Chapter 2512: Non‑human: Xiao Chen

After dealing with the sudden situation on the top floor, Liang Yanzhe returned to his room, his brow showing some fatigue.

He backhanded the door shut, casually tossing the puzzling seashell onto the coffee table, which made a crisp, light sound.

Liang Yanzhe pulled off his tie, undid the top two buttons of his shirt, sank into the soft sofa, took out his phone, the screen's light illuminating his slightly weary face as he scrolled through work emails and unread messages.

In the corner of his eye, the seashell on the coffee table twitched slightly.

Liang Yanzhe's finger paused on the screen, and he lifted his gaze.

The seashell lay there quietly.

Had he misseen it?

He frowned slightly; in that instant, it seemed as if the seashell… had turned.

Jin Chen's mist shrank inside the shell.

As if it had been discovered.

Through that hard shell, he could see Liang Yanzhe's probing gaze directed at him.

A feeling akin to embarrassment quietly spread.

The mist uncontrollably drifted out of the shell, slowly permeating the entire living room, eventually entwining Liang Yanzhe on the sofa.

Liang Yanzhe was staring at the seashell when a familiar chill struck again, more noticeable than by the sea, making him shiver.

The mist happily clung to Liang Yanzhe's body, feeling the warm, strong heartbeat transmitted from beneath his shirt.

Drawing closer, that pleasant scent became clearer—belonging to a mature man, clean with a hint of soapberry fragrance.

So fragrant.

The hunger surged again, sharper than before.

Driven by an instinctual craving, Jin Chen wanted to get closer, to burrow into the warm source, to penetrate Liang Yanzhe's flesh and fully possess that scent.

Ling Gun Gun's alarm blared: 【Host, stop! Halt! You cannot burrow in!】

Jin Chen's movement stalled, dissatisfied, 【I'm so hungry, what should I do?】

Ling Gun Gun stalled, quickly searching the database; entries on energy replenishment for non‑human‑form hosts were pitifully few.

It struggled to think: 【What… what do you need to eat?】

Jin Chen looked at the human emitting the tempting aroma, 【Liang Yanzhe.】

Ling Gun Gun: 【…Oh!】

Just then, Liang Yanzhe felt a chill all over, his head feeling heavier, so he got up intending to take a hot shower to dispel the cold.

He walked into the bathroom, pulling the frosted glass door shut behind him.

The mist‑form Jin Chen followed in silently.

Liang Yanzhe stood with his back to the door, took off his shirt, revealing smooth back muscles and a narrow waist.

His skin was very fair, but not weak; his shoulders, back, and arms had trained, thin muscles that tensed slightly with his movements.

Jin Chen instantly stopped worrying about what he had just eaten.

Warm water sprayed from the showerhead, quickly filling the bathroom with steam.

Water droplets splashed onto Liang Yanzhe's skin, sliding down the grooves of his spine and along his waistline.

Outside the frosted glass door, the invisible mist pressed closely against it.

【My wife is so handsome.】 Jin Chen exclaimed.

Ling Gun Gun fell silent, consciously cutting off visual sharing and hiding in the little dark room.

Jin Chen sensed doubtfully.

Hey, where did the system go?

But he was quickly captivated by the sight before him, drawing all his attention.

Jin Chen hadn't forgotten that Liang Yanzhe despised him for being dirty.

The mist tentatively approached the range of the water flow.

The warm water flow passed through the invisible mist, giving Jin Chen a strange sensation that made him stretch out a bit.

Imbued with steam, the originally completely transparent mist seemed to reveal an extremely faint hue between black and gray, like a blob of ink diffused in water.

Or like small patches of rain‑cloud that refused to dissipate.

The sound of the water flow suddenly stopped.

Liang Yanzhe turned off the valve, raised his hand, and wiped the water droplets from his face.

In the steaming vapor, a gray‑black, hazy mist—or perhaps a cloud—hung suspended in mid‑air of the bathroom.

Unlike ordinary steam that disperses easily, it had a blurred yet cohesive outline.

Liang Yanzhe: "……"

He closed his eyes, opened them again, but it still hadn't dispersed.

Anyone who saw a strange black cloud appear in the bathroom while showering would find it extremely odd.

Jin Chen still didn't realize he was nearly materializing; he merely wondered why Liang Yanzhe had stopped the water and was looking this way.

As an embodiment of the marsh's origin, his form could change at will; he extended a wisp of mist, like a soft gray tentacle, curiously tapping Liang Yanzhe's bare shoulder lightly.

The skin sent a cold, slippery sensation; Liang Yanzhe's body stiffened, his eyes becoming extraordinarily complex, mingling surprise and dread.

That gray tentacle seemed to find it amusing, then slowly slid down, lightly touching his pectoral muscle.

Almost simultaneously, the floating gray‑black mist swished and turned entirely a pale pink.

Liang Yanzhe: "……"

I've seen a ghost.

Or a lecherous ghost.

He waved his arm, trying to dispel that strange pink mist.

The pink mist was stirred by his movement, its color seeming to become more translucent and rosy.

Jin Chen only felt the alluring fragrance grow richer, his hunger urging him on; the mist burst outward like a living viscous fluid, softly yet firmly entwining Liang Yanzhe's body, threads of chill seeking to pierce his skin.

Liang Yanzhe's breath caught, wrapped in an icy, slick fluid; for a moment he couldn't break free, pushed by that force, his back slammed against the cold, damp bathroom glass door, and he let out a muffled groan.

He turned his head, instinctively reaching out to grab something for defense or to press the call button, but he could grasp nothing, and could not stop this pervasive, dangerous intrusion.

"You… what exactly are you?"

Liang Yanzhe asked through clenched teeth, his voice low and hoarse from tension.

Water droplets trailed down his soaked hair tips, sliding over his neck and collarbone, disappearing into the chest entwined with pink mist.

Jin Chen knew he was asking himself.

He watched Liang Yanzhe trapped at the door, his damp black hair, flushed skin, eyes frightened yet forcing calm, mixed with a heart‑pounding sensuality.

He wanted to reply, but realized he could not produce a sound humans could understand.

Jin Chen was famished, needing energy.

That urge to burrow into flesh grew intense again.

Ling Gun Gun could no longer hold back, shouting urgently.

【Host, I found out: you need a bit of blood; let him give you a drop of blood, and you will temporarily gain the ability to speak.】

Jin Chen caught that information.

The pink mist entwining Liang Yanzhe pulsed slightly, conveying a clear desire.