GRMFBS CH235

Customizing a private, life-sized action figure is the kind of thing where you can act as wild as you want as long as the original model doesn’t find out. Once the model discovers it, things turn terribly awkward—and having the model corner you right at your doorstep makes it infinitely more humiliating…

The territory lord boss was at a rare loss for words, resolving in silence to blacklist Ghost King Tie Lao a hundred times over.

“You…” Zhan Suiru had just managed to utter a single syllable.

The “Lin Yuan” puppet finally broke free from its restraints: “Look, I was winking at you for half a day, how could you not take the hint? Let me tell you, this guy is impossibly difficult! I barely said two words before he tied me up. Do you know how perverted he is? He said he wants every single cat in this world to have no ears and no tail—”

Zhan Suiru fell into silence once again.

The corner of Zhan Jinli’s mouth twitched upward: “I would like you to take a commission.”

Well, how could Zhan Suiru possibly refuse? For now, Ghost King Lin Yuan hadn’t raised any demands regarding her using his likeness to create a puppet with a bizarre personality, but if she turned down his commission, that might no longer hold true.

Now she understood why Ghost King Tie Lao had abruptly messaged her about Ghost King Lin Yuan’s curse abilities.

On the other end.

Gu Jiancheng received a message from Rong Sui, learning she needed to pause their discussion due to urgent business.

He continued to ponder while waiting.

Infinite was hiding too well; even the intelligence Approaching Science could dig up remained limited. However, they still had another angle to work with.

Rong Sui had branded the will of Infinite with a spiritual imprint. Although this imprint’s primary function was to restrict its ability to devour other worlds rather than act as a tracking beacon, it wasn’t impossible to brainstorm a workaround.

He and Zhan Suiru were trying to figure out this very method right now.

If they could solve this, he wouldn’t need to keep his eyes glued to Monster Doctor.

While pondering, he received another message.

Rong Sui: [I apologize, I won’t be able to look into this for the next few days.]

Ghost King Lin Yuan was rushing her too hard on the deadline, demanding the piece before the Ghost Festival. After finishing it, time would still be needed for trial testing, so she had no choice but to prioritize Ghost King Lin Yuan’s commission first and shelve their current project.

Gu Jiancheng was thoroughly displeased by Ghost King Lin Yuan’s behavior of cajoling and coercing his future sister-in-law.

Tsk, how can such a grand Ghost King be so petty?

He felt Ghost King Lin Yuan desperately needed to be ground down.

Last time they collaborated to track down leads on the butterfly bush, the two had exchanged contact info—a move Zhan Jinli bitterly regretted.

Deep Shadow: [Any news on Infinite, Monster Doctor, or the Chronicle of the World?]

The moment Zhan Jinli saw his chat window, memories of being pushed to the brink of death by Deep Shadow’s relentless grinding rushed back. He stared at the screen for several seconds, desperately unwilling to click open the message.

However, Deep Shadow was not the type to chat aimlessly when idle, and given his caliber of power, any message he sent warranted serious attention.

Zhan Jinli opened the chat interface with deep reluctance.

Oh, asking about intelligence regarding Infinite. Zhan Jinli breathed a sigh of relief. He thought Deep Shadow was trying to push him to grind again.

Lin Yuan: [None.]

Zhan Jinli replied with crisp finality.

He was hardly skilled in information-related abilities anyway.

Deep Shadow: [I’ve already asked every information-type user I know.]

Deep Shadow: [None of them have anything either.]

Zhan Jinli found Deep Shadow a bit odd. Why was he bringing this up?

Deep Shadow: [Infinite is hiding very deeply right now. Dragging this out for too long simply gives it time to recover.]

Deep Shadow: [Can you use your Fortune and Misfortune Entwined to root it out?]

Zhan Jinli: … He knew Deep Shadow reaching out never boded well! He was trying to push him to grind again!

Lin Yuan: [Fortune and Misfortune Entwined invites catastrophe.]

Zhan Jinli explained calmly.

Deep Shadow: [Can’t you transfer the catastrophe onto Infinite or Monster Doctor and the others?]

Zhan Jinli: … If I could, I would make a wish right now never to cooperate with you again for the rest of my days.

