Chapter 225
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“Do you feel happy now that you know I’m still alive?” a female voice said cheerfully.
Li Nian opened his bloodshot eyes wide and looked up at the ceiling. He had fallen asleep on his office chair without realizing it. Upon waking up, his neck hurt as if it had been broken.
Li Nian reached out to support himself on the edge of the desk, but his stiff arm disobeyed him and accidentally knocked over a tall stack of files.
There was a clatter of chaos.
Fu Xingchuan tumbled off the sofa with a thud; there was still a trace of saliva at the corner of his mouth. The talisman in his hand was almost crushed. “Who is it?!”
“You always claim to dislike noisy people, but Xiao Fu is even more lively than me.” An arm wrapped around Li Nian’s shoulder, and “Meng Huai” chuckled.
The warmth felt so real.
Noticing Li Nian’s tense body, Fu Xingchuan quickly understood the reason. “Lao Li, you…”
“I’m fine,” Li Nian said stiffly, pouring himself a cup of strong tea.
The angel’s arm was considered a “good thing” for most dependents. Deceased loved ones, absent lovers, unattainable objects of obsession… It would take on their appearance and accompany them in the most genuine way.
From the current perspective, it didn’t do anything harmful to humanity. In many reports, it even helped many people who were in a slump by comforting them through their loved ones.
Under normal circumstances, this kind of news might not have much influence. But with the recent frequent anomalies, everyone was living in fear and unease. Under the vigorous promotion by the Coral Reef Company, this phenomenon had almost become the mascot of Haigu.
Thinking about this, Li Nian’s headache worsened.
“Are you angry?” “Meng Huai” leaned in carelessly. “You wanted to wake up at this time. I just helped you wake up earlier. Your phone has been vibrating for a while.”
Li Nian ignored the person behind him and organized the documents on the desk. The sky outside the window was faintly bright, with stars sparsely embedded in the clouds. The streets in the early morning were particularly quiet, and the lights in Haigu were sparse.
“You can continue sleeping; I’ll sort out the documents.” Li Nian adjusted the desk lamp a bit brighter.
Fu Xingchuan plopped back onto the sofa and sighed. “Be careful that we don’t suddenly both die here.”
“Meiqiu provided the latest investigation data about the angel’s arm. I have to categorize and distribute it to various laboratories for analysis as soon as possible.” Li Nian’s expression was no different from a dead person’s. “Every minute counts.”
Fu Xingchuan looked at Li Nian worriedly for a while, then scratched his head irritably after a long silence. “Forget it. I’ll go out and buy some breakfast. You can come downstairs later to eat.”
“It’s not yet bright outside, and there are no breakfast stalls at the entrance,” Li Nian said flatly.
“Who said there isn’t…” Fu Xingchuan stopped halfway, pressed his temples, and gave a bitter smile.
“Yeah, I forgot,” he murmured, “It’s gone. Recently gone.”
“Like I said, every minute counts.” Li Nian spread a document in front of him and began typing on the keyboard.
On his shoulders, those hands were always supporting him.
Detestable yet endearing.
He hated this damn illusion and despised himself for being unable to resist it. No matter how he repeated in his mind how sinister and malicious this thing was, at his most exhausted and dazed moments, the familiar warmth and weight on his shoulders would always bring him peace of mind.
And at that time, Li Nian would always involuntarily have this thought—
It gave him a sense of liberation.
A person could deceive others, but it was difficult to deceive their own brain.
Fortunately, this thing hadn’t invaded deeply. It could only generate consciousness disturbances in the brain, but it couldn’t leak information. Li Nian took a few more sips of tea and opened the window, attempting to let the cold wind wake him up.
The Shian Tower was extremely tall, and the air was crisp and fresh. Li Nian took a deep breath, and white vapor emerged near his mouth and nose.
“Winter has arrived.” “Meng Huai” stood by his side as if she had never left. “Haven’t you noticed?”
Downstairs in the tower.
Ge Tingting stood frozen in place. The low temperature made her nose turn red.
After returning to Shian, she quickly resumed her daily routine of waking up early to study. Previously, she liked to buy a warm roujiamo to start her day. There was always an old man pushing a cart selling roujiamo near Shian, and they tasted great.
The warm white sesame bun was crispy on the outside, filled with perfectly seasoned fatty and lean meat and finely chopped marinated eggs, and finally drenched in meat sauce. One bite, and the delicious meat and egg mixed with the tender meat patty, which was slightly scalding. In autumn and winter, paired with a cup of hot soy milk, it kept her energized until noon.
But today, the old man selling roujiamo never showed up. There were only a few ruffians belching and casting malicious glances in her direction.
Ge Tingting’s expression remained unchanged, but she had already formed a hand seal.
Just as the leading man was about to approach, a rough voice suddenly sounded behind Ge Tingting.
“Little miss, the grandpa who sells roujiamo isn’t here.” Qin Lele was wearing running clothes and stopped beside Ge Tingting. “How about eating jianbing? There’s a jianbing shop at the intersection.”
“Qin Ge,” Ge Tingting smiled.
Qin Lele had a crew cut and a solid, muscular body. The ruffians only glanced at him before they left, cursing.
“Little miss, you were too strong just now. You might get punished.” Qin Lele let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off his neck. He was sweating profusely, as if he had just been pulled out of hot water. “My master said I should become stronger and not abandon my martial arts training. Now I think that having a sharp mind might be important… I still have a long way to go.”
