Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Silence fell over them. Han Chuyi let out a bitter laugh.

Was he really that magnanimous?

And yet, what Zhang Qi had just said was damn well the truth. Just a moment ago, he’d even been ready to focus and play another round.

Han Chuyi was left speechless, letting out a cold scoff under Zhang Qi’s strange gaze.

“Quit making wild guesses. I haven’t changed.”

“It’s just… he’s a good person.”

Even though they were love rivals, he didn’t dislike Shi Yu.

Yes, after watching Brother Sang greet Shi Yu, give him flowers, and ask for his contact information, Han Chuyi had finally admitted it—there was no misunderstanding or joke involved. Brother Sang was genuinely into Shi Yu.

But even so… he bizarrely didn’t dislike the guy either?

Under the sunlight, he stood on the basketball court, lifting his head to look in the distance. When he caught sight of Shi Yu, he felt oddly awkward.

Shi Yu: ???

Why was everyone looking at him?

Were they done playing?

He frowned in confusion, waited a few more minutes, and when they still didn’t resume, he simply lowered his head and started scrolling through his phone.

Even by the time he returned in the afternoon, Shi Yu was still a little bewildered. Had he really just gotten free afternoon tea, watched a basketball game, and then come back?

Strange.

Whatever. Not worth dwelling on.

After being under the sun all day, although he hadn’t sweated, he still felt uncomfortable. A shower first.

This time, the Little Monster in his belly didn’t protest noisily. Shi Yu walked to the balcony to get his clean clothes, then glanced at the flowerpot nearby.

The pot appeared completely empty. If not for his sharper spiritual awareness, he might have forgotten there was even a Mimosa inside.

When would this little guy wake up?

On impulse, Shi Yu reached out and lightly touched the pot.

He felt the brush of leaves again. Satisfied the Mimosa was okay, he withdrew his hand, picked up the clothes basket, and turned toward the bathroom.

Inside the pot, Sang Huaiyu came fully awake, regaining control of his consciousness.

Recalling Shi Yu’s touch, he mused.

Hmm, by his calculations, maybe it was about time to let the Mimosa wake up?

He narrowed his eyes, thinking about the warmth that had brushed against his spiritual consciousness earlier. Then he cast an indifferent glance at his skin.

...

Shi Yu had no idea his casual touch had just roused the Evil God.

The next morning, still half-asleep, he was surprised to see bread and jam on the dining table.

Hmm? Mimosa’s awake?

We were just talking about this yesterday, and now it’s already awake today.

Shi Yu yawned, “Mimosa?”

He greeted as usual with a casual voice.

The little Mimosa perked up excitedly.

Human! I’m back!

It’s been ages since I’ve seen a human. I really missed him!

But just as it happily tried to approach the human, it suddenly sensed a bone-chilling malice.

The Mimosa froze in place, too frightened to move, only able to stammer helplessly.

The Little Monster opened its eyes upon detecting another Horror’s presence.

Though somewhat confused, it instinctively remained wary of anything approaching its mother.

Now, sensing the cold aura in the room, it pressed a tentacle protectively against its mother’s skin, fixing a warning glare at the other side.

"Wa-la-la!"

Get away!

Don’t come near Mother.

Or I’ll devour you!

A savage voice echoed in the mind, carrying the Little Monster’s distinct brand of terror.

Though puzzled why the Little Monster had woken up now, to Shi Yu, it just sounded like its usual incomprehensible screeching.

But to the Mimosa, it was an entirely different experience.

The piercing shriek seemed to shatter consciousness, radiating sheer terror!

S-s-so scary.

What is this?

The Mimosa was completely petrified.

Following the sound, it cautiously peered at the human’s abdomen.

That screeching… seemed to come from there?

This sound was infinitely more terrifying than even the most powerful SSS-Class Horrors ever encountered in the Ability User Association, carrying an instinctual dread. Just one warning was enough to make the Mimosa freeze completely.

