It Turns Out I Killed It (4.5K)

The sudden appearance of the Skeleton Corps was obviously an accident, but the loud knocking on the door seemed to strike Jie La Er and Tachibana's hearts, instantly making them tense.

Bang, bang, bang!

"Open the door! Open the door!"

The knocking and shouting grew louder and louder, and the fragile lock seemed ready to be broken by brute force at any moment.

This made Jie La Er instinctively want to grab something, but unfortunately, his Chainsaw Sword had been destroyed the night before, and he was now without a weapon. If the skeleton Knight outside broke down the door, he would have no choice but to fight with his newly repaired, lightweight civilian-type body.

Fortunately, the knocking didn't last long. Soon, another Knight's voice rang out. "What are you doing? Is there no one in this warehouse?"

The Knight who had been knocking stopped knocking. "I think I just saw a glimmer of light through the crack in the door."

Jie La Er immediately glanced at the candle he had extinguished beside him.

"... Are your eyes that sharp? You can see through such a tiny crack in the door?"

"I'm not entirely sure either, so I was just bluffing," the Knight replied. "Besides, if that guy wanted to hide, he'd probably go into one of these warehouses, right?"

"But in Lyra, there are too many warehouses like this. If we photograph them one by one, it will take forever."

Jie La Er breathed a slight sigh of relief at the conversation between the two Knight outside.

It seems that his whereabouts were not exposed; this was just a routine search.

However, the warrant he is currently wanted should only be Level 1. Only Level 2 warrants allow entry into residential areas and private residences for searches. Does this mean his warrant has been upgraded to Level 2?

But if that's the case, why didn't the two Knight outside just rush in? That old lock wouldn't have been a any-go for them, would it?

Jie La Er was somewhat puzzled, but if the two of them couldn't get in, then there was no need to worry too much.

Unless...

Jie La Er looked at Tachibana beside him.

From the moment she left until now, Ju hadn't said a word. She just stood there quietly, maintaining her poker face, as if everything happening outside had nothing to do with her.

However, if she shouts to the outside, the two Knight outside will immediately break down the door and enter.

So... will she speak up?

Jie La Er gradually became nervous again.

Fortunately, Ju remained silent, like a doll without a mouth.

In this way, the two Knight outside would have no reason to break down the door.

"Want to go in and take a look? The lock is just a matter of kicking it."

"That would be against the rules. We can't do that before the warrant is upgraded. If the owner of that warehouse outside sues us, we'll be in big trouble."

"Tsk, the fact that we're even here searching is already borderline," the Knight complained. "What's this? Just a quick look and we're not going in?"

"Alright, stop complaining," the Knight comforted him. "Judging from the current trend, the wanted poster will be upgraded soon. Wouldn't it be more legitimate then?"

"Okay, let's go then."

Then Jie La Er heard the footsteps of the two Knight receding into the distance.

Jie La Er's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was immediately put at ease.

Then he looked at Ju again, and just as he opened his mouth to say "You...", he heard Bai Wei say calmly in his mind, "What? Did your perception also decrease after losing those equipment?"

Jie La Er was slightly taken aback, and immediately felt his hair stand on end.

He heard a slight scraping sound coming from outside the window behind him.

This is the sound of the trouser legs rubbing together while walking; you can't hear it at all unless you listen carefully.

Those two Knight haven't left yet!

Right behind him!

Just a wall away!

Realizing this, Jie La Er quickly pressed himself against the wall, but that wasn't enough. He soon discovered that Tachibana's location was also directly opposite the window, making her easily visible.

There was no time to explain further. Jie La Er immediately reached out, pulled Tachibana into his arms, and then covered Tachibana's mouth.

Almost simultaneously, two white lights came on, shining into the warehouse almost right next to Jie La Er's body.

"It was a close call," Bai Wei said slowly in his mind.

Bai Wei was relaxed, but Jie La Er clearly dared not relax.

Because the parts that Tachibana had replaced for him were right under his feet, and there were still bloodstains on them. If you saw them, you would definitely find out the problem.

Fortunately, the Knight didn't see it.

The window wasn't very big; it was more like a slightly larger ventilation hole than a window, and its location was quite tricky. It took Jie La Er quite a bit of effort to squeeze in earlier.

The light from the two skeletal Knight was far from sufficient to take in the entire warehouse.

After looking around for a long time, all they could see were mountains of metal parts.

"There really is no one here."