Ge Tingting replied seriously, “No, I still have a long way to go compared to everyone else.”
“Really? Unit 9 is so amazing.”
“Yes.” Ge Tingting nodded earnestly.
“In that case, I’ll have to urge Bin Ge. He’s been taking days off lately,” Qin Lele drooped his brows, “Even if I can’t become too powerful, our Unit 8 shouldn’t be too weak… Xiao Ge, your brain is sharper than mine. Can you teach me how to persuade him?”
Ge Tingting recalled for a moment. Lao Bin from Unit 8, Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from N University, had a higher degree than Zhong Chengshuo.
For someone like her, who barely completed compulsory education, that field was considered divine. But before Ge Tingting could refuse, Qin Lele started talking like pouring beans.
“Bin Ge hasn’t been in a good state recently. I’ve seen him lose several kilograms. He can’t even finish his meals in the cafeteria and has been drinking. I don’t think he’s been injured… Last time, we saw a monster together! But in the subsequent checks at Shian, they couldn’t find anything. I can’t figure it out.”
Qin Lele scratched his head vigorously.
“His brain is better than mine. It shouldn’t be like this.”
Ge Tingting: “He might have been scared and is in a particularly bad mood. Did he have something he liked before? You can mention it to him more.”
She tried her best. The sixteen- or seventeen-year-old Ge Tingting felt her forehead sweating.
Qin Lele looked as if he had found a treasure. “Oh, Bin Ge loved studying mold in the sewer the most! He even said he would publish it in some international journal. It’s very impressive. Yes, I’ll get him more mold…”
Ge Tingting: “…”
It sounded very impressive, but she didn’t understand any of it.
But was it really okay to give him mold? Ge Tingting had just decided to dissuade him, but Qin Lele had already run off.
Mold in the sewer…
Ge Tingting held onto the jianbing and instinctively looked towards the sewer.
In the gaps between the cement bricks, it was pitch black, occasionally brushed by withered leaves. Ge Tingting took a bite of the jianbing, walked along the sewer, and stepped on the crackling dried leaves.
One gap, two gaps, three gaps… Finger-thick gaps disappeared one by one behind her.
Until one of them turned white.
Ge Tingting instantly froze—beyond that gap, a pair of human eyes appeared, along with the murky gaze only seen in corpses.
In that moment of eye contact, those eyes curved, as if laughing.
At the same time, there was a chilling rustling sound from the sewer, accompanied by the squishy sound of flesh being squeezed. The sewer cover moved slightly, making continuous knocking sounds. The aura of an evil creature surged like a sudden downpour, chilling Ge Tingting to the core.
The corpse centipede.
It had come out again to shake people’s hearts, and this time it was particularly close to Shian. This thing seemed to see Ge Tingting as an ordinary girl. Its bloodshot eye was rolling around in the gap of the sewer, emitting a chilling aura that made one’s whole body shudder.
Ge Tingting stopped chewing and was expressionless.
Yin Ren’s aura was much stronger than this thing. She didn’t know how many Primordial Elementals she had chopped up. Her heart was calm, like still water.
Judging from the difference in power, she couldn’t defeat it. Moreover, this thing only frightened people and didn’t attack. It would run away when it sensed danger, and there wouldn’t be enough time to find someone to capture it. But to let it go like this…
Ge Tingting looked left and right, picked up a disposable chopstick from the roadside, and fiercely stabbed it into an eye.
In an instant, the sewer cover stopped moving, and that eye quickly disappeared into the darkness. Ge Tingting threw away the chopsticks with an expressionless face and took another bite of her jianbing—within that short moment, her jianbing had become slightly cold.
This thing may be strong, but it only wanted to cause chaos, and its behavior was nothing more than that.
Unfortunately, the city sewer was like a maze, making it hard to catch… The sewer…
Ge Tingting bit into the jianbing, and her eyes suddenly lit up. She turned her head and dashed in the direction where Qin Lele had disappeared.
“Qin Ge, wait!” She turned the AI to maximum volume. “I also want to see Bin Ge—wait for me—”
She suddenly had a straightforward idea of luring the snake out of its hole.
“To deal with that monster—only your Unit 8 can do it—”
……
The Other Side.
Ever since Fu Tianyi, this unlucky guy, was left behind, he had turned into a sponge of knowledge, being twisted and turned by Meng Huai every day, striving to improve more of his techniques on the Other Side.
Sometimes, Fu Tianyi would steal glances at the other two big shots from the corner of his eye.
Yin Ren seemed more like a giant loner taken in by Meng Huai—going out every day to hunt, returning with a string of leftover small Elementals, regardless of wind or rain. He didn’t confide in Meng Huai, and she didn’t ask much either.
Zhong Chengshuo, on the other hand, had become elusive. Sometimes he would lock himself in a small room, and occasionally he would go out, but nobody knew where he went. Zhong Chengfeng had asked a few times, and the answer was always “researching cases”. Since he occasionally took Meiqiu with him when going out, everyone could barely feel at ease.
However, when Zhong Chengshuo was around, there would always be two figures, one white and one red, cuddling in a corner.
Like indicator lights, sometimes both the red and white were present, sometimes only the red, and sometimes there was nothing at all—
When he was full from eating outside, the red-robed Great Celestial Master would find a corner to rest his eyes. If Zhong Chengshuo was there, he would rest his head on his lover’s thigh and curl up. If Zhong Chengshuo wasn’t there, Yin Ren wouldn’t specially lean against anything and would simply rest in the corner.
