The Cannon Fodder Real Young Master is a Slime?! - Chapter 8

Seeing the police enter, some people’s expressions shifted drastically, while others looked utterly dazed. There were also those who openly and boldly scanned the officers with their gaze.

Naturally, that last one was Shi Yunmu himself.

The youth narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze lingering for a long time on the man wearing the silver mask.

Someone who can go toe-to-toe with a Shadow Tiger? Interesting.

But why was he here? Could he be collaborating with an official government agency?

Father Shi rushed over, not forgetting to glare viciously at Shi Yunmu. He recognized the leading police officer; it was a local patrolman from the district where the Shi family resided. No matter how influential they were, the Shi family still preferred not to entangle themselves with the police.

Plastering a fake smile on his face, Father Shi said, “Officer, this is—”

Before he could conjure up a lie to pretend nothing had happened, the veteran police officer, clearly well-versed in such situations, cut him off. “Mr. Shi, we received a report stating that an unexpected incident occurred here.”

He turned slightly and introduced the man beside him to Father Shi. “This is Captain Erol of the Anomalous Investigation Squad, operating under the Municipal Bureau’s Special Security Division.”

Erol?

Shi Yunmu tilted his head.

The material of the mask on the man’s face seemed highly unusual, making it completely impossible to discern who lay beneath it. The man nodded faintly to Father Shi, his gaze much like Shi Yunmu’s earlier falling directly behind Father Shi.

Failing to notice the eerie placement of the man’s gaze, Father Shi forced another smile. “The Special Security Division is…?”

The old police officer smiled but offered no explanation, simply stating, “Based on the details provided by the informant, we transferred this case directly to the Special Security Division.”

“Let’s question the informant first.” The masked man glanced at Father Shi, fully aware that the middle-aged man would not speak the truth.

Given the complexity of the scene, questioning the informant was indeed the most practical approach. Raising his voice, the veteran officer called out, “Who was the one who called the police?”

“Me, me, me!”

After swiftly stuffing the Dust Demon into his hoodie pocket, Shi Yunmu immediately raised his hand. When necessary, he had absolutely no intention of lowering his presence especially right now, when he could cause some distress to the Shi family. He was more than willing.

He squeezed through the crowd, casting a bright, smiling glance at the silent, masked man before saying, “I’m the enthusiastic citizen who made the call.” He added modestly, “Just call me a Good Samaritan.”

Perhaps wanting to ease the tense atmosphere of the room, the old officer chuckled. “With an act like this, you’re more than a Good Samaritan. You’re a regular hero.”

The youth, who had not yet fully integrated human culture into his understanding, gave a bashful smile, looking exceptionally honest and well-behaved. “I saw it from our family’s drawing room… The actual scene is out in the garden.”

Terrified that Shi Yunmu would lead the way and stir up even more trouble, Father Shi quickly intervened. “Ah, officers, please, let me guide you. I’ll lead the way.”

The veteran officer looked at the masked man, and upon receiving a subtle nod of approval, replied, “Very well. Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Shi.”

Father Shi smiled politely on the outside, while his eyes shot daggers at his rebellious son. He likely never wanted to invite Shi Yunmu back to any family banquets ever again, regardless of whether it was a large or small gathering.

The distinction between the Special Security Division’s Anomalous Investigation Squad and the ordinary police officers was incredibly stark. They wore different uniforms, wore masks over their faces, and addressed one another strictly by codenames. Given that this was a public setting, a certain level of identity confidentiality was necessary. After all, no one could guarantee that there weren’t humans colluding with magical beasts, waiting to leak classified intel or launch an ambush on the Special Security Division.

As they walked through the banquet hall, Erol’s footsteps suddenly ground to a halt. He lifted his gaze toward the magnificent, glittering chandelier above and said flatly, “Up there.”

Beneath the mask, his voice was slightly distorted, making the situation feel even more surreal and sinister.

Father Shi looked up at the chandelier but saw absolutely nothing. Confused, he was just about to ask a question when a young girl wearing a black mask behind him let out a disgusted “Eww.”

