Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Wei Yangze froze for a few seconds.

Then, his figure quickly dashed up the stairs.

Lin Lin knew what Wei Yangze was thinking.

Because he experienced the same ominous premonition rising to the top of his skull.

His temples began to throb faintly.

It was as if a hand had reached into his brain, stirring a chaotic sensation.

The office door was still closed.

Based on the dark windows, the person inside had turned off the lights.

Wei Yangze flung the door open.

Lin Lin hit the light switch behind him, and with a "click," the scene in front of them was instantly illuminated.

Professor Chen was seated properly behind his desk.

A thick stack of exam papers lay on the wooden surface.

His fountain pen suddenly paused, letting out a harsh "scratch" sound on the paper.

"Who are you?!"

"What's with that get-up? You're outsiders!"

"If you don't explain yourselves, I'll call security! I'm serious!"

Wei Yangze didn't budge, staring at his face.

A few seconds later, he said, "It's nothing, we're just looking for a student. We'll leave now."

Without hesitation, he turned around and yanked Lin Lin out of the office.

Then, the office door clicked shut behind them.

"That was it?"

"His pupils were normal, his consciousness clear. No abnormal factors, and no distortion in the surroundings," Wei Yangze said.

"So, why stay there, then?"

Lin Lin was clearly startled.

At twenty-nine years old, Wei Yangze had become a Level 1 Enforcer five years ago, with nearly eight years of experience.

Considering his judgment, he absolutely wouldn't make a mistake.

But it still looked incredibly eerie.

How could someone be grading papers in the dark? No normal person would do that.

It was a completely hollowed-out, abnormally formed mass of human flesh.

"Of course I know about it," Wei Yangze interrupted him and headed towards the staircase leading back. "But if even I can't determine what this infection is, staying there is meaningless. If it really is an infection, it's beyond my ability to handle."

A side profile of Yan Mei flashed through Lin Lin's mind.

He walked right past them.

His eyes were blank, yet the corners of his mouth held a faint smile.

"What is this?"

"Probably a warning..."

The mysteries surrounding him were enough to give anyone a splitting headache, as if their skull was about to burst open.

"We can contact a Special Level enforcer."

Wei Yangze countered, "The scumbag?"

"That's not something an employee should be saying."

"I apologize if I hurt your sense of duty, but this is my responsibility, and I have my own standards for judgment. If this Level 3 'source of infection' hasn't done anything in five years, its danger level drops in priority."

Experienced Level 1 employees can determine the type of 'source of infection' through relevant files provided by the system.

The deceased's name was Yuyu He.

The last phone call he made before his suicide was to his parents.

No one knew what those two had said to give a timid and sensitive person the sudden courage to die.

In the end, he chose to take his life in the elevator.

It was only a week later, after his body had rotted into a pile of flesh in the summer heat, that someone remembered to look for him.

There's no doubt that the cause of the 'source of infection' was resentment.

It was long-standing resentment, self-hatred, inferiority, and pain that formed the 'source of infection.' He cursed himself, becoming a monster.

This ridiculous curse and hatred didn't affect others.

This was the first time in five years that it appeared as a 'source of infection.'

Before this, the system hadn't even detected the possibility of him turning into a 'source of infection.'

Lin Lin remained silent.

Judging the danger level yourself, instead of relying on the level of the infection source, was exactly why they couldn't become Special Level.

Being promoted to Special Level is done through a recommendation system.

Wei Yangze was once on the candidate list for Special Level, but now he's been completely taken off it.

The question remained: did this happen before or after his companion, the 'source of infection' disguised as a normal human, was exposed? This led to him becoming notorious as a Level 1 enforcer.

"And you've read Professor Chen's file, right?" Wei Yangze raised one corner of his mouth and suddenly smiled. "Come to think of it, I remember when I was in school, an English teacher lost it and slapped me in front of the whole class because I couldn't write a word properly."

"..."

"You notify the other containment sites."

Lin Lin: "Yep."

There wasn't much to discuss regarding the mission.

However, after a few seconds of silence, Wei Yangze suddenly asked, "Did you talk to Ye Jishu? How's he doing?"

"He's a decent guy. What's on your mind?"

"Nah, nothing much."

It was a sudden question.

Lin Lin stopped calling and stared at him.

"We can't make a move without evidence."

Wei Yangze mentioned something else.

"I know. By the way, you're Level 2, on dispatch."

"Only Level 1 Enforcers are permanent in various regions."

"Level 2s are temporary, here to contain the 'source of infection' before things get worse. They're basic support."

"If you're not ready to die, don't take any more jobs in this area."

His voice was cold.

"What did you find?"

"I'm not sure yet."

Wei Yangze said, standing on the stairs, looking down.

A winding spiral staircase.

Through the dark gaps in the steps, he could see the light reflecting off the hands of the person sitting on the lowest floor.

The person was playing a game on their phone.

The faint sounds crawled up the stairs.

