Chapter 374: Meow-chan's Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Evolution |
Noon, inside the villa.
"Yan Huan, we can evolve the Modifier today, meow!!"
Yan Huan was playing games in the villa, spending half the day casually watching the live broadcast of Bai Yi moving.
He watched as she signed the contract, happily hired people to help clean up, and argued with Zuo Jiangqin on the phone...
Then came the moving of all sorts of clothes and bedding, followed by another argument with her mother.
Finally, there was the moving of one musical instrument after another, followed by yet another argument with Zuo Jiangqin.
Oh, and by the way, she was also constantly complaining about him to her best friend?
Yan Huan had never met this best friend and had no idea who she was.
Anyway, judging from what he heard, he had probably become a three-headed, six-armed scumbag monster in that best friend's eyes.
Gossiping and watching the drama was definitely satisfying, but it was tough on Myau-chan, who had been constantly repeating everything Bai Yi said in his mind.
Regardless, by the time Myau-chan patted his face with its paw pads to remind him that he could upgrade the Modifier today, the previously empty villa across the street had already transformed into a cozy little home for Bai Yi.
Seeing this, Yan Huan could not help but come up with a new idea.
'Why does everyone have to live in the same house, constantly running into each other?'
'Living like this, each with their own house, right next to each other... isn't that a great choice too?'
With these thoughts in mind, Yan Huan blinked. He paused for a second before turning his head to look at Myau-chan.
"Oh, right, yesterday was Sunday. But given your personality, you actually managed to hold back from reminding me to spend fragments on upgrading the Modifier?"
This Boiling Fog, Myau-chan, was usually only hyperactive when other Hosts dropped fragments or when the Modifier could be upgraded every Sunday.
The rest of the time, its presence or absence made no difference.
"Hmph, that is only because I am wise and considerate, meow! Ye Shiyu's Index Finger can devour fragments, so upgrading the Modifier near her might be risky, meow!"
That was actually true...
And right now, Ye Shiyu was not home.
He was the only person in the entire villa, making it the perfect time to upgrade the Modifier.
This morning, Ye Shiyu suddenly said she was going to the company, leaving behind the words "do not go out" before departing.
It seemed like she had left without preparing any countermeasures, but...
Sitting in his seat, Yan Huan glanced through the floor-to-ceiling window at the surveillance camera hidden under the eaves of the villa's first floor.
Looking outside from various corners of the villa, he had already spotted six or seven such cameras this morning.
The instant he stepped out the door, he would definitely be hypnotized.
Yan Huan was firmly convinced of this.
However, Ye Shiyu's abnormal behavior also caught his attention.
After breaking his superstitious fear of the "defeat CG" scenario with Ye Shiyu, Yan Huan felt she would not hypnotize him so easily.
But at this juncture, in order to prevent him from leaving, she had gone to the lengths of setting up numerous Yezi AI hypnosis traps just so she could go to the company?
This was definitely related to "what she had to do."
...
Thinking about this, Yan Huan walked over to the washing machine and opened the door, intending to take out the washed clothes inside.
When Ye Shiyu left, she had thrown in some dirty clothes but had not started the wash, so Yan Huan took care of it when he noticed.
Inside, black stockings were tangled with the rest of her removed clothes.
Yan Huan familiarly took out the garments, untangling the stockings and underwear piece by piece as if peeling silk from a cocoon.
While hanging the laundry to dry, Yan Huan spoke in his mind,
'You have a point. Let us hurry up and upgrade while Ye Shiyu is not back yet.'
"Okay, meow!"
Hearing this, Myau-chan did a backflip and landed right in front of Yan Huan.
Immediately after, it took a deep breath and spat out all the fragments it had previously collected.
Bai Yi's, Ye Shiyu's...
In short, the sheer quantity was more than enough to upgrade the Modifier once more.
And after this, Yan Huan's Modifier Level would reach Level 9.
Hum!!
