Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Who would be crying in the middle of the night?

The sound seemed so close, faintly worming its way into his mind. Shi Yu’s first thought was that he must be half-asleep and imagining things.

Otherwise, how could he hear such a strange noise?

Sure enough, when he opened his eyes, the crying stopped as if it had never happened. Shi Yu removed his earplugs and tilted his head to listen carefully, but found nothing.

Strange.

It made no sense to him, but his mind was too exhausted to dwell on it. Sleep kept pulling at him, making thinking itself a chore. That he could still open his eyes and check his surroundings was purely due to his ingrained vigilance in this world.

When he finally closed his eyes again, Shi Yu felt dizzy all over. One moment, he was thinking: *That sound was odd—I need to stay alert and not sleep too deeply.* The next thing he knew, he was out cold, completely missing the thunder outside.

……

The next morning, the scent of rain-soaked earth drifted in through the fluttering curtains, freshening the air. Shi Yu blinked awake, dazed for a few seconds, wondering if he’d dreamed the whole thing.

—Had he heard someone crying while half-asleep?

Impossible. If something had really been crying in the middle of the night, it sure wasn’t human. And yet, here he was, unharmed.

So it must have been an illusion. Rubbing his tired temples, he rested against the bed a while longer before finally getting up as noon approached.

The little mimosa had already prepared breakfast in the living room.

Today’s menu: bread and jam!

But Shi Yu sighed, giving a half-hearted compliment before pushing the food away—he had no appetite. He walked to the living room and poured himself a glass of water instead.

Just then, the little Horror suddenly perked up. It took a quick look outside before scampering back, its soft leaves brushing against him insistently, as if trying to say something.

Shi Yu paused. “What’s wrong?”

The little mimosa tried again to get its message across, and after a moment, it clicked for Shi Yu. “You’re saying… the Ability User Association is here?”

He raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised that he could interpret the little mimosa’s signals. With just a few shakes in his palm, the meaning somehow came through, like he’d suddenly become fluent in plant.

Shi Yu thought of yesterday’s dead "Men’s High Heels"—could it be related?

The thought flashed through his mind before he refocused on what the little mimosa had just communicated.

Why was the Ability User Association here?

He walked to the window and pulled back the curtains.

Shi Yu’s apartment complex was located at the heart of Orange Blossom Road, and from the 19th floor, the view was expansive. As soon as the curtains opened, he spotted the familiar vehicles outside—no doubt the Ability User Association's.

He recognized them just by the license plates.

Two or three cars were parked near Orange Blossom Road. Shi Yu’s brow furrowed slightly. *Did something big happen?*

……

Zhao Wen and the others had arrived as early as five in the morning, scanning the area with their detectors. But after combing through every intersection, their scanners came up empty.

He fiddled with the device and glanced at the general area marked by the Association.

"What's going on? There's nothing here."

"The fluctuations yesterday pointed to this direction."

Normally, Horrors leave traces when they appear—the higher the level, the more obvious the energy signature. With yesterday’s energy levels, they should have been able to sense it from any block in Orange Blossom Road by now. But they still hadn’t found the last spot?

Just as Zhao Wen was getting a headache over this, Han Chuyi—who’d been gone for days and had just returned—put down his phone and looked up from leaning against the car door.

"How far have you gotten?"

Zhao Wen: "Almost halfway."

"That place... Xinmei Garden."

Xinmei Garden… That was Shi Yu’s neighborhood.

Han Chuyi snapped out of it, his expression darkening as he suddenly said, "Hand me the scanner."

"What?" Zhao Wen was puzzled.

Han Chuyi raised an eyebrow. "What, don’t want a break? I’ll handle the front. You guys rest for a bit."

Zhao Wen: "...For real?"

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust him, but the young master wasn’t exactly the helpful type. Him volunteering now? Suspicious as hell.

And that neighborhood ahead—if he remembered correctly—wasn’t that Mr. Shi’s place?

