EM CH21

Chapter 21: Extra Tutoring

“An intern assessment meeting?” Clutching his backpack, Yu An scrutinized the delinquent youth passing before him alongside two severed hands poking out from the zipper to sneak peeks.

Flame patterns were tattooed across both of the youth’s arms, radiating a scorching, volatile presence. Centered on him, a wave of sweltering heat dispersed outward, distorting the very air that brushed his skin. He wore white athletic sneakers whose soles pressed against the tiles like red-hot branding irons; wherever he trod, the floor melted into footprints that even began to smolder with flame.

Without question, the basketball jersey and sneakers he wore were an outfit possessing special effects, just like the Pure Black Hood. In all likelihood, he was also a Vessel capable of embedding cores.

“Couldn’t be a competitor, could he? Looks pretty formidable,” Yu An muttered to himself.

“Get whatever is pressing on my face off me! You’re using me as padding in your bag, and you keep stuffing things inside.”

While Yu An was spacing out, a woman’s disgruntled cry piped up from the bottom of the backpack.

“Oh. Miss Bo.” Yu An fished out the folded beauty standee from the bag. “I forgot about you. No worries, we’re at the Peeping Eagle Bureau right now. Handing you over to the police in a moment will make you much more comfortable.”

Hearing this, the paper face went pale with terror, lowering her voice: “Don’t! I truly never did anything! Someone locked me inside Xiliu Beauty Salon. If I didn’t follow their demands, they would abandon me forever on that ruined pedestrian street.”

“Who are they?”

“I’ll tell you once we get out of here.”

Yu An thought for a second: “I don’t really care to know either.” He stuffed Miss Bo back into the backpack and zipped it shut.

The crisp clicking of heels against the floor echoed down the hall. Officer Ye walked briskly over, bringing a cool breeze in her wake. Seeing Yu An, she nodded slightly and invited him into her office, where Officer Timon handed him a glass of water.

“Thank you for your hard work last night.” The expression hidden beneath Officer Ye’s black mask had softened considerably. “Following emergency resuscitation, Mr. Zhou is out of danger and has been transferred to a regular ward.”

“Yeah.” Detached, Yu An stared at the tips of his shoes.

“During resuscitation, Mr. Zhou regained consciousness several times, indicating in his delirium that he wanted to see you.”

“See me? No need. I don’t require thanks.”

“Here is the address. Once Mr. Zhou’s condition fully stabilizes in a while, pay him a visit.” Officer Ye slid a card across to Yu An.

“…” Such a hassle. Yu An had no choice but to accept it.

“I have a few questions.” Yu An suddenly lifted his eyelids. “Did you catch Bao Si in Xiliu Beauty Salon?”

Nurse Bao Si, who had gone missing from Guxian Hospital and was suspected of conspiring with the security guard to smuggle the patient, had remained unaccounted for.

Officer Ye raised an eyebrow slightly: “How did you know?”

“I saw an index finger resting on the sterile tray carried by the consultant from Room 701.” Slumping in his chair with his hands in his pockets, Yu An swung his feet idly. “Based on the salon’s mechanism of borrowing organs for cosmetic surgery, the client in Room 702 was definitely missing an index finger. Didn’t the nurse who fled Guxian Hospital have an index finger bitten off by the goat-headed man?”

“Indeed, it was her. She is currently in the interrogation room.” Officer Ye rested her clasped hands on the desk. “However, her actions are insufficient to pursue criminal liability, so she will be released shortly.”

Yu An continued: “When Xiliu Beauty Salon performs cosmetic procedures on clients, the payment demanded is always an organ brought back within seven days. Only clients who fail to produce the organ within the deadline are assigned the task of abducting an obese patient.”

“This proves Nurse Bao Si had visited Xiliu Beauty Salon once before and underwent some procedure, but couldn’t afford the fee, so she was forced to kidnap Mr. Zhou. I strongly suspect she committed a much larger crime previously, and with nowhere left to turn, had her face swapped at Xiliu Beauty Salon. I think you should look for leads among other cases that occurred this month.”

Officer Ye nodded: “You possess quite the knack for investigative work. I was just arranging that very inquiry.”

“Also, regarding the green capsules you found in the salon, the lab results came back.” Officer Ye produced a specialized sealed evidence bag containing a fluorescent green capsule. “The compound inside the capsule was extracted from the ruins of the Hongli Breeding Base. When ingested by living organisms, it carries a high probability of mutating them into Aberrants. We located the identical capsules inside the digestive tract of the goat-headed man. The goat-headed man’s mutation and attack on the hospital was no accident, but the result of deliberate poisoning. That case is actively under investigation as well.”

