"Who did you say he’s trying to harm?!"
Xiaojuan glared at Brother Hu, her fists clenched. "Aren’t you two in cahoots?"
Brother Hu grinned. "I’m a player, and I side with all players who share my stance."
Xiaojuan studied his honest-looking face. "Wait here. I’ll go ask my supervisor for leave."
"Why bother? The supervisors on this ship are hard to deal with. You’re better off sneaking away." Brother Hu watched Xiaojuan’s retreating figure and muttered under his breath, "Is she just making excuses to avoid helping me?"
Not long after, he saw Xiaojuan’s supervisor smiling warmly as he escorted her out of the break room, murmuring things like "No problem," "It’s nothing," and "Take care of yourself."
Brother Hu: "..."
Your supervisor and my supervisor are clearly not the same.
"Xiaojuan, can you handle this alone?" When Xiaojuan returned to him after being seen off by her smiling supervisor, Brother Hu couldn’t help but ask. "That’s an S-rank item—it won’t be easy to deal with. Shouldn’t we get more backup?"
"Trying to test if I have other allies?" Xiaojuan gave him a knowing smirk. For someone who looked so simple-minded, Brother Hu had more schemes than a honeycomb. "Relax, it’s just an S-rank item."
Brother Hu responded with his usual guileless smile, neither confirming nor denying.
"Strange." Secretary Liu finished organizing the agreements in his hands and glanced at Chao Musheng, who was sorting through documents beside him. "Why didn’t you go out to have fun this afternoon?"
"Too much work today." Chao Musheng set aside the pages requiring signatures and flashed Secretary Liu a smile. "I couldn’t just leave you here to handle everything alone."
"Really?" Secretary Liu wasn’t buying it. He handed the reviewed agreements to Chao Musheng. "Who came looking for you earlier?"
"A staff member from the ship." Chao Musheng yawned. "He said Song Cheng is plotting against me. I was worried Song Cheng might retaliate against him for tipping me off, so I sent him away."
"When did this happen?" Su Chenzhu emerged from the room, his gaze dark and unreadable.
Secretary Liu, accustomed to his boss’s usual calm demeanor, felt a chill under that icy stare.
"About ten minutes ago." Chao Musheng turned and noticed the shift in Su Chenzhu’s expression. "Mr. Su, are you angry on my behalf?"
"Yes." Su Chenzhu averted his eyes. "You’re my assistant. Anyone who tries to harm you is disrespecting me."
Secretary Liu: "..."
What kind of overbearing CEO dialogue is this? Did his boss binge-watch too many dramas at lunch?
"Don’t be angry." Chao Musheng stood up and poured Su Chenzhu a cup of tea, pressing it into his hands. "Song Cheng is the type who bullies the weak but fears the strong. Now that he knows I’m your assistant, he wouldn’t dare mess with me openly. At most, he’ll grumble behind my back—he wouldn’t even dare breathe too loudly in front of me."
Honestly, if Song Cheng could resort to something as childish as releasing mosquitoes to harass him, how smart could he be?
On a luxury ship like the Wangyue, finding a live mosquito—let alone a disease-carrying one—was next to impossible.
"I heard Chairman Song is ill. As his relative, Chao Musheng, you could assign a couple of people to ‘assist’ Song Cheng." Secretary Liu smiled slyly. "If he dares refuse such a thoughtful gesture, that’d be his problem."
"Two is too few." Su Chenzhu took a sip of the tea Chao Musheng had poured for him. "Send four. That’ll better convey Chao Chao’s sincerity."
"What’s the meaning of this?" Song Cheng shoved the ostentatious but useless tonics off his desk. "Is Chao Musheng deliberately stirring up trouble? Does he want everyone to think my grandfather is on death’s door and trigger a stock market panic?"
His secretary silently picked up the scattered tonics.
Why would the company’s stock fluctuate just because the chairman fell ill?
Because the heir—Song Cheng—was utterly incompetent, that’s why.
"Young Master, these tonics were delivered by Mr. Su’s personal bodyguards." The secretary straightened up. "I suggest you not only accept them graciously but also take a couple to Chairman Song’s hospital room. Let everyone see how considerate Mr. Su and Chao Musheng have been."
"So you’re saying I should just swallow this humiliation?"
The deliberate avoidance and cold shoulders in the meeting room today had been unbearable for Song Cheng, who had grown up surrounded by flattery. The fact that most of it was because of Chao Musheng made it even harder to stomach.
