GRMFBS CH89

Seeing that Approaching Science had logged off, Gu Jiancheng closed his private messages in satisfaction.

Although Approaching Science was undeniably capable, his sense of danger was far too weak. The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau was currently searching for Infinite fragments, which was precisely when they needed information-type supernaturals the most. People from the Bureau were actively trying to headhunt him right now. Under circumstances like this, Approaching Science still wanted to investigate the Infinite fragments?

Even if he managed to dodge the information corruption of the Infinite fragments, an information-type with neither combat strength nor self-defense capabilities would be consigned to the fate of a mere tool once dragged into the mix!

The next day, the crew notified the college extras that their scenes were practically wrapped up. In two more days, everyone could take their pay and head home!

A cheer immediately erupted. Being an extra on set was fun, but it was also genuinely exhausting. Especially now in the dead of winter, once the initial novelty of the first few days wore off, everyone felt a bit fatigued.

With the New Year fast approaching, who wasn’t eager to pocket their wages and head home for the holidays?

Zhan Yan wanted to go home too. In truth, it was only because his dad wasn’t home—meaning he couldn’t enjoy his dad’s cooking even if he went back—that Zhan Yan had been able to linger so placidly on set for this many days. Otherwise, he would have returned long ago; every single day’s delay was an insult to his father’s culinary genius!

However, going home now presented Zhan Yan with a lingering worry.

Beauty really had turned his head; in a moment of distraction earlier, he had agreed to let Gu Jiancheng meet his parents. Yet up until now, he hadn’t breathed a single word of this to his family!

Now that filming was ending, he had no excuse to keep stalling. What should he do? What was he going to do?

Zhan Yan sneakily glanced up at Gu Jiancheng.

Gu Jiancheng’s brow was slightly furrowed, looking as if he were grappling with a difficult problem of his own.

Just a moment ago, when the production manager announced that they would wrap up in two days, Gu Jiancheng had suddenly felt a twitch in his shadow. The shadow avatar over by the Magician had transmitted a message to him.

“What’s wrong?” Zhan Yan nudged Gu Jiancheng gently with his elbow.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Gu Jiancheng replied, “It’s nothing. I just woke up a bit early and got drowsy. I’m going to sit down for a while.”

Seeing that he didn’t look like he had a headache, Zhan Yan nodded. “There’s an armchair over there. Go take a nap, and I’ll call you if anything comes up.”

The armchair belonged to Xie Dongshu. He didn’t have any scenes today and was resting at the hotel to adjust his state and study the script, so they were free to use it as they pleased.

Gu Jiancheng leaned back against the armchair and closed his eyes. His feet shifted slightly; though he looked as if he had fallen asleep, his consciousness had already sunk deep into the world of shadows.

Beneath his feet, the shadows stretched out like a dead, silent sea, and beneath the sea’s surface lay a bottomless abyss. The pitch-black waters spread out boundlessly.

Gu Jiancheng tapped the tip of his foot. The surface of the sea rippled, and from within the ripples floated up a picture frame.

The photograph inside the frame was black and white. A few shadowy figures could be hazily made out—they looked like humans, but one couldn’t say for sure, because the photo was plastered with black-and-white static like that of an old television.

This was a monster hailing from Infinite, or, as this world called them: an anomaly.

Gu Jiancheng’s ability allowed him to devour anomalies. Those swallowed into his shadow sank into this boundless, bottomless Sea of Shadows, where they were thoroughly melted away and corroded, leaving behind only faint residue—portions of their abilities.

Now, he needed to use this anomaly’s ability to check on the situation over by the Magician.

Black-and-white static spilled from the frame. The moment it contacted the surrounding Sea of Shadows, it surged swiftly, piling up into the shape of a small alleyway.

Snow had accumulated in the alley. Waterproof plastic tarps covered heaps of assorted clutter. The Magician had turned into a cat, curled up between a three-legged stool and a cabinet missing half its door. The two dowsing rods she used to find “water” had turned into two small tufts of pointed fur, sprouting from the tips of each of her ears.

