“Take a look at my phone?”
Chen Huaian blinked, exited the game, and handed the phone to the bearded man.
There was nothing unusual on his phone—just a regular screen. What harm was there in letting him check?
He assumed this was just part of the interrogation process. After all, as the saying goes, a clear conscience fears no accusation. A righteous man like him had nothing to hide.
The bearded man took the phone, casually fiddling with it a few times. The screen, which had previously appeared pitch black when Chen Huaian held it, now displayed an image—though it seemed to be shrouded in a faint layer of gray mist.
“So it really is a companion spirit object. This kid’s luck is off the charts.”
The bearded man thought to himself. Pretending to browse the phone for a moment, he then handed it back to Chen Huaian.
“It’s really the same brand as mine, but it drains battery way too fast. I always have to replace mine after a while.”
“Exactly!” Chen Huaian immediately resonated with this. “My phone loses power way too fast! If I could change it, I would! It’s the worst…”
The bearded man narrowed his eyes.
The phone’s screen was fully functional, yet when Chen Huaian held it, it was enveloped in mist.
And what had he just said? If I could change it?
If analyzed carefully, that meant Chen Huaian wasn’t unwilling to replace it—he simply couldn’t due to certain constraints.
There was no doubt about it. This phone was a companion spirit object.
This was no minor issue. Even putting aside the strange presence in the hotel room, just the fact that Chen Huaian possessed such an item made him a prime target for the Demon Slayer Division!
“Brother Huaian, I came from the hotel. Where did you get the talisman on your door? The design is quite intricate.” The bearded man smoothly changed the topic, carefully watching Chen Huaian’s reaction.
“Oh, the talisman? I just stuck it on the door for fun. It’s a prop from a game,” Chen Huaian scratched his head and chuckled. “It does look realistic. I used to joke around, wondering if it was real, even did some experiments. But honestly, it’s just something out of a middle schooler’s imagination. Hahaha!”
The bearded man confirmed his suspicions.
A game prop. A phone. A game on that phone.
Everything lined up.
Only Chen Huaian could see the game.
When the bearded man had checked the phone just now, there was no game installed.
The guy’s phone was unnaturally clean—not even a single photo in the gallery.
But those talismans were real, and Chen Huaian clearly didn’t know how to use them properly.
Judging by what had happened at Tianmen Mountain, when the wolf demon was slain, the talisman’s activation mechanism must have been triggered.
That also explained why the demon in the hotel room hadn’t dared to leave.
Everything was starting to make sense.
However, dealing with Chen Huaian was just as tricky as dealing with that sword-wielding youth whom Old Li had encountered.
He couldn’t yet gauge Chen Huaian’s potential. Nor had he determined whether or not to reveal to him the truth of this world.
Because the limits of the talismans produced by his companion spirit object were still unknown—as well as the price he had to pay for each exchange.
Furthermore, Chen Huaian himself had no combat ability. He was merely the initiator of the spirit object.
This was completely different from the sword-wielding youth.
That boy was powerful and difficult to deal with because he couldn’t be defeated.
But even though this situation was tricky, the bearded man wasn’t willing to give up on Chen Huaian—a man capable of producing real talismans.
Looking at Chen Huaian, who seemed like an easygoing college student, the bearded man hesitated for a moment but eventually couldn’t resist the temptation to strengthen the Demon Slayer Division.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Hey, Brother Huaian, I’m actually really interested in your talisman. To be honest, I like collecting these kinds of things. Uh… what I mean is, would you be willing to sell me a few?”
“You want to buy my talisman?” Chen Huaian looked at him with suspicion.
Someone actually wanted to buy this decoration from him? That was weird.
“But my talisman is already all wrinkled…”
“Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine! I’m mainly interested in studying the cultural heritage behind it. Doesn’t matter if it’s wrinkled!”
The bearded man put on his most sincere smile.
But Chen Huaian only grew more suspicious.
Even if he was studying cultural heritage, why would he collect a randomly wrinkled talisman?
Chen Huaian narrowed his eyes. Something was off.
“I have no idea how to price this thing… why don’t you name a price?” He kicked the ball back to the bearded man.
“Uh… how about 1,000 yuan?”
Chen Huaian stared at him in silence, thinking.
The bearded man, seeing him remain quiet, suddenly panicked and raised the price:
“Fine! 10,000 yuan! I really like this stuff!”
Chen Huaian still didn’t respond.
A man who seemed to be a security officer wasn’t interrogating him about the case—instead, the conversation had somehow shifted to a random talisman.
This was beyond strange.
Could it be that this talisman was actually a powerful artifact, but he just didn’t know how to use it?
The bearded man gritted his teeth and raised the price again:
“One hundred thousand yuan! That’s my final offer!”
For a moment, he began to doubt his own judgment.
Does Chen Huaian actually understand the value of this talisman?
“Deal!” Chen Huaian grinned, his face full of cheer.
The moment the money was transferred, he pulled out a talisman and slapped it directly onto the bearded man’s palm.
The bearded man’s legs nearly gave out, and he almost knelt on the spot.
This was a high-grade Thunder Talisman—if it activated, he’d be blown to smithereens!
Thankfully, nothing happened.
The bearded man let out a long sigh of relief and then looked at Chen Huaian with eager eyes:
“Brother Huaian, how many more of these do you have? Sell me a few more, will you?”
He wanted more.
One to hand over to headquarters, one for personal research, and the rest for self-defense.
But Chen Huaian shook his head. “I like these talismans too. Maybe next time.”
Seeing this, the bearded man reluctantly gave up.
At the Security Bureau Entrance
Standing at the gate of the Security Bureau, the bearded man reluctantly bid farewell to Chen Huaian.
He pulled out a card, stuffed it into Chen Huaian’s hand, and smiled:
“Brother Huaian, this is my business card. If you ever encounter anything strange, come to this address and find me.”
Chen Huaian glanced at the card—
It was a picture of a sexy woman in a bikini.
[Schoolgirls, young models, white-collar beauties… Door-to-door service, satisfaction guaranteed! Phone: XXXXXXX]
“…Sorry, wrong card.”
The bearded man awkwardly snatched it back and handed him another one.
[Longteng Internet Café – Open 24/7, RTX 9080 Graphics Cards, Private Booths, VIP Seating, Unbeatable Prices! Address: XXXXXXX]
Chen Huaian: “…”
Wait, so this guy isn’t a Security Bureau officer… but an internet café owner?
No, way too suspicious.
This guy had the authority to dismiss the guards and let him walk free. An internet café owner? Definitely just a cover.
“Alright then,” Chen Huaian calmly took the business card, flashing a mysterious smile.
Then, without hesitation, he turned and flagged down a taxi.
His phone battery was nearly dead—he had to return to the hotel, charge up, and find a new place to stay.
Meanwhile, the bearded man watched the taxi drive off and scratched his head in frustration.
What was that cryptic smile about?!
Did that guy see through my little scheme?!
Did he actually realize his phone wasn’t an ordinary phone?!
No! This is driving me crazy!!
The bearded man groaned in frustration:
“So… does he actually know how to use the talisman or not?!”
