Apocalyptic Forecast - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Double Sight

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The next day, at the hospital. Huai Shi was with Liu Dongli.

Even though his face was still a little pale, since his actions were not hindered, he was allowed to be discharged after a week or so.

Even though an Ascender’s physique was a lot better than that of ordinary people, it would be abnormal for it to be unreasonably strong.

The gunshot wound on his back had not healed completely. Liu Dongli’s body had endured two gunshots, and one of his lungs had exploded, yet, this guy had already almost recovered.

“What kind of medicine did you take?” Huai Shi asked in disbelief. “Weren’t you in the intensive care unit just a week ago?”

“Huh? What care unit?”

Liu Dongli looked at him, confused. “Didn’t Ai Qing tell you?”

As he said this, he grabbed and pulled at his eye, showing Huai Shi his right eye. At that moment, his pupil split into two.

Double Pupils!

It was the strange trait that Huai Shi had caught a glimpse of in the church.

“Since we’re all so familiar with each other, I guessed it wouldn’t matter if I told you. My stigma is called Double Sight, it’s one of the more unpopular stigmas among the East Xia pedigrees.”

Liu Dongli continued, “It only increases your vision slightly, and it does not improve your physique. It does not have any other functions except that when it merges, it will make a record of my body—just like a data backup. If I’ve been badly injured, as long as I don’t die on the spot and I’m rescued in time, I’ll be able to slowly return to my original state.”

Huai Shi listened, but froze for some time. Then, he could not help but sigh. “So, the intensive care unit was a lie, wasn’t it?”

“…”

Liu Dongli was stunned for a moment, but then immediately looked at him with pity. “Even though I’m not sure what Ai Qing told you, it seems to me like you’ve been deceived by that woman.”

‘Moreover, my friend, you even lost your car!’

Huai Shi averted his gaze.

“Ah, fortunately, there aren’t any physical disabilities, otherwise I’d be in so much debt. Just buying the silver blood potion alone was enough to nearly make me go bankrupt.”

After he said this, Liu Dongli asked casually, “Oh right, where’s my car? I thought you said you were bringing it over?”

“…Uh.”

Huai Shi suddenly felt nervous, and he shifted his gaze to look at a corner of the room. “I don’t have a license so there’s no way I could drive it. How about I get someone to send your car for maintenance some other day, then send it over to you after that?”

“Alright.”

Liu Dongli nodded, clearly oblivious. Only Huai Shi was secretly worried: If that hot red Masarati turned into a Chery QQ after going through maintenance once, would Liu Dongli look for a tree and hang himself?

They remained silent as they walked out of the hospital together.

However, when they were calling for a car, Liu Dongli took a drag of his cigarette and suddenly said, “Oh right, I wanted to thank you for the whole incident with Red Glove.”

“Huh?”

Huai Shi froze for a moment, but quickly realized that Liu Dongli seemed already be aware. His heart suddenly sank, “Oh…sorry…back then…”

Nevertheless, Liu Dongli simply patted his shoulder, interrupting him. “So, don’t worry about the car. I have insurance.”

Huai Shi was stunned for a long moment, then suddenly felt touched. Even so, he did not notice that while he was overwhelmed by gratitude, Liu Dongli had silently turned away and wiped away a bitter tear.

He felt heartbroken about his lost asset.

If he had not celebrated his birthday recently and received many gifts from some wealthy ladies, he might have vomited blood.

“Never mind, let’s not talk about this anymore.”

He waved his hand and managed to stop a taxi, then called for Huai Shi, “Since I just got discharged from the hospital today, if you feel sorry, you can just treat me to a meal.”

Even though he said he wanted to give Huai Shi a beating, in reality, he was still a decent person. He found a simple restaurant and casually ordered two dishes. During their meal, Huai Shi even passed him a gift that he had carefully prepared to celebrate him being discharged from the hospital.

Liu Dongli cycled through a series of emotions as he stared at the big box of Overlord Hair Growth Set, unsure of what to say.

Humph, he should have just let this brat get beaten to death by Red Glove.

After they finished their meal, Huai Shi asked, “Since you’ve already escaped your pit of misery, what are you planning to do next?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Next month I’ll be taking a plane and going off for some fun for a few days. I was so miserable back then. When I was serving my sentence, I couldn’t even leave New Ocean City. I had to report my location to the invigilator every single day.”

As he spoke of the past, Liu Dongli looked uncomfortable. “If you’ve taken responsibility for my wrongdoings, it would mean that you’ve jumped into a snake pit. That woman, Ai Qing, is not a good boss.

“Even though there should be a decent amount of protection, and you will not be cheated out of your money, she will test the limits of your ability very accurately. If you don’t die, then she’ll keep using you until you do… In short, just be careful, and find a way to back out. Although the Astronomical Association is a large institution, the benefits do not cover the cannon fodder that is us lowly minions.”

Huai Shi laughed dryly. “Even though it’s hard to get along with Ai Qing, surely that’s an exaggeration?

“I’m not sure what happened between you and her in the past, but the only person who thought this way was her original boss, the previous invigilator of New Ocean.”

Liu Dongli chuckled coldly. “Back then, your confidential secretary position still belonged to her. Then, after a few months, she was promoted to an official staff member. I heard that poor guy is still somewhere in Africa… all I can say is, she truly is a member of the Yin family. Once she gets a hold of an opportunity, it’s as good as hers.”

