Reincarnated In a Cthulhu World And Everyone Is Obsessed With Me - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Market – …Such a lame, cliché pick-up line.

While the day was still young, Xia Mingyu left the Sanctuary and headed to the base market.

It was a makeshift hybrid of a flea market and a produce stand, selling cheap secondhand goods and fresh vegetables. In his previous life, Xia Mingyu had been a regular at these markets; even the cheap clothes he wore now were salvaged from one in the Northern Base.

The produce here wasn’t grown in soil or rain but cultivated through the specialized abilities of certain Sentinels and Guides. Those whose powers weren’t suited for the front lines often “retired” early to live amongst ordinary people.

The Sanctuary had granted him a large sum of money, but after accepting the colorful string from Tang Yaopeng, Xia Mingyu changed his plan to treat him to a fancy dinner. Since their residence provided a communal kitchen, he decided that cooking a meal himself would better convey his sincerity. If Tang Yaopeng didn’t like it, he could always take him out to splurge later.

Tang Yaopeng’s innocence and vulnerability stirred a sense of “elder brotherly” affection in Xia Mingyu. It was strange; this was the first time he had lowered his guard so quickly. Perhaps after a lifetime of schemes, he was simply moved by something pure.

The market was livelier than expected. For a moment, Xia Mingyu felt a warm sense of coziness, much like the artificial sunlight filtering through the dome. He knew it was a fragile illusion, yet he couldn’t help but submerge himself in this hard-won peace.

He bought several vegetables from an elderly woman’s stall. He didn’t chat much, only offering polite concerns about her health. He couldn’t be sure if the Sanctuary was currently monitoring him; the greatest kindness he could show these innocent civilians was to keep his distance. Before leaving, he spotted some rare candies—a luxury in the apocalypse—and bought an entire jar without hesitation.

That afternoon, the office building was unusually buzzing.

Word had spread that a new resident had moved in: tall, elegant, with waist-length black hair and peach-blossom eyes that could steal a man’s soul with a single glance. A rare beauty—and a male Guide at that.

A Sentinel on the tenth floor had seen him carrying groceries into the communal kitchen. Soon, the scent of home-cooked stir-fry filled the entire floor. Most combat-ready Sentinels and Guides could handle a sword, but they were helpless with a kitchen knife. The news of a “beautiful Guide who can cook” spread through the bachelor Sentinels like wildfire.

Consequently, as Xia Mingyu headed back upstairs with the packed food, he was bombarded with small slips of paper containing contact information, delivered in increasingly bizarre ways.

One Sentinel suddenly opened his door, clutching his chest and feigning respiratory distress. “Is there… a Guide… who can give me a temporary mental soothing?”

Xia Mingyu walked past without looking. The Sentinel immediately corrected himself: “No! If a Guide would just accept my note, I’ll be cured instantly!”

…Such a lame, cliché pick-up line. Xia Mingyu only accepted it because the man was blocking the stairs.

Another showered the stairwell with slips of paper from above. One landed on Xia Mingyu’s head; as he took it off in annoyance, he heard a muffled cheer from the shadows.

By the time he reached the 36th floor, Xia Mingyu was numb. He wondered if he looked particularly weak and exploitable, or if Sentinels were truly this desperate for a Guide.

…

Back in 3608, Xia Mingyu set the food on the table and sat on the bed. He held a thick stack of notes, each buzzing with the messy, conflicting mental energy of various Sentinels. He couldn’t just throw them in the trash; the energy wouldn’t dissipate.

He picked up a note and focused his attention on it. The paper grew warm and then crumbled into fine white sand, slipping through his fingers as the Sentinel’s lingering aura vanished. He patiently destroyed the notes one by one, treating it as practice for his mental control.

When Tang Yaopeng returned, he was hit with two surprises: a table full of delicious food and the sight of his Senior sitting on the bed, still wearing the colorful hair string.

“Wow, Senior! Did you make all this?” He noticed the white “sand” in Xia Mingyu’s hands. “What’s that?”

Xia Mingyu tilted his head with a gentle smile. “Oh? Just some useless scrap paper. I was tearing it up out of boredom.”

Tang Yaopeng blinked. Can a human really tear paper that finely? But he was quickly distracted by Xia Mingyu’s perfect smile as the Senior stood up to brush the paper-dust into the bin.

Tang Yaopeng devoured the meal with tears in his eyes, his admiration for his “Senior” reaching new heights. After the meal, he chattered about the crowds at the Sentry Tower. “I’ve never seen so many people! They’re all there for Sheikh.”

“So you really admire Sheikh?” Xia Mingyu asked casually.

“He’s Sheikh! The inauguration is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.” Tang Yaopeng sighed. “I wish I could join the Shadow Guild someday.”

As night fell, Xia Mingyu prepared to head out. Tang Yaopeng was surprised. “Senior, it’s so late. Where are you going? The base is dangerous at night.”

“I found a job for the nights,” Xia Mingyu said plainly. He re-tied his hair, braiding the colorful string into a small section of his black locks. The effect was striking—two vibrant rivers of color winding through a sea of black.

Tang Yaopeng swallowed hard. “Senior… it’s really dangerous.” He felt protective. Moreover, when he had come home, he’d noticed several Sentinels lurking in the shadows, staring at him with resentful eyes. “I’ll go with you.”

“No,” Xia Mingyu said firmly. Paradise was no place for a kid.

As he spoke, he exerted a subtle influence. The tension in Tang Yaopeng’s mind snapped. He suddenly found it perfectly logical that his Senior was just going to work. Why worry?

“Go to sleep. Sweet dreams,” Xia Mingyu soothed.

Tang Yaopeng felt as if his heart were wrapped in a warm spring. He obediently crawled into bed. “Goodnight, Senior. Be safe.”

The moment Xia Mingyu stepped out of the apartment, the Sentinels in the building felt a collective heartbreak. —They’re living together? Since when? What does that little Sentinel have that I don’t? —Why is my dream Guide covered in that brat’s scent? The pheromones in there are so thick they’re leaking out! —Did they just do a mental soothing? A normal one… or something more?

The lonely Sentinels were devastated. It was another day of failing to find a Guide.