Chapter 37

After waiting a few days, Sang Huaiyu finally got a reply from Shi Yu.

A familiar profile picture flashed on his phone screen.

“Uh, boss, are you busy?”

“I’ve thought it over.”

A sneaky shark head emoji appeared on the screen.

Sang Huaiyu didn’t really understand humans’ cartoon taste. Among the deep-sea creatures he had seen before, sharks even looked a bit ugly.

This shark avatar looked very silly, but after staring at it for a while, it actually seemed kind of cute.

He lowered his eyes and typed calmly by the window of the Superhuman Association:

“Not busy.”

“I’m planting flowers.”

Sang Huaiyu paused, then casually sent a photo of the windowsill in his temporary office.

Shi Yu opened it and looked. Since most indoor decorations were similar, he didn’t recognize it as the Superhuman Association he had visited once.

He even had time to like the boss’s flower planting hobby.

As expected, rich people loved this kind of atmosphere — planting flowers, pulling weeds, and so on.

Shi Yu nodded sincerely: “Boss, you’re really amazing.”

This “amazing” was really praise for the boss’s money power!

Sang Huaiyu didn’t know Shi Yu’s hidden meaning. He raised an eyebrow and after some small talk, Shi Yu finally got to the point:

“Boss, if you have time now, can you look at this contract?”

“Sorry to bother you, I can only ask you. I already signed part of it.”

After a slightly embarrassed tone, Shi Yu sent over the new electronic contract.

Sang Huaiyu clicked to open it and saw Shi Yu’s lively handwriting. He read it carefully.

Even without reading closely, he could tell what was inside, but since he was now… Shi Yu’s boss, he took it seriously.

After answering Shi Yu’s questions, Sang Huaiyu patiently waited. No other platform boss would be this detailed. Not every boss cares so much about their streamers.

But Shi Yu was an exception.

Sang Huaiyu was willing to give this human, who stood out to him, some special treatment.

Shi Yu didn’t know what the non-human boss was thinking.

After asking his last questions, Shi Yu finally relaxed — no problems.

“I’m ready now. Thank you, boss.”

Sang Huaiyu: “Mm.”

“I’ll send the contract to the platform manager. A paper copy will be mailed to you later.”

“Okay, thank you, boss,” Shi Yu replied obediently and sent a cute emoji.

Sang Huaiyu squinted, looking at that ugly shark head, fingers twitching a bit.

Suddenly he remembered that afternoon when he saw Shen Yan and Han Chuyi’s situation on the livestream…

His eyes darkened under his white silk.

Shi Yu waited for a while, thinking the boss wouldn’t reply, but just before logging off, the boss suddenly typed:

“By the way, don’t trust people online too much.”

Especially… Shen Yan and Han Chuyi.

“Who knows who really controls those fake accounts, right?”

Hmm? Did the boss know something?

Was he talking about the big spenders on the donation list?

Shi Yu was a little stunned, feeling this sentence had a hidden meaning. He didn’t expect the boss to warn him and was a bit surprised.

Usually, bosses on livestream platforms don’t care about this stuff. They just want streamers to earn more.

But the boss’s attitude seemed different from other platforms.

Shi Yu thought for a moment and said:

“I understand, boss. Don’t worry. If anyone privately asks to meet me, I definitely won’t go.”

That should be good enough, right?

On the other side, the boss was satisfied and smiled.

“Mm, if you need anything, you can always contact me.”

The conversation ended there, and the boss finally logged off.

Shi Yu blinked and for a moment thought this big boss seemed quite friendly, not like those big CEOs who act very distant.

But he still couldn’t easily trust others—who knows what they really want.

And that last warning…

Who exactly are the people on his ranking list?

Shi Yu looked suspiciously at the tip ranking on his live stream backstage, feeling confused.

Meanwhile, the manager at the Maogu platform was stunned after receiving a brand new A-level contract. They didn’t understand why this contract came suddenly.

But since it was ordered from above, they had to arrange it carefully. The manager swallowed his doubts and arranged the mailing smoothly, giving a nod to Old Zhu in the food section to work well.

