Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Over a hundred kilometers away, at the site where the 'meteor' had fallen, Su Juzi closed his eyes quietly, his elder brother nearby, also significantly wounded.

He was tired. "Let's make this quick."

This defiant, unrepentant posture, however, displeased Su Xuanxiao. Looking down at his seated younger brother, he spoke in an unusually low tone, "I need a reason."

Su Juzi opened his eyes and looked up, appearing genuinely puzzled. "What reason?"

On the way here, Su Xuanxiao had casually dismantled three companies that showed signs of wanting to compete with his business. His anger had mostly subsided, and he could now speak calmly with his brother. "The reason for hiding it."

"Let’s not talk about Jiang Lou for now. He was genuinely unaware and still went to great lengths to conceal it for you."

"But you? Su Juzi, you recognized Xi Mu the moment you saw him, didn’t you? I know you could."

Still disguised as Blue 242, Su Juzi remained silent in admission.

"So why?" Su Xuanxiao’s gaze fixed intently on him.

Under his elder brother’s scrutinizing gaze, Su Juzi, in this remote forest, simply switched from sitting to lying down.

He looked up at the bizarre phenomenon in the sky—still half red, half black—and placed a hand over his heart.

Thump, thump, thump.

It wasn’t a real heartbeat; aberrations don't have heartbeats.

"Big Brother, we’re not the same as before. But Xiao Xi has just grown up."

"I didn’t tell you, of course, out of selfishness—that’s the inherent flaw of aberrations. But also because..." Su Juzi paused for a moment before continuing, "Because I don’t fully trust you."

The inherent flaw of aberrations.

What is the inherent flaw of aberrations?

It’s infinitely amplified negative emotions.

It’s year-after-year deepened obsessions.

It’s rationality dwindling to near nothing during intense emotional fluctuations.

"If you want to refute me, can you tell me why your Su Tower collapsed? Because you lost control."

Now it was Su Xuanxiao’s turn to fall silent, then question, "You wouldn’t?"

"I wouldn’t," Su Juzi said firmly. "Big Brother, you’ve seen my domain. You know I wouldn’t."

Su Xuanxiao’s glasses had long been lost in the fight, his gaze icy and piercing. "Even if I lost control, I would never harm family."

Su Juzi, with large parts of his body corroded and his Blue 242 disguise almost compromised, nodded.

He sat up again and patted the grass beside him, gesturing for his elder brother to sit.

Now, it was time to talk about Xiao Xi’s own issues.

"Xiao Xi’s self-delusion is deeply ingrained. He can’t accept any supernatural phenomena. His memories of the past are also quite vague."

If he encounters similar phenomena, like the bride in red that day, he unconsciously blocks them out afterward.

"I’m not sure if frequently breaking such suggestions would harm Xiao Xi. So, until we find a proper, gentle approach, he should live in an environment that is least taxing on his mind."

Namely: normal human society.

Even if this human society might be a bit more irritable and filled with slightly more negative emotions, it doesn’t matter. It can be explained as customs changing every few miles.

So, when Su Juzi said he didn’t fully trust them, he meant he believed neither Su Xuanxiao nor Su Jianglou would intentionally harm Xiao Xi.

But whether they could control themselves and avoid distressing Xiao Xi during occasional emotional outbursts—that was a doubt Su Juzi temporarily placed beside his brothers.

No trust. None at all.

No one could remain emotionally stable all the time in front of a brother who had been missing for so many years.

Su Juzi could, due to his domain.

Su Xuanxiao took note of this and decided to keep an eye on Jiang Lou too after today.

But...

"Ju Zi, I am your Big Brother. Just as you understand me, I understand you."

According to his reasoning, if he and Jiang Lou couldn’t fully control their emotions, did that mean they could never appear before Xiao Xi?

A jealous casuist.

Glossing over his own flaws with a light touch.

"As your Big Brother, I will check on him regularly from now on."

Is emotional control really that difficult?

He just hadn’t cared about it before.

Besides, if aberrations can't pass through, can't gifts?

He might temporarily lose control of his emotions, but he wasn’t dead.

***

The midday spectacle didn’t last long. By the afternoon, when Su Ximu and Group Leader Lan242 met at the entrance of the Tourism Park, the sky had returned to a clear blue.

Group Leader Lan242 explained that this was a natural phenomenon in Tanzhong City, which had occurred a few times before.

During the most dramatic instance, the red fire clouds had nearly filled the sky over Tanzhong City, looking menacingly intense.

"And then? Did the fire clouds disappear quickly, like today?" Su Ximu asked as they walked.

"And then, the sky darkened quickly, just like today. The east turned dark, the west turned dark, sandwiching and pummeling the fire clouds."

