Chapter 59

**Chapter 59**

The divine presence isn't something anyone can imitate. The most crucial requirement is a shared lineage.

And now, this presence suddenly appears at night... How could it not seem *suspiciously* coincidental?

It's almost as if... it's deliberately trying to draw attention.

Sang Huaiyu hadn't expected Shi Yu to set such a trap for Him.

This was truly... just perfect.

He slowly curled his lips, amusement visible beneath the white silk. Just as He was about to turn away, His footsteps paused, and He glanced up at the mirror.

Hmm, their second *encounter*.

Perhaps... He should put some effort into His appearance?

Shi Yu waited after the Little Monster’s *ferocious* cry.

One minute passed, two minutes, ten minutes... Still, there was no activity around them.

The Spirit Threads hidden throughout the neighborhood showed nothing but wind rustling leaves downstairs—no other sounds.

Shi Yu: *Tch*...

Are you even working?

He lowered his head and locked eyes with the Little Monster.

The Little Monster shook its head innocently.

*"Wala."*

Mom doesn’t... know.

Dad’s... hard to imitate.

Shi Yu: *Whatever*.

When setting the trap, he had already prepared for the possibility that the target wouldn’t take the bait.

Still, he had assumed that a high-level Horror, upon sensing a presence from the same lineage, would fly into a rage. Unexpectedly, the other side kept its cool and wasn’t biting.

He ruffled the Little Monster’s head.

"If it won’t come out, forget it."

"We’ll wait a little longer. If there’s still no movement, we’ll pack it in."

*"Wala."*

Relieved Mom wasn’t mad, the Little Monster nodded happily.

The moment that *ferocious* cry rang out, the entire City B transformed.

Whether roaming Horrors or those already captured, all went dead silent in an instant.

Fu Nanyao, who was on duty at the Ability User Association, suddenly detected activity and automatically looked down at the detector.

Humans couldn't communicate with Horrors, so naturally, he heard nothing. But the top-tier Horrors confined within the Association's highest level had started acting strange all of a sudden.

What began as a routine check of the detector data made Fu Nanyao instantly realize—the Horrors' readings had all flatlined at once.

The detector went dead silent; the high-level Horrors had inexplicably quieted down.

This was highly unusual.

Fu Nanyao tightened his grip on the wrist detector. Those creatures were born vicious—confined or not, they were never this quiet.

Today’s situation was definitely abnormal.

He checked in with dispatch, grabbed a flashlight, and headed to the top floor.

As he stood in the elevator, he frowned, wondering what the hell was going on.

Shi Yu had no idea that the Little Monster’s scream would go city-wide, scaring every Horror in town.

Glancing at the time, he saw it was already half past midnight. Their mark still hadn’t shown up, so he let out a yawn.

Fine.

"Calling it a failed operation."

"I’ll go cook some noodles first."

"We eat, then rest."

The Little Monster warbled in agreement, though puzzled—it had clearly sensed Dad was nearby during its scare tactic. Why hadn’t he come yet?

Unable to figure it out, the Little Monster gave up puzzling and hung around waiting for Mom to cook.

Shi Yu wasn’t even hungry at first, but ended up working up an appetite after waiting so long. Luckily, there was still a pack of instant noodles at home, so he decided to cook them together.

As he dropped the noodle block into the pot and cracked an egg, he mused: Well, the plan using the Little Monster as bait didn’t work—the Horror didn’t take the bait at all.

Pfft!

He knew it—Horrors had zero parental instinct, not even caring about their own offspring!

Bitching to himself, Shi Yu considered what to do next.

As a human, his Horror experience was still too limited. Even though he knew the plot from books, reality was way off.

Maybe he should find a chance to hit up the Ability User Association’s archives?

After all, he’d heard the place was stacked with information.

Perhaps he could learn something new and finally understand why he failed this time.

While lost in thought, Shi Yu turned off the stove and strained the noodles, when suddenly he heard a "ding-dong."

Huh?

His Spirit Thread hadn’t been triggered. Shi Yu was confused.

Had he misheard?

Was it the Little Monster sneaking a doorbell press?

He looked down as the Little Monster, equally puzzled, stretched out a tentacle.

Shi Yu: ...

Doesn’t seem like it was the culprit.

Even while cooking, he’d kept his Spirit Threads deployed—just in case—spread across the whole area, especially his apartment building.

He’d have sensed anyone coming upstairs at night, no question. Yet this time? Nothing.

Uneasy, he set down his chopsticks and turned around, his Spirit Threads spreading again through his mind.

From the living room, they silently reached toward the door.

This time, his Threads brushed against a presence at the door.

—Someone was actually knocking!

Shit. That’s creepy as hell.