Zhu, who only knew this contract was personally handled by the new boss and only given to Shi Yu, was confused. When did Shi Yu meet the new boss? Didn’t Shi Yu just notify him that day?

Zhu was puzzled but didn’t dare ask too much and forced down his curiosity.

Shi Yu waited just one day, and the new contract was ready. He told the delivery guy to leave it at the door. After the delivery guy left, Shi Yu covered his belly and sneaked out to get it.

Shi Yu thought to himself: I really look like a little thief!

He glanced at his belly, then finally looked at the file folder in his hand.

Well, at least he had the paper contract now. That was a relief.

He nodded and walked into his study, locking the contract in the drawer.

The little creature inside, who was being glared at strangely, was also curious about how this thing could make money… but since Mom didn’t show it, it just obediently waited.

Shi Yu, who had lost his temper, paused and felt this little thing looked kind of pitiful.

He looked at his belly and finally smiled a little, explaining, “You can’t read yet, so even if I showed you, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Let’s wait until you learn after a month with the prenatal education device.”

“Wah la” (baby sounds)

Mom… okay.

The baby moved a bit. Shi Yu withdrew his hand and shook his head, no longer paying more attention.

Because his belly was growing, Shi Yu stayed home these days without knowing someone was looking for him almost to madness.

The man with the horse face hiding in City B had completely gone crazy.

He had been searching for “it” for days. The new thing growing in his mind made him feel like he was two different people.

No, not people—things.

After his madness, one side of his mind wanted to go back to normal, the other was nervously searching.

He looked at his phone, but most “Gu Jin” members couldn’t be contacted anymore.

Calm down, calm down.

Who else could there be?

Wang Chenghe was caught, Feng Yun was missing, that dead crow was gone too.

The horse-faced man stared at his phone and suddenly smiled strangely. His face was serious, but the smile was weird. He didn’t even notice, like his face and mind were split in two.

Right, there was one more person.

One more person.

He looked at the gray icon on his phone and smiled, sending a message to “The Pickpocket.”

In the busy city center, a short, thin, worn-out man was walking in an alley when he saw the contact notification on his phone.

“Ma?”

Why was “Ma” suddenly contacting him?

Because “Ma” had lost control before and called them all back to Orange Flower Road, causing some to get caught. Though no one said it openly, the other “Gu Jin” members who were not caught felt secretly upset with “Ma.”

They were about to leave, why come back now?

Peng Ba frowned and didn’t reply. But minutes later, “Ma”’s icon popped up again.

Peng Ba looked down and his face darkened.

“Where?”

He replied coldly.

After a while, a map appeared on the phone.

It showed Yunxiao Mall.

“Ma” was still nearby.

Even in the basement where they first met!

Wasn’t he afraid of being found?

Peng Ba thought, realizing in just a few days he no longer understood “Ma.” Thinking of what “Ma” had done to him, Peng Ba put on a cold face and decided to pretend to go, to see what “Ma” wanted.

On the other side, just as Shi Yu was about to open his computer, he sneezed lightly.

“Achoo.”

Who was talking about him?

He touched his nose, suspecting he caught a cold.

“Wah la”

Cold?

Mom… take care and rest…

The little creature heard mom might be sick and became worried.

“Okay, got it.”

Shi Yu said casually, lowering his head.

But the little creature wasn’t satisfied, and Shi Yu smiled bitterly.

He didn’t care about small things like this, but hearing the creature’s noises, he went to the medicine cabinet and took out a thermometer.

“Alright, let me check.”

A few minutes later, the thermometer showed 36.2°C.

No fever.

Probably just a slight chill.

He didn’t mind and made himself a cup of hot brown sugar water, then sat back down.

“Fish Treasure is streaming.”

“Why drinking brown sugar water today?”

Someone in the chat noticed and asked.

Shi Yu glanced at them: “A bit cold, this helps me feel better.”

He just said that when he suddenly thought of what the big boss said about netizens… He looked again at the tip ranking.

Today, the number two big donor and the number one game expert didn’t come.

