GRMFBS CH290

There was actually no need for Zhan Yan to push himself too hard. The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau and the Wan Yao Alliance had only been idle for a few short days before both plunged back into a busy flurry. Zhan Yan had to depart for his internship soon as well, leaving him little time to linger at the university.

Nothing went awry with this internship; both Zhan Yan and Gu Jiancheng were assigned to Antai Ranch. After booking tickets alongside their classmates, they boarded the northbound train carrying their luggage.

On the train, Zhan Yan took the opportunity to absorb the experience pack generously provided by the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau.

It had to be said that the codename Librarian was truly well deserved; the materials Tu Yue provided were concise and lucid, making the experience pack exceptionally easy to digest. Upon learning that Zhan Yan also required new information across other fields, Tu Yue had even bundled directories related to “Abilities” and “Affairs” together for him.

Tu Yue felt that since his attitude had been so friendly and accommodating, it would be much easier to broach the subject when asking for gossip later.

Yet the moment he spoke up, Zhan Yan immediately remembered.

Back then, it was you who went gossiping to my sister, causing Xiao Gu’s secret identity to drop in the first place!

He skimmed through the gossip strips again. Good grief, you even brought it up with Mom!

Fortunately, there wasn’t a three-month pursuit-and-hunt history between Xiao Gu and Mom, and fortunately, Mom wasn’t particularly interested in eating melons or in Deep Shadow…

Approaching Science: [Deep Shadow is my friend.]

Approaching Science: [I do not gossip about my friends.]

Tu Yue: …

Really? I don’t believe you.

I think you just turn your back on people the second you take the benefits.

Yet Tu Yue resigned himself to the frustration.

The kid’s parents were simply too terrifying in combat.

Zhan Yan merrily resumed consuming the experience packs, wasting not a single second of the high-speed rail journey.

Along the way, he could also pop into the chaofan forum to enjoy some melons.

He hadn’t browsed the casual discussion section for quite some time. Opening it to take a peek, there weren’t many fresh developments lately; discussions were still largely stuck on gossiping about Deep Shadow. By now, Deep Shadow’s public image had solidified into that of an enigmatic, deeply calculating, decisive, and ruthless big shot who nevertheless stubbornly held on to his bottom line.

Mmh… it felt a bit cringingly overpowered and edgy.

Right beside him, the enigmatic big shot pulled a bottle of fruit juice from his bag and offered it over: “Want some?”

Zhan Yan beamed at him: “Sure.”

Xiao Gu wasn’t merely “stubbornly holding on to his bottom line”; he was simply very, very good—so good that no matter the circumstances, he always strove with all his might to be a decent person.

He was countless times better than the cringingly edgy persona hypes built up on the forum!

The very, very good Xiao Gu flashed eight gleaming white teeth at Zhan Yan, and seeing that Zhan Yan was resting, bowed his head to fiddle with his own phone.

The direct message inbox flashed once more.

Tapping inside to check:

I Just Saved the World!: [Still haven’t found any news on Monster Doctor?]

I Just Saved the World!: [Did you get hurt last time when investigating Di Ting’s single horn?]

I Just Saved the World!: [Let me know if you need any medicine or items.]

I Just Saved the World!: [Or is your ability insufficient and needs leveling up?]

I Just Saved the World!: [Your ability is very strong, but do not stagnate.]

I Just Saved the World!: [You can tell me whatever you need.]

Zhan Yan: … It would be even better if this grinding drive wasn’t directed at me.

Another new message pinged in the inbox. This time, the sender was Luowang.

Zhan Yan let his mind wander while typing a reply to Gu Jiancheng.

Luowang hadn’t logged into the forum much for a while, leaving Zhan Yan short of a partner to share melons with. Still, it didn’t impact him much, as the melons he consumed recently were all tied directly to himself.

Now that he and his dad had mutually dropped their secret identities, the Wan Yao Alliance naturally wouldn’t dispatch commissions to him through Luowang anymore.

Approaching Science: [Thanks, but if I push myself any harder, I’ll turn into a Swiss roll.]

