Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

"What flowers, ah..." In her haste to chase after someone, the bouquet of carnations on her chest was left in a mess.

"Just throw it away, I'll get you a new bouquet another day." Su Wanxi took the bouquet and casually approached her target.

It's not the final step yet; it should be under control. She opened her spiritual vision the instant she passed the man; the black mist was thick, but showed no signs of coalescing into a cocoon.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems for now." After throwing the flowers into the trash can, Su Wanxi returned to Gu Cheng's side and explained to her softly.

"What's wrong with him?" Gu Cheng felt a little relieved, but her doubts remained.

"He's been targeted by the descending creatures, who are constantly supplying him with the negative emotions needed for cocooning..."

"Then...why won't there be any problems for the time being?" Despite the dire situation, Su Wanxi remained calm.

"The absence of cocooning signs means there is still hope. As long as he maintains a good mindset during this period, the descended creature will die automatically." In other words, once cocooning signs appear, his fate is sealed. According to the Hermit Bureau's current intelligence, it is an irreversible process, and even if he later realizes his mistake, he cannot avoid death.

"Are we just going to leave him like this?" Gu Cheng bit her lip, somewhat confused.

"We'll manage it, but it's not us in charge of this; it's the logistics department of the Hermit Bureau. They'll be here soon." There are only so many ability users; how could we possibly assign someone to keep an eye on things personally?

"Okay..." Gu Cheng failed to notice that Su Wanxi had been holding a small silver needle in her hand in addition to the flowers.

"You saved his life." Early detection means early control. During this time, the logistics department will investigate all aspects of the target's situation. As long as the cause of the negative emotions is found, the right remedy can be found. This approach is too lenient. No wonder Song Shiyan used to say that the logistics department was like a nanny, having to coax one biological carrier after another.

The two continued to follow until other plainclothes staff arrived.

"Captain Su."

"At one o'clock, wearing a black suit and carrying a briefcase, probably in his thirties or forties." Su Wanxi briefly explained the situation to help the logistics department confirm the target.

"This is none of our business, let's go." The professionals began to gather intelligence and control the scene. They carried special instruments to detect crack reactions in a small area, so that even if the situation suddenly worsened, they could stop the crack formation in advance.

Of course, the methods used to terminate this will not be as gentle as before.

Hearing Su Wanxi say that, Gu Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

What is this...? It's so soft. Only then did she realize that she seemed to be holding something she shouldn't be holding in her hand.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I went too far!" She quickly let go of the other person's hand, her fair wrist slightly red from being squeezed.

When exactly, and how, can I...

Such abrupt behavior is simply thuggish, Gu Cheng thought to herself, her head bowed.

"It doesn't hurt much." Su Wanxi clearly misunderstood and said calmly, extending her wrist.

"No, no, no, I just..." She realized she couldn't explain anything, and her voice trailed off.

"I just hugged you too, so we're even."

Is she... shy? Seeing the blush rising on the girl's cheeks, Su Wanxi explained understandingly.

Hearing Su Wanxi mention that hug, she felt even more embarrassed, almost burying her head in the ground.

"I...I'm going back." If she stays any longer, she might explode on the spot. No, her ability should be able to instantly discharge like before.

"I'll give you a ride. The car is parked nearby. It's really troublesome to drive this far." Su Wanxi spoke from the perspective of the team leader, and Gu Cheng couldn't refuse her, so she got into the car.

"Fasten your seatbelt."

"Ah."

An interesting girl. Starting the engine, Su Wanxi's lips curled into a slight smile, just like in the flower shop, a smile she herself didn't even realize.

Gu Cheng was still too embarrassed to look at Su Wanxi, so she could only stare silently out the car window.

They were so close before... Besides the delicate touch between her fingers, she could even feel Su Wanxi's warm breath. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she had to consciously control her breathing; it was a feeling she would never forget.

Before I knew it, the car had stopped at the bottom of the apartment building.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

"You're welcome, it's just on my way." It might be a slightly roundabout route, but that's not important.