“So many bugs, how disgusting…”

Fortunately, the guests in the banquet hall had already been evacuated to the front courtyard for inspections, so there was a high probability that the Rotting Silkworms hadn’t managed to crawl onto the guests’ backs yet. The only one that had taken a liking to Sheng Jinhuai had been trapped inside by the tightly sealed doors of the banquet hall.

Listening to their incomprehensible dialogue, Father Shi felt his skin begin to crawl. He found these people from the Special Security Division completely baffling.

What bugs? What ‘up there’? Just listening to it makes my stomach turn!

But the man’s gaze snapped back onto him, his voice deadly calm. “You, don’t move either.”

“There’s one on you, too.”

“What…?” Before Father Shi could ask another word, he saw the man reach out. Immediately following the movement, a sharp, agonizing “screech” echoed from behind his back, accompanied by the sudden rushing of wind, as if something were violently biting and tearing.

Horrified, Father Shi froze instantly, not daring to move a single muscle.

The man frowned slightly and retracted his hand. A distinct, clear bite mark was visible on his specialized black glove. The creature seemed tightly adhered to Father Shi’s back; simply pulling at it with bare hands wasn’t enough to dislodge it.

“Is something wrong?”

Shi Yunmu asked with an air of pure innocence, acting as if he knew absolutely nothing. As the informant, he joyfully remained in the banquet hall to watch the drama unfold. Seeing the color completely drain from Father Shi’s face, he nearly burst out laughing.

Erol did not answer. Instead, a heavily built man wearing a white mask behind him lowered his voice and murmured, “It’s E-017. Up until now, there have been no records of it harming humans… though after tonight, I suppose that changes.”

However, the threat level of E-017 wasn’t exceptionally high; it could still be dealt with before a full breakout occurred.

The man gestured cleanly. “Get the Tang Dao.”

“On it!” Ming He was the most enthusiastic of the bunch. He dashed out like a flash and returned just as quickly, holding a sharp Tang Dao in his hands. The blade was razor-sharp, glinting with a cold, menacing light.

The hairs on Father Shi’s arms stood on end. “Uh… officer, what are you doing with that—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Que had already taken the Tang Dao and swung it ruthlessly straight toward Father Shi’s back!

The middle-aged man’s legs turned to jelly, and he nearly collapsed onto the floor. But after a few breathless moments, he realized he didn’t feel any pain, nor had he been sent to the afterlife.

Meanwhile, the man looking down at him held a blade that was dripping with dark blood, looking entirely accustomed to such terrified reactions from civilians.

Father Shi turned his head mechanically, only to discover that a giant insect, sliced completely in half, was lying right behind him! Moreover, the massive bug was still twisting and writhing violently, clearly not entirely dead yet.

“Blegh!” Forgetting all about his weak knees, Father Shi rushed to a corner and began to retch violently.

Stepping his long combat boot directly onto one of the squirming halves of the insect’s body, the man used the flat of his blade to move the spilling viscera aside, accurately locating the core heart before crushing it with a heavy thrust.

He tilted his head to glance at Shi Yunmu, then turned his gaze back to his teammates. He gestured toward Shen Xiangyu. “You guys clean up the rest.” He needed to go check on the corpse outside.

Taking the sword, the burly man who had spoken to Erol earlier waved his hand with a bright smile. “Don’t worry, go ahead. Leave this place to us.”

Just then, a message came through from another colleague who was outside inspecting the guests for Rotting Silkworm infections: No infections found among the guests for now. However, we found a few stray ones among the servants. Dealt with.

Stowing his phone away, Erol said, “Let’s go. To the garden.”

Missing out on seeing a chaotic spectacle of humans panicking in utter disarray, Shi Yunmu felt rather disappointed. So humans have actually encountered Rotting Silkworms before? Just how blurry is the boundary between the Abyss and the human world?

Seeing the group head outside, Shi Yunmu slowly trailed along at the very back of the line.

