Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Inside the private room, Zhang Yu observed the man’s every move.

Seeing He Xu’s legs tremble as if he could barely stand, Zhang Yu paused, then asked, "Need help?"

Humans were such fragile creatures. Last time, He Xu had caught a fever just from touching cold water. What if he fell now and injured himself again?

It took He Xu a while before he could speak normally, rather than letting out uncontrollable moans.

"Shut up!" he rasped, his voice hoarse.

He pulled on his torn shirt and jacket, barely concealing the marks on his body. Leaning against the back of the sofa, he slowly shifted his weight onto it, taking a shallow breath.

Whether he had adjusted or for some other reason, He Xu no longer felt as distended as when he first woke up. But the more likely explanation was that some of the eggs had already ruptured.

He Xu had considered removing the eggs himself.

Before Zhang Yu appeared, he had already tried, but that damned monster had, just like last time, blocked the passage with another tentacle.

Filled with dread, anger, and disgust, he was powerless against the eggs, forced to let them burst one by one inside him, transforming into god-knows-what monstrosity.

His only consolation was that his body hadn’t shown any adverse changes so far.

No mutations, no extra deformed parts, no signs of being parasitized…

Or at least, not yet.

He Xu had even gone to the hospital for a full-body checkup—ultrasound, MRI, CT scan, blood tests, urine tests… everything possible had been done, every test run. But nothing showed up. In fact, his indicators suggested he was even healthier than before, strong as an ox.

Before even leaving the hospital, He Xu tore up all the reports that declared him completely normal.

He couldn’t believe there was nothing wrong. Did that monster shove so many eggs into him just to nourish his body?

What a joke!

He Xu tried his best not to think about it, but the gnawing unease was like a thorn buried deep in his heart—tiny, yet sharp enough to jab him unexpectedly from time to time.

His jaw clenched briefly. His eyes, still reddened from the earlier stimulation, glistened at the corners, but his gaze was dark as he stared coldly at Zhang Yu, his face etched with icy skepticism: "You said you liked me. So why didn’t you help when that monster dragged me in here?"

Zhang Yu lowered his head, glancing at him cautiously before mumbling, "I—I saw the monster and panicked, so I hid. I only came out after it left… I’m sorry…"

He Xu didn’t say if he believed him or not, only continued watching him coldly. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "Both times you saw the monster, was there anyone else around?"

This, at least, Zhang Yu could answer truthfully. He shook his head. "No." His sensors hadn’t detected anyone nearby.

He Xu fell silent.

He recalled the layout of the KTV. Though this place was expensive, the hallways didn’t have many cameras—there were none between the restroom and this private room.

In other words, aside from Zhang Yu, no one knew he had been assaulted by a monster.

That thought eased his mind a little.

Compared to being assaulted by a tentacle monster, He Xu found the idea of others knowing about it far more unbearable.

His expression blank, he stared at Zhang Yu, unreadable emotions swirling in his eyes before he suddenly spoke. "Come here."

Assuming He Xu was afraid of the dark, Zhang Yu walked over with his phone, even considering whether to turn on the light.

He didn’t see it coming when two hands suddenly clamped around his throat. It took him a moment to react before he hurriedly flushed red, putting on a show like he’d seen on TV as he "painfully" tried to pry the hands away.

"L-Let go… He Xu…"

He Xu’s face was ice-cold, his grip like iron as he ignored the boy’s scratching and struggling, not budging.

He counted silently in his head. By the time he reached a hundred, the boy’s struggles weakened. He waited another ten seconds before finally releasing him.

The lanky boy crumpled to the floor as if all strength had left him, clutching his throat as he coughed violently, gasping for air like he’d cheated death.

He Xu stared down at him, blank-faced. "Scared?"

The boy stayed silent, his shoulders trembling violently as he glanced up at him with eyes wet and shining in the dim light.

"Good."

"If you say a word about what you saw today…" He Xu enunciated each word slowly, "I’ll choke you out. Just like this."

The boy shuddered again, his voice quivering. "I—I understand… I won’t tell anyone."

He Xu withdrew his gaze, his tone indifferent. "Get out."

"W-Where…?"

"I don’t care where. Just get the hell out."

"But… the main door is locked…" Zhang Yu said timidly, hesitating internally.

