Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Upon hearing such an outlandish request for the first time, the superpower holders exchanged bewildered glances.

Lin Juan subtly recoiled, eyeing the man as if he were a pervert.

"I'm really not a pervert," the vine-covered man protested, his voice lacking conviction. "I’ve tried everything to get rid of these strange vines on me—scissors, knives—but they always grow back almost instantly after being cut. Yet, the ones this gentleman just tore off haven't grown back..."

The pain was excruciating, but the effect was undeniably potent.

And he truly wasn't a pervert!

Why were they looking at him like that?

"Did you sell the five-colored rope?" Lin Juan asked.

The vine-covered man remained silent.

Lin Juan turned to leave decisively: "Alright, if you don't want to talk, I won't press you. But those strange vines on you..."

"It was me!" Knowing he could no longer conceal it, the vine man threw caution to the wind. "I sold them."

Once he confessed, the rest of the story spilled out easily.

The vine man, named Sun Qiang, had seen a post on a niche foreign website two months prior. The message claimed that Lone Cry Mountain harbored a glowing vine. If harvested, mashed, and used to soak ordinary rope, it would yield a remarkably beautiful finished product.

Unemployed and with a "nothing ventured, nothing gained" mindset, Sun Qiang ventured to Lone Cry Mountain alone, hoping to earn a little money.

"After you entered Lone Cry Mountain, did you notice anything unusual?" Lin Juan, remembering the Paranormal Special Affairs Office was investigating the mountain, added the question.

"Unusual things?" Sun Qiang brushed aside the green vines obstructing his view. "Do the many strange vines, like the ones on me, count?"

Before his trip, Sun Qiang had thoroughly researched Lone Cry Mountain online. Feeling fully prepared, he also connected with several interested individuals on the niche website and arranged to meet at the mountain's base.

"You had accomplices?" a superpower holder couldn't help but interject. "Where are they?"

Sun Qiang: "I'm not sure. We lost contact after coming down the mountain."

Lin Juan: "Don't interrupt him. Continue—what happened after you went up the mountain?"

Sun Qiang: "I remember the weather was perfect that day—bright sunshine, clear skies. But as soon as our group gathered at the foot of Lone Cry Mountain and entered, the weather suddenly shifted."

Dark, swirling clouds quickly obscured the sun, plunging the landscape into twilight.

Sun Qiang's group consisted of five people. Besides him, the other four appeared to be together. They wore similar attire and strange, concealing masks. Judging by their physiques and voices, they seemed to be four robust men.

Traveling with such a group made Sun Qiang uneasy.

"That mountain was peculiar. Typically, mountains are covered with diverse trees, but on Lone Cry Mountain, the higher we climbed, the sparser the trees became. Instead, vast expanses of vines blanketed the ground, leaving almost no foothold."

"The four men produced bottles and jars, donned gloves, and picked some vines to put inside. I also wore gloves. While picking, the sap from the broken green vines seeped through my gloves and onto my hands."

"The affected areas burned and itched. I had a premonition that something was wrong and didn't dare pick too much. Just then, I noticed something glowing within a vine-wrapped area."

"The light was faint in the dim surroundings but impossible to ignore. I walked directly towards it, parted the green vines, and saw the glowing slender vines within."

"At that moment, I knew—this was the true subject of the niche website's post."

"Overjoyed, I disregarded the stinging pain in my hands, my torn gloves, and clothes. Like one possessed, I collected those glowing slender vines."

"I gathered so many, so many, that all the bags I brought were full, and I still didn't stop."

Here, Sun Qiang paused.

After a moment of silence, Lin Juan prompted: "And then?"

"Then..." A flicker of confusion crossed Sun Qiang's eyes. "I don't know. I think I blacked out. When I woke up, I was already back in my rental room. If it weren't for my bags full of glowing vines, I would have wondered if the trip to Lone Cry Mountain was just a dream."

"Clearly, it wasn't a dream," Lin Juan stated.

Sun Qiang: "It wasn't."

Lin Juan: "You knew something was amiss. Why did you still follow the website's instructions and sell the glowing vines as five-colored ropes?"

