MMPS Ch. 32

Chapter 32: Useful Knowledge Acquired

Zhao Ran helped him slip into soft, pure cotton pajamas, freshly dried and imbued with the comforting scent of laundry detergent. Yu An, utterly exhausted, half-closed his eyes, surrendering to Zhao Ran’s gentle ministrations. The pajamas fit him perfectly, enveloping him in a warm embrace that only deepened his weariness.

With delicate fingers, Zhao Ran pried open Yu An’s tightly clenched fist, retrieving a crumpled report card. He unfolded it carefully, smoothing out the creases as he admired the paper for a moment before solemnly pressing it down under a stack of heavy books on the table.

Yu An favored a prone sleeping position, nestled against the crumpled down comforter. He found it uncomfortable to sleep without holding something close, a habit born from an innate need for security. Meanwhile, Zhao Ran perched on the edge of the bed, his back turned to Yu An, elbows resting on his knees, fingertips dangling like forgotten whispers.

From the moment he entered the room, the familiar sensation of his hand returned to Zhao Ran with vivid clarity. The feeling of gripping tightly around a slender waist was electric, a reminder of the boy’s vitality. Yu An’s body was firm and delicate, caught in the grip of youthful innocence, yet it was this very fragility that rendered him ensnared and unable to escape.

The sting of punishing slaps and tight grips lingered in the air, each strike accompanied by the slight twitching and writhing of the one held captive. The initial anger and anxiety had faded, replaced by a strange sense of amusement. Zhao Ran closed his eyes, savoring the moment, a soft smile playing on his lips.

Eventually, he picked up his phone, sending a message to his older brother: “Something’s happened. Meet at the usual place in half an hour.”

At the deepest part of the seaside park, Zhao Ran stood at the edge of a rocky cliff, holding a black sunshade umbrella against the wind. As a wave surged forth, he leaped down into the frothy depths below. The cliff’s outer edge had been eroded by relentless waves and biting sea breezes, forming a rocky cave where someone awaited him.

Seated within was a figure with curly hair peeking out from beneath a knitted hat. Despite the chill of winter, he wore only a vibrant Hawaiian shirt, loose shorts, and flip-flops. In his arms, he cradled a polished white skull, its surface gleaming like bone under the pale sun, reflecting fleeting shadows.

His brother, known as “Ha Bai”—the clam and the white snow—lifted his gaze, seriousness etched across his features. “What’s going on?” he asked, fingers dancing over the skull’s temple, making it sway ominously.

“Keep a close watch on the other two aberrant hunting companies and help me contain a piece of sensitive information.” Zhao Ran instructed, his voice steady yet urgent.

“What’s the news?”

“An An’s left eye can switch Aberration Cores.”

A resigned chuckle escaped the clam. “Oh, it’s him again.” After a moment of contemplation, he scratched his head, his surprise evident as he looked up. “Can it really be replaced?”

He began to analyze the implications. “Doesn’t that make him invincible?”

Zhao Ran’s expression turned contemplative. “I’m still testing his tolerance. Frequent replacements above the red level could harm him significantly, but the good news is that this tolerance can be trained. With time, he should grow stronger.”

“This secret cannot be exposed.” Ha Bai warned, his brow furrowing.

Zhao Ran, shrugging helplessly, said: “It’s already out in the open. The Underground Metro know everything. For now, suppress the news—don’t let it leak. Duan Ke and Xiao Ying are on our side, so I’m not worried about them; it’s the moles within the company that concern me.”

“Hmm… you really know how to stir up trouble,” the clam said, his fingers absently fiddling with the skull as he pondered.

“You’re not tossing this thing away? It’s nearly polished to perfection.” Zhao Ran teased, hands tucked into his pockets. “Didn’t you find a new one?”

“It’s not the same. This one has become a speaker.” Ha Bai pressed a tooth on the skull, and sounds of a tape rolling emerged, filling the air with intense music: “Sad people, don’t listen to slow songs. Life is full of comings and goings; love is a tug-of-war.”

With a roll of his eyes, Zhao Ran reached out and found the off button on the skull’s teeth, silencing the cacophony.

“Don’t touch it with your reproductive organ.” Ha Bai scoffed, swatting his hand away. “It’s dirty; you’ll ruin the shine.”

Zhao Ran retracted his hand, tucking it back into his coat pocket: “You treat this broken thing like a treasure, not letting me near it?”

“Just don’t let you touch it. You know what your hands are for, right?”

Ha Bai tucked the skull under his arm and walked to the edge of the rocks, looking back with a playful hum: “Once you’re done, head back. After all, Yu An won’t mind you being a little dirty. By the way, does he still not know what your hand is? Are you taking advantage of his ignorance to touch freely?”