As all the fragments transformed into golden streams of light and surged into Myau-chan's body, an illusory interface appeared in front of Yan Huan.
But this time, the Modifier's interface was different from before.
The previous interface had been a golden, phantom-like projection, but now...
It was colorful.
[Modifier Level Change: 8 to 9]
[Reward Pool Level changed to 9. This means your Modifier has officially entered the high-level stage.]
[You have now unlocked a brand-new system architecture, offering richer and more powerful rewards.]
[You have unlocked: "Object in the Palm"]
[Every week from now on, you can acquire a magical item or ability related to the authority of a certain Finger.]
[Offer more fragments related to the Fingers to upgrade this ability.]
'Object in the Palm?'
Staring at the newly appeared term, Yan Huan was slightly taken aback.
Filled with curiosity, he sank his consciousness slightly and approached the term.
Whoosh!!
In an instant, the familiar dark fog covered his entire field of vision, dragging his consciousness toward the gloomy mystery.
'Is this...'
'The Demon's Shop?'
Splash, splash...
On the boundless and dark ocean, the isolated island Yan Huan stood on seemed to be the center.
But this time, the familiar idol did not rise. Taking its place were three pink spheres of light floating up from the bottom of the sea.
As Yan Huan's consciousness drew near the spheres of light, related information surfaced:
[All reclaimed objects are right here.]
[Choose one, and it shall fall into your palm.]
Buzz!!
Immediately after, the three spheres of light abruptly shattered, revealing three different items.
The first item:
[Crown of Agony]
[A magical item condensed from the fragments of the Little Finger's authority, a headpiece twisted out of blood-red thorns.]
[Upon wearing this, all your pain will be transformed into pleasure. The greater the pain, the more pleasure will be converted.]
[Simultaneously, you can sacrifice all your pleasure to summon a tentacle that you can manipulate.]
The second item:
[Proof of Usurpation - Part One]
[A magical item condensed from the fragments of the Thumb Modifier's authority, a tattoo inscribed with unknown symbols.]
[Upon acquiring this, your attractiveness to married individuals is greatly enhanced.]
[When you seduce them into committing an act of substantial betrayal, your physique will receive a permanent enhancement.]
The third item:
[Formless Transition]
[A magical item condensed from the fragments of the Nameless Finger's authority, an amulet in the shape of a toad.]
[Upon wearing this, your Resistance to Modifiers will be slightly increased.]
[Once a day, you can immediately teleport to any location within a 15-meter radius.]
[However, during the one minute of 4:44 in the afternoon, this ability can be used an unlimited number of times.]
'What the...'
'Holy shit?'
Looking at the toad-shaped amulet that appeared last, Yan Huan felt his head spin.
'In layman's terms, this is Teleportation!'
'I do not even need to think about it to know this thing will be incredibly useful!'
'But...'
'Why is it 4:44 PM again?'
Yan Huan blanked for a second, unable to stop pondering this specific time.
It was the same last time; at exactly 4:44 PM, his skeleton key ability had inexplicably triggered.
'Looking at it now, is this specific time related to Bai Yi's Modifier?'
Yan Huan was not certain, but he reached out and snatched the toad amulet into his possession anyway.
Crack, crack, crack!
As he selected the final option, the other two items turned to dust and fell back into the profound ocean.
...
Yan Huan was not in a hurry to exit the realm of the Demon's Shop. Instead, he opened the Demon's Shop proper, as well as the once-a-week skill upgrade workshop.
First was the skill upgrade.
One piece of good news and one piece of bad news.
The bad news was that his luck was poor this week. He did not roll a mechanism upgrade for his skill, but a numerical one.
Previously, whenever the mechanisms of his skills upgraded, they became absurdly powerful, whereas raw numbers always fell slightly short.
The good news was that the skill being upgraded was Kiss God, and the upgraded stat was crucial!
[After triggering Kiss God, the degree to which it reduces the Modifier side effects of your kissing partner has been slightly increased.]