"Young Master, this isn’t humiliation—it’s Chao Musheng’s ‘kindness.’" The secretary soothed. "Those who achieve great things endure what others cannot. Right now, people flatter Chao Musheng because he’s Mr. Su’s assistant. But what if he loses Mr. Su’s trust one day?"
Businessmen were inherently suspicious. Talented young prodigies like Chao Musheng tended to be strong-willed.
At first, a boss might tolerate it out of appreciation for talent, but over time, that tolerance would wear thin.
Emperors distrusted their generals, businessmen guarded against overly brilliant employees, and even Tang Sanzang constantly doubted Sun Wukong. The secretary had seen this play out too many times in the business world.
Kunlun Group wasn’t like other corporations—it was a one-man empire. How long could someone as formidable as Su Chenzhu tolerate Chao Musheng?
"You’re right." Song Cheng consoled himself. "Kunlun has no shortage of talent. Even if Chao Musheng is riding high on Su Chenzhu’s coattails now, he’s still just an employee."
He randomly grabbed two boxes of tonics and yanked open the door—only to find four burly men standing outside.
"Who are you?" Song Cheng demanded loudly, drawing the attention of others in the hallway.
"Young Master Song, we’re assistants assigned by Mr. Chao to take care of you and Chairman Song." One of the bodyguards replied. "From now on, we’ll ensure your safety at all times—we won’t leave your side."
Song Cheng nearly choked on his own fury. "Chao Musheng actually dares to send you to spy on—"
"How thoughtful of Mr. Chao!" A voice chimed in from the hallway. "Knowing how busy Young Master Song must be, he even arranged extra help. You really should thank him."
Song Cheng turned to glare at the speaker—the same person who had been fawning over Chao Musheng that morning.
"And these are Mr. Su’s personal bodyguards, no less!" Another voice added. "Mr. Chao even went out of his way to ask Mr. Su for this favor. Such dedication!"
Song Cheng recognized this one too—another of Chao Musheng’s sycophants.
"Young Master Song is truly fortunate."
Bullshit!
These two-faced old foxes were all spouting nonsense!
From a shadowed corner, Thin Man watched the scene before ducking back out of sight.
No wonder Song Cheng ended up wanting to sink the whole cruise ship. These rich people were all shamelessly siding with Chao Musheng to torment him.
He glanced around and frowned. Where had that big oaf gone?
Whatever. He wasn’t needed tonight anyway. At least with him gone, Thin Man wouldn’t have to hand over any items.
With bodyguards stationed outside Song Cheng’s door, Thin Man didn’t dare approach. Instead, he sent Song Cheng a message, hinting that he’d help him get revenge tonight.
It wasn’t until nightfall that he finally received a reply from Song Cheng—just a default "OK" sticker from the messaging app. Arrogant and dismissive.
"Damn it!" For a moment, Thin Man even felt a pang of sympathy for Chao Musheng. This rich young master was so insufferable that he wanted to punch him too.
The moon hung high in the sky when Thin Man, dozing against the headboard, suddenly jolted awake. Remembering he had important business to attend to that night, he hurriedly summoned the puppet mosquito from his system space and ordered it to attack Chao Musheng.
In a corner of the 15th-floor hallway, Brother Hu and Xiaojuan crouched under an invisibility cloak. Brother Hu, being somewhat bulky, didn’t dare move a muscle.
It was already midnight—why hadn’t they detected any traces of the props yet?
Struggling to keep his drowsy eyes open, he glanced at Xiaojuan, whose gaze was sharp and alert, showing no signs of exhaustion from staying up all night. He couldn’t help but marvel—no wonder she was nicknamed the "Queen of Grinding." She was always this energetic, no matter the time.
"Detecting energy fluctuations!" The device in Brother Hu’s hand flickered. Just as he was about to rush out from under the invisibility cloak, two men in work uniforms appeared in the hallway, holding electronic insect-repelling devices.
"What do we do?" Brother Hu panicked internally. If he charged out now, the staff might think the hallway was haunted.
But if he didn’t act, he’d miss his chance to intercept the S-rank item.
Xiaojuan kicked Brother Hu into a hallway corner and dashed out alone, still under the invisibility cloak.
Useless, always useless at critical moments.
"Did you hear something?" Staff A glanced back down the hallway.
"What sound?" Staff B waved his electronic insect repellent. They had to disinfect the area countless times from morning till night, but today was different—the higher-ups had ordered them to spray every half hour.
Still, with overtime pay this high, he wouldn’t mind coming back every night to disinfect.
"Maybe I imagined it." Staff A kept his voice low, afraid of startling any guests who might step out. "Hey, did you hear? The captain and the first mate got into an argument this afternoon."