Regardless of whether the other three people were talking loudly or softly, no matter how they chattered and communicated, the loner would sleep soundly.
Perhaps a thousand years ago, the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi lived like this. Resting among the noisy and chaotic abnormalities, waking up to continue hunting, living like a wild beast.
But Yin Ren’s wounds healed very slowly.
Over these days, his body, which was originally one-third damaged, had become one-quarter. Many wounds were still oozing blood, making it unbearable to look closely.
Perhaps Zhong Chengshuo was still looking for a suitable treatment method, Fu Tianyi thought as he made meat paste. Perhaps there were some special cyber herbs on the Other Side that needed the ancient Fear to explore.
Unfortunately, before he could imagine for a few minutes, he was hit on the head—his Elemental meat paste exploded into a mess in his hands.
“I’m sorry!” Fu Tianyi covered his head, tears welling up in his eyes.
He instinctively looked towards the corner—right now, it was empty.
……
Yin Ren also left the stronghold on time today.
He had already grown accustomed to flying on the other side, feeling a strange sense of exhilaration. If it weren’t for the pain in his wounds all over his body, he could have felt even more at ease.
Not knowing if she was afraid of being eaten herself, Qi Xin threw him a remark of “Let’s meet after you recover” and disappeared without a trace. Yin Ren had been out catching small Elementals to eat these past few days, but no matter how much he ate, something just didn’t feel right.
It was like a person who hadn’t eaten for three days and three nights frantically eating a low-fat salad, as if they were eating a lot, yet it felt as if they hadn’t eaten anything at all.
The powerful Primordial Elementals weren’t easy to mess with, so he needed to be more cunning—under the organization of Love, they patrolled around the white network, making a small move that affected the whole. Before regaining his strength, Yin Ren didn’t want them to sense his movements.
But when it came to finding food, Yin Ren was no worse than any other existing creature.
Today, he quietly approached the vicinity of the white network. Compared to when they were rescuing people, there were more Elementals near the white network now. Yin Ren held his breath and carefully maneuvered around those Elementals.
He had only one target, and that was the enormous hemisphere at the center of the white network.
If he was going to eat, he would eat the best. The most dangerous place was also the most reasonable cafeteria.
With the experience from last time, Yin Ren was able to hide more smoothly this time. He used the shadows of one cocoon after another to carefully maneuver around the white silk threads and crawled towards the central giant hemisphere. The surface of the hemisphere still had a large number of white arms remaining. From this angle, it looked somewhat like hand-pulled noodles.
This thing contained the power of Love, so the nutrients were definitely not lacking.
He still needed to conceal his identity. Yin Ren transformed himself into the appearance of a black cat that wouldn’t attract attention. He hooked his claws onto the nearest web, and the tip of his tail transformed into winged sickles as he swiftly flew towards the thickest arm.
“Meow meow!!!” Before the blade reached, there was a sharp meow from within the cluster of arms.
Yin Ren was startled, causing his claws to nearly miss the pivot point. He curled up his body and nervously looked toward that white area.
Meiqiu was standing right below the arm from earlier with its fur standing on end and its round eyes filled with fear.
An illusion?
Meiqiu was so close that there was no way he wouldn’t sense its presence! Just as Yin Ren was about to slip away, he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck—
The one who made the move was a young man dressed in red with a wooden mask on his face. He was covered in purification charms and had a familiar satchel by his side. This person had extremely fast hand movements, grabbing hold of Yin Ren with one hand and holding a notebook and pen with the other.
Although he was dressed like Fu Tianyi, Yin Ren recognized this person’s characteristic movements, even if he turned to ashes.
“Zhong Chengshuo, let go!”
Yin Ren awkwardly clung to the white network.
“What are you guys doing here?!”
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“Do you feel happy now that you know I’m still alive?” a female voice said cheerfully.
Li Nian opened his bloodshot eyes wide and looked up at the ceiling. He had fallen asleep on his office chair without realizing it. Upon waking up, his neck hurt as if it had been broken.
Li Nian reached out to support himself on the edge of the desk, but his stiff arm disobeyed him and accidentally knocked over a tall stack of files.
There was a clatter of chaos.
Fu Xingchuan tumbled off the sofa with a thud; there was still a trace of saliva at the corner of his mouth. The talisman in his hand was almost crushed. “Who is it?!”
“You always claim to dislike noisy people, but Xiao Fu is even more lively than me.” An arm wrapped around Li Nian’s shoulder, and “Meng Huai” chuckled.
The warmth felt so real.
Noticing Li Nian’s tense body, Fu Xingchuan quickly understood the reason. “Lao Li, you…”
“I’m fine,” Li Nian said stiffly, pouring himself a cup of strong tea.
The angel’s arm was considered a “good thing” for most dependents. Deceased loved ones, absent lovers, unattainable objects of obsession… It would take on their appearance and accompany them in the most genuine way.
From the current perspective, it didn’t do anything harmful to humanity. In many reports, it even helped many people who were in a slump by comforting them through their loved ones.
Under normal circumstances, this kind of news might not have much influence. But with the recent frequent anomalies, everyone was living in fear and unease. Under the vigorous promotion by the Coral Reef Company, this phenomenon had almost become the mascot of Haigu.
Thinking about this, Li Nian’s headache worsened.
