Soon, Jang Yu arrives at an abandoned lot in the Yunhai District. He checks his phone. This is the place. The news said aberrants show up around here all the time. Shouldn't be hard to find a target.
He raises his hand and activates shadow eye. A dark vortex spirals out and wraps around his body. A black void opens on a rooftop. Jang Yu, cloaked entirely in darkness, leaps out.
He scans the building across the way. Just as expected, far more aberrants here than back in his neighborhood, but they're all cowering inside. Not one has come out.
Then his eyes lock onto something. There's one on the rooftop, out in the open, which means this one must be strong. But its leg looks badly injured. And its HP bar is nearly empty.
A slow smile crosses Jang Yu's face. Perfect timing. I can't afford to miss again.
From a pitch black corner, a dark hand materializes out of thin air. A shadow silently rises from the ground beneath.
Suddenly the massive aberrant seems to sense something. Its gaze snaps in his direction. Jang Yu has barely spotted the red weak point when the aberrant spins around on full alert, and Jang Yu dives back into the shadows where he had just been standing.
The aberrant is on all fours, sniffing the ground frantically.
Jang Yu feels a chill. These aberrants are far more alert than the ones in his neighborhood, and the red weak point is nearly faded. Is it because the aberrant is on guard? Patience. Wait for it to let its guard down.
As he thinks this, the aberrant keeps turning its head, scanning the area. Finding nothing, it finally settles back down and resumes eating.
Jang Yu watches the weak point flare back to life on the aberrant's body. He grins. "Mark. Time to get to work."
Meanwhile, in the human world, the front door has barely shut when Lu Yaoyao, busy in her apron, calls out without looking up. "You're back this late. Where have you been? Get over here and help me."
She turns around and freezes. It's her father, Lu Nanfang, and Uncle Li. Li Shunguang.
Uncle Li raises an eyebrow. "Cooking for Jang Yu again?"
Lu Nanfang gives a helpless shrug. "Told you he'd be here. The daughter I raised has basically become his personal chef."
Lu Yaoyao grips her spatula a little tighter. "Dad, stop talking nonsense. Why are you off work so early today?"
Lu Nanfang shrugs. "Quiet day. Clocked out early. Since we're all here, why not go out for a proper meal?"
Lu Yaoyao carries over a dish she just finished. "That's a bit much, don't you think? I've already made half the food."
The straightforward Uncle Li drops into a chair at the table. "Another time, then. Tonight we get to try Yaoyao's cooking. That's a rare treat. Guess we have Jang Yu to thank for that."
Then he realizes someone's missing. "Wait. Where is Jang Yu?"
Lu Yaoyao shakes her head lightly. "No idea. Probably out somewhere."
Uncle Li huffs. "That's unacceptable. He goes off to play and leaves you here cooking for him."
Right then, the front door swings open. In walks Jang Yu. Clothes torn. Dirt everywhere.
"Food. Where's the food? I'm starving. Yaoyao, what did you make today? Let me see." He pulls out a lollipop and strikes what he clearly thinks is a very cool pose. "Got you your favorite. You wouldn't believe it. I got chased by a massive dog the whole way back. And why were you blowing up my phone? Miss me that much?"
Then the words die in his throat. Every pair of eyes in the room is staring at him.
Jang Yu wants to disappear into the floor. He swallows hard, fighting the urge to bolt. He scratches his face and forces a laugh. "Don't mind me. Got chased by a dog. Still a little out of it."
Uncle Li waves it off. "All right. All right. It's not often we all sit down together. No more drama. Come sit."
Jang Yu obediently takes a seat beside him. Uncle Li claps a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Every young man gets into a fight or two."
Lu Nanfang pours himself a drink with a grin. "Exactly. Like fighting over a girl you like. Speaking of which, I saw you walking side by side with some girl in a little skirt the other day. What was her name again?"
Lu Yaoyao supplies the name in a completely flat tone.
Lu Nanfang nods enthusiastically. "Right, right. Pretty girl. If I'd had someone like that when I was young, I'd have thrown myself into a fight for her too."
Jang Yu glances across the table at Lu Yaoyao, who is chewing her food with focused, furious energy. He winces. Uncle Lu. Of all the things to bring up, and right in front of her.
Uncle Li joins in, clearly enjoying himself. "What are you waiting for? Toast Uncle Lu."
Jang Yu raises his cup and does as he's told. Internally: these two are teaming up against me. He grits his teeth and drains it in one go.
Lu Nanfang watches with quiet satisfaction. That'll teach him to show off.
Then Jang Yu picks up a piece of food and drops it into Lu Nanfang's bowl. "Here, Uncle Lu. You're out all day. It's not often you get to taste Yaoyao's home cooking. She must cook for you all the time at home. No wonder she's gotten so good at it."
Lu Nanfang's chopsticks stop midair. His expression darkens instantly. Inside, he seethes. Cook for me? I order takeout every night. But this kid. She rushes over here every single day, cooking him one thing after another, practically waiting on him hand and foot.
Jang Yu takes one look at Lu Nanfang's silence and grins to himself. Score one back.
The meal, tense beneath its cheerful surface, finally comes to an end. After seeing off a stone-faced Uncle Lu and a flushed Lu Yaoyao, Jang Yu opens the fridge and pulls out a drink. "Want one, Uncle Li?"
Uncle Li shakes his head. He drops onto the couch.