The next day was as quiet as usual.

Ever since becoming a player, Wu Wang hadn’t gone back to a normal job. He told his Second Sister that he was working from home as a content creator and no longer needed to toil away outside.

He even showed her his “salary.”

In reality, it was just a few thousand yuan he had transferred to his bank card from the money Xiezhi had given him.

Tap, tap, tap…

Wu Wang walked into the ground floor of his old residential building, carrying ingredients for lunch. As he entered the cramped space surrounded by reinforced concrete, he saw a new note posted on the notice board.

Two glaringly large characters made him frown.

【Building Rules】

Reading on, he was so angry he had to laugh.

【To ensure the smooth birth of my precious grandson, I have established the following Building Rules】

【1. No using WiFi, induction cookers, or other devices that generate electromagnetic waves.】

【2. After 10 PM, residents are not allowed to watch TV or use phones, computers, etc., to avoid radiation that might affect the baby in the womb.】

【3. No keeping pets like cats and dogs, as pregnant women are prone to allergies.】

【4. No running, playing, or making loud noises.】

【Please be sure to abide by the Building Rules.】

【From the resident of 302】

The messy handwriting and the apartment number told Wu Wang exactly who had written it. A mother-in-law and daughter-in-law lived in 302; the husband was away on business year-round and never came back.

The mother-in-law was the sub-landlord of the complex. The main landlord was her relative and didn’t live there, so she was asked to help manage the property and collect rent.

She was a rather annoying old woman who always liked to use her age to pull rank and take petty advantages. On several occasions, when Wu Xiaoyou took Dick Cat out for a walk, the old woman had tried to kick the cat when she thought no one was looking.

This so-called 【Building Rules】 notice was exactly her brand of nastiness.

Carrying the ingredients, Wu Wang went upstairs. He immediately opened his computer and began changing the WiFi settings.

Just then, Wu Xiaoyou entered his room, covering her nose.

“Why does your room smell so bad? Did something go moldy?”

“That’s the smell of my rotting soul,” Wu Wang said without turning his head. “Got a problem with it?”

“…”

Wu Xiaoyou silently moved the stinky tofu from his desk to the balcony. Then she saw what Wu Wang was doing. He was changing the WiFi name.

【Sixth-Generation Radiation Wall-Penetrating Fetus-Annihilator King (The Fetus-Annihilator King is just that strong!)】

“What are you doing?”

She clearly hadn’t seen the moronic notice downstairs.

Wu Wang shrugged. “It’s about the old hag upstairs.”

At his words, Wu Xiaoyou’s expression immediately turned serious. She placed her hands on his shoulders.

“Did you trick her into thinking her WeChat steps could be cashed in again?” she asked worriedly.

“I only did that once!” Wu Wang said stubbornly.

“Then did you swap her hearing aid with noise-canceling headphones again?”

“Do I look like that kind of person?” Wu Wang retorted.

Hearing this, Wu Xiaoyou’s expression became even more complicated. She started counting on her fingers.

“You handed out wedding candy at the entrance of a funeral home, forcing me to apologize to every single person. You watered a person in a vegetative state at the hospital and were nearly cuffed and dragged to the psychiatry department. You played ‘Only a Mother’s Love is Best’ at the gate of an orphanage on the very day our parents came to adopt me and Eldest Sister.”

“You replaced someone’s protein powder with milk tea at the gym and were almost beaten to death by a dozen muscular guys. You called for an ambulance from a morgue, and if there had been a signal, the police would have come.”

“You swapped a street vendor’s payment QR code with a report link to the Bureau of Market Supervision. If it weren’t for the lack of security cameras, I would have had to pick you up from the police station again.”

She finally looked at him.

“So what kind of person do you think you are in my eyes?”

“You’re the type of person who, if a museum was on fire and people were debating whether to save a priceless painting or a cat, would stand on the side appreciating the burning art, listening to the cat’s tragic cries, and criticizing the crowd for not saving them, all while pontificating from the moral high ground.”

This list of heroic deeds made Wu Wang scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

He said sheepishly, “Am I that outstanding?”

Second Sister’s expression was grave. “Little Brother, I know you hate that old woman, and I don’t like her either. But if you trick her into thinking she can touch a high-voltage power line after taking her blood pressure medication, and she actually dies, I’m worried Big Sister won’t be able to help you escape in time.”

Wu Wang finished changing the WiFi name and muttered, “Wouldn’t a normal person just call the police? What’s all this about running away?”

Thump!

Second Sister rapped him sharply on the head. She rolled her eyes and said irritably, “You’re my little brother. You’re not allowed to go to jail!”

“Even if I did something wrong?”

“Even if you did something wrong.”

