At that moment, an angry voice accompanied by hurried footsteps reached Valon's ears.
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Chapter Nine: A Shift in Mindset
Sheriff Black and his men arrived at the passageway outside the hidden talisman and were met with the scene before them. Valon stood by the safe, his expression grim. The once-smooth floor was now stained red with blood, and Gunn's body lay silently on the ground.
Blake recalled Gunn, who had greeted him that morning, now lying on the ground. Thinking of Gunn's wife and children to take care of, Blake felt increasingly guilty. If he had caught the Mafia sooner, if he had hidden the talisman somewhere else, this wouldn't have happened.
Enraged, Blake still warned Valon, but seeing that Valon didn't care, he raised his pistol and pulled the trigger.
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In a small alley some distance from District 13, a masked man suddenly appeared beside a trash can. "The snake talisman is still the most effective," a deep male voice echoed through the alley. The masked man removed his mask, revealing himself to be Xu Le.
Rewind an hour, and Sheriff Blake, working in his office, suddenly had a thought for some reason: The talisman is so magical, why not take a look at it? As he thought this, his emotions grew increasingly intense.
I'll just take it out for a look and put it back right away.
With this thought in mind, Sheriff Blake seemed to be possessed. He first turned off the surveillance cameras, feeling that he would lose face if the cameras caught him. Reasons that would normally seem absurd were now being explained in his mind, but Blake didn't notice any of them.
Entering the secret chamber, Blake took down the nine talismans and put them into a small black bag. He didn't know why he had a black bag to hold talismans.
After putting the talisman into the bag, Blake suddenly realized it wouldn't be good if his subordinates bumped into him while he was displaying the talisman at the base. He decided to go outside. Seeing this, Sheriff Blake, looking serious as if he had some urgent business, hurriedly left District 13. Seeing their superior so serious, the others didn't dare disturb him and quickly made way. Outside, the alley was quiet; no one would come to this secluded alley.
"Sheriff Black, what a coincidence."
Blake was about to open the keyboard to examine the talisman more closely when a voice suddenly came from behind him, startling him so much that he almost dropped the bag. Blake turned around and saw Xu Le. He breathed a sigh of relief and then said in a deliberately serious tone, "Oh, it's you, Xu Le. What are you doing here?"
Xu Le didn't answer the question immediately. His gaze swept over the small black bag in Blake's hand, and a hint of ecstasy flashed in his eyes, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he pretended to be curious and said, "Sheriff Blake, what are you doing?"
"It's nothing, I just came out to take care of something." Blake felt a little guilty and couldn't help but secretly take out the talisman, which violated the rules. Although he was the commander of District 13, it would not be good for his reputation if word got out.
“Okay, Sheriff Black, I have a question for you.”
"Ask away," Blake said, seeing that the man wasn't paying attention to the bag and wanted to get rid of him quickly.
Have you heard of 'Sheriff Y'?
The previously agitated Sheriff Blake instantly calmed down, his eyes losing their luster, standing there like a puppet, completely at her mercy. This was the suggestion Xu Le had given Blake during hypnosis. Xu Le had subconsciously suggested to Sheriff Blake: "You will try the spell at 11:00 AM tomorrow, but it's not safe in the base. If you're discovered, you'll lose face, so go to the alley. If you hear 'Sheriff Y,' you will return to this state." This keyword was naturally Xu Le's mischievous idea, and also a joke. If the keyword failed, it could be said that he was joking with Sheriff Blake.
Xu Le had been waiting in the vicinity since eight in the morning, repeatedly wondering if his plan had failed or if something else had gone wrong. Fortunately, Blake still fell for it, and his plan hadn't failed.
Xu Le looked at the unconscious Sheriff Blake, took the small black bag from Blake's hand, and put it into his own bag. At the same time, he took out a test tube from his bag, which contained a blue, crystal-clear liquid, pulled out the cork, and drank it down in one gulp.
