Chapter 39: Assassin's Holiday

A faint whiteness emerged within the dark field of vision, casting a hazy glow over the room.

Ji Huaisu shifted restlessly, eventually unable to bear it any longer; she flipped over, sat up, and pulled back the curtains. The pale, piercing light made her recoil instinctively. She stared out the window for a long while before realizing that, against all odds, the sun was actually out today.

On the final day of their leave, Huilong City had cleared up!

It is difficult for any local resident to resist a sunny day, and this was doubly true for Ji Huaisu, who had spent several days operating in the gloomy marshlands. The annoyance of being awakened by the light vanished instantly. She hopped off her bed, did a little internal cheer, and began to ponder how to squander this rare day of rest.

First, go to the safe workshops to soak up some sun... get some exercise, then head to an open-air restaurant for lunch... Maybe consider renting a boat in the public area in the afternoon... or perhaps afternoon tea would be nice. Or maybe cycle around the city? Try a picnic on the grass?

As she walked out of her room, Ji Huaisu felt an urge to follow someone else’s lead and jump straight off the balcony to take a shortcut. This thought made her stop in her tracks, eyes drifting toward Room 302 next door.

This floor was designated as dorms for senior detectives. Due to the well-known staffing shortages, she had been the only resident since the beginning. But things had changed recently; a certain assassin who had performed meritorious service and received a promotion had been assigned better quarters and was currently living right next door.

Thinking that it would be pointless to spend a rare day off playing by herself, Ji Huaisu tried knocking on the door. "Hey! Are you in?"

"I am. Come in."

The door opened automatically; that guy Chu Hengkong had actually enabled the room’s built-in voice-control features. She figured that even though he didn't pay special attention to his appearance, he was never slovenly, so he shouldn't have turned his living space into a garbage dump... but...

Ji Huaisu took off her shoes in the foyer and stepped inside. She looked around but couldn't find any slippers, and a foreboding feeling began to well up in her heart. In such good weather, the guy hadn't even opened the curtains or the window; the room was deathly still. She blinked, taking in the surroundings, and let out a wail: "My god... what kind of life are you living?!"

There were no decorations on the dining table, the cabinets, or the walls; everything was stark white, like a newly built house. There were no backrests or cushions on the benches; instead, dirty clothes were draped over them, intuitively showcasing a casual attitude toward life where "a laundry basket is unnecessary, the sofa is a perfectly fine substitute." The dust on the floor was exactly at the level of "it's time to sweep in another two days," clearly the work of a tough guy who only cleaned every few weeks. The dried fruits, snacks, and other benefits brought back from the squad were all piled in a corner of the hall. Many seemed to have been opened, but they were stacked so high that one lacked the courage to investigate further.

Chu Hengkong’s dorm wasn't exactly a garbage dump, because there wasn't really much garbage... his dorm was a dog kennel! An unfinished, unrenovated dog kennel at that!

"I'm living quite normally," Chu Hengkong’s voice echoed from the bedroom. Ji Huaisu strode in to find him lying flat on his bed, looking completely unbothered, the very picture of a dead pig that fears no boiling water. She quickly pulled back the curtains to welcome the sunlight and glanced around, feeling even more desperate: "Don't you feel like something is missing in your home?!"

The room was cleaner than the outside, but other than two or three pathetic books on a shelf, it was completely empty... His green overcoat hung on a chair, and aside from that, there were no clothes at all; the entire wardrobe was empty!

Chu Hengkong sat up, wearing his usual black shirt and trousers. Faced with Ji Huaisu’s interrogation, his response was remarkably calm: "It's less than when I lived before."

"And?" Ji Huaisu glared at him.

"It doesn't matter," Chu Hengkong replied, sounding perplexed. "It doesn't affect normal living."

"I don't even want to talk about this floor. Forget the decorations or small items, where are your clothes? Your slippers? Your other sheets and bedspreads?" Ji Huaisu stomped her foot in frustration, pointing at the empty wardrobe. "Comrade Assassin, look at that thing—don't you feel like you should buy something?"