With that, Wu Xiaoyou seemed to remember something. She pulled up a name on her phone.

【I’m Arrogant, What Can You Do】

She looked at him with a serious expression. “Right, help me check the birthday of the person with this name in the game XX Glory.”

“What are you planning to do?” Wu Wang asked, puzzled.

“Wish him a happy birthday. Just check first,” Second Sister said.

Wu Wang said nothing. He just silently took his sister’s phone, opened the game, and checked her friend requests and chat history. His screen filled with the passionate insults 【I’m Arrogant, What Can You Do】 had hurled at his Second Sister.

It was clear a conflict had erupted between them in their last game. Second Sister’s clumsy and kind explanations had been utterly crushed by the other player’s family-insulting tirade. She had been forced to retreat, and as a fallback, she had decided to wish him a happy birthday.

“You’re planning to fucking dox him, aren’t you!”

“Are you going to help or not? If you don’t, it won’t be his info I’m looking up, it’ll be your skull I’m cracking.”

“Don’t rush me, I’m on it.”

Thanks to Wu Wang’s efforts, it didn’t take long for the online seniority of 【I’m Arrogant, What Can You Do】 to plummet. A few short greetings, cleverly mixed with the kid’s home address and ID number, instantly demoted his online status from a revered elder to a mere grandson.

But Wu Wang didn’t do much else. After all, a quick search revealed it was just some brat in middle school.

In the end, he simply installed a virus on the kid’s phone. Around six in the evening, just as his family should be sitting down for dinner, it would start automatically playing a certain kind of pornographic film. At the same time, the phone’s volume would be turned up to the maximum.

It was just a little something to let him enjoy the feeling of social death in front of his parents.

“I’m such a saint,” Wu Wang mused. “Even helping a kid make up for the beatings he missed in his childhood.”

The wonderful morning passed by in a flash.

After toiling in the kitchen for half the day, Chef Wu emerged with his delicacies. He placed the plates and cups on the table under Wu Xiaoyou’s strange gaze.

Seeing that his Second Sister hadn’t picked up her chopsticks, he couldn’t help but ask, “No appetite? Are you sick?”

Wu Xiaoyou stared at the dishes on the table. She sighed.

“So, you bought okra and jelly just to make this? And what’s that round, white, soft ball on top?”

“Black sesame tangyuan,” Wu Wang said while chewing on a squid tentacle. “This is my masterpiece, Abyss’s Sorrow.”

Looking at the bizarre dish, Wu Xiaoyou shifted her gaze to the cup of squid tentacles he was drinking from. She clenched her fists and took a deep breath, fighting the impulse to snatch it from him and dump it in the trash.

“What’s this then?” she asked through gritted teeth.

Wu Wang slurped up a mouthful of brain. He puffed out his chest.

“Brain in a Vat!”

“Don’t worry, all the ingredients are perfectly edible,” he said. “This green liquid is kiwi juice. It tastes great, want to try some?”

To be honest, Wu Xiaoyou held Wu Wang’s culinary skills in high regard. From her perspective as the former 【Spider Lily】, she had once infiltrated a high-class mansion for a banquet. She was there to eliminate a 【Postman】 who had killed several of his peers over a valuable painting.

Even the famous chef hired for that banquet could not produce dishes as masterful as Wu Wang’s. She had even thought her little brother could get a job as a chef in a five-star hotel. He’d surely live a prosperous life.

However, Wu Wang had rejected the suggestion.

“Cooking is just a hobby,” he had said. “If I turn my hobby into a job, I’ll lose my passion for it.”

Besides that, there was an even more important reason. He loved to innovate. He often came up with bizarre dishes, like the two creations today. A normal person would have probably flipped the table and run away upon seeing them.

But Wu Xiaoyou wouldn’t. Her complaints were just her daily ritual. In reality, she would still eat every last bite of the food Wu Wang made.

Because she really, really didn’t want to eat instant noodles anymore.

“You’re so amazing. So brilliant. You’re a real 4K genius,” Wu Xiaoyou said, giving him a thumbs-up with one hand. With the other, she reached her chopsticks toward the 【Abyss’s Sorrow】.

Before long, the two of them had polished off all the food on the table.

While Second Sister took the dishes to the kitchen, Wu Wang returned to his room. After locking the door, he opened his player panel. Several messages were flashing on it.

“Xiezhi… Xiaoxiao… Wan Shitong…”

These people were all sending messages to his account, 【Yan Shuangying】. Wu Wang opened and read them one by one.

Xiaoxiao’s message was, as expected, about solving her curse. He had already asked 【Heart Like Fire】 about this. According to Lou Yu’s old assessment, Xiaoxiao’s problem was similar to how 【Heart Like Fire】 had once possessed Wu Xiaoyou.

