chsdbacks Chapter 8 Join the Club I Founded
Chapter 8 Join the Club I Founded
The footsteps grew closer. Luo Tian stood in the corridor, his right hand hanging at his side, only centimeters away from the holster.
A man emerged from the stairwell. He was around thirty years old, wearing a gray jacket, jeans, and sneakers. He had a very ordinary appearance and would easily be overlooked in a crowd.
The man paused when he saw Luo Tian, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Who are you?"
"The residents here," Luo Tian replied. "And you? Who are you looking for?"
The man didn't answer, his gaze passing over Luo Tian and looking towards the door behind him: "Do you know the woman in that room?"
"He's my neighbor."
"Call her out."
Why should I listen to you?
The man squinted and slowly reached his right hand into his jacket pocket.
Luo Tian didn't give him a chance to take something out. He drew his gun, loaded it, and aimed, completing the whole action in less than a second.
"Don't move." Luo Tian's voice was very calm. "Take your hands out of your pockets, and move slowly."
The man stared at the muzzle of the gun, his expression shifting from fierce to surprised: "You're a police officer?"
"A non-staff member of the Metropolitan Police Department's SDS." Luo Tianliang showed the ID given to him by Tachibana Kirika. "You'd better explain why you're loitering here."
The man's lips twitched, and the next second he suddenly turned around and ran wildly towards the stairwell.
"Stop!" Luo Tian shouted.
The man didn't stop at all. When he reached the top of the stairs, he suddenly leaped into the air. Luo Tian chased after him to the top of the stairs and looked down. The man had already jumped to the corner of the next floor and landed steadily. This was not something a normal person could do.
The man looked up, and Luo Tian saw that his hands had turned into gray-black claws, with nails as sharp as blades.
"Mind your own business." The man grinned, revealing a set of sharp teeth, then turned and disappeared around the corner of the stairs.
Luo Tian didn't chase after them. He put away his gun and returned to his room. Mira stood at the door, her face as white as paper.
"He's already gone, but he'll definitely come back," Luo Tian said.
"What should I do?" Mira asked anxiously.
"Either move immediately, or join the club I'm forming," Luo Tian said after thinking for a moment.
---
Luo Tian brought Tsubakihara Mira to Kasumigaoka Utaha's apartment. Utaha was curled up on the sofa reading a book. When she saw Luo Tian bring back a strange woman, she raised her eyebrows slightly.
"This is Tsubakihara Mira, my next-door neighbor," Luo Tian introduced. "She's run into some trouble and is staying here for a few days."
Shi Yu's gaze lingered on Mira for two seconds before landing on the ring on Mira's right ring finger. She asked, "Is this the Demon Heart?"
Luo Tian was somewhat surprised: "How do you recognize this thing?"
Shi Yu did not answer Luo Tian's question, but put down her book and said, "The Demon Heart has the ability to hypnotize women."
Mira's face darkened further, and she asked in surprise, "This ring... can hypnotize people?"
"That's right." Luo Tian didn't hide anything from her. "Moreover, this ring is being tracked by an organization called the Golden Dawn. The person who was following you just now was probably sent by them."
Mira took off the ring and placed it on the coffee table. Under the light, the ring glowed with a dark red light, as if it were alive.
"I don't want this anymore, you can take it," Mira said.
Luo Tian looked at the ring, and the system immediately popped up a prompt: Abyss item Demon Heart detected, Elite rank, estimated value 5000 points, recycle?
Luo Tian didn't immediately choose to recycle. He looked at Mira and said, "Miss Mira, may I ask you a few questions?"
"Go ahead and ask."
"What is your full name?"
"Mira Tsubakihara".
What kind of work do you usually do?
"I opened a jewelry store."
"What's the situation at home?"
Mira hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "My father is a congressman, my uncle is a high-ranking government official, and my mother's side is an American conglomerate."
Luo Tian fell silent instantly; it turned out the other party was a heiress from a wealthy family.
"So you're a runaway heiress?"
"I guess so," Mira said with a wry smile. "I didn't want to rely on my family, so I ran away on my own."
Luo Tian looked at Shi Yu, and Shi Yu nodded slightly.
"Miss Mira," Luo Tian said, taking out a contract from his pocket, "I have a new proposal."
---
Tsubakihara Mira looked down at the contract on the coffee table, and the terms on it surprised her.
"To be together for life?"
"Yes."
"Can I gain superpowers?"
"That's right."
"Three hundred years left to live?"
"This is just the base duration."
