Cen An frowned under his intense gaze. Had he gone mad? “I heard you were looking for me?”

Shi Long sniffed back his tears with a mix of grief and anger, then adjusted his expression to one of tear-filled eyes. His gaze swept over Cen An, then slowly moved to Qu Yue, Wang Lie, Zhao Wu, and the other squad members…

Finally, he let out a sorrowful laugh: “What’s the matter? Am I not even worthy of seeing you all now?”

The squad members all looked away.

Qu Yue sighed softly and stepped forward. “You called for us and Xiao Cen—what exactly is this about?”

Shi Long laughed bitterly. “I’m looking for Xiao Cen? Cen An? Hah, what business could I possibly have with him? But if I hadn’t called for him, would you have come?”

Wang Lie was the first to break the silence. “Team Leader Shi, we…”

Shi Long shouted, “Don’t call me ‘Team Leader Shi’!”

Wang Lie’s eyes welled up with tears… He was an orphan; his life hadn’t been much better than Xiao Yi’s. It was Shi Long who had brought him back to the Supernatural Squad and, together with Team Leader Liao, raised him bit by bit.

He had even joked about it before, calling Team Leader Shi “Mom” and Team Leader Liao “Dad” in private…

But looking at Shi Long now—locked up in a cell, his face aged, his frame gaunt, his complexion sickly—a deep sense of guilt welled up in his heart. “Captain Shi…”

The members of the Superpower Squad behind him were also feeling terrible. Some even began to wonder: Had Captain Shi really done anything wrong? Wasn’t it all based on Jiang Ming and the others’ accusations? Even if he had made a mistake, shouldn’t his past merits have offset it? After all, without him, there would be no Special Abilities Squad…

Just then, a soft chuckle suddenly rang out.

The laughter was clear and gentle, instantly snapping everyone back to reality. They looked up in confusion—what had just happened?

A flash of anger crossed Shi Long’s eyes. Just now, he had almost… He looked up, his voice filled with grief and indignation. “I don’t know what Mr. Cen is laughing at. Is it that funny?”

“Sorry, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a performance. I couldn’t help myself,” Cen An nodded casually. “Is Captain Shi still acting? If so, I’ll watch for a little while longer.”

Shi Long’s eyes turned red with rage. He struggled to contain himself, his voice trembling as he exclaimed, “You… you’re calling this an act? How dare you insult my feelings for these children like this…”

Qu Yue and the others were at a loss for words, but they didn’t blame Cen An. They knew he had never believed the former Shi Long was a good person, so it was only natural that he felt this way.

They had indeed been moved by Shi Long moments ago, reminded of the past… But now, having snapped out of that state, they realized it was nothing special. The past is the past—just because he had merits then, does that mean he’s without fault now?

Cen An said gently, “I don’t know if your feelings are genuine or not, but I’ve never seen a ‘nostalgia attack’ that requires a phantom veil.”

Qu Yue and the others froze for a moment, their expressions turning serious. “Xiao Cen, what did you say?”

Cen An pointed at Shi Long’s wrist. Shi Long instinctively pulled his hand back, but since everyone present was a psychic with keen eyesight, they immediately noticed a piece of sheer gauze tied around his wrist.

The piece of gauze looked unremarkable, similar to ordinary bandages, but upon closer inspection, it appeared as though light and shadows were flowing across it.

【Phantom Veil:

Type: Single-use Item

Rank: Common

Effect: Manipulates others’ emotions and induces certain illusions.】

Cen An hadn’t recognized the Phantom Veil at first glance; rather, moments earlier, Qu Yue and the others had all simultaneously received a debuff: 【Under the influence of the Phantom Veil】. Only a fool wouldn’t have realized something was wrong.

Qu Yue’s expression hardened; she raised her hand and flung out a vine, violently wrapping it around Shi Long and binding him to the prison bars. Shi Long immediately let out a scream.

Zhao Wu twisted his wrist and removed the Phantom Veil.

Since it had already been used once, the entire veil was as fragile as paper, shattering at the slightest touch.

“It really is the Phantom Veil…” Zhao Wu frowned. “Didn’t you search him when you locked him up? How could he still have an item?”