Was the young master up to something?

That offhand confession in the meeting room a few days ago was still causing a stir in the Ability User Association. Zhao Wen knew exactly what Mr. Sang had said.

Mr. Sang claimed he had fallen for Shi Yu at first sight. For the young master, who had secretly been pining after Mr. Sang, that must’ve felt like the world ending, right?

Zhao Wen side-eyed him, wondering if this guy—who had disappeared for days—was here to cause trouble today.

"Han."

"You know we can’t mess with civilians," he emphasized seriously.

Han Chuyi sputtered, frowning as he gave Zhao Wen a once-over.

"When did I say I was gonna hurt a civilian?"

Shi Yu’s so frail—even gets carsick—he wouldn’t dare breathe on him wrong.

Han Chuyi scoffed, gripping his phone tighter. Honestly, even he didn’t understand his own thoughts right now. He just wanted to check on the guy since he lived here.

After taking the scanner, Han Chuyi turned and walked away from the team without another word.

Zhao Wen watched him warily. Once Han Chuyi was gone, he sent a message to the Ability User Association headquarters to report what was happening.

At the Ability User Association:

Shen Yan had just washed his face and dried his hands when he saw the message from Zhao Wen, who was out in the field.

—"The Han eldest young master went to find Mr. Shi."

"What's the move, Dr. Shen? Should I tail him?"

Zhao Wen hesitated for a moment before sending the message. He was worried Han Chuyi might get into trouble going alone. After all, Mr. Shi really didn’t look too healthy—he’d even gone to the hospital last time.

Han Chuyi went to find Shi Yu?

Shen Yan lowered his gaze, thought for a bit, and finally replied: “No need.”

“He knows what he’s doing.”

“Oh. Got it.” Then that’s fine.

Zhao Wen let out a breath and pocketed his phone, no longer concerning himself with the matter.

Shen Yan stood in front of the mirror, suddenly remembering the scene from the meeting room that day because of this message. The way the other man had gently said he liked Shi Yu flashed through his mind. A guy like Sang Huaiyu had no reason to lie. So, had he disappeared these past few days to… look for Shi Yu?

At this thought, Shen Yan’s temple pulsed sharply. As random thoughts raced through his head, he instinctively glanced at his phone.

…

Shi Yu was still trying to figure things out when he looked toward the window and spotted someone walking up from a distance.

Huh?

Han Chuyi?

Wait, what’s he doing here?

Shi Yu stiffened for a second, frowning as he watched the other enter the residential complex.

Their eyes met across the building. Unable to quite make out Shi Yu’s expression, Han Chuyi instinctively licked his teeth and raised an arm to wave.

He hadn’t expected Shi Yu to be standing by the balcony just then. He had only looked up at the building out of habit upon entering, only to meet the other’s gaze unexpectedly.

Han Chuyi, who hadn’t even figured out how to approach Shi Yu yet: Shit.

The handsome, bright-eyed college guy kept up his cheerful act while inwardly cursing.

How’d they end up spotting each other like this?

Whatever, he’d deal with it once he got upstairs.

Shi Yu stared, confused, as the other man’s expression shifted upon seeing him—then gave up pretending and headed straight for the building.

It dawned on Shi Yu—was Han Chuyi here to see him? Once it clicked, the first thing that came to mind was a seriously urgent problem.

—There were still remnants of a Horror Item (men’s high heels) in his trash can!

Right then, Shi Yu absolutely did not want anyone from the Ability User Association finding out. After all, how could he possibly explain how Horror Item residue ended up here?

Suddenly developing some weird ability sounded crazy, didn’t it?

Besides, the Ability User Association wasn’t exactly one big happy family. One had to remember that the Evil God was frequently invited to help them out.

No question about it—if Han Chuyi found out, Sang Huaiyu would definitely know. Shi Yu didn’t dare show anything unusual in front of the big bad boss. Just thinking about how the other had once made Han Chuyi deliver a message to him made his skin crawl.