Exiting the chat with I Just Saved the World!, he clicked into the private thread with Luowang.

Look, look at that—Luowang is here purely to unwind and eat melons with me.

Life in this world is all about balancing work and rest. How wonderful is that!

Luowang: [I haven’t visited in ages; why is the forum flooded with Deep Shadow fanfiction the moment I open it?]

Luowang: [They’re actually quite entertaining.]

Luowang shared several links with him.

Zhan Yan opened them to take a look; some were artwork and some were text. They were indeed quite good. He promptly forwarded them to I Just Saved the World!

Approaching Science: [Resting properly and balancing work with rest leads to higher efficiency.]

Zhan Yan sneakily glanced at Gu Jiancheng.

Before long, he caught the corners of Gu Jiancheng’s mouth and eyes twitching several times.

Satisfied, Zhan Yan resumed chatting about melons with Luowang.

Approaching Science: [Once the news of the collaboration between the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau and the Wan Yao Alliance spreads in a while, the casual section should rotate to a fresh batch of topics.]

The scuffle between his parents belonged to the tier of top-secret melons; both major organizations kept it under tight wraps, so the vast majority of people remained oblivious to the fact that such an incident had even occurred. Their in-depth collaboration had also only just kicked off, with zero rumors leaking out yet.

Zhan Yan had, however, caught sight of a related thread in the casual section: the original poster was quite perceptive, noting that the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau and the Wan Yao Alliance seemed to be cooperating much more closely of late.

Yet there were few replies, all exuding a lazy, nonchalant air:

Haven’t these two organizations always been splitting, reconciling, bickering, and tussling?

Is the OP a newcomer? We’ve long gotten used to it. They’re always on good terms one moment and bickering the next.

Just like a bickering couple.

……

The melon Luowang shared was precisely the gossip that arose from the recent collaborative affairs between the Wan Yao Alliance and the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau.

It was a case handled jointly by both factions. The facts of the case were quite straightforward: an octopus demon, having taken human form, lived among ordinary mortals and accidentally became corrupted by the mortal world’s various inventions designed for lounging and indulgence. Unable to endure a penniless lifestyle after falling into indulgence, the octopus demon conceived an exceptionally brilliant idea: he first purchased a massive insurance policy for himself, then staged accidents leading to amputations, allowing him to collect hefty payouts from the insurance company.

The octopus demon had a grand time living off insurance fraud in human society; whenever funds ran dry, he would sever another limb to scam them again, since octopus limbs could regenerate anyway.

With modern technology so advanced, securing a flawless identity was no easy task. Unwilling to discard an identity each time he severed a single limb, he went from hands to feet, arms to legs, chopping them section by section, fully exhausting every single human extremity.

The octopus demon even lamented: Why do humans only possess four limbs? We octopuses have eight tentacles, twice as many as humans. Sigh, humans really fall short.

After paying out multiple claims on him, the insurance company grew suspicious of fraud.

They naturally hadn’t imagined anything as bizarre as a demon committing insurance fraud. Their suspicions followed completely standard logic:

What kind of person loses limbs joint by joint like slicing lotus roots? Either this client committed heinous sins in a past life and was doomed to suffer retributive punishment in this one, or he was an unhinged, ruthless maniac willing to mutilate himself for cash.

The insurance company’s investigator was highly professional, drew a handsome salary, and initiated a responsible, dedicated investigation and surveillance of the octopus demon.

Though confined to a wheelchair in public, the octopus demon insisted on living alone, refusing both housekeepers and caregivers. How bizarre was that! Judging by his spending habits, he was clearly someone devoted to hedonistic comfort.

Harboring deep suspicions, the professional investigator sneaked into the octopus demon’s residential compound, and upon peering into the residence through a window, witnessed a hair-raising scene.

Their client—who had only his upper arms and thighs left, and had to travel in a customized wheelchair—sprouted several wildly thrashing tentacles straight from his body, using them to carry him around, fetch drinks, and slice fruit… with remarkable ease and agility.

The professional investigator suffered an instant, catastrophic loss of sanity on the spot.