Chu Hengkong looked down, saw the girl's white socks on his dirty floor, and felt a bit embarrassed. "Two sets of clothes for washing are enough. As for slippers, I only bought one pair since I live alone... Sorry, I forgot to tell you that you don't need to take your shoes off."

"That's not the point..."

At that moment, Ji Huaisu felt a deep sense of despair. It was a despair stemming from a fundamental difference in perception: some people feel that a dorm is a home that must be well-maintained, while others feel that as long as there is a bed to sleep in, a place to rest is sufficient. Generally, the latter are either poor souls used to hardship or people with special backgrounds... Thinking of this, her skin crawled, and she quickly confirmed: "Hey, did you live in this kind of environment when you were an assassin?"

Chu Hengkong looked confused.

"No. I lived in a villa converted from an ancient building. There were rugs everywhere on the floor, and the hallways were lined with famous paintings."

"Then why are you living like this now?" Ji Huaisu was on the verge of a breakdown. It was like a wealthy young master willingly living in a dog kennel and thinking it was perfectly fine; she couldn't find any entry point for empathy.

"I am an assassin. I am only responsible for my work," Chu Hengkong attempted to explain common sense to his partner. "Houses, cars... issues outside of work... my boss handles those for me."

"The image of your boss in my mind has instantly shifted from a ruthless mobster to a worried housewife!" Ji Huaisu covered her face. "I've had enough. Get up and clean this place! Take advantage of the good weather to wash all the sheets and covers, then come out and go shopping with me!"

Chu Hengkong couldn't believe it: "Are you kidding? It's my day off..."

"DO! IT!"

***

"My day off is wasted." Chu Hengkong remained expressionless.

Under Ji Huaisu’s command, he spent nearly an hour and a half tidying up his room. Most of the process was quite meaningless, such as wiping dust from places that didn't matter, sweeping a floor that already looked fine, and washing sheets, covers, and pillowcases that weren't even that dirty. Now, he was being dragged by Ji Huaisu to the commercial street, walking alongside young men and women in the sunshine, picking out useless little wall hangings, blankets, and potted plants.

Ji Huaisu was examining a spherical cactus and sneered at his remark: "Then what were you planning to do? Practice martial arts all day?"

"Practice for half a day," Chu Hengkong corrected. "The other half, go fishing in the swamp. If there's time, wash my coat."

"God, I forgot about that coat you never take off..." Ji Huaisu tossed the spherical cactus into the shopping basket. "Even if you like a piece of clothing, you don't have to wear it every day. And it's not even a very pretty coat."

Chu Hengkong was stubborn: "This coat is a custom-made high-end piece from my family; it counts as a... souvenir. It used to be very pretty; it only became like this after being worn for so long."

"Then go to a clothing store and have it reinforced. A decent one would cost about 400 flow-pearls," Ji Huaisu said offhandedly.

"...What is reinforcement?"

"It's a craft from the artisans of the Nether God Kingdom." Ji Huaisu gave him a look as if he were an alien. "Never heard of it? You don't care about anything other than fighting and missions, do you? You are so isolated from normal society. I suspect if you had no contracts to take, you would rather starve on the street than ask around if there is any free porridge nearby."

Chu Hengkong was speechless; he had to admit her words hit the nail on the head. Two months after crossing over, he knew the situation of every faction in the city, the dangerous zones, and the high-crime areas, and had used most common relic weapons. But he had never cared whether this place had service facilities different from Earth, let alone where to find reasonably priced merchants or well-stocked shops.

This city contained technology and immigrants from all the Dust Islands, but Chu Hengkong was almost completely ignorant of their non-combat aspects.

"You're right," Chu Hengkong admitted. "I should pay more attention."

"Ri~ght~" Ji Huaisu dragged out the word. "Hey, look at this! It would look good on your desk."

She picked out a green succulent that looked like a rubber sword standing upright. Chu Hengkong glanced at it and picked up a blue conch shell: "I'd rather put this there. I can hear the sound of the waves."