Seeing that Han Chuyi had already entered the building, Shi Yu checked the time, turned around, and immediately headed to the bathroom, intending to try to get rid of the evidence first.

When he reached the bathroom, he froze slightly. Within his line of sight, the fragments of the red leather shoes that had been safely placed in the trash can earlier were now… gone?

The Horrors’ remnants he had personally seen before going to bed last night had vanished without a trace. The trash can was completely empty, with nothing left inside.

Shi Yu blinked in confusion, doubting whether his memory was faulty.

How could he have been mistaken?

But there was no time to dwell on it further. At some point, the doorbell had begun ringing, snapping him back to reality.

Han Chuyi stood at the peephole, squinting. Seeing that Shi Yu hadn’t opened the door, he pressed the bell again, impatient like some kind of demanding ghost.

Shi Yu: …Dammit!

Is this guy sick?!

Pushing aside his doubts, Shi Yu forced himself to focus and walked to the next room. After confirming that the mimosa had gone dormant, completely indistinguishable from the pot, he finally opened the door.

“What do you want?”

Annoyed by the incessant ringing, his tone was harsh.

In Shi Yu’s mind, he had already deleted Han Chuyi last time—they weren’t supposed to meet again. So why was he here today?

Han Chuyi gave him a surprised look, not expecting Shi Yu to be so… aggressive?

The good-looking male college student opposite him frowned slightly, then suddenly scoffed.

“Do I need a reason to visit you?”

Han Chuyi had originally planned to say he was here for work and just happened to pass by, but he completely forgot his prepared excuse the moment he spoke. He didn’t bother explaining further.

Shi Yu: ???

Shi Yu was completely confused, giving him a strange look.

Is this guy sick in the head?

Wait—he forgot to check the peephole before opening the door. Was the person really Han Chuyi?

Even with a mask on, his expression was too obvious. Noticing Shi Yu’s suspicion, Han Chuyi raised an eyebrow. “Quite vigilant, aren’t you?”

He paused, seeing that Shi Yu showed no intention of stepping aside, and glanced at him.

“Not inviting me in?”

With the man already standing there, speaking in that tone, Shi Yu worried refusing entry might raise suspicion. With no choice, he stepped aside to let him in.

Han Chuyi turned his gaze back to Shi Yu’s face.

“By the way, why did you delete me that day?”

Unlike the confrontational scenario Zhao Wen had imagined, Han Chuyi—though brimming with suppressed irritation—didn’t unleash it on Shi Yu. At this point, he began to think Brother Sang’s words were a joke.

Love at first sight? Impossible.

This guy wasn’t the type to inspire such feelings. Unless Shi Yu had taken off his mask at the Ability User Association.

That deceptively pure face, which was particularly attractive to same-sex admirers, though… was another matter entirely.

He froze for a moment, then snapped back with a frown. “Did you take off your mask in front of Bro Sang at the Association that day?”

Shi Yu: …What’s his deal?

Though it was a weird question, he still answered, “No.” He’d only gone in for a checkup and left right after Sang Huaiyu had already departed.

Why was this guy asking that? Shi Yu thought it was strange.

Han Chuyi gave a light cough and pulled out his phone. “Come on, add me back.”

“I won’t hold it against you for deleting me last time.”

Shi Yu was completely baffled. “So you came just for this?”

Just to re-add as a friend and ask why he’d been deleted?

Not exactly.

Han Chuyi glanced at him. “Just passing by. Coincidentally, there was some suspicious activity near your place last night, so I came to check it out. Figured I might as well add you back in case you need to contact the Ability User Association for anything. After all, you’re still my responsibility for now.”

“Hurry up.”

Shi Yu really didn’t want to add this guy again, but at the mention of “suspicious activity,” his ears perked up slightly.

So annoying.

