Chapter 94: At What Cost?

Chapter 94: At What Cost?

Just as the talisman was about to stick to the black-furred rat’s forehead—

The rat suddenly seemed to snap out of its daze, instinctively shrinking its head down—so far that it actually retracted into its own chest cavity.

But it was too late.

The talisman had already left Chen Huai’an’s hand, following his intent with pinpoint accuracy and slapping directly onto the rat’s forehead.

And at that exact moment—

At the far end of the hallway, the bearded officer finally arrived, only to witness the scene unfold before his eyes.

"OH SH*T! STOP!"

His pupils shrank in horror, a cold chill running from his spine straight to the top of his head.

Too late.

Where the talisman met the rat’s forehead, a glowing sphere the size of a coin appeared, crackling with electricity.

The sizzling sound of arcing energy grew louder and brighter.

Without hesitation, the bearded officer grabbed the limp hotel maid, rolled to the side, and crashed through a nearby door, tumbling into a room just as—

BOOM!

A pillar of lightning tore through the hallway.

The entire hotel shook with the force of the explosion.

Heart still pounding, the bearded officer glanced at the splintered remains of the door he had just broken through.

The explosion had originated a full fifty meters down the hallway, yet even from that distance, the shockwave had shredded the door into pieces.

The sheer power of that talisman… terrifying.

The hallway was a tunnel-like structure—once an explosion occurred inside, the blast spread indiscriminately, making escape nearly impossible.

"Sh*t… did Chen Huai’an get blown to pieces?"

He peeked out cautiously.

The entire hallway was now engulfed in thick smoke, the air reeking of burnt flesh. Several room doors had already caught fire.

At the very end of the corridor, Chen Huai’an sat slumped against the wall, head bowed, unmoving.

His suitcase and storage box lay in front of him.

To his left, the hallway was a charred ruin, blackened meat splattered across the walls and floor in a grotesque, radial pattern.

To his right, within a two-square-meter radius, everything was untouched.

The only unscathed spot in the entire hallway.

That was the power of the mysterious talisman.

The bearded officer had witnessed its true might.

Anxious, he hurried over to Chen Huai’an’s side, carefully reaching out to check for any signs of breathing.

But before he could touch him—

A charred hand lifted and pressed against his own.

The bearded officer froze.

The young man in front of him still had his head lowered, his burnt fingers still faintly smoking.

A beam of light fell across his sharp, almost unreasonably handsome side profile—

And on those lips curled a sinister, knowing grin.

"Heh… Hehehe… HAHAHA! So that’s how it is!"

Chen Huai’an lifted his head, looking directly at the bearded officer.

His lips parted in a wide grin, wisps of black smoke seeping through his clenched teeth.

"So… I wasn’t a tumor-ridden superhero after all…"

His smile widened, voice dripping with glee.

"I’m the Lightning King!"

The bearded officer: "???"

"So… this world is already broken, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"What the news calls ‘mutant beasts’ aren’t actually mutations—they’re demons. There are many of them, and more keep appearing. Even some of those famous supernatural cases and serial killings in recent years? Most were caused by malicious spirits and demons. Some… were rogue Awakened humans who lost control." Râ𝐍ŏᛒЕṡ

Outside the hotel, now surrounded by police cars, the bearded officer and Chen Huai’an sat crouched on the curb, watching the city traffic flow by.

"You smoke?" The bearded officer offered a cigarette.

"Nope." Chen Huai’an shook his head.

"I’m Luo. Just call me ‘Bearded Luo.’" Luo lit his own cigarette, exhaling smoke as he muttered, "My ability is Devour and Assimilate… but I haven’t decided on a target yet."

Chen Huai’an’s thoughts were still a tangled mess.

He pointed to himself. "So I’m an Awakened?"

"Yup."

Luo took a drag, squinting as he exhaled.

"I was planning to reach out to you eventually. Just hadn’t decided whether to tell you the truth about this world. Compared to other Awakened and demons, your physical body is weak. But one thing is undeniable—your Awakened ability is incredibly powerful."

"You mean… the talismans?" Chen Huai’an looked down at his charred hand.

The moment the talisman exploded, he had been flung back by the force—

Yet despite the sheer destruction it had caused, it hadn’t killed him.

It had obliterated the black-furred demon rat, but all he had suffered was a minor burn on the hand that had held the talisman.

"Your talismans come from that mobile game, don’t they?" Luo asked.

Chen Huai’an was momentarily stunned.

"Wait… you can

see

the game, Uncle?"

"No, I can’t. Only you can," Luo shook his head, exhaling a ring of smoke before continuing, "It’s your

Innate Spirit Artifact

. Only you—and only

you

—can use it. No one else can control it. But a Spirit Artifact that’s completely invisible to others? That’s pretty rare."

Innate Spirit Artifact…

Chen Huai’an mulled over Luo’s words.

Up until now, he had assumed his changes were due to some kind of cancer-induced evolution.

But thinking about it carefully… hadn’t his life started shifting dramatically ever since he got the

Virtual Girlfriend

game?

Without that game, he wouldn’t have gone climbing at Mount Tais.

If he hadn’t climbed Mount Tais, how could he have encountered all those opportunities?

"I know someone with an ability similar to yours," Luo suddenly said. "His initial assessment put him at

Soldier Rank, Grade A

. Codename: Divine Brush. His Spirit Artifact is a brush—whatever he draws becomes real. But depending on how logical or overpowered the creation is, he has to pay a price. If the cost is too high, it could even take his life."

Luo’s gaze darkened slightly as he focused on Chen Huai’an.

"Creating something from nothing… that’s one of the hardest things to do. And your talismans—your Spirit Artifact generates them, doesn’t it?"

Chen Huai’an nodded. That wasn’t wrong.

Besides the talismans, he had also received a Protective Talisman, a string of Spirit Stones, and a potted plant.

No wonder no matter how fast he ran to the door, he never caught sight of the mysterious delivery person.

There had never been a hacker. Never been a courier.

The

Virtual Girlfriend

game—his Innate Spirit Artifact—had simply created those items out of thin air.

"Then… what’s the price?"

Luo’s eyes bore into Chen Huai’an, a trace of urgency in his voice.

He needed to know what it cost to generate such powerful talismans.

This wasn’t just about Chen Huai’an’s Awakener classification.

It was about the future of the Tianfu Demon Slayers.

Chen Huai’an met Luo’s gaze, opened his mouth… then fell silent.

Does it cost money?

Somehow, he had a bad feeling about that answer.

If Luo was right—if this world was about to be overrun by demons… if this was about to become an era of Awakeners…

Then money would mean nothing to them.

A man without sin may still die for carrying treasure.

If money was all it took to buy these talismans, then what was he?

A walking loot chest?

What if they decided to experiment on him?

What if they locked him up and forced him to mass-produce talismans every day?

What if—someone tried to steal his Spirit Artifact?

Luo said that an Innate Spirit Artifact could only be used by its owner… but was that really true?

Chen Huai’an didn’t want to assume the worst about people.

But his entire life had taught him otherwise.

If people were truly trustworthy, he wouldn’t have spent his days scraping by on a meager pension.

If people were truly trustworthy, his ex wouldn’t have cheated on him.

If people were truly trustworthy, his college roommate wouldn’t have fought him for the poverty aid scholarship.

So…

"The price… is my lifespan."

Chen Huai’an stared into Luo’s eyes.

Not a single muscle on his face twitched.

Not a flicker of hesitation.

Not even the slightest change in heartbeat.

That was the answer he gave.