His area of expertise

When Wei Yanchi woke up, it was already eleven in the morning. His phone had over a dozen unread messages, all expressions of thanks from his client. The last was a tactful inquiry.

"Master, the chickens and dogs you requested were delivered at six this morning. May I ask when you'll be coming over?"

Ah, well... I did mean to go over at six, but I ended up sleeping right through it.

As he thought about it, his gaze drifted into the room. 39 had left long ago, leaving not the slightest trace of his visit. 39 liked expensive women's cigarettes; their smoke was mild and barely left any lingering scent.

He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed, but the thought of how he'd taken advantage of 39's vulnerability last night made him blush. He coughed and went into the bathroom to wash his face.

As a tall, well-trained grown man, 39 naturally couldn't have been particularly light. On the contrary, he wasn't slender, and a thin layer of muscle covered his body. Wei Yanchi had touched him lightly yesterday and knew how much explosive power lay within-enough to twist someone's head off with ease.

He truly was as beautiful and powerful as a snow wolf.

39 really was an exceptional man.

Had it not been for this accident, Wei Yanchi doubted he would ever have had the chance to get so close to this mysterious gentleman, who exuded aloof refinement from head to toe.

He chuckled.

He intended to leave the hotel and head straight to his client's home, but unexpectedly ran into 39 downstairs, just as he returned.

Delight flashed in Wei Yanchi's eyes. "Mr. 39! You didn't leave, you..."

He paused. Catching the same scent of blood as yesterday, he instantly forgot what he'd meant to say and blurted out, "...Went out killing again?"

Wearing a mask and a hat, 39 looked at him in cold silence.

Realizing his slip, Wei Yanchi hurriedly added, "Would you like to come watch the exorcism with me, Mr. 39?"

"Mm."

Xie De nodded, accepting Wei Yanchi's invitation. He'd come back to wait for the protagonist to discuss what he'd wanted to talk about yesterday. Getting to watch an exorcism would be a nice experience, too.

Although he was a little surprised that the protagonist knew what he'd gone out to do, this was the protagonist, after all. Wasn't it perfectly normal for him to have a few abilities ordinary people lacked?

Besides, so what if the protagonist knew? Was he going to call the police and have him arrested? Surely he wasn't that much of a jerk?

As if remembering something, Xie De said, "Thank you for last night."

Wei Yanchi's heart skipped another beat, and a blush spread down his neck beneath his ears. He quietly composed himself, presenting another flawless smile. "It's all right. I'm quite familiar with the body's meridians and acupuncture points, and I know a little medicine. If your aftereffects flare up that badly again, you can contact me. I'm always available."

"Mm." Clearly unwilling to discuss his own affairs, 39 gestured for Wei Yanchi to lead the way and said quietly, "Tell me about your exorcism?"

"No problem."

Wei Yanchi's smile held a tenderness even he failed to notice. The starlight in his eyes shone beautifully, and he displayed his infectious joy with even less restraint than the idealized male lead of a campus romance drama.

It made Xie De glance at him several times, until he finally had to marvel at how wonderful it was to be young.

As they walked, Wei Yanchi said, "The Fortune-Bearing Buddha Mother this family brought home is actually a spirit from the South Seas that's acquired a little power. It could be a rat or a scorpion. There's no real point investigating that, since they're more or less the same. Everything has something that nurtures it and something that counters it. Ahem, we'll get to that later. Let's start with the harm this thing caused. Ever since this big businessman brought the spirit home..."

Once he reached his area of expertise, Wei Yanchi became positively animated. He was an expert in this field, a genius! Of course he had grounds for his arrogance.

Listening, Xie De also thought the protagonist was seriously impressive. Remembering someone he'd seen on television before, he asked, "Then what do you think of Wang Yuli?"

Wang Yuli had shot to fame a few years earlier and been hailed as the internet's foremost fortune-teller. Even Xie De, who preferred to stay within his own circle, had heard of him.

A look of arrogant contempt crossed Wei Yanchi's face, and he snorted. "Nothing but an attention-seeking clown!"

As he spoke, Wei Yanchi led him into a villa complex. There were an alarming number of guards at the entrance, shuttle carts stood along the road, and an enormous fountain sat inside, surrounded at its base by lush flowers. Xie De was so absorbed in the protagonist's tales of supernatural mysteries that he didn't register it at first.

Only after a few more steps did it occur to him. Wait, isn't this place called Wisteria Park?

That legendary wealthy neighborhood said to rival the capital's courtyard homes?

Holy shit, we just walked right in? The guards didn't even come over to ask a single question.

Someone who looked like a guide approached and respectfully asked whether they wanted to take a shuttle cart.

Wei Yanchi waved him off, then turned back with a sweet smile and said, sounding aggrieved, "I want to spend a little longer with you, Mr. 39. Their house isn't actually far from here."

That was no big deal. Xie De wasn't in a hurry anyway, and he didn't mind chatting with the protagonist.

In fact, when Xie De wasn't feeling socially anxious, he had plenty to say. He wasn't a particularly dull person, especially around people he knew fairly well. If you chatted with him, he would naturally chat with you.

Besides, 455 had recently crammed his head full of an enormous amount of difficult-to-digest knowledge. Having someone to talk to would help him sort it all out.

Though this did come as quite a surprise to Wei Yanchi.

As they walked, they discussed some theories about Instances.

39 said casually, "It's just a string of data, except the computer it's connected to is this world. If we could find a virus capable of dealing with that data, the Instances would naturally disappear."

It was an excellent analogy, and Wei Yanchi shared quite a few theories of his own.

They involved philosophy, resentment accumulated over centuries and millennia, and perhaps cosmic civilizations unknown to humanity.

As they talked, the conversation drifted further and further off topic, and at some point, 39 firmly took the lead.

He was delivering a lengthy discourse on the differences between two schools of handcrafted violins passed down through generations-the Nordic Oslo School Violin and the North American Montreal School Violin.

Well, Wei Yanchi did gather that Mr. 39 preferred the Italian-made Amati Violin and was deeply versed in music.

"What about things like firearms and history?"

Wei Yanchi slipped the question in unobtrusively.

39 gave a derisive chuckle, unbothered by Wei Yanchi's little probe. His knowledge of these subjects was highly specialized, and the arrogance in his voice was no less than Wei Yanchi's when discussing the occult.

455 was a weapons enthusiast, particularly passionate about firearms. His daily ramblings had practically worn calluses on Xie De's ears, and as luck would have it, Xie De happened to know a little history.

Finally, it's my turn to show off, Xie De thought.

He couldn't keep a smile from curling his lips, making him look even more in his element. Like a seasoned veteran accustomed to handling guns, he spoke with calm assurance, tying firearms directly into history as the words spilled out.

"Among the better-known handguns is the Glock..."

"Since its introduction in 1975, over a million CZ 75 pistols have been produced, along with numerous variants..."

39 had a beautiful voice, and Wei Yanchi found himself spellbound by the sight of him. So powerful, confident, and composed-he was so captivating that Wei Yanchi couldn't help wanting to draw closer, his heart pounding wildly.

Just then, someone came running from a distance, shouting excitedly, "Master! Master! You're finally here!!"