted his eyes and glanced at the stalker. What he saw nearly made him jump out of his skin. That was not a human being at all. The stalker’s features were indistinguishable, what with the black gas swirling over them. Shu Laibao saw numerous roaring faces on it.

“You–Uh–” Before Shu Laibao could finish his sentence, the stalker applied a stranglehold on him and pinned him to a wall. Shu Laibao struggled hard, his eyes bulging from their sockets. His palms had turned into claws and he scratched the man with all his might. A piece of flesh was torn off, but the man did not seem to feel any pain whatsoever.

After about five minutes, Shu Laibao’s struggle became weaker and weaker, and eventually he was unable to make any sounds.

Something heavy thudded to the ground. The shadowy figure stood on the spot for a few moments and then vanished into thin air.

A couple of drunken tramps heard the noises and walked in the direction of the scene.

“What’s that sound? Did something just fall to the ground?”

“Who knows? Let’s go and take a look.”

The drunken vagrants staggered over and the next second horrified screams issued from the entrance to the alley.

…

He Zheng and his teammates had performed well in the competition, so the department decided to give them three days off to let him rest and recharge. They were supposed to return to work in three days.

He Zheng’s fellow STTP trainees and those who had passed the recruitment examination had been assigned to sub-bureaus in various cities already. There was no doubt that not all of them could stay in the headquarters of SMB, but He Zheng was married to a high-ranking official and his skills were pretty good, so he should be able to stay. After being given some inside information, He Zheng set his mind at ease.

They had a day’s rest at their respective places. Lin Zhuo, Wei Cheng and some others who worked in sub-bureaus in nearby cities were very happy to hear that they had come back and invited them to have a meal.

The agreed location was the same restaurant where they had dined together once.

Lin Zhuo was not good at spells, but he had a knack for magic tools, so eventually he had applied for the position of technician and had been doing his job well. Therefore, Lin Zhuo showed up a few moments later than Wei Cheng and the others did.

Wei Cheng looked a little more suntanned than before. He had joined the third action group, which was led by Xiang Hailou. Xiang Hailou wanted to knock Wei Cheng into shape and thus took him to perform tasks quite often.

They all settled themselves in chairs. Chen Qianlin and He Zheng came together.

Lao Tao was relatively late.

Apart from them, there was also a youngster brought here by Wei Cheng in the room. The young man was fair-skinned and liquid eyed, looking quite likable.

On entering the room, He Zheng noticed the man and asked, “Who’s this fella, Wei Cheng? Your sidekick?”

“No. He’s a fellow group member. Presently he works as a note-taker. I’ll be helping him acquaint himself with the work for some time. We’ve just finished a task in the vicinity, and he hasn’t had supper yet, so I brought him here.”

The young man looked a little shy with strangers. As Wei Cheng finished speaking, he hastened to stand up and made a sweeping bow to the others in a very formal fashion. “Nice to meet you. I’m Qi Ming. All my fa–family call me Chichi.”

Wei Cheng’s eyes softened somewhat as he looked at Qi Ming.

It surprised the others that such interesting people still existed these days. Tao Wujiu, smiling, was the first one to speak. “Okay, Chichi. We may dispense with the formalities. Take a seat.”

They all appeared quite approachable. At first Chichi was a little nervous, but gradually he relaxed.

He Zheng and the others were casually talking about a particular topic, Chichi listening to them with pleasant earnestness and silence.

While they were chatting, Qiu Luo who had gone to visit Zhao Yidi arrived. He walked in, greeted them, glanced around and noticed that there was an empty seat beside Chen Qianlin. There was no telling whether or not it was specially reserved for him.

Qiu Luo sat down beside Chen Qianlin.

Tao Wujiu flicked He Zheng a meaningful glance, but He Zheng ignored him.

Almost all members in Coastal City were present. The last time they had gathered together, there hadn’t been enough room for all of them at the table, but on this occasion, this medium-sized room appeared rather empty.

Lin Zhuo was still wearing his black-rimmed spectacles and did not seem to have changed much. For some reason, this scene made him feel faintly upset. Lin Zhuo’s eyes swept across the others and with that he attempted a smile but failed. “It’s been less than two months, but the large group of people have dwindled to just us.”

The others also felt rather upset as they realized it.

Tao Wujiu was very good at lightening the mood. Having perceived that the others were a bit down, he hurriedly said, “Alas. I’m sure they’ll come back at the end of the year when it’s time to report on their work, and then we’ll be reunited with them.”

“Yes. They’ll come back here to report on their work at the end of the year. I forgot about it.” Lin Zhuo looked in a much better mood. He twisted his head around and asked He Zheng, “By the way, He Zheng, do you know where you and the others will be assigned to?”

“You mean which sub-bureaus we’ll be assigned to?”

Lin Zhuo inclined his head.

