Chapter 58: Intelligence
With so many tentacles working together, the task was quickly completed. A tentacle emerged from the open bedroom door, carrying a bucket to the bathroom to fetch water for the final cleaning, a fully automated process.
Xiang Er sat leisurely in the living room, sipping her coffee, watching the tentacle clumsily carrying the bucket back and forth, and, like a nagging landlord, called out:
“Make sure you wipe up any spills!”
The tentacle placed the bucket back in the room, then quickly extended again, forming a heart shape in mid-air, as if acknowledging her command.
Xiang Er smiled in satisfaction. This little worker was quite efficient. She took a sip of her coffee, its aroma rich and strong, even the cheapest instant coffee tasted better when Shen Yuhe made it.
Shen Yuhe sat beside her, fiddling with her diamond-encrusted phone.
Xiang Er also scrolled through her phone, reading the local news, and she couldn’t help but sigh:
“Are these… all within your jurisdiction?”
#Giant snake found in resident’s home, captured by zoo#
#Hospital reports escaped patient with contagious skin disease, police urge residents to report any sightings and avoid contact#
#Giant bird, a rare mutated species, sighted in residential area#
The news reports were carefully worded, but Xiang Er could read between the lines, having encountered so many monsters herself, she knew these were all monster-related incidents.
With Shen Yuhe protecting her home, there must be other people with special abilities like Shen Yuhe, fighting for humanity’s safety, protecting other places where monsters appeared, right?
Shen Yuhe looked up at the news on Xiang Er’s phone, her expression unreadable:
“Yes. These are all abnormal entities. You should stay away from them.”
Xiang Er nodded:
“I know. But… why haven’t I seen you go out and deal with them? Especially since some of these incidents happened nearby. Haven’t you received any assignments?”
Shen Yuhe was silent for a moment, then said:
“Our organization has enough personnel. Don’t worry, my mission is to protect your safety.”
Xiang Er blushed slightly, unsure if this was the truth, or just something Shen Yuhe said to reassure her, but either way, it made her happy, very happy.
If they had enough personnel, then Shen Yuhe staying here with her shouldn’t be a problem. Xiang Er glanced at Shen Yuhe, then looked down, a smile playing on her lips.
She thought for a moment, then asked:
“Is it because the thing that appeared here is the most dangerous, that’s why you have to stay here and watch me? What do you call it, containment? You’re containing the sculpture, right? That sculpture is a Devil God, isn’t it? Are Devil Gods the most powerful?”
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at Shen Yuhe, her hands wrapped around her coffee mug.
Shen Yuhe smiled, her lips curving upwards, and replied:
“It is indeed the most powerful being, It is what you humans call a Devil God.”
Xiang Er couldn’t help but gasp, although she had suspected as much, she was still surprised. What kind of luck was this, encountering a monster, and it happened to be the most powerful one, she didn’t know if it was good luck or bad.
She asked again:
“Then… how many Devil Gods, like that sculpture, are there? Does your organization know?”
Shen Yuhe smiled, her eyebrows raising slightly, her allure undeniable, as she reached out a slender hand, gently lifting Xiang Er’s chin, her voice carrying a hint of playful dominance:
“What do you think? A being like that, how many can this world handle?”
Xiang Er was speechless. How was she supposed to know? She wasn’t an expert, and besides, that slimy, black thing hadn’t exactly displayed its full power, had it?
But Xiang Er thought for a moment, then smiled, and said to Shen Yuhe, a hint of playful challenge in her voice:
“I don’t know how powerful It is, but It was quite obedient, I told It to leave, and It actually left, so doesn’t that make me the most powerful? Hahaha! I can command a Devil God, hahaha…”
She laughed, amused by her own joke. Her, someone so weak, so clumsy, so flawed, the most powerful? Don’t be ridiculous!
But to her surprise, Shen Yuhe didn’t laugh, just stared at her, her gaze deep and unfathomable, like the vastness of the starry sky.
She opened her red lips, her voice tinged with a sigh and a hint of defeat:
“You’re right.”
Xiang Er:
“Haha… huh? What did you say? How am I right?”
Shen Yuhe’s long fingers gently caressed Xiang Er’s jawline, her touch cool and delicate, like stroking silk and brocade, her eyes fixed on Xiang Er, as she whispered:
“You… are the most powerful, able to command a Devil God…”
Her voice trailed off, the unspoken words lingering in the melancholic smile on her lips, her beautiful fingers lingering on Xiang Er’s cheek, reluctant to leave.
Xiang Er reached out and placed her hand on Shen Yuhe’s, not to stop her, but simply to touch her, the simple contact bringing her comfort and reassurance.
She sighed and said:
“But I… I’m just an ordinary person? It was just a joke.”
Then, a thought struck her, and she opened her eyes, her hand firmly gripping Shen Yuhe’s, pressing her fingers against her cheek.
She said:
“If… if that Devil God ever comes back, you mustn’t fight It, you can’t defeat It! It wants me, don’t get involved, okay?”
Shen Yuhe’s expression was complex, and she didn’t answer.
Xiang Er’s gaze was serious, fixed on her:
“Promise me, or I won’t share my intel on the Devil God.”
Shen Yuhe:
“Oh? What intel do you have?”