As he shook the conch, the sound of crashing waves echoed out—lonely and desolate. Ji Huaisu’s expression turned quite strange: "Wow, you really are a psychopath... out of everything to listen to, you pick the sound of waves!"

Chu Hengkong stared her down: "Does me liking fishing offend you?"

"It's not about the fishing; the sound of waves is the most depressing sound in this world," Ji Huaisu grabbed the conch and put it back. "Imagine sitting alone on a cliff edge watching the sea, with nothing but the empty, hollow sound of the waves between heaven and earth. That sense of void and desolation is enough to suffocate a person. It's cold and lonely."

"That's entirely your own warped way of thinking." Seeing that she had already walked toward the checkout, Chu Hengkong tried to argue his case before she paid: "Besides, I don't see the appeal of this thing..."

Ji Huaisu held the small plant to her face, smiling at him: "Think about it again. Don't you think it's cute?"

"Fine, I'll buy it," Chu Hengkong followed her lead. "I'll buy it."

They spent another hour buying various items of clothing. The richness of the materials opened Chu Hengkong's eyes: silk spun by a certain insect (cool in summer), lightweight metal from hot regions (feels like fabric and keeps you warm), and cloth sewn from colloids and plastics (resembles denim but is incredibly durable). After all that, it was already noon. He was dragged to a restaurant converted from a large wooden ship to eat chicken stew, salad, and seafood noodles.

"Half of my day off is gone."

"Don't be silly, you're on vacation!" Ji Huaisu said happily, the pendant on her chest sparkling.

Today she was wearing sunglasses, a long-sleeved white shirt, and slim-fitting jeans, with her golden hair resting on her shoulders instead of in a ponytail. One could see the effort to project a mature charm, but the tufts of hair that always stuck up made the look feel slightly uncoordinated.

Ji Huaisu noticed his gaze and returned it with an expectant look. Chu Hengkong couldn't bear to say something hurtful, so he said, "The pendant is nice."

It was a shiny little thing with a crescent-shaped base and a cluster of light-like protrusions, as if a shooting star were rising from the depths. Ji Huaisu gave a forced smile: "I wear it all the time..."

"I know," Chu Hengkong said candidly. "It's the only thing worth praising."

"Go to hell." Ji Huaisu went to pinch his tentacle, but gave up because it was too slippery. She wiped her sticky hands: "But it is quite pretty. Dad said it was with me when he found me; it might be a keepsake from my real parents."

This time, Chu Hengkong was genuinely surprised: "You're not your dad's biological daughter?"

Ji Huaisu looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Why would you think a single man with black hair and black eyes would have a golden-haired, purple-eyed daughter..."

"Your place is such a mess, who cares about hair color? Besides, you look exactly like him."

"Really?" Ji Huaisu leaned over the table. "Do you think I look a lot like Dad?"

"Your temperaments are exactly the same," Chu Hengkong said decisively.

"Is that so~ I see~"

Ji Huaisu was instantly happy, twirling her seafood noodles into a ball and eating them with delight. Chu Hengkong’s mouth twitched, feeling as though he was wasting his time. It was a rare, wonderful day, yet they were just talking about nonsense.

Is this what a vacation is supposed to be? Changing into nice clothes, walking around, eating, drinking, and shopping, trying to make yourself live differently than usual?

"I still prefer fishing," Chu Hengkong said. "Or playing games at home."

"Don't be so old-fashioned... By the way, what is playing games? Like playing cards?"

Chu Hengkong tried to explain: "It's electronic games. You control someone on a screen to walk around, buy things, drive cars, or fight..."

"Wow, wow, wow, that sounds so hollow. Why don't you do that in real life?" Ji Huaisu took off her sunglasses and looked at him.

Chu Hengkong took his phone out of his pocket and shook it at her: "Because games often have things that reality doesn't. I have a lot of old games saved on my phone and play them when I have time, but unfortunately, it's out of power now, so I can't play."

"Oh~~" Ji Huaisu studied it for a moment. "Why don't you buy a charging plug and try it?"

"..."

"I know you haven't heard of it. Come with me after we finish eating."