The personified description of "sandwiching and pummeling" made Su Ximu laugh. He followed up, "So, did the fire clouds win in the end?"

"They didn’t get beaten, but they were pretty roughed up—didn’t want to come out for half a year."

Their entire bodies were charred black, hideous.

That afternoon, perhaps because the morning trip to the amusement park had worn him out a bit, Su Ximu felt a bit tired while visiting the zoo.

But not wanting to be a downer, he made an effort to keep his spirits up. Holding a twig, he stood on his toes to feed the giraffe inside the enclosure.

Branches were one of the herbivore feeds sold at the zoo, and it was quite expensive.

However, Su Ximu still generously bought four—two for himself and two for Group Leader Lan242.

"Be careful it doesn't bite you."

Hearing the reminder from Group Leader Lan242, who was feeding another giraffe nearby, Su Ximu pulled his hand back slightly as it had gotten too close.

The two giraffes in the zoo were beautiful, with large eyes, long, slender, and graceful necks, and fur with distinct patterns and an excellent glossy sheen.

At the giraffes' feet, several rabbits were hopping around grazing—white, brown, and gray ones.

These rabbits were clever too, managing to avoid being stepped on by the large giraffes.

After feeding the giraffes, Su Ximu said he wanted to go see the black bears at the bear exhibit, but Blue 242 stopped him.

The man, who still looked very energetic, put on a convincing show by yawning, his eyelashes instantly glistening with reflex tears.

After yawning, Blue 242 apologized, "Xiao Xi, sorry, I've been too busy these past couple of days, and I'm suddenly feeling a bit sleepy. Maybe we could come back another day?"

Su Ximu couldn't tell whether Group Leader Lan242 said this because he was genuinely tired or because he noticed Su Ximu was a bit tired and wanted to accommodate him.

After all, Group Leader Lan242 had seemed quite busy lately.

Before Su Ximu could say anything else, Blue 242 spoke up first: "The exit is this way, right?"

Su Ximu followed, "Yes, it's this way."

As he walked, he looked down and divided the remaining bunch of lavender he was holding into two parts—one he kept in his hand, and the other he handed out.

Blue 242, keeping an eye on the path for him, took the lavender and smiled, "I heard this can help with sleep."

"I've heard that too," Su Ximu replied, doing a little hop to avoid a passing little squirrel.

Su Ximu actually liked animals a lot, but he never had the chance to keep one before. Now, he still had to work a summer job.

Bringing a pot of mushrooms to a new workplace was acceptable, but bringing a pet along would be a little inappropriate.

As Su Ximu thought about his planned new job, Group Leader Lan242 beside him asked, "The 'Tonight's Big Star' program is about to start. Xiao Xi, have you decided which position you want to apply for?"

"Tonight's Big Star" was the name of that talent show—it sounded very straightforward.

Su Ximu thought for a moment and felt he could handle any of them. After another moment, he asked instead, "Then, Group Leader Lan242, which position do you want to apply for?"

He remembered Group Leader Lan242 telling him that he would also be working there in a few days.

Su Ximu thought that if there wasn't a specific job he had to do, he'd prefer to work alongside Group Leader Lan242.

"Logistics," Blue 242 gave a flexible option and recommended to Su Ximu, "I suggest you pick the first job listed."

"Xiao Xi, your internal clock is really accurate, and you don’t seem to have a habit of sleeping in. That’s a big advantage for the first position."

Su Ximu thought about the position Group Leader Lan242 mentioned and hesitated, unsure of himself, "Can I do it?"

"Of course you can."

The immediate and unwavering answer made Su Ximu feel Group Leader Lan242's recognition and trust in him.

Right then, he got all fired up—Okay! I can do it!

***

Su Ximu had worked at Tourism Park for a little over half a month. After resigning, the finance department rounded up his pay and paid him a full month's salary—600 yuan (approximately $83 USD) in total.

However, after receiving it, Su Ximu quietly gave back 300 yuan.

He hadn't been there long, so naturally, he didn't have many belongings. For him, the biggest gains during this time were Group Leader Lan242, a good friend, and his pot of healthy mushrooms.

Aside from the red mushroom in the center, which still looked a little wilted from time to time, the other mushrooms were all thriving.

Group Leader Lan242's mushroom fertilizer was very effective.

On the day of his video interview, Su Ximu felt his dorm room was too plain, so he placed his potted mushrooms on the desk as a background.

After he finished introducing himself to the assistant director on the other side of the video, the assistant director appeared very pleased and immediately nodded, indicating he was hired!

He could start working in three days.

With such a smooth successful job application, even the way the young man waved goodbye at the end was full of happiness.

