Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Ever since absorbing that mannequin last time, the Little Monster had memorized its scent. When the Horror's presence reappeared outside, it sensed it almost immediately.

This was something full and delicious to eat!

The monster in his belly pushed greedily against his stomach wall. Shi Yu could even disturbingly visualize its expression.

Stop, stop, stop—no more thinking.

Any more and his SAN would drop.

He took a deep breath and stared at the curve of his belly for a full minute before finally deciding to go out.

Not just because the Little Monster might pitch a fit if he didn’t, but also because they were already trapped in this unnatural blackened sky. Staying inside or going out made no difference—only by leaving could he get to the bottom of this.

Shi Yu wasn’t the type to sit and wait for death. After hurried preparations, he grabbed an umbrella and stepped out.

There was no choice—the gloomy sky outside had already begun raining down what looked like blood or some other foul substance. It was disgusting, and without an umbrella, he wouldn't make it far.

Frowning with lips pressed thin, he twisted the doorknob and smoothly took the elevator downstairs without encountering anything unusual—at least for now.

It wasn’t until he reached the ground floor that he realized the entire residential complex was empty.

The students who usually played in the garden at night were gone, and the guard post across the way was deserted.

Shi Yu slowly walked outside under his umbrella, but as far as the eye could see, there was nothing. He hadn’t expected the unnatural shadow’s range to be this vast—and it was still spreading.

"Which way?"

He pursed his lips and placed a hand on his belly, asking.

Since the Little Monster wanted to eat, it was only fair to ask it.

Waah!

Mama's talking to me!

Delighted for a moment, the Little Monster quickly analyzed his meaning and focused on distinguishing scents.

From the sea of human scents, it rapidly identified that familiar prey's aroma.

"Waaah!" West.

West… near Cloud Sky Mall?

Shi Yu looked over in confusion—was this unnatural shadow spreading from the mall?

His guess was correct. The Rotten Butterfly had indeed emerged from Cloud Sky Mall.

The group that had abandoned it had left it in the basement next to the mall. After breaking free from its bottle, the first place it went on a rampage was there.

The man with a horse-like face, who had planted a special stone on the Rotten Butterfly for surveillance, sneered maliciously, waiting for the Ability User Association to discover the aftermath—though by then, the Rotten Butterfly would have already completed its "mission," and it would be far too late for them to intervene.

Gu Ember was a gathering of insane cultists who bred Horrors—hardly upstanding citizens. After the manager of Cloud Sky Mall, Wu, had rejected them, they had hidden their resentment while still evading the Association’s watchful eyes.

Now, while using the Horror Item to cause massive destruction and divert the Association’s attention, they had immediately targeted Cloud Sky Mall and the area near Manager Wu’s home. They wanted the Rotten Butterfly to teach a lesson to that meddlesome manager who had gotten in their way.

The headless butterfly rampaged through the mall but, when it couldn’t locate its prey, flew out. Then, catching whiffs of rising odors, it gave an experimental flap of its wings before detecting a familiar odor it had once smelled in the bottle. Abruptly changing course, it began carefully tracking it down.

Wu Han, who had just returned home with his wife in the evening, happened to glance up at the weird sight in the sky on their way back and felt a bit confused.

"The weather forecast didn’t mention any unusual weather today. What’s going on?"

"Who knows? Maybe it’s smog."

"Let’s go home first. The air outside is getting worse now." His wife coughed and had to cover her mouth and nose.

The two nodded. Just as they were about to head upstairs, they suddenly noticed the hallway lights had gone out when they reached the elevator.

There was no way they could climb up thirty-three floors without an elevator.

Wu Han turned around to look for the front desk attendant on the first floor but found nobody there. Even their phones had suddenly gone dead.

"What's happening?"

"Wasn't the internet working just now?" His wife tried reloading the connection a few times, puzzled.

Wu Han couldn’t shake a weird feeling. They lived in an upscale apartment complex that always had great service—sudden blackouts like this had never happened before, let alone finding no one at the front desk.