A chill ran down Shi Yu’s spine—why?

Was the Little Monster’s so-called “dad” here?

The idea made him frown.

Had a Horror come knocking, or was his “fishing” trip paying off?

Either way, his pulse kicked up.

He’d figured the Little Monster’s “dad” was some non-human deep-sea Horror.

But whatever was out there was undeniably human-shaped.

This meant he’d underestimated it before.

Shi Yu edged toward the door, holding his breath, and waited.

Two minutes later: knock, knock.

Shi Yu: *Oh, hell no.*

Nope. Nope. Nope.

The Little Monster roused at the noise, curiously turning its head toward the door.

*Blurp?*

Mama? What’s that?

Yeah, Shi Yu was dying to know himself. He’d set the trap, but now *he* was the one sweating bullets.

What fresh hell was waiting out there?

Silence. Sang Huaiyu’s eyebrow arched.

"Hello?" he asked softly.

Even in the murky night, the voice outside sounded gentle and polite—making you instinctively lean in to listen.

Shi Yu didn’t move a muscle, enveloping himself and the Little Monster in Spirit Threads.

Then came the voice again: "I know it’s rude to drop by this late."

"But I felt a presence just now… that seemed oddly familiar."

"So I wanted to come check for myself."

A polite Horror? Now that's downright creepy.

The more courteous the other side acted, the tenser Shi Yu became.

What the hell? Since when do Horrors act this human?

It was giving serious uncanny valley vibes.

After a tense pause, Shi Yu decided he couldn't sit around waiting to be cornered. If he let the thing outside keep pushing, he’d lose the advantage.

Like hell would he show fear!

He clenched his fists, sharing a silent pep talk with the Little Monster, then reached out and opened the door.

In an instant, his Spirit Threads snapped forward at full power, aiming to entangle the intruder.

As Shi Yu struck, the very fabric of space-time seemed to tremble.

At the moment he raised his hand, Sang Huaiyu felt time grind to a halt around him.

And as He looked down, ghostly threads slithered around His form.

Soundless. Ominous. Deadly.

They sought to tear Him apart within the fractures of time and space.

He narrowed His eyes slightly—so this was Shi Yu’s ability?

Strange. Unpredictable.

He had assumed Shi Yu possessed some rare gift, far beyond even the Ability User Association’s best, allowing him to single-handedly defeat an SSS-level Horror.

Such things had happened before. Though surprising, Sang Huaiyu could still make sense of that.

But this? This defied all expectations.

Warping time and space, bending its seams—this power… even Sang Huaiyu was left speechless.

Amused, He observed as Shi Yu, as usual, tried to bind Him—and failed.

Then, He reached out and seized the phantom strands wrapped around Him, turning His head.

Shi Yu’s eyes widened—

His Spirit Threads… did nothing?!

This was the first time his attack missed.

Shi Yu’s first instinct was to register the unharmed figure outside the door. Only when the figure turned did he see its face.

—A face he never expected to see.

The moment he recognized those unmistakable platinum curls in his mind, Shi Yu was stunned.

That color… Wait, could it be?

His heart lurched, and his body locked up.

Stiffly, he lifted his head and saw a face so ethereally beautiful it defied words.

A white silk ribbon obscured His eyes, hiding His expression. Yet the slight smirk and the beauty mark by His nose stood out.

"Hello."

"Our first meeting. Seems I caught you off guard."

Sang Huaiyu's voice was gentle.

His gaze dropped, seeing right through the ribbon to Shi Yu’s swollen abdomen, barely hidden by his loose hoodie.

His heart surged with sudden, scorching heat, pounding wildly like it had been set ablaze.

As Shi Yu stood stunned, Sang Huaiyu said slowly, "Let’s try this again."

"I’m the father—biologically speaking—of the child in your belly."

What the hell was he saying?!

Shi Yu’s brain short-circuited. Realizing this was the evil god he’d been dodging, his mind went blank.

Hearing that, his first thought: hallucination.

No way this was real.

What—"the father of the child in his belly"?

Was He claiming to be the Little Monster’s father?

Yeah, right. An evil god with kids? Since when?

And let alone this one in *him*?

Shi Yu refused to believe it.

Catching his skepticism, Sang Huaiyu arched a brow.

"Perhaps… you could ask the little thing in your belly yourself?"

The teasing voice curled around him. Shi Yu backed up—trapped in his own home. His Spirit Threads were useless against an evil god.

Might as well play along—stall for time…

Not that stalling would save him.

So much for his “fishing” plan—now *he* was the one caught.

He casually bent down and exchanged a few words with Little Monster, not buying a word of it.

But the next moment, the usually obedient little monster nestled in his belly went quiet.