Then the sounds suddenly stopped.

The person stood up, seeing someone, and put their phone back into their coat.

Wei Yangze watched intently as the two figures left the building side by side.

In his mind, words from that night floated up.

"I've always wanted to find that extremely special human..."

"I never thought I would have the courage to disturb Him..."

"But soon, I will verify it," he said.

The heavy rain swallowed all the unsaid words in an instant. He stared at Ye Jishu's back intently, not moving his gaze away for ages.

...

Ye Jishu closed the door of the dormitory.

The old dormitory gave off a damp, moldy smell when it rained.

His roommate wasn't in the dorm.

His roommate said he was going to the restroom for a moment.

Shortly afterward, Ye Jishu received a text message from him.

"I'm not coming back. Thanks. Hopefully, we can still be good friends."

"But if you plan to... make sure to stay away from that..."

Ye Jishu drafted a reply.

"What does that even mean?"

But it was like dropping a stone into a bottomless pit.

His roommate didn't reply.

A little later, he heard Yan Mei's voice behind him.

As the other watched, he put his phone back in his pocket, then took the hand that was offered to him and stood up.

They returned to the dorm together.

The cold crept up their arms as they walked.

Yan Mei had only brought one umbrella.

So he had to stay close to avoid getting wet.

They walked in silence.

Until, as they reached the dormitory, the person next to him stopped in his tracks.

Ye Jishu looked over. Suddenly, the other said, "That day, it was like this too."

Though caught off guard, Ye Jishu realized what he meant.

It was the same day.

He had turned down other people's umbrellas but then ran into a girl confessing to Yan Mei.

"Somehow, I ended up confessing too."

"Even more unexpected was that Yan Mei actually accepted his confession."

After that.

Yan Mei did so as well, holding an umbrella to walk him back to the dormitory.

"It's been four months since we've known each other."

Yan Mei stretched out his hand, his fingers sliding down Ye Jishu's earlobe.

Then, his fingers landed on the back of his neck, continuously rubbing and caressing.

Ye Jishu suddenly raised his hand and grabbed Yan Mei's arm.

Yan Mei froze.

What happened after that, he couldn’t remember too clearly.

Because, as the other person leaned down, the soft touch of their lips and the sudden warmth melted away his memory.

It wasn’t until he returned to the dormitory.

His foggy brain started to function again.

Ye Jishu lay on the bed, involuntarily staring at the moldy stains on the ceiling below him in a daze.

"I'll let today end like this."

"Hesitating won’t change anything; might as well let tomorrow's self handle it."

And just like that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

...

The following day, Ye Jishu was awakened by his phone alarm.

His body was heavy.

His head felt dizzy, and he didn’t want to get up.

He gasped for air, feeling as if stones had been stuffed into his head, dulling his thoughts.

Ye Jishu grabbed his phone and glanced at it.

It was 10 a.m.

Soon, it would be time for his major class.

He forced himself out of bed.

His temples were throbbing.

"I must have caught a cold."

"Probably because I got soaked in the rain yesterday."

He set down the phone.

He slowly climbed down from the top bunk.

He took a shower.

He rinsed his mouth.

He finished his cleaning routine.

Ye Jishu returned to his wardrobe.

If he was just going to school, he didn’t have the energy to dress up. He rummaged through his closet, grabbed a hoodie, put it on, and left the dorm.

As he passed by his roommate's bed, he glanced at it one last time before closing the door behind him.

The corridor was packed.

Students from the earlier class were flooding out of the classrooms.

He overheard some students discussing behind him.

"Last night, I was scared to death! Around midnight, the forum turned completely red!"

"Yeah, I saw it too."

"And then the power suddenly went out, so I didn’t even get a notification. My power bank wasn’t fully charged either. It was really weird!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Jishu paused for a moment before stepping into the classroom.

Even though there was still time before the next class, the back rows were already filled.

Although he was in the math department, not every student was there to study; the first three rows remained empty.

He spotted an open seat in the third row from the back.

But that meant he’d have to squeeze in next to someone.

But sitting up front would make him too noticeable.

Ye Jishu hesitated for a moment, then made his way to the back row and sat in the empty seat.

At least here, he wouldn’t be caught sleeping by the professor right away.

"Wait, why are you sitting here?"

Ye Jishu blinked in confusion.

He stopped himself from leaning on the desk and slowly turned his head to face a somewhat familiar face. He couldn’t recall the person’s name.

Ye Jishu half-opened his eyes and gazed at him for a few seconds.

Even though he hadn’t said a word, his reaction said it all.

"You still don’t remember me?!?"

Seeing this, the other person looked incredulous and a bit shaken. "The day before yesterday, you fractured my hand!"

"I was planning to rest in the dorm that night to avoid my older brother finding out, but..."

His pupils shrank, and he shuddered as he recalled the previous terrifying scene.

To change the subject, he raised his hand toward Ye Jishu.

