Chapter 100: New World, Oh, the Circle’s Favorite, I Get It!

Chapter 100: A New World, Oh, Bear Bait, I Get It Now!

Xi Zhengtian's underwear?

Hearing Sheng Qingquan's inner thoughts, everyone froze.

Images of Xi Zhengtian involuntarily surfaced in their minds.

He was a textbook bruiser—bulging pectorals, brawny arms, a neck thicker than most people's thighs. Even in a suit, he looked like mob muscle, the kind you'd instinctively avoid.

If he wore a tank top in summer, revealing the sprawling tattoos on his arms? Instant thug vibes—straight-outta-a-biker-gang.

In short, the man oozed "back off."

And yet, someone dared to target his underwear?

Let’s be real—"underwear" was just a euphemism for... well, underwear.

What kind of twisted freak with a death wish would risk their life for that?!

Xi Zhengtian himself fumed. He even instinctively jabbed a finger into his ear. "Steal my what? What did I lose?"

If it were some young woman's missing underwear, he wouldn't be having an existential crisis—just swiftly hauling the culprit to the police station. Rot in jail, creep.

Hell, even if it were some twink's underwear, it'd make more sense than his. Let’s be real—if the thief were judging by appearances alone, they’d have better odds targeting Sheng Qingquan.

At least Sheng Qingquan had the best face in the building. More importantly, he looked like a stiff breeze would knock him over.

If the thief were shallow, they’d pick Sheng Qingquan.

Not him—Xi Zhengtian, with a face made for blending in, the kind that disappeared in a crowd within seconds. If not for that, he’d never have been chosen for undercover work.

His face was whatever, but his build might as well have a sign saying "I can snap you in half." The type who could take on three guys one-handed.

Who the hell would dare steal his underwear? Suspicious, Xi Zhengtian flexed his arm, his bulging biceps straining against his sleeve. A quick squeeze confirmed it—like concrete. One punch from him, and a frail victim would be begging, "Don’t die on me!"

This muscle wasn’t for show. He lived in the gym to maintain it.

So why wasn’t it deterring anyone?

Making people think he was a paper tiger?

And sure, in real life, most criminals preyed on the weak. Sheng Qingquan wasn’t just the best-looking in the building—he was also the most skilled fighter. Avoiding him made sense.

But in the story? Sheng Qingquan was literally just a pretty face who couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag.

Why steal from me and not him?!

Xi Zhengtian fumed.

"Oh, bear bait—I get it now!"

After recalling Xi Zhengtian’s appearance, Sheng Qingquan had a lightbulb moment.

Though he was asexual, years of novel-reading had accidentally exposed him to… queer lit.

Especially after the cheat ability appeared—the first arc’s MCs had been a gay couple. From then on, Sheng Qingquan dove headfirst into BL stuff.

He would sometimes make a special trip to browse through best-selling novels, exploring new genres and broadening his horizons so he’d never be caught empty-handed.

With so much exposure and online recommendations, Sheng Qingquan couldn’t help but learn that, in reality, a lot of gay guys were really into this type.

Once Sheng Qingquan made such a meaningful remark, everyone immediately understood.

Wh-what gay scene?

When Xi Zhengtian finally processed it, his entire face flushed crimson in a flash. The heat radiating from his skin was so intense, it was hot enough to boil water on contact.

"Now that I think about it, the so-called underwear might not necessarily be... underwear."

Considering the preferences of the gay community, Sheng Qingquan mused thoughtfully.

"Maybe it’s socks. Like jocks’ white athletic socks. Xi Zhengtian isn’t a sports student, but his physique is even more impressive than the average athlete’s."

Socks?

Men’s socks weren’t like women’s sheer stockings, where fair legs peeked through seductively.

Guys’ thighs were thick, hairy, and muscular—like a caveman’s. Even if they wore stockings, it wouldn’t look good. It’d be like putting lipstick on a pig.

Not to mention, men’s socks usually only went up to the ankles.

Xi Zhengtian knew himself best—he never did any leg care. So, socks weren’t doing him any favors. And, to be honest, his feet reeked.

After a full day of wear, the moment he took off his shoes, even he gagged at the stench.

Who the hell would wanna steal these? Isn’t the stench unbearable?

Xi Zhengtian didn’t get it, but strangely, realizing that the stolen item might be his worn socks made him even more uncomfortable.

"When I catch them, I’ll cram those nasty socks down their throat!" Xi Zhengtian fumed.

By now, he had already regrouped with the staff. Hearing this, Tao Qingmiao side-eyed him and deadpanned, "How’s that a reward?"

How’s that a reward?

Xi Zhengtian froze, then it hit him. If the thief was stealing socks, they were clearly into that sort of thing.

For an ordinary person, having socks—let alone smelly ones—shoved into their mouth would feel like humiliation.

They’d throw hands immediately.

But for that thief? Shit, Tao Qingmiao had a point. Being forced to taste stinky socks? They’d probably thank me!

This…

Xi Zhengtian’s face went from red to thunderous.

"Aside from Xi Zhengtian, others have also had things go missing."

"However, unlike Xi Zhengtian, who had worked undercover, most figured they’d just lost track of their stuff, so they didn’t report it. Only a few realized something was wrong and called the police."

"Even so, lost-item reports spiked during this period."

