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After leaving the alley and hopping into a taxi, Nancy directed the driver to her destination before finding a spot to disembark.

Nancy had no intention of recruiting the man-eating demon as her underling. Sure, Nancy wasn’t exactly a saint herself; in her previous life, she’d given her fair share of trouble to drug dealers and illegal immigrants with weapons. But those she tormented were undeniably bad people—pure, unadulterated villains.

However, the man-eating demon was no longer human. He’d mercilessly slaughtered over a dozen innocent civilians, making it impossible for Nancy to take him in.

Another reason was that the demon had attracted significant attention from the authorities due to his spree of killings. It would be troublesome for Nancy to harbor him.

So, why did Nancy seek him out? Well, that was related to another individual.

She recalled that there was someone intriguing set to appear in this scenario: Hattori Masashi.

A top-tier assassin who had appeared in the game.

With physical abilities far surpassing the average person, he was agile as a swallow and possessed a terrifying explosive power comparable to that of a wild beast.

All this was because he had escaped from a secret experimental organization—the same organization the demon belonged to. As for this experimental organization, Nancy knew little about it. All she knew was that it was a major adversary of the protagonist, Su Xiaoyu, in the early stages of the game.

Although she had been a game reviewer in her past life, she didn’t pay much attention to these minor details. After all, there were dedicated individuals to review the backgrounds; her focus was on the gameplay.

At this moment, Hattori Masashi, in a state of fear, had already committed three murders.

According to Nancy’s recollection of the original plot, this person now seemed to be showing signs of redemption, with a somewhat intact personality and some goodness within.

Considering she was currently building her strength, it made sense to try to recruit this individual.

In the plot, it was Hattori Masashi who ultimately killed the demon. This meant that by following the demon, Nancy could locate Hattori Masashi.

However, the demon had disappeared, leaving Nancy to abandon her original plan and head straight to the location where Hattori Masashi was known to frequent.

Approaching midnight, Nancy arrived at her target destination.

Hidden within the confines of a forest lay an abandoned factory.

Nancy didn’t know Hattori’s current whereabouts, but as long as she found the trail of the protagonist, Su Xiaoyu, it would suffice.

Thanks to Su Xiaoyu’s protagonist halo, upon arriving in Tianzhou City, having just acquired the title of Demon Slayer, he received assistance from the police, which allowed him to get involved in major cases related to that mysterious experimental organization.

Tonight was when Su Xiaoyu would investigate Hattori Masashi. Nancy had no doubt following him was the correct choice.

Entering the forest, Nancy searched for a while before exiting.

Finding Su Xiaoyu was quite difficult; it might be better to wait for the heroine to arrive. After all, in a romance game, how could a critical plot point like this not involve the heroine? Nancy expected Sylvia, whom she had rescued just last night, to appear in this scene. She simply waited for Sylvia to arrive.

So, Nancy waited until the sky darkened, finally catching sight of Sylvia.

From afar, Nancy concealed herself behind Sylvia, observing.

The heroine Sylvia and the protagonist Su Xiaoyu soon met, just as expected. The adventurous yet socially inept Su Xiaoyu immediately invited Sylvia to join his investigation team, and during this process, Sylvia considerately called the police.

Nancy: …

Geez, anyone unaware would think Su Xiaoyu’s last name was not Su, but Kudo, right, Laundry-kun?¹

In any case, Nancy followed behind the protagonist and heroine, intending to recruit a certain assassin who was about to meet his demise in the original plot.

It must be said that this was the thrill of seizing an opportunity while the protagonist was still weak. At this moment, Su Xiaoyu had just left his hometown, had just become a Demon Slayer, and his strength was almost negligible. That’s why Nancy could rely on the skills she had learned from her military past to deceive him.

If it were the later stages of Su Xiaoyu… Nancy might have had the idea to track him at home, only to find herself being pursued.

After about half an hour, Su Xiaoyu and Sylvia finally encountered an acquaintance, just like in the original story.

It was an old police chief, who in the original plot, met Su Xiaoyu here, to be precise, an NPC providing information.

From afar, Nancy recognized this person, not only because of the game’s plot but also because this police chief often patrolled the Philo District. As one of the… former bosses of the Philo District, Nancy naturally knew this police chief named James. With him around, the search would be significantly slowed down.

Another hour passed leisurely.

At this moment, Nancyon finally spotted Hattori’s figure. The guy was hiding in a tree, silently observing the group below.

If not for Nancy’s intuition as a former special forces soldier, she wouldn’t have likely noticed him.

She knew Hattori meant no harm; he was just here to reminisce about his childhood. So, Nancy didn’t rush; instead, she stealthily approached, intending to chase after him later.

Hattori was naturally agile; the fact that he could climb a tree even with his hands shackled showed that.

Suddenly, Sylvia turned her head to glance in Nancy’s direction.

“What’s wrong?” Su Xiaoyu asked in confusion, also turning to look in that direction.

Sylvia remained silent for a moment before shaking her head slowly. “Nothing, it’s probably just my imagination.”

Just then, Sylvia looked up and saw Hattori in the tree. He was practically a skeletal figure wrapped in skin, and this sight instantly scared Sylvia, prompting her to scream.

Hattori jumped down and ran off.

Having spotted the direction, Nancy also approached from a distance.

Su Xiaoyu had been focused on Hattori, but upon hearing the commotion from a distance, he turned his head to see a pure black figure swiftly running.

