Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Shi Yu was certain he hadn’t been noticed when he took down the Scarecrow’s main body back then. And before leaving, he’d tied up all loose ends.

But what did this text message mean?

Combined with the post he’d just seen on his friend’s Moments feed, the words were hard not to let his imagination run wild over.

He couldn’t help but stare intently at the line of text, trying to recall anything he might have missed.

Yet no matter how much he racked his brains, he came up blank.

What should he do…

Was the person threatening him? But if so… Shi Yu snapped back to reality, confused—why would he kill the Scarecrow’s offshoot?

He pressed his lips together, suddenly regretting not having paid attention in computer class. Then, he could’ve hacked the sender’s info instead of staring it down like this.

After scrutinizing it for ages without finding any clues, Shi Yu didn’t dare reply recklessly. He tossed his phone aside and decided to play it cool and see what the other side would do.

Was this anonymous sender really onto something—or just bluffing?

And was the Scarecrow’s dropping dead actually connected to him?

Little Monster had no idea what was going on. Seeing its mom, who had been relaxed that morning, suddenly tense up, it cried out “Waa!” in worry.

Mom… what’s wrong?

Shi Yu shook himself out of it. As Little Monster snuggled close, the brief jolt of fear in his chest eased slightly.

Since when do kids need explanations?

He reached out to reassure Little Monster, letting it know there was nothing to worry about. Shi Yu exhaled and turned back to his phone, resolved to play defense.

Based on his expectations, after sending such a message, the other party would surely reach out again within at least a week.

Surprisingly, though, the entire week passed in complete silence, as if nothing had happened. If not for the message still on his phone, Shi Yu might have thought that morning’s text was just his mind playing tricks.

Shi Yu: …

He couldn’t help but glance at it again. After some hemming and hawing, he decided to reach out to Big Boss.

Their relationship had warmed up recently, and Shi Yu had completely dropped his guard around the brilliant boss with baggage. Now, he couldn’t resist shooting the breeze and picking his brain.

“Boss, imagine this—someone suddenly sends you an anonymous message one day, saying they’ve got dirt on you. But then for days, they don’t make their move. What do you think that means?”

Could they have just… forgotten?

He edited the message carefully, deleting anything that might reveal his identity, then muttered curses as he hit send.

Sang Huaiyu had his phone out the moment Shi Yu messaged him. When he saw the question, he paused briefly.

Dirt on him? He frowned, running through what he’d said that day. Had he really given that impression?

He’d only meant to take care of some cleanup.

Seeing the other’s hesitation and suspicion now, Sang Huaiyu looked down, mulling it over. “Maybe… you misunderstood?”

Shi Yu: "..."

Misunderstanding?

How could he possibly misunderstand? That anonymous person might as well have plastered their ill intentions right on their face.

With that tone and such a coincidence, it was completely impossible to be a misunderstanding.

What he didn't tell anyone was that Shi Yu had already mentally prepared for the worst—if push came to shove, he'd just take Little Monster and flee. The only catch was rebuilding his hard-earned account from scratch.

Sang Huaiyu hadn't expected Shi Yu to misunderstand him so deeply. Even he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

As Shi Yu paced back and forth anxiously, Sang Huaiyu finally rephrased.

"If the anonymous person doesn't contact you again, you might as well pretend nothing happened."

Shi Yu had been doing exactly that, though even after a week he still felt uneasy. Now, hearing the experienced boss say the same thing, he felt slightly reassured.

"That's what I thought too."

"But I should still get ready as a precaution."

Get ready?

Sang Huaiyu frowned in confusion, but when he narrowed his eyes, he noticed the suitcase Shi Yu had packed.

Shi Yu: "Just packing a few things for now."

Sang Huaiyu: "..."

Well, can't hurt to be cautious.

Looks like he should avoid contacting Shi Yu anonymously in the future—otherwise, he'd just keep frightening him.

He looked away from the photo Shi Yu had sent and shook his head slightly.

For several days in a row, Shi Yu heard nothing from the anonymous person.

However, while the anonymous person never showed up, City B got its share of Horrors instead.

Since Little Monster's growth had hit a plateau—even after digesting the "ghost car" from last time, it still hadn't grown—Shi Yu had cut back on feeding it Horrors.

He wasn't looking for trouble.

But trouble found him anyway.