At Sheng Qingquan’s offhand mention of his undercover work, Xi Zhengtian’s breath caught. Before anyone else noticed, he quickly composed himself.

No one could tell the relief Xi Zhengtian felt inside: Thank God that op wrapped up years back, and the whole crew got busted. Otherwise, forget closing the case—he’d be dead. Even now, stragglers could come after him. Close call!

"The missing items are a bizarre assortment of things."

"There was a freshly prepared delicious meal, piping hot and just set out on the table, but in the blink of an eye, before even getting a chance to take a bite, the entire spread—dishes, bowls, and all—vanished."

"There were newly bought clothes, still in their unopened package, only for the parcel to disappear. If not for the pickup record in the delivery locker, the owner would’ve thought they’d imagined it altogether—as if their memory had failed them."

"Then there was a full set of limited-edition makeup, fought tooth and nail to get, only to disappear before they could even show it off properly."

"An embroidery piece, slaved over for weeks—aching back, numb legs, strained eyes, thread-splitting patience—finally finished, photographed, and ready to list in an online shop, only for the embroidery to vanish before it could be sold."

"Hands numb from combing fibers, finally crafting a box of assorted velvet flowers for a customer, only for the shipment to go missing. The customer said they never got it, the courier had no clue how it disappeared—left in the lurch."

"Tending silkworms meticulously, finally spinning cocoons, ready to ride the hype of silk fans—only for multiple packed shipments to vanish mid-delivery, arriving as empty boxes. Their reputation tanked. Was it corporate espionage?"

"Even a full pencil case of empty pen refills went missing."

"Some losses were obvious, others sneakier, slipping under the radar. Like a missing pack of tissues at home, a vanished coil of mosquito repellent incense, a lighter disappearing from a pocket. A beer can vanishing from the fridge, a pack of cigarettes missing from the store..."

"A half-used lipstick disappeared; an ashtray used for years at home vanished; a baby’s diaper, tossed aside temporarily, gone before it could be thrown out..."

"Even a large public trash bin on the street inexplicably disappeared."

"The missing items ranged from brand-new to well-used. Though all over the map, most were ordinary things—food, daily necessities, and the like."

Wait, what?

Why steal this stuff?!

Not just Sheng Qingquan was baffled—others were equally confused.

Especially since, while stealing new items was one thing, what kind of mindset drove someone to take used objects?

If it were stolen worn undergarments, you could at least chalk it up to some sicko, guy or gal, being the culprit.

But used pen refills? Aside from the owner keeping them as mementos of their hard work grinding through study marathons, they were practically useless. Even if sold as scrap, they barely covered the effort. Hardly worth the trouble.

"The quantity lost each time was never large."

If entire warehouses of goods had vanished at once, like a stockpile of tissues, you could at least assume the thief was reselling for profit.

But among the missing items, while tissues were indeed taken, it was just one pack—what good was that? Unless they were caught short in the loo and stole it for emergency use.

"Yet the frequency of thefts was off the charts."

"Sometimes, the same police station would receive a dozen-plus complaints in a single day. And that didn’t even account for unreported cases or those filed at other stations. Just picture how often this guy was hitting."

"So what’s the deal with this apocalypse?"

Pages deep into this, and all Sheng Qingquan saw were people losing things in weirder and weirder fashion.

"Could this apocalypse end with the thief stealing all of humanity?"

Whoa!

Sheng Qingquan suddenly inhaled sharply.

"Actually… yeah!"

"That’s entirely possible!"

"Humans are so useful. Steal them to use as labor, as test subjects, or at worst, chop them up for fertilizer. I can't even imagine how unbelievably fertile the land would become if the entire population of Blue Star were turned into fertilizer!"

"And who knows what weird applications they might come up with."

Sheng Qingquan became more certain the more he thought about it.

The others were on edge too.

At this point, Xi Zhengtian couldn’t care less whether his missing underthings were underwear or socks. If people themselves were at risk, who would bother about such trivial things?

"I don’t want to blink one day and find myself in some strange place, being worked to death like livestock!" He had built such a strong physique to serve his country and people, not to become some prime specimen of a slave for aliens or otherworldly beings.

"Luckily. So far, no living things have disappeared."

After reading a few more chapters of the novel, Sheng Qingquan mused, somewhat relieved.

But soon, he realized he had spoken too soon.

Living things hadn’t gone missing—but something else had.

"A police officer lost their service weapon!"

"A hospital lost pain medications."

"A factory lost hazardous chemicals..."

The stakes instantly skyrocketed.

If before it had just been petty theft—some cases could even be written off as jokes—now, the nature of the incidents had completely changed.

Blue Star had strict firearm bans. The seriousness of a single missing firearm was beyond words.

This wasn’t just about the officer involved receiving an official reprimand, facing disciplinary action, demotion, or even losing their job. Nor was it just about potential imprisonment.

The reality would be far worse.

Who knew what the thief planned to do with the gun?

If this wasn’t the work of aliens or beings from another world, but someone from Blue Star itself… Sheng Qingquan felt chills thinking about the missing items.

Guns, pain medications, hazardous chemicals—even if the quantities were small, these were all lethal materials.

The most terrifying part?

"The most classified research facility was breached. The latest weapons development files were stolen."