Caught between wanting more information and the risk of being discovered by the evil god, Shi Yu finally reluctantly gave in.

Fine, he’d add him back for now. If needed, he could always delete him later after getting whatever info Han Chuyi had and once he left. With that plan in mind, Shi Yu stopped resisting.

After re-adding him, the guy’s expression visibly improved.

“Could’ve saved us both time if you'd just done this earlier instead of making me wait so long.”

Han Chuyi scoffed, unaware that just having Shi Yu re-add him had, in an instant, given him more satisfaction than the irritation he felt when he heard Sang Huaiyu liked him.

Han Chuyi sat on the sofa and was about to say something else when his group chat started blowing up.

Zhao Wen, who was checking another intersection outside, sent a message urging, “Bro Han, are you done yet? We still have a few more blocks to check.”

They were wrapping up in the afternoon, with three intersections left unchecked.

Han Chuyi checked the time. “Quit nagging me—I’ll be right there.”

“I’ll handle the remaining intersections. Just focus on your side.”

With a frown, he fired off a quick reply without noticing… Shi Yu had seen everything.

From his angle, Shi Yu could even make out their whole conversation.

Huh, checking around—so it was about last night. But with the remains of those “men’s high heels” already gone, would they find anything?

Shi Yu’s eyes automatically darted toward the device in Han Chuyi’s hand.

The device had stayed quiet since entering. Shi Yu had seen members of the Ability User Association use it before—it would go off if it detected malicious Horror energy. Yet now, it stayed quiet as usual. His brows relaxed slightly in relief.

Han Chuyi would’ve liked to stay a bit longer, but with the Association breathing down his neck, he had no choice but to stand up.

“I’m out.”

"Text me if you need anything."

"Oh, one more thing."

Just as he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and turned back with a reminder.

"It's been dangerous out there recently. Better limit your time outside."

Who knew when that goddamn SSS-Class Horror (Horror) might show up again.

Shi Yu looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to say that, but still nodded.

"Got it, thanks."

Only after Han Chuyi frowned, turned around, and took the elevator down did Shi Yu finally close the door. He thought the guy was arrogant but maybe not as unbearable as he'd imagined. Still, his top priority was the "men’s high heels."

He looked back at the bathroom:

So, where is it?

Did it seriously just disappear?

Were this many weird things always happening around him?

Shi Yu and the trash bin had a staring contest for a while before he finally gave up, frustrated. He didn’t notice something deep in his abdomen give a little twitch during his moment of self-doubt—almost like it was hiding something…

...

Once he’d wrapped things up, Han Chuyi walked out of the apartment complex.

His detector stayed quiet the whole way. Clearly, there were no leftover Horror vibes at this intersection. As he turned to head toward another location Zhao Wen had mentioned, he saw a familiar little delivery van rolling by—it was the robotics company’s exclusive transport vehicle, usually only seen when someone had scheduled a robot service.

Han Chuyi glanced back, puzzled.

Who in their right mind would order such a glorified trash can?

He snickered, took a picture, then paused when he saw Shi Yu’s new profile picture pop up on his screen. On impulse, he sent it directly to him instead.

"—Guess what I just saw on my way out?"

Shi Yu: "What?" he replied absentmindedly.

A second later, Han Chuyi sent over a screenshot.

"Laughing my ass off."

"Somebody actually ordered a medical robot, and it's near your building."

"I don't think even the freak forums have idiots this bad."

Shi Yu's stomach dropped, especially at the mention of "medical robot." He widened his eyes and tapped into the image.

Great. That was his, wasn't it?

"Freak forums." "Moron."

Shi Yu barked a dry laugh, pissed at being mocked.

He bit back the urge to tell Han Chuyi that the weirdo they were talking about was actually himself, let out a cold snort, and swiftly blocked the other person. There was no way he had ever truly liked this guy—it must have been a hallucination.