Shi Yu didn’t think much at first, but now his mind started guessing who those two were. For some reason, from the fight on the yacht that night, he felt those two knew each other in real life.

His mind ran wild with strange guesses, but luckily someone in the chat asked what to eat today, so he took a deep breath and stopped, looking away.

“Okay, today let’s try making roast duck.”

The live stream continued. After Shen Yan returned from the hospital, he planned to log in and rest while watching the stream, but suddenly got a call from the Psychic Association.

“Doctor Shen, just now a strange tip-off call came in.”

A strange tip-off call?

Shen Yan frowned: “What was reported?”

“Where was the call from?”

Ordinary citizens didn’t know the Psychic Association number. Usually, tips came from patrols. Only those who had contact with the Association had the number.

Shen Yan paused taking off his coat.

Zhao Wen’s expression was odd: “Gu Jin.”

“The caller said there is a clue about the leader of ‘Gu Jin.’”

“But the person hung up after saying that and didn’t call again. We don’t know who the caller is.”

A stranger calling with info on the “Gu Jin” leader? Very strange.

Shen Yan pressed his forehead: “Got it.”

“Keep the caller on the line, I’m coming.”

Zhao Wen nodded: “By the way, Han Chuyi is at the Association now and said he wants to join this case.”

Should they let him join?

Shen Yan didn’t expect Han Chuyi to be there but didn’t stop him. Going downstairs, he said: “Let him track that call and find out where it came from.”

“Does he need to be told?”

Shen Yan had just hung up when Han Chuyi already started tracking the call. But the caller was careful, using a disposable SIM card and destroying it after calling.

Han Chuyi tracked the card to the store that sold it.

He frowned, surprised the other side was so cunning.

Because of the mysterious attitude after the call, he and Zhao Wen thought the caller was not a normal informant, maybe even linked to “Gu Jin.” Otherwise, they wouldn’t keep the location secret to tease them.

He took his fingers off the keyboard and looked at the time.

“The caller will probably call again tonight.”

Such guiding calls don’t stop randomly. Before achieving their goal, they will call again.

One hour passed, and the call came again.

Zhao Wen looked at the phone, signaled Han Chuyi, and when Han was ready, answered again.

But the call hung up immediately.

The phone kept calling and hanging up like teasing them.

Han Chuyi tapped the phone: “Same SIM card company.”

“But this time slower. I found the area.”

“South district.”

Still too big a range. South district in B city is big with many routes, hard to pinpoint.

Though annoyed, they had to wait patiently.

After the call, Peng Ba broke his SIM card again and changed location.

Thanks to his strange ability, he was probably the best hidden among several people. Even when he brushed past others, no one noticed anything wrong.

Peng Ba put on his hat and quietly arrived at Yunxiao Mall. But he waited at the entrance for a while and didn’t contact “Ma” right away. Instead, he clicked on his phone a few times.

Before coming, he already thought that reporting “Ma” to the Ability Users Association was his best choice for now.

“Ma” definitely had bad intentions in calling him this time.

They were all fusers and not good people. Peng Ba would never underestimate the maliciousness of his kind. But although “Ma” had some leverage over him, he also had backup plans.

When he went inside, he would pretend to obey “Ma” first. Once the control was lifted, he would make his move.

Peng Ba’s thin face looked dark. He looked up at Yunxiao Mall under the night sky for a moment, then glanced at his phone with an unreadable expression.

“I’m here.”

After sending the message, he quickly got a reply:

“Go straight to the basement.”

Peng Ba adjusted his phone and put it in his clothes. Pretending nothing was wrong, he calmly walked into the mall basement.

The basement looked the same as a week ago, except maybe the group there had changed. In just a week, more than half of them had disappeared.

He thought about this as he entered and saw no one there, feeling a bit strange. Suddenly, a hoarse voice sounded behind him.

“Are you looking for me?”

The voice made his body freeze.

Peng Ba turned his head and saw “Ma” with a pale face slowly walking out from the shadows of the dim basement.

Before, “Ma” had stayed in the shadows, so Peng Ba hadn’t noticed. Now that he stepped out, Peng Ba realized how much “Ma” had changed.