If He Xu hadn’t caught him, he could’ve slipped out through a crack or the ventilation ducts in his true form. But now that He Xu had seen him, he couldn’t just slither away like that.

"Then go wait in the hallway!"

"Okay…" Zhang Yu lowered his head, slowly getting up from the floor.

At the door, he sniffed before turning back. "You didn’t need to choke me. I wouldn’t have told anyone anyway."

"’Cause I like you. So whatever you want, I’ll do it."

The boy mumbled this softly before He Xu could react, then crouched down to place his phone on the floor, with the flashlight on. "You’re afraid of the dark. You can use this."

He retreated outside and gently closed the door.

*Click.*

The latch clicked shut, echoing in the private room.

He Xu stared at the phone by the door.

It sat quietly on the ground, its narrow beam of white light expanding in the air until it formed a bright halo on the ceiling, lighting up the room.

The boy’s sincere look still hung there, refusing to fade.

Leaning against the sofa, He Xu stood silently for a while, staring at the closed door before finally lowering his head to fix his clothes.

*Like me? Yeah, right.*

*Fucking gay.*

*Still buying that I’m scared of the dark. What a moron.*

...

Outside the door, Zhang Yu sat against the wall, rubbing his face tiredly.

When he had said he liked him earlier, his voice had been a bit too soft—he must've strained his throat too much...

Next time, he’d have to say it louder, so He Xu wouldn’t miss it.

The sea creature nodded solemnly.

Learn from mistakes, improve next time.

Disguise—he was a professional!

Pumped his fist!

...

Zhang Yu stayed outside for a while, keeping track of time. The spawn should've dissolved by now.

Just as he was calculating when to deposit more next time, he heard a series of crashing sounds from inside the room. Puzzled, he glanced back.

Footsteps approached the door—He Xu seemed to be coming out. Zhang Yu brushed himself off and stood up.

The moment he straightened, the door swung open. He Xu stood there, face like thunder, glowering as he looked at Zhang Yu. His voice was hoarse, tight with suppressed rage. "Move."

Zhang Yu stepped aside.

He Xu walked past him, step by step, back rigid, but his walk was slightly off.

Zhang Yu sniffed the air. As He Xu passed by, he caught a damp, slightly briny scent—familiar. It must have been the lingering traces of his tentacle fluid.

He glanced at He Xu’s pants. Dry.

Sneaking a look inside the room, he saw the sofa overturned, ashtrays, microphones, toy balls with bells—the place was trashed. A few wadded-up tissues were scattered around, as if kicked aside.

His keen sense of smell picked up the same briny scent from the paper.

Had he wiped it all off?

Zhang Yu felt a little regretful.

He remembered losing control earlier, not minding the depth, leaving the area swollen and torn.

His healing factor was strong. His tentacles were part of him, carrying the same healing properties. If He Xu had just held it in longer, letting the dissolved tentacle fluid absorb longer, the wounds would have healed faster.

It would’ve also made the area more elastic, making it less likely to tear next time.

Judging by He Xu’s awkward posture, it didn’t seem fully recovered yet.

Honestly. This human really loved to push through the pain.

The sea creature thought with a mental sigh.

He quietly followed He Xu, assuming he was heading to the bathroom to wash up like last time. He considered stopping him to avoid another fever episode.

But after a few steps, he realized He Xu wasn’t making for the bathroom—he was heading for the main exit.

He reminded him, "You want to leave? But the door’s locked."

He Xu, of course, knew the door was locked. It was nearly dawn outside.

But after being attacked by that monster here, he didn’t want to stay a second longer than necessary.

He pulled out his phone and made a call. About half an hour later, the KTV manager arrived, in a flustered sweat, to unlock the door.

"Ah, Mr. He, my sincerest apologies! These employees are so careless—they didn’t even check properly before closing up, locking you inside! Don’t worry, I’ll fire them immediately!"

This was a young master. Regardless of the real reason he’d been left behind, the manager knew to admit fault first and smooth things over.

His eyes flicked discreetly over He Xu’s clothes—now resembling something a beggar would wear—then to the curious-looking Zhang Yu beside him. He put on a professional smile. "Mr. He, would you like to go home now, or somewhere else? I can drive you. And this young man here—"

Before he could finish, He Xu snapped impatiently. "Shut up."