Yu An had little interest in anything outside his mission scope. Looking out at the corridor through the window, he listened with the same detached, daydreaming posture he used during class lectures.

“Alright, that is all I have to say. Thank you for Underground Railway’s assistance. The autopsy on the goat Aberrant is complete; this is returned to you.” Officer Ye placed a cobalt blue core before Yu An: the Tier 2 Blue Goat Horns confiscated previously at Guxian Hospital.

Yu An perked up instantly, pocketing the Goat Horns without ceremony, waiting warily for Officer Ye’s next words, somewhat worried she might demand the Tier 3 Blue Eagle Wings back.

Clearly Officer Ye had no intention of nitpicking so much, making no mention of Yu An having dismantled one of their mechanical eagles.

He had judged a noble heart with petty suspicion. Yu An thought for a moment, then spoke up: “I have another suspect here: that Miss Bo Ruzhi who threw the Jiu’an pedestrian street into chaos. I’ll hand her over to you.”

As he spoke, he unzipped his backpack, pulled out Miss Bo, held one edge, and shook it downward, flicking open the folded standee: “Here she is. She claims she wasn’t the mastermind and was acting under someone else’s orders.”

Miss Bo remained completely motionless, striking a sultry pose with a fixed smile.

…

Officer Timon gave a dry chuckle: “An advertising standee?”

“No,” Yu An gave Miss Bo a shake, “Hey, stop playing dead.”

…

Officer Ye sat upright with clasped hands, thoroughly serious: “…”

“Uh.” Yu An tried to explain further, but was firmly shown the door by Officer Ye.

Leaving the Peeping Eagle Bureau through the side entrance, Yu An unfolded Miss Bo, squinting to inspect her. Miss Bo let out a shrill laugh, throwing Yu An a triumphant, flirtatious wink.

After seeing Yu An off, Timon returned to Officer Ye’s office. Leaning forward with her elbows on the desk, she asked in accented Chinese: “Was Yu An really joking? His personality is so cold, he doesn’t seem like the type.”

“He wasn’t lying. That really is Miss Bo.” Officer Ye organized the files on her desk. “To uncover who is backing Miss Bo, we can only play the long game to catch the big fish.”

“I don’t know how to fish,” Timon muttered in confusion.

“Never mind that. What on earth did you write for your self-criticism?” Officer Ye tossed two handwritten sheets onto the desk, filled with crooked Chinese characters cobbled together:

“Self-Critique:

Dear Leader, this time I made a mistake. I thought about perhaps many things. I am very regretful, not only very angry at my behavior, but also deeply realized the gravity of my mistake. I only paid attention to the safety of my commander, but I neglected that following orders is very important. I hope Commander Ye comes to the detention cell to pick me up. Demon.”

Officer Ye rubbed the bridge of her nose and shook her head. Looking up, Timon was sprawled over the desk like a giant Golden Retriever waiting for praise.

Just as Yu An was about to board the subway home, he checked his phone and found a message left by the interviewer:

“Come back to my place tonight; I’ll give you extra tutoring.”

Today was Friday, and tomorrow was the weekend. Why would he need extra tutoring?

Yu An: “[Link]: National Statutory Working Hours for Laborers…”

Boss: “Cut the nonsense and get over here right now.”

Yu An couldn’t care less. He turned off his phone and stepped into the subway station. Returning from Xiliu Beauty Salon, he had depleted a Night Mosquito core, which he could toss into the TV cabinet to trade for another diary page. He was filled with curiosity about those stories that didn’t exist in his memory banks.

Entering the station, Yu An propped a hand on the steel stair rail, preparing to slide down. Yet the moment he leaped into the air, he was caught firmly in a grasp.

Standing at the top of the stairs, Zhao Ran held a black sun umbrella in his right hand and hoisted Yu An by the scruff of his collar with his left, turning around and walking right out of the subway station.

Tucked under Zhao Ran’s arm, Yu An was hauled back to the villa.

“Your company forces overtime! That wasn’t in the contract!” Struggling furiously against the arm pinning him, Yu An finally squirmed free, leaving several muddy footprints on the entryway floor.