"For money!" Sun Qiang's face contorted with ferocity. "My landlord wanted to raise the rent! He knew I was unemployed and broke, yet he still took advantage of my misfortune!"

When rent was due, Sun Qiang was penniless. The landlord, leaning impatiently against the doorframe, declared: "Sun Qiang, I've already given you a month's extension. You can't keep delaying rent forever. I have my own life to live—my daughter is getting married, and I need to prepare her dowry. If you truly can't pay, then just move out."

Sun Qiang stood rooted, his hands unconsciously clenching at his sides.

"Don't blame me for being heartless. If you weren't a long-term tenant, I'd raise your rent by at least three hundred a month. If I rented it to someone else, I could get five hundred more. I won't pressure you for the month you owe—you can pay me whenever you find a new job and have money."

Moving out now was impossible; Sun Qiang's meager funds wouldn't cover rent elsewhere. Swallowing his anger, he pleaded with the landlord for more time.

After the landlord left, he sat at the table for a long time. Finally, he rose and retrieved the large bag hidden under his bed.

He thought: *I'm barely surviving myself, why should I care if this thing is safe or if it'll even sell? Who knows if it will work out?*

He revisited the niche website he had stumbled upon.

It was dark, the room lights off, with only the computer screen casting a faint blue glow.

Sun Qiang sat before the computer, focused, meticulously noting each step. He didn't notice the green, leaf-like growths emerging on parts of his body.

When he stopped, the leaves swiftly retracted.

Following the website's instructions, he mashed the glowing vines. As he did, the oozing sap resembled dark red blood flowing from a body—unnervingly grotesque.

*Could this really sell?*

A wave of doubt washed over Sun Qiang.

But, having come this far, there was nothing to lose by trying.

He took out the ropes he had bought earlier, soaked them in a bucket, and sealed it with a lid.

They needed to soak for three days.

On the third day, he opened the bucket. The liquid had evaporated, leaving the ropes shimmering and vibrant—irresistibly appealing to potential buyers.

Coincidentally, the Dragon Boat Festival was approaching.

Sun Qiang registered a small shop on a shopping app and tentatively listed the special five-colored ropes.

Then, he hired several university students seeking part-time work to advertise them at their schools.

To emphasize the uniqueness of the five-colored ropes, he set a high price as an experiment. After all, the schools where he advertised were never short of wealthy students.

Things progressed smoothly. He quickly earned his first substantial sum; just a few sales covered a month's rent.

He personally visited the landlord, paid the rent, and, to express his "gratitude," presented him with four five-colored ropes.

Just enough for the landlord's family of three and the new son-in-law to wear.

Seeing the iridescent five-colored ropes, the landlord was indeed delighted, and Sun Qiang was equally pleased.

Lin Juan interrupted Sun Qiang, who was lost in recollection: "How long has it been since you gave the five-colored ropes to the landlord's family?"

Startled by the abrupt interruption, Sun Qiang felt annoyed. However, having witnessed Lin Juan's formidable power, he dared not act rashly and suppressed his anger: "About ten days or so."

Lin Juan: "Where is the landlord's family now?"

Sun Qiang: "I don't know. On the third day after I gave the landlord the five-colored ropes, strange green vines started growing on my body. At first, I could hide them with clothes, but eventually, they became impossible to conceal. Fearing I'd be seen as a monster, I didn't dare leave the house anymore."

When Sun Qiang first discovered the bizarre vines growing on his body, he was terrified. He frantically tried to tear them off, but they seemed to be rooted in his flesh and blood—no matter how hard he pulled, they wouldn't budge.

The strange vines were severed.

Sun Qiang persisted, cutting off several more. But before he could rejoice, new vines sprouted, even more numerous and resilient than before.

Watching the strange vines multiply uncontrollably on his body, Sun Qiang panicked. He repeatedly sent private messages to the forum poster. Finally, on the seventh night, he received a reply.

The reply instructed him that on the tenth day after selling the five-colored ropes, he needed to retrieve and consume the worn ones to alleviate his symptoms.