The effect of this skill on Sakuramiya was plain for all to see. For An Le, it was not as obvious because her Modifier's progress had been reset to zero.
'Come to think of it...'
'Ye Shiyu and Bai Yi should also be experiencing Modifier side effects.'
'It is just that, as of right now, it is not very obvious.'
But with Crab Medicine so hard to come by these days, this ability was naturally of vital importance.
Next was the shop.
There was nothing worth looking at among the free items. Besides, now that the Demon's Shop had upgraded, there was no longer a forced requirement to buy its items to avoid side effects, so Yan Huan did not pay much attention to it.
Currently, the only shop that could hold his interest was likely the Crab Coins shop.
[Crab Coins Obtained: 10]
And below that:
[World Modulator: 30 Crab Coins]
'Now, I have already obtained one-third of the required Crab Coins.'
'I can only get a maximum of 10 Crab Coins a month. The next month is coming soon; I will see what task needs to be completed to get the next 10 then.'
Chink...
Yan Huan gazed at the ten pink coins floating in his palm, his lips curling up into a slight smile.
He counted them again, confirming there was not one more and not one less, before storing the precious Crab Coins away and exiting this realm.
"Meow?"
The fog before his eyes slowly dispersed, revealing Myau-chan tilting its head with a face full of resentment.
"...Why did you stay in the Demon's Shop for so long, meow?"
"I struck gold, Myau-chan! You really did a great job this time, you know?!"
Feeling the extra toad-shaped amulet glowing with a misty green light in his hand, Yan Huan scooped up Myau-chan in a tight embrace and kissed it passionately.
"Meow?!"
In his arms, receiving the praise and being showered with kisses on its head, Myau-chan let out a deep purr, clearly enjoying it immensely.
'Well, although I do not know exactly what happened, since Yan Huan is praising me, it must mean that I am indeed awesome!'
Thus, Myau-chan's expression shifted from initial confusion to justified enjoyment.
"Wait a minute, meow, you have not finished the rest of your draws yet, meow!"
'Oh, right...'
Snapping out of it while still holding Myau-chan, Yan Huan looked back at the illusory interface before him.
'Hm?'
This time, there were no branching evolutionary paths in the interface. Instead, there was only a single draw following the Reward Pool Level upgrade.
[Reward Level: 9]
[Superpower: Brain Communication] [Without needing to open your mouth, you can unilaterally transmit information directly to the brain of a target visible to the naked eye.]
[Using this ability, you can converse with others from a distance and transmit images from your mind.]
[Description: Ding~ Yan Huan brand Bluetooth is connected!]
[Reward Level: 9]
[Superpower: A Certain Scientific Railgun]
[Once a week, using a coin as a medium, condense a highly lethal railgun at your fingertips.]
[Description: The electric light dancing at your fingertips is my unwavering faith in this life.]
[Reward Level: 9]
[Form: Druid]
[You can transform into any animal without time limits or restrictions on the number of uses, and you will perfectly master the new body after transformation.]
[However, when you revert to your original form after transforming into a specific animal for the first time, a physical trait of that animal will permanently remain on your body.]
[Chimera: For every additional non-human trait on your body, you will gain an enhancement in Reproductive Capability, physical constitution, and Charm.]
[Description: Demi-Human Yan Huan Completion Manual]
Looking at the three abilities before him, Yan Huan's expression, which had just been eager to smother Myau-chan in kisses, stiffened.
Yan Huan instantly passed on the third option.
Although it felt quite strong, the side effects were far too obvious.
Permanent retention!
Turning into a bird and then permanently sprouting a pair of wings was far too shocking for modern society.
The second ability seemed strong, but Yan Huan felt that having one lethal skill like Launch Fireworks was enough.
Having more would serve no real purpose.
As for the first one...
Hmm...
The first use Yan Huan could think of was to transmit information while under the surveillance of the Yezi AI.
Furthermore, this thing seemed to be capable of transmitting a lot of information...
'If developed properly, it feels highly promising.'
