C33 If There Was a Cockroach You Should Come in Quickly

"Ms. Chuntao, go ahead and take your shower with peace of mind! I promise I won't peek!"

Shen Yong's words were reassuring, but his thoughts betrayed him: "A beauty taking a bath is a sight not to be missed! They say the most alluring view is one that's elusive, flickering between clarity and obscurity, visible yet hidden."

Meanwhile, Zhang Chuntao was inwardly scoffing, "What a fool! He really thinks I don't want him to look? I bet he can't resist the temptation for long!"

Both Zhang Chuntao and Shen Yong were masters of saying one thing and thinking another, each harboring their own desires yet leaving them unspoken.

Shen Yong's intentions, however, weren't as innocent as Zhang Chuntao's; he was consumed with the desire to possess her.

Torn inside, Shen Yong knew he couldn't abandon his fixation on Su Yaner unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Not peeking is the right choice! I'll lock the door from the inside," Zhang Chuntao declared before heading off to the bathroom.

Shen Yong mused, "Lock it if you must, but why make a point of it? Any man knows to lock the door when taking a bath."

Dismissing Zhang Chuntao's antics, Shen Yong settled onto the red, heart-shaped sofa and began to meditate, practicing the Seven-star Qi Refining Spell.

Deep into the night, the moon's brilliance dimmed the stars, yet the Big Dipper shone brighter than ever, its tip, the Oscillating Star, outshining all.

This celestial oddity went unnoticed by most, but to some stargazers, it signaled the descent of a deity—an omen that blurred the line between science and myth.

Simultaneously, within a clandestine military base in the West Realm's snowy mountains:

"Report! Sir, the data transmitted by the chip inside the White-face War God is showing anomalies," announced Snow Leopard, a soldier in full combat gear, to his commanding officer.

"What's the difference? Spit it out!"

Big Black Face shot up from his seat, pressing for an answer.

"Report! Officer Big Black Face! I'm not sure! I just detected something off, but I can't pinpoint what it signifies! My guess is it's gibberish!"

Snow Leopard delivered the update with candor.

"Idiot! Is there anything you're actually good at?"

Big Black Face jabbed a finger at Snow Leopard's forehead, his tirade erupting, "Snow Leopard, you were once the right-hand man to the White-face War God! You even shared a bunk! And now, with him gone, you can't decipher a single chip's data! Your intelligence doesn't even qualify you to farm pigs!"

Since Shen Yong was forced into retirement, Big Black Face hadn't seen a single day of peace, his mood perpetually as dark as his scowl.

His face, once as black as coal, now seemed to have an extra layer of polish, gleaming with an angry sheen.

Big Black Face had just been given a directive from his superiors: produce another War God within a month or be relegated to logistics, his title of War Marshal in the West Realm handed to another.

The glory of a general is built atop a mountain of sacrifices.

Creating a War God wasn't as easy as mere talk; the struggle behind it was beyond the average person's comprehension.

Big Black Face had his suspicions that the battle which had left Shen Yong addled might have involved a spy leaking operational secrets.

Yet, he hadn't identified the mole!

And now, his superiors were bearing down on him with such intensity!

He was certain, someone was out to sabotage him!

Amidst his frustration, Big Black Face's fury was stoked by Snow Leopard's nonsensical report, leading to a verbal lashing that left Snow Leopard metaphorically bloodied.

But to Snow Leopard, Big Black Face's vitriol was nothing new, barely registering a blip on his radar.

If a day went by without a scolding, that would be the real shocker.

Back when Shen Yong was Big Black Face's sidekick, he too was often on the receiving end of such tirades, deemed less useful than a swineherd.

Now, with Shen Yong gone, Snow Leopard temporarily filled his shoes.

"Report! Officer Big Black Face! Here's the anomalous data for your review!"

The snow leopard placed a small slip of paper in front of the officer with the stern countenance.

Despite his tendency to curse, the officer was known for his kind heart. He never bore a grudge, quickly forgetting any slight once he'd vented his frustration.

He grabbed the note and scanned the data, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Typically, the data relayed by the A.I. chip would be a mix of Arabic numerals and letters.