The manager immediately forced a smile. "Right, right."

He Xu wasn’t surprised by his reaction.

Outsiders thought he just had a premium membership here, but in reality, he owned the entire KTV.

It had originally been opened by the older generation, transferred to his name as compensation for their neglect. So he was the actual boss. That private room was his, and when his friends came to party, their tabs were simply comped.

Though the group felt guilty freeloading and insisted on paying a nominal fee, He Xu couldn’t care less and let them.

Gritting his teeth against the throbbing pain, he tried to walk naturally for a few steps before stopping, brow furrowed as he ordered:

"Go to the surveillance room. Pull all footage from the past two days—no, from last Friday to tonight. Send it all to me. Also, inspect every pipe—drains, vents, exhaust systems—everything. Search them thoroughly and report any anomalies."

The manager assumed this was a sudden whim to check on his property’s security and puffed out his chest confidently. "Mr. He, rest assured! Our KTV undergoes regular inspections—everything's up to code, no corners cut! If you’d like, I can personally show you—"

His voice trailed off under He Xu’s piercing glare.

He Xu’s lips parted coldly. Two syllables: "Check. Got it?"

The manager’s smile stiffened. "...Understood, understood! Tomorrow—no, I’ll arrange it right now!"

Only when He Xu turned to leave did the manager wipe his sweat and exhale in relief.

Damn, this young master was barely an adult, but his aura was intimidating.

Letting his guard down slightly, he then frowned. What exactly was the boss trying to find? Pipes? What was there to see? They maintained them regularly, and the materials used during construction were all up to code. What could possibly be wrong?

But with bosses, if they said to look for problems, you *found* problems—preferably the kind they wanted to hear.

Considering He Xu’s black mood, the manager wondered if someone had gotten on his bad side. But what could’ve happened to make this young master obsess over air ducts???

As the manager puzzled over it, a figure brushed past him.

His eyes lit up, and he quickly caught Zhang Yu by the arm. "Young man, do me a favor—tell me something."

Zhang Yu: "?"

"Your boss," he assumed Zhang Yu was one of He Xu’s crew, "what happened tonight? Why’s he so angry?"

Zhang Yu glanced at He Xu’s receding figure—still visibly stiff despite his efforts—then at the eager, balding man before him. He cocked his head. "...He’s angry?"

Isn’t this just how He Xu always is?

Manager: "..."

"Kid, when did you go blind?"

The bald human wore an indescribable expression, while Zhang Yu, the subject of the gossip, just felt utterly baffled.

Was He Xu angry?

Not really? At worst, he was a little irritable? Besides, wasn’t he always fierce, scowling, never smiling but quick to cry? He was used to it.

Him not smiling wasn’t a big deal—He Xu had a beautiful cry anyway, and he liked that.

Ignoring the bald guy spouting nonsense, Zhang Yu quickened his pace to catch up with He Xu ahead.

Out on the street, the cold night wind swept across the empty road. Not a soul was in sight, only a few streetlights glowing in the chilly breeze.

Seeing He Xu stomping ahead with his head down, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but ask, "Where are you going?"

Wasn't he unsteady earlier? He should be resting right now, or he’d get sick again. Zhang Yu worried.

"Piss off! Stop following me," He Xu snapped without turning around.

"But your condition—"

The guy ahead suddenly spun around, grabbing Zhang Yu by the collar and snarling, "I said piss off! Are you deaf?!"

Zhang Yu froze.

He Xu glared at him, eyes slightly red, his hoarse voice seething with anger. "The hell’s wrong with you, following me around like this?! What the fuck do you want?!"

Zhang Yu murmured, "I don’t want anything. I’m just worried about you."

"Worried about me? Ha! Who the hell do you think you are?! Since when is it your place to worry about me?!"

Zhang Yu stared back unblinkingly. "I’m no one special. I just like you."

If He Xu died, he wouldn’t get his ocean domain.

He Xu gripped his collar with both hands, breathing heavily, his dark eyes locked on Zhang Yu’s. After a long pause, he ground out, "I don’t like you."

He let go and shoved the boy away. "If you don’t wanna get hit, get the hell away!"

The boy stared at him blankly, as if in shock. When He Xu turned to leave again, he remained rooted in place, unmoving.