Xu Le felt as if his throat was being burned by fire. After a while, a cool sensation flowed from his throat to his entire body, and every cell in his body cheered. Xu Le hadn't forgotten Sheriff Blake, and spoke, his voice becoming alluring and seductive, like a goddess singing, captivating and unforgettable.
“Blake, you will forget about taking out the talisman and meeting me. Once you return to your office, you will return to normal and continue working.” Upon hearing this voice, a hint of infatuation appeared on Blake's face, but he still obeyed the order and turned back to District 13.
The Sirens Potion: Legend has it that sailors encounter magical creatures on voyages who lure them with their songs, then abduct humans to reproduce. This is the magical potion Xu Le found in the potion encyclopedia. This potion enhances the strength of hypnosis. Although he successfully hypnotized Sheriff Black, Xu Le still took double precautions, since the potion, aside from its complicated preparation, didn't actually contain rare ingredients.
Looking at the bag in his hand, Xu Le sighed. If he had to collect the talismans according to the plot, it would have taken him a long time. Now he could easily get them and open them. As for the remaining talismans, he would have to find a way to get them from the Holy Lord.
Xu Le had just stepped out of the alley and was about to go home when he saw a group of people approaching menacingly in the distance. He quickly avoided them like the other passersby, because he recognized the white-haired man leading the group as Valmont, a minor boss from the animated series. Watching the group enter the alley, he sensed something big might be happening and quietly followed them.
Then, what happened next occurred.
Xu Le checked that no one was around, then immediately took off his black robe and put it in his bag along with his mask. He then strolled into the street, hailed a taxi, and asked the driver to take him to Old Man's Antique Shop. In the car, although Xu Le had obtained the talisman and used it, feeling its powerful force, he was supposed to be happy, but there was no smile on his face.
He watched helplessly as Gunn died. He had the ability to save Gunn, but he didn't act. To save Gunn, he would have to use the talisman, but using it would expose that he had stolen it. At that point, Section 13, the Mafia, and even Shendu would all come after him first. This contradicted her plan, which was to have the talisman stolen. Because the surveillance was turned off beforehand, and Black himself was on the other side, no one would be able to detect it.
Now Valon is taking the blame for him. With Valon's strength, escaping from District 13 will be a piece of cake. Moreover, he killed people from District 13. Even if he tries to explain, District 13 won't listen to him and will only want to capture and deal with him.
This decision put a lot of pressure on Xu Le. Although his life had been tragic, he had not lost hope for life and was usually quite optimistic. He was just an ordinary person. Even after learning magic, watching a victor die in front of him made him feel the cruelty of the real world more and more. No one is immortal. Even Jackie Chan, although a protagonist, is just a drop of water in the ocean compared to the whole world. Even without him, the world will still keep turning and there will be new protagonists.
This experience made Xu Le realize something. He wanted power, he wanted to climb to the pinnacle of all realms. He didn't want to be powerless like Gunn, dying amidst Valon's laughter, like a cat playing with a mouse. He wanted immortality, to look down upon all living beings. With this thought, Xu Le resolved a knot in his heart, and his mindset began to change slightly.
He sensed it, but he didn't resist the change, because he would go back to more worlds in the future and more tragic things would happen to him. He couldn't possibly manage everything, so the sooner he changed his mindset, the better he could adapt to the future world.
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Chapter Ten: Successfully Completed
Back in the shop, Cheng Xiaoyu was sitting in front of the TV watching cartoons. Hearing the noise, she smiled and greeted Xu Le before continuing to watch TV, not paying any attention to his whereabouts. Jackie Chan was still not in the shop; he must have been dealing with matters in District 13.
Xu Le hesitated for a moment, but then he remembered that his father had said he would support him. Besides, if things didn't work out, he could just leave this world. He already had the dog talisman among the twelve talismans. As for the remaining ones, the snake talisman had a good invisibility effect, and the dragon's destructive flames could be replaced by the pig talisman. So Xu Le's desire wasn't very strong. If his father ruled District 13, he would just leave this world and come back when he had enough power to resist the state apparatus.