Sun Qiang was desperate. The rampant vines severely impacted his life. Sometimes he would "plant" himself on the balcony to bask in the sun. His dietary preferences also changed; he craved raw food, not eating with his mouth, but using the strange vines to ensnare and devour.

He was increasingly becoming a monster.

Sun Qiang couldn't bear it and decided to try this last resort. But when he resolved to retrieve the five-colored ropes, he was horrified to discover that their abnormality had already been noticed. Almost all the ropes he had sold were collected, with only a few scattered elsewhere.

"How did you know the whereabouts of those five-colored ropes?"

"I have a strange sensation; I can perceive their location and distance from me."

"So, you were lurking around us because you sensed the five-colored ropes here?" Lin Juan extended his hand, revealing the very ropes Sun Qiang had been desperately searching for.

"Yes." As soon as the ropes appeared, Sun Qiang's gaze involuntarily fixed on them. His pupils elongated into vertical slits, and the strange vines on his body surged wildly towards Lin Juan.

"Mr. Lin, be careful!" The superpower holder, who had been closely monitoring them, activated his ability.

The vines paused momentarily under the attack.

Lin Juan swiftly grabbed the vines: "If you move recklessly again, I'll crush them."

He tightened his grip, and the slender five-colored ropes in his hand emitted a strained creaking sound.

"Give them to me!" Sun Qiang, now irrational, lunged at Lin Juan.

Before the superpower holder could intervene, Lin Juan deftly twisted his wrist, using the vines growing from Sun Qiang's own body to bind him tightly.

Sun Qiang, eyes bloodshot and securely bound, still wriggled towards Lin Juan.

Lin Juan stepped on his back: "Where's your contamination detector? Bring it over to test him."

The superpower holder quickly retrieved the contamination detector.

With a "beep," the contamination value instantly soared to over 400.

"How is it so high!" The superpower holder holding the detector exclaimed in astonishment.

A contamination value over 400 was higher than some Class E anomalies. At this level of mutation, humans should no longer possess self-awareness, yet when Mr. Lin produced the five-colored ropes earlier, Sun Qiang was clearly able to communicate.

The sight of the five-colored ropes had caused him to instantly lose his rationality.

"Does he still have consciousness?"

No one could answer that question.

Lin Juan approached with the five-colored ropes. The closer he got, the more agitated Sun Qiang became, his eyes filled only with an intense craving for the ropes.

"Sun Qiang just said the forum poster told him that only by eating the five-colored ropes worn for ten days could his symptoms be alleviated. Should we try it?" one superpower holder suggested.

"What if eating them worsens his mutation?" other superpower holders disagreed.

"The five-colored ropes in my hand, from the time Lu Mingxuan brought them back to the Lu family until today, have only been seven days. They don't meet the requirement," Lin Juan reminded.

Yet, in his estimation, even the seven-day-old ropes held a fatal attraction for Sun Qiang.

Perhaps time wasn't a mandatory condition.

Verifying this was simple. The Paranormal Special Affairs Office had collected many five-colored ropes. Lin Juan made a call, and soon, the roar of a helicopter echoed overhead.

Zhuang Yufeng descended, carrying a large box.

"I've brought five-colored ropes from different batches."

Some had been worn for a day, some for two days, and some were newly acquired and not yet worn.

Lin Juan took them out one by one, leaving the rest in the isolation box, and placed them before Sun Qiang.

The experiment proved that regardless of whether they had been worn, the five-colored ropes held an equal or greater attraction for Sun Qiang.

It wasn't limited by time.

Zhuang Yufeng used his superpower to examine Sun Qiang's body and confirmed that he had fully mutated, and not just recently.

"He should have completely mutated several days ago. It's just unclear how he retained human consciousness."

Zhuang Yufeng had encountered this situation in his previous life—it was contamination caused by a Class S Anomaly. The contaminated humans appeared normal but had already devolved into emotionless anomalies. The most terrifying aspect was their ability to disguise themselves, making detection impossible without special means.

