The Picked-Up Little Tentacle Begs Me to Take Responsibility 25p1

Chapter 25 Part 1

Shi Xu didn’t usually bother trying to understand what went on in a pollutant’s mind. Previously, nothing had truly captured his attention, let alone his heart.

But lately, he couldn’t stop thinking about the pollutant at home.

He stared at the photo of the eggs, unable to identify them.

To find out, he would have to ask the pollutant.

With that thought, he headed towards the exit.

It wasn’t an urgent need to see the pollutant, but rather a preference for its straightforwardness compared to the complexities of his colleagues.

At least the pollutant’s emotions were transparent. Any questions he had, the pollutant would answer honestly.

He felt at ease in its presence.

Qi Yu, used to his friend’s abrupt departures, followed. “Are you going home already? Skipping work?”

Shi Xu continued walking, replying calmly, “I told Director Shen I’m still considering.”

“Considering what?” Qi Yu asked, surprised. “You don’t want to work here anymore?” His mind raced—

Director Shen might appear benevolent and approachable, but he wasn’t new to this.

As Shi Xu had said, they weren’t employees, but workhorses for the Anomaly Management Bureau.

Director Shen prioritized the bureau’s interests. Regardless of Shi Xu’s contributions, he would be discarded without hesitation if he posed a threat.

This incident seemed to have truly disillusioned Shi Xu.

Director Shen’s distrust and pressure, his colleagues’ readiness to believe Lin Zhi…

And now, after the matter was resolved, they acted as if nothing happened, as if they hadn’t been criticizing him just days ago.

Qi Yu despised these fair-weather friends, hoping they would stay away from Shi Xu.

“If you resign, how will you explain it to your father…”

Qi Yu joined the bureau because of Shi Xu.

But he was no longer the timid newcomer. Even without Shi Xu, he would stay, no longer reliant on him for guidance. He was worried about Shi Xu facing Shi Yan’s wrath.

Shi Xu opened the car door, giving Qi Yu a look. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. Don’t overthink it. I’m just tired, I need a few days to rest. I’ll tell you my decision when I’ve made up my mind.”

Qi Yu immediately perked up. “Promise?”

Shi Xu: “Yes.”

Relieved, Qi Yu asked, “Need a ride home?”

“Do I look like I need help?” Shi Xu smiled. “Go back to work. Don’t you have a lot to do?”

Qi Yu nodded, his smile fading. He stopped Shi Xu from closing the car door. “About Lin Zhi… I’m sorry.”

He felt responsible. If he had been stronger, he wouldn’t have fallen prey to Lin Zhi’s illusion, and Shi Xu wouldn’t have taken the blame.

Shi Xu flicked Qi Yu’s forehead. “If you’re truly sorry, become stronger than me and protect me when I’m in danger.”

“Don’t jinx it.” Qi Yu glared at him, then smiled. “Alright, it’s a deal.”

On the way home, his phone buzzed incessantly with messages from the pollutant.

Initially, Shi Xu glanced at them, but after seeing the content, he ignored them.

Pointless ramblings.

The pollutant kept calling him “wife.” Shi Xu felt like he was the one with a clingy spouse at home.

The pollutant was acting like a petulant wife demanding her husband’s attention.

Realizing his absurd thoughts, Shi Xu pinched the bridge of his nose.

He must be infected by the pollutant, thinking such nonsense.

He opened the door. The pollutant wasn’t waiting at the entrance as usual, which felt strange.

The feeling barely registered before the black-haired young man rushed over, a blur of motion, smiling brightly. “Wife, you’re back!”

Shi Xu stared at the pollutant’s face, still unfamiliar to him.

The beautiful exterior housed the same soul, lessening the strangeness.

“What did you mean by those messages?” Shi Xu asked.

The pollutant touched his flat stomach, saying shyly, “I… just gave birth… to Wife’s… baby.”

“…” Shi Xu’s eyelid twitched. He looked the pollutant up and down. “You can have babies?”

The pollutant covered his blushing face, his clear voice muffled with embarrassment. “I… kissed… Wife’s face… so… pregnant…”

“…”

Shi Xu understood. The pollutant had been watching more nonsense.

He smiled. “You’re very efficient. Quick pregnancy, quick delivery.”

The pollutant replied shyly, “All… thanks to… Wife. Wife… amazing. Wife’s… seed… also amazing.”

Shi Xu: “…” This was bordering on inappropriate.

Anyone else would have sensed his sarcasm, but not the pollutant, taking it as genuine praise.

This was…

Shi Xu took a breath, patiently explaining, “Having babies isn’t that simple. Kissing someone’s face won’t get them pregnant.”

The pollutant usually believed everything Shi Xu said, but this time, it hesitated. “But… on TV…”

Shi Xu caught the key words, his voice sharpening. “Didn’t I tell you to stop watching that nonsense?”

The pollutant immediately cowered. “Wife, I… wrong!”

Even in its original form, the pollutant was expressive, its emotions conveyed through its eyes. Now, with a human body, its expressions were even more pronounced, its dejection amplified, making Shi Xu uncomfortable.

He didn’t understand why he couldn’t ignore the pollutant’s sadness.

Constantly losing control of his emotions around the pollutant made him uneasy.

His voice deepened. “Explain.”

The pollutant immediately confessed, “I… found… three eggs.”

…

Despite the existence of pollutants and espers, ordinary humans still vastly outnumbered them. Society functioned normally, food remained the same, eggs remained the same.

Except for pollutant-tainted eggs, Shi Xu had never seen such peculiar eggs, let alone three at once.