Shi Yu had originally thought there might be a 50% chance of accuracy, but after being thrown off by the other guy, he started doubting whether reserving the little robot was a mistake.

Is this thing even used by anyone?

Well, the reservation was already made, the money paid, and he’d even waited in line for two days. Might as well see what it does.

Shi Yu flopped onto the couch, waiting for the robot to be delivered upstairs. He took a deep breath and opened the box.

An adorable white robot appeared before him—desk-sized, with a strangely polite air. Its beady eyes flickered to life as it booted up.

Shi Yu was a little self-conscious at the idea of being examined by the mini robot, but the little guy was all business.

"What seems to be the trouble?"

"You can tap the button below to let me know."

Shi Yu paused, recalling his symptoms over the past few days, and entered them all. The mini robot ran the data and prompted him to step into the measurement range.

"Alright, Got it! Please wait quietly for fifteen minutes. The examination will begin shortly."

As the scan passed over him, Shi Yu found this new method oddly novel—especially since it was his first time experiencing it.

When he realized the mini robot seemed to be doing a full-body scan, a flicker of hope sparked in his chest.

Sure, it’s no doctor, but as a scanner, it’s gotta do something. Isn’t that how hospital machines work?

Trying to stay optimistic, the scan finally wrapped up after about fifteen minutes.

Although the Medical Mini Robot was connected to the main network, personal information remained confidential. After clicking "Deny Upload," Shi Yu chose to generate a report.

However, the next moment, he noticed the mini robot glitching slightly, like it was choking on the report.

Shi Yu: "..."

???

Bad connection?

He tapped the robot’s head, watching the screen flicker and stutter, his expression growing increasingly odd.

Wait… did he actually get a defective unit?

Fortunately, after a painful cycle of lagging, flickering, and more lagging, the mini robot finally managed to produce the report with great effort.

Shi Yu took a deep breath, steeling himself for bad news, and opened the report—only to find it read: "Diagnosis: The patient is pregnant. Gestational period currently… unclear."

"Recommendation: The patient should relax and avoid anxiety. Seek immediate medical attention at a maternity hospital if discomfort arises."

Huh?

The air fell silent. Shi Yu thought he must have misread it at first glance and checked again in disbelief. Yet, the report clearly stated: [Preliminary diagnosis: Pregnancy. Early-stage maternal nutritional deficiency detected. Energy supplementation temporarily required.]

—He, a human male, was diagnosed as pregnant?

Shi Yu’s emotions were complicated. After a moment of speechless disbelief, he finally understood why so many people online called this thing a "little idiot."

Diagnosing a man as pregnant? If this isn’t a glitchy mess, what is?

Didn't Shi Yu's robot even check the report before printing it? Holding the report in his hand, he was so frustrated he could only laugh.

Fine, power it down!

Reaching out to put the little robot back into hibernation, Shi Yu tossed the report aside and immediately left a bad review.

...

The investigation on Orange Blossom Road turned up nothing. The members of the Ability User Association had scoured every inch of the street, but their detectors remained silent. Zhao Wen was forced to call headquarters again to see what to do next.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Shen, we've searched the area with the other team members, but still nothing." He paused, venturing a possibility: "Do you think that high-level Horror might already be dead?"

Only dead Horrors leave zero energy signatures.

Earlier that morning, when they began their search, they had immediately dismissed the idea of a high-level Horror's death. After all, there was a chance it was an SSS-Class Horror—how could it just die and disappear without a trace? But now, Zhao Wen had to entertain the possibility.

Shen Yan sat in his chair, rubbing his temples, his gaze lingering on last night's spike chart... Indeed, if it had died, that would explain the current situation.

But what could cause an SSS-Class Horror to die instantly, without even a struggle?

Could it have been taken out by a rival Horror?

Almost all human Ability Users were registered with the Ability User Association, and there had been no Ability Users near Orange Blossom Road last night. Shen Yan weighed the options, then wrote down his speculation on the file: "Since you haven't found anything, come back. And don't forget the gear."