“Yin family?” Huai Shi was stunned for his moment, clearly confused. The name rang a bell.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about this.”

Liu Dongli shook his head, unwilling to continue the discussion. “When we were eating, didn’t you say you wanted to look for the Ascender’s market nearby? We can leave once we settle the bill.”

Once he said that, he picked up his cup and downed the rest of his tea before getting up and walking to the entrance.

What he had let slip was a taboo subject, and he decided to not say any more.

Huai Shi had not expected there to be a special market for Ascenders in New Ocean, a small city where there were only seven or eight Ascenders.

It was not too far away either, and he could get there on foot.

“This place is like a normal business outlet, and there are many things which are out of stock. You can only place orders in Jinling. If you don’t need it urgently, it’s better to buy it online. If you buy it here, and you need it urgently, the price will kill you…”

As he said this, Liu Dongli’s expression became resentful. It was obvious that he had been seriously cheated of his money before. “It’s so aggravating, we’re all Ascenders, yet we get treated differently… those who are the Astronomical Association’s Grade-B protected talents get subsidies every month, yet I must serve my sentence as a gigolo, tsk…”

“Are they that powerful?”

“No. How do I put this? That guy’s soul is absurd, and was deemed to be rare by the Astronomical Association. It can be used at any time too. Therefore, a contract was signed whereby the Astronomical Association guaranteed him a safe and peaceful life, and if he were to ever encounter any dangers, priority would be given to his evacuation and rescue. However, he had to be available every time the Astronomical Association called for him. It’s like they’re breeding a pig, so I can’t really believe that the guy can bear it.”

He paused for a moment before his gaze turned serious. “Remember, when you get there, never ever let that guy guess anything about you. That is, if you don’t want your life to turn into a mess.”

Huai Shi snapped to attention. “Is he that dangerous?”

“No, I wouldn’t say he’s dangerous. More precisely, that guy is more of a joker.” Liu Dongli covered his face. “Sometimes, the jokers are the most terrible ones.

“Furthermore, since you’ve already become an Ascender, don’t simply go around telling others about your ability, nor arbitrarily ask about other’s abilities. Take my ability for example, if other people figure out its flaws, it could cost me my life.”

After Liu Dongli finished cautioning him, he asked, “Since you’ve joined the Astronomical Association, have you done your evaluation yet?”

“Not yet.” Huai Shi shook his head. “I’m going to Jinling next month. Ai Qing said that when I get there, she’ll bring me to the branch directly to get it done.”

“Then just get it over and done with. Don’t be an idiot and don’t hold back.”

Liu Dongli sighed. “Back then, I was too honest. I would rather be evaluated to be weaker than to be made out to be too strong. Don’t be hasty and develop steadily, understood?”

“I think so?”

Huai Shi was not sure if he understood completely.

Liu Dongli nodded in satisfaction, then pointed at the door in front of them.

They had arrived.

More unexpectedly, outside the Ascender’s market on this desolate street within this old town, was a detective’s office.

Looking at the half-broken signboard, he already knew that no one frequented this place.

Once they stepped through the doors, a musty smell greeted them. He did not know how long it had been since someone had cleaned up the place. A person was sitting in front of the desk with his back to them with his earphones in. He was playing a game.

“Hey hey hey, that’s it, that’s it!”

Liu Dongli kicked the chair. “You’ve got customers here, why are you still playing?”

“Give me moment, all my teammates are missing in action. It’s up to me to turn the tides and win this round!”

“You’ve already died eight times, turn my ass!” Liu Dongli kicked the plug from the power outlet and pointed at Huai Shi. “I’m here to introduce your newest customer. He’s like my little brother, so be a little kinder to him.”

The gamer turned around. He was a middle-aged man with an unshaven face, making him look prematurely senile. He stared at Huai Shi for a long time, stunned.

“You’re becoming a gigolo at such a young age?”

Liu Dongli’s expression changed drastically. He looked like he was in shock as he slapped the back of the man’s head. “I’ve already told you, if you don’t have anything better to do, don’t just go around making random assumptions. What if you get in trouble?”

“Ok, ok, what do you want to order?”

The person did not get angry, and just got up helplessly and waved at them. “The things are in the back. Follow me.”

“Just call this guy Detective. Even though it’s terrible, when you’re interacting with Ascenders you’re unfamiliar with, try not to reveal your true name. Find a time to come up with a nickname for yourself later on.”

After giving his last piece of advice, he down sat on the couch outside. “I’ll wait for you here. If you need help gauging the price, you can call for me.”

As he watched him sit outside considerately, Huai Shi sighed in relief and nodded.

At the back of the building was an empty room filled with cabinets and a computer. There was a huge safe there too, making it like some kind of storage room.

“It’s my first time meeting you. I didn’t think that there would be any new Ascenders in New Ocean.” Detective extended his hand politely and asked, “What should I call you?”

Huai Shi followed Old Liu’s advice and did not reveal his full name. When he shook his hand, he smiled and replied, “Little Piggy of Huaihai Road.”

“…”

Detective’s face twitched. It was the first time he had heard such an original and unusual name. “Okay, this is the outlet for yesterday’s express delivery. I have most of the conventional items, but if you want something more uncommon, I can’t go online and order the goods for you.”

“No, I’m not here to buy stuff.”

Huai Shi waved his hand and leaned forward. He unzipped his jacket, looked around to make sure no one was watching, then asked in a whisper,

“Brother, do you want some powder?”