GRMFBS CH20

Zhan Yan was shocked for a full minute before barely regaining his thoughts.

His elder brother was already 25, a fully capable adult. Staying at a hotel with a romantic partner was perfectly normal.

But when did his brother start dating? And why didn’t he know about it?

With his brother’s socially anxious personality—preferring to type rather than speak to people—it seemed impossible for him to find a partner.

Wait, no, that wasn’t right. Zhan Yan patted his head. Although his brother didn’t like talking, he had no problem communicating through text. Plus, his brother was very good-looking and owned a cake shop.

Even though that cake shop rarely opened, and Zhan Yan had no idea how much money it lost every month…

No! He was getting sidetracked again! It was perfectly normal for his brother to find a partner!

But why didn’t the family know anything about it?

Could his brother have been deceived?

Still, as a younger brother, he couldn’t just go and investigate… What if it really was his brother’s romantic partner?

Zhan Yan’s mind spiraled into a storm of speculation, his gaze fixed blankly on the gossip system’s feed about his brother.

What if—just in case—he saw his brother getting framed? He’d step in to help. And if it turned out to be something he shouldn’t see, he’d immediately close the feed?

Help! Why did this kind of thing have to happen when he was the only one home? Dad and Mom being away was one thing, but why wasn’t his sister here either?

*

The Black Market.

Zhan Suiru propped one leg up and leaned back against the sofa, a floating screen open before her.

On the screen was a person wearing a mask with a fake face.

“They want to search the black market?” Zhan Suiru said nonchalantly. “That’s your problem. Why are you telling me?”

“Broker, you know I charge for my work. And I only make ‘art pieces.’“

On the other side of the screen, the black market’s manager, known as the Broker, stared intently at the display.

The screen only showed the Craftman’s chin, with occasional glimpses of crimson lips when he spoke. One leg rested over the other, the pointed tip of a polished shoe tapping the air.

Behind the sofa, another pair of legs stood neatly together.

The Craftman had been part of the black market for over a decade, and the Broker had been one of the first to notice him. Recognizing the immense value the Craftman brought, the Broker had tried to recruit him. But the Craftman was as cunning as a fox, and after several rounds of back-and-forth, their relationship became more like a partnership.

Yet, the Broker never stopped probing the Craftman.

The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau’ unusually aggressive stance this time was a perfect opportunity. They intended to search the black market, including every private room within it—a proposition the Broker couldn’t accept. The black market’s foundation rested on privacy and trust. If the Bureau were allowed to search private rooms, the market’s existence would quickly collapse.

But that didn’t stop the Broker from using this to test the Craftman. After all, the Craftman’s private room was also on the Bureau’s target list.

However, the Craftman clearly had no intention of cooperating. He refused to lift a finger, pushing everything onto the Broker.

“You really trust me, huh?” the Broker complained. “With the Bureau acting this crazy, even I’m struggling.”

“Want me to cheer you on?”

The Broker clicked his tongue. “Will you charge for that?”

The Craftman replied, “This one’s on the house.”

After several rounds of back-and-forth, the Broker got nowhere with the Craftman. The call ended.

Zhan Suiru slumped back into the sofa. “Ugh… he’s so annoying.”

Her doll-like butler promptly swapped out the silk cushion for a soft cotton one, saving the delicate fabric.

Too lazy to argue, Zhan Suiru grumbled, “Massage my head.”

The butler removed his gloves, his lifelike fingers applying just the right pressure to her temples and eye sockets. “Aren’t you worried he might cave and allow the search?”

“Of course I’m worried,” Zhan Suiru drawled. “That’s why I’m only letting them search this room.”

The door behind the curtain leading to the lounge automatically opened. Zhan Suiru stretched out her arm and snapped her fingers. The space inside the lounge folded and compressed, quickly transforming into a palm-sized toy house.

Zhan Suiru pocketed the toy house.

“I’m more afraid that even after they search, they won’t find the cause of all this chaos,” she muttered, reclining with her eyes closed. “When will this mess end? I haven’t been home in two days. I should’ve packed some buns and braised pork. The food here is inedible…”

*

Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau.

Deputy Director Ning Xi stood outside the lab, munching on a bun while waiting for results.

He’d been too busy at noon to eat lunch, so he was making up for it now.

After receiving a promising lead, they’d detected traces of the unnamed anomaly but hadn’t captured its physical form.

“This isn’t an ordinary residual trace; it seems to be left behind after the anomaly dissipated,” a researcher reported.

“So, the anomaly is already gone?” Ning Xi asked.

“According to the results, yes. This anomaly was highly unstable. Unlike previous anomalies, we suspect it was artificially created, with significant flaws, making it inherently short-lived,” the researcher explained.

If it was man-made, the lack of a name made sense.

There had always been ambitious individuals attempting to create and exploit anomalies. Ning Xi already had relevant leads on such activities.

“Good work, everyone. Take a lunch break,” Ning Xi said.

Though more analysis was pending, the most critical issue had been resolved. He hurried back to his office, still holding his bun.

Mmm… this bun was excellent. He’d have to find out where it was bought later.

“Alright,” the researchers said as they removed their protective gear.

The Deputy Director’s soup dumplings smelled so good! They’d have to head to the cafeteria and order some too!

*

Training Ground.

A group of people lay sprawled on the floor, groaning. “Captain, it’s not our fault you have to work overtime…”

Originally, after completing last night’s cleanup and overseeing operations today, Ji Yueming was supposed to go home tonight. He wouldn’t have to remain on constant standby at the Bureau.

At noon, a message from Approaching Science kept Ji Yueming stuck at the bureau.

Ji Yueming, hands wrapped in thunder, sneered, “What does this have to do with overtime? Shi Qin, why did you abandon rear support during last night’s operation? Chang Jinrong, was blue fire really necessary to handle a D-level anomaly? And you! Zou Yiwen, was the mission about competing with Shi Qin over who could eliminate more anomalies?

