GRMFBS CH282

Because the energy gauge had been zeroed out twice before, the easy-to-grind “Ability” information words had practically been exhausted by Zhan Yan.

He gritted his teeth and grinded for half the day, only managing to scrape up a handful of new ability information words, and all of them were white or green quality; the energy gauge looked as if it hadn’t budged at all.

He couldn’t just rely on himself to grind slowly like this. What if Mom and Dad arrived and he still hadn’t managed to secure Xiao Gu’s secret identity?

He might as well ask others for help.

Zhan Yan opened the “Have You Eaten Melons Today?” group chat, preparing to post a quest to collect a list of niche ability information.

He hadn’t bubbled up in the group for a while. Upon tapping it open, he saw that the hottest topic currently being discussed actually involved him.

He scrolled back to the beginning of the topic.

Eating Big Melons: [Big melon, big melon! The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau and the Wan Yao Alliance are about to throw down!]

The fastest to surface this time was the Book of Secrets.

Book of Secrets: [?]

He was from the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, so why didn’t he know about this?

Waltz: [For real?!]

Loves Pineapple Buns: [You can’t joke around blindly about this!]

Eating Big Melons: [Not joking.]

Eating Big Melons: [My friend is an aura observer. He noticed two explosive auras rising from the southeast, neither giving an inch to the other, forming a standoff that looked like they were on the verge of throwing hands.]

Eating Big Melons: [Can you guys guess whose auras these are?]

Joyful Guessing Game: [[Eating Melon]]

Joyful Guessing Game: [One from the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, the other from the Wan Yao Alliance, right.]

Joyful Guessing Game: [They fight each other all the time, it’s no big deal.]

Eating Big Melons: [The ones about to fight this time are Tianshi and the Chongming Demon King.]

Joyful Guessing Game: [??!]

Loves Pineapple Buns: [??!]

Waltz: [??!]

If those two were about to throw down, they were really going to throw down.

Too Lazy to Come Up with a Username: [Aren’t they on pretty good terms? Back when Tianshi was clearing out Infinite fragments, didn’t the Chongming Demon King even help out?]

Pure White Puzzle: [What conflict could the two of them possibly have?]

Pure White Puzzle: [@Book of Secrets Ao Ao, are you still there?]

Pure White Puzzle: [Quick, mobilize your network and ask what happened!]

The Book of Secrets didn’t reply for ages; by the time he reappeared, a massive wall of text had already scrolled by in the group.

Book of Secrets: [They won’t be fighting.]

Eating Big Melons: [Ah… both auras have subsided.]

Eating Big Melons: [That was fast. They looked like they were going to fight to the death just a moment ago, why did it suddenly resolve?]

That was because Tianshi and the Chongming Demon King realized they were husband and wife, and the reason they almost threw hands earlier was because they were racing to save their youngest son.

Book of Secrets replied vaguely: [Don’t know.]

I know, but I can’t tell you guys. Holding in a melon this big is killing me!

Unable to pry any new information from him, the others continued their discussion. After glancing at it briefly, Tu Yue stopped reading; he could spectate the site directly, so he wouldn’t bother mingling with this bunch who could only rely on guesswork.

Half an hour later, carrying the massive melon that “Tianshi and the Chongming Demon King’s youngest son is Approaching Science,” Tu Yue clicked into the chat group once again.

The group was currently pinging @Approaching Science. Impressive. Are they really going to ping him and eat the melon straight from the source?

Pure White Puzzle: [Ao Ao’s network isn’t cutting it. Does anyone else here have stronger connections?]

Waltz: [Let me see who hasn’t bubbled up yet… @Approaching Science]

Loves Pineapple Buns: [Don’t we have a big shot in our group who thrives on both sides? Begging you to crack open this melon! @Approaching Science]

Joyful Guessing Game: [Why ping @Approaching Science? @Approaching Science is a fan of both Tianshi and the Chongming Demon King!]

Eating Big Melons: [Sorry, although it’s not very nice of me, I’m also really curious what @Approaching Science thinks about this right now.]

Too Lazy to Come Up with a Username: [Let me guess: the reason the Chongming Demon King and Tianshi stopped fighting is because @Approaching Science persuaded them, right?]

