Olof thought for a moment. "Since that arson case with the burned bodies is two stops away, in the direction towards the Safe Zone edge, let's investigate towards the edge. See who returned home carrying many bags filled with unknown objects. That should lead us to him."
He glanced again at the empty bins. "The remains from three bins are gone; it's not a small amount. If he took them directly, he must have been carrying a large bundle, hard to miss."
"Yes, I'll report this to the station immediately."
"Mhmm, good work."
"But Inspector, what if we can't find anyone carrying large amounts of unknown objects in the Safe Zone slums?"
Olof tossed away his cigar butt and smiled slightly. "If we can't find him, then things get interesting."
Then, he stamped out the butt and muttered to himself意味深长地 (meaningfully) in a low voice, "I've been waiting for a long time."
When Qin Siyang returned home, it was already 8 p.m.
He was late because he had found a deserted spot to eat all the remaining godly remains from his backpack, took out the lunch boxes, and then burned the backpack and his second coat.
These subsequent tasks took some time.
But thankfully, when he finally got home, he still hadn't detected any tail.
Sitting on the hard cardboard sofa in his home, Qin Siyang felt utterly exhausted.
Even with his greatly enhanced physical condition, the day's events—the frantic escape, the killing—had taken their toll.
"This day has really been... maxed out."
He glanced out the window where a scorpion with a sticky, indistinct tail was crawling across his pane.
Qin Siyang sighed with a bitter smile. "I'd really like to taste that thing... But tasting randomly carries risks."
"Then again, risk and reward are always good partners walking hand in hand. The greater the risk, the greater the reward!"
Qin Siyang looked again with satisfaction at the «Greedy Madman» Sequence in his mind, a smile of anticipation appearing on his face.
It was Saturday, supposed to be a day of rest, but it had been the most exhausting day since his rebirth.
Qin Siyang emptied his mind, seeking quiet for over ten minutes, then took a cold shower and went to bed.
This night, Qin Siyang slept very deeply, undisturbed.
When he woke up, it was already 10 a.m. on Sunday.
"I actually slept this long."
Qin Siyang rolled out of bed, planning to heat up the leftover food from the school cafeteria to fill his stomach.
He turned on the stove. "Life without money is so strapped... Huh?"
Just then, he suddenly remembered the money he had taken from the three thugs yesterday. He had been in too much of a hurry then and hadn't仔细看 (looked carefully) at how much it was.
He dug out the pants he wore yesterday, pulled out the money from the pocket, and instantly froze.
Among a pile of copper coins, there was actually a single, gleaming silver coin!
"There's... a silver coin?! Those thugs were this rich?!"
Generally, the price of ten thousand copper coins was equivalent to one silver coin. However, due to the varying composition of copper coins, it often took twelve thousand to exchange for one silver coin.
Qin Siyang had assumed those three thugs, dressed like vagrants, were as poor as him, with maybe a few hundred copper coins at most in their pockets.
He never expected they'd have the巨款 (huge sum) of a silver coin!
"If they had this much money, why attack me?"
Qin Siyang was initially puzzled, then immediately understood: they had targeted his backpack, thinking it contained something extremely valuable.
Those three never imagined that not only would the money they had saved up for so long become someone else's windfall, but they would also lose their lives because of it.
Three vagrant thugs carrying a large sum—needless to say, the money's origin was dubious.
At this realization, Qin Siyang's mood plummeted to the bottom.
Three thugs carrying a large sum, how could they possibly dare report him to the police?! Wasn't that mutual destruction?
Dammit! If he had known they had that much money, he could have just robbed them back and left quickly, saving all the subsequent trouble.
Now, on top of stealing godly remains, he had added a murder case.
"Those three piles of dog shit, stinking themselves and恶心别人 (nauseating others)!"
Holding the silver coin, Qin Siyang found it alluring yet烫手 (too hot to handle).
The reason was simple: he had nowhere to spend it.
If he used this silver coin nearby, it would absolutely raise suspicions.
Where would an orphan who didn't work get that kind of money?!
If someone grew envious and reported it, and the Unified Government came asking, he could never explain the silver coin's source.
So much money, he could only look at it, not spend it, making Qin Siyang want to beat his chest in frustration.
After finishing the leftover school food, he took forty copper coins from the several hundred he had, deciding to get a computer at the internet cafe.
Thinking about it, forty copper coins was also a huge sum for someone of his status,同样不太好解释 (equally hard to explain).
He had to put twenty coins back.
Taking twenty copper coins for an hour at the internet cafe seemed more reasonable.
"Damn it, having to be so timid even spending money, it's so憋屈 (frustrating)!"
Qin Siyang cursed under his breath as he left the house.
He was also becoming aware of his current limitations.
With the identity of a poor orphan student, he simply couldn't freely use money.
But that wasn't his most pressing concern right now; money was secondary.
More than finding a plausible reason for large income, he urgently needed to find a suitable identity for himself.
A suitable Sequence Ability user identity that he could openly reveal.
"No matter what, I can't tell anyone I'm a «God-Eater». I must find a Sequence to tell people that can掩人耳目 (deceive others), then join a Sequence Ability user squad, go outside the Safe Zone to hunt gods, and continue improving myself!"
