“Err…” Murphy looked at his near-naked body and then shook his head. “No.”
“So I can’t let you go.”
“Why? Didn’t you promise me that you’ll let me go if I tell you the truth?”
“But how would I know you weren’t lying?”
“I really didn’t lie.”
“Then show me some proof.”
“I don’t have any.”
Chen Zhao looked helpless. “Look, you can’t prove yourself, and you’ve discovered my secrets. What do you think I should do?”
“Kill me… No, don’t kill me.”
“See? You know that the correct option is to kill you, so you can’t blame me.”
Hellhound and Little Nine approached Murphy. Suddenly, he sprang up from the floor.
Chen Zhao was stunned. Then, Murphy crawled on the wall like a gecko.
He attempted to run upstairs, but Chen Zhao was at the stairs. Once Murphy got in range, Chen Zhao lifted his leg and kicked him.
Thud!
Murphy flew backward and collided into the wall. Covering his stomach, he could not stand up.
Chen Zhao walked up and grabbed Murphy’s neck, when he noticed two vampire-like fangs in Murphy’s mouth.
“You’re a vampire?”
“Let me go. I won’t run again… Please let me go!” Murphy cried.
“Answer my question. Are you a vampire?”
Murphy remained silent. Chen Zhao squinted. “Just now, you answered my question so readily, but now you’re quiet. So you must be lying to me just now.”
“No, I wasn’t lying. My dad told me to never admit that I’m a vampire before others.”
“Are you Carlo’s man?”
“No.”
“Then why would you work for him?” Chen Zhao asked curiously.
“He said that if I can steal the painting here, he’ll allow me to join his team.”
“What’s your name?”
“Murphy.”
Chen Zhao realized that Murphy had been answering all his questions.
Either Murphy had prepared all the answers in advance, or he was simply too honest.
But if he was really a vampire, were all vampires so foolish?
No, maybe upright was a better word.
Chen Zhao realized that he actually had a good impression of Murphy.
Nevertheless, he was unsure if Murphy had just been pretending.
“Why would you want to join Prof. Carlo’s team?”
“To earn money.”
“Are you short of money?”
“Yes.”
“Can you turn into a bat?”
Murphy stared at Chen Zhao with a very strange look, just like how Chen Zhao had been looking at him.
Is he an idiot?
“Fine, pretend I didn’t say anything.” Chen Zhao shook his head. “So tell me, what should I do?”
“Let me go.”
“But what if you expose my secrets?”
“I won’t.”
“If someone offers you a hundred thousand, will you tell him what you saw here?”
Murphy began to hesitate. After considering for a long while, he shook his head. “No.”
“How about a million?”
Murphy was even more reluctant. He felt that Chen Zhao was just trying to put him in a difficult position.
After some time, Murphy finally nodded, “I will.”
“So there’s no reason why I should let you go.”
“Then are you going to kill me?”
Chen Zhao thought about it. So far, he had only killed bad guys.
But Murphy looked like it was his first time outside.
He was not stupid, just immature.
“If Carlo employs you, how much will he pay you?”
“Dunno, but my dad said that it’s definitely more than a normal job.”
“Then do you know what’s the average salary?”
“My dad works at a gas station. His monthly salary is three thousand.”
“Is your dad a vampire too?”
“No, my dad is a normal human. I’ve inherited my bloodline from my mom.”
“Do you suck human blood?”
“No, only animal blood… Wait, I’m not a vampire. I’ve never admitted that I’m a vampire.”
“Yes, yes, I know.”
Chen Zhao patted Murphy. “Then I’ll employ you and give you ten thousand a month. Do you accept it?”
Murphy was persuaded. Ten thousand was so much higher than his father’s salary.
“Your job is to patrol the areas near my house. For example, if someone tries to sneak in from a suspicious corner, you’ll have to tell me or arrest the person,” Chen Zhao said.
“Will I stay here?”
“No, you can go and rent a room in town.”
Chen Zhao would clearly not let Murphy stay in his house. Even if Murphy was not a vampire, Chen Zhao would not let another man stay with them.
Murphy actually thought about it seriously. After a long time, he said, “I need you to pay for my rent.”
“Deal.” Chen Zhao smiled. “But you have to sign a contract with me.”
“What contact?”
“Think of it as a normal contract, but it will be much stricter.”
“Oh, sure.”
Chen Zhao took out a sheepskin contract and passed it to Murphy, who read the terms carefully.
“Do you have any objections?”
“Can I show it to my dad?”
“No,” Chen Zhao rejected at once.
“There are some parts I don’t understand.”
“Where?”
“Here: If I expose any of your secrets, I’ll be burned by Hellfire. What’s Hellfire? Also, what can I say? What can I not say?”
“You can’t tell people things like Hellhound and the Hydra. Anyway, you can’t tell people anything here that’s supernatural.”
“Can I not tell anyone about it?”
“Correct. You can’t tell anyone!”
“Fine. So I have to sign here?”
“No, just leave your handprint.”
The moment Murphy left his handprint, the sheepskin contract began to burn. Soon, it melted into Murphy’s body and a hexagram appeared on his arm.
“Can I take a month’s salary first?” Murphy looked at Chen Zhao carefully.
“Why?”
“Err… I…” Murphy just could not finish the sentence.
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to tell my dad that I’ve earned money.”
“Come here tomorrow. Also, never appear before my girlfriend.”
“Err… Can I leave now?”
“Yup.” Chen Zhao waved his arm.
Murphy climbed out from the hole. Then, Chen Zhao called Carlo.
“Prof. Carlo, I’m very angry now. You better give me an explanation, or I’ll ensure you can’t leave LA.”