Lao Tao gave a sly smile. “I don’t know where the others are going, but I know He Zheng’s assignment.”

He Zheng was amused. “Even I myself don’t have a clue, and you’re telling me you know it?”

“Of course I know,” said Tao Wujiu in the tone of someone explaining that one and one made two. “The first, second and third action groups are all terribly understaffed. You’re guaranteed to be assigned to Li Zong’s group.”

“Not necessarily.” He Zheng curled his lip. He knew that he would stay in Coastal City, but he was not sure whether he’d be in Li Zong’s group, because Li Zong already had Zu Zhichong who excelled at Fu-craft. If he joined that group as well, there would be two members of similar talents, which would be a waste of manpower.

Chen Qianlin was also faintly unhappy. Qiu Luo noticed his silence and asked in a low voice, “Qianlin?”

Tao Wujiu smiled, “Chen Qianlin is sulking. His grandfather seems to want him to return to Lin City.”

Smile gradually faded off Qiu Luo’s face.

Lin Zhuo, having sensed that the atmosphere was going a little subdued, hastily raised his wine glass and said, “Okay, let’s just drink. We don’t have to talk about this right now.”

“Ha ha … That’s right. Cheers.”

When they had filled and emptied their glasses three times, they forgot about all their vexations. Lin Zhuo and some others asked He Zheng about the exorcism championship.

“You guys are in the limelight. We watched the rebroadcast. Your performance was terrific. By the way, where are Chen Kai and Carnotte?”

“Chen Kai?” He Zheng shook his glass. “Probably still kneeling on the ground at home. It’s said that he’s not allowed to get up until his legs are broken.”

Chen Qianlin said, “Lao Ka is a nerd. I’m sure he’s reading comic books at home. He and Zu Zhichong could be really good friends.”

The others burst into laughter again.

He Zheng noticed that Qi Ming had been quiet. For fear of Qi Ming feeling bored, He Zheng asked Wei Cheng, “What kind of task have you two just finished? And how come you’re so busy?”

At the mention of this serious matter, the rare smile on Wei Cheng’s face disappeared completely. He put his wine glass down, his lips pressed tightly together. After a moment, he recounted, “Recently there have been several cases in which exorcists were assaulted. Last night, an informant living in Eastern District, a registered Yōkai, was murdered.”

The name “Eastern District” struck He Zheng as familiar, but he did not give it much thought. Instead, he was more interested in the cases. “Some exorcists were assaulted? Who would attack exorcists? Those Demon’s Attendants? What are they up to?”

“All those Yōkai and exorcists had their energy siphoned after being overpowered.”

Lin Zhuo wiped his mouth on a tissue like a little prince and then continued, “I’ve read about such methods in some ancient records, through which cultivators could absorb other people’s abilities to enhance their own, but this kind of methods are evil and I can’t think of anybody other than Demon’s Attendants and demons who would do such a thing.”

“Those goddamn bastards.” Tao Wujiu cursed resentfully. “Will we ever be rid of them?”

“Never mind. Let’s drop this and dig in. How have Kang Ba and the others been doing?”

The conversation was steered away from that topic.

Wei Cheng, having noticed that Qi Ming had been drinking juice all along, offered him some snack and said, “Have something to eat first. Don’t fill your belly with juice.”

Holding his glass with both hands, Chichi gave Wei Cheng a particularly adorable smile the sight of which melted Wei Cheng’s heart. “Thank you, Brother Cheng.”

The look in Wei Cheng’s eyes softened somewhat.

It was something after 8 p.m. that they finished the meal. He Zheng and the others were still on vacation and didn’t have to work the next day, so they drank some wine. He Zheng, who seldom drank wine at ordinary times and had a low tolerance to alcohol, became tipsy after a couple of glasses.

When they suggested they return home, He Zheng said, “I need to use the restroom.”

This restaurant was high-end, and there was premium carpet on the ground, so that people couldn’t hear their footsteps when walking on it. He Zheng, feeling dizzy, shook his head and walked for quite a while before he reached the restroom.

His eyes were closed when he peed. He was the only one in the restroom. After a shudder, he prepared to zip up his pants.

Suddenly, He Zheng sensed an unusual Qi.

“Who’s there?!” He Zheng abruptly opened his eyes and jerked his head around to look in the direction of a particular spot, on full alert.

Barely audible footsteps came closer and then Qi Ming poked his head around the door from outside, appearing somewhat nervous. “I–I came here to use the restroom.”

“Oh, Chichi.” He Zheng instantly relaxed and cast him a smile. “Go ahead,” he said.

Qi Ming nodded and made towards He Zheng.

He Zheng was zipping his pants when Qi Ming let out a sudden exclamation of alarm. He Zheng subconsciously twisted his head around and felt a pain in the neck. In the last few moments before he passed out, he saw Qi Ming sink to the ground in panic.