As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 69

Whether it was because Su Fan had saved Scarlett multiple times, or because he had repeatedly disrupted the meticulously laid death traps set by Death itself, Death seemed to have given up on pursuing the other passengers from the flight. Instead, it was now focusing all its efforts on killing Su Fan.

This shift became clear during his cooperation with the police investigation.

The first officer conducting the inquiry accidentally stepped in a puddle of water and slipped. Had Su Fan not pulled him back, the officer would likely have been impaled through the jaw and into his brain by a section of railing that had broken loose unexpectedly.

The second officer was quite friendly and agreed to Su Fan’s suggestion to change seats. But the moment Su Fan stood up, the light bulb above flickered and shattered, sending live wires dangling down. Had he been a second slower, Su Fan would have been cut by the flying glass shards and then electrocuted to death right before the officer’s eyes. At that point, this second officer began to sense something was wrong and left, making up an excuse.

The third officer, having heard the accounts of the previous two, carefully inspected the room’s facilities. He noticed that Su Fan’s chair had a cracked part and politely offered to swap his own office chair for Su Fan’s. However, as soon as he approached the adjustable office chair, its gas lift cylinder exploded instantly, firing its inner core straight into the ceiling.

After that incident, Su Fan’s reputation spread throughout the entire police station. Anyone passing by that room would shudder in fear. As a result, the officer now handling his case regarded Su Fan with a mix of awe and trepidation, granting his every request. For the sake of his own and the station’s safety, he practically rolled out the red carpet during the subsequent process of releasing Su Fan.

And now, the paperwork was already being signed.

“After signing this, Mr. Su, you are free to go.”

“Alright.”

Shortly after Su Fan stepped out of the police station with both feet, he heard a burst of cheerful cheers erupt from behind him. Surprisingly, it was even accompanied by the popping sounds of a few small party poppers.

“Su, why do I hear what sounds like party poppers over there? Are you at someone’s birthday party?” Scarlett’s puzzled voice came through the phone.

“No, I just left the police station…”

“Maybe I misheard then.”

Scarlett didn’t dwell on it and began recounting her recent experiences. Since they had parted ways, she hadn’t encountered any death-related warnings or premonitions. Her protective charm had also remained quiet. Still, to be safe, she kept it with her at all times.

“Su, so Death has set its sights on you now, hasn’t it? What are you going to do?”

On the other end of the line, Scarlett was pacing back and forth in her bedroom. Her bitten lip and the constant, restless little movements made it clear how anxious and unsettled she felt inside.

“I’m so sorry, Su. I never imagined this… this thing could transfer to someone else…”

Scarlett didn’t want to die, but she equally didn’t want anyone else dragged into this terrifying fate. Especially Su Fan, who was an outsider. He was only in such grave danger because he had reached out to help her.

“If you need anything, Su, anything at all, you must tell me. I’ll do everything in my power to help you.”

“Well, if I had to make one request…”

“What is it?”

“Could you take me for a drive?”

“Of course!”

——-

Scarlett was efficient. It didn’t take long for her to pull up in front of Su Fan and roll down the car window. This time, she was driving a much heavier, bulkier SUV. It seemed her experience with the sports car had left quite a psychological shadow.

“Where should we go?”

“Let’s just drive around.”

Su Fan’s tone was casual, and his actions matched. He simply opened the door and got into the passenger seat. Scarlett didn’t find this gesture unnatural at all. Even though they had only officially spent a day together, in her heart, Su Fan’s status already surpassed that of her assistant and agent, whom she had worked with for years. She had even grown accustomed to driving herself while he rested in the passenger seat.

It was well past the morning rush hour now. The roads weren’t very busy, perfect for a leisurely drive.

As she drove, Scarlett occasionally glanced at Su Fan from behind her sunglasses. He didn’t seem like a fugitive being hunted by Death at all. The calm and serene atmosphere around him was so soothing that just sitting beside him felt reassuring.

Scarlett had initially thought Su Fan might have some new plan, but he just gazed at the scenery outside the window, never saying much. She herself didn’t know where they were headed, simply driving on.

“It hasn’t tried to attack for quite a while now. It seems it was really weakened this time,” Su Fan spoke up after a while.

“Death? It can be weakened?”

“Do you think Death can endlessly and limitlessly interfere with events in the world without any cost?”

“Well…” Scarlett suddenly didn’t know how to answer. In principle, it should be possible, but Su Fan had already emphasized to her before that it wasn’t a true deity.

“Probably not. You said it yourself, Su, it’s not a real god.”

“Exactly,” Su Fan stretched lazily in his seat, feeling the dry wind against his face before continuing. “If it wanted to make those who were supposed to die in the air crash meet their destined end, wouldn’t it be more efficient to use coincidences to gather you all on the same plane again? That’s much better than hunting everyone down one by one.”

“Is it that it doesn’t want to? No, it’s that it can’t. If you pay attention to the news about the passengers’ deaths, you’ll notice a common theme: they all died due to small, easily overlooked details. Combining these two points, I infer that each interference consumes a certain kind of power. Let’s tentatively call this power ‘causality’.”

“Since it consumes power, it must also replenish it. I’ve always wondered how it replenishes its power. It wasn’t until yesterday that I found the answer.”

Scarlett gradually slowed the car, her attention fully captured by Su Fan’s words.

“What is it?”

“It’s simple. Souls,” Su Fan said softly. “The souls of those who die because of the accidents it creates become its source of power, enabling it to interfere with reality on a broader scale. That black mortician yesterday had his soul devoured by it. The difference is, that guy was a follower of Death, willingly offering his soul for consumption.”

Hearing this, Scarlett’s face turned pale.

“That’s terrifying. It sounds just like some kind of evil spirit.”

“To be precise, it’s a kind of unconscious entity that only acts on instinct but can interfere with causality—a malicious spirit.”