The two skeletal Knight who had returned spoke again, this time their voices ringing right in Jie La Er and Tachibana's ears.

"What's the purpose of this warehouse? Why are there so many spare parts?"

"I don't know, and these are all very old parts... It doesn't feel like no one lives here."

"The one on night watch."

Where is that person?

"Just not here tonight? After all, there's no need to guard this pile of junk every night." One of the beams of light disappeared. "Alright, let's move on to the next location. Tonight's mission is very urgent."

The other Knight was still unwilling to give up. "Can't you smell something strange?"

"It smells like virgin oil, doesn't it?" the Knight said impatiently. "Haven't you smelled it before? Especially on rainy days, when virgin oil gets wet, it emits a disgusting odor. You'd know if you've ever been to Source Oil Processing Plant."

What's that smell?

"The stench of rotting corpses," the Knight replied curtly.

"...Okay, you've disgusted me too." The other beam of light disappeared as well. "Now that you mention it, it does seem to make sense. Source oil is a good thing, but the smell is really not good."

As they spoke, the two Knights who had turned back to attack gradually disappeared into the distance.

This time, it shouldn't be a test.

But Jie La Er dared not relax, his body remaining tense until he was certain that the two Knight's footsteps had disappeared, and with Bai Wei's confirmation, he finally relaxed completely, releasing Ju from his arms.

Although he consciously left a gap between his fingers for Ju to breathe while covering Ju's mouth, Ju still managed to suffocate until her face turned red.

"I'm sorry," Jie La Er could only explain, "Things happened so suddenly, I didn't have time to explain."

Ju didn't say much, just nodded, and then went to stand on the other side.

Jie La Er had been worried that Tachibana would make a sound, but she remained silent. Even after Gerald suddenly covered her mouth, she didn't panic much and quickly calmed down, cooperating by not making a sound.

Whatever the reason, this is not the reaction of a ten-year-old child.

"Maybe she's afraid you'll kill her on the spot," Bai Wei's leisurely voice echoed in Jie La Er's mind again. "Or maybe she thinks those two guys outside can't beat you? But whatever the reason, it shows that this little girl is quite sensible."

Bai Wei's words reflected Jie La Er's thoughts at that moment.

"Why didn't you tell me the two Knights were coming?" Jie La Er asked himself. "Your eyes could see perfectly well enough."

"Do you think I'm a radar with automatic warning functions?" Bai Wei said calmly. "Giving you a heads-up before they rush in is already quite generous."

Even if Jie La Er disagreed with Bai Wei's explanation, he couldn't refute it. After all, it wasn't his own power, so how much could he ask for?

So, compared to those things, he still needs to consider more practical matters.

For example, where will we stay tonight?

Jie La Er originally planned to have Tachibana change his body, pay the fee, and then leave, so as not to cause Tachibana any more trouble.

But ideals are beautiful, while reality is harsh.

Jie La Er not only overestimated his wallet, but also his physical condition.

If they can't afford it, that's fine too.

His current condition is even more worrying, especially his mental state.

The physical damage has been repaired by Ju, but the mental strain cannot be recovered without rest. He has barely slept since last night, which has greatly weakened his abilities.

The fact that the two Knights were able to sneak up behind him so easily is the best proof of this. If Bai Wei hadn't reminded him a second ago, he would definitely have been discovered by those two Knights by now.

Therefore, given his current situation, finding a new place to stay without being discovered while being wanted throughout the city is no easy task.

In other words, he now only has one choice left.

Jie La Er looked up at Tachibana and said softly, "I'm sorry, I can't go anywhere else tonight, I'll have to rest here, but I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Tachibana didn't seem surprised by Jie La Er's request. She simply nodded and pointed to her own bed. "Would you like to use my blanket?"

"...No, no need, I don't need your bed." Jie La Er wasn't about to fight with the little girl for a bed. He walked straight to the door, found a spacious spot, and sat down. "I'll just stay here for the night, you don't need to worry...uh."

Jie La Er suddenly realized that his sitting by the door was as if he were blocking Orange's escape route, preventing her from secretly going out to report the news.

Although Jie La Er didn't have such thoughts, he had no intention of explaining at that moment.

Because he was already very tired.

He was already close to his limit, and then these two Knight suddenly appeared and disrupted things. The fact that he was still able to hold on without fainting was already a testament to his excellent willpower.