Book of Secrets: […]

Both the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau and the Wan Yao Alliance kept this matter strictly confidential; this group of information-type big shots had been guessing from last night until tonight, and were still debating it even now.

Zhan Yan surfaced quietly and stealthily posted a quest.

Approaching Science: [Urgently seeking a list of various niche ability information, price is negotiable.]

Pure White Puzzle: [Wait a minute?!]

Pure White Puzzle: [What message just scrolled past?]

Pure White Puzzle: [Stop spamming the group for a sec.]

Eating Big Melons: [Wow!]

Eating Big Melons: [@Approaching Science has appeared.]

Waltz: [Boss, do you have any inside info?]

Waltz: [Begging you to crack open this melon!]

Too Lazy to Come Up with a Username: [A list of niche ability information? I have one!]

Too Lazy to Come Up with a Username: [Price is negotiable, right? Boss @Approaching Science, just crack open this melon for us. Cracking the melon will serve as the payment.]

Loves Pineapple Buns: [I can compile one too.]

Loves Pineapple Buns: [@Approaching Science, begging for the melon.]

Zhan Yan clicked his tongue internally, thinking this group truly lived up to its name.

Approaching Science: [You guys think way too highly of me.]

Pure White Puzzle: [Even if you can’t crack the whole melon, a slice is fine too.]

Approaching Science: [Then it’s a deal. I’ll drop a piece of the melon, and you guys give me the lists.]

Pure White Puzzle: [I agree.]

Loves Pineapple Buns: [+1]

Waltz: [+2]

…

Book of Secrets: [.]

Even the lurking Tu Yue couldn’t help but bubble up as well. Mostly, he was curious how Approaching Science would spin this melon.

Approaching Science: [The story goes that last night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse; clouds shifted with the wind, cooking smoke curled gracefully beneath the shade of weeping willows. The two big shots were competing over a talent; tempers flared higher and higher, and they were accidentally on the verge of declaring war. Fortunately, the talent appeared just in time, successfully pacifying the two big shots and dissolving a disaster into thin air.]

Joyful Guessing Game: [?]

Joyful Guessing Game: [Making up a story doesn’t count.]

Pure White Puzzle: [What on earth was I expecting?]

Eating Big Melons: [@Approaching Science, Boss, you aren’t trying to say this talent is you, are you?]

Waltz: [How overpowered must one’s water-balancing skills be for that?]

Book of Secrets: [.]

Everyone assumed Approaching Science was just making up a story as a joke, but they still handed over their lists anyway.

This wasn’t some highly classified intel anyway, and everyone frequently exchanged information in the group; haggling over the price of something so minor would be far too tedious.

Having received the lists provided by his groupmates, Zhan Yan finally managed to grind out the third little star for the ability column.

Ah, pure joy!

The ability column’s little star wasn’t the hardest to grind, but it was absolutely the most ill-fated; every time its energy gauge was wiped clean, it happened just when it was on the verge of being filled.

This little star could keep the information of two people confidential.

No wonder gathering energy for it was harder than the previous star.

Zhan Yan cheerfully added Mom and Xiao Gu into the information confidentiality protection.

Waking up the next day, Zhan Yan began pondering how to handle Xiao Gu meeting his parents for the first time. Although Xiao Gu’s secret identity held no risk of being exposed for the moment, the first impression as a normal boyfriend was also extremely important.

The first semester of his fifth year was still slightly busy; there was a second major internship, plus graduation theses and case reports to write.

The homeroom teacher, whom they rarely saw year-round, gave them a brief rundown of the upcoming schedule on the first day of class. Zhan Yan and Gu Jiancheng sat next to each other, their hands intertwined between their seats.

Zhan Yan’s mind was split in two. While half-listening to the upcoming schedule, he was simultaneously thinking about how to practice with Xiao Gu in advance. Lost in thought, he unconsciously began playing with Gu Jiancheng’s fingers.

Gu Jiancheng’s fingers were long and pliable, offering no resistance as they allowed him to manipulate them at will. Zhan Yan squeezed and kneaded, feeling the bones hidden beneath the skin and muscle joint by joint.