In just a week, “Ma” who was once a normal fuser barely looked human now.

His head seemed cracked and tilted in the middle, and countless green sprouts grew on his face.

Even Peng Ba, who had seen many bloody scenes, was shocked and a chill rose in his heart.

“Scared?” Ma Wuyang smiled, “Don’t worry, it’s just a little fusion mistake.”

He spoke lightly, but Peng Ba couldn’t be so relaxed. Seeing “Ma” talk like before, he naturally said, “Haven’t seen you for a while. Glad you’re okay.”

“You said you have a way to leave the city?”

Now every checkpoint had Ability Users Association people, so it was hard to leave easily. But “Ma” said he had a way. Peng Ba didn’t know if it was true but had to go along.

Ma Wuyang nodded, “Of course.”

“If we break through and our power surpasses those busybodies in the Ability Users Association, we can go anywhere we want, right?”

Maybe because he hadn’t spoken so much in a long time, “Ma’s” face looked a bit strange. The splitting on his face looked worse when he talked.

“Surpass the Ability Users Association?”

The highest level recorded there was probably SSS level.

Peng Ba was S level. He didn’t know “Ma’s” level but guessed SS level.

Humans couldn’t grow like strange creatures by devouring others. After fusion, their power levels were almost fixed. How could it rise so fast in such a short time?

Peng Ba thought “Ma” was crazy, talking nonsense.

Ma Wuyang knew what Peng Ba thought. Half of his mind screamed with pain and fear. The other half seemed uncontrolled, searching for “it,” watching his own actions coldly.

The split thoughts made his expression stranger.

Peng Ba stepped back and forced a dry laugh, “Don’t joke.”

“By the way, why no news from Feng Yunzhen lately?”

Hearing Peng Ba try to change the topic, Ma didn’t expose him. He smiled and went to a corner, opening a hidden wall.

Watching the wall slowly move, Peng Ba looked unhappy but hesitated and pressed send.

His phone quietly blinked in his pocket. Ma Wuyang, facing away, didn’t notice.

Elsewhere, Han Chuyi saw Shen Yan arrive and was about to talk back when Zhao Wen’s phone rang again.

This time, it was not a call but a message.

“There’s a message,” Zhao Wen said looking down.

“Yunxiao Mall, basement?”

What did it mean?

“Let me see.” Han Chuyi took the phone, glanced, then squinted, “This person wants to lure us to Yunxiao Mall?”

Strange. They already checked Yunxiao Mall before and found nothing.

Could there be a problem?

Shen Yan frowned, “Check location.”

Han Chuyi checked. The location was clearly at Yunxiao Mall. The one sending the message was right there.

“Anyway, let’s go check it out.”

Han Chuyi looked at the others. Shen Yan agreed. They reported to superiors and quickly headed to Yunxiao Mall.

Back in the basement: Ma Wuyang had taken something out.

A special isolation box was pulled from the wall gap. Nobody knew what was inside.

Peng Ba felt uneasy. He flipped his left hand and silently showed a small knife.

Then Ma spoke:

“This is it.”

“When you see it, you’ll understand what I’m doing.”

Ma’s eyes only looked at the box.

He raised his left hand with dry fingers and easily destroyed Peng Ba’s knife.

Peng Ba watched helplessly.

The face opposite was no longer human but “Ma” smiled at him.

“Pick it up and put it on your eye.”

Peng Ba swallowed, looked at “Ma,” knowing he couldn’t win or escape. He had to obey and opened the box.

Inside was a surveillance stone.

Wasn’t this the one “Ma” put on the rotten butterfly before?

The doubt quickly passed. Looking at “Ma” staring motionless, as if willing to help if Peng Ba didn’t act, Peng Ba gritted his teeth and picked up the stone, preparing himself and putting it near his eye.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his eye, followed by strange itching.

“What is this?”

The stone’s strange aura had faded a lot since before, when “Ma” looked directly, it was stronger. Still, it made Peng Ba dizzy and his voice hoarse.