“It seems like you’ve all been slacking off lately. Do you need me to tighten things up for you?

“Get up! Keep training!”

The sound of thunder echoed once again in the training ground.

Nie Ling and Nie Yu, two support team members, sat on the sidelines eating dinner from their lunchboxes.

“Why is the captain being so strict?” Nie Ling whispered.

The mistakes those action team members made weren’t even real mistakes. Wasn’t it the captain himself who loved breaking formation, using big moves to take out anomalies, and competing to see how many he could eliminate?

Nie Yu, munching on a sandwich and swinging his legs, replied, “Oh, come on, do you really believe that? Someone took the captain’s soup dumplings from the fridge. Probably got hungry and didn’t want to go to the cafeteria.”

“It must’ve been one of the new recruits from the other team. None of the old members would dare.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Everyone mixes their stuff in the fridge. They probably didn’t know that this time Sister Luo specially brought the captain some food.”

*

Film Set.

Zhan Yunkai was still filming. Thanks to his exceptional efficiency with action scenes and wire work, a seven-day shoot had been nearly completed in just three days.

The director watched the footage on the monitor, sighing, “How am I supposed to edit this?”

It was all too good—he didn’t want to cut a single frame!

Zhan Yunkai was aware of the nameless anomaly incident but didn’t return, keeping an eye on things remotely. Tianshi had already been deployed by the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, so there was no need for another demon king on-site. The Wen Yao Alliance had their own people monitoring the situation.

He assigned the task to his subordinate, a black-necked crane demon. The crane was cautious and meticulous, and as a nationally protected endangered species, the worst-case scenario would be the bureau capturing him for breeding. Zhan Yunkai could always rescue him in time.

After finishing the scene, Zhan Yunkai left the set during the lunch break, planning to check in with Yun Jincheng remotely.

Outside the set, a falcon demon, Sun Feifei, perched in a tree three kilometers away, nervously watching Zhan Yunkai walk out. Her heart raced.

Falcons naturally had excellent vision, and after becoming a demon, hers was unparalleled. Even from three kilometers away, she could see every strand of her idol’s hair clearly.

Oh my gosh! He’s out! So handsome! So charismatic! He looks a million times better than on screen! I wish I could take a picture with him!

Should she transform into her human form and go over? But how should she greet him? What should she wear? What hairstyle would look best? Would he think she was bothering him? Which foot should she step with first?

Her desire for a photo with her idol won out. Gritting her teeth and stomping her foot, she hid behind the tree, transformed into her human form, and ran toward Zhan Yunkai.

“Hello, hi, I’m, I’m your biggest fan!”

Ahhh, what was she saying?!

Zhan Yunkai looked at the little demon kindly.

Sun Feifei had been lurking three kilometers away, watching the set because of her social anxiety. Zhan Yunkai’s spiritual awareness was broad, but he didn’t constantly scan a three-thousand-kilometer radius—that would be both pointless and excessive. Normally, he wouldn’t have noticed her, but her gaze was so intense that he felt it without even trying.

A little demon fan who didn’t know his true identity, only followed the crew, never tried to track him home, and was a bird demon to boot. To Zhan Yunkai, she was like a younger clan member from the feathered race who idolized him.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” Zhan Yunkai said gently.

Sun Feifei’s cheeks flushed, and her eyes sparkled.

Ahhh, her idol smiled at her! He was so handsome when he smiled!

“Can I, um, take a picture with you?” Sun Feifei asked, eyes shining.

“No,” Zhan Yunkai replied.

“Ah—” Sun Feifei drooped, pulling her arms close like a bird folding its wings in distress.

“But I can give you an autograph,” Zhan Yunkai added.

The little falcon demon’s eyes lit up instantly.

Zhan Yunkai smiled and gave her a personalized autograph.

After finding a quiet spot, Zhan Yunkai received a message from Xia Yuexian.

When Ling Yuteng’s fans had gone wild and doxxed him, Xia Yuexian had informed him. Zhan Yunkai didn’t bother dealing with it and left everything to Xia Yuexian.

Opening the message, he saw it was about the source of the leaked set photo.

The culprit was a wild little demon unaffiliated with Wen Yao Alliance, unaware of his identity. Using a natural clairvoyance ability and modern tech like high-definition remote cameras, she had taken the photos.

Over the past two days, Ling Yuteng had been photographed in several unflattering shots, all thanks to her. She was quite the fighter.

Based on the description… Zhan Yunkai glanced back. Sun Feifei was still standing there. When she saw him turn around, she jumped up and waved at him.

Zhan Yunkai: …

“If you don’t mind, I could recruit her into the Wen Yao Alliance,” Xia Yuexian suggested.

Zhan Yunkai didn’t mind. Combining demon abilities with modern technology was a rare talent.

After the chat, Zhan Yunkai set up a small hidden barrier and contacted Gong Yun, the black-necked crane demon:

“How’s the situation?”

“Almost stable. I’ll head home soon.”

He stayed with the crew because it was easier to leave for emergencies than explaining it at home. If things were settling down in Yunjin City, he could finally go home. Any longer, and everyone but the eldest—who had no sense of taste—would starve themselves thin.

“Actually, the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau just reported detecting traces of the nameless anomaly,” Gong Yun replied. “You might not be able to go home yet.”

Zhan Yunkai: …

*

At home, Zhan Yan anxiously clutched his phone. If he came across his brother’s naïve heart getting scammed on the gossip app, should he call to warn him to cut his losses? Or should he pretend not to know and save him some dignity?

Seriously! Why was he the only one home? What was up with everyone these past two days? Why were they all suddenly so busy?!