"Got it." Zhao Wen nodded, but then he heard Dr. Shen ask, "How's Han Chuyi?"

Uh, Bro Han?

He turned and glanced discreetly at Han Chuyi, who was leaning against the car, looking down at his phone. He seemed fine... or not?

"Probably nothing's wrong?"

"Maybe Bro Han didn't go looking for Mr. Shi."

After all, he didn’t look like he’d just had an argument with someone.

Shen Yan's pen paused slightly on the paper. Though he didn’t entirely believe Zhao Wen, he didn’t press further. If he wanted to know whether Han Chuyi had caused trouble, he’d find out soon enough—Shi Yu’s livestream would start shortly.

After exchanging a few more words, he hung up.

Han Chuyi couldn't care less about Zhao Wen, the tattletale. After packing up the equipment, he slid into the passenger seat.

"You waiting for an invitation?"

"Going, going." Zhao Wen quickly hung up and took the driver’s seat, thinking privately that it was lucky the Han eldest young master hadn’t gotten angry just now. But if his instincts were right, Han Chuyi seemed to be in a slightly better mood than when they’d first set out?

Weird.

...

Han Chuyi was indeed in a good mood. Though Brother Sang hadn’t been around these past couple of days, seeing Shi Yu today had somehow cooled the simmering anger in his heart. With nothing to do in the car, he noticed that the message he’d sent earlier was still on read. He paused, then pulled up Shi Yu's stream to see if he was broadcasting.

Come to think of it, he’d found the guy’s livestream last time but hadn’t actually watched it yet. He had no idea what Shi Yu’s streaming style was like.

Leaning back with his headphones on, Han Chuyi soon saw the livestream icon light up.

A familiar voice came through the screen as Shi Yu warmed up his audience.

Perhaps because he wasn't facing the person directly, Han Chuyi's ears itched slightly—it felt weird to hear Shi Yu talk like this.

This guy’s never this polite, right?

He’d been pretty aggressive during their earlier meeting, which didn’t match those cat-like eyes at all. Han Chuyi smirked and clicked "follow." His was an old account, one he regularly used for gaming. His ID was pretty famous on the streaming platform, though Han Chuyi never engaged with chat—just solo gameplay.

He ignored the reactions in Shi Yu’s stream and pulled up the gift leaderboard, ready to top it. But as soon as he opened it, he was surprised to see an unfamiliar alt account?

Who is this? Using a burner to watch and donate—some sketchy lurker? His computer-addled curiosity kicked in. He hooked his phone up to his laptop and started digging.

Zhao Wen, driving ahead, had no idea what he was doing but didn’t think twice when he saw him open his laptop.

Imagine his shock when Han Chuyi suddenly let out a curse.

“Damn it!”

Curiosity had driven him to check the alt account, but he hadn’t expected to actually find something shady.

The IP pinged near the Ability User Association—and it belonged to someone he recognized well.

—Shen Yan.

That hypocrite was secretly watching Shi Yu’s stream through a side account!

His face darkened as he shut the laptop, shooting a glare toward the Ability User Association.

Inside the stream, Shi Yu blinked, baffled, when that legendary gamer ID showed up. He hadn’t expected the so-called “Card God” to say nothing and just drop dozens of superchats (yachts), knocking the previous top donor off the leaderboard before disappearing again.

Shi Yu stared blankly at the screen. Had this person really just come to donate and leave?

But since they appeared and vanished so suddenly, his words of thanks got stuck in his throat, choked down awkwardly.

“Yu Bao, don’t worry. Maybe Card God just vibed with you and casually topped the chart.”

“Card God never watches Just Chatting streams—he only shows up in gaming. Dropping gifts and leaving is normal for him.”

Shi Yu: …

If he doesn’t even watch these streams, why donate so much money?