“You certainly read the contract in detail,” Zhao Ran pinned both of his hands, pressing Yu An against the wall to keep him from bolting. “Daring to strut through a shopping mall in broad daylight; you’ve got quite the nerve. Underground Railway operatives work with their heads on the line every day. Wandering the streets alone, someone might grab your mouth and slit your throat around any corner.”

“I didn’t show my face! I wear the Pure Black Hood on duty, so nobody can see who I am.” Yu An twisted his body with all his might, yet couldn’t break free from the hand restraining him. “I came to work, not to sell myself to you. What right do you have to detain me…”

In truth, Zhao Ran knew he was abusing his authority. Why bother getting so worked up? Yet Yu An’s stubborn, slacking attitude truly irritated him. If Yu An continued loafing around with this nonchalant posture, his entire plan would go down the drain.

With a rip, the zipper of the Pure Black Hood was accidentally pulled down, accompanied by a sound: “Meow~”

The jacket of the Pure Black Hood suit featured a zipper along the back as well. Designed specifically for human Vessels, it left room for wing-type cores; the warm jacket slipped off his shoulders, revealing the black sleeveless undershirt beneath.

A young boy’s arms often lacked the bulky traces of heavy training, their naturally streamlined contours brimming with vitality and grace instead.

Yu An turned his head, his gaze fierce enough to bite someone.

Zhao Ran held back, but couldn’t stop a laugh from slipping out: “That zipper of yours…”

“Tsk.” In a huff, Yu An zipped it back up, the tactless zipper letting out another meow.

With a dark expression, he kicked off his shoes, stomped down the hallway, and flopped onto Zhao Ran’s bed without even taking off his coat, tossing his filthy backpack up along with him, burying his face into the pillow in surrender.

Perhaps this was the reality every corporate worker had to accept: spared from the beatings of society, only to suffer the beatings of his interviewer.

Pouring a glass of juice, Zhao Ran walked into the bedroom. Peering through the cracked door, he spotted Lipu and Kaopu: one was ruffling Yu An’s hair while the other gently stroked his back, comforting him with such tender care that one would think the two of them had been the ones bullying Yu An just moments ago.

“Ahem.” Zhao Ran pushed the door open. Startled, the two hands scuttled into the shadows of the corner and vanished.

Setting the juice on the nightstand, he sat by the edge of the bed: “This year’s intern assessment meeting is vastly more complicated than previous years. If I don’t teach you beforehand, I’m afraid you’ll get hurt.”

Holding a pillow, Yu An sat up cross-legged, resting his chin on the pillow: “Go ahead.”

“There’s quite a lot of material. Find paper and a pen to take notes.”

“I’ll remember it.” Yu An drooped his eyelids lazily. “I’ve never taken notes in class.”

Helpless against him, Zhao Ran could only begin methodically: “First, the assessment meeting is divided into three parts to evaluate interns: a written exam, a strength test, and a rescue simulation. Today, I’ll cover the written exam material.”

“Let me ask first: do you have any questions about your current work?”

“Um… yes.” Yu An thought for a moment. “What does that ‘Resonance Condition’ on the Core Storage Analyzer mean? Every core has one, and every core lists it as unknown.”

“The Resonance Condition means that a core you have used has a chance of resonating with you, but it’s something that can only be found by chance, not sought. Before resonance occurs, nobody knows what the condition is; you might trigger it simply by saying a certain phrase by accident.” Zhao Ran explained patiently. The concept was tricky to articulate, and while he was still pondering how to put it clearly, Yu An had already nodded in realization:

“Like playing a video game, an unexpected action might unlock an achievement.”

Zhao Ran blinked. His comprehension really was remarkably sharp.

“That’s the idea. After resonance, the core unlocks a new ability on top of its base capability.”

“Mm… understood.” Yu An asked again, “Another thing: a silver core appeared in the Core Storage Analyzer, classified as an Illusion Chamber Species. What does that mean?”

“I explained to you earlier what an Illusion Chamber is: a space where Aberrants have devoured humans has a chance of forming an Illusion Chamber. When you crack the chamber, the space naturally drops a core, named ‘Illusion Chamber Core: [Name]’. That core is the operational heart sustaining the entire Illusion Chamber.”

“There are three categories of Aberrant Cores in total: Common Species, Illusion Chamber Species, and Aberrated Species. Most cores belong to Common Species, formed from ubiquitous everyday things, like goats or mosquitoes within your cognitive realm.”