After watching Gu Cheng enter the elevator, she rolled up the car window and turned the car around to face the direction she had come from.

Inside the elevator, Gu Cheng's turbulent emotions gradually calmed down.

Strange, how did Su Wanxi know I lived here? Did I tell her? Gu Cheng suddenly realized the problem, but the other person had already walked away.

Section 26, Chapter Twenty-Six: The Cat

In a daze, Gu Cheng noticed a ball of orange yarn at her doorstep.

"Wow, it's huge. And people even dye pigs?" she thought to herself as she took out her keys to open the door.

"Meow~" The fluffy ball of fur flicked its tail and let out a soft meow. Oh, it's an orange cat. No wonder it's so fat.

Despite saying that, Gu Cheng, being a tough guy, followed his heart and squatted down to rub against the cat. The soft fur felt very comfortable to touch, and the orange cat also enjoyed it, rolling over to reveal its pale white belly.

After scratching for a while, the cat stuck out its tongue and licked her fingers, and Gu Cheng felt completely healed.

It's so soft! I'll definitely have a cat someday!

Its ears and tail were meticulously groomed, gleaming faintly, clearly indicating it wasn't a stray cat. Gu Cheng released its grip and walked into the living room, struggling to resist the urge to take it home and keep it.

"How did you get in here?" Despite its large and chubby size, this orange cat was surprisingly fast. Gu Cheng had just closed the door when it darted in and started rolling around on the wooden floor.

Is it hungry? Seeing it lying all alone outside the door, it probably can't find food because its owner hasn't come home yet.

She had fed stray cats and dogs before; those poor little creatures would eat anything, raw or cold. This was the first time she had fed someone else's cat, and she didn't know if there were any dietary restrictions.

Just to be on the safe side, Gu Cheng took a clean porcelain bowl from the cupboard, poured some cooled boiled water into it, and placed it in front of the cat. The orange cat cautiously probed the contents a couple of times, and after confirming that the contents were harmless, it happily licked the bowl.

Potatoes, celery, broccoli... She hadn't touched meat since the assessment, eating even less than a nun for days. There was still some chicken at the very back of the refrigerator; her cat seemed unable to eat food that was too salty or oily. So she simply boiled the meat in water without adding any oil or salt.

"Even a cat eats better than me." Gu Cheng sighed and placed the cooked chicken breast in front of the orange cat. She then turned around and sat down in her dining chair, silently enjoying her bland lunch.

"Knock knock knock~" Halfway through the meal, a series of knocks came from the living room door, and both the person and the cat stopped what they were doing.

"I'm here." Gu Cheng wiped her mouth with a napkin, got up and walked towards the living room.

"Hello, have you seen my cat?" Zhang Ye's tone was a little hurried, but he still politely did not look into the house.

"Is it a very fat orange cat?"

"Yes, yes, that's it. Have you seen it before?" Before Gu Cheng could respond, the protagonist in the story poked his head out from beside the sofa with half a piece of meat in his mouth.

"It kept lying by the door, and I was worried it was too hungry, so I let it in to feed it. I'm sorry, I should have written a notice on the door..." Although it was well-intentioned, it did cause unnecessary trouble for the cat owner. Gu Cheng lowered her head and apologized softly.

"My problem is that I've been too busy to feed it properly, and I'm sorry to trouble you to cook for it yourself." Zhang Ye waved his hand somewhat embarrassedly and quickly changed the subject.

"Big Tiger, come here!" Hearing its owner's call, the orange cat slowly took steps while still eating.

"Not fed properly, Big Tiger..." Gu Cheng looked up with a smile on her face.

"I'm so sorry to have disturbed your lunch." Looking at the girl's slightly rosy lips, Zhang Ye bowed and apologized while holding the cat.

"No, no, your cat is very cute." Cute things should be treated gently; the world is just that real and cruel.

"Haha, Big Tiger likes you too." As he spoke, the orange cat finished the last bit of chicken breast and was grooming its whiskers with its paws.

"Are all orange cats this clingy?" Gu Cheng asked curiously, looking at the cat clinging tightly to its owner's arm.