His bones were hard. When he exerted force, they were like steel rebar, completely impossible to break free from…

No, no, focus, focus. What I need to do right now is figure out the arrangements for meeting my parents first. Mom and Dad are coming over in a day or two…

Zhan Yan absentmindedly opened the gossip strips to check on his parents’ situation.

Whoa! Xiao Gu successfully delayed Mom and Dad using his hardcore grinder methods!

Zhan Yan’s eyes widened slightly. Xiao Gu’s grinder style actually yielded unexpected dividends.

Gu Jiancheng’s fingers twitched twice against his palm.

“Yan Yan?” he asked softly.

Why did Yan Yan suddenly stop?

Snapping out of his daze, Zhan Yan let go of Gu Jiancheng’s hand.

Just as Gu Jiancheng was feeling a pang of disappointment, he heard Zhan Yan whisper in his ear: “My parents might be coming over.”

Gu Jiancheng instantly shed his disappointment, his eyes lighting up brilliantly.

Can I finally meet the parents?

Looking at his excessively eager gaze, Zhan Yan felt a flicker of worry, but then realized that Xiao Gu’s current state might actually be perfect.

A positive, sunny, enthusiastic, and cheerful Xiao Gu would definitely be endearing.

Zhan Yan took Gu Jiancheng through an emergency rehearsal for several days straight.

The one rehearsing was Gu Jiancheng’s shadow clone. His true body had gone to discuss Monster Doctor and the mental-network concept with the three major organizations.

The meeting was progressing a bit sluggishly. Because Ning Xi, being a control freak, liked to account for every possible scenario and formulate a plan for each one.

Deep Shadow: “…You have to plan out everything; isn’t the mobility and flexibility of your Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau a bit too poor?”

Gu Jiancheng was very dissatisfied with this.

Even though he had initiated the proposal to discuss this together, Yan Yan’s parents were arriving soon, and he wanted to focus wholeheartedly on preparing to meet them. Why did he have to suffer through this prolonged, burdensome meeting here?

And so, the meeting was whipped into a grinding frenzy once more.

Having finished the meeting, Zhan Yunkai and Ji Yueming headed home together.

Zhan Yunkai was still reeling from the pace of the latter half of the meeting, which had sprinted forward like a runaway wild horse.

Though Ning Xi thought things through thoroughly, his efficiency was definitely not low, and the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau was even more renowned for its swift execution. Yet despite all this, Deep Shadow still managed to push them to move faster.

He hadn’t interacted much with Deep Shadow, so he asked Ji Yueming.

“Has Deep Shadow always had this style?”

Ji Yueming was equally shocked: “Deep Shadow has always been highly efficient, but he’s never been this… driven to grind.”

It was as if he had been severely provoked.

Zhan Yunkai guessed: “Could it be because he utterly despises Monster Doctor?”

The most crucial intel regarding Monster Doctor had been provided by Deep Shadow. The Retirees’ Alliance knew Monster Doctor’s other skills inside out, but none were aware he also possessed a “Psychic Scalpel” ability.

This skill could alter memories to a certain extent; anyone he had used it on would forget the experience.

Monster Doctor had once attempted to use this skill on Deep Shadow; having broken free, Deep Shadow was bound to wage a fight to the death with Monster Doctor.

Ji Yueming nodded: “That’s probably the reason. We have a few free days now anyway, how about we go see Yan Yan?”

Xingxing understood and hopped onto Ji Yueming’s lap.

I want to go too, I want to go too! Don’t even think about leaving me home alone!

Zhan Yunkai patted the kitty’s head: “Let’s bring Xingxing along too.”

Ji Yueming: “Alright. Shall we head out the day after tomorrow? Yan Yan is about to start his internship again. We should prepare some things for him to take along tomorrow.”

Back at the university, Zhan Yan read the related gossip strips and couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

Dammit, Xiao Gu, why are you grinding so hard? Such an important matter, and you finished pushing through it all in just three days?!

Xiao Gu was still standing before him, looking at him with shining eyes: “Yan Yan, what do you think of me wearing this outfit?”

Zhan Yan stared at him with a dark, profound gaze.

Gu Jiancheng grew nervous under his stare: “Does it not look good?”

Zhan Yan: “It looks good.”

You’re wearing this to meet Mom and Dad the day after tomorrow!