CHAPTER 551: CHAPTER 486: MUTUAL PURSUIT

If you can’t react, then don’t react, and wait for the other side to crash into you?

After hearing the red-haired director’s words, Leon pondered for a moment, then reached out and touched the [Heart-stealing Stud] and [Cutting Silver Dagger].

[Name: Heart-stealing Stud - Left (Connected Heart)]

[Appearance: A ruby earring that can only be worn on the left ear, shaped like a half-cracked heart, which emits a pearl-like glow when the wearer is attacked]

[Ability: Penetrates the heart]

[Cost: The more heart thoughts eavesdropped, the harder it is to speak one’s own heart while wearing this earring]

[File: Among the Merfolk Clan, there is a legend of a ’Heart-connected Gem’, which is said to allow one to understand the thoughts of all wise beings just by holding it in their hand...

In a joint operation, the merfolk priest who led the tribe to invade the harbor was killed, and the ’Heart-connected Gem’ he held was shattered by the Pisces Sub-bureau, with fragments obtained by Lion Sub-bureau director Beverly.

The ’Heart-connected Gem’ fragments were forged into a left and a right stud using Taurus secret technique. Since no one in the Lion Sub-bureau claimed it, it was handed over to headquarters, eventually being acquired by Virgin Branch director Olivia]

[Evaluation: A very practical abnormal object, very suitable for someone with an Undying Body to use, although the design is somewhat feminine]

[Contamination Value: 3.3]

[...]

[Name: Cutting Silver Dagger (Cutting, Removing)]

[Appearance: A silver cutting knife with a pure and bright blade, feeling light and soft, with a black elderwood handle that is hard and smooth to the touch, with no thorns, with ancient, now-lost writing engraved along one side of the blade, meaning ’Pure Blade of Cutting Life and Death’]

[Ability: Life to the cutter, death to the remover]

[Cost: When using this blade, one must maintain inner purity and focus, carefree of good and evil but honest in heart]

[File: One of the six special abnormal objects possessed by the deceased Overlord of the Dead Realm, Six-faced Elephant Deer, responsible for cutting the list of the deceased generated by the ’Death Soul Register’, thus imbued with part of the power to cut life and death.

After the Six-faced Elephant Deer chose to leap from the end due to hatred for its endless work, the ’Cutting Silver Dagger’ and other five abnormal objects were scattered in the Realm of the Dead, obtained by the then Gemini Branch director...]

[Evaluation: A remarkably effective abnormal object, when activating the ’cut’ effect, can ’cleanly and neatly’ cut open everything the blade touches into two;

When activating the ’remove’ effect, it can forcibly remove a part of something from its ’main body’, immediately granting it inevitable death]

[Contamination Value: 0.1 (Cut), 60 (Remove)]

...

You know, this combination really does seem to work.

After reading the descriptions of the [Heart-stealing Stud] and [Cutting Silver Dagger], Leon’s eyebrows raised slightly.

For someone like me with an Undying Body, as long as it’s not a particularly targeted attack, I won’t die no matter how many hits I take, but my opponent might not be so lucky if they get slashed once with the [Cutting Silver Dagger].

Even if the [Heart-stealing Stud] doesn’t necessarily trigger 100% of the time, and even if it does, it won’t necessarily hear the right heart thoughts, but after taking three or five dozen hits, it’ll surely succeed once, and as long as this set-up succeeds once, it’s enough for the opponent to take a serious hit.

The only slight drawback is that the combination of [Heart-stealing Stud] + [Cutting Silver Dagger] is only suitable for dealing with close-combat opponents and lacks means for long-range enemies.

But with my soul vision from the [Black Goat], coupled with the silver-level [Shooting Expert] badge, the effect is not inferior to ordinary long-range abnormal objects, and while it may be a bit lacking in decisively defeating the enemy, it is more than enough as a complementary means.

"Judging by your expression, you should be thinking that my proposal is not bad."

Seeing the satisfaction in Leon’s eyes, the red-haired director couldn’t help but smile and then seriously advise:

"However, even with the new main battle abnormal objects, it’s best to remain cautious, not to mention the controlled Cleaners in the Gemini Sub-bureau, just the hot weapons in the Crolock Kingdom itself are dangerous enough.

In this joint investigation mission with the Scorpio Branch, my highest requirement for you is to ensure your own safety. If you encounter an unsolvable problem, don’t act recklessly, don’t worry about losing face, quickly seek help from Edward.

Although my relationship with Edward is quite poor, he is, albeit barely, trustworthy, and at least won’t leave you to die. If he gets caught up too, then stay with Nicole, her methods of staying safe aren’t bad either...

In short, the success of the mission is not important, your safety is the most critical, understood?"

"Mm, I got it."

Hearing the red-haired director’s sincere advice, Leon couldn’t help but feel a slight warmth in his heart.

Although the director has a somewhat tricky personality and is extremely unreliable when drunk, most of the time, he is dependable, with not a bad character, and takes great care of me, making him a good leader.

"Additionally..."

Just as Leon was moved by the red-haired director’s warm advice, she coughed slightly, then unconsciously averted her gaze, her eyes slightly shifty as she said:

"If you end up causing... causing quite a stir this time, like accidentally blowing up the City of Machinery, or almost wiping out the Crolock royal family, remember to say Edward commanded it, okay?"

"..."

...

"Remember, your primary task is not to investigate the situation in the Crolock Kingdom, but to keep a close watch on Leon for me, and don’t let him act recklessly!"

Seeing the two Cleaners in front of her first exchange puzzled looks, then look at her in confusion, the Scorpio Director couldn’t help but rub her brow, continuing with a headache:

"In short, you don’t need to worry about anything else, just keep an eye on him for this joint investigation mission and ensure nothing major goes wrong, and then you’ll both have done the greatest service! Understand?"

"Understood."

"Got it, Director!"

Facing the Scorpio Director’s stern instructions, although full of doubts inside, the two Cleaners, one elderly and one middle-aged, nodded in succession, promising they would keep Leon watched tight.

However, although they agreed on the surface, faced with the Scorpio Director’s wariness as if facing a great enemy, the two Scorpio Branch Cleaners couldn’t help but have some internal grumbling, even thinking their director might be making a fuss over nothing.

After all, while powerful abnormal objects can be obtained quickly, the degree to which Cleaners get contaminated by them still takes time to gradually build up. That Leon, since joining the Clean-up Bureau, has only been in for three months, and could at most have accumulated five or six points of Leon Value.

Meanwhile, the two of us are both veteran second-level Cleaners, having joined the Clean-up Bureau for over five years, and our Leon Value is nearing the thirty-point mark, so simply in terms of "on paper" strength, we are estimated to be five or six times stronger than him.

You have to understand that this Leon Value accumulated from long-term contamination by abnormal objects allows a Cleaner’s body to gradually transform into "non-human", and at level 1 Cleaner level, can even rely purely on physical reaction to dodge bullets shot from even farther away.

With such a huge gap between 30 points and 5 points, if the two of us get close, Leon probably wouldn’t even have a chance to use any abnormal objects, what could happen with the two of us watching one of him?