Rubbing his chin, Yan Huan increasingly felt that this ability had potential, so with almost no hesitation, he chose the first option.
Buzz!
As streaks of golden light poured into Yan Huan's body, it officially marked the completion of this week's Modifier upgrade.
"...This was quite a fruitful harvest."
Yan Huan took a deep breath. Having just finished hanging up the laundry, he sat back down on the sofa.
The top priority right now was to make Ye Shiyu lose her trust in the Index Finger, and he also had to figure out what she was trying to do...
However, since Ye Shiyu was not present, he could only speculate wildly.
Besides that, he was also a bit eager to test out the ability he had just acquired...
Especially the Teleportation.
But after careful consideration, with Ye Shiyu monitoring him, suddenly teleporting did not seem like a good idea.
Even though she already knew he possessed Superpowers, displaying Teleportation would be no different from telling her, "I have the ability to break out of prison," would it not?
"Then I will try the other one?"
Yan Huan rubbed his fingers together, thinking about the Brain Communication ability while resting his chin in his hand and looking out the window.
'Should I find someone, or...'
'Hm?'
While idling away the time, out of the corner of his eye, Yan Huan spotted Bai Yi outside, currently throwing away some trash.
She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, her fair skin seeming to sparkle in the sunlight.
Her face was stunningly beautiful. Today was different from usual; since she was living alone, she wore no makeup.
Her flawless, pale complexion was perhaps slightly less perfect, but it held a much healthier, rosier glow.
In short, her little face was flush with a vibrant, down-to-earth vitality.
This actually made Yan Huan feel she looked far prettier than when she was fully dolled up.
"Ugh, so heavy..."
At that moment, Bai Yi was dragging a large, heavy sack step by step out of the villa, seemingly intending to throw away the garbage.
Yan Huan had not planned on exposing his presence here, but watching Bai Yi struggling immensely to drag the heavy sack, an Evil prankish thought crossed his mind.
'Since I can edit so much information, as long as I do not send anything related to myself, it will be fine...'
'Idiot...'
Typing out this simple text-based message, Yan Huan immediately sent it over.
...
Instantly, Bai Yi, who was dragging the trash near the entrance across the street, froze slightly.
Because an illusory interface had suddenly appeared directly within her mind:
[Idiot]
"Huh?!"
Upon seeing that word, Bai Yi immediately widened her eyes, her little face flushing crimson.
Thud!
Suddenly, realizing something, she instantly dropped the heavy sack, pulled the Pocket Watch out of her bosom, and pointed at it furiously:
"Y-y-you are alive?! And you dare to insult me?!"
...
Seeing her silly look as she pointed at her own Modifier demanding an explanation, Yan Huan found it hard to bear and almost burst out laughing.
"I have not even settled the score with you for making me visible back at the venue. Wait, are you actually conscious? Before this, you just... introduced your abilities."
Bai Yi was still standing there half-believing, half-doubting, while Yan Huan struggled to hold back his laughter as he hid in the villa, secretly observing her reaction.
Watching her genuinely believe the text transmitted via his Brain Communication, Yan Huan could not help but mockingly remark to Myau-chan,
"You really are a generic software template, Myau-chan. Their Modifier interfaces are actually identical to yours. Bai Yi cannot even tell the difference."
"Meow?!"
Beside him, Myau-chan yowled in indignant protest, but Yan Huan ignored it.
Indeed, the message Yan Huan sent was based on his own Modifier's interface format.
To his surprise, it had successfully tricked Bai Yi into running around in circles.
However, as he said this, Yan Huan's expression suddenly froze, as if he had realized something.
'Wait...'
'Their Modifier interfaces are exactly the same as mine?'
...
Yan Huan's expression quickly turned serious. He immediately dropped his prankish thoughts and continued staring at the thoroughly bewildered Bai Yi outside.
"Hmm, but is it really you? Before, you only..."
Muttering this, the doubt on Bai Yi's face grew heavier, prompting her to look around in suspicion.