He believed that as long as he could lay low, he could gradually grow stronger. Once he reached a point where he could do as he pleased, he could reveal his true Sequence and abilities. By then, no one would pose a threat to him.
Even if he couldn't lay low forever, he at least needed to do so initially, only revealing himself after gaining self-preservation strength.
Having made up his mind, Qin Siyang went to the internet cafe and took out twenty copper coins.
The attendant today was still the same portly middle-aged man from last time.
"One hour."
The attendant pointed expressionlessly to the same terminal Qin Siyang used last time. "That one. Go ahead."
Qin Siyang noticed a new advertisement behind the counter: "Charge 500 Copper Coins, Get 500 Free! Hurry and Recharge Now!"
Looking at this promotion somewhat familiar from his past life memories, he sighed inwardly.
He could afford to recharge, but he couldn't explain how he could拿出那么多钱 (produce that much money) at once.
With some遗憾 (regret), Qin Siyang turned and sat down at the terminal, the air thick with cigarette smoke as before.
Like last time, the machine took an extremely long time to boot up, long enough for Qin Siyang to brush his teeth and wash his face.
Once logged in, Qin Siyang opened the browser and entered the «God-Slayer Camp» forum again.
He saw several pinned posts whose contents seemed very helpful.
Besides the statistics of all known Sequences he had checked last time, there was also a guide for newly awakened Sequence Ability users on how to register with the Unified Government and then join god-hunting squads.
Qin Siyang clicked on this beginner's guide and studied it carefully.
"A person can awaken a Sequence ability at any time, any place, in any condition. When you awaken, an information panel will appear in your mind, telling you your Sequence name, Sequence level, and usable skills."
Qin Siyang checked the information panel in his mind again.
[Sequence «God-Eater»]
[Devour gods to grow stronger]
[Current Sequence Level: 2, Greedy Madman]
[Skill: Blood Drinker. Skill Description: Gain power even by consuming gods raw.]
[Skill: Violence. Skill Description: For ten minutes, increase own strength, agility, and physical durability by threefold. Feel no pain during this period.]
It seemed his information panel had one more line than the poster mentioned.
[Devour gods to grow stronger]
It was this line of information that had guided Qin Siyang to try his luck finding godly remains at Exit 114514 the day before yesterday.
Looking at the described content of other Sequence users' information panels, they似乎没有这一项 (seemed to lack this item).
"If they don't have a prompt on how to get stronger, how do they get stronger then?"
Qin Siyang continued reading the post with this question.
"After awakening your Sequence ability, you can go to the nearest Sequence Ability User Management Bureau to register, reporting your Sequence and related information. Since the information panel in your mind cannot be viewed by others, the content you report is also up to you."
"However, we strongly advise you to report truthfully, neither hiding nor falsifying. Because after you report, the Bureau will make arrangements based on your Sequence and skills."
"Simultaneously, after your information is published in the Sequence Ability User Hall, Sequence Ability users interested in you will invite you to join their squads to hunt gods outside the Safe Zone. If your information is incorrect, it could easily lead to your death or the team's annihilation."
Reading this, Qin Siyang was shocked.
He hadn't realized that after reporting, all Sequence Ability users would know your Sequence and skills!
This further solidified his resolve never to let his true Sequence be exposed! Who knows what might happen otherwise.
"After registering with the Sequence Ability User Management Bureau, you will receive your first payment from the Bureau, which can also be understood as a beginner's package—Sequence Potion."
"Sequence Potion is developed and researched by the Unified Government, specifically aimed at enhancing the strength of Sequence Ability users. The formula for Sequence Potion remains a top secret of the Unified Government, controlled by the highest leaders of each Safe Zone."
"Drinking Sequence Potion is currently the only known way for all Sequence Ability users to grow stronger. Only after consuming Sequence Potion can a Sequence Ability user continuously grow stronger and advance in level."
"But you cannot blindly consume Sequence Potion. After using the potion, you must digest it for your strength to increase. The method of digestion is also singular: using your own skills in combat against gods. The more you use your skills, the faster the Sequence Potion digests."
"Do not think about randomly using skills outside the Safe Zone to digest Sequence Potion. Because the Bureau will issue you Sequence Potion based on the grade and quantity of godly remains you submit."
"If you use your skills many times, fully digest the potion, but only bring back a pitiful godly remnant or none at all, the Bureau will deem your combat capability problematic and may reduce your Sequence Potion supply, or even cancel it outright."
"After hunting gods, the Bureau will provide you with Sequence Potion, corresponding honors, and substantial monetary rewards. Therefore, hunting gods is the best way for Sequence Ability users to get rich and enhance their strength."
Qin Siyang was若有所思 (thoughtful).
All other Sequence Ability users needed Sequence Potion to enhance their strength and also needed to release their skills in combat against gods to digest the potion.
But he only needed to devour gods and digest them to continuously grow stronger.
Didn't that mean he was basically cheating?!
No, he didn't have some system outside the laws of this world or anything. This was his awakened Sequence. How could that be considered cheating?
I, Qin Siyang, am not cheating!