He looked down. Right before his phone signal disappeared, he’d missed a call from a security guard at the mall, which seemed urgent.

With dozens of guards patrolling at night, what could’ve gone wrong?

He suddenly wondered if it had something to do with what Captain Fu from the Ability Users Association had told him earlier that day—advising him to be careful.

—That group of strange people who had approached him before might come back for revenge.

At the time, he hadn’t thought much about it, but now he couldn’t help but worry.

Could something really be wrong?

But knocking out power across an entire area and cutting off all network signals—did those people really have that kind of capability?

Though Wu Han had seen that man’s freaky left hand the other day, he still assumed maybe it was something he was born with. After hesitating for a moment, he shared a look with his wife, pushed down his worry, and decided to find a café outside the residential complex to get online and make some calls.

The two turned and walked out of the stairwell.

At that moment, high in the sky, a butterfly’s fluttering wings finally spotted its target.

The headless insect body dropped down excitedly—turning sharply toward one direction.

……

A stench of decay swept through the air. As Shi Yu moved forward, the smell got worse than it had been minutes ago. He even regretted not wearing a double-layer mask.

Damn, this stink is unbearable!

This is brutal.

The little monster couldn’t smell the rot, only sniffing around excitedly while following its mother’s steps. Fearing scolding, it held back its instinct to let loose its "wawa" cry.

After walking a kilometer or so, reaching the residential building near the Cloud Sky Mall, the rotten smell was at its worst.

"Ugh."

Shi Yu gagged, fighting the urge to puke.

Is this the place?

The Horrors are here? This is way too close to the mall.

Shi Yu pressed his lips together and strode forward without hesitation, umbrella in hand. He just wanted to wrap this up fast and get away from the stifling atmosphere.

Fortunately, the streets had already cleared out when the stench first appeared.

The upscale gated community, just like Shi Yu’s own neighborhood, had an empty security booth—so he wouldn’t have to deal with check-in hassles after entering.

As he approached, however, Shi Yu suddenly stopped and turned to look at the surveillance camera still sweeping the entrance. After a brief thought, he pulled out the black cloth he always kept on him to block the booth’s line of sight before entering the complex.

……

Over at the Ability User Association, right as everyone was packing up, the alarm inside the building was suddenly triggered.

The blaring alarm wailed through the entire building, freezing everyone in their tracks.

Everyone knew only A-rank Horrors or worse could set off the alarm—and whenever it sounded, the situation was urgent.

Shen Yan froze mid-motion, gloves half-off, and quickly returned to the duty room. Even Han Chuyi, who’d been halfway out the door for home and tomorrow’s classes, turned back.

"Tch."

"Another damn outbreak?"

His face darkened, brows knotted. When he arrived, he saw Fu Nanyao staring expressionlessly at the fluctuations on the screen.

"West Chengyang Road—‘Yunxiao Mall and surrounding residences’ have been engulfed in an unknown shadow."

"The whole neighborhood’s compromised."

Upon hearing the scope, Han Chuyi immediately realized.

"This the cult’s payback?"

The incident happening so coincidentally near Yunxiao Mall, and even covering the residential buildings—if he remembered correctly, Manager Wu Han lived right there.

Fu Nanyao nodded. "Obvious retaliation against Wu Han."

He paused briefly before adding, "Or maybe a distraction."

Tonight, he and Shen Yan had pulled overtime hunting a lead—some guy named Wang Chenghe—and just now, Sang Huaiyu had also provided intel.

These people weren’t acting alone—they were part of a complete organization. The group was called "Gu Ember," a bunch of psychos who had merged with Horrors and been assimilated by them. They had previously committed similar atrocities in remote villages.

When Sang Huaiyu revealed this, his gray gaze flickered slightly as he turned to glance in a certain direction before continuing:

"Those rats have already fled the scene."

They had long been prepared.

These fools, who claimed to have received "divine gifts," were always so cruel to their own kind. Such things were nothing new. Sang Huaiyu sighed, his expression calm. Raising Horrors like "gu"—hadn’t those morons noticed they weren’t even human anymore?

