Reincarnated In a Cthulhu World And Everyone Is Obsessed With Me - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Suspicion – He is just an ordinary apocalyptic worker.

When Tang Yaopeng returned home, he opened the door quietly, hoping not to disturb Xia Mingyu. Instead, he found himself staring directly into Xia Mingyu’s eyes.

It was 3:30 AM. Xia Mingyu sat at the dining table under a dim light, scrolling through the Star-Network.

“You’re back?” Xia Mingyu asked. His voice was raspy with exhaustion, much deeper than usual. He had just finished a six-hour shift at Paradise, soloing the social atmosphere because his partner was a “silent gourd.” By the end, his throat felt like it had been sliced by a blade.

One customer had “kindly” offered him a throat lozenge, but Xia Mingyu knew better. The packaging and shape suggested a high-concentration aphrodisiac. He had flushed it down the drain at the bar without a second thought.

Tang Yaopeng felt his heart hammer against his ribs. He closed the door as softly as possible. “Hehe, Senior.”

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?” Xia Mingyu asked gently.

To a stranger, Xia Mingyu looked relaxed—long hair flowing, wearing pajamas, a picture of domestic peace. But Tang Yaopeng’s internal alarms were screaming. He had a strong suspicion that if he didn’t provide a valid excuse, his Senior might actually skin him alive.

Xia Mingyu frowned. “Did you leave the base?”

The scent of pollution on Tang Yaopeng was thick. Even the Sanctuary hadn’t been able to track his location.

“I… I was mugged on the way back!” Tang Yaopeng stammered. “They put a sack over my head! I don’t even know where they took me…”

His voice trailed off, lacking conviction. Xia Mingyu stood up, his frown deepening. “Are you hurt?”

Tang Yaopeng shook his head and rolled up his sleeves—not a scratch.

Xia Mingyu chuckled. “A sack-over-the-head mugging? What did they take from you?”

“I… I don’t know.” Tang Yaopeng’s eyes reddened as he shrank into a corner, looking like a wilted puppy. Despite his obvious guilt, he refused to say another word.

Xia Mingyu sighed. “Go wash up and rest.”

Tang Yaopeng fled to the bathroom like a pardoned criminal.

Xia Mingyu looked back at the screen, but his browsing slowed. Trust no one, use no one you doubt. He didn’t want to suspect Tang Yaopeng, but the boy’s lie was amateurish. In his previous life, Xia Mingyu had survived by reading hearts. The only time he’d been naive, it had led him to Paradise and then to the ruins. He couldn’t afford to be soft.

“Sanctuary, how was Tang Yaopeng’s heart rate?” he whispered.

“Significant fluctuations during the ‘mugging’ sentence, Mr. Xia Mingyu,” the AI replied.

Xia Mingyu felt a sting of self-mockery for his own “hypocrisy”—secretly testing a friend while acting the part of the kind Senior. When Tang Yaopeng emerged from the bathroom, Xia Mingyu acted as if the previous conversation hadn’t happened.

“Xiao Tang, I’m signing up for a guild tomorrow. Want to come?”

“A guild already?”

“Yes. Dove Academy is too slow. I need to live, and living is urgent.”

…

Despite two days passing, the “Four-Hour Butcher” from the academy was still the top trending topic on Star-Network. Rumors had turned “The Crazy One” into a mysterious “Public Idol.” People were cross-referencing pilots and flight logs to unmask the hero.

Meanwhile, the hero himself was being rejected by one guild after another.

Xia Mingyu realized that the job market for novice Guides was dismal. In the current combat meta, Sentinels were the blades; Guides were seen as high-maintenance, niche “mental support” that small guilds didn’t know how to use.

“A Guide? Sorry, we’re not hiring.” “A rookie? Try elsewhere.” “With a face like yours, can you even hold a knife?”

Xia Mingyu took the prejudice in stride, but he was getting tired. He was just a worker trying to make a living; what was his crime?

In contrast, Tang Yaopeng, an A-class Sentinel, was being hounded by recruiters. Some even tried to hand Xia Mingyu flyers for “grey industries”—the sex trade that flourished as morale collapsed. Xia Mingyu calmly crushed a flyer into colorful dust with his bare hand.

“Funny,” Xia Mingyu mused, “everyone talks about ‘Chief Sentinels,’ but I’ve never heard of a ‘Chief Guide.'”

“There used to be one,” a deep, mature voice replied. “The leader of the Hunting Guild.”

Xia Mingyu turned to see a scruffy man flicking cigarette ash onto the floor. “Small guilds don’t hire Guides. Only the top twenty do.”

Xia Mingyu caught his drift immediately. “So, you’re willing to take us both?”

The man held out a hand missing two fingers. “Spirit Guild. Welcome.”

When Xia Mingyu shook his hand, the man suddenly twisted his wrist—a dirty trick to test a rookie’s reflexes. Xia Mingyu didn’t panic. He shifted his center of gravity, snapped his arm back, and drove his elbow toward the man’s throat.

The man dodged, only to find Xia Mingyu’s other hand already waiting to pin his movement.

“Pardon me,” Xia Mingyu whispered, releasing him before they drew a crowd.

The man grinned, impressed. “Not bad. Pick a team once you’ve joined.”

As the man walked away, Tang Yaopeng stood frozen. He looked at his Senior, his mind connecting the dots. Mysterious, low-key, unforgettable face, incredible reflexes…

“Senior,” Tang Yaopeng whispered, “did you… go on Daniel’s mission the other day?”

Xia Mingyu looked up at the sky. A massive fleet of transport ships was soaring overhead—Ruan Congyun’s second wave heading for the Northern Base. Amidst the ships, a black hole flickered, teleporting soldiers in and out. He spotted Yin Chengfeng standing on a ship’s deck, controlling the dizzying space-time gates.

Old friends, old enemies. Where did everyone stand?

Xia Mingyu looked back at Tang Yaopeng. He raised a finger to his lips, narrowing his eyes as the beauty mark beneath his eye caught the light. He smiled a soft, dangerous smile.

“—Shh.”