His forearm was still wrapped in a medical bandage, and a splint made his movements appear extremely stiff.

"Well then, let me say it again, I'm Bao Zhehan—the 'Bao' in Bao Cheng Technology."

He then waited for a moment.

But in front of him, Ye Jishu just went "Oh," and laid his head back down on the desk, using his arm as a pillow without looking at him.

"..." Bao Zhehan.

No way.

After introducing himself, there was no reaction.

Because he had a crush on Yan Mei, he had been keeping an eye on his supposed rival, Ye Jishu.

He had seen Ye Jishu playing games in class and after school, and occasionally caught him watching live stream replays on his phone. But now, despite introducing himself, Ye Jishu didn't even know who he was.

Is he faking it?

Bao Cheng Technology is, right now, the biggest live streaming platform, and it's his older brother's company.

Moreover, the Bao family got their start in the gaming industry.

They're involved in pretty much every new domestic game and imported foreign game.

Because he was the right age, he had been pushed to show up on the live streaming platform several times, chatting with famous streamers...

He's been on the platform's cover!

And I've even gone viral on social media!

But no matter how intensely Bao Zhehan stared, trying to see through Ye Jishu's arm covering his face, the reaction he expected never came.

"..."

He felt like screaming.

Why the heck do I feel so frustrated!!

When they saw he wasn't getting a response and looked frustrated, yet didn't know how to approach Ye Jishu, one of them immediately said, "I told you he's a weirdo! Zhehan, don't waste your breath, tell us about that project you mentioned last time!"

Flattered by their enthusiasm, Bao Zhehan smiled smugly. "Ah, it's that Star-Making Project."

"Let me tell you, this time there might be fys joining. When that happens, I'm definitely going to take the chance to have a good chat with him."

The others looked at him with envy, saying, "As expected of Zhehan."

"If I remember correctly, that's the one..."

Bao Zhehan nodded. "That's right, he's my favorite streamer."

The night before.

After encountering those things and learning the truth about the world, he really liked Yan Mei.

Unsurprisingly, he couldn't sleep when he got back.

To his surprise, his favorite streamer, fys, happened to be live streaming!

Although it was a horror game, which was usually his least favorite genre, he could still indulge a bit...

He would have expected to be very scared.

But thanks to that person's swift and precise moves, accompanied by light breathing, his racing heart gradually slowed down.

"Is this what they call excitement?"

After waking up, the first thing Bao Zhehan did was ask his older brother to invite fys to join their latest project.

Strictly speaking, fys didn't exactly meet the requirements of the project.

After all, he’d never spoken, never shown his face, and hadn’t even opened social media accounts like Weibo. The goal of this project was to create stars.

It was hard to imagine how this type of streamer would fit into a multi-person project.

Bao Zhehan’s older brother was pretty strict.

He originally thought he’d have to push for a while.

However, after watching fys’s most recent live stream, his brother surprisingly approved and had the team send an invitation to fys.

"Anyway, it’s thanks to you!"

"Haha, of course," Bao Zhehan replied, his words full of joy that his favorite streamer was acknowledged, "But it’s not my merit, it’s because fys is just that awesome."

"..." Ye Jishu said.

"Oh, and I’ll also be participating as a special guest on the live stream. Make sure you tune in! I’m definitely going to get fys’s personal contact info. I just love how calm and composed he is. It’s so satisfying when he hardly responds to the comments."

Bao Zhehan’s statement caused a brief awkward pause among the people around him.

This kind of reason for liking someone was kind of niche.

But soon—

"...Bro, you got this!"

Bao Zhehan didn’t notice the strange expressions of the others at all. "Of course, I’m gonna chase after him."

Hearing their conversation, Ye Jishu silently turned his head and rested it on the other arm, a thought crossing his mind.

"So that’s why I was invited."

He had wondered why just clearing a game had suddenly gotten him noticed by the live streaming platform.

On his way to the classroom, he had already agreed.

If it was for Yan Mei’s birthday, he didn’t want to be without a prepared gift...

Ye Jishu’s gaze peeked through the gap between his arm and hoodie.

The teacher had already arrived and was placing a thermos cup on the podium, preparing to go over the homework assigned in the last class.

He glanced at the formulas copied on the blackboard.

They were all problems he knew how to solve.

Well, I can start sleeping now.

He buried his face back into the pillow, letting his mind drift into darkness.

He didn’t notice that Bao Zhehan had been watching him for a while, the movements of his hands gradually slowing down.

“Bao, I’ve got something crazy to tell you, about…”

“Shh.”

Bao Zhehan cut him off, turning to glare at him.

The guy immediately shut up.

Bao Zhehan held out his hand.

The guy got it and eagerly passed him the phone. The title on the screen immediately caught his eye.

“Guess what? Professor Chen Wanhui from the Math Department has lost it!! Today, in class, he suddenly started crawling on the podium, making these crazy roaring sounds, like a dog or something… It was freaky… Really freaky…”