After stepping out in the morning to throw out the trash and picking up soy milk and youtiao from a breakfast stall a street away, Shi Yu was about to turn back home when he suddenly noticed something wrong in the crowd across the street.

An empty wedding dress floated eerily through the crowd on the opposite side of the road.

Yes, a wedding dress—not one worn by a person, but just the dress itself, drifting down the street.

And everyone around it acted like it wasn't there.

Shi Yu's eye twitched. He guessed the dress must have some ability to mess with people's heads—that's why it could move about unseen.

But was this what the Ability User Association meant when they said Horrors were on the rise lately?

They weren't kidding about the frequency—a quick breakfast run and he'd already bumped into one.

Shi Yu exchanged a glance with the presence across the street, playing dumb about the strangeness, and the next second, he casually strolled past the "Unmanned Wedding Dress."

After recent tests, Shi Yu knew that with his constitution, any Horror in a crowd would be drawn to him first.

Sure enough, this wedding dress was no exception.

Having lingered in the market for a long time, it suddenly sniffed out a rich scent. At that moment, it swiveled its veil westward.

Just a few people away, there was... something that attracted it.

The "Unmanned Wedding Dress" abandoned the people in the market and drifted after Shi Yu. Until... it shadowed him into the complex, all the way to his doorstep.

Shi Yu pretended to be oblivious while calming his twitchy Little Monster, giving himself mental props for the performance.

Only after leading the clueless Horror home—to a place where no one else was—did he relax and reveal himself, slowly turning around.

A minute later, the "Unmanned Wedding Dress," now bound by Spirit Threads, was dumped confusedly into the house, still processing its predicament.

It had only come to... eat this human.

So what was going on now?

But "so fragrant."

So. Damn. Fragrant. So. Damn. Fragrant. The aroma from his soul seemed unbearable for even a second longer.

The "Unmanned Wedding Dress" thrashed like a trapped animal, only for its headpiece to be sheared off by the Spirit Threads.

Shi Yu:...

"Sorry, not intentional."

"But if you keep moving, next time it won’t just be the headpiece."

The human's voice was deceptively calm.

The "Unmanned Wedding Dress" emitted a wet, confused noise. It watched as Shi Yu slowly removed his mask, hat, and jacket, not understanding what he was doing.

Shi Yu calmed the Little Monster and turned away.

Truth was, he was stumped about what to do with this "wedding dress" Horror. Normally, his first instinct would have been to feed it to the Little Monster.

But now, the Little Monster couldn't eat anymore—it'd just go to waste.

Still, he couldn't let such an obvious danger roam the streets. Who knew what might happen?

So Shi Yu had no choice but to drag this freakshow back home. Now, staring at it face-to-face, he was getting a migraine.

Another kill? Really?

Though, with so many parts, cleanup would be a bitch.

But... wait. Shi Yu paused, suddenly remembering the "Anonymous Person." His eyes slid sideways with new calculation.

Maybe use this freak as bait for the "Anonymous Person"?

After a beat, his inbox pinged with a reply:

—"Got myself into a bit of a mess. *sigh* Any bright ideas?"

Shi Yu sent the message, then retracted it a second later, leaving no trace. After securing the "Unclaimed Wedding Dress" with tight knots, he took a photo.

In the days following the tension, he gradually calmed down and found himself unable to resist mulling over the Big Boss’s earlier words.

*"What you're worried about has already disappeared."*

If this wasn’t a threat, could it mean something else?

Shi Yu wasn't entirely sure. But now, there was a ripe opportunity right in front of him.

In the dead of night, after binding the "Unclaimed Wedding Dress" to a deserted crossroads, Shi Yu offhandedly sent another text:

*"It'd be great if it could just vanish without a trace."*

Before leaving, he patted his abdomen and quietly planted a miniature camera pen on the ground nearby, then backed away from the crossroads.

He wanted to see how the unknown recipient would react.

Because he still felt uneasy about the "Unclaimed Wedding Dress," Shi Yu had prepared a contingency plan. If the anonymous person didn’t act, he would have Little Monster scare the Horror stiff before handing it over to the Ability User Association.

Minutes dragged on, but there was no reply. Shi Yu wasn’t sure whether the other party had seen it.

Had he withdrawn it too quickly? Did the unknown recipient miss it?

Yet somehow, Shi Yu couldn’t shake the feeling that they *had* received it.