Yet, the line printed on this paper was composed of Chinese characters' strokes—horizontal, vertical, hooks, and bends—all jumbled together. It was such a puzzle that even the most skilled cryptographers couldn't decipher its meaning.

"What is this jumbled mess? Can't you check the printer to see if it's malfunctioning?" the officer with the dark complexion tossed the note back to the snow leopard.

"Reporting, sir! I've already checked—the printer is functioning perfectly!" the snow leopard responded.

"Check it again! Keep checking until you figure out what's wrong! Now, get out of here!"

"Yes, sir!"

The snow leopard stood at attention, snapped a salute, and turned to leave.

"Come back here!"

The officer called out to the snow leopard again.

"Reporting! Do you have any further instructions, sir?" asked the snow leopard.

"You little punk! Are you looking for trouble? How dare you call me 'Big Black Face'? Do you think you're worthy of addressing me that way?!" the officer retorted irritably. "That's a name only a pretty boy could get away with using! The rest of you numbskulls don't deserve to! That pretty boy shouldn't have bothered saving you lot—just a bunch of weak, infuriating fools who should be left to perish in the snow!"

"Yes, sir! I'll go bury myself in the snow mountain right now!" the snow leopard replied.

"Just go! Get out of my sight!" the officer barked.

Internally, the officer seethed with frustration. "This is exasperating! Do I need to spell out every little thing? I've never encountered someone with such dismal comprehension skills!"

In reality, the snow leopard understood that the officer didn't actually want him to bury himself in the snow. It was his way of issuing a stern reminder: Never forget your disgrace! Never forget your gratitude!

"Oddities abound every day, but today takes the cake! Even the code printer is spitting out errors! That's unheard of! This is the most sophisticated military code machine in the world—it shouldn't be making any mistakes. Has it been hacked by someone else?"

The dark-faced man strode back and forth, deep in thought. The more he mulled it over, the stranger and more suspicious it seemed to him.

So, he couldn't just sit in his office any longer. He spun on his heel to find Snow Leopard and together, they went to inspect the coding machine.

At the Cloud River Hotel, in a couple's room.

Shen Yong, seated in meditation on the sofa, felt a jolt in his nerves from the biochip embedded in his cervical spine, snapping him back to reality.

It was common knowledge that each War God in the nation had a tiny chip, the size of a pinky nail, implanted in their neck. Its purpose was to track their location and monitor their health.

Given the vast amount of state secrets War Gods were privy to, and their formidable power to take on thousands single-handedly, they were considered extremely high-risk.

This chip was a biological one, designed to be harmless to the body and not cause any adverse effects or rejection.

However, just moments ago, the biochip's detection system emitted a signal that unexpectedly clashed with Shen Yong's mental energy.

The collision was brief and mild, but to the highly perceptive Shen Yong, it was starkly apparent and even disrupted his meditation.

Shen Yong's eyes snapped open from his practice and he sneakily peeked at the bathroom. Bathed in shimmering lights, a stunning figure was outlined, curves and all, accompanied by a provocative song—Huang Ling's "Itch."

"...Come on, come on, let's enjoy life, we have plenty of time. Come on, come on, love, we have plenty of folly..."

This...

??

As the provocative music played, Shen Yong's gaze was fixed on the captivating scene in the bathroom, unable to look away.

He had intended to forcefully cover his eyes with his hands, but he failed miserably!

Instead of covering, his hands propped his eyes open, nearly flipping his eyelids inside out.

His eyeballs looked as if they were about to bulge out of their sockets.

Moreover, Shen Yong noticed that the bathroom door was ajar, not locked, with a gap as wide as two fingers.

Who the hell could stand this!?

A powerful urge to burst in washed over him!

Just then, a shout from Zhang Chuntao suddenly echoed from the bathroom.

"Cockroach! There's a cockroach! I'm terrified! Yong, come in quick! Kill this cockroach! Hurry!"

"What?"

Shen Yong asked, stunned.

He couldn't believe it!

Zhang Chuntao was actually inviting him in!

"Yong! Hurry up! There's a cockroach!"

Zhang Chuntao poked her head out from the bathroom and gestured to Shen Yong.

"Alright! I'm on it!"

Shen Yong called back, adrenaline pumping through his veins. His mind went blank, overwhelmed by a surge of hormones, and he dashed over immediately.