The night wind whistled, swirling a few fallen leaves past their feet before carrying them onward.

A soft voice came from behind, carried by the wind to He Xu’s ears: "You promised… you wouldn’t hit me anymore."

He Xu paused, scoffing. "So what?"

He took another step forward and kept walking.

This time, no one followed.

……

Under the streetlight, Zhang Yu watched the human’s retreating figure. At first, he stood motionless, then slowly, his posture shrank—shrinking until he ended up crouched into a little octo-blob by the roadside.

The octo-blob sulkily traced circles on the ground. "Damn it, why won’t he let me follow him…"

The mighty octopus had never been rejected like this before. Back in the ocean, hadn’t every interesting creature he’d taken a liking to put up a token protest before eventually playing along?

System, listening to his muttering: ……

Weren’t those sea beasts just given up trying to escape because they couldn’t escape no matter how hard they tried?

Sensing its host’s gloom, System 9527 comforted, "Don’t lose heart, Host. You’ve done your best. So far, the protagonist hasn’t been bullied by the antagonist. In a few days, it’ll be the monthly exam. As long as the protagonist attends peacefully and gets good grades, he’ll catch the physics teacher’s attention. Then our mission progress will be halfway done."

"Oh…" The octo-blob mumbled dejectedly, his mood darkening further.

"But I just wanna know why He Xu won’t let me follow him. I even told him I liked him and would do anything for him, just like in the dramas."

Don't humans say that as long as you confessed your feelings, anything could be excused? Why didn’t He Xu believe him?

System 9527 had no advice, so it fell silent too.

Fortunately, after a while, Zhang Yu snapped out of it on his own.

The sea creature treated this as a new challenge, his curls bouncing back as his eyes gleamed with determination.

So what if he got rejected? Big deal. He’d just treat He Xu like just another stubborn catch. The guy had a bad temper anyway.

He was an octopus—persistence was his specialty. Just like all those creatures who’d ended up playing with him, if he clung tight enough, he’d definitely win He Xu over!

Following the lingering scent of the human in the air, Zhang Yu filled with new determination and took off after him, repeating a line he’d recently heard in his mind.

Little He Xu—prepare to be conquered!

……

He Xu didn’t go home.

His home—or rather, the place he lived—was a good distance away, about an hour’s walk.

He Xu had zero interest in enduring the searing pain there and the other discomforts all over his body for that long.

So he slipped into the nearest hotel. Before heading up, he stopped by a nearby pharmacy for some erythromycin ointment.

No clue if it would help, but better than nothing.

Soon, He Xu realized this wasn’t a great idea.

In fact, the signs had started not long after parting ways with Zhang Yu.

For the first few minutes after shaking off the curlyhaired boy, He Xu had focused solely on walking. But soon, the tension started building.

The streets were nearly empty, the surroundings desolate, everything visible at a glance.

Yet every little sound made him jumpy—a gust of wind, rustling leaves, a stray cat darting past… Any noise outside his line of sight made him spin around.

Especially behind him. He Xu lost count of how many times he glanced back in that short stretch. All he knew was that he looked like a madman.

A nervous, paranoid mess.

He felt like a thread pulled tighter and tighter, every unusual sound tugging at it from both sides.

Either he could regain control, loosening it bit by bit, or the tension would keep building until—snap.

He Xu knew this wasn’t right.

He needed to relax, pull that thread back, loosen it… until he was his usual cool-headed self again.

But he couldn't control it.

Three attacks in a row, each one leaving him weaker than before—this time, he had nearly been killed.

Though he kept telling himself he wasn’t entirely helpless against that monster, his body had already burned the feeling of near-death into his mind. Like an animal that fights back, only to realize it’s hopeless—his reason stubbornly resisted, but his instincts had long acknowledged his place—

Prey. Helpless prey, toyed with by its hunter.

Once his body accepted this truth, something inside him began to crumble.

He kept glancing back, scanning every shadow. Though surrounded by human society, he felt as if he were in a dense, shadowy forest, where danger could be anywhere. Any corner could hide a massive tentacle monster, ready to snatch him up, crush him under its tentacles, and take whatever it wanted.

Entering the hotel suite didn’t help—if anything, it got worse.