Ji Yong’an hurriedly replied, “We did search him. Wang Jin and I searched for him together. He definitely didn’t have it then.”

Wang Jin immediately nodded in agreement.

Cen An watched silently from the side. This meant there was still a mole within the Special Abilities Squad… or perhaps it wasn’t necessarily someone from the squad…

He cast a discreet glance at Shi Jie. The guy had gone blank—things had changed too quickly, and his small brain was now in a state of shutdown.

Hmm, it probably wasn’t him. Then who could it be?

After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Are these kinds of devices common?”

“Of course not,” Wang Lie whispered. “Don’t you know, Brother Cen? They say that three hundred years ago, during the Great Cataclysm, a blood moon appeared in the sky five times. Each time it appeared, the mutations on the ground grew more intense. I’ve heard that back then, some people actually witnessed animals mutating into monstrous beasts!”

“And every time a blood moon appeared, a batch of artifacts would fall from the sky, scattering across the world. Anyone who found them could use them. These artifacts serve different purposes—there are weapons, gear, and spatial artifacts, among others. No one knows where they come from. Many people say these are gifts from the heavens to humanity. After all, compared to the monstrous beasts with their formidable physiques and supernatural abilities, humans are still far too weak.”

“But three hundred years have passed, and the items have only been depleted without replenishment. Nowadays, very few items remain in existence. Even the lowest-grade, single-use items are now quite expensive. Let’s put it this way: our entire Yongning Village Supernatural Ability Squad doesn’t have a single item. I have no idea where Squad Leader Shi got his…”

Cen An nodded; he truly hadn’t known any of this. Recalling the mica tablet he’d seen in the mine earlier and cross-referencing it, Wang Lie’s words proved to be true.

If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean he can bring out his backpack and gear and use them openly?

Qu Yue reacted quickly; she immediately ordered men to guard the entrance to the stone cell, forbidding anyone from approaching Shi Long.

Shi Long pressed himself against the bars with a twisted expression, seething with rage. He had a grudge against this Cen An! An absolute grudge!

“Wait! Wait a moment…”

Cen An turned back. “What is it, Captain Shi? Do you have something else to say?”

Shi Long desperately wanted to glare at him, but dared not… Throwing caution to the wind, he blurted out, “I do indeed have business with you. The Illusion Veil was merely to lend credibility to my words. I have an urgent matter—a major one!”

Fearing they might not believe him, he blurted it all out at once: “The Beast Tide is coming!”

“Impossible!” Wang Lie retorted. “The Day Festival hasn’t even passed yet—where would a monster tide come from? Even a small-scale one wouldn’t arrive until after the Day Festival!”

“Over the past few years, the monster tides have been arriving earlier and earlier,” Shi Long said. “Almost every year, they’ve come more than ten days early. Last year, the Monster Tide arrived right after the Day Festival—you must all remember that. This year, with over ten days still left until the Day Festival, based on the pattern, it should be happening in the next few days.”

The expressions of the psychics all changed. Cen An didn’t even need to ask to know that Shi Long was right.

Shi Long relaxed and continued, “If you still don’t believe me, you can look up the records and research I’ve done. You know I’ve always kept detailed records of my research; I remember the patterns clearly…”

Cen An interrupted him, “Where did you put your records?”

Shi Long’s expression froze, and he mumbled, “There’s too much stuff; I don’t remember. You’ll have to look for them yourselves—they’re definitely there.”

Cen An suddenly took a step forward. Before anyone could react, he roughly pulled back Shi Long’s hair at the nape of his neck.

A circular bruise appeared starkly… The difference was that this bruise was actually sunken in, rather than protruding outward, as if someone had pressed down hard on it with a round object.

Qu Yue and the others also saw the bruise and looked at Cen An questioningly.

Cen An shook his head, indicating it was too early to say.

Pinned against the railing, Shi Long muttered to himself, “There are still more than ten days until the Day of the Sun Festival. If you don’t start preparing now, once the wave of beasts arrives, the entire village will be trampled into the ground!”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

On the way down the mountain, everyone was much quieter.

Even Shi Jie kept quiet this time; no matter how foolish he might be, he vaguely understood the gravity of the situation.