The Little Monster swelled with pride at intimidating its prey. Just as it was about to extend another tentacle, its mother’s hand came down gently on its skin.

"Quit yelling."

"You’re giving me a headache."

Shi Yu pressed his temples, unaware that a pair of eerie entities had just silently clashed. He thought it was just another ordinary day.

He let out a sigh of relief: "Alright, thanks."

"You take a seat first. I’ll go wash up."

He turned and walked into the bathroom, leaving Little Monster no choice but to reluctantly withdraw its probing appendages and obediently follow its mother. Still, it remained alert, guarding against any Horror that might harm her.

As Shi Yu washed his hands, he glanced down, slightly puzzled as to why his little Mimosa hadn’t followed him today.

Wasn’t it always so clingy?

Maybe… it had been too long, and now felt shy about tagging along?

He wondered briefly but didn’t dwell on it.

The room’s atmosphere grew tense. In the world of Horrors, there was no peaceful interaction—only submission or slaughter between inferior and superior.

The moment Little Monster unleashed its ear-splitting shriek to assert dominance, Mimosa had already been suppressed.

There could be only one ruler in this space, and clearly, it was Little Monster.

Radiating silent dominance, Little Monster drove away the other Horror.

If that Horror presumed to remain in the same space as its mother and compete with it, it would tear it apart!

Innate hierarchical dominance made it nearly impossible for Mimosa to resist.

Yet, upon hearing the high-level Horror inside the human’s abdomen issue its expulsion, Mimosa found a sliver of bravery—and a surge of murderous intent.

This was highly unusual for the normally peaceful Mimosa.

But among Horrors, it was either kill or be killed.

The two Horrors locked in a deadly stare-down, an ominous crimson aura faintly emanating from Little Monster’s body.

An invisible blood mist spread through the air, ready to devour the other Horror, invisible to Shi Yu.

Suddenly, it halted when Shi Yu sensed something off: "What are you doing?"

Why did the creature in his abdomen feel different today? Though still quiet, perhaps due to their blood connection, Shi Yu could sense that Little Monster had just used some energy.

The noises in his belly fell silent—Little Monster instantly feigned innocence.

Shi Yu narrowed his eyes. "You wanted to eat Mimosa?"

He had almost forgotten—to Little Monster, all lower-level Horrors were food. Weak as Mimosa was, it was still a Horror.

Realizing it couldn’t hide its intentions, Little Monster whimpered softly.

Shi Yu’s eyebrow twitched in irritation. He took a deep breath and chided with exasperation:

"Don’t eat it!"

"It hasn't done anything wrong!"

Does that mean it can't be eaten?

Little Monster didn’t understand. Meanwhile, Mimosa, completely terrified by Little Monster, had already passed out again after enduring such prolonged fear.

With a "thud," a heavy object hit the floor.

Shi Yu sighed and headed toward the source of the sound. After searching around for a while, he finally located the Mimosa and picked it up.

Little Monster: ???

What is Mother doing?

However, when it saw the odd creature slip back into dormancy and Mother plant it in a flowerpot—ensuring it wouldn't disturb them anymore—it breathed a sigh of relief.

No one noticed that as the Mimosa re-entered dormancy, the silver snake mark hidden among its leaves vanished without a trace.

...

Shi Yu realized the difference in how the Little Monster thinks compared to humans was still too vast. The last time he used the Prenatal Education Device, he had only taught it not to destroy things recklessly. Now, it seemed he needed to add another rule:

—No indiscriminate eating.

Fortunately, he discovered the situation early enough. Upon checking, he found the Mimosa had been frightened into unconsciousness and, following its Horror instincts, slipped into deep dormancy. If he had arrived any later, it might have been devoured before anyone even realized.

Once again, Shi Yu clearly recognized the distinction between monsters and humans.

Even though the Little Monster had recently appeared so obedient and nearly human-like, at times its true Horror nature surfaced unexpectedly.

His face clouded momentarily as he lowered his gaze to his abdomen.