Xiang Er:
“It has weaknesses too…”
Shen Yuhe finished her sentence:
“Its weakness… is you.”
Xiang Er froze:
“Huh?”
Shen Yuhe stared at her intently.
Xiang Er’s mind raced, wanting to argue, but she realized… she couldn’t.
The apartment was quiet, except for the sounds of cleaning coming from the guest room, and the howling wind outside, the cold of winter approaching, accompanied by the rustling of falling leaves.
The apartment wasn’t very warm, and Xiang Er shivered slightly, thinking that if her weakness truly was Akhe’s weakness… then perhaps Its obsession with her was even stronger than she had imagined.
Perhaps the Devil God would come back for her, and the scenario she had just described might actually happen.
But why?
If that happened, could she stop Shen Yuhe from throwing herself into a suicidal battle? And could she bear to watch Shen Yuhe be devoured by the Devil God, sacrificing herself to save her?
She couldn’t… she couldn’t think about it anymore, her head was starting to ache.
Xiang Er suddenly thought that perhaps she should distance herself from Shen Yuhe, if they weren’t so close, then the things she feared wouldn’t happen… But how could she possibly do that?
She looked at Shen Yuhe, her touch so gentle and affectionate, and if her eyes were a lake, Xiang Er would have gladly drowned in them… She couldn’t escape.
Just then, several small tentacles emerged from the guest room, one of them curling up and tapping Xiang Er’s shoulder.
Xiang Er turned, and the small tentacle gestured towards the room.
Shen Yuhe smiled and said:
“It wants you to go in and inspect its work.”
Xiang Er stood up, pushing aside her worries, and entered the guest room. It was surprisingly clean and tidy, the small eyeball had done a good job, the closet doors open, the clothes neatly organized, the torn bedding gone, replaced with a fresh set.
Somehow, it even knew how to put on a duvet cover, something Xiang Er herself always struggled with.
The small eyeball was perched on the desk, its round body supported by four tentacles, another tentacle extending from its back, swaying gently.
Xiang Er looked at it, the sight strangely endearing.
Shen Yuhe’s voice, soft and amused, said:
“It’s imitating your favorite animal.”
Xiang Er, puzzled, asked:
“It’s… imitating a puppy?”
Shen Yuhe:
“Perhaps? Don’t you think it’s… cute?”
The small eyeball, hearing this, immediately widened its eye, its red pupil filled with anticipation, the tentacle mimicking a tail wagging even more enthusiastically.
Xiang Er could only say:
“You did a good job, keep up the good work, okay?”
The small eyeball, its tentacles mimicking a puppy’s paws, walked in a circle on the desk, then sat down facing Xiang Er, its posture one of proud accomplishment, waiting for praise.
Xiang Er:
“…”
Wait, how had a small monster become a puppy, where was its monstrous dignity?
She looked away, unable to bring herself to praise the small eyeball, she wasn’t used to it.
Then she noticed the problem. The broken windowpane hadn’t been replaced, although the shards of glass had been cleaned up.
Shen Yuhe, as if reading her mind, said:
“How do we fix this window?”
This was Xiang Er’s area of expertise. As a socially awkward orphan, no matter where she moved, she always made sure to locate the nearest repair shops, so she could easily find someone to fix things when they broke.
Xiang Er, scrolling through her phone, said:
“There are a lot of hardware stores around here, I’ll see if I have their number… wait, I don’t think I saved their number. Never mind, I’ll go downstairs and ask someone to come up.”
Shen Yuhe nodded:
“Then let’s go together, and we can have dinner, and… do something fun. I’ve always wanted… a normal date, with you.”
“A date? Ah… okay, that sounds good, I don’t want to order takeout again… I know a good place nearby, perfect for friends to eat together… we can go there, and then have some milk tea afterwards…”
As she spoke, Xiang Er’s face flushed, had she just agreed to a date? Did Shen Yuhe mean it in that way?
Shen Yuhe raised a hand, interrupting her:
“I want… a restaurant suitable for a couple’s date.”
The words hung in the air, and the room fell silent.
Xiang Er froze, her face as red as a camellia, caught off guard. She wanted to look at Shen Yuhe, to see her expression… but she couldn’t turn her head.
She could feel Shen Yuhe’s warm hand on the back of her neck, like a snake, gently caressing her skin, a lingering touch.
The hand moved to her throat, and Xiang Er shivered, her voice dreamlike:
“Then, then let’s… let’s go.”
Xiang Er looked straight ahead, her face and neck burning, a thin sheen of sweat on her skin. She felt the touch on her neck change, as if… as if Shen Yuhe had pressed her nose against her skin, inhaling her scent, the sweet fragrance filling the air.
Xiang Er suddenly worried, would she bite her? It felt like she was savoring the aroma of food, or the bouquet of fine wine.
If she didn’t bite, would she kiss her neck?
Just then, a thin, black tentacle, seemingly from nowhere, wrapped around Xiang Er’s wrist. The next second, the small eyeball launched itself through the air, landing on her wrist with a “splat.”
It raised its red pupil, swiveling it towards Xiang Er, its tentacle tail wagging excitedly, its message clear: I want to go too! Take me with you!
Xiang Er:
“…”
It was just a self-propelled cleaning ball! What did this have to do with it?!
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