INHA Chapter 110

Xu Dongyou’s display of extraordinary abilities left the director and planning team thrilled. They felt they had made the perfect choice in inviting him, confident that this episode would get extremely high viewership, and might even trend on social media.

As a result, for the upcoming tasks, the director team was eager to keep Xu Dongyou happy. They intentionally lowered the difficulty level. The whole filming process was incredibly relaxed, and the atmosphere was fantastic.

That evening, it was time for Xu Dongyou to leave. The guests were reluctant to see him go. They expressed their hope that he would return in the future.

Xu Dongyou smiled modestly, nodded, and waved toward the camera before disappearing into the night.

Afterward, Xu Dongyou had no other work commitments, spending his time at home composing songs.

About a week later, the teaser for the episode Xu Dongyou appeared in was released. Everyone was shocked—no one had expected him to participate in such a show. Curious to see how he performed, they eagerly clicked on the video.

And then, they were met with another wave of astonishment.

The footage showed the thrilling moment when the boat nearly capsized, followed by a scene where a stream of water magically appeared on the lake’s surface, catching everyone and safely placing them back in the boat.

This scene instantly garnered thousands of viewers’ admiration, with comments flooding in with “666¹a Chinese internet slang for “awesome”“. As expected, the episode quickly trended on social media.

Even at this point, many people were still trying to wrap their heads around the existence of such supernatural abilities in the world. It all felt distant and surreal.

Moreover, the show’s usual focus was on simple, rural life, with a grounded and rustic charm. The contrast between this and the sudden appearance of these fantastical powers created an absurd yet eye-catching clash.

This heightened the public’s anticipation for the full episode, while Xu Dongyou’s fans could hardly wait to see him in action. Everyone was counting down the days.

Normally, celebrities—especially top-tier stars—rarely watch variety shows unless they are about to participate in one themselves. Even then, it’s just to familiarize themselves with the show’s features and rules.

However, this time, nearly all celebrities, upon learning that Xu Dongyou had participated in the show, eagerly clicked to watch. They wanted to learn more about him, as he was one of the few “Handlers” they had a chance to interact with. Moreover, Xu Dongyou was considered one of the most elite among the Handlers, making him all the more valuable to know and possibly befriend.

As a result, the episode featuring Xu Dongyou achieved the highest viewership in the show’s history, with the most comments in the live chat. Fellow idol singers who watched felt a complex mix of emotions—an overwhelming sense of admiration without a trace of jealousy. This was because they knew that no matter how hard they worked, they could never reach the heights Xu Dongyou had attained.

When the full episode finally aired, the comments section exploded with excitement. Even those who weren’t Xu Dongyou’s fans tuned in just to watch this special episode.

At the start of the show, Xu Dongyou’s arrival was met with enthusiastic greetings from the other guests. Unlike some celebrities who become arrogant after gaining fame, Xu Dongyou remained as humble and polite as ever.

Then came the tasks, followed by the most thrilling scene everyone was waiting for: when the boat was about to capsize, Xu Dongyou used his powers to safely rescue everyone.

Even though it wasn’t the first time viewers had seen such a display of power, they were still left in awe, their mouths agape. While other Handlers also had their own unique abilities, none of them were as visually stunning or jaw-dropping as Xu Dongyou’s.

After the episode ended, viewers were left wanting more, flooding the show’s social media account with comments, hoping Xu Dongyou would return for another episode.

The director shared their sentiment and extended another invitation to Xu Dongyou, but this time, Xu Dongyou declined.

It wasn’t due to any personal issues, but rather because the teleportation array had encountered a new development, and he needed to investigate. Xu Dongyou briefly explained his mission to the director, who understood and later announced the news to the public. Fans and netizens expressed their disappointment, but some became curious about the task Xu Dongyou was undertaking and wondered why he didn’t consider livestreaming it.

Xu Dongyou had thought about it. However, considering the possibility that there might be more than one teleportation array in the world, he decided it was best to keep the mission under wraps to avoid alerting any potential enemies.

When Xu Dongyou finally arrived at the teleportation array, although he had been briefed on the situation, he couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine when he saw the images on the screen.

Over the past few days, the Anomaly Handling Bureau has been analyzing the situation. Some Handlers had volunteered to enter the array, but their requests were denied. Instead, they tried sending chickens and ducks into the strange world beyond the portal, only to witness a horrifying scene.

The lively chickens and ducks were immediately consumed by the grotesque, sludge-like material in the other world. The mud, which appeared disgusting even from the screen, seemed to come to life, quickly engulfing the birds and devouring them entirely.

The chickens and ducks had no chance to resist—or perhaps they did, but the sheer amount of sludge in that world was overwhelming. It swallowed them whole, then returned to a calm state, as if nothing had happened.

It almost made them doubt what they had just witnessed.

The Anomaly Handling Bureau took the discovery seriously. They had never expected the sludge to be alive. The Handler who had once volunteered to enter the array visibly paled, now realizing how narrowly he had escaped a fatal fate. If he had gone in, no matter what abilities he had, he would have surely ended up like those chickens and ducks.

