One Whack

Pharaoh was the strongest being on this planet.

According to the life tiers Quintessa had described, he should have been a mid-tier Planet Butcher.

While touring the planet, Tang Chuan had even seen posters of him plastered everywhere, drawing passersby to stop and worship.

What kind of evil could make the diary's owner believe that even a Planet Butcher, invincible in their eyes, had no power to resist?

Where had the diary's owner gone?

Why had he hidden the diary here, beneath the floor of a hotel sofa?

Tang Chuan casually flipped through the rest of the diary and found that its owner's handwriting became increasingly twisted, crazed, and difficult to understand.

He closed the diary, stored it away with the Fantasy Attribute, then frowned at Quintessa and asked, "If what it records is real, were there any videos left behind? Can you investigate?"

Quintessa replied, "I already investigated, but I found... that even those classified documents were disturbingly harmonious. The largest disturbance was merely the Resistance Army, now confined to one small corner. To Exile Star's New Order, that was nothing at all.

None of the video records showed anything unusual. That was highly unreasonable, because if a large-scale anomaly had occurred, then even if the authorities had not preserved any records, there should have been some saved in the storage of private electronic devices.

Yet there was nothing."

Tang Chuan asked instead, "What about the Resistance Army? Have they shown any abnormalities?"

Quintessa said, "Yes. They do not use electronic devices in the conventional sense, making them difficult for me to detect. The few electronic devices they do possess had damaged memory after I infiltrated them, and they could no longer communicate normally.

Perhaps they feared that New Order's network technology would steal their operational intelligence and infiltrate their high-energy weapons systems?

But that was far too absolute. Every one of them seemed to know they were doomed to fail, yet none chose surrender. They swore to defend their final base to the death.

I even suspect that if they were not being kept as a 'revenue-generating attraction' to draw tourists, the New Order would have taken them down long ago."

Tang Chuan fell into thought.

After a while, he said, "Are you... sure there is nothing on this planet that can threaten me?"

Quintessa still gave him a definite answer. "No. Even if the planet were destroyed, I could keep Master safe. I do not know whether some deeply hidden evil lurks behind this civilization, but if even I cannot detect it, then Master leaving now would only make that thing attack you immediately.

If this involves something higher-dimensional...

Master can have Chiliu keep watch."

Upon hearing that, Tang Chuan immediately grabbed Chiliu like he was drafting forced labor and said solemnly, "There is something very important! Comrade Chiliu, tell me you are ready."

"Chiliu!"

Tang Chuan asked, "Have you noticed anything strange about this planet?"

"Chiliu!"

"What you noticed, we have already noticed too?"

"Chiliulu!"

"You have a communication attribute, not a detection attribute? You're that useless? Then tell me, do you know how to contact Meatball?"

"Chiliu!"

"I can contact him just by telling you directly? It's that simple? Then why didn't you say so earlier? Looking for a beating?"

"Chiliu..."

Chiliu felt terribly wronged. You never asked!

Besides, you could not understand me at first either!

That was right. At first, Tang Chuan had not been able to understand Chiliu.

But for some reason, the longer they spent together, the more he could vaguely understand the hidden meanings beneath those "Chiliu" syllables.

Tang Chuan asked, "Do you know how I can understand what you are saying?"

"Chiliu!"

"Psychic contagion? You invaded my mind?!"

"Chiliu..."

"Good, so you didn't. So it is only the communication attribute, an affinity attribute personally designated by my Divine Core. The Divine Core subconsciously chose to 'allow' it."

Muttering to himself, Tang Chuan looked seriously at Chiliu and said, "If you discover anything abnormal, inform me immediately, understand? If there is even the slightest danger, I need to know before it happens!"

"Chiliu!"

Mission guaranteed!

Then can I eat garlic...

Tang Chuan glared. "You're even negotiating terms with me now! You... fine. If you make a contribution, I'll have Quintessa create a whole basket of garlic as a reward based on its material composition. But do not touch the remaining three!"

"Chiliu!"

It's a deal!

Tang Chuan nodded, set him beside the sofa, and said, "Then during this time, do not go anywhere. Stand guard right here."

"Chiliu..."

But going out to play would not stop me from standing guard.

Tang Chuan said, "I told you already, stop negotiating with me!"

Chiliu wriggled, curled up there, and indicated that he understood.

At that moment, Nokton walked over. He opened his palm, and a large pile of fragments fell onto the table.

"They should all be cleared out now. Twenty-six in total. We were being watched, Kuka!"

Tang Chuan rummaged through the fragments on the table and said, "Are you sure you cleared them all?"

Nokton hesitated at that. "I scanned every corner..."

Tang Chuan stood up and led the Star Hunter into the master bedroom. In the corner stood a potted plant resembling a giant succulent.

He directly grabbed the succulent by its stalk, tore it off in one pull, and threw it into the trash.

He then explained to the Star Hunter, "Aside from non-biological surveillance devices, many starfields also have plant-based and biological surveillance devices. Such things are often difficult for scanners to detect, because they are plants. They merely possess an additional 'detection' attribute.

This potted plant is quite rare and not a conventional plant surveillance device, so it is normal that you failed to notice it. Be more careful next time."

"Kuka!"

The Star Hunter nodded solemnly. "It was my negligence! I will pay closer attention next time, Master. Is this the final surveillance device?"

Tang Chuan nodded. "The last one. Now we can speak a little more freely, but be careful. Once the surveillance devices have been removed, certain things lurking in the shadows may become desperate. Also, be wary of ears beyond the walls."

The Star Hunter said, "I will remember that. While clearing the surveillance devices just now, I placed my own traps outside the corridor and windows. If any Unfathomable ones approach, they will trigger an alarm or be captured directly by the traps.

Boss, should I go out and investigate who exactly is watching us and what their purpose is?"

As he spoke, light flickered in Nokton's narrow eyes, revealing his thirst for the hunt.

Gathering intelligence and eliminating potential threats were naturally part of hunting as well.

Tang Chuan looked out through the floor-to-ceiling window at the blazing sun and said, "It is afternoon now. Most creatures on this planet follow a daytime schedule as well. Tonight, when night falls, hide in the shadows and investigate."

As he spoke, he spread his palm, and the Fantasy Attribute materialized into a metal club resembling a beer bottle.

He tossed it to the Star Hunter and said, "This is a Memory Eraser that can erase a Mortal's memories for a short period. Once used, Mortals will forget everything that happened within the previous two hours. Do not choose to hunt major figures directly. Interrogate them, then erase their memories."

The Star Hunter solemnly accepted the metal club. "All right! Boss, please tell me how to use this thing?"

Tang Chuan walked over to a mannequin decoration, beckoned the Star Hunter closer, and made a few gestures. "Remember, aim for his forehead. Be quick and decisive, strike like a thunderbolt, and do not hesitate. One whack. Just hit him with it."

Nokton asked, "Like this?"

Tang Chuan said, "Like this."

Nokton asked, "Do I have to hit the exact center of the head?"

Tang Chuan said, "Not necessarily. As long as you hit him, it works."

Nokton said, "..."