Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Searching for the Blade
In Reincarnation Paradise, most of Su Xiao's time was spent traveling between the Training Grounds and his personal space. He had not summoned Koushirou's mirror image again but instead opted for Combat Mode to hone his combat skills.
Although he 'died' several times during the practice, Su Xiao gained valuable experience.
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed, and Su Xiao received a notification from Reincarnation Paradise.
[Notification: The Hunter will soon return to the real world. Please remember the regulations of Reincarnation Paradise.]
[It is forbidden to disclose anything about Reincarnation Paradise to anyone in the real world. Violations will result in a warning, and persistent violations will lead to the Hunter's termination.]
[You cannot use most of the abilities obtained in Reincarnation Paradise in the real world, except for personal attributes and passive skills.]
[Most of the equipment and items obtained in Reincarnation Paradise will remain locked in the real world and can only be used again after returning to Reincarnation Paradise.]
[Teleportation initiated, location: the real world.]
The familiar sensation of teleportation enveloped Su Xiao, and when he regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a cold metal drawer.
The drawer was small and freezing, and Su Xiao's expression darkened as he realized where he was. He kicked at the bottom of the drawer with enough force to deform it, sending the metal door flying open.
Su Xiao slid out of the drawer along with the door. The place he was in looked like a long, narrow metal tray.
Clang.
The sound of the drawer hitting the floor echoed in the silent room. Su Xiao looked around and realized that he was in a morgue—a room used for storing dead bodies.
Before entering Reincarnation Paradise, he had been shot and 'killed,' and his body had been sent here. He had entered Reincarnation Paradise in a state of suspended animation.
In the hospital's duty room, a young intern nurse was startled by the sound. She was the only one on duty, as her colleague had gone out to get a late-night snack. The hospital's first floor was empty, and the thought of the noise coming from the morgue terrified her.
"Could... could it be a ghost? No, there's no such thing as ghosts... right? Stay calm..." The intern nurse, named Yiruo, tried to comfort herself. She had been working as a nurse for only two months.
Thud.
Another loud bang came from the morgue. Yiruo screamed, dropping her hot water cup, which shattered on the floor. This time, the noise was caused by Su Xiao violently breaking open the morgue's door.
He walked down the narrow corridor, his surroundings illuminated by cold fluorescent lights. The smell of disinfectant confirmed his suspicion—this was a hospital, and not just any hospital, but one in the city where he had lived. He had been here once before, so he had a vague sense of familiarity.
Su Xiao wasn't in a hurry to leave. He had to find the family heirloom—a sword—that had been with him. Nothing else mattered, but he couldn't afford to lose that blade.
He needed information and began searching for hospital staff. It didn't take long for him to reach the duty room, where he saw a young nurse staring at him in shock.
As soon as Su Xiao entered, the nurse's eyes rolled back, and she fainted, sliding off her chair. Confused, Su Xiao walked over and pinched the nurse's philtrum to wake her.
The nurse slowly regained consciousness, but the moment she saw Su Xiao, her eyes filled with terror, and she instinctively wanted to scream.
Su Xiao quickly covered her mouth and nose. "Don't make a sound, or I'll kill you."
The murderous aura around Su Xiao was intense, as he had just left a derived world filled with danger. The young nurse nodded quickly, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Who brought me here?" Su Xiao asked, guessing from the nurse's reaction that she had seen him before.
"Mm... Mm...," the nurse mumbled, signaling that she couldn't speak because of his hand. Su Xiao let go of her.
The nurse took deep breaths. "You... you were dead...! It wasn't my fault! I didn't do anything wrong! I haven't even had a boyfriend yet!" Her voice trembled, tears threatening to fall.
Su Xiao coldly stared at the nurse. "Answer my question."
The chill in his voice made the nurse tremble even more. "I... I don't know exactly who brought you in, but there's a record."
After searching the hospital records, Su Xiao got a rough idea of what had happened. He left the hospital right after that.
After obtaining the information, Su Xiao left the hospital and headed straight to a residential complex called East City Garden, a well-known but not particularly upscale community. Su Xiao, having grown up in this second-tier city, knew exactly where it was.
Catching a taxi in the dead of night, Su Xiao headed straight for East City Garden.
Ten minutes later, he arrived. Entering through the main gate wasn't an option, as he was technically a 'ghost' in the system now, and he was probably involved in a murder case. But with his infiltration skills, sneaking in was no challenge. Half an hour later, Su Xiao was inside East City Garden.
The people responsible for sending him to the morgue were low-life thugs, and Su Xiao had tracked down their location to one of the apartments.
Inside a dimly lit third-floor bedroom, the sound of steady breathing came from a thug sleeping soundly in bed. Su Xiao's expression darkened; his sword wasn't here.
Growing impatient, Su Xiao moved quietly toward the sleeping thug, and once he was close enough, he suddenly leaped up, grabbing the thug's neck with his left arm and locking his hands together in a deadly chokehold, known as a guillotine in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The technique was brutal, cutting off blood flow to the brain. If enough pressure was applied, it only took two or three seconds to knock someone unconscious, and less than ten seconds to kill.
The thug didn't even have time to scream before he passed out.
Su Xiao slung the thug over his shoulder and retraced his steps, leaving East City Garden.
In a dark alley, the thug slowly regained consciousness. Before he could fully orient himself, Su Xiao's cold voice echoed in his ears.
"If you don't want to die, answer my questions."
The thug, still dazed and in pain from Su Xiao's chokehold, responded with defiance, "Who are you? I'm warning you, I'm—"
Before he could finish, Su Xiao delivered a heavy punch to the thug's chest, leaving him gasping for air.
"My blade. Where is it?" Su Xiao asked, his tone cold and unwavering.
The thug's face twisted in confusion and pain. "What blade? Who the hell are you?"
"Su Xiao." he replied flatly, his identity no longer a secret. By tomorrow, he knew, he'd be a wanted man.
The thug's eyes widened in realization. "It's you! Your blade... it was sent overseas for auction."
The gangster's tone was calm, without any abnormality.
"Lies." Su Xiao wasted no time. He grabbed the thug's fingers, snapping them one by one. The alley filled with agonized screams.
"This time it was five fingers, next time it will be your neck. After you die I will find someone else. You are not the only one who knows this. Death means losing everything."
The thug finally broke. "Our boss took your blade. It wasn't me!" he cried out in desperation.
Su Xiao's expression remained cold. "Good. Take me to him."
(End of Chapter)