Deep Shadow: [Even just steering the direction of the “catastrophe” would suffice.]

As long as it didn’t add further hurdles to his path of love, Boss Deep Shadow feared nothing else!

Lin Yuan: [I suggest you refrain from placing your hopes on my divine ability for the time being.]

Deep Shadow: [If you refuse to use a divine ability out of fear of its side effects, then that divine ability is as good as nonexistent.]

Zhan Jinli: …

Right in the sore spot. Right now, it was far worse than nonexistent—it was inferior to not having one at all. Just remembering how Deep Shadow had exploited his divine ability as a wishing machine last time while he couldn’t even stop him left Zhan Jinli profoundly suffocated.

Deep Shadow: [Do you need my help?]

Lin Yuan: [Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I am currently working to resolve it.]

Once Wan Yan’s soul was healed, he could retrieve his demon core. With his divine ability restored to wholeness, it naturally wouldn’t be in this state anymore.

Deep Shadow: [How long will it take to resolve?]

Lin Yuan: [Uncertain. You should seek other methods instead.]

Even if I resolve it, I won’t tell you. Tell you so you can push me to grind more? Heh.

Ghost King Lin Yuan cut off the transmission. Gu Jiancheng clicked his tongue.

He had never seen such a slacker of a Ghost King. Twenty-seven years and he still hadn’t ironed out the flaws in his divine ability; who knew what he bustled about every day, even piling extra tasks onto his future sister-in-law.

Fine, he’d give Lin Yuan a bit of adjustment time; he’d circle back later to help raise Lin Yuan’s awareness of realizing his self-worth.

Gu Jiancheng decided to check in with the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau to see if they had any fresh leads.

They actually did, though none were major breakthroughs.

While an information-type user as formidable as Approaching Science possessed immense capability, working solo inevitably left blind spots. The advantage of large organizations like the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau and the Wan Yao Alliance lay in their sheer headcount, allowing coordinated teamwork and sweeping coverage.

They had recently uncovered suspected traces of Infinite and its beguiled lackeys, and were currently screening through them.

The moment Deep Shadow heard “screening,” he gave up. He’d wait until they finished their investigation.

Gu Jiancheng weighed his options and decided Approaching Science was still the most dependable.

Time to go back to pushing Approaching Science to grind.

I Just Saved the World!: [Still haven’t found any leads?]

I Just Saved the World!: [Even the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau has dug up clues.]

I Just Saved the World!: [Your speed isn’t cutting it.]

Zhan Yan had already been disciplining himself into an intense self-grind for days. While keeping the gossip strips rolling and farming information words to level up, he also had to work hard before his sister to protect Xiao Gu’s secret identity, all while searching for clues to help Xiao Gu earn favor with his brother.

He had just exited Dawn World when he noticed a direct message waiting in the forum’s backend.

Heh! All this guy knows how to do is push people to grind!

Approaching Science: [Yes, yes, yes, my speed isn’t cutting it.]

Approaching Science: [Why don’t you find someone whose speed cuts it, then?]

Complaining aside, Zhan Yan still dutifully went to poke Administrator Lingyu to ask about their findings.

No matter what, Infinite warranted the highest level of vigilance.

Administrator Lingyu: [How did you know?]

Before Zhan Yan could reply, she connected the dots.

Administrator Lingyu: [Did Deep Shadow tell you?]

Approaching Science: [Yes.]

Administrator Lingyu: [Hold on, I’ll send you a copy of the report.]

Administrator Lingyu: [[File]]

She was entirely used to this by now; there was no need to seek approval, as the Deputy Bureau Chief would agree anyway. In the beginning, Nie Yu wasn’t accustomed to it, but after a few rounds, she saw the light. Wasn’t Approaching Science essentially a powerhouse of an external asset with total initiative? He didn’t even ask for reward points anymore.

Zhan Yan accepted the file, his breath catching the moment he skimmed its contents.

Approaching Science: [Why are there so many?]

The report listed a massive swarm of persons of interest, followed by highly responsible, detailed notes outlining the reasons for suspicion. The list of suspects alone spanned over ten pages, accompanied by a slew of anomalous phenomena toward the back.

