Chapter Fifty-Five: The Monster Was Right Beside Me

Standing before the full-length mirror, Zhou Shu realized he had grown taller again—he must have surpassed one meter eighty by now.

The jeans that were previously a bit long now fit perfectly, the creases at the cuffs smoothed out, and the slightly loose jacket was filled out, making him appear more upright and imposing.

Just on Friday, he was still a delicate youth standing at one meter seventy-five. After adding another round of points Friday night, he woke up Saturday at one meter seventy-nine, and by evening had shrunk back to around one meter seventy-seven.

Those height changes weren’t too obvious, but after another night—and another round of points—he had shot past one meter eighty!

Remarkable. Even if tonight his “virtual height” was suppressed, his actual height would have to be nearing one meter eighty.

The key issue was that he had promised last night to report to the Demon Suppression Bureau this morning. The people there were sharp; with such a dramatic change in height, there was no way he could hide it.

This was with his clothes concealing his muscles. In truth, while showering earlier, he discovered his musculature had become even more pronounced compared to yesterday. Though not overly swollen, his muscles now possessed a sharp, robust quality.

When relaxed, he was merely sturdy; when he exerted himself, it felt as if his body wasn’t made of muscle, but of perfectly blended elastic steel rods, instantly giving him a ferocious aura.

Luckily, his physique wasn’t as exaggerated as a terminator’s; otherwise, he would have gone from a gentle, refined youth yesterday to a hulking brute today—an even harder transformation to conceal.

Therefore…

“Take a day off.”

“Yes, I have something to attend to at my grandparents’ house today, so I won’t be able to report to the Demon Suppression Bureau.”

“How about we schedule for next weekend, or after school next week? I’m not sure if I can leave campus… Oh, you have a solution? Alright, then pick me up after school tomorrow.”

“Great, thank you for your trouble.”

After hanging up on Captain Wang, Zhou Shu let out a long breath.

As the saying goes, “Avoidance may be shameful, but it’s useful.”

Every day gained was another day’s advantage. At the very least, he could wait for his height to stabilize below one meter eighty; worst case, he could wear shoes that appeared to have high heels but were actually quite flat.

After some thought, he decided to hide another trump card: his formidable physical abilities, and instead highlight his psychic mutation and display his technological prowess.

As for how he acquired such tech? Well, with his mutated mind, it could plausibly spring from his imagination.

Being a super scientist had always been his dream. Previously, it was impossible, but thanks to Dr. Carter’s gift, he now felt qualified.

He was also willing to interact with others under this guise.

Hiding his robust physique was meant to deceive—either people or monsters.

Under certain circumstances, this would surely lead to some interesting situations.

Resolute in his plan, Zhou Shu tidied up, skipped grocery shopping, and carefully turned off all the switches in his house, just as he had turned them on the night before.

He cast one last glance at the unidentified monster fossil in his living room, then slung his backpack over his shoulder, locked the door, and left.

After a hearty breakfast downstairs, he boarded the bus back to his village.

As the bus traveled, stray cats and dogs would occasionally lift their heads to watch, though their purposes varied: some looked for “food,” others for actual food.

Once the bus left the city wrapped in steel and concrete, the scenery along the way became vibrant.

Winter had passed, spring had come, all things revived; the roadside trees, barren all winter, were sprouting fresh buds again. Looking down, lush green wheat fields stretched out; looking up, the sky was a brilliant blue. The view was expansive in both directions, and from the road one could gaze all the way west to the Taihang Mountains—a sight that brought joy and tranquility.

With his constitution breaking the “1” threshold, Zhou Shu’s nearsightedness had been cured, and his vision was better than ever—he could see more details of the mountains.

As he admired the scenery, his thoughts drifted—about a month ago…

No, it was just last night.

He’d spent longer in the virtual battlefield this time, and after emerging, his sense of reality had shifted.

Last night’s interaction with the Demon Suppression Bureau had gone well; both sides had deepened their understanding of each other.