They were twice the size of the ones in the photo, each as large as an ostrich egg.

One pure black, one red, and one the same shimmering gold as the pollutant’s eyes.

The pollutant pointed at the golden egg excitedly. “Wife, this… must be… our baby.”

The color was just like his eyes. It had to be his.

“…” Shi Xu guessed the pollutant’s logic, sighing inwardly.

He didn’t want to repeat himself, having realized the pollutant’s stubbornness.

A thought crossed his mind: Humans couldn’t get pregnant from kissing, but the pollutant wasn’t human. Perhaps it could?

He quickly dismissed the absurd notion, remembering the pollutant’s words.

These eggs were found, not born. How could it have given birth?

Shi Xu asked, “Where did you find them?”

“In… a garbage dump…”

The pollutant had promised Guo Han to return the mannequin unharmed. It had failed, the mannequin destroyed along with the black worm. Not even a complete arm remained.

Guilty, it brought a bag of gems as compensation. On the way home, it passed a garbage dump and found the eggs.

Before Shi Xu could ask, the pollutant continued, “Wife, I… lied. I… only found… the gold one.”

Shi Xu: “What about the other two?”

As the pollutant picked up the black egg, it cracked open. The little black cat emerged, mewing at Shi Xu.

Shi Xu: “…”

The pollutant chuckled. “I… listened… to Wife. Won’t… chase… Little Black… away. Little Black… sees me… as father. I… also… want… Little Black… as son. Wife, we… raise… it… together?”

The cat seemed to understand, meowing at Shi Xu even more affectionately.

Shi Xu: “…”

The pollutant picked up the red egg. Like the black one, it cracked open, revealing not a living creature, but a bouquet of red roses.

Offering the roses to Shi Xu, the pollutant said, his voice soft yet firm, “Shi Xu, I like you.”

Shi Xu was taken aback.

This was the first time the pollutant called him by his name. Spoken in its clear, bright voice, even his name, usually associated with filth and negativity, seemed cleansed.

A ring lay amidst the roses, its golden gem the size of a pigeon’s egg.

Having become human, the pollutant’s greatest desire was to confess again.

Shi Xu had said he would only date humans. Now that it had a human body, they could be together, right?

The pollutant didn’t understand human aesthetics. Guo Han, the store owner, had told him he was handsome, model-worthy even.

Guo Han sounded sincere. The pollutant believed her. Surely, its appearance met Shi Xu’s standards?

Shi Xu disliked ugliness. It wasn’t ugly anymore.

Surely, this time, he would accept its confession?

“Wife, do… you… like me?” the pollutant asked hopefully.

Shi Xu had never been in love, never liked anyone. He wasn’t romantic.

Many might find the pollutant’s confession romantic, but Shi Xu didn’t.

But looking at the vibrant roses, under the pollutant’s intense, sincere gaze, he felt a flicker of something.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.

“I don’t like you.”

“…”

The pollutant’s long, thick lashes trembled, casting shadows on its cheeks. Its lips twitched, unable to form a smile.

A tall, handsome man looking so dejected was strangely endearing. Shi Xu felt like he was losing his mind.

Seeing tears welling up in the pollutant’s eyes, Shi Xu licked his dry lips, saying softly, “I don’t believe in love at first sight. We haven’t known each other long. I don’t think I can like you that quickly.”

The dull eyes brightened again. “I… will… try… to make… Wife… like me!”

Shi Xu: “…”

The more time he spent with the pollutant, the more he wondered if he was the one with special abilities. How could his words so easily affect the pollutant’s emotions?

He didn’t respond, wanting to avoid the topic.

The pollutant’s explanation wasn’t convincing, raising more questions.

“Where did you get the gems?”

The pollutant clenched its fists, then opened them, revealing two red gems, offering them to Shi Xu.

“I… gave birth… to them.”

“…” Shi Xu felt like the world had become unrecognizable.

He warned, “Speak properly!”

The pollutant’s playful demeanor vanished, replaced by obedience. “I… collected them… in the rift…”

Espers often explored the rifts, not just to eliminate pollutants, but also for treasures. Driven by greed, they risked their lives, hoping to strike it rich.

Treasures highly valued by humans were mere pebbles to pollutants.

Before escaping the rift, the pollutant gathered its accumulated treasures.

It only needed love to survive, but humans desired material possessions. It wanted to provide the best for its Wife.

“This… is… my dowry.” A small mountain of gems appeared in its hands, offered to Shi Xu. “Wife, do… you… like… gems? What… color?”

Despite his strictness, Shi Yan never deprived Shi Xu materially. He had seen plenty of gems. Even these rare ones didn’t impress him.

He looked away from the glittering gems, pointing at the golden egg. “What’s inside this one?”

“I… don’t know.” The pollutant casually tossed the priceless gems into a trash bag.

If Shi Xu didn’t like them, they were worthless.

Shi Xu: “You don’t know, and you brought it home?”

The pollutant hugged the golden egg, holding it close to its face, blinking at Shi Xu. “Its… color… like… my eyes. We… destined…”

The real reason was that upon seeing the egg, a thought occurred to it: If humans could gain status through their children, why couldn’t it?

This egg resembled it so much.

It kissed Shi Xu, and now there was an egg. Wasn’t that logical?

After hearing the pollutant’s thought process, Shi Xu was beyond speechless.

“Wife, you… have to… take responsibility!” The pollutant held the golden egg close to Shi Xu, its face flushed, eyes still teary, as if it would cry if Shi Xu refused.

Shi Xu sneered. “I recall you were the one who kissed me. Why should I take responsibility?”