!!

What’s going on? When did someone start following them?!

Su Xiaoyu’s pupils contracted. Wait a minute, this direction… wasn’t it where Sylvia had looked just now!?

But before Su Xiaoyu could react, the police chief James beside him was scared stiff by the skeleton-like Hattori and fainted! He could only grit his teeth, give up tracking Nancy, and wait for backup.

……

On the other side, Nancy had already caught up to Hattori, just two meters behind him.

The moment he saw her, he began to flee desperately, his expression filled with extreme fear.

“Why won’t you just leave me alone!?”

Hattori could be sure this woman was different from the three people he had killed before; she must be from that place.

That kind of chilling aura that made his soul tremble, there was no mistaking it!

Yet, it was merely Nancy emitting the aura of her past life subconsciously while chasing after someone.

“I just want to talk to you.”

Nancy accelerated again, tackling Hattori to the ground.

His explosive power was indeed not to be underestimated; after a long sprint, he could still put up some resistance.

But it was only for a moment. After all, it seemed like he hadn’t eaten in over a dozen days… his vitality was truly tenacious.

After subduing Hattori, Nancy held her breath and listened for any sounds around them. No one.

She chuckled coldly, “Let me introduce myself, Nancy.”

“Please, spare me. Don’t take me back to that dreadful place…” Hattori’s face was pressed against the ground, struggling, “Take me to the police station, or just kill me, but don’t take me back.”

“Please, I’ll do anything you want!”

Nancy sighed, “Then pledge your allegiance to me.”

?

Hattori paused for a moment.

“Swear allegiance to me, do my bidding, and I will give you a new identity, let you live like a normal person.”

Seeing Hattori still silent, Nancy continued, “You have no other choice now. Trust me, you can live well. Don’t trust me, and I’ll take you back right now.”

Hattori, likely suffering from experiment-induced PTSD, nodded hastily.

“That’s right,” Nancy eased her grip, “Following me will definitely lead to a promising future. I’ll pay you 10,000 a month. How does that sound?”

Still in a daze, Hattori nodded instinctively, then shook his head, his brain already overloaded.

At this moment, Nancy heard faint footsteps approaching from a distance. She effortlessly hoisted Hattori onto a nearby tree.

In less than two minutes, Sylvia arrived, panting heavily, and then collapsed on the ground. And on a tree about ten meters away from her, Nancy and Hattori were perched.

It seemed Su Xiaoyu was still tending to Police Chief James, and Sylvia had chased after them herself to prevent the culprit from escaping.

“I’m just like this kid…”

Hattori suddenly muttered softly, looking at Nancy, “I promise you, I don’t want anything, but can you let me escort this child out? She’s lost.”

“Of course.”

Nancy let go of her hand.

But… did Hattori not recognize Sylvia as the person who had just chased him? Why did he suddenly think she was lost? Could it be that, just like in the original description, he had mental issues?

Perhaps not expecting Nancy to agree so easily, Hattori hesitated for a moment, then nodded gratefully and jumped down.

Just now, while in the tree, he had overheard Su Xiaoyu’s group discussing the fireflies. They were probably looking for the fireflies.

In fact, Su Xiaoyu and Sylvia were discussing Hattori Masashi. However, Hattori was Japanese, and Su Xiaoyu and Sylvia were speaking in Chinese. The pronunciation of “Hattori Masashi” in Chinese was similar to that of “fireflies” in Japanese.

Nancy: Ah, yes, that guy must have misheard.

This child is also here to see the fireflies.

Unable to resist reminiscing about his own childhood, Hattori Masashi walked slowly towards Sylvia.

Sylvia, on the other hand, was filled with terror. But she couldn’t move a step now. Trying to get up, she stumbled and fell to the ground.

The man across from her didn’t seem like a good person judging by his appearance alone, especially with his hands shackled.

An escaped convict?

Probably a ruthless murderer?

“Don’t be nervous.”

Hattori tried to appear less intimidating, but no matter how gentle his smile, it only made him look more terrifying.

“We’re the same,” Hattori glanced at Sylvia’s clasped hands, “I’m just like you now.”

“What… are you saying?” Sylvia swallowed hard, feeling a chill down her spine, and the amulets hanging from her backpack kept dripping.

These were the amulets Su Xiaoyu had given Sylvia. As a Demon Slayer, he made them himself, and their purpose was for tracking.

It seemed Su Xiaoyu was already concerned about his future wife.

“What you’re holding, it’s probably fireflies, right?”

Hattori sat down next to Sylvia. “In a little while, there will be many fireflies in this forest. It’s a beautiful sight.”

“Oh… yes.” Sylvia raised her hands, held them in front of her eyes, and opened a gap. The green glow inside was quite beautiful.

She had accidentally stumbled upon these fireflies while searching for clues.

Although this man seemed scary, it seemed like he didn’t have any ill intentions now.

“Can I take a look?”

Hattori leaned forward like a child, placing his eyes against her hands.

“So beautiful…”
“Um… sir, you…”
“I’ll take you to find your friends.”

Hattori interrupted Sylvia and stood up, helping her to her feet.

Sylvia instinctively thought that he might be trying to use her to find Su Xiaoyu and the others, but her intuition told her that this man genuinely wanted to escort her out.

1. Silva: Um… Detective Conan reference? I don’t know…

   https://dcrewatch.tumblr.com/post/40940962201/detective-conan-rewatch-drama-special-02