Wang Kailun had confirmed his status as a superhuman, and asked again about the mutant in the demolished district next to his home, but Zhou Shu still didn’t answer.

He knew Wang Kailun was still suspicious.

It was indeed a difficult matter to explain. Even if he now possessed the technology for powered exoskeletons and could claim to have built one himself, the issue of firearms, ammunition, and grenades was much harder to justify—especially since those items bore peculiar NATO markings.

This wasn’t something ten thousand yuan in prize money could clarify.

So he decided not to say anything; let the Demon Suppression Bureau keep guessing.

With his current abilities, ten thousand yuan was barely worth a single shot—no reason to reveal inexplicable secrets for so little.

What he truly cared about was primal energy; as long as he could obtain it, there would be no loss.

Having settled this, Zhou Shu appreciated the scenery even more.

His hometown wasn’t far from the city. After transferring once at the neighborhood entrance, it took about an hour to reach the village.

Getting off the bus, the familiar village felt even more welcoming than returning to Baihua Residence.

On the way home, he ran into acquaintances everywhere, and soon arrived at his doorstep.

At nine in the morning, most villagers had finished breakfast—except those enjoying a lazy holiday morning.

As Zhou Shu approached, a group of elderly men and women were basking in the sun on the open ground by the door. The women chatted idly while the men played chess.

Seeing Zhou Shu return, his grandparents hadn’t spoken yet, but other elders had already started up.

“Oh, Old Zhou’s grandson is back,” one said, glancing at Zhou Shu’s grandmother, “You should make something delicious for lunch today.”

“My goodness, Little Shu has grown so tall now, taller than his father, isn’t he?”

“He didn’t seem this tall last week when he came back. Their school must have good food. Which school is it? I’ll have my grandson apply there too.”

“Oh, give it a rest. Your boy would be lucky to get into a vocational school.”

“Get lost!”

Amid the cheerful commotion, Zhou Shu greeted his grandparents and followed his grandmother inside.

His grandfather was more reserved. He simply said, “You’re back,” and continued playing chess with his friends.

Inside, Zhou Shu’s grandmother asked, “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming back? Why the sudden visit? Finished studying with your classmates?”

“Yes, you could say we’re done. One of my classmates had something come up, so the study group disbanded for now,” Zhou Shu replied, as he placed his backpack in his bedroom.

At this point, his voice fluctuated and his expression was unreadable, making it hard to judge the truth—but trusting her grandson, his grandmother believed him.

Thinking about monsters, Zhou Shu asked, “Have you and Grandpa been alright these past few days? Anything strange happen in the village?”

“No, everything’s fine. We chat and play chess with the others every day—couldn’t be better,” his grandmother replied. “Nothing unusual, just like always. Except Huahua hasn’t come home yet.”

Huahua was their fat old tabby cat, missing for two or three days now. Had it truly gone out with the spring’s revival?

Just as they discussed this, the Hunter alerted him.

[Monster signal approaching rapidly!]

The text appeared, and a red arrow shifted from Zhou Shu’s peripheral vision to directly ahead. He immediately heard a faint thud.

A soft “thump~” sounded—in the yard.

Ignoring his grandmother’s startled gaze, Zhou Shu rushed to the living room door and saw, in the middle of the yard, the monster…

The fat cat.

And the red arrow pointed right at it.

“Meow~”

“???”

This cat was at least half again as large as ordinary cats, rivaling a Maine Coon in size but without the long fur.

Its coat was short, glossy, and smooth, marked with black and gray stripes like a tiger’s.

Its head was round and broad, with wide ear bases and narrow tips.

Its eyes were large and bright, golden with black pupils, full of spirit.

Its limbs were strong and muscular, and its thick tail swayed and thumped the ground.

It was the fat cat—Huahua—that had been gone for two or three days.

So… monster = Huahua?

P.S. Thank you to Sagara Sousuke for the reward. Please vote and add to your collection~