Cen An, however, still had many questions. Seeing Qu Yue and Wang Lie discussing a plan, he approached Zhao Wu. “Brother Zhao, could you tell me about the Beast Tide and the Day Festival?”

“Well,” Zhao Wu said, “The Day Festival is one of the two major festivals in our Yongning Village. It takes place in early summer, about ten days from now. On the day of the festival, everyone gathers at the small market for one last celebration…”

“After all, once the Day Festival is over, the Beast Tide will arrive. From early summer until just before the rainy season, the Beast Tide will continue unabated. However, the Beast Tides vary in scale; the large ones are very dangerous, while the smaller ones are much easier to handle.

That’s why we’re constantly clearing out the forests. As long as the number of beasts in the woods isn’t too high, they won’t form a large-scale Beast Tide, and the villagers’ safety will be guaranteed.”

Cen An hadn’t realized how harsh the living conditions in this world were. “So during the monster tide, we can’t go up the mountain to gather resources?”

“It’s still possible,” Wang Lie interjected after the discussion. “But it won’t be like now, where everyone comes and goes as they please. “At that time, the Special Abilities Squad will organize foraging groups. Each group will have a fixed number of members and will be escorted to and from the mountains by the Squad. Where they go and how long they forage will all be decided by the Squad.”

Cen An did the math. “The Squad only has a little over twenty people, but there are more than five hundred villagers. Can they really manage that?”

“Of course not,” Wang Lie frowned, “That’s why competition for spots in the gathering teams is fierce. Some choose not to join and go up the mountain on their own. But then they’ll have to face the consequences themselves.”

Cen An sighed softly. As expected, life isn’t easy for ordinary people in any world.

Wang Lie couldn’t stand seeing him frown. “Brother Cen, don’t worry. If you want to go up the mountain, we’ll escort you during our days off… …” Mid-sentence, he remembered the people Cen An knew—Yu Fei, Yu Lin, Su Rui, and the rest—and quickly changed his tune: “I, um, I’ll help you carry your basket!”

Qu Yue then said, “Xiao Cen, the squad members locked up in the stone dungeon asked us to pass on a message: they also want to buy the vegetables you have, and they’re willing to pay a 30% premium.”

Cen An thought for a moment. “No need to pay extra—just the regular price. But aren’t they not accepting crystal cores right now? Do they even have the money to buy them?”

“Even though they aren’t accepting them now, they’ve saved up quite a bit in the past. It’s enough to buy their own vegetables—you don’t need to worry about them.” Qu Yue smiled. After all, they were from the same special abilities squad; how much animosity could there really be? It’s a good thing these people have come over to their side.

Wang Lie chuckled as well. “Those guys were worried Brother Cen wouldn’t sell to them, but I told them not to worry. Brother Cen is the nicest guy around.”

Cen An scratched his nose awkwardly. It wasn’t that he was a nice guy—he was just trying to expand his customer base… Otherwise, with his vegetable plots growing larger and larger, he’d have more produce than he could possibly sell.

“As it happens, I have a batch of vegetables on hand right now—a full variety. Do you want some?”

He spoke a bit too loudly; the psychics behind him heard him and immediately crowded around. “What kind of vegetables? Is Boss Cen selling vegetables again?”

“Give it to me first! I’ll pay fifty crystal nuclei!”

“I’ll pay a hundred!”

“Get lost, cheapskate! I’ll pay two hundred…”

Cen An was at a loss for words—he hadn’t even said what kind of vegetables he was selling yet, and they were already bidding…

The group simply turned and headed to the Ability-Users Squad base.

Cen An took out the vegetables one by one, selling out each batch as he brought it out…

If he hadn’t insisted on keeping some for himself, this round alone would have emptied his backpack.

In the end, only the sweet asparagus and colorful tomatoes remained.

“Next up is sweet asparagus. Its effect is… ah!” Cen An suddenly remembered and said, “Didn’t you guys say before that sweet asparagus could boost superpowers? I had someone look into it, and it seems that’s not the case.”

Cen An snapped a sweet asparagus stalk in half, handing pieces to Wang Lie and Qu Yue, urging them to taste it carefully.

