Chapter 149: In the Box

I’m Really Scared

Guan Shan was taken aback. Qi Xingyu had disappeared?

He twitched the corner of his mouth. "You don't also suspect me, do you?"

Sun Han was also stunned, looking at him suspiciously. "Also?"

Guan Shan: "..."

Oops, he had inadvertently associated this with Lu Qiuqiu suddenly telling him her father was missing late at night, blurting it out instinctively, which now seemed like a self-confession.

He tried to act nonchalantly and continued, "I mean, I've been in my room since yesterday and haven't gone out. Although we had conflicts, it shouldn't be blamed on me. Besides, she attacked me first."

"I know."

Sun Han shook her head and glanced at the flowerpot in front of Guan Shan.

Even while talking to her, Guan Shan didn't take his eyes off the flowerpot, staring at it continuously.

There were only a few Espers in the base, and news about the peculiar habit of this foreign Esper had reached Sun Han's ears by yesterday. Naturally, she knew that Guan Shan hadn't left his room all day after they parted ways.

Although Guan Shan's behavior was strange, there was no evidence.

Secondly, after Qi Xingyu's failure, she had carefully reviewed Guan Shan's past records. She found that although he seemed "crazy," he had always performed meritoriously on missions and never harmed innocents. He had principles and was straightforward, not the type to plot behind someone's back.

More importantly, she had spoken with Xia Lei, who trusted Guan Shan's character deeply and mentioned his numerous brushes with death to save more ordinary people.

This had been corroborated in the "Room" incident.

Whether it was the support staff from Youhao Team, the Lu family, or the unaffiliated Esper White Night, participants from these completely different backgrounds all praised Guan Shan's character in times of crisis, using almost every positive adjective available.

So, even though the situation was bizarre, Sun Han didn't take it out on Guan Shan. Instead, she wanted to wait for further investigation.

Sun Han said seriously, "I'm not here to accuse you. I need your help. I heard you previously investigated..."

"Wait!"

Guan Shan continued to stare at the flowerpot. When Sun Han glanced over, the progress bar had suddenly jumped significantly, and the first bar was about to reach its end.

"I can help, but can you do me a favor first?"

Guan Shan sincerely held up the flowerpot. "Look at this flowerpot for five minutes."

Sun Han: "?"

Guan Shan's eyes were earnest. "Just five minutes. If you think it's a waste of time, you can look while walking?"

Catching people and making them stare at a flowerpot—what kind of quirk is this...

Sun Han took a deep breath and looked at the flowerpot. "Alright, White Night has already gone to the scene. I'll explain the situation to you."

White Night would be interested in this sort of thing... he was known as the "Expert Detective."

Guan Shan nodded, listening to Sun Han while watching the progress bar. Her first sentence stunned him.

"Xingyu disappeared inside the base."

Guan Shan's eyelid twitched. "Inside the base?"

This was a big deal. The base was heavily guarded, and even a fly had to pass through three layers of security. How could an Esper disappear on home turf? Could it be another "Room"?

"Yes." Sun Han said in a low voice, "Yesterday, I confined her and had her complete her dismissal paperwork. She was accompanied by two support staff. On the way, she suddenly turned into a normally unused passage. The lights in the passage suddenly went out, and when they came back on, Xingyu was gone."

Guan Shan felt a chill down his spine and laughed dryly. "This feels... like a horror movie."

Trying to hide his fear, he coughed and quickly asked, "Are there Espers with such abilities?"

Sun Han replied, "There are, but this Esper, called Sainz, nicknamed 'Black Hole,' is far away in Russia, still being hunted."

"So it's impossible... If it's not an Esper, could she have encountered a Panspirit Object or a Panspirit Creature?"

As Guan Shan pondered, the progress bar on the flowerpot finally filled.

A plant burst from the soil, growing rapidly into an orchid-like plant, but instead of flowers, it bore various lifelike eyeballs at the tips of its leaves.

[Blossoming Eye Cluster]

[Effect: By touching, you can share the 'gaze' that watered it.]

[Description: All that is seen, is seen through my eyes.]

The mysterious Eye Seed revealed its true form.

It was a surveillance device?! And it was lively because all the eyeballs were rolling around energetically, looking very... um, lively.

"What is this...?!"

Sun Han's pupils contracted, and she instinctively took two steps back, looking at Guan Shan warily.

She had seen many Panspirit Creatures, but those that looked this sinister were usually highly aggressive.

Guan Shan awkwardly smiled, looking at the eyeballs. "Just a little toy, no harm."

Sun Han glanced skeptically at how he held the flowerpot at arm's length, like a ticking time bomb.

Why don't I believe you?

Noticing Sun Han's distrust, Guan Shan, to prove his innocence, brought the flowerpot closer and touched one of the eyes. "See, it's just a bit scary-looking, but it's quite docile."

The eye seemed to understand him, rubbing its leaf like a cat against his finger.

Unfortunately, it had no soft fur, just a strange, slimy, semi-transparent texture, making a squishy sound that gave one goosebumps.

Guan Shan shuddered but then froze.

His vision turned pitch black, and ahead was the stumbling back of a woman.

That cheongsam, that figure... looked familiar.

"Qi Xingyu?!"

Guan Shan was shocked and instinctively tried to move forward, but his perspective was fixed.

"This is... the shared vision from someone who watered the [Eye Seed]?"

Guan Shan quickly understood but then broke into a cold sweat.

The people he called to water the seeds were all people he knew and had interacted with.

But now, this perspective was clearly the one responsible for Qi Xingyu's disappearance!

"Who is it? If it's not those I invited, could the gaze's owner have secretly watched and seen the flowerpot... or me?"

Guan Shan took a deep breath, feeling uneasy.

This perspective was fixed, watching Qi Xingyu run and scream in the darkness, always behind her. But Qi Xingyu was unaware, as if this person were a ghost.

Imagining the perspective's owner leisurely enjoying Qi Xingyu's despair...

"Huh?"

A familiar voice suddenly sounded, not in his ears or mind, but as if from his mouth, slightly distorted.

Guan Shan's heart raced, knowing the perspective's owner had discovered him!

The voice continued, laughing, "Don't peek at times like this... oh well, it doesn't matter. She'll return to reality soon."

"Go find her... in the box."