“Are you angry?” “Meng Huai” leaned in carelessly. “You wanted to wake up at this time. I just helped you wake up earlier. Your phone has been vibrating for a while.”
Li Nian ignored the person behind him and organized the documents on the desk. The sky outside the window was faintly bright, with stars sparsely embedded in the clouds. The streets in the early morning were particularly quiet, and the lights in Haigu were sparse.
“You can continue sleeping; I’ll sort out the documents.” Li Nian adjusted the desk lamp a bit brighter.
Fu Xingchuan plopped back onto the sofa and sighed. “Be careful that we don’t suddenly both die here.”
“Meiqiu provided the latest investigation data about the angel’s arm. I have to categorize and distribute it to various laboratories for analysis as soon as possible.” Li Nian’s expression was no different from a dead person’s. “Every minute counts.”
Fu Xingchuan looked at Li Nian worriedly for a while, then scratched his head irritably after a long silence. “Forget it. I’ll go out and buy some breakfast. You can come downstairs later to eat.”
“It’s not yet bright outside, and there are no breakfast stalls at the entrance,” Li Nian said flatly.
“Who said there isn’t…” Fu Xingchuan stopped halfway, pressed his temples, and gave a bitter smile.
“Yeah, I forgot,” he murmured, “It’s gone. Recently gone.”
“Like I said, every minute counts.” Li Nian spread a document in front of him and began typing on the keyboard.
On his shoulders, those hands were always supporting him.
Detestable yet endearing.
He hated this damn illusion and despised himself for being unable to resist it. No matter how he repeated in his mind how sinister and malicious this thing was, at his most exhausted and dazed moments, the familiar warmth and weight on his shoulders would always bring him peace of mind.
And at that time, Li Nian would always involuntarily have this thought—
It gave him a sense of liberation.
A person could deceive others, but it was difficult to deceive their own brain.
Fortunately, this thing hadn’t invaded deeply. It could only generate consciousness disturbances in the brain, but it couldn’t leak information. Li Nian took a few more sips of tea and opened the window, attempting to let the cold wind wake him up.
The Shian Tower was extremely tall, and the air was crisp and fresh. Li Nian took a deep breath, and white vapor emerged near his mouth and nose.
“Winter has arrived.” “Meng Huai” stood by his side as if she had never left. “Haven’t you noticed?”
Downstairs in the tower.
Ge Tingting stood frozen in place. The low temperature made her nose turn red.
After returning to Shian, she quickly resumed her daily routine of waking up early to study. Previously, she liked to buy a warm roujiamo to start her day. There was always an old man pushing a cart selling roujiamo near Shian, and they tasted great.
The warm white sesame bun was crispy on the outside, filled with perfectly seasoned fatty and lean meat and finely chopped marinated eggs, and finally drenched in meat sauce. One bite, and the delicious meat and egg mixed with the tender meat patty, which was slightly scalding. In autumn and winter, paired with a cup of hot soy milk, it kept her energized until noon.
But today, the old man selling roujiamo never showed up. There were only a few ruffians belching and casting malicious glances in her direction.
Ge Tingting’s expression remained unchanged, but she had already formed a hand seal.
Just as the leading man was about to approach, a rough voice suddenly sounded behind Ge Tingting.
“Little miss, the grandpa who sells roujiamo isn’t here.” Qin Lele was wearing running clothes and stopped beside Ge Tingting. “How about eating jianbing? There’s a jianbing shop at the intersection.”
“Qin Ge,” Ge Tingting smiled.
Qin Lele had a crew cut and a solid, muscular body. The ruffians only glanced at him before they left, cursing.
“Little miss, you were too strong just now. You might get punished.” Qin Lele let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off his neck. He was sweating profusely, as if he had just been pulled out of hot water. “My master said I should become stronger and not abandon my martial arts training. Now I think that having a sharp mind might be important… I still have a long way to go.”
Ge Tingting replied seriously, “No, I still have a long way to go compared to everyone else.”
“Really? Unit 9 is so amazing.”
“Yes.” Ge Tingting nodded earnestly.
“In that case, I’ll have to urge Bin Ge. He’s been taking days off lately,” Qin Lele drooped his brows, “Even if I can’t become too powerful, our Unit 8 shouldn’t be too weak… Xiao Ge, your brain is sharper than mine. Can you teach me how to persuade him?”
Ge Tingting recalled for a moment. Lao Bin from Unit 8, Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from N University, had a higher degree than Zhong Chengshuo.
For someone like her, who barely completed compulsory education, that field was considered divine. But before Ge Tingting could refuse, Qin Lele started talking like pouring beans.
“Bin Ge hasn’t been in a good state recently. I’ve seen him lose several kilograms. He can’t even finish his meals in the cafeteria and has been drinking. I don’t think he’s been injured… Last time, we saw a monster together! But in the subsequent checks at Shian, they couldn’t find anything. I can’t figure it out.”
Qin Lele scratched his head vigorously.
“His brain is better than mine. It shouldn’t be like this.”
Ge Tingting: “He might have been scared and is in a particularly bad mood. Did he have something he liked before? You can mention it to him more.”
She tried her best. The sixteen- or seventeen-year-old Ge Tingting felt her forehead sweating.
Qin Lele looked as if he had found a treasure. “Oh, Bin Ge loved studying mold in the sewer the most! He even said he would publish it in some international journal. It’s very impressive. Yes, I’ll get him more mold…”
Ge Tingting: “…”
It sounded very impressive, but she didn’t understand any of it.