Mira looked up at Luo Tian: "Is everything you're saying true?"
"I'm very serious." Luo Tian said firmly, "The person who was following you just now is no ordinary person. Their arms can turn into beast claws, and they were unharmed after jumping from the second floor."
This world is far more dangerous than you imagine.
"Will joining your group guarantee my safety?"
"It's safer than facing it alone now." Luo Tian pointed to the Demon Heart on the coffee table. "With this ring on your hand, you will always be their target."
Give it to me, join my organization, and I will protect your safety.
Mira remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Can I think about it first?"
"Of course." Luo Tian stood up. "You can stay here tonight and give me your answer tomorrow."
"Wait a minute," Mira called out to him, "What are you going to do with the person who's been following me?"
Luo Tian walked to the door, glanced back at her, and said, "I'm going to have a serious talk with him."
After saying that, he opened the door and went out.
The corridor remained empty. Light footsteps echoed from the stairwell, someone slowly descending. Luo Tian didn't follow. He took out his phone and sent a message to Ju Wuxiang: "The people of the Golden Dawn are tracking down the Demon Heart. Their target is my neighbor. I need backup."
Orange Mist Fragrance replied almost instantly: Send location.
Luo Tian replied: Kasumigaoka Apartment.
Orange Mist Fragrance: Takina will arrive in ten minutes.
Luo Tian put away his phone, leaned against the wall in the corridor, and placed his right hand on the holster.
Ten minutes later, a black sedan stopped downstairs at the apartment building. A girl in a dark blue tracksuit got out of the car. She had long hair, a cold expression, and a short knife at her waist. It was Inoue Takina.
Takina looked up and saw Luo Tian, then nodded slightly: "Mr. Luo Tian, I am Inoue Takina. I was sent by Chief Tachibana to support you."
"Are you staying here tonight?"
"Yes, I live in the next room. Call me anytime if anything happens."
"Thank you for your help."
Takina gave a soft "hmm," walked expressionlessly to the door next door, took out her key, opened the door, and went inside.
Looking at the closed door, Luo Tian thought to himself that SDS was indeed very efficient.
---
Luo Tian stood guard in the corridor for five minutes, and only returned to his room after confirming that there was nothing unusual.
Shiyu has already arranged a bedroom for Mira, her own room, and she plans to sleep on the sofa tonight.
"Aren't you going back to your own place to sleep?" Shiyu asked Luo Tian.
"I'm not going back tonight." Luo Tian sat on the sofa. "Takina is keeping watch next door, I'll stay here and keep an eye on things."
Shi Yu glanced at him, said nothing more, turned and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Luo Tian leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes to rest, and kept sorting out the current situation in his mind: the Demon Heart was in Mira's hands, the Golden Dawn was investigating, and SDS also wanted it. He was caught in the middle and had to find a way to offend neither side.
"System, how many points will I get if I reclaim the Demon Heart?" Luo Tian asked in his mind.
"You can earn 5000 points, and your monthly points income will increase by 500 points."
"What if we don't recycle it?"
"You can keep the items for your own use, but you will not receive any points as a reward."
After thinking for a moment, Luo Tian decided not to recall it for the time being.
He opened his eyes and looked at the Devil's Heart ring on the coffee table. The ring sat there quietly, its dark red light flickering like a beating heart.
"Can you hear me?" Luo Tian asked in a low voice.
The ring flashed, and a faint voice replied, "Yes."
Luo Tian was somewhat surprised, not expecting that the ring would actually respond to him.
"What exactly are you?"
"I am the heart of the demon, sealed within this ring." The voice was soft, as if it came from a distant place.
"Who sealed you here?"
"I don't know, it's been too long, I've forgotten."
Luo Tian was silent for a moment, then asked, "What do you want to do?"
"To live, I don't want to be studied, and I don't want to be destroyed."
"Then why did you find Mira?"
"She wears me, and I can survive safely; others who wear me will only think of using my power."
Luo Tian stared at the ring for a long time before saying, "Fine, I'll keep you here, but don't cause any trouble."
The ring flashed twice, as if nodding in agreement.
The sound of police sirens grew louder as they approached the window. Luo Tian walked to the window and looked down. Two police cars were parked downstairs, and several police officers got out.
"No way." Luo Tian sighed helplessly.
Just then, a knock came at the door, and Takina's voice came from outside: "Mr. Luo Tian, the police are here. They said someone reported hearing gunshots."
"I didn't fire, I just drew my gun," Luo Tian said as he opened the door.
"That makes things complicated," Takina said expressionlessly.