Snow lay beneath her body, but not a single footprint was pressed into it, as if she were merely the projection of a cat without any physical weight.

The Magician unsheathed a claw tip to scratch within her shadow, letting out a soft feline trill from her throat. Yet as it fell into the shadows, it morphed into human speech: “Hey, hey? Can you hear me? Does Deep Shadow’s shadow transmission actually work or not?”

Gu Jiancheng tapped the cat’s shadow, causing it to ripple like water.

The Magician’s whiskers twitched as she spoke, “I found a Black Nest; it’s right next door. Something isn’t right with this Black Nest—it feels alive. I didn’t dare get any closer.”

The cat’s shadow swam slowly, brushing against the shadow of a wall.

The alleyway within the shadow world abruptly expanded outward across a large swath, like dust being wiped away from a map.

The closer the static got to a certain house, the fuzzier it became. This was a passive protection mode, designed to keep oneself permanently positioned “just an inch before being detected.” While the recon gathered this way wouldn’t be pinpoint accurate, it guaranteed absolute secrecy and safety.

It truly was a Black Nest.

Gu Jiancheng’s pupils constricted slightly. Once again, his tongue caught that faint, metallic tang of blood.

He felt excitement, mixed with a familiar, edge-of-your-seat tension.

In the world of Infinite, a Black Nest meant an endless tide of monsters, top-tier rewards, maximum difficulty, death, and despair… Even toward the end, when Gu Jiancheng had reached the absolute pinnacle of power, facing a Black Nest still demanded extreme caution.

The appearance of a Black Nest here dragged his memories back to those days spent inside Infinite. Countless fleeting scenes of wandering along the knife-edge between life and death flashed through his mind, acting like the most potent stimulant, provoking his body to secrete dopamine and adrenaline.

Those who managed to survive to the very top in Infinite more or less came to enjoy danger. Players who relished the thrill of the brink too much inevitably fell into the abyss, while those who derived zero enjoyment from danger would sooner or later snap their overtightened nerves.

To put it more soberly and politely: they were all a little sick in the head.

Gu Jiancheng slowed his breathing, gradually steadying his heart rate.

Infinite was already destroyed now; a surviving Black Nest was merely a rootless weed.

Still, it was not something the Magician could handle.

He was going to go kill it!

[Don’t act rashly. Wait for me to arrive.] The cat’s shadow formed a line of text, which dispersed a moment later.

The shadows spread out quietly beneath the layer of snow, weaving a web without making a sound.

The Magician shrank further back into the cabinet and gave a tiny yawn.

Her mission was complete; all she had to do now was keep an eye on this Black Nest. Throwing hands with a Black Nest was combat-type grunt work suited for someone like Deep Shadow.

Gu Jiancheng withdrew his ability, only to suddenly remember a troublesome matter.

A Black Nest was, after all, a Black Nest. Although Gu Jiancheng loved to mock his enemies verbally, he was never careless in actual combat. Wiping out a Black Nest was definitely not something that could be resolved using a mere shadow avatar like the one he had active. He had to go in person with his true body.

But if his true body had to go… he wouldn’t be able to accompany Yan Yan home!

Aiyah, they had clearly agreed on it earlier… How was he supposed to explain this to Yan Yan now?

Gu Jiancheng fretted.

Zhan Yan dragged over an empty crate to sit beside the armchair, holding his phone as he opened the family group chat.

Aiyah, how was he supposed to break the news to his family that he had gotten a boyfriend?

Yet he had already agreed to let Gu Jiancheng come home with him over the break. Could he pass it off by claiming he was just a regular classmate visiting? What if he convinced Gu Jiancheng to meet the family as just a friend first, without officially “meeting the parents” as a partner?

Still, even if he was just bringing a classmate home, he had to give his family a heads-up.

While agonizing over this, Zhan Yan first posted the update: [Filming on the crew’s end is almost done. I can head home in two days.]

The family chat burst into activity at once.

Zhan Suiru: [Did you book tickets yet? I’ll drive over to pick you up then.]

With both parents away from home, she couldn’t rely on her socially anxious older brother, but Zhan Suiru knew how to drive too.