But was it really okay to give him mold? Ge Tingting had just decided to dissuade him, but Qin Lele had already run off.
Mold in the sewer…
Ge Tingting held onto the jianbing and instinctively looked towards the sewer.
In the gaps between the cement bricks, it was pitch black, occasionally brushed by withered leaves. Ge Tingting took a bite of the jianbing, walked along the sewer, and stepped on the crackling dried leaves.
One gap, two gaps, three gaps… Finger-thick gaps disappeared one by one behind her.
Until one of them turned white.
Ge Tingting instantly froze—beyond that gap, a pair of human eyes appeared, along with the murky gaze only seen in corpses.
In that moment of eye contact, those eyes curved, as if laughing.
At the same time, there was a chilling rustling sound from the sewer, accompanied by the squishy sound of flesh being squeezed. The sewer cover moved slightly, making continuous knocking sounds. The aura of an evil creature surged like a sudden downpour, chilling Ge Tingting to the core.
The corpse centipede.
It had come out again to shake people’s hearts, and this time it was particularly close to Shian. This thing seemed to see Ge Tingting as an ordinary girl. Its bloodshot eye was rolling around in the gap of the sewer, emitting a chilling aura that made one’s whole body shudder.
Ge Tingting stopped chewing and was expressionless.
Yin Ren’s aura was much stronger than this thing. She didn’t know how many Primordial Elementals she had chopped up. Her heart was calm, like still water.
Judging from the difference in power, she couldn’t defeat it. Moreover, this thing only frightened people and didn’t attack. It would run away when it sensed danger, and there wouldn’t be enough time to find someone to capture it. But to let it go like this…
Ge Tingting looked left and right, picked up a disposable chopstick from the roadside, and fiercely stabbed it into an eye.
In an instant, the sewer cover stopped moving, and that eye quickly disappeared into the darkness. Ge Tingting threw away the chopsticks with an expressionless face and took another bite of her jianbing—within that short moment, her jianbing had become slightly cold.
This thing may be strong, but it only wanted to cause chaos, and its behavior was nothing more than that.
Unfortunately, the city sewer was like a maze, making it hard to catch… The sewer…
Ge Tingting bit into the jianbing, and her eyes suddenly lit up. She turned her head and dashed in the direction where Qin Lele had disappeared.
“Qin Ge, wait!” She turned the AI to maximum volume. “I also want to see Bin Ge—wait for me—”
She suddenly had a straightforward idea of luring the snake out of its hole.
“To deal with that monster—only your Unit 8 can do it—”
……
The Other Side.
Ever since Fu Tianyi, this unlucky guy, was left behind, he had turned into a sponge of knowledge, being twisted and turned by Meng Huai every day, striving to improve more of his techniques on the Other Side.
Sometimes, Fu Tianyi would steal glances at the other two big shots from the corner of his eye.
Yin Ren seemed more like a giant loner taken in by Meng Huai—going out every day to hunt, returning with a string of leftover small Elementals, regardless of wind or rain. He didn’t confide in Meng Huai, and she didn’t ask much either.
Zhong Chengshuo, on the other hand, had become elusive. Sometimes he would lock himself in a small room, and occasionally he would go out, but nobody knew where he went. Zhong Chengfeng had asked a few times, and the answer was always “researching cases”. Since he occasionally took Meiqiu with him when going out, everyone could barely feel at ease.
However, when Zhong Chengshuo was around, there would always be two figures, one white and one red, cuddling in a corner.
Like indicator lights, sometimes both the red and white were present, sometimes only the red, and sometimes there was nothing at all—
When he was full from eating outside, the red-robed Great Celestial Master would find a corner to rest his eyes. If Zhong Chengshuo was there, he would rest his head on his lover’s thigh and curl up. If Zhong Chengshuo wasn’t there, Yin Ren wouldn’t specially lean against anything and would simply rest in the corner.
Regardless of whether the other three people were talking loudly or softly, no matter how they chattered and communicated, the loner would sleep soundly.
Perhaps a thousand years ago, the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi lived like this. Resting among the noisy and chaotic abnormalities, waking up to continue hunting, living like a wild beast.
But Yin Ren’s wounds healed very slowly.
Over these days, his body, which was originally one-third damaged, had become one-quarter. Many wounds were still oozing blood, making it unbearable to look closely.
Perhaps Zhong Chengshuo was still looking for a suitable treatment method, Fu Tianyi thought as he made meat paste. Perhaps there were some special cyber herbs on the Other Side that needed the ancient Fear to explore.
Unfortunately, before he could imagine for a few minutes, he was hit on the head—his Elemental meat paste exploded into a mess in his hands.
“I’m sorry!” Fu Tianyi covered his head, tears welling up in his eyes.
He instinctively looked towards the corner—right now, it was empty.
……
Yin Ren also left the stronghold on time today.
He had already grown accustomed to flying on the other side, feeling a strange sense of exhilaration. If it weren’t for the pain in his wounds all over his body, he could have felt even more at ease.
Not knowing if she was afraid of being eaten herself, Qi Xin threw him a remark of “Let’s meet after you recover” and disappeared without a trace. Yin Ren had been out catching small Elementals to eat these past few days, but no matter how much he ate, something just didn’t feel right.