His brow twitched slightly, but he didn’t seem particularly concerned.

Having gone nearly a month without detecting that initial "fluctuation," Sang Huaiyu remained indifferent as he listened to the Association’s human agents discuss.

The shadow had already engulfed a vast area, but this darkness wasn’t a Horror Domain.

Only S-rank or higher Horrors could form a Horror Domain. They speculated this was a special ability of the Horror—one that could shroud the sky and obscure vision. As a result, the Ability User Association had even less information to work with.

The scanner could only indicate that it was an A-level Horror, with no further details. Fu Nanyao spoke up, "There are many people living in that area."

"Everyone still in the Association should get ready to rescue people."

"Damn it, Wang Chenghe's trail was about to be tracked down..." They were so close to locating him, but now they could only watch as he escaped again. Han Chuyi was clearly frustrated, yet he didn't oppose Fu Nanyao's suggestion.

"I'll join the rescue too."

Sang Huaiyu suddenly looked up at him.

Han Chuyi was going too?

Normally he'd stubbornly continue pursuing Wang Chenghe, but today was... unexpected.

Sang Huaiyu wondered, thoughtful.

Why was that?

His mind jumped to Chengyang Road, Yunxiao Mall, and the surrounding area—he hit on an idea.

—Shi Yu?

Was it because of him?

He wasn’t the only one wondering. Shen Yan thought about it for a moment too. When he saw Han Chuyi suppressing his anger to volunteer, Shi Yu’s face popped into his head.

But the situation was urgent, and there was no time to dwell on it. Once the decision was made, the Ability User Association's vehicles departed.

Sang Huaiyu didn’t follow.

After all, someone needed to remain at the Association’s headquarters to prevent any incidents there.

He turned slightly, silver curls tumbling as his previously dull mood—due to the absence of the "Special Fluctuation"—was now intrigued by how the others acted.

Too bad he hadn’t gotten Shi Yu’s contact information last time. Otherwise, he could have "concernedly" sent a message to reach out.

What did humans call this behavior?

"Getting on their good side?"

Sang Huaiyu thought casually, a slight smirk curling his lips.

...

Shi Yu remained unaware that the dark entity was regretting their lack of contact. After entering the wealthy neighborhood to search for signs of the Horror, he suddenly heard a human scream.

A terrified cry came from ahead, not far from where he stood.

People?

Shi Yu was surprised—he had assumed the neighborhood was as deserted as the outside. But that scream... sounded like someone had encountered something?

Frowning, he walked over with his umbrella raised, only to find nothing but two unconscious middle-aged individuals collapsed on the lawn.

That scream must have come from here.

He pursed his lips, crouching to check their breathing. Fortunately, they were still alive—likely just scared unconscious. But the moment he knelt down, the surroundings fell unnaturally silent.

The already quiet neighborhood seemed to lose even the sound of wind. A chill crept up his spine.

Without turning around, Shi Yu could be certain—there was definitely something behind him!

The Horror that had just terrified these two into unconsciousness hadn’t left. Instead, it was waiting right here.

Lying in wait?

This Horror’s intelligence wasn’t low at all. After several encounters, Shi Yu found it almost absurd that he still had the mind to think about this at such a moment.

The unseen Horror behind him remained motionless, but from the shadow cast on the grass, it somewhat resembled a butterfly.

Yet, even as an incomplete silhouette, its grotesqueness far surpassed that of any ordinary butterfly. He sharply observed that this butterfly-like creature, while standing upright, seemed to be imitating human stance.

Whether it had been artificially cultivated or was naturally like this, the humanoid resemblance was downright skin-crawling—even more horrifying than the previous mannequin.

In the darkness, as rotten blood dripped onto the grass, the "butterfly" behind him observed him for a moment before taking a step forward. Even now, it maintained uncannily human mannerisms.

Shi Yu took a deep breath. The instant he detected the presence behind him, his Spirit Threads had already extended outward.