The Little Monster stared blankly at Mother through the skin and instinctively extended a tentacle to gently press against him.

A faint warmth spread through his lower abdomen.

Shi Yu sighed. Ultimately, this was his failure as a caretaker.

He would just have to teach it slowly.

Still, the Prenatal Education Device required serious adjustments—no more feeding it nonsense.

Determined, Shi Yu approached the device and deleted all the system-installed prenatal content. Sitting in the study, he pored over and compiled a new set of rules.

**"Little Monster Rules of Conduct"**

1. No unsanctioned violence or harming humans.

2. No destruction of public property.

3. No devouring harmless Horrors.

4. No making noise in crowded places...

As he wrote, Shi Yu even looked up parenting guides online, referencing and adapting their contents. It took him the entire afternoon to complete the list.

"That should cover it for now, right?"

Shi Yu stretched before examining the "Rules of Conduct" in his hands.

As his eyes lingered on the paper, he decided to have a serious talk with the Little Monster.

Meanwhile, the Little Monster, having watched Mother clack away at the keyboard for hours, curled up drowsily, its vision blurring before it quickly dozed off.

Just as it drifted into unconsciousness, it faintly sensed Mother—who hadn’t spoken to it all day—place a hand on its belly, lingering there tenderly for a moment.

"You awake?"

Shi Yu had meant to call the Little Monster, but then remembered it didn’t have a name yet and omitted what to call it.

The Little Monster blinked sleepily, heard its mother’s voice, and after a brief pause, immediately brightened up, responding with a couple of "wala wala" sounds.

Shi Yu couldn’t help but glance at the "Rules."

Good. He’d already added a rule against constant "wala" noises.

"Glad you’re up."

"We haven’t done today’s prenatal lessons yet."

"We can’t fall behind."

Prenatal lessons?

Was that the odd gadget placed on the belly that taught ways to keep Mommy safe?

The Little Monster thought it over, still hazy but eager to learn.

"Time for Mommy’s workout!"

And then...

Learning...

"Wala."

The little lump in his belly shifted slightly, making Shi Yu’s brow twitch. But remembering his new-and-improved version of the prenatal content, his expression softened.

After preparing everything, Shi Yu flipped to the first page of the "Little Monster Rules," pressed the start button, and quietly waited for the Little Monster’s reaction.

In Shi Yu’s mind, It’s all just listening anyway—but when the Prenatal Education Device turned on and played something different from last time, the Little Monster froze for a moment, then struggled to make sense of it.

"Bzzzt—no..."

"No..."

"No..."

Wala, this isn’t the same as last time...

Where’s "Mommy"?

The Little Monster, which relied on recognizing "Mommy" to stay engaged: ...

Shi Yu observed for only five minutes before noticing the Little Monster inside his belly getting fidgety. A flush of warmth spread, seemingly connected to its agitation.

The Little Monster was agitated—restless.

Shi Yu felt puzzled: Did it dislike these rules?

Was it too much for a monster to handle? Or something else?

As he wondered, he suddenly heard a *zzzt*—the Prenatal Education Device, which had been playing steadily, ended up like the Medical Mini Robot last time. Shi Yu instantly reached out to save the pricey gadget.

"Cut it out!"

The Little Monster finally stopped.

Shi Yu took a deep breath and checked the Prenatal Education Device. Only after confirming all its functions were intact did he relax, twitching his lips and frowning as he asked:

"Why aren't you listening properly?"

Wah?

The Little Monster tilted its head in confusion.

It needed to protect Mama.

This weird thing was tricking it!

A jumble of scrambled, staticky noises filled its mind. From the Little Monster's sound frequency and movements, Shi Yu finally deciphered what it was trying to express.

It thought the Prenatal Education Device was fake?

That it was lying?

Shi Yu: …The hell?

Absurd. Completely absurd. How could something so ridiculous even exist in this world?

So it believed that earlier, backwards-ass content—the one that monitored his exercise—was real?