Noticing a presence in the house, the octopus demon used his tentacles to haul himself over.

The investigator was greeted by an unforgettable spectacle:

A glistening, colossal tentacle carrying a limbless human, closing in on him.

Letting out a bloodcurdling shriek, the investigator collapsed and fainted dead away on the spot.

And that was how the octopus demon’s deeds were exposed.

Although the incident took place in human society, the perpetrator was of the demon race and even had a relative holding an official post in the Wan Yao Alliance.

In the past, the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau would have resolved such a case on their own. But weren’t they supposed to cooperate with the Wan Yao Alliance now? The Wan Yao Alliance had always complained that the Bureau overstepped its bounds.

This case was ideal: it simultaneously involved human society and the demon race, and the consequences of the crime were not severe. It served as a wonderful exercise for members from both sides to mesh together, laying the groundwork for deeper collaboration in the future.

The operatives of the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau found it quite agonizing. In the past, they could wrap up minor affairs like this swiftly; with the Wan Yao Alliance getting involved, the explanations and debates more than doubled, saddling them with mounds of gratuitous extra workload.

The members of the Wan Yao Alliance found it equally agonizing. They had never bothered with such trivialities before. The demon race was loose and carefree; who had the patience to police every petty misdeed every day? Furthermore, they understood little of how human society functioned. Things like “insurance,” “policy,” “policyholder,” and “beneficiary” were a jumbled mess and terribly difficult to memorize… These concepts could neither be eaten nor aid cultivation, so why were they forced to study them?

Both sides found the partnership utterly painful.

The silver lining was that it genuinely fostered mutual understanding and tolerance.

The Wan Yao Alliance no longer felt the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau overstepped. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to just let the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau handle such troublesome nuisances?

The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, on the other hand, derived immense satisfaction from tormenting… no, from educating that bunch of demons from the Wan Yao Alliance. Loose and carefree? Heh, if you want a say in managing affairs, first experience the relentless grind of humans studying from elementary school onward and sitting through endless exams!

Zhan Yan felt quite satisfied reading the gossip strip’s feedback. See, isn’t camaraderie being forged right here?

Following this trajectory, as cooperation between the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau and the Wan Yao Alliance deepened, with no fresh conflicts arising between Mom and Dad, and past troubles resolved bit by bit… everything would only get better and better.

After happily indulging in pleasant daydreams for a moment, another private chat window lit up with a red notification dot.

I Just Saved the World!: [?]

He shot a furtive glance at classmate Xiao Gu sitting beside him.

Brows slightly furrowed, corners of the mouth pulled down, looking exceedingly stern.

Zhan Yan couldn’t help snickering inwardly.

He was caught in an instant.

Assuming Zhan Yan had come across something amusing, Gu Jiancheng leaned over, tilting his head to rest upon Zhan Yan’s shoulder: “Yan Yan, you’re secretly giggling all by yourself without including me.”

How am I not including you? You’re literally sending me question marks right now.

The classmates in the carriage couldn’t even bear to look; piling their snacks onto the fold-out trays, they were happily chatting, eating, and playing on their phones.

One side was all mushy and sweet, while the other was bustling and lively; before long, a soft exclamation drifted over from the lively side: “Hey, Zhan Yan, is this you?”

“You went viral again.”

Hm? Zhan Yan leaned over to see. His classmate’s phone was playing the clip of him shooing the falcon away, with the bird’s massive wings flapping wildly over his head.

Zhan Yan: …

Why wasn’t it the heroic posture of him summoning the falcon? Oh right, the phone had been in the falcon’s talons at that time, so there was no steady third-person footage.

Zhan Yan sensed that Gu Jiancheng was secretly holding back laughter. Snapping his head around sharply, he indeed caught the curve Gu Jiancheng hadn’t yet managed to flatten at the corners of his lips.

He glared at him.

Gu Jiancheng immediately pulled up the video captured from the falcon’s talon perspective: “Very handsome!”

Outside the window, the scenery swept past, while the train carriage remained lively and warm.

The high-speed rail moved swiftly, yet the journey felt delightfully slow.