Class S Anomalies weren't supposed to appear until several years later. Why were there infected individuals now? What exactly was on Lone Cry Mountain? Could it be related to the Class S Anomaly that would emerge in the future?

Countless questions swirled in Zhuang Yufeng's mind. His expression grew grave—they needed to act quickly to uncover the secrets of Lone Cry Mountain.

The vine-covered man was handed over to the Paranormal Special Affairs Office for processing. Once the culprit was identified, Director Liu immediately returned the money from the perpetrator's account.

Lu Mingxuan stared at the transfer notification on his phone in disbelief: "It actually came back."

"The perpetrator has been apprehended, so the money should naturally be returned to its rightful owner," Lin Juan said, pleased with the efficiency of the Paranormal Special Affairs Office.

"Uncle, what exactly happened that night?" Lu Mingxuan scratched his head, burning with curiosity.

That night, he hadn't intended to sleep, but somehow, a sudden wave of drowsiness overcame him, and he unknowingly drifted off. He had a nightmare he couldn't recall, and when he woke up, it was already dawn. He had completely missed the night's excitement.

"The boss who sold you the five-colored ropes secretly followed us, trying to steal them back, and was caught red-handed," Lin Juan greatly simplified the story—it wasn't entirely unrelated, but the details weren't significant.

"How could he do that?" Lu Mingxuan complained. "If he didn't want to sell them, he shouldn't have. Who sells something and then tries to steal it back? How bizarre."

"What does he take us consumers for?" Although Lu Mingxuan had never worried about money since childhood and lived a life of comfort, he found such behavior utterly unacceptable. "Those of us who bought the five-colored rope are nothing but total chumps."

Not only did they spend money, but they were also tricked into buying such a terrifying item.

The Paranormal Special Affairs Office compiled findings on the long-term effects of wearing the five-colored rope.

If removed within one to two days, it would only cause nightmares and poor sleep for a few days, without causing any substantial physical harm.

If worn for three days or more, even after removal, some effects would persist.

Specifically, starting from the seventh day, nightmares would occur. The deeper one sank into the nightmares, the higher their internal contamination levels would rise. If it exceeded the critical threshold, strange leaf-like growths would begin to appear on the body.

If worn for six days, the effects would be the same whether it was removed afterward or not.

From the seventh day onward, nightmares would occur, growing more realistic each day. Nights would be restless, and days would be spent nodding off, but as soon as one fell asleep, they would be trapped in endless nightmares.

In these dreams, they would encounter all sorts of monsters. On barren land, enormous plants would erupt from the ground, monsters would battle, and blood and flesh would spill everywhere, only to be swept up by the still leaves on the ground and completely consumed.

Every living creature on the ground became nourishment for the giant plants.

After ten days, those contaminated would begin to grow leaves on their limbs. These leaves would continuously lengthen, drawing nutrients from the human body to grow strong and healthy.

Ultimately, the parasitized humans would be completely drained by the plants growing from within their own bodies, leaving nothing but an empty husk.

Fortunately, thanks to the intervention of the Paranormal Special Affairs Office, no victims reached the final stage. Before being completely consumed, the contamination within them was purged in time. They only needed some time to recover and regain their vitality.

After a few days of rest and confirmation that his body was fine, Third Brother Lu Yanmo left the capital for Shenhai.

He took a chartered research institute flight, and that afternoon, the Lu family received news of his safe arrival.

In the evening, Lin Juan and Lu Yanzhou left work together as usual, with Lin Juan pushing the wheelchair and pressing the elevator button.

Over time, the company gradually learned that CEO Lu had personally hired an assistant, and the two were inseparable—coming and going, starting and ending work side by side. Few believed there was nothing going on between them.

But those who knew the true relationship between Lin Juan and Lu Yanzhou were very few.

Aside from Lu Yanzhou's assistants, hardly anyone in the company knew.

After all, very few within the group were aware that Lu Yanzhou was already married.

Nor did everyone have the means to know that the group's recently secured largest project had been smoothly acquired all because of Lin Juan.

Most people tended to believe that Lin Juan was Lu Yanzhou's pet canary.

A highly valued one at that.