The next destination wasn't far from the restaurant; it was located on the tree-lined Green Surge Road, a three-story building that had recently been renovated. The shop was like a museum, filled with oil paintings, bottled ships, and all sorts of strange little objects. The owner was an old man who was quite surprised to see Chu Hengkong: "Oh my, Detective Chu! Please, take whatever you want!"

This place was called the Iron Oar Shop, the very store he had wrecked on his first day arriving in the city. Chu Hengkong took off his coat and placed it on the counter, waving away the old man’s kindness: "Thanks, just let me pay as usual. I'd appreciate it if you could reinforce my coat, and I also need a charging plug."

The old shopkeeper searched the warehouse for a long time before handing over something that looked like a power bank.

"There are very few of these left," the old shopkeeper told him. "Few Dust Islands dare to use 'electricity' as an energy source... you know, it's very, very dangerous in every respect... so its energy conversion rate is low. You might have to spend 200 flow-pearls to... let me think, what's the word..."

"Charge it," Chu Hengkong said.

"That's it, charge it!" The old shopkeeper was delighted. "How interesting. Every time I see these strange little things, I want to buy them. Please wait twenty minutes, and I'll process your coat."

Chu Hengkong found a hole for flow-pearls behind the charging plug. The "charging cable" was a deformable metal strip that automatically turned into a USB-like shape when brought near the phone. He tried charging it and discovered it actually worked.

"My god."

Ji Huaisu glanced sideways: "Is this worth you exclaiming over?"

"It's very worth it."

The old shopkeeper was efficient, taking only ten minutes to process the coat. After the reinforcement, the dark green coat looked brand new. To Chu Hengkong's delight, the family crest on the back had returned. It was a staff intertwined with two small snakes; it had been worn down by years of use, but now it looked as vivid as if it had just been stitched.

They returned to the dorm with bags full of items, transforming the dog kennel into something "barely livable." Once finished, Chu Hengkong opened his phone with one hand, went straight to an emulator, and selected an old game from the early 21st century.

"What is this... Poke...mon Emerald...?" Ji Huaisu poked her head in.

"A classic old game," Chu Hengkong said, eyes fixed on the screen. "If you're curious, you can sit beside me and watch."

Ji Huaisu watched the pixelated character walk out of the truck and couldn't help but sigh: "Your Dust Island is so weird! What's the point of this stick-figure stuff?"

Ten minutes later.

"Catch it~! Oh, you didn't catch it... throw another ball, throw another one!!"

"There are no balls left."

"Go buy some, hurry!" Ji Huaisu was excited. "I want to catch that little green thing!"

Twenty minutes later.

"Why does this yellow fox run away? Does it have any manners?"

"Don't take the game so seriously."

"The little green thing's output is so weak... How does this thing survive in the wild? Can I fight for it?"

Another ten minutes later. Ji Huaisu was clutching a bag of potato chips, looking serious.

"Let's make a deal: one bag of chips for ten minutes of playtime."

"What if I say no?"

"Then I'll grab it." Ji Huaisu bared her teeth.

"You're a captain, can you have some dignity?" Chu Hengkong was heartbroken. "Why are you actually grabbing it!"

Ji Huaisu let out a strange cry, stretched out her claws, and pounced, snatching the phone like a giant child. Seeing how focused she was, Chu Hengkong simply let her have it. Ji Huaisu cheered and took over the game, staring at the tiny screen with him, both of them beaming. He shifted his attention away from the game and realized there were now cushions on the wooden bench, making it quite comfortable to sit on. The room, once cleaned, was bright and tidy, with light from outside reflecting off the floor.

"Do you want to go boating tonight?" Ji Huaisu asked casually.

"Sure," Chu Hengkong said. "It's my day off, after all."

They huddled together to play the game, her golden hair brushing against his ear. The room was filled with the girl’s surprised exclamations. Chu Hengkong felt it was truly a waste of time, yet he felt that it wouldn't hurt to spend a little more time this way.

He had to admit that this kind of holiday wasn't half bad—much more enjoyable than spending it alone.