“That person said the purpose of sweet asparagus isn’t to boost superpowers, but to temper the body. The body is the vessel that holds superpowers; the stronger the body, the greater the superpowers it can bear. The reason Wang Lie’s abilities improved back then was simply that his abilities had already reached the threshold for advancement, but his body was holding him back.”

Naturally, Su Rui was the one who told him this.

At the time, both of them were trapped in the mine shaft. Su Rui kept pestering him for the last apple, so Cen An had no choice but to hand him a sweet asparagus stalk to placate him.

After Su Rui finished munching on it, Cen An saw that he was acting perfectly normal, so he asked him how significant the sweet asparagus’s ability-enhancing effect was for him.

Su Rui repeated the statement above, then added, “Whoever that idiot was who said this could boost abilities—don’t hang out with him anymore.”

Then he got kicked by Cen An.

Wang Lie, the “fool,” took a careful bite of the sweet asparagus. “Um, it seems…”

Behind them, Qu Yue and Zhao Wu exchanged glances. No wonder the squad members had been eating so much sweet asparagus lately—no one’s abilities had improved, though a few of the kids had gotten noticeably stronger.

Cen An said, “Since it doesn’t boost abilities, what about the price…”

“No need to change the price,” Qu Yue said decisively. “Tempering the body is just as rare as enhancing abilities. Besides, 10 crystal nuclei aren’t too much for us.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the group of ability users nodded in unison, looking like a swarm of bowing insects… Cen An almost burst out laughing.

“Alright then.” Cen An took the sweet asparagus and produced 100 colorful tomatoes. “These are colorful tomatoes; their effects should be the same as the sweet asparagus. The price is the same, too, right? 10 crystal cores.”

Cen An was afraid they might raise the price again; after all, a single planting of colorful tomatoes could yield three harvests, and he wouldn’t feel at ease if the price went up.

Sure enough, the colorful tomatoes were met with unprecedented enthusiasm—not only because they looked beautiful and were incredibly potent, but also because they tasted delicious! Tomatoes, for heaven’s sake—is there anyone who doesn’t like them?

That kid Ji Yong’an, unable to outbid his older siblings, still had the nerve to come over to Cen An: “Bro Cen, you took 130 each of the baby bok choy and white radishes, but why only 100 of the colorful tomatoes? Can you spare a few more? I don’t need many—just five…”

Then Wang Jin dragged him away by the ear, “You little brat, trying to get free stuff off Bro Cen, huh? Just wait till I get my hands on you!”

“Brother Wang Jin, I’m sorry… Ah! Ah! Easy there…”

Cen An shook his head with a smile and counted the heavy crystal cores. A single backpack of vegetables had brought him a tidy sum: a full 2,800 crystal cores!

Combined with what he already had, the total number of crystal cores in his possession now reached 3,160.

Earning crystal cores had been so easy lately that Cen An couldn’t help but start thinking: maybe he should activate the Fish Pond System and the Ranch System?

After giving it some thought, he shook his head. Activating the Fish Pond System required setting it up in a fish pond, which he didn’t have yet.

Activating the Ranch System required building a livestock shed to use it. He hadn’t even gathered enough materials to upgrade his own house yet—where would he find the resources to build a livestock shed… …

Never mind, I’ll just save up to buy some land. I’ll upgrade the Farm System first.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

When he returned home again, dusk had already fallen.

The small, dilapidated house was pitch black. Xiao Yi sat at the table, staring expressionlessly at the Green Shade Mouse on the table.

The little mouse was curled up in a ball, trembling…

“Xiao Yi, have you eaten dinner yet?” Cen An pushed open the door.

“Big Brother!” Hearing the voice, the little boy’s expression instantly changed to one of obedience. “I was waiting for you to eat together.”

“It’s my fault for coming back late this time.” Cen An smiled as he ruffled his hair, then took out a white crystal, pine resin, and wick grass from his backpack. A flash of white light appeared, and a crystal-clear wall lamp appeared in his hand.

He hung the lamp on the wall, and the small, dilapidated hut immediately brightened, even more so than the glow of the fire pit.

Xiao Yi watched his movements without blinking. He knew his brother had many little secrets, but so what? His brother was supposed to be this amazing.