Perhaps because that sudden "message" from earlier had been so unsettling, he couldn’t help but feel as though the anonymous person knew everything.

Several minutes passed. Miles away, the footage from the hidden camera remained fixed on the pathetic SSS-Class Horror tied to the tree, motionless.

The creature stayed bound to the trunk, not moving an inch.

Just as Shi Yu began to think he’d misjudged the situation, Sang Huaiyu, upon seeing the message, paused in thought.

A difficult matter?

The withdrawn photo of the Horror appeared. As a deity, Sang Huaiyu instantly pinpointed its location—tied to a tree in an abandoned district.

With one glance, He saw not only the useless SSS-Class Horror but also the camera tucked into the grass nearby.

Was this meant as a test?

Arching a brow, Sang Huaiyu gave a soft chuckle. With just a look, the struggling Horror vanished into thin air, leaving not even a speck of dust behind. The camera, however, captured nothing.

Sang Huaiyu glanced at His phone, fingers hesitating. But recalling Shi Yu’s wariness toward Him, He regretfully chose not to reply.

*Perhaps now he can breathe a little easier.*

*He meant no harm.*

After waiting for what felt like forever, Shi Yu finally sat down in a 24-hour diner, nursing a coffee. That’s when he turned back to his phone and noticed—the feed had updated.

The camera kept rolling, but to no avail.

In the inky darkness, there was no sign of who—or what—had taken out the "Unclaimed Wedding Dress."

The image blinked out in an instant, and the SSS-Class Horror was dead. Just as inexplicable and defying all logic as when he usually dispatched Horrors.

Damn, talk about seeing ghosts at this hour.

"Can you spot anything?"

Still unwilling to give up, Shi Yu showed the video to the Little Monster again.

The Little Monster made a couple of garbled noises and shook its head.

Too quick… missed it.

It slumped dejectedly. Was the thing on the other side… stronger than it?!

No, it was because it hadn’t grown much recently… If it had grown up, it would definitely be stronger than that thing and could protect Mommy!

The Little Monster quickly shifted its thoughts, glaring fiercely at the phone.

Shi Yu was disappointed too. Even the Little Monster hadn’t seen anything—who was it?

Did they mess with the cameras too?

Since *Unmanned Wedding Dress* had just vanished, Shi Yu couldn’t approach that area yet. For now, he could only suppress his curiosity, though it ate at him even worse.

……

The Ability User Association members were seriously creeped out today.

Just an hour ago, they had detected the presence of a Horror Item on Lunnan Street, but by the time they arrived, the aura of the SSS-Class Horror had completely disappeared, making them wonder if the brief sighting was just their imagination.

“Strange, what’s going on?”

Wang Shan glanced at the detector, surprised. After checking back and forth several times without detecting anything, he had to head back to the Association first.

However, just as they were about to start combing the area after finding no leads, the Horror Item's aura reappeared.

This time, it had moved from Lunnan Street to the outskirts.

Fu Nanyao stood up and rushed to the location as soon as it was detected.

Yet once again—the aura vanished. But unlike during the day, this time, the Horror Item's presence had completely dissipated, indicating it had been entirely wiped out.

An SSS-Class Horror, from appearance to death, had lasted less than twenty-four hours. Clearly someone took it out.

But the weird part was—why had the perpetrator moved this Horror from Lunnan Street to the outskirts to kill it?

What was the intention behind this?

His brow furrowed as he sensed the surrounding aura.

Nearby, Zhao Wen and Wang Shan traded looks without a word, both thinking this was seriously weird.

Ever since that “Scarecrow” offshoot had dropped dead out of nowhere in the Ability User Association, things had been getting stranger. Now, they could only see what Captain Fu could dig up.

Sang Huaiyu hadn’t bothered covering his tracks when he acted at night. Thus, Fu Nanyao could tell that the one who had killed the “Scarecrow” original in the supermarket and the one who had slain this SSS-Class Horror weren’t the same person.

But that was all. Given the huge gap in their strength, even though Sang Huaiyu hadn’t tried to hide, Fu Nanyao could only pick up this much.

He seemed mildly confused as he stood up. Seeing Wang Shan and Zhao Wen glance his way, he still said, "It's two people."

Two people?

Both men were taken aback. They had always assumed it was the same person from last time, but now it turned out not to be?