The Dust Demon squirmed out of his pocket and asked in a low, conspiratorial whisper amidst the commotion, “My Lord, are we really just going to let the humans kill all these Rotting Silkworms? Are we not going to eat them?” Consuming them could have granted a nice little power boost!

Shi Yunmu shook his head. “No.” He added with a look of slight revulsion, “Rotting Silkworms taste awful.”

So you actually have dietary preferences too.

As he walked out, Shi Yunmu immersed himself in his thoughts. According to the original novel, the nanny shouldn’t have died mysteriously until a few days later, and the book had attributed her cause of death to a “sudden heart attack.”

Why did it happen earlier in reality?

A sudden spark of inspiration hit him, and Shi Yunmu realized the truth. Huh? Was she actually scared to death early because of me?

He murmured to himself, So, the established events of the book can actually be altered…

If that was the case, he could confidently trip these people up in the future without worrying about breaking the plot; it wouldn’t have any negative consequences anyway.

After examining the corpse in the garden and confirming that the Rotting Silkworms showed no signs of mutation, the Special Security Division finally notified the ordinary police to handle the recovery of the body. Simultaneously, they called in specialized psychologists from the Special Security Division to provide “psychological counseling” for Father Shi and the others.

Though it was labeled as counseling, it was practically a form of hypnotic suggestion designed to induce the victims of magical beasts to forget the traumatic encounter entirely.

By the time all of this was wrapped up, it was already close to ten o’clock in the evening. Restricting the movements of so many high-society elites placed immense pressure on both the regular police and the Special Security Division. Fortunately, with Team Leader Yan and other allied factions smoothing things over and covering up the details behind the scenes, they managed to settle the matter.

Watching the Special Security Division and the police depart, Shi Yunmu who was currently pretending to have “forgotten all about the Rotting Silkworms” looked down at his still completely empty chat log and fell into deep thought.

No one was coming to pick him up. What was he supposed to do? Should he just hijack one of the beds in the Shi family mansion?

Just as Shi Yunmu was considering promoting Lu Que back to the top three positions on his “people to devour” list, a car suddenly screeched to a halt right in front of him.

The window rolled down, revealing not Lu Que’s face, but Ming He’s.

“Sister-in-law! Brother Lu sent me to pick you up!” Ming He wore a brilliant, exceptionally enthusiastic smile.

Before Shi Yunmu could reply, Shi Yubai’s voice echoed from behind him. “Brother Ming He?”

Without turning around, a gleam of pure gossip flashed across the youth’s green eyes. How does Shi Yubai know Ming He? The book didn’t seem to mention Ming He having any role at all.

But Ming He, upon hearing his name called, looked equally bewildered. He asked hesitantly, “Do we know each other?”

Shi Yubai smiled, introducing himself in a perfectly open and poised manner. “You might have forgotten, but I’m the underclassman who interviewed you during the Student Corporate Competition.”

The moment he mentioned the “Student Corporate Competition,” a vague memory finally sparked in Ming He’s mind. But that had happened back during high school; how could he possibly remember every single detail?

Not understanding why the other party was initiating a conversation, Ming He offered a polite but perfunctory response. “Oh, it’s you! Hello, hello… Sister-in-law, hurry up and get in the car. Brother Lu is going to ask about you in a minute.”

Detecting the clear superficiality in the man’s attitude, Shi Yubai’s eyes remained smiling, but his heart sank slightly. Why was Ming He so familiar and casual with Shi Yunmu? Looking at Shi Yunmu’s reaction, he clearly didn’t realize that the man before him was a young master of the prominent Ming family.

The Ming family possessed power and status that stood neck-and-neck with the Sheng family. How could someone like Shi Yunmu have crossed paths with them?

Shi Yubai’s eyes flickered slightly as he recalled the “Brother Lu” Ming He had just mentioned.

…Is that Shi Yunmu’s marriage alliance partner?

Before he could ponder any further, Shi Yunmu turned to Ming He and asked, “Where’s Lu Que? Why didn’t he come?”