"The first mate just boarded the Moonlight, and he’s already clashing with the captain. Once this voyage ends, he’ll probably be transferred to another ship." Staff B clicked his tongue and shook his head. The Moonlight was the company’s most luxurious cruise ship, with the best benefits—who wouldn’t want to work here?
"The captain’s been in charge since the Moonlight first sailed. The first mate is just asking for trouble by opposing him." Staff A’s tone was complicated. "He meant well, but he’s new here. He doesn’t understand how things work on this ship."
"So there’s more to the story?" Staff B perked up. Late-night shifts were always better with some juicy gossip about the higher-ups.
"This afternoon, some guy harassed one of our waitresses. When she refused, he slapped her and hurled insults until she cried. Chao Musheng happened to pass by and stepped in to protect her." Staff A sighed. "The guy thought Chao Musheng was deliberately challenging him, and when the incident blew up, the captain got involved."
"The captain said Chao Musheng damaged the Moonlight’s reputation and demanded he and the waitress apologize." Staff A’s voice was tinged with regret, clearly siding with Chao Musheng. "Chao Musheng was willing to apologize to the guest but refused to make the waitress do the same. That’s why they argued."
"Those rich folks—how many of them even see us as human?" Staff B’s face twisted with resentment. "Even in Journey to the West, the Marshal of Heavenly Canopy was turned into a pig for harassing Chang’e. This guy harasses a waitress, and she’s supposed to apologize to him?"
"Shh!" Staff A quickly hushed him as Staff B’s temper flared. "Keep it down. What if someone hears?"
"It’s just us in the hallway. Who else is here?"
Unnoticed, Xiaojuan, who had been silently trailing them, tossed down some mosquito-repelling grass she’d exchanged with her points.
Buzzzz.
She heard the mosquito’s hum—the grass had no effect on the S-rank puppet mosquito.
Not good!
Sensing the puppet mosquito suddenly accelerate, Xiaojuan didn’t care if she might be spotted. She hurled an exorcism talisman at it.
Zzt!
The talisman struck the mosquito, freezing it mid-air for a split second before it lunged madly toward the door of Chao Musheng’s suite.
Stay away from my Chao-ge!
Xiaojuan leaped forward, snatching the mosquito bare-handed. She summoned a destruction talisman and burned it to ashes.
Brother Hu, hiding in the corner, didn’t dare breathe. Holy shit, she just caught an S-rank item with her bare hands! If she wanted to kill me, it’d be effortless!
Buzzzz.
Another puppet mosquito flew over Brother Hu’s head. His face paled—there’s another one?!
That bastard lied to me!
He abandoned stealth and bolted from the corner, chasing after the mosquito.
The two staff members jumped at his sudden appearance, worried he’d overheard their conversation. They stopped and eyed him warily.
"Mosquito!" Brother Hu pointed at the darting puppet mosquito. "Get out of the way!"
Hearing "mosquito," the staff instinctively raised their repellent devices.
Thud!
The puppet mosquito smacked into one of the devices, dazed as if struck by a club, and plummeted to the ground.
"What’s going on?"
A door opened, and a foot stepped out—right onto the fallen mosquito.
Brother Hu stared, first at the staff’s repellent, then at Chao Musheng in his bathrobe, obliviously crushing an S-rank puppet mosquito underfoot. His jaw dropped.
A regular insect repellent from this copy stopped the puppet mosquito’s attack? And Chao Musheng just… stepped on it?!
Stepped. On. It!
Brother Hu felt like he was dreaming. None of this felt real.
"Xiao Hu?" Chao Musheng squinted at Brother Hu, now wearing black-framed glasses. "Since when are you nearsighted?"
"N-no, just bad night vision." Brother Hu adjusted the props glasses—the only way to see someone under an invisibility cloak.
His gaze flicked to the corner where Xiaojuan, still cloaked, was inching away step by step. Then his eyes drifted back to Chao Musheng’s foot.
"Is there something under my foot?" Chao Musheng started to lift it for a look.
"Don’t move!" Brother Hu blurted. "There’s a vicious mosquito under there!"
The two extermination staff: "…"
Did he have to rub it in their faces that there was a mosquito—and call it vicious?
"You wore glasses just to stand here and catch mosquitoes?" Chao Musheng knew the ship’s staff had it tough, but this was next-level dedication.
He ground his foot into the light-colored carpet, then slowly lifted it to reveal a tiny black speck—just identifiable as a robust female mosquito.
"Honored guest, our apologies." The two staff members felt their jobs were hanging by a thread as they stared at the mosquito corpse, utterly baffled. This floor underwent 24/7 pest control and was lined with insect-repelling plants—how had this mosquito survived?