They currently had no leads at all, and the "Scarecrow" lead had gone dead. Finding the person who attracted the Horror Item was like finding a needle in a haystack.

"Maybe we should go ask Mr. Sang?" Wang Shan blurted out.

In his view, this was the most straightforward solution. After all, Mr. Sang possessed precognitive abilities and might be able to provide some clues.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Wen jabbed him hard in the ribs. Wang Shan came to his senses and noticed Zhao Wen urgently eye-signaling him, only then realizing Captain Fu's face had clouded over.

Fu Nanyao never counted on Sang Huaiyu helping them—after all, he was suspicious of Sang Huaiyu.

When Wang Shan proposed seeking out Sang Huaiyu, his first reaction was to frown.

However, just as he was about to refuse, it suddenly occurred to him: even if the other party wouldn't tell them anything, perhaps they could use this opportunity to probe Sang Huaiyu?

He pressed down on his right hand, where the corruption level had spiked again, and looked toward downtown.

...

When Sang Huaiyu took action, he had anticipated that the Ability User Association would come calling. After all, with two completely different auras, even if the Association members were utterly incompetent, they should have noticed something was off.

He sat relaxed in his study and, when the villa security informed him of visitors, said coolly, "Let them come up."

The security guard handed out visitor badges, and Fu Nanyao, along with Wang Shan and the others, gained easy access to the villa area.

Sang Huaiyu's residence was very secluded. Though they had visited a few times before with President Chang, this time—whether due to psychological effect or not—it felt more and more off-putting to Fu Nanyao the longer he looked at it.

He stopped to eye the pond here, only moving forward when Zhao Wen spoke up ahead.

"Captain Fu?"

Zhao Wen thought it strange, feeling like Captain Fu had been spaced out all day.

Fu Nanyao didn't respond, noting his doubts silently as he caught up.

Sang Huaiyu set down his phone and leisurely withdrew his true form just before the humans arrived.

The divine and elegant man returned to his usual appearance, with none the wiser that mere minutes ago, snake scales had spread over his face.

As the doorbell rang, Sang Huaiyu walked over to open it, putting on a show of surprise.

"Captain Fu, what brings you here so late?"

Fu Nanyao betrayed no suspicion. "It is quite late to disturb you."

"But there was an unexpected incident in the suburbs tonight, and we were hoping for your assistance."

"I just consulted President Chang, and he mentioned you hadn't turned in for the night yet."

Sang Huaiyu arched an eyebrow. "President Chang did call me."

He turned slightly. "Would you all like to come in?"

Seeing Mr. Sang's gaze shift over, Wang Shan was about to speak when Fu Nanyao cut in, "No need."

"You can speak freely here, Mr. Sang."

"We still have lingering eerie energy on us, so we won't disturb further."

Sang Huaiyu nodded and removed the white silk following the "coordinates" he provided.

A few minutes later, he sighed somewhat regretfully.

"I used precognition based on the location Captain Fu described, but perhaps it had already been cleaned up in advance. I didn't foresee any useful clues. I don't think I can help much."

Precognition isn't foolproof. Therefore, Wang Shan and Zhao Wen had no reason to doubt him. Hearing Mr. Sang's apology, they quickly shook their heads.

"We already feel bad enough for disturbing you, Mr. Sang. This isn't your fault at all."

The two hurriedly added.

Fu Nanyao listened silently, unsure if this was expected or something else, but he wasn't surprised at all.

He slowly relaxed his hand and said as usual, "In that case, we'll be going now."

Since Captain Fu was typically quiet, no one suspected anything unusual.

Wang Shan immediately added, "Mr. Sang, you should get some rest tonight."

"We won't disturb you anymore."

Sang Huaiyu nodded, watching the members of the Ability User Association leave before his eyes narrowed slightly.

Seems like I'm being suspected.

But it doesn't matter. The only reason he needed to maintain a human identity was to get close to Shi Yu.

Now it appears Shi Yu isn't an ordinary person. In that case, there's no need to maintain the act anymore.

The platinum blonde curls of the evil god tilted slightly as he gazed into the night outside, wondering about Shi Yu's activities.

Hmm, hopefully Shi Yu's attitude will change by tomorrow morning.

...

Shi Yu's attitude had indeed changed—it became more cautious.

After retrieving the camera pen and pondering all night, Shi Yu became convinced that the anonymous sender was terrifying.