Xu Le was a decisive person by nature; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to grow up successfully and enjoy such a privileged life. Xu Le strode forward, looked at his father who was engrossed in the newspaper, bent down, and whispered beside him, "Dad, I got the talisman from District 13, but I don't have the ability to make that potion, so I'd like to ask for your help." Xu Le had carefully studied the potion's recipe yesterday; it was very difficult to make.
Not only are the ingredients for the potion hard to find, but it also requires extremely high magical skill, which is quite difficult for a magic apprentice like him who has only recently begun his studies. So he wanted to ask his father for help. His father is a morally ambiguous person, somewhat similar to Huang Yaoshi from Jin Yong's novels, but he is kinder than Huang Yaoshi, so the chances of successfully asking his father for help are very high.
Making potions himself would require spending a significant amount of time studying magic, which doesn't align with his plans. While the world of Jackie Chan Adventures is powerful and filled with magical treasures, it's ultimately a green-level world, or level four. Countless worlds await his exploration, and wasting a lot of time in a mid-level world wouldn't be wise.
The old man was somewhat surprised that Xu Le had obtained the talisman from District 13 so quickly. Although District 13's defenses were indeed somewhat weak, it was, after all, part of a powerful national apparatus. The fact that Xu Le was able to retrieve the talisman from it also demonstrated his capabilities.
The old man stood up, placed the newspaper on the table, and gestured for Xu Le to follow him into the lab. Although he wouldn't reveal the information, he couldn't guarantee that Xiao Yu wouldn't tell Jackie Chan or Black. Thinking of this, the old man sighed and said in a voice only he could hear, "In the end, I'm still a selfish person."
Inside the lab, some chemicals were reacting, making gurgling sounds. Although they were constantly churning, they didn't break through the bottle opening and spread out, remaining at a stable point. Old Man took the small black bag Xu Le handed him and took out a talisman. It was a dog talisman, and a continuous flow of life force emanated from it, filling Old Man's entire body. He felt as if he had returned to his 20s, with a strong and healthy body. However, being experienced, he didn't revel in this wonderful feeling. Instead, he looked at Xu Le seriously and asked in a deep voice, "How did you get the talisman from District 13?"
Although he doesn't mind his apprentices pursuing these powerful magical artifacts, he would be very disappointed if they lost their minds for them and used magic indiscriminately to gain advantages for themselves.
Xu Le, seeing his stern father, quickly explained his plan, from hypnotizing Sheriff Black to successfully retrieving the talisman. His father listened with great interest, surprised that his apprentice could come up with such a clever method, and couldn't help but feel proud of his teaching abilities. However, when he heard that Xu Le had witnessed the Mafia's attack on District 13, his father's expression turned strange. He glanced at Xu Le, feeling a pang of pity for the Mafia. They had worked so hard to attack District 13, only to suffer heavy losses, and their talisman had been taken beforehand, leaving them to suffer in silence and bear the blame.
But when he heard that Xu Le hadn't intervened to save the employee from District 13, he paused for a moment, but showed no sign of anger. After Xu Le finished speaking, he glanced cautiously at his father. Although he had only known his father for about half a year, his father's concern for him had made him regard his father as a respected elder, which was why he had told him everything.
The old man was silent for a while. He was pleased to see that Xu Le had told him everything, which showed that he respected his teacher. However, he also felt a little sorry for the person who had died.
But he wasn't an indecisive person after all. He patted Xu Le on the shoulder to show that he didn't mind, then took out the prescription from the treasure chest and began to study it carefully. The ancient prescription contained a lot of magic, and even with his father's learning, it would take a lot of time to study it.
"Xu Le, hurry up and bring the dried pufferfish over." Once his father entered the potion-making state, he seemed to become a different person, constantly ordering Xu Le around, asking him to fetch magic roots one minute and rootless water the next. Xu Le wasn't bothered at all, helping his father while learning his father's potion-making skills.