“Dahu isn’t particularly clingy. Whenever I go to class or do something else, it will find an empty spot to stay, either lying on the windowsill sunbathing or sleeping on the stall.” Zhang Ye held the cat in one hand and fiddled with the kitten’s paws with the other.

"Of course, this is just the situation with my cat, Dahu. I don't know about other cats. Do you really want to get a cat?"

"Yes, I'm thinking about that." Gu Cheng used to work as a waitress in a fast food restaurant. She was busy every day, and her monthly salary was barely enough to support herself. She really didn't have the energy to keep any pets. But now that she has joined the Hermit Bureau, her standard of living has greatly improved, and it's inevitable that she's starting to think about pets.

"When choosing a cat, it's important to select the right breed. If you prefer an independent and lively cat, you could choose a tabby; if you like a clingy cat, you could get a British Shorthair or a Ragdoll..."

"There are specific things to consider when it comes to what cats eat. There are many cat food vendors online. If you decide to get a cat, I can give you a few good recommendations..." Having finally found a common topic, Zhang Ye couldn't help but elaborate.

Ragdoll cat... She remembered that Su Wanxi's profile picture was a fluffy blue-eyed Ragdoll cat, but she didn't know if it was her own or just a picture she found online.

As Gu Cheng pondered, a very strange image appeared in her mind: Su Wanxi stood in front of her with a cold demeanor, creating an atmosphere of impending storm. However, just when she was about to give up, the other party suddenly meowed.

"Meow!" It waved its arm and then remained expressionless.

"Cough...cough." Gu Cheng couldn't help but cough a few times, and the scene in front of her suddenly disappeared.

Zhang Ye had already shut up and was just silently watching her with a very subtle look in his eyes.

"Um...where were you talking about? Sorry, I spaced out."

"It's nothing, just some cat care tips. This is my account, you can add me. Feel free to ask me anything you don't understand about raising cats."

"Okay, thank you." Gu Cheng was completely unaware that Zhang Ye was just using the excuse of raising a cat to ask for her phone number.

The two exchanged accounts, and Zhang Ye, satisfied, walked back to the next room.

"Maybe today is my lucky day!" He turned on his computer with trembling hands and began searching earnestly.

Several web pages appeared with topics such as "Ten details about raising a cat" and "How to tell a cat's psychological state from its various behaviors."

Gu Cheng quickly tidied up the dishes, turned around and went back to her bedroom to continue accessing the Hermit Bureau's public forum.

Aside from the dedicated computer in the office building's archives, only this specially designed mobile phone can log into the website. In other words, even if an ordinary person obtains the relevant account, they cannot log in without the specific device.

Today's forum was mostly filled with casual chatter, and Gu Cheng easily clicked on the bookmarked post. This user, named "Bard," had collected a lot of publicly available information on monsters. In addition to detailed characteristics, each monster was accompanied by a picture—most electronic devices in the rift were unusable, so these pictures were purely simulations using modern technology, and some even included theoretical anatomical diagrams.

You'll find it useful someday if you learn more.

After looking at her phone for a while, her eyes started to ache. Just as Gu Cheng was about to put down her phone and take a nap, a sudden text message completely dispelled her sleepiness.

"There's been a new development; please get here as soon as possible."

The sender was Su Wanxi.

P.S. The next chapter will introduce a small side story; the neighbor is just a passerby.

Section 27 Chapter Twenty-Seven Anomalies

Two days ago, in a small villa on the outskirts of the city, Yu Jinlin closed the door, placed his briefcase against the coffee table, and curled up on the sofa like a worm.

In the years following his university graduation, he distinguished himself in the company with his exceptional talent, and his cautious and tactful approach to dealing with people was the key to his promotion. Before he even turned thirty, he had already established himself in a high-level position and even owned his own villa.

To outsiders, Yu Jinlin has no powerful background; his achievements are purely due to his own hard work, which is uncommon in today's era where family connections matter. Even more commendable is that after accumulating considerable wealth, he has maintained excellent conduct and has never been involved in any negative scandals.