In Shi Yu’s stunned confusion, it murmured, “Mommy… that guy over there… might actually be… Daddy.”

That presence I felt before… it was Him.

Shi Yu: ???!

What? That’s Him?

Shi Yu stiffly turned his head, facing the evil god’s polite smile.

“Mind if I come in?”

Shi Yu: …

The front door clicked shut a few minutes later.

Shi Yu “invited” the evil god to sit on the sofa, his face a mix of emotions.

The flood of insane revelations left him torn between panic and disbelief.

Luckily, the evil god didn’t look like He was here to murder him.

After pouring a glass of water, Shi Yu snuck a peek. Seeing the other actually take a sip, his face went pale.

He remembered clearly—didn’t the evil god refuse to eat human food in the original plot?

Even when hanging out with the main group, He’d reject any food the protagonist offered by claiming He was picky.

Yet now, He was drinking the water he poured?

His eyes flickered sideways, and the handsome man across looked up.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No.”

Shi Yu shook his head dazedly. Today was just too much.

He couldn’t help but admire his own brilliant idea from yesterday—who else could’ve hatched such a dumb plan?

Noticing the complex emotions from across the room, Sang Huaiyu put the glass down.

“Thanks for having me.”

His gaze swept around the apartment, pausing briefly at the cup noodles Shi Yu had just made on the kitchen island.

“That’s dinner?”

Huh?

Eh?

Shi Yu turned his head, staring at the noodles on the table, completely lost.

How did we end up on this topic?

Sang Huaiyu stood up: "Sorry it took me this long to notice your condition."

"But, what would you like to eat?"

The fridge opened, and the well-dressed Horror across from him glanced at the ingredients inside.

Shi Yu hesitated, unsure how things had escalated like this. His mind blank, he absentmindedly pointed to some ribs.

Then he could only watch as, in the middle of the night, the Horror—still fully dressed—began elegantly cooking for him. To his surprise, the other actually made a bowl of spare rib noodles for him.

A steaming, fragrant bowl of noodles appeared before his eyes, and Shi Yu half-expected poison in it.

But how could that be? If the Horror wanted to kill him, it wouldn't bother with all this.

So… why on earth was it making spare rib noodles for him?!

Shi Yu was starting to question reality.

Yet after setting the bowl down, Sang Huaiyu merely said, "First time trying this. I just looked up a human recipe."

"I hope the taste isn’t too bad."

The noodles were right there. Shi Yu locked eyes with the other, and under the Horror’s calm gaze, he reluctantly sat down.

Then, expressionless, he picked up his chopsticks.

Well. Here's hoping it's edible.

Things couldn't possibly get worse.

Lowering his head, he took a small bite, fully prepared for it to be tasteless. Yet the next moment, he realized…

It was… actually pretty good?

He felt an odd flutter in his chest.

Biting back the urge to look up at the Horror, he thought to himself: Does strictly following an online recipe really make food taste better than just throwing things together?

His thoughts were all over the place, and before he knew it, Shi Yu had already taken another bite.

Stupid mouth. Couldn't help itself!

He scolded himself for still having the appetite to eat at a time like this. Figuring he had nothing to lose, Shi Yu, under the Horror’s watchful gaze, decided to treat it like his last meal. He earnestly finished the entire bowl, even gnawing on the spare ribs.

Darkly determined, he thought—if he was going to die, he’d at least die with a full belly!

Meanwhile, as Shi Yu ate:

At the Ability User Association:

Fu Nanyao looked grimly at the contained Horror before him.

The moment he noticed something off in the data, he had rushed over immediately, yet still couldn't figure out what was wrong.

The Horror upstairs hadn't made a sound for an hour now.

The high-level Horrors remained silent, while the low-level ones trembled in fear, trying desperately to flee—as if they had sensed something profoundly terrifying.

This scene reminded Fu Nanyao of yesterday’s events in the outskirts.

When that thunderclap came from a clear sky yesterday, the Horrors in the suburbs had behaved identically.

So, were these Horrors now sensing something similar to that thunder?

Musing to himself, he wondered: Could it be that only Horrors could detect such things, while humans were completely unaware?

Frowning, he reported tonight’s anomalies and his speculations to President Chang.

As he lowered his head, however, he failed to notice that all the Horrors were staring in abject terror at a single direction…

……

After finishing the noodles, Shi Yu decided he couldn’t keep pretending to be dead. He patted his stomach and finally got to the point.

“You said… you’re the father of the child in my belly.”

Struggling to phrase his words, Shi Yu’s expression twisted for a moment.

“I’d like to ask… how did I get pregnant?”

What in the world was happening?