Shi Yu felt his breath hitch, stuck between disbelief and frustration. If it weren’t still in his belly, he’d have dragged it out and given it a good talking-to.

Yet the Little Monster was stubborn on this point, like it had some weird fixation with being a little hero protecting him.

Shi Yu, speechless, remained at an impasse with the little brat before finally conceding.

"Learn this first."

"After one round, I'll play the previous one for you."

Little Monster: "Wah-wah."

Shi Yu: …

"Fine, fine."

"That previous list of pregnancy precautions is still there. You can still learn it."

By the last word, Shi Yu was smiling through gritted teeth. But the naive Little Monster, completely unaware, quieted down obediently after discerning that the part about… "protecting Mama" was still there, letting the weird gadget near its brain blabber on.

Shi Yu was at a loss for words, utterly baffled by its weird obsession with this—and worse, the fact that it could actually understand.

It clearly didn’t comprehend human language, struggling so hard to listen. Yet it was lapping up the pregnancy guidelines from the Prenatal Education Device?

Shi Yu sank into his chair, wiped out, letting the Little Monster “study.” The only consolation now was that, at the very least, they'd reached a compromise.

He lowered his eyes, clenching his jaw as he thought: No matter what, those few rules just now had to be hammered into its brain!

……

Shi Yu and the Little Monster played a game of chicken.

Meanwhile, back at the Ability User Association, Shen Yan was still investigating the "weird noises" mentioned by Feng Yunzhen, hoping to follow the trail and smoke out more information about the rest of the Gu Ember crew.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been any progress yet.

He was just rubbing his temples when he heard Zhao Wen knocking at the door.

"Dr. Shen."

"Mimosa No. 233 is active!"

Mimosa had been missing for nearly two months, with no activity during this period. Everyone had almost forgotten about it, but then the monitoring room called.

"Eight hours ago, Mimosa's Horror levels spiked, surpassing the critical threshold and showing signs of lethal intent."

Zhao Wen was shocked when he received this news.

Wait, are we sure it's Mimosa and not another rogue Horror?

Wen Jingjing: "You think I'd make that mistake?"

Zhao Wen coughed lightly, awkwardly swallowing his next words.

"I was just curious. It’s a bit strange."

The monitoring room went quiet. To be honest, if the signatures hadn’t matched Mimosa exactly, she would have thought it was a detection error.

But she was certain—it was Mimosa!

And what's even weirder... Mimosa’s killing intent surpassed the critical point before morning, initially estimated around 9 a.m. Yet they didn't get the alert until afternoon.

The signal just popped up on the computer, but the timestamp showed an earlier time.

But shouldn't Horror Item No. 233 have real-time monitoring?

How could there be such a delay?

She couldn't figure it out.

But no one could provide a clear explanation. When the equipment finally picked it up, so much time had already passed.

The only possible explanation now was that Mimosa No. 233 might be in a location with some special properties, briefly masking its activity until now, when the signal leaked and was recorded.

Wen Jingjing completed and submitted the report.

Shen Yan hadn't expected No. 233 to show activity either. After reviewing the detection report, he frowned slightly.

"It only lasted two seconds before fading?"

Zhao Wen nodded.

Actually, it wasn't so much a drop as No. 233's threat level spiking for two seconds, then cutting out abruptly. No one knew what had happened.

"The monitoring room says they can't locate No. 233 anymore."

His face grew more serious as he said this. Initially, they had thought No. 233 had just slipped away out of curiosity. But given this recent activity, this looked more serious.

Shen Yan thought the same. Unfortunately, they'd missed Mimosa's initial movement. Now, they could go over the report with no way to trace it again.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Have the teams check each sector for any civilian casualties."

If there were none, that would mean No. 233 isn't targeting civilians, and they could hold off for now.

If there’s something out there, we have to do whatever it takes to get it back—fast.

“Roger that.”

Zhao Wen nodded, set the report down, then took off to round up a team.