Invisible threads concealed in the air were primed to attack as the thing behind him drew closer.

The air was heavy with silent dread. The Little Monster seemed to understand that its "parent" was hunting, staying quiet and even holding its breath.

However humanoid the Rotten Butterfly appeared, it was still just a Horror with predatory instincts—not truly human. After assessing that the creature before it presented no danger and was even more "delicious" than the two unconscious beings on the ground, the stench of decay from the Rotten Butterfly grew stronger.

Almost instantly, Shi Yu heard a guttural buzzing noise gurgle from the creature's gut.

Its wings spread violently, ready to tear him apart and devour him.

Yet, at the same time—he sent his Spirit Threads whipping forward.

Not until they were locked in combat did Shi Yu realize the creature behind him had no head. Where a butterfly’s head should have been was a gaping absence, nothing but a rotting body. The thick, putrid stench seeped from its trembling wings.

For a moment, he even doubted whether this thing was edible at all.

Would eating it give him diarrhea?

But most Horrors looked like twisted monstrosities—this one was just slightly more bizarre.

Gritting through his revulsion, Shi Yu took a deep breath. Before turning around, he restrained the urge to shred the butterfly into pieces and commanded the Little Monster:

"If you're going to eat it, hurry up."

"You have ten minutes."

If it wasn't done in ten minutes, he really wouldn't be able to stand it anymore!

The Little Monster didn't grasp the concept of time, but it understood "eat" and immediately opened its jagged maw wide, afraid its "mother" might order it to stop the next second.

As the Little Monster began feeding, wisps of unnatural energy flowed from the Rotten Butterfly’s body into its belly.

Shi Yu twitched his lips, caught between fullness and nausea. After a moment, he finally turned away.

Honestly, the mostly absorbed Rotten Butterfly was no longer as terrifying as before. Shriveled on the grass, it had lost its human-like horror.

Shi Yu frowned, starting to retract some of his Spirit Threads when his gaze halted—he noticed something lodged in a severed wing scattered on the grass… a black stone?

Hmm? Why was there a black stone on this wing?

Their energies were completely different.

After several Horror encounters, Shi Yu managed to learn how to distinguish auras and could clearly sense that the stone and the wing weren’t connected.

But if that’s the case, how’d this thing get here?

Wait, is this more than just a regular rock?

Shi Yu paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes. Instead of touching the stone immediately, he first bound it up with Spirit Threads before slowly dragging it over.

Shi Yu raised his hand—the black stone remained motionless, but the sensation transmitted through the Spirit Threads made him certain: this was a living thing.

So what was its purpose?

He hesitated, frowning as he observed it. The Little Monster, now full, also noticed the object in its mother's hand.

It carried the scent of Horror food, but it was too faint—not tasty.

The Little Monster let out some gibberish and gently pressed against Shi Yu’s skin.

Shi Yu lowered his head. “You curious too?”

He found it odd—this thing really acted like a kid sometimes… Once it ate, it got distracted easy.

Quite the strong curiosity.

The idea crossed his mind, but when Shi Yu came to his senses, he still brought the stone, harmless as it seemed, closer to his abdomen, holding it up under his shirt for the Little Monster to see.

The black stone lay silent, its creepy energy fading slowly under the Spirit Threads.

Miles away, the horse-faced man had just noticed the flicker of the Surveillance Stone he'd placed on the Rotten Butterfly. Assuming the Rotten Butterfly had completed its mission and killed Wu Han and his wife, he grinned, thrilled.

He slapped another stone to his eye.

“Nicely do—”

Before he could finish, a hideous tentacle suddenly appeared on the stone’s surface.

“Ah!”

The horse-faced man screamed, caught completely off guard.

The moment his gaze met the eye on the tentacle, his mind went blank—like he’d seen pure terror. By the time he came to his senses, his left eye exploded.

Blood poured from his eye socket.

“The hell was that?!”