It was like a person who hadn’t eaten for three days and three nights frantically eating a low-fat salad, as if they were eating a lot, yet it felt as if they hadn’t eaten anything at all.
The powerful Primordial Elementals weren’t easy to mess with, so he needed to be more cunning—under the organization of Love, they patrolled around the white network, making a small move that affected the whole. Before regaining his strength, Yin Ren didn’t want them to sense his movements.
But when it came to finding food, Yin Ren was no worse than any other existing creature.
Today, he quietly approached the vicinity of the white network. Compared to when they were rescuing people, there were more Elementals near the white network now. Yin Ren held his breath and carefully maneuvered around those Elementals.
He had only one target, and that was the enormous hemisphere at the center of the white network.
If he was going to eat, he would eat the best. The most dangerous place was also the most reasonable cafeteria.
With the experience from last time, Yin Ren was able to hide more smoothly this time. He used the shadows of one cocoon after another to carefully maneuver around the white silk threads and crawled towards the central giant hemisphere. The surface of the hemisphere still had a large number of white arms remaining. From this angle, it looked somewhat like hand-pulled noodles.
This thing contained the power of Love, so the nutrients were definitely not lacking.
He still needed to conceal his identity. Yin Ren transformed himself into the appearance of a black cat that wouldn’t attract attention. He hooked his claws onto the nearest web, and the tip of his tail transformed into winged sickles as he swiftly flew towards the thickest arm.
“Meow meow!!!” Before the blade reached, there was a sharp meow from within the cluster of arms.
Yin Ren was startled, causing his claws to nearly miss the pivot point. He curled up his body and nervously looked toward that white area.
Meiqiu was standing right below the arm from earlier with its fur standing on end and its round eyes filled with fear.
An illusion?
Meiqiu was so close that there was no way he wouldn’t sense its presence! Just as Yin Ren was about to slip away, he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck—
The one who made the move was a young man dressed in red with a wooden mask on his face. He was covered in purification charms and had a familiar satchel by his side. This person had extremely fast hand movements, grabbing hold of Yin Ren with one hand and holding a notebook and pen with the other.
Although he was dressed like Fu Tianyi, Yin Ren recognized this person’s characteristic movements, even if he turned to ashes.
“Zhong Chengshuo, let go!”
Yin Ren awkwardly clung to the white network.
“What are you guys doing here?!”
Do you feel happy now that you know I'm still alive? a female voice said cheerfully.Li Nian opened his bloodshot eyes wide and looked up at the ceiling. He had fallen asleep on his office chair without realizing it. Upon waking up, his neck hurt as if it had been broken.Li Nian reached out to support himself on the edge of the desk, but his stiff arm disobeyed him and accidentally knocked over a tall stack of files.There was a clatter of chaos.Fu Xingchuan tumbled off the sofa with a thud; there was still a trace of saliva at the corner of his mouth. The talisman in his hand was almost crushed. Who is it?!You always claim to dislike noisy people, but Xiao Fu is even more lively than me. An arm wrapped around Li Nian's shoulder, and Meng Huai chuckled.The warmth felt so real.Noticing Li Nian's tense body, Fu Xingchuan quickly understood the reason. Lao Li, youI'm fine, Li Nian said stiffly, pouring himself a cup of strong tea.The angel's arm was considered a good thing for most dependents. Deceased loved ones, absent lovers, unattainable objects of obsession It would take on their appearance and accompany them in the most genuine way.From the current perspective, it didn't do anything harmful to humanity. In many reports, it even helped many people who were in a slump by comforting them through their loved ones.Under normal circumstances, this kind of news might not have much influence. But with the recent frequent anomalies, everyone was living in fear and unease. Under the vigorous promotion by the Coral Reef Company, this phenomenon had almost become the mascot of Haigu.Thinking about this, Li Nian's headache worsened.Are you angry? Meng Huai leaned in carelessly. You wanted to wake up at this time. I just helped you wake up earlier. Your phone has been vibrating for a while.Li Nian ignored the person behind him and organized the documents on the desk. The sky outside the window was faintly bright, with stars sparsely embedded in the clouds. The streets in the early morning were particularly quiet, and the lights in Haigu were sparse.You can continue sleeping; I'll sort out the documents. Li Nian adjusted the desk lamp a bit brighter.Fu Xingchuan plopped back onto the sofa and sighed. Be careful that we don't suddenly both die here.Meiqiu provided the latest investigation data about the angel's arm. I have to categorize and distribute it to various laboratories for analysis as soon as possible. Li Nian's expression was no different from a dead person's. Every minute counts.Fu Xingchuan looked at Li Nian worriedly for a while, then scratched his head irritably after a long silence. Forget it. I'll go out and buy some breakfast. You can come downstairs later to eat.It's not yet bright outside, and there are no breakfast stalls at the entrance, Li Nian said flatly.Who said there isn't Fu Xingchuan stopped halfway, pressed his temples, and gave a bitter smile.Yeah, I forgot, he murmured, It's gone. Recently gone.Like I said, every minute counts. Li Nian spread a document in front of him and began typing on the keyboard.On his shoulders, those hands were always supporting him.Detestable yet endearing.He hated this damn illusion and despised himself for being unable to resist it. No matter how he repeated in his mind how sinister and malicious this thing was, at his most exhausted and dazed moments, the familiar warmth and weight on his shoulders would always bring him peace of mind.And at that time, Li Nian would always