Elsewhere, Shi Yu was streaming live but suddenly felt his stomach twitch.

He reached out instinctively, then remembered the camera was on…

That was close, almost gave it away.

Why did the little creature move suddenly?

He frowned slightly. Since the little creature took the “Monster Code,” it had been obedient. Why scare him now?

Shi Yu kept calm, chatted a bit, took a sip, then said embarrassedly:

“Guys, I’m feeling a bit unwell, I’ll go to the restroom first.”

“We’ll continue when I’m back.”

“Okay, no rush, take your time, Fishie,” the chat waited patiently.

Shi Yu covered the camera and went to the restroom.

After locking the door, he looked down at his belly, frowning:

“What’s going on?”

“Why are you causing trouble?”

Because of the little creature’s sudden action, his voice became serious.

He thought if the little creature did it on purpose, he couldn’t ignore it!

The little creature curled inside his belly waved its tentacles. Hearing his serious tone, it thought hard.

“Uproar.”

“Uproar.”

It tilted its head, pressed its eyes on the tentacle close to his belly, trying to send feelings to Shi Yu’s mind.

Shi Yu: ???

Okay.

He struggled to understand the meaningless “Uproar” and finally got the little creature’s meaning.

His expression became strange:

“Wait, you mean someone was calling you just now?”

Thanks to his strange ability, he was probably the best hidden among several people. Even when he brushed past others, no one noticed anything wrong.

Peng Ba put on his hat and quietly arrived at Yunxiao Mall. But he waited at the entrance for a while and didn’t contact “Ma” right away. Instead, he clicked on his phone a few times.

Before coming, he already thought that reporting “Ma” to the Ability Users Association was his best choice for now.

“Ma” definitely had bad intentions in calling him this time.

They were all fusers and not good people. Peng Ba would never underestimate the maliciousness of his kind. But although “Ma” had some leverage over him, he also had backup plans.

When he went inside, he would pretend to obey “Ma” first. Once the control was lifted, he would make his move.

Peng Ba’s thin face looked dark. He looked up at Yunxiao Mall under the night sky for a moment, then glanced at his phone with an unreadable expression.

“I’m here.”

After sending the message, he quickly got a reply:

“Go straight to the basement.”

Peng Ba adjusted his phone and put it in his clothes. Pretending nothing was wrong, he calmly walked into the mall basement.

The basement looked the same as a week ago, except maybe the group there had changed. In just a week, more than half of them had disappeared.

He thought about this as he entered and saw no one there, feeling a bit strange. Suddenly, a hoarse voice sounded behind him.

“Are you looking for me?”

The voice made his body freeze.

Peng Ba turned his head and saw “Ma” with a pale face slowly walking out from the shadows of the dim basement.

Before, “Ma” had stayed in the shadows, so Peng Ba hadn’t noticed. Now that he stepped out, Peng Ba realized how much “Ma” had changed.

In just a week, “Ma” who was once a normal fuser barely looked human now.

His head seemed cracked and tilted in the middle, and countless green sprouts grew on his face.

Even Peng Ba, who had seen many bloody scenes, was shocked and a chill rose in his heart.

“Scared?” Ma Wuyang smiled, “Don’t worry, it’s just a little fusion mistake.”

He spoke lightly, but Peng Ba couldn’t be so relaxed. Seeing “Ma” talk like before, he naturally said, “Haven’t seen you for a while. Glad you’re okay.”

“You said you have a way to leave the city?”

Now every checkpoint had Ability Users Association people, so it was hard to leave easily. But “Ma” said he had a way. Peng Ba didn’t know if it was true but had to go along.

Ma Wuyang nodded, “Of course.”

“If we break through and our power surpasses those busybodies in the Ability Users Association, we can go anywhere we want, right?”

Maybe because he hadn’t spoken so much in a long time, “Ma’s” face looked a bit strange. The splitting on his face looked worse when he talked.

“Surpass the Ability Users Association?”

The highest level recorded there was probably SSS level.

Peng Ba was S level. He didn’t know “Ma’s” level but guessed SS level.