So, with his last ounce of strength, he said to Tachibana, "I'll be leaving tomorrow, and I'll pay you back. Sorry for bringing you this tonight... uh..."

Jie La Er felt his head growing heavier and heavier, and the fatigue rolled in like a tide.

He sensed that this fatigue was not right, but he didn't have the energy to think about it at that moment. After struggling to finish speaking, Jie La Er could no longer hold on, his vision went black, and his head slumped down.

This sudden coma startled Ju, as it seemed as if she had suddenly passed away.

She stared at Jie La Er for almost a minute, but Jie La Er didn't react at all. However, Tachibana didn't dare to come up and check Jie La Er's breathing. So after some hesitation, she did nothing, hugged her small blanket, which was the coat her father had left her, and went to bed.

After all, replacing parts for Jie La Er was a considerable task, and for a ten-year-old, it was too much of a burden.

Not long after, Ju fell asleep.

The not-so-spacious warehouse was suddenly filled only with the faint snoring of an old man and a child.

Until "Jie La Er" slowly opened his eyes, and a smile that was completely different from the original's appeared on his face.

This is naturally Bai Wei.

He raised his left hand, looked at his middle finger, and muttered, "This progress is really slow."

Bai Wei has been possessing Jie La Er's body for over half a month now, and this is the first time he has taken control of the body without Jie La Er's knowledge.

It's worth noting that on the second day he was on Ulu's body, he was already able to control two of Ulu's fingers, and a few days later he was able to control half of Uru's body.

There are many reasons for this, such as Jie La Er not relying on his power like Ulu does, and even somewhat rejecting it.

And Jie La Er was much more vigilant Ulu, so Bai Wei didn't want to rashly take control of Jie La Er's body and then be discovered by him.

So he kept waiting for an opportunity.

And now, this is the opportunity.

He deliberately pushed Jie La Er further, making him even more mentally exhausted. The reason why Bai Wei only told Jie La Er about the two Knight earlier at the last moment was for this reason: to try to weaken Jie La Er's mental state and put him into a deeper state of sleep so that Bai Wei could wake him up while he was asleep.

Just like it is now.

Bai Wei slowly clenched his fist, carefully sensing the body.

Unlike Ulu then, Jie La Er has now used Bai Wei's power several times, so Bai Wei's control over Jie La Er's body has reached a relatively deep level. If Bai Wei wanted, he could take this body outside for a walk now, though he would walk rather unsteadily, like a disabled person.

The reason it was able to move so quickly is probably related to the fact that Jie La Er's body was not as intact as Ulu's.

The reason Bai Wei wanted to take control of Jie La Er's body tonight was definitely not because he wanted to go for a walk, but because... he found that he seemed to have gained something.

Actually, he already had some senses back in Ulu. When his fingers and eyes were in the same body, his soul seemed to have undergone some changes.

However, by then Ulu's body was already on its last legs, and he didn't have time to check what the changes were.

When it came to Jie La Er only had one eye implanted for a long time, and his fingers didn't move at all, so Bai Wei had no way to examine him.

It wasn't until last night that Jie La Er finally got his fingers reattached, allowing his fingers and eyes to coexist on the same body once again.

Bai Wei also felt something new deep within his soul once again.

After Jie La Er fell into a deep sleep and Gerald took over his body, his eyes, fingers, and soul seemed to be connected as one at that moment.

Bai Wei first saw the system panel that he had almost forgotten about, the text on it flashing by.

"Visas - 5% body integrity".

Then, an image appeared in his mind—before the burning sky, a great being surrounded by Holy Light stood like a mountain.

"He" looked at Bai Wei.

Bai Wei was also looking at "He".

Under this silent gaze, the flames burning across the sky spread to "He," and "He" began to struggle, to howl, and to unleash the power that could shake the world.

Everything He did was for the sake of survival.

But,

But it was all in vain. Under this calm gaze, He began to crumble, began to perish, began to... not be allowed to exist.

And so He and the world burst into flames.

This scene was magnified infinitely in Bai Wei's eyes, and then quickly receded.

The scene before his eyes shifted from the burning world back to the dark warehouse.

It was as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

But Bai Wei knew that it wasn't an illusion.

It wasn't a scene from the game either; he clearly remembered that this part wasn't in the game.

What could it be?

Bai Wei gently closed her eyes.

In a daze, I already had the answer.

"Oh, I see."

He suddenly realized what was happening and gradually understood everything, muttering to himself.

"Lyra..."

"I killed him."