Feeling her gaze sweeping his way, Yan Huan immediately ducked his head.
'Sure enough, there is a flaw.'
Hisss...
Yan Huan could not help but recall the information regarding how the other Hosts communicated with their Modifiers.
An Le's Little Finger was a living entity outright, so that went without saying.
As for Sakuramiya, Yan Huan knew that it basically never communicated with her, only occasionally informing her about what had been unlocked during an upgrade.
As for the others...
Well, Aruiya sometimes completely forgot she even had Abilities, so she likely never communicated with hers at all.
'So, even though every Modifier's interface is similar to mine, their methods of communicating with their Hosts are entirely different based on their individual personalities...'
'Then, how would the Index Finger communicate with Ye Shiyu?'
...
Yan Huan's eyes lost focus. As he thought deeper, a sentence the Little Finger had said previously suddenly drilled into his mind:
"The Index Finger is the most ruthless and terrifying of all the Finger-class Modifiers... and the one that acts most like a program."
'A program?'
As Yan Huan pondered, his eyes subtly lit up.
'I have got it.'
Click~
Evening, North Sea District, at the entrance of a high-end residential complex.
Ye Shiyu stepped out of a black luxury Sedan Car. Immediately after, she looked toward the driver in the front and spoke softly,
"From now on, you will forget you ever drove me here... Then, go home."
"Understood..."
The driver in the front seat had hollow, vacant eyes. Hearing her words, he nodded.
Thud.
Following that, the car door closed, and he drove the Sedan Car slowly into the distance.
Carrying a bag of clothes, Ye Shiyu walked into this rather remote Villa District.
The area they lived in had virtually no supporting facilities and was situated far away from the city center. Apart from the houses being large, there was absolutely no advantage to living here, so naturally, very few people resided in the vicinity.
Visible to the Naked Eye, there were hardly any permanent residents.
Except...
...
Ye Shiyu stood in the shadows of the leaves, gazing at the villa across the street, its lights illuminated in the evening dusk.
That was where Bai Yi lived.
She paused for a second. Seeming afraid that Bai Yi might discover her and Xiao Huan living there, she acted Sneaky and Suspicious, turning sideways and stealthily approaching her own villa.
Click~
After inserting the key and gently pushing the door open...
From inside, the delicious aroma of a home-cooked meal drifted out.
Grumble...
Standing at the entrance and smelling the aroma, Ye Shiyu was slightly stunned.
Raising her eyes to look inside, she saw that the round wooden table in the first-floor hall was laden with seven or eight sumptuous dishes.
And on either side of the wooden table, there were only two chairs.
On the table, two lit candles were burning softly.
...
Gazing at the dishes on the table, Ye Shiyu stood in a daze before lifting her gaze toward the kitchen.
Wearing an apron, Yan Huan walked out holding bowls and chopsticks. Seeing Ye Shiyu return, he gave a faint smile.
"You are back..."
"These..."
Ye Shiyu looked down at the food in front of her. Just as she was about to speak, Yan Huan smiled and said,
"I saw that you brought back some groceries this morning, so I cooked them up."
"...Those were meant for the next few days."
...
Yan Huan's smile stiffened slightly, but a second later, he pushed a set of bowls and chopsticks over to Ye Shiyu.
"Well, I already cooked them, so let us just eat, Sister Shiyu."
'Sister Shiyu?'
Hearing this title, Ye Shiyu pursed her lips.
Her slightly deadened heart could not help but tremble slightly upon hearing this familiar address.
'But...'
'Being overly attentive without reason means hiding malicious intentions. Where there is abnormal behavior, there must be mischief...'
'For Xiao Huan to suddenly act like this... I am afraid...'
With these thoughts, Ye Shiyu did not sit down. Instead, the look she gave Yan Huan carried a hint of vigilance.
Facing her wariness, Yan Huan revealed no signs of abnormality. He simply said,
"Have a seat, Sister Shiyu."