Chapter 73: The Siren 01 Part 2

“Captain, who’s he?” Crew Cut frowned, his face etched with suspicion.

“His name’s Yu Sui. I found him in a cave up ahead.” A trace of pity lingered in Lu Wang’s eyes.

He said nothing more.

His teammates instantly filled in the blanks, imagining that some ability user had kidnapped the man and dragged him here.

With no sign of the anomaly, they had no choice but to head back for now.

Yu Sui’s identity was unknown, and entering the city required registration—not just a name, but a check to ensure he wasn’t a zombie.

He cooperated fully throughout.

When the test revealed no abilities, the inspectors eyed his face and let out heavy sighs.

In this era, a beauty like him with no background, no status, and no powers… his fate didn’t bear thinking about.

Emerging from the room, Yu Sui spotted Lu Wang waiting and felt his guard go up.

In the plot, this man hadn’t been so attentive. What was going on?

“All done?”

Yu Sui nodded.

“Let’s go.” Lu Wang gestured for him to follow.

In bringing Yu Sui back, he’d forgotten to cover the man’s face. This trip had drawn plenty of attention.

Those looks were all too familiar to him.

Someone had once eyed him that way with open greed, but they’d backed off once they realized he was an ability user.

This man, though…

Seeing Yu Sui walking alongside Lu Wang made plenty of people abandon their ideas.

Everyone knew this was an ability user from A District—someone with status they couldn’t afford to offend.

Yu Sui was led to Lu Wang’s residence.

“Rest up for now. I’ve got some things to handle.” Lu Wang gave him a few instructions. “And don’t wander around. Not everyone’s good people here.”

Yu Sui nodded.

Lu Wang left.

He wore a black windbreaker, his hair neatly cropped, his sword-sharp brows framing starry eyes. When he wasn’t smiling, he exuded an icy distance, but his voice was surprisingly gentle—a striking contrast.

Yu Sui watched him go, then sank onto the sofa.

This was a VIP guesthouse in D District.

His thoughts drifted to the protagonist shou’s impending arrival.

The man was a wanderer whose family had been killed by some higher-up in A District. He harbored a natural dislike—even outright hostility—toward these leaders.

Tonight, he would sneak into D District, assassinate a corrupt official who’d done nothing but evil, then flee into Lu Wang’s room.

Lu Wang would drink the water Yu Sui had poured and succumb to the poison.

Assassinating the official wouldn’t be easy. Exhausted and weakened after depleting his ability, the protagonist shou wouldn’t be able to stop the protagonist gong.

It was a ridiculously melodramatic plot. The two wouldn’t even know each other yet, but fate would throw them together regardless.

Meanwhile, Yu Sui—forewarned by the man’s arrival—would hide away, forced to watch helplessly as someone else stole his prey.

Yes, in his eyes, the protagonist gong was his prey. His mutating mind had shifted; he was no longer fully human.

He’d even fantasized about making the man carry his eggs, but alas, he was no protagonist. He couldn’t lay a finger on him.

Remembering those plot points, Yu Sui yawned, sleepiness overtaking him once more.

He curled up on the sofa and drifted off.

Lu Wang reported to D District’s leadership without dwelling much on Yu Sui.

With no anomaly detected, they’d have to stick around a few days to observe.

Plants and animals had evolved to be clever these days; it might just be lying low for now.

“Yu Sui’s staying at the boss’s place?” Back at the guesthouse, one teammate spoke up. “I remember you don’t like sharing rooms, boss. Let him crash with me instead.”

Lu Wang paused at the words, giving his teammate a strange look. “You… you don’t have any ulterior motives, do you?”

“Ahem, I just think he’s kinda pitiful.” Red Hair averted his eyes.

“No.” Lu Wang didn’t look convinced.

He quickened his pace toward his room.

Pushing open the door, he instinctively lightened his steps and approached the sofa quietly.

The man curled into a ball didn’t seem to be sleeping soundly. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his breaths coming quick and shallow—as if trapped in a nightmare.

“Yu Sui?” Lu Wang tried to wake him.

The man’s Adam’s apple rolled, his lips parting in a soft gasp.

Lu Wang leaned closer, intending to nudge his shoulder, but he noticed something else entirely.

His eyes widened in disbelief as his gaze drifted lower.

In his sleep, the man instinctively pressed his knees together.

It reminded Lu Wang of that scene in the cave—a figure pure as blank paper, yet reacting like…

He frowned, shoving the thoughts aside, and shook Yu Sui’s shoulder. “Wake up.”

Yu Sui finally opened his eyes, blinking in confusion.

He stared at the man crouched beside him.

“You… you… handle that…” Lu Wang turned away, his mind racing. Had the man been having that kind of dream?

Yu Sui stiffened, sitting up with an awkward expression. This side effect was mortifying.

But seeing Lu Wang’s embarrassment eased his mind a bit.

A real straight guy.

He rose slowly, heading wordlessly to the bathroom.

Lu Wang left the room.

Yu Sui bit his lip, his face twisted in discomfort. “Am I stuck like this forever?”

[Handle it on time, and you’ll be fine,] the System replied.

Yu Sui fell silent.

After taking care of it, he stepped out. With no one around, he breathed a sigh of relief.

But he still had something to do soon.

Pouring a cup of water, Yu Sui squeezed out a single tear, letting it fall into the liquid. Then he settled back on the sofa.

When Lu Wang returned and saw him acting normal, he didn’t bring up the incident. “You take the bed tonight. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

“No need.” Yu Sui shook his head. “I’ll take the sofa.”