Han Chuyi had barely returned from leave when Zhao Wen spotted him and grabbed him excitedly.

“Bro Han, perfect timing. There’s another alert.”

“That 233 just caused some trouble—we should divide and investigate.”

Han Chuyi: …

Alright then.

Still, as he flipped through the file, disbelief lingered.

No. 233?

That Horror who passes out from a simple greeting—what could *it* possibly cause?

Thanks to the chaos stirred up by the Mimosa plant and the Little Monster, the Ability User Association launched round-the-clock sweeps, and even Fu Nanyao took personal interest.

Luckily, after hours of investigation, all was quiet across all zones. It seemed like 233’s sudden spike was just a fluke—no one was affected.

Still… “This thing must be in B City. No telling where—it’s a master at hiding.”

Wang Shan grumbled, speaking for the group.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t stir up another incident. Otherwise, we’ll end up chasing ghosts again.”

It can already turn invisible, making it nearly impossible to find. Without a spike in readings, it might as well be an invisible weed—who could track it?

Fu Nanyao didn’t join the conversation. Instead, he turned to Shen Yan.

“Any progress tracing that voice?”

Ever since Feng Yunzhen woke up, he’d been hearing things. They tried every method but couldn’t figure out what exactly he was hearing. And now, with Feng and Wang Chenghe locked together these past few days, even Wang Chenghe started experiencing strange sensations…

The more they thought about it, the more unsettling it became. Even having seen countless supernatural events, seeing both men like this gave them the chills.

Feng Yunzhen and Wang Chenghe weren’t ordinary people—how did they wind up like this out of nowhere?

What the hell was this force?

Everyone couldn’t help but wonder.

Hearing Fu Nanyao’s question, Shen Yan shook his head slightly.

“The only way to understand what they’re hearing is to get sucked into the same delusion.”

He paused. “I suspect ‘Horse,’ the leader of Gu Ember, has also been affected by that voice recently.”

Both Feng Yunzhen and ‘Horse’ have been off their game lately—totally out of character.

Especially ‘Horse.’ Ever since ordering his subordinates back to Orange Blossom Road, his commands have gone off the rails, like he’s lost his grip.

That’s all they could guess for now. Hard to say who was worse off—Feng or Horse.

In any case, we must quickly follow this lead to find "Horse."

Otherwise, who knows what a deranged Fuser might do.

The team members locked eyes, all aware of the urgency.

...

Meanwhile, after handling matters at the human company, Sang Huaiyu had returned to the mountain-view villa where he lived alone.

After finishing his evening ablutions, he removed the white silk band from his eyes and tilted his head slightly, inexplicably thinking of Shi Yu again.

Lowering his gaze, he picked up his phone and noticed the dark profile picture on the streaming platform. Sang Huaiyu raised an eyebrow: No stream today?

Shi Yu had been utterly exhausted after finishing the fetal training session—after all, drafting rules for the Little Monster had completely drained his mental energy. Eyelids weighing like lead, he had fallen asleep right after showering, completely unable to stream even a little.

The backend displayed a conspicuous out-of-office notice.

Sang Huaiyu pondered for a moment before setting his phone down.

If online communication wasn’t possible, perhaps he could try a consciousness projection?

The Mimosa should have awakened by yesterday.

Though controlling the consciousness of a low-level Horror left Sang Huaiyu visibly uncomfortable, it wasn’t unbearable. He lightly closed his gray eyes, revealing no trace of his usual prophetic bearing.

If anyone from the Ability User Association saw him now, they’d surely think they’d mistaken his identity.

As his white-blond curls fell, Sang Huaiyu split off a consciousness projection, preparing to connect with the Mimosa—only for everything to go black.

The projection vanished without a trace upon contact with the Mimosa, utterly unresponsive.

The next second, he sensed the Mimosa had slipped back into dormancy.

Sang Huaiyu:...?

What?

He opened his eyes slightly, puzzled:

Where was the mental fusion marker He had left in the Mimosa’s mind?