The assistant director hung up the video in a hurry and had a nightmare that night, dreaming entirely of that potted mushroom used as a background decoration.

His nephew who'd been missing for days was right in there! The short, chubby, blue one was him!

This was intimidation, right? It had to be intimidation.

Threatening him that if he didn't hire the applicant, he'd be planted in there too!

Under such pressure, the assistant director's efficiency was surprisingly high. Early the next morning, Su Ximu received a local delivery.

Inside the document folder were an employment contract and a set of dormitory keys.

His previous job's resignation procedures were completed, and the new job wouldn't start for another two days.

Although Tourism Park didn't mind if he kept using the employee dorm, Su Ximu decided that since the keys to the new dorm had arrived, he would move today.

His luggage was pretty much packed; he only needed to bring two pots of mushrooms, one large and one small.

The large pot contained four blue mushrooms and one red mushroom.

The small pot in Su Ximu's hand held only one green little mushroom.

It was a truly interesting botanical phenomenon—the original half of the green mushroom, after being planted, gradually shriveled up until it eventually turned into a tiny mushroom egg.

The day before yesterday, this mushroom egg split open its outer spore coat and became a wobbly little mushroom. It was still green, though not as bright as before, now a very pale milky green.

It somewhat resembled a Haworthia cooperi (jade plant) Su Ximu had seen before.

Because it was small enough to hold in his hand and admire, and he had grown it himself, it had now become Su Ximu's favorite little mushroom.

When moving dorms, Su Ximu and Blue 242 worked together as usual.

They had also taken care of their resignations together the day before.

As Blue 242 put it, since they were both switching to new jobs anyway, quitting a day early or late didn't make much difference.

Blue 242's luggage seemed even less than Su Ximu's—everything fit in one backpack. With his free hands, he could help carry the large potted mushroom.

When the potted mushroom was handed to him, all five mushrooms inside were shaking noticeably.

Su Ximu glanced at it, thinking it was just from the normal shaking while walking.

He worried Group Leader Lan242 might find the large potted plant too heavy to carry alone, so he stowed the small pot in a bag, hung it on the luggage, and freed up one hand to support the bottom of the large pot.

"Thanks, Xiao Xi, it's much lighter now," Blue 242 said immediately.

"Thank you, Group Leader Lan242, for helping me carry the pot~" Su Ximu echoed his words.

Both had quit by now, but Su Ximu was used to calling Blue 242 "Group Leader," and Su Juzi, disguised as Blue 242, didn't mind, so the habit stuck.

The two boarded a sightseeing car, arrived at the entrance of Tourism Park, hailed a taxi, and set off for the address of the production team provided in the employment contract.

The taxi driver was quite talkative. Upon hearing the address, he chimed in, "Ghastly Island? That place has been buzzing lately. I heard a talent show rented the whole island? It's popped up on hot searches several times."

"Tsk, they must be loaded."

As he spoke, the driver’s expression darkened, and he hit the horn in frustration, overtaking the car in front.

But soon, he smiled again. "Well, at least we’ll have a show to watch. At least it beats boredom."

Su Ximu pursed his lips and stayed silent, cracking the window to pretend he was carsick.

Blue 242 shot a quick glance forward, a flash of red light in his eyes.

The driver shuddered instantly, falling silent and no longer radiating negative emotions.

The route to their new job was quite complicated.

After getting out of the taxi, they had to take a ferry to reach Ghastly Island, where the production team was based.

How could a city that seemed landlocked have such a vast sea with an island in it?

The ferry chugged along quickly. Most people on the same ferry as Su Ximu carried luggage, likely also staff of the production team.

This time, he wasn't getting any special treatment. Throughout the journey, the staff sitting around him didn’t even glance his way.

The hoodie-clad youth broke into a sweet smile, revealing small dimples, feeling a familiar sense of security.

About ten minutes later, the ferry docked, and a large island with state-of-the-art facilities came into view.

At the port, a huge neon sign stood tall, already flashing brightly even in broad daylight.

A cheerful voice blared from the loudspeaker: "Welcome to Ghastly Island! All staff, please take your positions. *Tonight's Big Star* is about to start recording! Let’s get ready to welcome the trainees!"

As his elder brother, Su Xuanxiao had guessed wrong about one thing: the flamboyant style of *Tonight's Big Star* wasn’t really Su Juzi’s style.

He simply thought it was a suitable place and recommended Xiao Xi to work here temporarily.

Compared to the weird supernatural phenomena outside, the trainees here were likely more compatible with Xiao Xi.

As instructed by the broadcast, the staff gathered under the neon sign, including Su Ximu and Blue 242. None of the production team members present recognized what kind of mushrooms they were carrying, so their expressions remained unchanged.