“Take care.” Zhao Ran playfully kicked his brother, who stumbled backward, tumbling into the churning waves.

As Ha Bai’s figure vanished beneath the frothy surface, the only sign of him was a large white scallop sinking slowly, the skull speaker on its shell blasting music: “Ugly monster, hey, hey, hey, can you not turn on the lights?“

Zhao Ran picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the scallop shell, striking it with a clang and creating a hole. The skull speaker rolled into the cavity, silencing the world around him.

With the day waning, he needed to return home and prepare dinner. Dusting the sand from his gloves, Zhao Ran picked up the black umbrella and made his way back, planning to whip up something delicious for a late-night snack.

In the kitchen, the little hands shrank in fear, trembling as they assisted him, anxious that their master would hold them accountable for the day’s work. They diligently chopped vegetables and served dishes, each movement cautious, as if any misstep might lead to punishment.

As he set the garlic ribs on the table, golden and fragrant, Zhao Ran leaned over to place the dish down when a sharp pain pierced his right hand, a prickling sensation that lingered for several seconds. Sensing something was amiss, he hurried toward the bedroom, pushing the door open.

Yu An had already woken, sprawled on the bed, his little legs swinging lazily in the air. In his hands, he toyed with a severed hand, its thumb marked with a circle of red paint, bearing the bite marks of its former owner. This was one of the few severed hands that had a name: “Madness.”

Most severed hands proliferated endlessly, appearing and disappearing like hair that perished and renewed. Yet, a select few existed eternally; the more pronounced their self-awareness and personality, the stronger their combat ability, making them increasingly difficult to kill. With one hand, Yu An pressed down on Madness while using a needle to weave silver thread through the skin of its knuckles. He threaded small metallic beads at intervals, decorating his macabre creation with meticulous care.

“Oh, you’re already awake… what are you doing?” Zhao Ran asked, wincing as he clutched his left hand, which throbbed painfully beneath his glove.

“Does it look good?” Yu An replied, snipping the silver thread and lifting Madness to admire his handiwork.

Madness’s knuckles were dotted with over a dozen needle holes, adorned with beaded silver threads, blood seeping from the punctures. The relentless pain rendered it nearly unconscious, its movements sluggish and weak.

Li Pu observed from the side, his steady fingers merely watching the spectacle unfold. Madness struggled on the bed, attempting to crawl toward Zhao Ran, pleading for its master to save it.

“Looks good.” Zhao Ran said nonchalantly, severing his connection with Madness for the moment.

With just a bite mark as his guide, Yu An patiently searched among hundreds of severed hands to find the one that had tormented him the most, delighting in the act of tormenting it further.

“Interviewer, you have so many hands. No wonder your ID is NSDD; you have plenty.” he muttered, engrossed in his play.

“Stop fiddling and come eat.”

“Wait, Interviewer, I made something for you too.”

A finely crafted belt from the Ji Nian brand lay at the edge of the bed, its inner side adorned with a full row of precise tools and materials. Yu An took a silver block, hammering it into a slender strip, carving intricate patterns with a saw, and polishing it into a delicate ring.

Zhao Ran’s right eyelid twitched.

Yu An climbed off the bed, kneeling as he held the silver ring in his palm, presenting it to Zhao Ran.

Zhao Ran sat at the edge of the bed in silence for a long moment, weighing his words before asking: “What do you think our relationship is now?”

Yu An lay back, raising his hands to play with the ring on his fingertips. This question held little weight for him. The “I” in his diary could have a “he,” so why couldn’t Yu An create a “he” outside the diary, anchoring an illusion in reality and transforming the false into truth? He only knew that they had just kissed, and the interviewer was willing; he relished the moment.

His teeth indeed pricked his tongue, but not as sharply as he had imagined; the slight stimulation was rather exhilarating. Yu An rested his head on Zhao Ran’s knee, blowing the dust off the ring before closing his fingers around it and holding it tightly in his palm. “Black tungsten would look better, but there isn’t any in Ji Nian’s belt.”

“Return it to him tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Yu An nodded obediently.

“Your ability to change cores has already been exposed. From now on, you must act discreetly, stick close to me, and avoid causing trouble.”

“And if I don’t?”

“You’ll get me into trouble.”

“…” Yu An didn’t argue further. “Got it.”

“Interviewer, I have one more question about the written exam.”

“Go ahead.”