The wardrobe, behind the TV, inside the bathroom, under the bed… too many hiding spots.

Even after turning on every light the moment he entered, dark corners remained.

He Xu tried to reason with himself: the monster had just appeared last night; it wouldn’t chase him down so soon. Stop being so jumpy, like some scared kid.

But a tiny voice hissed—*You sure it won’t come back?*

He’d figured the tentacle monster only showed up in abandoned lots—then it jumped him in a damn arcade.

Then he assumed it avoided crowds—but the KTV restroom was barely ten meters from the nearest private room, like it yanked him off practically in front of people.

Everywhere he thought was safe, the damn thing showed up. And he had no clue how it kept getting in.

Just like he still didn’t know why the tentacle monster had fixated on him.

Was he just unlucky, running into it over and over? Or was there something about him that piqued the monster’s interest?

The doubts gnawed at him. He Xu dug his nails into his palm hard, shoving the thoughts down.

He left all doors open, stripped, and stepped into the shower.

The water’s roar swallowed every other noise, leaving him reliant on sight. As he scrubbed, his eyes darted across every visible inch of the bathroom and beyond, barely hiding his panic.

Too damn big. Too damn empty.

The feeling returned.

Hot water streamed over his head, trickling down his eyelids. His eyes slammed shut—then flew open a heartbeat later.

The instant darkness descended, even for that split second, rage/fear detonated in his chest, choking him from the inside.

His fingers trembled uncontrollably. He clenched them till they shook, goosebumps crawling over his skin that even scalding water couldn’t soothe.

He held out for a second before caving—he slammed the door, wrenching the lock until it snapped shut.

The confined space warmed him slightly, but his racing heart refused to slow, hammering against his ribs.

He didn’t dare close his eyes again, scrubbing his hair, eyes peeled. Shampoo burned, leaving his eyes raw and red, but he kept them fixed, scanning relentlessly.

He Xu knew that emotion.

He knew it—but not like this.

Throughout his life, he had used it, made others feel it.

Now, it had been forced upon him—rammed into his skull, branded into his skin by that monster. Stark. Unmistakable.

No way in hell he could forget.

Its name was—

Fear.

…

He Xu was in bed when the knock came.

He’d just taken a shower that was both fast and agonizingly slow.

Fast, because he’d scraped his skin red, desperate to rid his body of dried slime.

Slow, because every noise outside the water locked him up—breath stuck, staring at where it came from, waiting for the tension to ebb.

He hated this chicken-shit feeling, as if he’d become a skittish rodent, jumping at every damn sound.

He forced himself to push through, refusing to pause no matter how fear clawed up his throat. By the end, the tension had eased slightly.

But after clumsily applying ointment and lying down, the dread came crashing back.

His vision wasn’t pure darkness—the lights washed everything in sickly orange.

Yet it brought no comfort.

Wrapped in blankets, every inch of skin pressed to fabric, he could swear something was there, creeping closer in silence.

His eyelids twitched violently, screaming to open, to check—but he clenched his jaw, keeping them shut.

His heart jackhammered, skin chilled, feet icy.

Eyelids twitching like they were fighting him—one force pulling them shut, another wrenching them open.

Just as the thread in his mind stretched taut, about to snap—

*Knock, knock, knock!*

He Xu shot up, eyes wide, gasping for air.

The muffled sound persisted, finally registering.

—Someone was outside.

Swiping sweat off his forehead, he kicked off the sheets and moved to answer.

Two steps in, cold air bit his bare legs—he’d forgotten to change.

The hotel robe gaped open, exposing his neck, chest, and legs, the bruises on full display.

The previously dirty clothes had already been tossed into the suite's washer-dryer and were now completely dry, ready to wear right away.

But he only hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the bedroom and heading toward the suite's entrance.

Eh, at this time, it could only be hotel staff—people he didn’t know anyway. Who cares if they see me?

With an indifferent attitude, He Xu pulled the door open and said impatiently, "What do you—"

He froze.

In the doorway, instead of the hotel staff he expected, stood a familiar curly-haired figure.

The curly-haired guy lifted his head, revealing an equally familiar face, raised a hand, and greeted him, eyes bright, "Hey, He Xu."

He Xu: "..."

He stared in disbelief and said, "Why is it you again?!"