They Come from the Same Place

Yue Shi and Zhong Mo looked at each other, subconsciously sizing the other up. Their gazes met before quickly darting away.

Well, truth be told, they were indeed good-looking.

“What price do you have to pay to buy clothes from Boss Pi?” Yue Shi asked.

“Source,” the Parasitic Mushroom spat out.

“What is 'source'?”

Before the Parasitic Mushroom could answer, Zhong Mo glanced at Yue Shi in surprise. “You don't know what source is?”

“Should I?”

Uh... Zhong Mo fell silent for a moment. “You really are a complete rookie.”

“Explaining source is a very abstract concept. I can't explain it clearly in a short time, but I can give you a detailed breakdown later. For now, I suggest you ask it for more valuable information.”

Yue Shi thought for a moment and nodded.

“Do you know about any other supernatural creatures in this city?” Yue Shi continued to fish for intelligence.

“Besides Boss Pi, I also know about the ‘Bees’...” The Parasitic Mushroom suddenly stalled.

Bees? Could it be the Bee Woman?

Yue Shi’s expression shifted slightly. He hadn't expected such an accidental find. He hurriedly pressed, “Who are the ‘Bees’? Is it the Bee Woman in Amber City? How much do you know about them?”

Parasitic Mushroom: “The Bees and I both followed the Life Vine and escaped from the Mysterious Garden...”

The Life Vine? Wasn't that the suspected culprit behind Cai Zetao's mutation?

And what was the Mysterious Garden?

These new terms left Yue Shi completely bewildered. He wanted to keep asking, but at that moment, the Parasitic Mushroom suddenly began to tremble violently, as if remembering something that terrified it to the core.

The intense fear caused it to break free from its mesmerized state. “What did you do to me? Why did I tell you so much...”

The Parasitic Mushroom was furious, but in its current state, it was weak, pitiful, and helpless.

Yue Shi couldn't understand why it had suddenly snapped out of the hypnosis. He quickly resumed using Raven's Secret Whispers. “Tell me quickly, who are the Bees, where are they, and what exactly are the Life Vine and the Mysterious Garden?”

The Parasitic Mushroom was briefly dazed again. Just as it was about to speak, it was startled awake once more, its human-like face filled with dread. “I can't say! If I speak, I'll definitely die!”

“If you don't speak, you'll die right now!” Yue Shi threatened viciously, his talons slowly drawing closer.

But the Parasitic Mushroom seemed instinctively unable to speak. The terror on its face grew more intense. Even as Yue Shi repeatedly used Raven's Secret Whispers, he couldn't charm it again.

Eventually, the Parasitic Mushroom completely broke down. Losing its mind, it began to babble incoherently. It lashed out with its mycelium, attacking Yue Shi and Zhong Mo once again.

Unfortunately, it was too weak. The mycelium was limp, its strength less than a tickle.

“No more value...” Seeing that he couldn't squeeze anything else useful out of the Parasitic Mushroom, Yue Shi killed it cleanly.

An illusory tentacle, invisible to ordinary people, reached out from the void. It brushed lightly over the Parasitic Mushroom's corpse, slowly plundering a mysterious aura.

Immediately after, the fourth eye at the tip of the tentacle—which had previously only been a slit—suddenly snapped wide open, emitting a brilliant golden light.

Yue Shi was both surprised and delighted. Was the “something” he devoured from the Parasitic Mushroom so abundant? It had actually allowed him to fully light up the fourth eye on the tentacle!

Zhong Mo couldn't see this. He was merely a bit puzzled. “Actually, the Parasitic Mushroom had already lost its combat capability. We could have captured it alive. Live captures of supernatural creatures yield much better rewards.”

“I wasn't thinking much. I just killed it out of habit,” Yue Shi said dismissively.

Since it was already dead, what else could Zhong Mo say? He could only sigh. “I didn't expect the notorious Heart Thief and the Bee Woman to potentially come from the same place.”

Although he still didn't know what the “Life Vine” or the “Mysterious Garden” were, he etched those two names into his memory.

The Parasitic Mushroom's corpse lay quietly on the floor, devoid of all life.

Yue Shi looked at Zhong Mo with a serious expression, seriously considering the success rate of silencing him.

Killing Zhong Mo and pinning it on the Parasitic Mushroom would be easy. He could just say Zhong Mo was accidentally killed by the mushroom during the fight; no extra explanation would be needed.

However, Zhong Mo's ability was troublesome, and he seemed to have other trump cards. Yue Shi was physically and mentally exhausted from the intense battle and the continuous use of Raven's Secret Whispers. He wasn't confident he could kill him quickly without leaving a trace.

At that moment, Zhong Mo spoke as if sensing something. “Don't worry, my lips are sealed. What just happened and the information revealed by the Parasitic Mushroom is strictly between you and me. I swear I won't leak it to a third party.”

Yue Shi didn't believe him, but he kept a smile on his face. “Our mission this time was to handle the Heart Thief. It's best to keep any extra information we gained to ourselves. No need to tell anyone else.”

Zhong Mo nodded. “Information itself is highly valuable. While I didn't intend to eavesdrop on your conversation with the Parasitic Mushroom, since I've heard it, I won't deny it.”

“In exchange, if there's any information you want to know later, you can ask me. I'll tell you everything I know.”

Yue Shi agreed, suppressing the malicious thoughts swirling in his heart.

The two turned to walk out. Looking at Yue Shi's broad and upright back, Zhong Mo became pensive. To be able to make a supernatural creature confess everything with just a few words was truly... impressive.

Yue Shi pushed the door open. The other employees of Tulip Security Company had long since retreated to a safe distance. Seeing Yue Shi walk out safely, they breathed a sigh of relief and rushed over.

“How's the situation?” Zhou Zhiheng asked hurriedly.

“The Heart Thief's corpse is inside,” Yue Shi said, looking slightly tired.

Zhou Zhiheng was ecstatic, unable to suppress the widening grin on his face.

Zhong Mo, following behind Yue Shi, suddenly said, “The Heart Thief's threat level exceeded C-rank. It might even have been at B-rank. Yue Shi and I were almost killed.”

“B-rank?” Zhou Zhiheng was shocked. He quickly reacted and stated his stance.

“Don't worry, you two. To be able to smoothly resolve such a troublesome supernatural creature like the Heart Thief, you've earned the greatest credit. Your pay and bonuses will definitely reflect that.”

Several employees in hazmat suits carefully placed the Heart Thief's corpse into a specialized container, whispering among themselves, “This is the Heart Thief? Why does it look so much like a mushroom?”

Yue Shi briefly explained the Heart Thief's abilities to Zhou Zhiheng, including its ability to take hearts, use them to create splits, its suspected ability to disguise itself as a human, and its ability to use skills possessed by the heart's original owner.

Yue Shi didn't mention anything else, but what he did reveal was already shocking enough.

Zhou Zhiheng clearly realized the growth potential of the Heart Thief as well. He couldn't help but feel lucky. “Fortunately, we eliminated it while it was still weak...”

The subsequent cleanup and reporting to the Investigation Bureau were all handled by Zhou Zhiheng.

Yue Shi lowered his eyes and said, “If there's nothing else, I'll be going. Dealing with the Heart Thief was exhausting.”

Zhou Zhiheng beamed. “Of course. Both of you should head back and get some good rest.”