When they finally extracted a sample of the sludge, Xu Dongyou immediately sensed something familiar within it. The disgust he felt was so intense that even his soul recoiled.

It was a feeling he had only experienced in the presence of monsters. He quickly reported this crucial information to the Anomaly Handling Bureau.

The bureau staff began to form theories, as did Xu Dongyou.

Could it be that this sludge was related to the monsters? Or worse, were the monsters born from this very sludge?

It was like the cursed tree they had encountered before, where every resentful spirit was like a fruit, growing and maturing before falling to the ground. It resembled a tree-bearing fruit, but those “fruits” were the very evil spirits the Anomaly Handling Bureau worked tirelessly to eliminate.

At last, they understood why these evil entities could never be fully eradicated. As long as humans lived, the tree could endlessly produce more resentful spirits.

And then there were those mysterious humans aiding this process, traitors who incited fury within the Anomaly Handling Bureau. This wasn’t a mere betrayal—they weren’t even worthy of being called human anymore.

As the room fell into a tense silence, someone suddenly voiced a chilling question: “If this sludge can produce monsters, just like that tree… where did the monsters’ true forms originate?”

Everyone felt a shiver run down their spines and all eyes turned toward the screen.

Could it be that those chickens and ducks…

“A mysterious person must be regularly sending animals into the array, creating these monsters,” one of the Handlers gasped, shocked by his own theory.

The bureau chief’s face darkened, and he spoke, snapping everyone back to their senses. “We will keep a close watch on this area. Time will reveal the truth.” His words invigorated the room, and everyone began working busily.

Xu Dongyou’s mission had come to an end. Though it seemed like he hadn’t done much, his heightened senses and precognitive abilities were invaluable. The Anomaly Handling Bureau used his insights to analyze the sludge, but they found no direct similarities to the monsters.

“Thank you for your hard work,” the bureau chief personally escorted Xu Dongyou out.

Xu Dongyou was flattered. The chief was incredibly busy these days, while Xu Dongyou had mostly been idle at home, only lending a small bit of help. He waved it off quickly, “It’s nothing, really. If you need me again, I’ll come right away. After all, I’m part of the Bureau.”

The chief smiled faintly, nodding. “Go see Elder Chen at the Bureau on your way out.”

“Huh?” Xu Dongyou was puzzled.

Jiu Chao hadn’t contacted him recently. Usually, if Elder Chen needed something, Jiu Chao would have reached out.

Xu Dongyou couldn’t make sense of the chief’s instruction but nodded anyway, agreeing politely. He headed straight to the Bureau and found Elder Chen, who seemed surprised to see him. “Not busy lately? What brings you here?”

Xu Dongyou was even more confused. Standing awkwardly, he repeated what the chief had said earlier.

Elder Chen fell silent for a while before gesturing for Xu Dongyou to sit. “Perhaps the chief noticed that I had something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Xu Dongyou straightened his posture, asking softly, “Elder Chen, is this something serious?”

Elder Chen remained quiet for a long time before finally speaking. “A few days ago, the demon clan called me in to discuss the array. Elder Bai couldn’t calculate any direct connection to the cursed tree, but he did catch a glimpse of an opportunity to eradicate the resentful spirits.”

Xu Dongyou eagerly nodded, “And then?”

Elder Chen continued, “You know, don’t you? The ancient Zhulong was injured during a great battle and had to seal itself away. But do you know why it’s been waking up more frequently in recent years, especially in the past few months?”

Xu Dongyou shook his head.

Elder Chen said, “At first, I only had a vague suspicion, but Elder Bai told me that Zhulong’s recovery is actually connected to you.”

Xu Dongyou was completely shocked. “Connected… to me?”

Was he really that powerful?

Seeing Xu Dongyou’s bewildered expression, Elder Chen recalled his original form—like a little round dumpling, soft and bouncy. Unable to help himself, a smile crept onto his face, but he quickly collected himself and returned to the serious topic.

“I’ve mentioned before that you carry the fortune of the human race. But beyond that, there are more intricate things I can’t explain for now. All I can say is that the more humans admire and support you, the stronger your abilities will become. At the same time, your power suppresses the fortune that feeds the resentful spirits. With humanity’s continued efforts to eliminate evil spirits, this weakens the malevolent forces. As those forces diminish, Zhulong’s power slowly returns. Once it fully awakens, no matter how strong the evil grows, it will no longer be able to suppress Zhulong.”

This was the longest speech Elder Chen had ever given, and it left Xu Dongyou utterly astonished. He tried his best to process the information, then finally looked up and asked, “So, what do you want me to do?”

Elder Chen’s expression grew more serious, his tone tinged with a hint of puzzlement at Elder Bai’s decision. “Elder Bai wants me to ask if you’re willing to enter the array and eradicate the resentful spirits.”

Xu Dongyou’s eyes widened in disbelief, completely dumbfounded.

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  a Chinese internet slang for “awesome”