Humans couldn’t grow like strange creatures by devouring others. After fusion, their power levels were almost fixed. How could it rise so fast in such a short time?

Peng Ba thought “Ma” was crazy, talking nonsense.

Ma Wuyang knew what Peng Ba thought. Half of his mind screamed with pain and fear. The other half seemed uncontrolled, searching for “it,” watching his own actions coldly.

The split thoughts made his expression stranger.

Peng Ba stepped back and forced a dry laugh, “Don’t joke.”

“By the way, why no news from Feng Yunzhen lately?”

Hearing Peng Ba try to change the topic, Ma didn’t expose him. He smiled and went to a corner, opening a hidden wall.

Watching the wall slowly move, Peng Ba looked unhappy but hesitated and pressed send.

His phone quietly blinked in his pocket. Ma Wuyang, facing away, didn’t notice.

Elsewhere, Han Chuyi saw Shen Yan arrive and was about to talk back when Zhao Wen’s phone rang again.

This time, it was not a call but a message.

“There’s a message,” Zhao Wen said looking down.

“Yunxiao Mall, basement?”

What did it mean?

“Let me see.” Han Chuyi took the phone, glanced, then squinted, “This person wants to lure us to Yunxiao Mall?”

Strange. They already checked Yunxiao Mall before and found nothing.

Could there be a problem?

Shen Yan frowned, “Check location.”

Han Chuyi checked. The location was clearly at Yunxiao Mall. The one sending the message was right there.

“Anyway, let’s go check it out.”

Han Chuyi looked at the others. Shen Yan agreed. They reported to superiors and quickly headed to Yunxiao Mall.

Back in the basement: Ma Wuyang had taken something out.

A special isolation box was pulled from the wall gap. Nobody knew what was inside.

Peng Ba felt uneasy. He flipped his left hand and silently showed a small knife.

Then Ma spoke:

“This is it.”

“When you see it, you’ll understand what I’m doing.”

Ma’s eyes only looked at the box.

He raised his left hand with dry fingers and easily destroyed Peng Ba’s knife.

Peng Ba watched helplessly.

The face opposite was no longer human but “Ma” smiled at him.

“Pick it up and put it on your eye.”

Peng Ba swallowed, looked at “Ma,” knowing he couldn’t win or escape. He had to obey and opened the box.

Inside was a surveillance stone.

Wasn’t this the one “Ma” put on the rotten butterfly before?

The doubt quickly passed. Looking at “Ma” staring motionless, as if willing to help if Peng Ba didn’t act, Peng Ba gritted his teeth and picked up the stone, preparing himself and putting it near his eye.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his eye, followed by strange itching.

“What is this?”

The stone’s strange aura had faded a lot since before, when “Ma” looked directly, it was stronger. Still, it made Peng Ba dizzy and his voice hoarse.

Elsewhere, Shi Yu was streaming live but suddenly felt his stomach twitch.

He reached out instinctively, then remembered the camera was on…

That was close, almost gave it away.

Why did the little creature move suddenly?

He frowned slightly. Since the little creature took the “Monster Code,” it had been obedient. Why scare him now?

Shi Yu kept calm, chatted a bit, took a sip, then said embarrassedly:

“Guys, I’m feeling a bit unwell, I’ll go to the restroom first.”

“We’ll continue when I’m back.”

“Okay, no rush, take your time, Fishie,” the chat waited patiently.

Shi Yu covered the camera and went to the restroom.

After locking the door, he looked down at his belly, frowning:

“What’s going on?”

“Why are you causing trouble?”

Because of the little creature’s sudden action, his voice became serious.

He thought if the little creature did it on purpose, he couldn’t ignore it!

The little creature curled inside his belly waved its tentacles. Hearing his serious tone, it thought hard.

“Uproar.”

“Uproar.”

It tilted its head, pressed its eyes on the tentacle close to his belly, trying to send feelings to Shi Yu’s mind.

Shi Yu: ???

Okay.

He struggled to understand the meaningless “Uproar” and finally got the little creature’s meaning.

His expression became strange:

“Wait, you mean someone was calling you just now?”