involuntarily have this thoughtIt gave him a sense of liberation.A person could deceive others, but it was difficult to deceive their own brain.Fortunately, this thing hadn't invaded deeply. It could only generate consciousness disturbances in the brain, but it couldn't leak information. Li Nian took a few more sips of tea and opened the window, attempting to let the cold wind wake him up.The Shian Tower was extremely tall, and the air was crisp and fresh. Li Nian took a deep breath, and white vapor emerged near his mouth and nose.Winter has arrived. Meng Huai stood by his side as if she had never left. Haven't you noticed?Downstairs in the tower.Ge Tingting stood frozen in place. The low temperature made her nose turn red.After returning to Shian, she quickly resumed her daily routine of waking up early to study. Previously, she liked to buy a warmroujiamoto start her day. There was always an old man pushing a cart selling roujiamo near Shian, and they tasted great.The warm white sesame bun was crispy on the outside, filled with perfectly seasoned fatty and lean meat and finely chopped marinated eggs, and finally drenched in meat sauce. One bite, and the delicious meat and egg mixed with the tender meat patty, which was slightly scalding. In autumn and winter, paired with a cup of hot soy milk, it kept her energized until noon.But today, the old man selling roujiamo never showed up. There were only a few ruffians belching and casting malicious glances in her direction.Ge Tingting's expression remained unchanged, but she had already formed a hand seal.Just as the leading man was about to approach, a rough voice suddenly sounded behind Ge Tingting.Little miss, the grandpa who sells roujiamo isn't here. Qin Lele was wearing running clothes and stopped beside Ge Tingting. How about eatingjianbing? There's a jianbing shop at the intersection.Qin Ge, Ge Tingting smiled.Qin Lele had a crew cut and a solid, muscular body. The ruffians only glanced at him before they left, cursing.Little miss, you were too strong just now. You might get punished. Qin Lele let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off his neck. He was sweating profusely, as if he had just been pulled out of hot water. My master said I should become stronger and not abandon my martial arts training. Now I think that having a sharp mind might be important I still have a long way to go.Ge Tingting replied seriously, No, I still have a long way to go compared to everyone else.Really? Unit 9 is so amazing.Yes. Ge Tingting nodded earnestly.In that case, I'll have to urge Bin Ge. He's been taking days off lately, Qin Lele drooped his brows, Even if I can't become too powerful, our Unit 8 shouldn't be too weak Xiao Ge, your brain is sharper than mine. Can you teach me how to persuade him?Ge Tingting recalled for a moment. Lao Bin from Unit 8, Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from N University, had a higher degree than Zhong Chengshuo.For someone like her, who barely completed compulsory education, that field was considered divine. But before Ge Tingting could refuse, Qin Lele started talking like pouring beans.Bin Ge hasn't been in a good state recently. I've seen him lose several kilograms. He can't even finish his meals in the cafeteria and has been drinking. I don't think he's been injured Last time, we saw a monster together! But in the subsequent checks at Shian, they couldn't find anything. I can't figure it out.Qin Lele scratched his head vigorously.His brain is better than mine. It shouldn't be like this.Ge Tingting: He might have been scared and is in a particularly bad mood. Did he have something he liked before? You can mention it to him more.She tried her best. The sixteen- or seventeen-year-old Ge Tingting felt her forehead sweating.Qin Lele looked as if he had found a treasure. Oh, Bin Ge loved studying mold in the sewer the most! He even said he would publish it in some international journal. It's very impressive. Yes, I'll get him more moldGe Tingting: It sounded very impressive, but she didn't understand any of it.But was it really okay to give him mold? Ge Tingting had just decided to dissuade him, but Qin Lele had already run off.Mold in the sewerGe Tingting held onto the jianbing and instinctively looked towards the sewer.In the gaps between the cement bricks, it was pitch black, occasionally brushed by withered leaves. Ge Tingting took a bite of the jianbing, walked along the sewer, and stepped on the crackling dried leaves.One gap, two gaps, three gaps Finger-thick gaps disappeared one by one behind her.Until one of them turned white.Ge Tingting instantly frozebeyond that gap, a pair of human eyes appeared, along with the murky gaze only seen in corpses.In that moment of eye contact, those eyes curved, as if laughing.At the same time, there was a chilling rustling sound from the sewer, accompanied by the squishy sound of flesh being squeezed. The sewer cover moved slightly, making continuous knocking sounds. The aura of an evil creature surged like a sudden downpour, chilling Ge Tingting to the core.The corpse centipede.It had come out again to shake people's hearts, and this time it was particularly close to Shian. This thing seemed to see Ge Tingting as an ordinary girl. Its bloodshot eye was rolling around in the gap of the sewer, emitting a chilling aura that made one's whole body shudder.Ge Tingting stopped chewing and was expressionless.Yin Ren's aura was much stronger than this thing. She didn't know how many Primordial Elementals she had chopped up. Her heart was calm, like still water.Judging from the difference in power, she couldn't defeat it. Moreover, this thing only frightened people and didn't attack. It would run away when it sensed danger, and there wouldn't be enough time to find someone to capture it. But to let it go like thisGe Tingting looked left and right, picked up a disposable chopstick from the roadside, and fiercely stabbed it into an eye.In an instant, the sewer cover stopped moving, and that eye quickly disappeared into the darkness. Ge Tingting threw away the chopsticks with an expressionless face and took another bite of her jianbingwithin that short moment, her jianbing had become slightly cold.This thing may be strong, but it only wanted to cause chaos, and its behavior