The Little Monster also listened curiously, eager to learn how Mommy got pregnant with *him*.

Did Mommy think *he* was cute… and so chose him?

As the Little Monster innocently pondered, Sang Huaiyu glanced at Shi Yu’s abdomen.

The slight curve there betrayed the presence of a being connected to Him by blood.

Yet…

“Unfortunately, I don’t know either.”

Shi Yu completely hadn’t expected even the Horror God to be clueless.

Wait, so this kid’s origin was that mysterious?

He couldn’t help but lower his head, only to hear the Horror God say, “No need to be so formal.”

Pausing briefly, He added, “After all, we made a child together, didn’t we?”

After some consideration, Sang Huaiyu chose not to reveal that He had previously interacted with Shi Yu—and was, in fact, the “boss” Shi Yu had mentioned.

Today had enough shocks already. Shi Yu needed time to process things, didn’t he? Otherwise, even someone lazy would run.

Shi Yu hadn’t expected the Horror God to be so down-to-earth, leaving him with mixed emotions.

Sang Huaiyu, however, seemed completely unfazed. “Maybe now’s not the time to talk.”

“You should rest first. We can talk after you wake up.”

It was already 2 a.m.—pretty late for someone who’s pregnant, especially since he usually went to bed earlier.

But tonight was anything but ordinary!

With the ultimate villain of the story standing right in front of him, how could Shi Yu dare to rest?

Who in their right mind would sleep next to an executioner’s blade?

Yet, as Sang Huaiyu simply smiled at him, Shi Yu… chickened out.

Shamefully resigning himself to taking things one day at a time. Sleep for now—just sleep.

He held his stomach and stood up, unable to stop recalling Little Monster’s warning about how terrifying its dad was.

Now, it seemed the little one hadn’t been wrong.

Not just scary—absolutely terrifying!

Muttering curses under his breath, he shuffled along.

After Shi Yu entered the bedroom, Sang Huaiyu’s eyebrow twitched.

Hmm?

Did Shi Yu just… curse at Him?

…

No way Shi Yu was sleeping tonight. After all, who could possibly sleep under such circumstances?

Upon returning to the bedroom, his first move was to cautiously shut the door. Hearing no movement from the living room, he let out a slight sigh of relief.

Then, he sneaked toward the window, wondering if he could escape through it.

Yet, to his despair… the nineteenth floor wasn’t exactly escape-friendly. He’d always thought high floors were great—now he understood the suffering.

Especially when, just as he was sneaking toward the window like a thief, a knock came at the door.

“I noticed you forgot your phone. Would you like me to bring it in?”

Shi Yu: …!!!

He didn’t even take his phone?

Guess when you’re scared stupid, you really do forget your phone. Taking a deep breath, Shi Yu turned and opened the door.

“Thank you.”

He reached out to take the phone.

The god standing there didn’t even peek inside. Only when Shi Yu withdrew his hand did He say naturally, “You’re welcome.”

“Oh, and good night.”

Shi Yu gave a quick nod before closing the door. Glancing back at the window, he totally gave up on escaping.

Looking back, that knock totally felt like a warning.

Shit!

No way out now.

If the guy in the living room let him in this easily, He obviously wasn’t sweating an escape attempt.

Shi Yu irritably shielded his eyes and collapsed with a thud onto the bed, wishing he could vanish along with it.

Little Monster had been too frightened to make a sound outside just now. Only after Mommy lay down did it dare to softly go *wala*.

Mommy… you okay?

Shi Yu: “I’m fine for now.” Tomorrow morning might be a different story—or maybe tonight, mid-sleep, he’d just kick the bucket.

Little Monster didn’t understand what “kick the bucket” meant and cocked its head.

*Wala.*

Mommy… don’t be scared, I’ll… protect you!

Even if Daddy outside is really scary, it would still try its best to protect Mommy.

Shi Yu touched his belly with a wry smile.

“Nah, kiddo. No need to protect me.”

If Little Monster started trouble, they might both end up screwed.

Shi Yu sighed, his scalp prickling as he rolled around on the bed. Screaming “Aaaah!” inside his head, he finally grabbed his phone in the middle of the night and found his boss’s contact.

Gritting his teeth, he typed out from memory his bank account number and info about his property, sending them to his boss.

If he didn’t make it, he thought with melodramatic gloom, at least his boss could donate everything for him.

Right on the other side of the wall, Sang Huaiyu, who had just returned the phone to Shi Yu, felt a slight vibration in his palm—indicating an incoming message.

He picked up his phone and saw Shi Yu’s profile picture pop up on the screen.

After sending a waving-goodbye sticker,

the next second, Shi Yu angrily dumped on him a weirdly detailed—suicide note?