Chapter 16: No! It’s Not True—I Still Love Her Deeply!

When Yuan Zhu awoke again, night had fallen, and the car was parked in the lot of the Runing City Security Bureau. He had been shaken awake; the grating noise of the old vehicle hadn’t disturbed his sleep at all.

“Wake up, we’ve arrived at the destination.”

“Ah…!” He yawned widely, staring bewildered at the unfamiliar man before him. Who am I? Where am I? What happened?

Still dazed, Yuan Zhu got out of the car and followed the middle-aged man toward a three-story concrete building. Gradually, memories of earlier events returned, and he began to curiously observe the police headquarters of Runing.

In the New Federation, there was no such thing as a police station; instead, there was the Security Bureau, a general term. Inside the Security Bureau were various departments: some handled everyday civil disputes and criminal cases, but many were responsible for supernatural disasters, beast attacks, pollution incidents, cases involving the undead, aliens, and so forth.

This seemingly run-down building housed talents from all walks of life. Their scope covered everything from drunken brawls to soul possession, marital infidelity to time travel—nothing was beyond their purview.

He even saw a moose, chewing on a pack of cigarettes, strolling leisurely out of the Security Bureau’s gates, then vanishing without a trace. Wait, what just happened? Was I seeing things?

Pushing open the door, Yuan Zhu felt as if he had entered a bustling flea market, filled with noise and commotion.

Some had their hands cuffed, weeping miserably; others shouted and caused a scene; some were calm and talkative, full of spirit... while a few were visibly nervous and panicked, casting anxious glances around. When their eyes accidentally met Yuan Zhu’s, they screamed in fright.

Making his way through the crowded corridor, Yuan Zhu was amazed by all he saw. He did not linger on the first floor but climbed the concrete stairs straight to the second floor, where the atmosphere was noticeably quieter. A young man surnamed Han went ahead to hand over some equipment.

Compared to the open space downstairs, the second floor was divided into many small rooms, most of which were occupied and in use.

The middle-aged man led Yuan Zhu to a long row of seats against the wall. “Young man, wait here for a moment. I’ll contact the testing experts to run a further displacement test on you. If you pass, you’re basically in the clear. Just wait a bit.”

After the man left, Yuan Zhu sat alone. To his left were two strangers also awaiting judgment. The one farther away appeared about 30 years old, ordinary-looking, silent and serious, staring intently at the floor patterns with no intention to engage.

Closer to him was a man in his early twenties, dressed in brightly colored clothing resembling casual wear on Earth. This young man appeared much more anxious, frequently touching his throat and pressing his chest and abdomen repeatedly.

He radiated a weak, helpless aura, seeming very vulnerable.

Unable to resist, Yuan Zhu nudged him with his elbow, striking up a conversation with easy familiarity: “Hey, brother. What’s your situation? What did you do to end up here?”

“Huh? Me?” The youth jolted, turning to look at the curious face before him, then puzzled, pointed at himself and shook his head vehemently. “Don’t say that, I didn’t! I’m innocent! I’m the victim!”

“Tell me what happened. I’m also an innocent caught up in some case. Maybe we can share experiences.” Yuan Zhu made up a story on the spot: “Forty people died on my side; what about you?”

It was his first time in such a place, and with a little mental comfort, he felt curiosity rather than fear. Learning more might help him.

The young man, clearly panicked, seemed eager to confide and relieve his stress. He confessed, “Okay, okay. I’ve been dating a girl for three months. Things were going well. A week ago, she invited me to dinner at her home and wanted to introduce me to her parents and siblings.”

Lacking romantic experience, Yuan Zhu nodded and commented, “That’s good progress—meeting the parents after three months.”

“I thought so too. I was happy, excited even. The first dinner went well. Afterwards, she said her parents liked me and kept inviting me over the following week. Every time I was warmly welcomed, and the food was delicious.”

“So why were you brought to the Security Bureau?” Yuan Zhu asked.

At the question, fear flashed in the youth’s eyes. “Starting from the third dinner, I fell into nightmares. Then I felt suffocated, with hallucinations of foreign objects inside me. I thought it was lack of rest or illness, but it got worse. Her family grew stranger, and I thought I heard weird sounds. Finally… ugh, ugh!”

Before he finished, the young man’s breathing grew erratic. He pressed his chest and suddenly opened his mouth, spitting out tiny tentacles ending with green eyeballs.

The tentacles resembled little squid legs, each topped with a large blinking eye, wriggling like earthworms as they tried to crawl onto Yuan Zhu’s shoes.

Startled, Yuan Zhu stepped on one of the eyeballs like a small BB pellet, crushing it with a crisp pop. Green slime splattered, releasing a strange but strangely appetizing fragrance.

“I... uh…” The young man tried to speak but covered his mouth to gag, coughing violently. More vivid tentacles emerged from his nostrils. His eyes were helpless and terrified.

Yuan Zhu hesitated, then said, “Uh... don’t say anymore. I think I get it…”

“No! It’s not like that! I still love her deeply! I’m here for questioning, but it has nothing to do with the food she fed me. Today’s dinner, however, involved two severed fingers belonging to elves. Her family is suspected to be connected to the disappearance of some foreign elves…”

Yuan Zhu raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “What?!”

“Enough chatting. The experts have arranged everything for you. It’s already dark, and we have to work overtime. What a hassle.” The middle-aged man appeared behind Yuan Zhu, patting his shoulder and signaling him not to pry into others’ secrets.

As he stood to leave, Yuan Zhu couldn’t help but ask the youth, “So, what exactly scares you?”

The young man answered, “I heard that elf has a special identity and high status—a cultivator from an overseas immortal mountain, blessed by immortals. I’m afraid I’m cursed, contaminated by something unknown... ugh...”

“You’re literally spitting out living tentacles, and you’re worried about curses and contamination?” Yuan Zhu thought. Was that elf’s name Sukuna?

Crunching the small tentacle in his mouth, the youth smiled reassuringly. “This is nothing to worry about!”

Pulled away by the middle-aged man, Yuan Zhu asked on the way to the interrogation room, “Do you think that guy’s already been corrupted and mentally twisted, unable to tell if he’s contaminated? He’s spitting tentacles and says ‘this is nothing’?”

The middle-aged man, nicknamed Fatty Wang, looked at him oddly and sighed, “Hey, Brother Yuan, life must be pretty tough for you, huh?”

“Why do you say that?” Yuan Zhu asked.

Fatty Wang replied, “Those living eyeball tentacles he just spat out are actually a popular delicacy called ‘Suleiman’s Gaze.’ Only middle-class families with decent incomes can afford it. His girlfriend’s family is well-off. He’s panicking because he’s afraid her family might really be involved in a case, and that he’ll lose this kind of life.”

“Ah?!” Yuan Zhu tilted his head, mouth agape in bafflement.