Coming to his senses, his face twisted in horror as he hurled the Surveillance Stone away. Yet, the image of that tentacle lingered in his mind, omnipresent, making him clutch his head, his brain feeling like it was splitting.

Shi Yu still didn’t know that the stone was called a Surveillance Stone—not only could it monitor the other side, but it also allowed two-way communication. The moment the Little Monster pressed against his skin, its hideous form, transmitted through flesh and blood, had straight-up blinded a guy.

Now, as he withdrew his hand, he noticed the stone had completely lost its vitality, turning into nothing more than an ordinary rock. He found it strange.

“It’s dead? Just like that?”

He hadn’t even done anything—that was way too fast.

The Little Monster also looked confused, waving its tentacles, babbling to indicate it had no idea.

Shi Yu lowered his head. “Quiet.” “Alright, no more moving around after eating your fill.”

"Did you already forget what I told you today?"

The Little Monster instantly fell silent.

Shi Yu exhaled in relief, pushing aside his thoughts. After reducing the stone to dust with his threads, leaving no trace whatsoever, he erased his scent from the lawn and made a swift exit before the Ability User Association could show up.

What’s the rush?

No kidding—with a disturbance this big, there was no way the Ability User Association wouldn’t notice.

Within thirty minutes, the Association’s core team would probably be on their way.

Shi Yu needed to be back before they arrived, playing it cool so as not to raise suspicion.

As he cleared the mansion district, sure enough Fu Nanyao’s crew came speeding down the road. As their car turned onto the street, Zhao Wen—who was carrying a detection device—suddenly noticed something unusual: "Hold up, Captain Fu."

"The scanner’s going wild!"

He gaped at the device, then uncertainly pointed at the screen when Han Chuyi leaned over. "Bro Han—are my eyes messing with me?"

"Why is the Horror concentration dropping on the screen?"

It was at 60% just minutes ago, but now it was down to 30—and still falling.

Han Chuyi’s brow furrowed as he thrust his hand out the window, morphing it into a bone-wolf to test the air before confirming, "It really is dropping."

"And the shadow is shrinking."

In the rearview mirror, the dark shadow that had covered the road earlier was slowly fading away, revealing the street beneath the night sky once more.

For them, this was nothing short of a miracle.

But what triggered the sudden shift?

Shen Yan looked outside, recalling the scene he’d seen at Haolai Building last time. A theory flickered in his mind.

Though he wasn’t certain yet.

By the time Shi Yu returned home, the shadow on the street had completely vanished. The security detail, earlier blinded by the darkness, stood confused at the entrance, unsure why they were even there.

Shi Yu slipped past the surveillance cameras and entered his home. Tossing off his hoodie, he headed straight for the bathroom.

God knew how long he’d been holding out.

Finally—finally—he could take a shower!

He’d scrub his skin raw if it meant purging every whiff of that rotting Horror’s stench.

When the shower gel’s crisp scent finally overpowered the lingering foul odor in the apartment, Shi Yu truly appreciated clean air for the first time.

He yanked the window open, gulping in the night air.

Right on cue, his phone buzzed.

After arriving near Chengyang Road, Han Chuyi instinctively texted Shi Yu, but got no reply right away.

It was said that when the darkness had covered the area earlier, all phones and communication devices had gone dead.

Han Chuyi called again, and this time he finally got through.

He arched a brow slightly but inwardly sighed in relief.

“Are you okay?”

“You didn’t reply to my message earlier—it freaked me out.”

Message?

Had he sent a message?

Shi Yu was puzzled but still replied, “I’m fine.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Psh, it’s nothing. Just stay home if you’re okay.”

“Tonight, don’t go out. We’ve got things to handle.” After saying this, he quickly got out of the car at Zhao Wen’s urging, only to meet Shen Yan’s gaze from the side.

Their eyes met briefly. Shen Yan had clearly heard who he was talking to but didn’t interrupt, only giving him a slight frown. As Han Chuyi pocketed his phone and walked past, Shen Yan suddenly reminded him:

“Don’t forget—”

“—Shi Yu is the one Huai Yu likes.”