Xiaoxiao also had a spirit-body curse on her.

The difference was that 【Heart Like Fire】 had wanted to seize Wu Xiaoyou’s consciousness and use her Yin Body constitution to return to its original world. The curse inside Xiaoxiao, however, was simply attached to her soul, aiming to fundamentally destroy her without any regard for what happened to her body. It would be glad if she was completely annihilated.

The spirit body carrying the curse didn’t possess a consciousness like 【Heart Like Fire】. It was more like one of those ‘ghost-rearing’ curses from black magic. It was pure, vicious, and hard to break.

Of course, it was only hard to break for other people.

Coincidentally, Wu Wang had the perfect item for dealing with spirit-body curses. The 【Selfless One’s Silver Needle】 could directly transfer the curse to himself.

And his soul wasn’t something just any spirit could possess. Even 【Heart Like Fire】 had been forced to curl up into a mark on his wrist, trembling. Attaching itself directly to Wu Wang’s soul? It would have to ask the Abyss God for permission first.

A spirit-body curse versus the Abyss God? It wouldn’t stand a chance.

But Wu Wang hadn’t decided what he wanted from Xiaoxiao in return. She still had a few months left, anyway. He would let it sit for a while. Once he thought of his terms, he would go make a deal with her. After he was done extorting her, she would even have to thank him.

“I’ve obtained the clue to the Legendary item.”

“If you’re interested, contact me within three days.”

“We’ll trade inside the 【Continental Hotel】.”

This was the message from ‘Wan Shitong’. It was clearly about their previous deal concerning the 【Void Yellow Sand】. He didn’t expect her to get a clue for a Legendary item from another partner so quickly.

Wu Wang smiled with satisfaction. After the next instance related to the Venerable of 【Hope】 was over, he would find a way to get the 【Clown’s Headpiece】 to complete his Legendary set. With the support of the 【Eye of the Prophet】 and two Legendary items in hand, getting the Legendary equipment from ‘Wan Shitong’ would be a piece of cake.

He casually replied, arranging to meet at the 【Continental Hotel】 at midnight. Then, he turned his attention to the last message.

“Brother Yan, are you still in Mingyang City? Or somewhere close?”

“I’ve run into a little trouble and need your help.”

“If you’re willing, please reply.”

Wu Wang frowned. Xiezhi was asking for his help? How strange. As the head of the Mingyang City Abnormal Affairs Bureau, shouldn’t he be asking his colleagues for help? Why come to him, a nominal Rogue Player?

With a sense of doubt, he replied, “Official business or personal matter?”

“Personal,” Xiezhi replied quickly.

Wu Wang pressed further. “Be more specific. Tell me the situation, and then I’ll decide whether to help.”

This time, Xiezhi didn’t reply for a long time. So long, in fact, that Second Sister had nearly finished washing the dishes.

“Want to go for a walk to help digest?” she called out from the living room.

Only then did a new message from Xiezhi come through.

“On the outskirts of Mingyang City, a new 【Calamity Lair】 has appeared.”

“Its danger level is suspected to be a remnant left behind after a Nightmare-level real-world Instance was cleared.”

“I hope you can help me investigate the situation inside.”

Reading this, Wu Wang knew something was wrong. This couldn’t possibly be a personal matter. Dealing with a 【Calamity Lair】 was the duty of the Abnormal Affairs Bureau. It was just like the incident in Yin Fate Village.

If the 【Calamity Lair】 here was too dangerous, he could seek assistance from other branches. This was clearly “official business.”

“Who’s going? Besides you, who else? Why not get help from the other branch heads?” Wu Wang had always been blunt. Although he respected Xiezhi, the whole thing felt strange. If it wasn’t explained clearly, Wu Wang wouldn’t go anywhere near that 【Calamity Lair】. He was worried it was a trap set by the Bureau for 【Yan Shuangying】.

A moment later, a message came back from Xiezhi.

This time, Wu Wang was stunned.

“I’ve been suspended.”

“I offended some people during the 【Relic Scramble】. They managed to set a trap and pinned the label of 【Calamity Cult】 on me.”

“Although I can still move freely for now, I can’t mobilize any resources from the Bureau.”

“There are clues in the 【Calamity Lair】 that can clear my name.”

“Sorry. If I could, I really wouldn’t want to involve anyone else. But the danger level of this place is likely too much for me to handle alone, so I can only ask for your help, Brother Yan.”

“Of course, if it’s inconvenient for you, it’s fine to refuse. Even if I’m taken back to the capital for investigation, no one will come looking for you because of our relationship. Those people just can’t stand me. They wouldn’t dare make a move on a top-tier Rogue Player like you.”

Xiezhi… was suspended?