Was it some kind of super-mosquito?
Regardless of how this bizarre insect had appeared, its presence on the ship signaled impending doom for the two employees.
"It's fine. This bug has nothing to do with you." Seeing how terrified they were, Chao Musheng reassured them before letting them leave.
"Chaochao?" Su Chenzhu emerged to find Chao Musheng crouched by the doorway in his sleeprobe. He draped a coat from the sofa over Chao Musheng's shoulders. "What happened?"
"I was looking at a mosquito." Chao Musheng pointed at the tiny corpse and tilted his head up at Su Chenzhu behind him. "See?"
Su Chenzhu knelt beside him, eyeing the black speck on the carpet. "Hmm. Quite large."
His gaze darkened as it slid toward Brother Hu, who stood nearby.
"I—I didn’t—" Brother Hu inexplicably found that stare bone-chilling. He retreated two steps, stammering, "This has nothing to do with me!"
"He’s the one who tipped me off this afternoon." Chao Musheng glanced at Brother Hu’s petrified expression, then back at Su Chenzhu, puzzled.
Mr. Su was handsome, refined—where was the terror in that?
Brother Hu couldn’t articulate the sensation freezing his veins, as if his very soul trembled under an icy grip, each breath laced with pain.
He felt death looming.
"Ah, your helper." Su Chenzhu rose and glanced down the hallway. "You have company?"
"M-Mr. Su, it’s me." Xiaojuan peeled off her invisibility cloak, cautiously peeking out from around the corner. She couldn’t meet his eyes. "Brother Hu said someone might cause trouble for Chao-ge, so I came to check."
The danger in the air thickened.
Xiaojuan forced a stiff smile, fighting the urge to flee. "Sorry for disturbing your rest."
"Annoying pests. Dead ones don’t matter." Su Chenzhu helped Chao Musheng up. "It’s late. Everyone, go to sleep."
"I’ll have the area re-treated tonight. By dawn, there won’t be a single insect left."
Strange.
Thin Man’s system suddenly flickered—as if… trembling?
Was it malfunctioning?
[Ding! Warning! Warning! There’s—]
[Bzzzt—]
A long burst of static silenced the system. No—the entire world fell mute.
Thin Man’s surroundings emptied. The lights still glowed, yet nothing else existed.
Plop.
After the silence, a sound finally reached him.
Low, rhythmic, accompanied by dripping.
His dizzy mind recognized it—
The sound of a heart shattering.
He’d heard it before, in past missions, when he’d crushed NPC hearts with his bare hands.
Warm, pulsing organs ripped from chests. He’d relished their terror as he squeezed those lumps of flesh to pulp.
Now, a glob of red mush splattered onto his face, sticky and warm.
He looked down. His own chest gaped hollow.
Horror seized him. His mouth stretched wide in a soundless scream.
NO—
"That bastard lied to me!" Song Cheng woke early, checking his phone—no messages.
A lowly waiter, daring to play me?!
Fuming, he barked at the housekeeper entering his room, "Where’s that short guy who cleaned yesterday?"
"Mr. Song… which employee do you mean?" The attendant looked confused.
"The one assigned to my room!"
The attendant paled. "But… I’ve always been responsible for your suite."
"I saw you yesterday!" Song Cheng snapped. "I don’t care where he’s hiding—drag him here now."
The attendant nervously scanned the room, gulping. "Mr. Song, could you describe him?"
"Short. A head shorter than you. Skinny. Ugly."
"…This attendant was male?" The attendant inched toward the door, voice shaking.
"Obviously!"
"Mr. Song, the Moonchaser only hires male attendants over 178cm, with symmetrical features and proportionate builds." The attendant now hovered at the threshold. "Are you… mistaken?"
"You calling me a liar?" Song Cheng scowled, scrolling through his chats—but Thin Man’s messages were gone.
He frantically searched again. Nothing.
"Of course not, sir." The attendant stayed rooted outside. "But… should I call the ship’s paranormal enthusiasts for you?"
Money’s hard-earned, but I’m not stepping into a haunted room.
Defiant, Song Cheng barged past his four guards, scouring the floor—but Thin Man had vanished.
The guards trailed him silently, intervening only if he turned violent.
Then a burly man passed by. Song Cheng yelled, "You! Stop!"
"Mr. Song." Brother Hu halted, offering a guileless grin.
"Where’s that skinny guy you were with? Were you together last night?" Song Cheng’s glare bored into him.