Honestly, if he hadn't read the original work and known the evil god had better things to do, he would have suspected the anonymous sender was the evil god himself.

But why would the evil god play such games with him? In the original work, the evil god always scorned insignificant beings.

Let alone engage in extended interactions or fulfill their requests.

So, there's absolutely no way it could be the evil god.

Shi Yu nodded, concluding that the other party must be an SS-Class, perhaps even someone like himself.

After all, having been transmigrated for so long, he knew the real world wasn't entirely the same as the book. He'd even carried a Little Monster outside the original plot.

He took a deep breath, unsure whether he should "express gratitude." After all, the Unmanned Wedding Dress had indeed disappeared, just as he'd hoped.

Just as the leader mentioned, that anonymous sender might actually be... trying to be friendly?

Shi Yu pressed his lips tightly together, hesitating between sending or not, then chose to message the boss again.

After all, the boss had been right last time.

"Boss."

The familiar shark avatar popped up, and Sang Huaiyu saw Shi Yu's hesitant message:

"About last time... you were right. That anonymous person really doesn’t seem to have any ill intentions."

The edited message was sent, his tone slightly softer than the outright rejection from before.

Sang Huaiyu lowered his eyes and responded along Shi Yu's line of thinking: "Perhaps he just wants to help me?"

Help him?

Shi Yu typed then deleted, hesitating for a moment.

"But he knows me, while I don’t know him."

"That’s way too unsettling."

It felt like the other party knew everything while he was completely in the dark.

Sang Huaiyu paused—no sense of security? Was that why Shi Yu had acted weird when they first met?

Sang had always wondered why Shi Yu had avoided Him back at the Ability User Association.

He hadn’t done anything, after all.

Even though Shi Yu wasn't human, Sang Huaiyu was certain they’d never met before. So why was he afraid of Him?

Could it be that he actually—knew His identity? The sudden thought emerged naturally, and Sang Huaiyu’s fingers stilled for a moment as he stared at the screen. This seemed the most likely explanation.

Shi Yu had no idea the boss had already guessed that he knew "Sang Huaiyu’s" true identity.

After exchanging a few more messages, he just felt completely overwhelmed. Christ, how could so many things happen at once?

The issue with the Little Monster’s growth stagnation hadn’t even been resolved yet, and now an "anonymous person" who knew his identity had suddenly appeared.

Even if the other party meant well, Shi Yu couldn’t trust them. After all, even as an Ability User, he wasn’t fully human anymore.

No normal human would carry a Little Monster in their belly.

He was even more afraid of what might happen if the Little Monster’s identity were exposed.

He touched his abdomen, and when the Little Monster moved curiously, his gaze shifted to his phone. Suddenly, he picked it up.

"Thank you."

The sent message was quickly deleted. Steeling himself, Shi Yu sent another message to the "anonymous person."

"Do I know you?"

After sending this, Shi Yu wasn’t expecting a reply—this was testing the waters. He leaned back on the sofa, waiting quietly.

On the other side, Sang Huaiyu considered when he saw Shi Yu’s probing question.

Did he know Him?

He arched an eyebrow slightly. If this had happened before, He might have avoided Shi Yu's probing. After all, Shi Yu was naturally suspicious of His true identity.

But now, thinking about the other person’s apparent lack of feeling secure, Sang Huaiyu still replied after the question.

"Yes."

Just two short words—yet He didn’t deny it.

Shi Yu hugged a pillow and waited for what felt like forever, barely holding onto any hope, when he unexpectedly got a reply—and to his surprise, it was "Yes."

Did he know this "anonymous" person on the other end?

Shi Yu blinked, then abruptly sat up straight.

Everyone he’d ever met flashed through his mind in an instant—even Fu Nanyao, Han Chuyi, and Dr. Shen popped into his head.

Could it be one of them?

No, that didn't fit—the "anonymous" person’s abilities were clearly far superior to those of the main characters.

His heart felt like a cat had suddenly swiped at it, maddeningly itchy with curiosity. Shi Yu was burning with interest, wanting to ask more but too hesitant to press further, as if there was a fog he couldn’t see through.

Frowning slightly, he held his phone and murmured to the Little Monster, “Who do you think this ‘anonymous’ person might be?”

The Little Monster, looking just as confused as its mother: ...???

“Wah?”