And “Card God”… that name rang a bell? Since the original novel didn’t mention much about Han Chuyi’s gaming account, Shi Yu couldn’t place it immediately and figured it was some rando fan.

Chat blew up with speculation.

Meanwhile, back at the Ability User Association:

Shen Yan recognized Han Chuyi’s account. When the familiar ID suddenly dropped in and sent a wave of superchats, he frowned, realizing he’d been caught.

Sure enough, after exiting the stream, Han Chuyi barged into HQ, blowing past reception and tossing his bag aside.

Shen Yan glanced over, only to hear Han Chuyi sneer, “Stop pretending. If I hadn’t randomly checked today, I wouldn’t have known Dr. Shen was secretly lurking on an alt.”

Who knew how long this fake saint had been following Shi Yu behind the scenes, all while keeping up that clean-cut act?

And with so many donations—who knows what creepy intentions he had?

Han Chuyi eyed the calm, bookish doctor across from him, sneering inwardly.

Shen Yan glanced at him. "No reason I should tell you."

He'd never liked Han Chuyi to begin with, so of course there was no need to hold back. Even if Shi Yu’s voice helped ease his insomnia, he couldn’t care less to explain.

Whatever.

So there's no need to tell me, huh? Han Chuyi sneered, thinking what a hypocrite this guy was—acting like he's into Brother Sang while secretly following a streamer. He hadn't misjudged him after all.

Han Chuyi was about to say something else, but Shen Yan ignored his outburst and said flatly, "If you want to tell Shi Yu that number's mine, go ahead. Your account's toast too."

"Compared to me, he hates you more, doesn't he?"

Even though Han Chuyi seemed in a good mood when he came back today, Shen Yan wasn’t buying it. With Han Chuyi’s shitty attitude, there was no way he could’ve spoken nicely.

Sure enough, that one sentence shut Han Chuyi up. As angry as he was, he only muttered a curse under his breath and had to choke it down.

Not far away, Fu Nanyao had just finished his therapy session when he arrived and saw the bag tossed on the floor. He didn’t react, merely glancing at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan reached down, picked up the bag, and threw it onto a chair.

"Don’t worry, Captain. It’s nothing."

"We just had some words."

Fu Nanyao had never cared about their business. Upon hearing this, he gave a brief nod before turning his gaze away.

Meanwhile, Shi Yu was still confused when he received another fat donation. Maybe because he’d been tipped twice recently, this time he didn’t freak out as much.

Well, whether it was an accident or not, since he got tipped, he might as well keep it for now. If it turned out to be a mistake, he could always return it later.

Thinking this, he shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.

After buzzing for a bit, the chat noticed a new item in his room.

"I don’t recall this being here in Yu Bao’s (livestream handle) room before."

"What is this? Did you get it today?"

Huh? What were the fans talking about?

Puzzled, Shi Yu followed the screenshot from chat and finally realized what they meant. He explained:

"This box? I had it delivered today—it’s a medical mini robot. I’m returning it tomorrow. Since there’s no space in the living room, I left it here for now."

"Oh?"

"Is that the little robot checking Yu Bao’s stomachache? How did it go?" Fans asked worriedly in chat.

Shi Yu saw comments flooding in: “This is my first time seeing a medical robot do a diagnosis. Wonder how accurate it is?”

Since Shi Yu hadn’t done any Mukbang streams lately, everyone knew his stomach had been acting up. When they heard the box was a "medical mini robot," they put two and two together and grew curious about the results.

Shi Yu: ...

His face did something complicated. He wasn’t sure how to even start. If it had been a normal diagnosis, he could’ve explained. But this damn thing diagnosed his stomachache as... pregnancy.

And couldn’t even say how far along.

How the hell was he supposed to explain that?

His mouth twitched as he tried to be as vague as possible. "Maybe I used it wrong. The results were way off." The information was too shocking for Shi Yu to share with his fans, so he coughed lightly and added, "Anyway, if you have a serious illness, I wouldn’t recommend using the Medical Mini Robot."