"Skinny guy?" Brother Hu blinked, baffled. "Sir, what are you talking about?"
His face held only confusion—no guilt, no evasion.
Every attendant claimed no memory of a short, ugly man.
Song Cheng staggered back, mind reeling. How could a living person disappear—and take everyone’s memories with him?
Brother Hu watched him leave, teeth gleaming in a wide smile.
"Mr. Song must’ve seen a ghost," the attendant muttered to Brother Hu. "Rambling about some short, skinny waiter? On the Moonchaser? Impossible."
He eyed Brother Hu’s muscular frame and sidled closer.
So sturdy. Definitely wards off evil.
At the third meeting, Song Cheng again represented the Song conglomerate.
Chao Musheng entered the conference room, his gaze involuntarily darting to Song Cheng.
Not that he cared—but something about Song Cheng seemed… off.
Adorned with a jade pendant, multiple Buddhist prayer beads around his wrists, a Taoist yin-yang symbol pinned to his tie, and a cross dangling from his neck—it was a veritable symphony of religious paraphernalia.
"What's wrong with him?" Secretary Liu was visibly stunned. "Chairman Song has already woken up. Even if this is an act, there’s no need to go this far."
Once the meeting ended, he planned to question the four bodyguards assigned to Song Cheng to find out what had really happened.
"No idea," Chao Musheng replied softly, averting his gaze. "Maybe... it's all for the old man's benefit."
The secretary sitting behind Song Cheng kept his head buried in his laptop screen, refusing to look up no matter what.
After just two or three days by Song Cheng’s side, he had already been humiliated in front of his peers. He couldn’t even imagine how much more of a laughingstock the young master would make of them once he inherited the company.
Under the mocking gazes of his colleagues, the secretary covered his face, seriously considering resignation.
"Chao Musheng!" Once the meeting adjourned, Song Cheng vaulted over the conference table and grabbed Chao Musheng’s wrist, the trinkets on his body clattering noisily.
"Let go." Su Chenzhu’s icy gaze landed on Song Cheng’s grip before he ruthlessly kicked him away.
The kick was brutal—Song Cheng’s trinkets scattered across the floor, his face paling as he gasped, "I’m sorry, Mr. Su. My grandfather wants to see Chao Musheng. I hope you’ll allow it."
Secretary Liu frowned.
How disgusting—as if his boss could disregard Chao Musheng’s wishes and make decisions for him.
"My employees are not to mix personal affairs with work hours," Su Chenzhu said coolly, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the spot where Song Cheng had touched Chao Musheng’s hand.
"Next time something filthy dares to grab you, kick it away without hesitation." He tossed the handkerchief to Secretary Liu. "Throw this out."
Chao Musheng glanced at Su Chenzhu, surprised that such an elegant face could utter such violent words.
He silently lowered the leg he’d just raised—he’d been about to kick Song Cheng himself, but Mr. Su had beaten him to it.
How had Su Chenzhu, walking ahead, noticed Song Cheng’s move so quickly? Did he have eyes on the back of his head?
The onlooking executives shook their heads in disapproval. Provoking Mr. Su’s wrath and forcing him to take action personally? The Song family was finished.
One female executive noticed Su Chenzhu still wearing the same cufflinks from days prior and couldn’t help but stare. It seemed Mr. Su truly adored them.
"Mr. Su." Chairman Song entered the conference room in a wheelchair, suppressing his concern for his grandson as he forced out an apology. "I’m sorry for this disgrace’s behavior. Allow me to apologize on his behalf—to you and to Mr. Chao."
He was breathless by the end, clearly having rushed here from his sickbed.
Cleverly, he avoided mentioning his familial ties to Chao Musheng, instead humbling himself to the extreme.
But even if he didn’t say it, did anyone in the room not know about their relationship?
A masterful retreat disguised as surrender—truly, the older ginger was spicier.
"If you know he’s a disgrace, keep him leashed." Su Chenzhu removed his glasses, his gaze glacial as he glanced at the Song family pair before leading Chao Musheng and Secretary Liu away.
Mr. Chao couldn’t say anything without causing trouble, but since the one scowling was his boss—the head of Kunlun—it didn’t matter.
What fault did Mr. Chao have? He was just an innocent employee following orders.
Xiaojuan, guarding the conference room door, watched Chao Musheng’s retreating figure, shielded entirely by Su Chenzhu, and felt an increasing sense of unease.
Something was off. Seriously off.
What kind of boss actively stepped in to play enforcer for an employee, drawing all the hostility and resentment?
In all her years—both in the real world and in the game—she’d never met a boss like this.
It was... strange.