Ming He replied, “Brother Lu is still working overtime. I happened to be nearby, so I came to fetch you, Sister-in-law!”

Shi Yunmu grumbled resentfully, “He still hasn’t replied to my messages.”

Not daring to involve himself in a marital dispute, Ming He could only laugh it off nervously. “Ah, Sister-in-law, look at how many people are around. Let’s get moving quickly!”

The person who constituted the “many people around” group: “…”

Shi Yunmu spared a glance at Shi Yubai, not missing the trace of resentment swirling deep within the other’s eyes. Even so, he hopped directly into the passenger seat, poked his head out of the window with immense enthusiasm, and called out to Shi Yubai, “I’m heading out first! No need to see me off!”

Shi Yubai choked on his words once again.

Who on earth was seeing you off?!

The car started up. Pulling his gaze back inside, Shi Yunmu asked in a low, ghostly voice, “Do you like Shi Yubai?”

Ming He: “?”

Ming He nearly drove the car straight into a row of trees by the roadside. “Sister-in-law! Why on earth would I like someone I’ve only met a handful of times?!”

Shi Yunmu felt instantly relieved. He offered a concise evaluation: “You’re a normal person.”

Seeing that Shi Yunmu had stopped asking bizarre questions, Ming He finally breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, the youth hadn’t asked whether he belonged to the Special Security Division. It seemed Shi Yunmu hadn’t seen through their identities. The nano-material masks were remarkably effective they could dynamically alter facial structures, shifting a person’s features down to the finest detail.

In hindsight, it truly was incredibly useful!

Upon returning to the apartment, Shi Yunmu discovered that Lu Que had not yet returned home. The living room was pitched in total darkness, devoid of any lights, feeling cold and completely lacking any human warmth.

Shi Yunmu padded into the bedroom in his slippers, tossed the Dust Demon onto the bed, and announced with absolute gravity, “We need to hold a meeting.”

The Dust Demon instantly perked up. “My Lord, are we planning how to deal with those people from the Special Security Division?” What if the Special Security Division came after them one day!

“No,” Shi Yunmu responded profoundly. “I believe it’s high time I gave you a proper name.”

The Dust Demon: “?”

So this meeting was just for that?!

Shi Yunmu rested his chin on his fingers, falling into deep contemplation before asking, “How about Xiao Hei (Little Black)?”

The Dust Demon fell silent for a long moment. “Don’t you think that name is a bit too generic?”

“…Then let’s call you Xiao Wei (Hey there).” After pitching several names and finding none of them suitable, Shi Yunmu completely gave up, casually pointing a finger and bestowing the name.

Forced to bear the name “Xiao Wei,” the Dust Demon accepted his fate with quiet resignation, even though he felt this name was somehow even worse than Xiao Hei.

“Hmm, it looks like the human is back.” Lounging on the bed, Shi Yunmu’s ears twitched slightly as he spoke.

He heard the front door being unlocked and opened. Someone walked past his bedroom, their footsteps pausing distinctly for a brief second before resuming their normal pace.

The youth, who had temporarily sidetracked his evening with a naming convention, finally steered the conversation back to his main objective. He gave Xiao Wei a light pinch and declared, “I’m making my move.”

Xiao Wei cheered him on enthusiastically, “My Lord is mighty! It’s time to make an example out of him and establish your absolute dominance!”

Shi Yunmu nodded his head, thoroughly pleased by Xiao Wei’s flattery.

He waited patiently for several hours, making absolutely sure that the human had entered a state of deep, undisturbed sleep. Only then did he quietly turn the doorknob of his bedroom, slipping like a shadow into Lu Que’s room.

The youth stood right beside the edge of the bed, a disdainful, triumphant smirk spreading across his lips as he prepared to dissolve into his true slime form.

Suddenly, the lights flipped on without a sound.

The man lay on the bed, silently staring right back at him.

Shi Yunmu, frozen like a statue beside the bed: “.”

Dammit. I clearly waited three extra hours. How on earth did I still get caught red-handed?!

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