Zhan Yan: [Not yet. I’ll book them once everything is finalized.]

Zhan Yunkai: [How have things been these past couple of days? Is filming tiring?]

Zhan Yan: [Everything’s great, just like before!]

[Ah, right! I forgot to tell you guys.]

[These past few days, the director used Jie’s sculpture as a prop for the shoot. The footage turned out so amazing!]

[The visuals were breathtakingly beautiful! Jie’s sculpture looked like it held a very special kind of power on screen!]

[I really wish I could show you all, but photos aren’t allowed on set.]

[Let’s all go watch it together when the movie hits theaters!]

The lively family group chat instantly plunged into an eerie silence.

Ji Yueming immediately sent a private message to Zhan Yunkai: [Old Zhan, have we been paying too little attention to Yan Yan lately?]

How on earth had such a perfectly fine kid suddenly gotten his aesthetic sense twisted so out of shape?

Zhan Yunkai replied with profound grief: [I’ll head back the moment I finish up my work here! We need to have a serious sit-down talk with the boy!]

Just what on earth had his cub been through behind his back to end up like this?!

Having just one cub with a warped aesthetic sense in the family was already enough!

Heaven only knew what had gone through his and his wife’s minds the very first time they laid eyes on Zhan Suiru’s art pieces!

That feeling… While not entirely identical to the sensation of tasting Zhan Jinli’s cakes for the first time, it definitely hit the exact same chord in certain aspects.

Better left unsaid.

His eldest son had social anxiety and abnormal taste buds; his second daughter had an abnormal aesthetic sense. Only their youngest son had always been well-behaved and normal. How had he suddenly started showing signs of growing crooked as well?!

Three cubs, and all three turned out warped—what was going on?!

Zhan Yunkai and Ji Yueming simultaneously began to doubt their own parenting capabilities.

After the bizarre silence in the group had stretched on for five whole minutes:

Zhan Yan: [Why did everyone stop talking?]

Zhan Jinli was the first to break the silence: [Yan Yan…]

[Did you suffer some kind of shock recently?]

Zhan Suiru: [Zhan Jinli, what are you implying?!]

The brother and sister hopped into a private chat and began crossing verbal swords.

Zhan Jinli: [Do you honestly think your aesthetic sense is normal?]

Zhan Suiru: [Still more normal than your taste buds!]

Zhan Jinli: [My taste buds are my own business; I never led Yan Yan astray.]

Zhan Suiru: […]

[I wasn’t the one who led him astray either!]

She had simply sent a few photos and shipped a sculpture! When she had first sent them, Yan Yan’s aesthetic sense had been perfectly normal!

This was entirely Ji Lele’s fault!

The group chat once again fell into an uncanny silence.

Father, mother, brother, and sister all abandoned the main chat, their fingers flying over private messages.

After being left alone in the group chat for a few lonely minutes, Zhan Yan sent another message:

[I’m fine! Everything is great, and I haven’t suffered any shock. Really!]

[I’m totally serious! You’ll understand once you see it!]

[My Jie’s sculpture genuinely has artistic beauty to it!]

Oh no, this is even worse!

Ji Yueming responded with gentle tenderness: [Yan Yan, the weather’s gotten so cold now. Is filming on set really exhausting?]

Zhan Yunkai replied heartily and open-mindedly: [Is there anything you want to eat, Yan Yan? Dad will cook it for you the moment I get home!]

Zhan Jinli chimed in with meticulous care: [Let’s watch some comedies together when you get home. Horror movies are all fake anyway; ghosts and spirits don’t actually exist.]

Zhan Yan: [You guys weren’t acting like this a couple of days ago!]

[Earlier, when I told you that Jie’s sculpture found a new kindred spirit, you were all thrilled!]

Zhan Suiru responded with utmost sincerity: [Yan Yan, I was very happy the sculpture sold, but there’s really no need for you to adopt Ji Lele’s taste. Your original aesthetic sense was already very good.]

Zhan Yan: ?

What is going on!?

Jie, what’s wrong with you, Jie?!

Isn’t this the sculpture you made yourself?!