Once all the staff had assembled, the broadcast announced, "Makeup team, step forward and line up on the far left."

Several men and women carrying large toolboxes moved to the left.

"Props team, step forward and line up second from the left."

Another group with large toolboxes stepped out.

"Dormitory Selection team, step forward and line up third from the left."

Su Ximu perked up, pulling his small luggage and mushrooms as he stepped forward.

As the name suggested, the Dormitory Selection team’s duties overlapped with dormitory management.

According to the contract, their main tasks included waking the trainees, taking them to the island’s emergency room if they fell ill, conducting surprise checks for banned items, and maintaining dormitory discipline.

Counting Su Ximu, the Dormitory Selection team had six members.

After the first episode of the talent show, when the trainees received their initial ratings, each Dormitory Selection Officer would be assigned a group of trainees based on their level.

While the production team on Ghastly Island was busy assigning roles to the staff...

In the real world,

Weird Tales State Secrets Bureau,

Dance practice room.

To the beat of intense music, Rao Fei threw out his arms, kicked his legs, turned, jumped, and sweated profusely. At the final beat, he struck a firm pose and threw a flirtatious wink at Director Zhao across the room.

Of course, in this dance program, he was just a supporting act. The real center was Wang Xingxing, a member of Team A.

Before being selected as a player in the supernatural instance, Rao Fei had been a trainee at a major company, ready to debut.

Beside Wang Xingxing stood two cool-looking guys over 6 feet tall—one with red hair, the other with silver-gray hair. Following the dance instructor’s guidance, they held their poses breathlessly, revealing their abs, looking incredibly handsome. They were experts sent by the headquarters to ensure Director Lin’s success in the instance.

After the dance, Rao Fei glanced at the corner, where a slender young man was struggling through a painful split—Lin Lan, the honorary bureau chief of their Weird Tales State Secrets Bureau, whom they respectfully called Director Lin. He was the one they were tasked to protect in this instance.

"My legs... they’re breaking..." Their respected Director Lin gasped weakly, drenched in sweat.

But there was no helping it. Plans had to change when the supernatural world’s large-scale instance opened unexpectedly.

The veteran players had already received official notification on the anomaly app yesterday: the instance would begin tomorrow at 8 a.m.

No doubt about it—it was the instance "Ghost 101," the large-scale male idol training program!

As everyone knew, talent shows were all about looks.

With this instance announced, all previous plans by the C-city branch and the headquarters to ensure Director Lin’s survival were scrapped.

The headquarters’ expert initially designated as Director Lin’s lifeline got cut ruthlessly—not for lack of skill, but because he was 5'3" and 350 pounds.

These two cool experts were barely scraped together after the headquarters scoured their ranks.

Rao Fei averted his gaze and decided to practice the dance one more time.

As the center of the instance squad, Wang Xingxing quickly composed himself, walked over to the suffering Lin Lan, crouched down, propped his still-baby-faced chin, and sighed. "Ah, Director Lin, your condition really makes me feel insecure."

With an 80-year-old grandfather above him and an 8-year-old sister below, and parents in their forties, he had already prepared to sacrifice himself for Director Lin.

But this instance was particularly special.

A talent show instance, after all.

He had already guessed that to survive and safely clear this instance, snagging one of the final debut spots was essential.

There was no other way to clear it.

Strategies like solving instance puzzles probably wouldn’t work in this instance.

What puzzles are there to solve in an idol survival instance?

As for brute-forcing their way through?

Sorry, but they didn’t have that kind of strength.

Lin Lan gasped for breath under the dance teacher’s merciless training: "I'll—I'll try. I'll—I'll do my best."

"Don’t—don’t worry, once we’re in the instance, I… I’ll absolutely sell out my teammates if I have to! I’ll do it without a second thought!"

He knew his mission. Currently, within the bureau or among all registered players, he was the only one who could use that Strange Item.

Only with that Strange Item remaining activated would the anomaly instance be restricted when randomly selecting players, preventing the selection of the elderly and children.

"My heart must be as hard as iron, ruthless as a wolf, facing a thousand accusing fingers with a cold stare. A general’s triumph is paved with the bones of thousands—I will survive this instance!"

With the atmosphere reaching its peak, Rao Fei stepped forward at the right moment with the two cool-looking guys.

The five of them stacked their hands and shouted their slogan loudly: "Four-protect-one squad, let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!"

Author’s note:

Little Mu: Hauling mushrooms, blending into the background.

Assistant Director: Intimidation! He’s intimidating me!

Little Mu’s summer job, misunderstood for life, hahaha.