readbooksol Chapter 314 - 251: What a Small World for Enemies
Chapter 314 - 251: What a Small World for Enemies
"After the Spirit Burst Pill’s effects wear off, the mildest side effect is falling into a coma from severe injuries—for an unknown duration. The most severe is instant death. And they say the probability of death isn’t low, either," Liu Jialin said.
"Uh..."
When Lin Li first heard Liu Jialin say the Spirit Burst Pill’s side effects could induce a coma, he felt they weren’t entirely unacceptable.
After all, in a dangerous situation, having a pill that could massively boost one’s strength seemed like a reasonable trade-off, even if it meant falling into a coma afterward. Using it to turn the tables in a desperate moment was something he could get behind.
But then he heard the second part: besides the coma, there was a significant chance of instant death after the effects wore off.
Death was a side effect Lin Li simply couldn’t accept.
"This Spirit Burst Pill is definitely a dangerous drug. I don’t know about others, but I’d never take it. Something with a significant chance of killing you on the spot..." Lin Li said to Liu Jialin.
"A significant probability of death is indeed very dangerous. Under normal circumstances, no sane person would take something like this.
But for those vicious criminals, if they get caught by us, they’re bound to get a bullet to the head anyway.
Faced with that situation, if those thugs have a Spirit Burst Pill, they’ll most likely choose to take it and fight us to the death.
So, this Spirit Burst Pill developed by the Canglan Society is a huge headache for us at the Superpower Administration Bureau.
It drastically increases the danger we’ll face when apprehending those hardened criminals in the future." Liu Jialin sighed, staring at the red Spirit Burst Pill in her hand.
’Sigh, these Investigators really have it rough...’ Lin Li thought to himself as he watched Liu Jialin frown.
"Lin Li, thank you!" Liu Jialin suddenly broke into a smile and thanked him.
Her sudden change in demeanor left Lin Li a little baffled; he couldn’t figure out why she was thanking him.
"Why are you thanking me? I didn’t do anything," Lin Li asked, confused.
"Thank you for giving me this Spirit Burst Pill." Liu Jialin smiled and explained, "After we learned that the Canglan Society had developed this pill, the Spiritual Energy Research Institute tasked us with confiscating this dangerous drug as soon as possible.
They want to study the Spirit Burst Pill to develop a similar drug with much weaker side effects... so we’ll have a countermeasure when we encounter vicious criminals using them in the future."
Realization dawned on Lin Li. He replied humbly, "No need to thank me. Haven’t I told you before? I’m just a law-abiding, enthusiastic citizen. This is just me doing my part..."
The two of them chatted for a few more moments by the roadside. Liu Jialin said she needed to take the Spirit Burst Pill back to the Superpower Administration Bureau, and then they said their goodbyes.
’I gave the Spirit Burst Pill to Liu Jialin this time. Later on, once the Spiritual Energy Research Institute develops a similar product with fewer side effects, I’ll have Jialin get me a few. She probably won’t refuse me after this...’
Lin Li unlocked a shared bike and started riding in the direction of his home.
「...」
A long time passed after the sun had set.
The evening rush hour was over, and the roads were no longer congested.
Lin Li sped down the wide street on his shared bike. As he passed a street corner, he saw a long line of people in front of a shop.
He squeezed the brakes, slowing the bike down to get a better look. It was a newly opened bubble tea shop.
The owner was having a grand opening promotion: buy one, get one free.
SCREECH.
As he passed the bubble tea shop, Lin Li thought for a moment, then stopped his bike. He parked it by the side of the road and walked toward the shop with the long line.
In a dim alley, two figures reeking of alcohol stood in a corner, engaged in a rather uncivilized act.
SPLASH...
The sound of a rushing stream of water came from the shadows. The two alcohol-soaked figures shook themselves off, then stumbled out of the alley, leaning on each other for support.
One was a burly, six-foot-one man in a black tank top. A cigarette dangled from his lips, his eyes were glazed over, and he was so drunk he stumbled as he walked.
As he emerged from the dim alley, he said to the underling supporting him, "Come on, let’s go sing some karaoke."
The younger man, who had a white bandage wrapped around his wrist and an earring in his ear, had also drunk a lot, but he was much more sober than his boss.
Hearing his boss say they were going to sing karaoke next, the underling, whose head was throbbing, forced a bitter smile and said,
"Boss, maybe we should just call it a night. We’ve had a lot to drink, and my head’s spinning. Let’s just go home and get some rest."
The man in the tank top was not happy to hear this. He slapped his underling on the shoulder and said firmly,
"Yaozi, what time is it? It’s too early to sleep! We’ll hit the karaoke bar first, and when we’re done, we’ll go get some skewers. Don’t you like grilled kidneys? You can eat as many as you want later, my treat."
"Urk..." The underling, Yaozi, had just gotten his wrist injured earlier today, and then he’d had to accompany his boss to eat and drink with others. He was physically and mentally exhausted and just wanted to go home and rest.
But the man in the tank top clearly had no intention of going home so early, and his tone was firm. As the underling, Yaozi had no choice but to bite the bullet and nod.
Since it was decided they were going to sing karaoke, the two guys, reeking of alcohol, started walking toward the KTV they usually frequented.