Chapter 38 – The Prejudice in People’s Hearts Is a Mountain

As the saying goes, big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp.

Lin Xi felt lucky that she was a Special-Grade Disaster while Little Mi was only a First-Grade Disaster; otherwise, she might have been swallowed whole the moment they met. Given that she hadn’t recovered much of her witch powers, Lin Xi suspected that if Little Mi actually tried to eat her, it definitely could-it just didn’t dare to.

Am I really just a paper tiger?!

At the same time, Little Mi’s existence gave Lin Xi an idea.

It turned out that not all Dark Realm Disasters were eliminated by the Countermeasures Bureau! Some could be recruited like Little Mi and earn a steady paycheck from the government!

Lin Xi’s heart, which yearned to leave the darkness for the light and secure a stable government job, began to stir. She decided to test the waters with Xia Xun to see if the Countermeasures Bureau would ever give a witch a chance.

“Xia Xun, are there any other Dark Realm Disasters-uh, I mean, Dark Realm Immigrants-like Little Mi who have joined the system to serve the people?”

“Surely Little Mi isn’t the only exception?”

“Not at all,” Xia Xun replied. “There are quite a few cases. It’s rare here in Z City, but I’ve heard that the Countermeasures Bureau in F City has even formed a combat squad composed entirely of Dark Realm Disasters.”

Seeing an opening, Lin Xi asked the question she had been burning to ask: “Is it possible for a Special-Grade Disaster, like a witch or something, to be recruited?”

“Impossible,” Xia Xun said bluntly.

Lin Xi’s heart instantly sank.

Xia Xun continued, “Special-Grade Disasters are generally intelligent, highly unstable, and extremely dangerous. The Countermeasures Bureau won’t gamble with the lives of the entire city’s population.”

“Isn’t that… a bit absolute?” Lin Xi countered cautiously. “What if there’s a peace-loving witch who is both stable and harmless?”

“Such a witch exists?” Xia Xun’s brow furrowed slightly. “Just a few days ago, I eliminated a Shape-shifting Witch. That creature brutally murdered ten people, three of whom were children.”

“And it’s not just the Shape-shifting Witch. I’ve eliminated several other types of witches, and every single one of them was a heinous scumbag with blood-stained hands.”

“Even more terrifying was that Special-Grade witch who appeared in S City five years ago. She destroyed the city entirely. Half of S City is still a wasteland of ruins to this day.”

As Xia Xun spoke, Lin Xi grew increasingly uneasy. She could even feel waves of chill radiating from Xia Xun’s body. Xia Xun was both the Ice Sprite and a Witch Killer; Lin Xi was genuinely afraid.

Lin Xi’s guilt stemmed from the fact that she couldn’t guarantee the Cuddle Witch hadn’t done anything bad. After all, she had absolutely no memories of the Cuddle Witch’s past.

At the very beginning, who was it that killed the Cuddle Witch with a single shot? Was it because the Cuddle Witch had committed a crime and was taken out by some passing Justice Partner? Or was it for some other messy reason?

Because she lacked the Cuddle Witch’s memories, no matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t find the answers she wanted.

Regardless of what kind of person the original Cuddle Witch was, Lin Xi believed that she was a good witch. The bank robbery had been a trap set by Shi Yu. As for burning through that building, at least no one was hurt, and she had successfully eliminated the Lava Explosion Bear. Surely the merit outweighed the fault?

Thinking of this, Lin Xi summoned her courage and asked Xia Xun again.

“If… if there really, truly was a peace-loving witch who was stable and harmless?”

Xia Xun paused for a moment, then replied, “If such a witch truly existed, who would provide the proof?”

“Is she supposed to prove to the world herself that she isn’t dangerous? Who would believe her?”

“I might believe her,” Xia Xun added, “but only because I am strong enough to protect myself from being harmed by a witch.”

“But the vast majority of people won’t believe it. No one wants to live in fear.”

“The best way to deal with fear is to overcome it, to eliminate it.”

“The threat of witches is deeply ingrained in the public consciousness. The prejudice people hold against witches is a mountain that is almost impossible to climb.”

Xia Xun’s words laid out the cause and effect so clearly that Lin Xi gave up and stopped asking.

She was certain that if she were to reveal her identity to Xia Xun right now, she would either be beaten to death on the spot or arrested and thrown into the Countermeasures Bureau’s underwater prison.

Being beaten to death seemed more likely. After all, Xia Xun had just said that the best way to deal with fear was to overcome it and eliminate it…

“Lin Xi?” Xia Xun called out again. “Lin Xi?!”

“Oh, right.” Lin Xi snapped back to reality.

She wasn’t actually angry.

Given the cases Xia Xun had mentioned where witches committed all sorts of atrocities, why should humans believe there could be such a thing as a good witch?

Lin Xi just considered it her bad luck to have possessed the body of the Cuddle Witch.

It was also a bit tragic. In this vast world, there was no place for a witch to belong…

As a monster, you were either killed or forced back to your hometown. That was the fate of a monster, wasn’t it?

Maybe she should find a chance to go back and see her hometown in the Dark Realm?

Actually, Lin Xi was quite curious about what the Dark Realm looked like.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Xun asked considerately. “Are you tired from walking? Do you want to go to a cafe to rest and grab a drink? My treat.”

“Thanks, but I…” Lin Xi paused. “I’m not tired, and I’m not thirsty.”

However, she did have a surge of inexplicable frustration.

Lin Xi really wasn’t angry; you couldn’t blame others for the fact that witches had the social status of a public enemy.

But she still felt a tightness in her chest.

She needed to vent.

Yes.

She had to find a place to let off some steam!

“Xia Xun!” Lin Xi suddenly stopped and looked at her.

“Yes?” Xia Xun asked, bewildered.

“Do you want to go to an internet cafe and duo-queue together?!” Lin Xi asked seriously.

Vent through gaming! Lin Xi gave herself a mental thumbs-up for this genius idea.

“Huh?!” Xia Xun’s mouth fell open.

Lin Xi: “???”

Crap!

Xia Xun was a Model Student. Well, even a Model Student might go to an internet cafe to play games, but what if Xia Xun just didn’t like gaming?!

Lin Xi was certain of one thing:

Xia Xun was definitely a normie, not someone a gaming Otaku like herself could easily associate with!

“Sure,” Xia Xun replied readily.

“Eh??!!!” This time, it was Lin Xi’s turn to gape in shock.

“Lin Xi, why are you so surprised?” Xia Xun asked.

“No, you were the one who looked surprised first,” Lin Xi emphasized.

“Hahaha,” Xia Xun explained with a laugh, “I was just shocked that you like to play games too.”

“I’m the one who’s more shocked, okay?” Lin Xi said. “You look more like the type of girl who wouldn’t touch a video game.”

They both laughed.

“Let’s not go to an internet cafe,” Xia Xun suggested. “I know a newly opened ‘Game Hut.’ Let’s go there and play a great game I’ve been thinking about for a long time.”

“Oh? What game?”

“It’s a Triple-A game based on Journey to the West. It’s been getting rave reviews online, and the sales are way ahead of the competition.”

“Great! Let’s go to the Game Hut and play this Journey to the West Triple-A game together!”

Lin Xi pushed her worries to the back of her mind.

She had only extended her life by a week through cuddling; why worry about things so far in the future?

Enjoy the moment!

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