“The four stages of an aberration growth—Infancy, Growth, Cocooning, and Emergence—are essential for aberrant development. During the cocooning stage, an aberrant seeks a secluded corner to spin a cocoon. If undisturbed, it will successfully metamorphose, but it will die six hours later.” Yu An recited the content from his study materials, “It sounds very much like cicadas or butterflies. However, aberrants do not possess the reproductive capabilities of insects. This species is numerous and diverse, and the Aberrant Cores produced have already formed an industrial chain in human society. I believe they are not merely mutated products of radiation; there must be other means of sustaining their race.”

“There are.”

Zhao Ran contemplated whether he should answer this question, suddenly feeling a sense of embarrassment akin to explaining human anatomy to a young boy.

“After entering the cocooning stage, Aberrants face two growth choices: one is metamorphosis, which is the fate of most ordinary Aberrants.”

“But actually, there’s another option: Metamorphosis.”

“If killed by humans during the cocooning stage, they enter the Metamorphosis phase and form a binding relationship. As long as the bound individual does not die, the Aberrant can survive indefinitely. Correspondingly, the Aberrant will protect the bound individual for survival, obeying their commands unconditionally.”

“Oh?” Yu An perked up, quickly sitting up and leaning close to Zhao Ran’s face. “Then if I go find an Aberrant in the cocooning stage to kill, I could have a group of powerful bodyguards, right?”

“An Aberrant willing to form a binding relationship will leave a unique totem mark on you. Killing an Aberrant randomly will only make it hate you; how could it willingly submit to your control?”

“The totem mark is like a ticket, proving that it recognizes your eligibility to form a bond with it. But if you’re not strong enough, you won’t be able to defeat it.”

“Then I’ll trick it, be nice to it first, and then make it willing to let me kill it?” Yu An, ever the schemer, began to envision ways to exploit the Aberrants’ weaknesses.

“It won’t matter if it’s willing; Aberrants in the cocooning stage are ruthless and relentless, extremely violent. If you fail to kill it, it will kill you.”

“Then I’ll hire someone to go with me to kill it.”

“Theoretically, that’s possible, but Aberrants in the cocooning stage are wrapped in a cocoon shell. To kill it, you must enter the cocoon. After you successfully kill it, you will be wrapped in the cocoon, and only the bound individual can walk out; no one else can. This means that those you bring along must be willing to die for you. Think of the ancient emperors’ tombs and their burial companions; how many people willingly accompanied the emperor to death?”

“… The conditions are too harsh.” Yu An fell into thought, biting his thumbnail in contemplation.

“Of course. Most importantly, too many people cannot resist their evil thoughts. When you have a powerful Aberrant obeying you, can you resist the urge to become a villain?”

“Impossible.” Yu An licked his lips, a glint of mischief in his eyes. “On my very first day, I’ll go ahead and eliminate everyone I despised, packing their remains into small portions to store in my fridge, feeding them to my little Aberrant. Every day, I’ll just pop a bag in the microwave.”

“What are you talking about?” Zhao Ran exclaimed, exasperation evident as he smacked the top of Yu An’s head twice. “It doesn’t eat that. It’s not disgusting.”

Yu An smirked, holding up a ring and thrusting it before Zhao Ran, blocking any chance of changing the subject. “Well, what about this? Don’t you want it?

Zhao Ran felt his throat tighten as he nervously fiddled with his fingertips through the gloves.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want it.

He would gladly accept any earrings, pendants, or even watches; but rings were a different matter entirely. This particular piece of jewelry held profound significance, a weight that pressed down upon him. The very position it was meant to adorn was far too stimulating for Zhao Ran, stirring emotions he struggled to contain.

Setting Manual 1 (Aberrant Illusion Chamber):

1. Aberrant: In this worldview, an aberrant or aberration refers to a creature that stands in opposition to the human camp. Any object, including humans, can be classified as an aberration once it develops an aberration core internally.
2. Carrier: A human capable of embedding an aberration core in a defective part of their body, thereby gaining its abilities. This is contingent upon having a defect; the aberration core can only be embedded in such a part.
3. Illusion Chamber: A space where an aberration has committed murder, which may transform into an illusion chamber. These rooms are fraught with peril yet offer the tantalizing possibility of rare aberration core rewards, akin to a dungeon in a game.
4. How to Break the Illusion Chamber: 1. Eliminate the aberration that created the illusion chamber. 2. Disrupt the worldview rules governing the illusion chamber. Sometimes, fulfilling just one condition suffices; at other times, both must be met, as in the case of a beauty salon.
5. Common Variant: Plants and animals that exist in reality and develop aberration cores are termed ordinary species aberrations, such as goats, mosquitoes, or baseball bats.
6. Illusion Chamber Variant: Aberration cores produced under the influence of the illusion chamber are classified as illusion room species.
7. Mutant Variant: Special aberrations that exhibit deformities.

For example, a starfish is a common variant, while Patrick Star is a Mutant Variant.