Mainly because Lin Juan's looks were undeniable—frankly, he put current young celebrities to shame.

They had discussed privately more than once whether CEO Lu would send him into the entertainment industry. With a face that gorgeous, even without any particular talent, they would become fans based on looks alone.

Lin Juan's presence in the company wasn't limited to the top-floor office. To check if anyone was secretly causing trouble at Lu Corporation's headquarters, he had covered every floor and inadvertently walked through every corner.

No signs of pollution were found.

As he moved around, more people saw him, and those unaware grew curious. When had such an employee joined headquarters, and why had they heard zilch about it?

As rumors spread, they finally learned that Lin Juan was the new assistant working on the top floor, which explained why they had never seen him at a regular desk.

Lin Juan and Lu Yanzhou never made any effort to hide their coming and going together from the company, so it was only a matter of time before employees noticed.

Later, everyone generally assumed that the new assistant was likely CEO Lu's pet canary.

Of course, this speculation ended this evening.

Li Senior's son, having heard from somewhere that his father had been maliciously fired by CEO Lu, rounded up a bunch of people to ambush them. As soon as Lu Yanzhou and Lin Juan appeared on the first floor, they were surrounded.

"CEO Lu, I just want an explanation for my father."

A large group of burly grown men closed in on them, creating a visually intimidating sense of pressure.

"Security! Call security!"

"Call the police!"

"Mr. Li, please calm down. Let's discuss this slowly…"

The first floor erupted into chaos.

"There's nothing to discuss. Did CEO Lu ever consider this day when he dismissed my father?" Li Senior's son was relentless. His attitude made it clear he wasn't there to resolve anything—only to vent his malice.

And indeed, that was the case. After Li Senior was forced out of his position, his life took a nosedive. His son, accustomed to extravagance, couldn't stand such a life.

He became addicted to gambling.

In gambling, once you enter, there are no winners.

Li Senior's son initially tasted success and won a lot of money. Unfortunately, that was just bait to lure him into the game.

Later, he lost more and more. When he ran out of money, he put up the house. When the house was gone, he used his hands and feet as collateral. In the heat of gambling, fear didn't register, but when the knife was at his neck, he finally felt afraid.

Tears and snot streamed down his face.

Li Senior's son got on his knees and begged, promising to do anything as long as they didn't cut off his hands or feet, swearing he would win back everything next time.

What gambling den would ever believe the words "win it back"?

Just as the knife was about to fall on his arm, someone interrupted.

A man in a mask asked if he was willing to take revenge on the person who had ruined his family. If so, he could temporarily help repay the debt and lend him muscle for retaliation.

Li Senior's son agreed without hesitation.

Thus, today's supposed "quest for justice" came about.

His real goal wasn't to seek justice but to use the people provided by that man to get into the company and make Lu Yanzhou pay.

Why should Lu Yanzhou live on top of the world while he had to hide like a rat in the gutter?

The thought of what Lu Yanzhou was about to endure made Li Senior's son's eyes gleam with excitement.

What a show that would be to drag the golden boy down into the mud!

But he never expected that as soon as his men moved, the beautiful young man pushing Lu Yanzhou's wheelchair made his move.

He moved too quickly. Before anyone could react, he had taken out all the men brought by Li Senior's son.

"Thud, thud"—the sound of bodies hitting the floor became the soundtrack.

In an instant, a group of groaning, muscular men lay scattered on the floor.

The only one still standing was Mr. Li's son, completely stunned.

What just happened? Wasn’t it supposed to be President Lu and the pretty-faced guy behind him getting beaten up? How did it turn out the opposite?

The company security guards, who had rushed over, and the employees already on the first floor were all bewildered.

Had they missed something? How did the tough-looking men end up on the ground howling almost instantly?

Then, looking at the long-haired young man who patted his hands and stepped back to his position behind President Lu’s wheelchair, everyone was stunned:

What President Lu had raised was no canary—it was a golden eagle.

So badass, such a fighter.

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Author's Note: Thank you, dear readers, for your support. This is a bonus chapter for surpassing a thousand nutrition points [throws confetti].