Lu Wang nodded without arguing.

He pulled out some clothes. “Do you want to shower?”

Yu Sui nodded. “Thank you.”

He glanced at the cup of water before heading to the bathroom.

Lu Wang sat on the sofa and messaged A District, saying they’d stay two days.

Yu Sui emerged with his long hair tied back, dressed in soft, comfortable sleepwear.

His slender, tall frame was impossible to ignore.

A flash of admiration crossed Lu Wang’s eyes. He caught himself and quickly looked away.

Yu Sui sat on the sofa, fidgeting with his fingers.

The man had changed into casual clothes, far more relaxed.

Compared to the scraps of fabric he’d worn before, the man had treated him too well.

Something felt off to Yu Sui again.

“Thank you.” He offered the cup of water to the man.

Lu Wang, midway through drying his hair, froze. He stared at Yu Sui’s hand, then at the man’s intense gaze. Unease stirred inexplicably in his chest.

He turned away, brow furrowing, but took the cup anyway. “No problem.”

He drank it all down in big gulps.

Yu Sui took the cup back and returned to the sofa.

The beautiful, silent man seemed lost in thought.

Lu Wang finished drying his hair and fetched a blanket for him.

Only then did Yu Sui look up and accept it. “Thank you.”

Those were the two words he said most to Lu Wang. The other man hesitated but said nothing.

Under the blanket, Yu Sui found sleep elusive. Hunger gnawed at his stomach.

Lu Wang had fallen into a deep slumber.

Gradually, a rustle came from the bed.

Yu Sui had no intention of approaching. What if something went wrong…

He stayed put.

Lu Wang’s brow furrowed; he felt unbearably hot.

The poison hit hard and fast.

Yu Sui heard the noise and blinked in mild surprise. Was his poison that potent?

Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. Yu Sui perked his ears, slipped off his shoes, and—as per the plot—hid in the empty closet.

The footsteps grew chaotic.

Creak—

The room door swung open. The man on the bed was lost in a nightmare, oblivious to the intruder.

Tu Yu’s face was pale, but satisfaction burned in his heart. He’d finally killed that corrupt official.

Dizzy and swaying, he sensed the unstable ability fluctuations from the bed.

A mental ability user?

He frowned. Had this guy set up an ambush for him?

Kneeling on one knee, Tu Yu pressed his temple, sweat trickling down his cheek.

Footsteps thundered closer from outside.

He bit his tongue to steady himself and headed for the closet.

Lu Wang felt miserable. His eyes fluttered open, breath catching.

What was happening to him?

He’d never experienced it before, but he could guess. Someone had poisoned him.

And…

Lu Wang went rigid. With all this noise, had he scared Yu Sui?

Click.

He flicked on the room light. The empty sofa made his expression turn grave.

Had he frightened the man away?

He tried to sit up, only to be hit by another wave of heat that made him bite his tongue to stifle any embarrassing sounds.

Assuming Yu Sui had gone to the bathroom, Lu Wang opened his mouth to call out.

A knock came from the door.

“Captain Lu, mind if we come in?”

Hearing this, Lu Wang froze for a moment. “What is it?”

He forced himself to stay calm.

“A stray appeared in D District and assassinated Elder Dong.”

Lu Wang’s expression turned grave at the news. He retrieved a long coat from his space, slipped it on, and wrapped it tightly around himself before opening the door.

“Are you going to check it out?”

The visitor opened his mouth to respond but paused at the sight of Lu Wang’s reddened eyes, sweat beading on his forehead, and the barely contained frustration on his face. It was obvious he’d just been interrupted mid-act.

Remembering the handsome man Lu Wang had brought back, the visitor gave him a once-over. “I just wanted to ask if you’d heard anything unusual.”

Lu Wang shook his head.

“Sorry to disturb you. Carry on.” With that thoughtful remark, the man closed the door.

Lu Wang’s body went rigid. Had his embarrassment been that obvious?

Inside the wardrobe, Yu Sui sat with his mouth covered, not daring to move a muscle.

Tu Yu had heard footsteps approaching and ducked into the closet for cover, never imagining someone was already hiding inside.

With no time to think, Tu Yu drew his gun and pressed it against his captive.

Yu Sui: …

He hadn’t anticipated this kind of mishap on his very first mission—let alone having a gun held to his head.

“Don’t move. Cooperate, or else…”

Yu Sui gave a small nod, his eyes betraying not the slightest ripple of emotion.

The space was simply too confined, though, making certain awkwardness inevitable. To get a firmer grip on his hostage, the man pressed right up against Yu Sui’s back.

Heartbeat. Body heat. Breath…

Yu Sui compressed his lips, his expression deadly serious.

By now, the others had left, and Tu Yu let out a small breath of relief.

Peering through the gap, however, he took in the state of the man whose ability had gone haywire. His gaze shifted to the handsome man in his clutches.

What was their relationship?

“Yu Sui, are you in the bathroom?” Lu Wang approached, fumbling for the right words to explain himself. He hemmed and hawed for what felt like ages.

No response came from inside.

Growing concerned, Lu Wang pushed the door open. The bathroom stood empty.

“Yu Sui?”

Frowning, Lu Wang scanned the room. In his peripheral vision, he spotted a scrap of fabric protruding from the wardrobe.

He drew closer, step by careful step.

Through the narrow crack, Yu Sui and Tu Yu watched the shadow loom nearer.

Lu Wang was on the verge of opening the wardrobe.