was nothing more than that.Unfortunately, the city sewer was like a maze, making it hard to catch The sewerGe Tingting bit into the jianbing, and her eyes suddenly lit up. She turned her head and dashed in the direction where Qin Lele had disappeared.Qin Ge, wait! She turned the AI to maximum volume. I also want to see Bin Gewait for meShe suddenly had a straightforward idea of luring the snake out of its hole.To deal with that monsteronly your Unit 8 can do itThe Other Side.Ever since Fu Tianyi, this unlucky guy, was left behind, he had turned into a sponge of knowledge, being twisted and turned by Meng Huai every day, striving to improve more of his techniques on the Other Side.Sometimes, Fu Tianyi would steal glances at the other two big shots from the corner of his eye.Yin Ren seemed more like a giant loner taken in by Meng Huaigoing out every day to hunt, returning with a string of leftover small Elementals, regardless of wind or rain. He didn't confide in Meng Huai, and she didn't ask much either.Zhong Chengshuo, on the other hand, had become elusive. Sometimes he would lock himself in a small room, and occasionally he would go out, but nobody knew where he went. Zhong Chengfeng had asked a few times, and the answer was always researching cases. Since he occasionally took Meiqiu with him when going out, everyone could barely feel at ease.However, when Zhong Chengshuo was around, there would always be two figures, one white and one red, cuddling in a corner.Like indicator lights, sometimes both the red and white were present, sometimes only the red, and sometimes there was nothing at allWhen he was full from eating outside, the red-robed Great Celestial Master would find a corner to rest his eyes. If Zhong Chengshuo was there, he would rest his head on his lover's thigh and curl up. If Zhong Chengshuo wasn't there, Yin Ren wouldn't specially lean against anything and would simply rest in the corner.Regardless of whether the other three people were talking loudly or softly, no matter how they chattered and communicated, the loner would sleep soundly.Perhaps a thousand years ago, the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi lived like this. Resting among the noisy and chaotic abnormalities, waking up to continue hunting, living like a wild beast.But Yin Ren's wounds healed very slowly.Over these days, his body, which was originally one-third damaged, had become one-quarter. Many wounds were still oozing blood, making it unbearable to look closely.Perhaps Zhong Chengshuo was still looking for a suitable treatment method, Fu Tianyi thought as he made meat paste. Perhaps there were some special cyber herbs on the Other Side that needed the ancient Fear to explore.Unfortunately, before he could imagine for a few minutes, he was hit on the headhis Elemental meat paste exploded into a mess in his hands.I'm sorry! Fu Tianyi covered his head, tears welling up in his eyes.He instinctively looked towards the cornerright now, it was empty.Yin Ren also left the stronghold on time today.He had already grown accustomed to flying on the other side, feeling a strange sense of exhilaration. If it weren't for the pain in his wounds all over his body, he could have felt even more at ease.Not knowing if she was afraid of being eaten herself, Qi Xin threw him a remark of Let's meet after you recover and disappeared without a trace. Yin Ren had been out catching small Elementals to eat these past few days, but no matter how much he ate, something just didn't feel right.It was like a person who hadn't eaten for three days and three nights frantically eating a low-fat salad, as if they were eating a lot, yet it felt as if they hadn't eaten anything at all.The powerful Primordial Elementals weren't easy to mess with, so he needed to be more cunningunder the organization of Love, they patrolled around the white network, making a small move that affected the whole. Before regaining his strength, Yin Ren didn't want them to sense his movements.But when it came to finding food, Yin Ren was no worse than any other existing creature.Today, he quietly approached the vicinity of the white network. Compared to when they were rescuing people, there were more Elementals near the white network now. Yin Ren held his breath and carefully maneuvered around those Elementals.He had only one target, and that was the enormous hemisphere at the center of the white network.If he was going to eat, he would eat the best. The most dangerous place was also the most reasonable cafeteria.With the experience from last time, Yin Ren was able to hide more smoothly this time. He used the shadows of one cocoon after another to carefully maneuver around the white silk threads and crawled towards the central giant hemisphere. The surface of the hemisphere still had a large number of white arms remaining. From this angle, it looked somewhat like hand-pulled noodles.This thing contained the power of Love, so the nutrients were definitely not lacking.He still needed to conceal his identity. Yin Ren transformed himself into the appearance of a black cat that wouldn't attract attention. He hooked his claws onto the nearest web, and the tip of his tail transformed into winged sickles as he swiftly flew towards the thickest arm.Meow meow!!! Before the blade reached, there was a sharp meow from within the cluster of arms.Yin Ren was startled, causing his claws to nearly miss the pivot point. He curled up his body and nervously looked toward that white area.Meiqiu was standing right below the arm from earlier with its fur standing on end and its round eyes filled with fear.An illusion?Meiqiu was so close that there was no way he wouldn't sense its presence! Just as Yin Ren was about to slip away, he was grabbed by the scruff of his neckThe one who made the move was a young man dressed in red with a wooden mask on his face. He was covered in purification charms and had a familiar satchel by his side. This person had extremely fast hand movements, grabbing hold of Yin Ren with one hand and holding a notebook and pen with the other.Although he was dressed like Fu Tianyi, Yin Ren recognized this person's characteristic movements, even if he turned to ashes.Zhong Chengshuo, let go!Yin Ren awkwardly clung to the white network.What are you guys doing here?!