Scattered and voluminous—how many gossip strips would he have to burn through if he looked up every single one?

Nie Yu offered a considerate suggestion.

Administrator Lingyu: [You can start investigating from the back. The Bureau will work from front to back. I’ll update you daily on our progress so we don’t duplicate efforts.]

With a stifled heart, Zhan Yan accepted her advice.

Still, he desperately didn’t want to work.

He hugged Xingxing, rolling around on the bed: “Xingxing, why does something as detestable as Infinite exist in this world!”

It was all Infinite’s fault that he was forced into working overtime. Checking gossip strips was because of Infinite, rushing to level up was because of Infinite, collecting Candle Dragon’s power and searching for Di Ting’s single horn were also due to the mess Infinite made, and his entire family sporting secret identities… In short, blaming Infinite was never wrong!

Dizzied by the tumbling, Xingxing pushed him with a soft little paw.

Meow, stop messing around! It’s dinner time!

Zhan Yan set Xingxing down: “Let’s go, time to eat.”

Ah, in this cold, ruthless world of try-hards, only Dad’s cooking can comfort my wounded soul.

Brother and Sister were away today, both having signaled they would return late. Portions were set aside for them in advance, leaving only Mom, Dad, and Zhan Yan at the dining table.

Roasted pork ribs paired with roasted eggplant, rounded off with sweet snow pears stewed in fermented rice wine.

So delicious, wuwu!

After finishing dinner, Zhan Yan prepared to head upstairs to continue grinding.

“Yan Yan, why haven’t you been heading out to have fun lately?” Ji Yueming asked.

[Zhan Yunkai and Ji Yueming noticed that you have been cooped up at home recently, barely leaving your room except for workouts and meals. They are very worried about you.]

Realization struck Zhan Yan. Oh, right. During past holidays, he was always out doing internships or attending events; this break, ever since returning home, he had basically stayed holed up in the house aside from that one family movie outing. Even though it was because he was bogged down with an endless list of tasks, his parents had no way of knowing that.

“I just finished a three-month internship and only got home a few days ago,” Zhan Yan improvised an excuse swiftly. “In a couple of days, the Dawn Continent game is attending an expo, and Sister and I agreed to go together.”

This excuse temporarily persuaded his parents.

Back in his room, Zhan Yan released a troubled sigh. This excuse would work for the moment, but it wouldn’t carry him through an entire break. Mmm… should he stay somewhere else later on? But where could he go? What excuse could he use?

Go find Xiao Gu? Hmph, no way. Xiao Gu was starting to push him to grind again; he definitely wasn’t going over there. Xiao Gu’s stamina was terrifyingly boundless, resting neither day nor night. If he went over, he’d have to accompany Xiao Gu during the day and log into the Approaching Science persona at night to match his grind—how was he supposed to survive?

He’d figure it out when the time came. Over these past two days, he was almost done reconstructing the patterns hidden within Di Ting’s information.

He’d finish this first. Following the mechanics of utilizing Candle Dragon’s power, the information he derived from the “Spirit” star should correspond to what he was currently contemplating. These patterns likely concealed clues regarding Di Ting’s missing single horn.

Once compiled, he could devise a way to loop Deep Shadow into the picture. That would neatly settle Xiao Gu’s impression points with his brother.

Oh, right! He hadn’t checked on his brother and Wan Yan the cat over the past few days. With Ghost Festival approaching, who knew how things were developing?

Zhan Yan began searching the gossip strips:

[Using the excuse that the “Lin Yuan” puppet crafted by the Artisan damaged his reputation, Ghost King Lin Yuan Zhan Jinli demanded that the Artisan Zhan Suiru accept his commission and finish it before Ghost Festival.]

[Upon learning that Ghost King Lin Yuan Zhan Jinli cajoled and coerced his future sister-in-law Zhan Suiru into working overtime to craft an artifact, Deep Shadow Gu Jiancheng became thoroughly dissatisfied with Ghost King Lin Yuan.]

Detailed gossip content followed beneath.

Deep Shadow had already locked horns with Ghost King Lin Yuan, aggressively trying to gaslight his brother.

Zhan Yan: … Save me!

Can life get any more chaotic?!