While it was polite enough, its capabilities definitely needed improvement. Shi Yu had already thought about how to give feedback to the manufacturer.

The chat went quiet for a beat. Seeing the streamer unwilling to elaborate just made them more curious.

But since Shi Yu refused to reveal anything, they could only speculate wildly—what kind of diagnosis from the Medical Mini Robot could make the streamer react like this?

As far as they could remember, the streamer had never straight-up said he "completely didn't recommend" something before.

Something was definitely wrong!

A few minutes later, Shi Yu's eye twitched as he scanned the crazy theories flooding the chat. No matter how absurd or exaggerated the guesses were, nothing topped the actual diagnosis from the medical robot.

How was that even possible?

He pursed his lips slightly, thinking that medical robots were still too ahead of their time. If one day it diagnosed him as not human, he wouldn’t even be surprised.

Shaking his head, he reached for a glass of water. But the moment he moved, a sudden twinge of pain flickered in his stomach.

At first, it was just a faint sting, barely noticeable. But a few minutes later, it struck again.

Shi Yu pressed a hand to his abdomen, feeling a dull, lingering ache spreading with a faint warmth. His brows twitched slightly, and he felt sick to his stomach.

What was going on?

He clapped a hand over his mouth, struggling to suppress the urge to retch, when he suddenly heard a voice whispering in his ear.

Was the pain making him hallucinate?

Blinking away sweat, he thought in confusion. He was still wearing headphones, yet he could hear the same inexplicable crying from last night.

A baby’s shrill cry echoed through his headphones.

Shi Yu instinctively checked the chat, but no one seemed to have noticed—they were still enthusiastically discussing the medical robot.

Only he could hear it.

Yanking off his headphones, he got a weird sense of déjà vu. Hadn’t he heard a baby’s cry last night too? His sleep-addled memories were fuzzy, but the sound was now unnervingly vivid.

Once might be nothing, but twice?

Something was definitely wrong.

His face fell as he stared at his stomach for a moment before standing up.

After shooting off a quick goodbye to his fans, Shi Yu turned and walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. In the quiet, the crying returned—but this time, it was much clearer.

The baby’s cries gradually twisted into something else, morphing into unearthly, distorted wails.

Shi Yu rubbed his arms, finding them chilled from the unsettling sound. Gritting his teeth, he forced out, “Hello?”

The eerie wailing paused for a second before resuming, even sharper now, accompanied by a high-pitched, giggling noise that made his skin crawl.

Shi Yu froze.

That sound…

Among all the Horrors, the child-type ones terrified him the most. Those sharp, piercing sounds—whether crying or laughing—could make your skin crawl. Even as a kid listening to ghost stories, Shi Yu had always feared these the most.

And now, the sound in his ears somehow cranked up both sounds together, and it was right beside him.

Shi Yu had no idea what this thing was or why it had zeroed in on him. Upon hearing the "wawa" sound, his first instinct was to deal with this invisible kid Horror the same way he had handled the "Men's High Heels" Horror.

But the moment this thought crossed his mind—Shi Yu froze.

Because he felt his stomach move.

Unlike the vague twinges of pain earlier, this movement was unmistakable, as if… something was inside.

The more he thought about it, the more horrifying it became!

Shi Yu stood stock-still for a long moment before lowering his head, taking a deep breath, and lifting his hoodie to reveal his flat abdomen.

Just like when he had showered a few days ago, the toned abs he used to pride himself on had completely vanished. His fair, warm skin had turned smooth and soft.

As a series of creepy throbs pulsed beneath, Shi Yu stared down at his own stomach.

When the eerie, twisted mash-up of giggles and sobs resurfaced beside his ear, he watched in disbelief as his abdomen visibly… bulged slightly.

Holy sh—!!!