“Illusion Chamber Species refers to cores formed inside Illusion Chambers. They might not grow inside any organism, materializing out of thin air within the chamber. Those are classified as Illusion Chamber Species.”

“Aberrated Species is the simplest to understand: anything resembling an eldritch monster, meaning objects outside human cognitive understanding that produce a core, falls under Aberrated Species.”

Growing intrigued, Yu An leaned forward: “Interviewer, have you ever seen an Aberrated Species?”

“Of course I have.” Zhao Ran took a sip of juice. “It was an Aberrant mass covered in eyes, hiding inside a seashell like a hermit crab, disguised as a scallop. The eyes blinked at different frequencies, and when they blinked, you could hear the popping of bubbles. As long as it opened its shell, you could see a human skull cradled inside its flesh: the head of his ex-boyfriend.”

“Doesn’t a scallop count as a Common Species?”

“The multi-eyed monstrosity enveloped inside is the true entity. You can consider it a monster wrapped in a seashell.”

“Oh…” Yu An looked entirely serious. “Why did it eat its ex-boyfriend?”

“Because this Aberrated Species possessed a special ability: any oath made before it had to be kept, or the person died.”

Yu An blinked: “What oath did his ex-boyfriend make?”

“He swore to love him for a lifetime, hahaha! The moment he finished the oath, he dropped dead on the spot, hahahahahaha…” Amused by his own story, Zhao Ran laughed for a good while under Yu An’s bewildered gaze.

“Ahem.” Clearing his throat, Zhao Ran resumed the lecture.

After speaking for nearly three hours, Zhao Ran’s throat ran dry. Downing three glasses of juice, he brought over paper and a pen, placing them before Yu An: “Pop quiz time. I’ll read the questions, you write the answers. Let’s see how much you remembered.”

“Let me rest a bit… I’m tired.” Sprawled on the bed, Yu An stared blankly with the pen cap in his mouth.

“You haven’t done anything.”

“My brain is working.”

“Take the quiz first; rest when you’re done.”

Leaning back in the swivel chair, Zhao Ran dictated ten questions. Ten minutes later, he collected the answer sheet.

Brilliant: every multiple-choice question was marked C, while the short-answer section read: “Giant scallop ex-boyfriend love you for a lifetime hahaha.”

“Tsk.” Zhao Ran slapped the paper onto the desk, rubbing his brow. A wasted afternoon. He had known early on that Yu An was prone to zoning out; the kid had probably spent the last two and a half hours pondering the scallop and its ex-boyfriend.

With the pen still between his lips, Yu An watched the interviewer sit in the chair with his eyes closed in long silence. Unable to resist, he reached out and poked Zhao Ran’s knee with the pen cap.

Zhao Ran ignored him.

“Angry?” Slipping off the bed in his socks, Yu An padded across the floor, leaning in close to peek at Zhao Ran’s cheek. “Interviewer, you aren’t really angry, are you?”

“Stay away from me and let me have some quiet. Go play.”

“Interviewer, I have something for you.”

Helpless, Zhao Ran opened his eyes to see Yu An fishing through his pockets, pulling out a small velvet box. Popping it open, a black stud earring rested inside.

“Interviewer, do you have pierced ears?”

Speechless, Zhao Ran pressed his lips together, staring at the pure black, circular ornament. After a long pause, he answered hoarsely: “No.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Yu An raised a leg, kneeling with one knee on the chair cushion between Zhao Ran’s legs. Leaning close, he pinched Zhao Ran’s right earlobe, aimed the sharp post at the dead center, and slowly drove it down, piercing the skin and puncturing the flesh.

The air froze, the silence absolute, leaving only the sound of two heartbeats: one tranquil as still water, like a hardened criminal raising a blade, the other wild as a tempest, feverish enough to scorch the bones within the chest.

The thudding heartbeat in his ear was the very reason Yu An pushed his boundaries.

A fine line of blood trickled from the puncture, strikingly crimson against Zhao Ran’s pale skin, running all the way down to Yu An’s fingertips, dripping from the knuckle onto the armrest of the chair.

While wandering the mall with the two pet hands, Yu An had taken a liking to this stud; it suited the interviewer’s snow-white coloring perfectly.

With a bloodstained finger, Yu An lightly flicked the flushed earlobe: “Don’t be angry, Interviewer. I can actually recite every question you covered word for word right now. Where do you want to start listening from?”