With the light, Cen An took a quick look around. Chicken soup was simmering in the steamer, bubbling gently, and the rich aroma of the broth filled the entire space.

In the mixing bowl lay the kneaded dough, along with the thoroughly washed vegetables.

He flipped his hand and plucked out a small Chinese cabbage. “We agreed on chicken noodle soup—I’ll make it for you right now.”

“Great!” Xiao Yi followed behind him, watching intently. Once he learned how to make it, he could cook it for his older brother in the future.

Making chicken soup noodles isn’t complicated: grease a cast-iron pot with a little oil, sauté chopped scallions until fragrant, add the chicken soup and noodles, then toss in the bok choy and shredded chicken, finishing with a pinch of salt.

It’s all about the rich, savory flavor of the chicken broth.

Chicken noodle soup made with good chicken broth is so delicious, it will make your taste buds sing—it blows away every single instant noodle on the market that claims to be “chicken broth.”

Cen An deftly cut the noodles and heated the wok again. Since the chicken broth was already boiling, it immediately came to a rolling boil once added to the wok.

The Chinese cabbage and shredded chicken were cut just as finely; he tossed them into the soup to cook, and by the time they were done, the noodles were nearly ready.

Cen An served the noodles into a wooden bowl: golden chicken broth bathed the snow-white noodles, topped with equally white shredded chicken and tender green cabbage strips… It was enough to whet anyone’s appetite.

It would be even better with two fried eggs on top… Cen An couldn’t help but think. These days, meat wasn’t in short supply at home, but getting eggs still took some effort—after all, he didn’t find bird eggs every time he went up the mountain.

Setting two bowls of noodles on the table, he smiled. “Tomorrow I’ll head to the small market. If I find any bird’s eggs, I’ll trade for some and make you scrambled eggs with tomatoes.”

Xiao Yi nodded without hesitation. He’d never tasted tomatoes before, but whatever his brother said must be delicious!

The two brothers sat down around the table to eat.

Cen An picked up a forkful of noodles and put them in his mouth… Delicious!

The chicken broth had been simmering in the pot all afternoon, infusing nearly all the essence of the whole chicken into the broth. Using it to cook the noodles was nothing short of a luxury.

The chicken’s rich flavor elevated both the noodles and the bok choy… Cen An lowered his head to take a sip of the broth; it was so rich it nearly made him swallow his tongue, its warmth spreading from his mouth all the way to his stomach.

The two of them—one big, one small—finished every last strand of noodles and drank every drop of the chicken broth.

It was already evening.

Cen An urged Xiao Yi to take a bath, then gave himself a good, refreshing wash before changing into his pajamas and crawling into bed.

There’s no place like home—he’d truly come to appreciate that saying these past few days.

No sooner had he lain down than he heard tiny footsteps approaching. He turned his head to see Xiao Yi standing at the foot of his bed, clutching a pillow.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Yi?”

Xiao Yi kept her head down, so all he could see were her tightly pursed lips. “Big Brother, can… can I sleep with you?”

“Huh? Why?” Cen An was a bit puzzled. Although Xiao Yi was young, he was very independent; since moving in, he had never once asked to sleep with him.

Xiao Yi recalled Yu Lin’s face, slowly lifted his head, and said pitifully, “Big Brother hasn’t come back these past few days. I’m so scared of sleeping alone. What if Big Brother doesn’t want me anymore…?”

Cen An’s heart immediately went out to her. “How could Big Brother ever abandon you? I’m so happy to be able to take care of you. Come on up. From now on, if you want to sleep with Big Brother, you can—okay?”

He made room for him, and Xiao Yi slowly climbed up.

Cen An tucked the blanket around him. The seven-year-old boy was still a bit thin, his body nothing but bones, curled up into a tiny little ball. Remembering the fragrant apricots he’d saved for the boy, he ruffled his hair. “Go to sleep now. Big brother will get you something delicious tomorrow.”

Xiao Yi rubbed against his palm, feeling his breathing gradually steady, and clutched the hem of his shirt tightly.

Big brother was all his own. Big brother had said it—they were the only family.

Everyone else was a stranger.

The next day, Cen An made a trip to the small market first.

The news of the impending monster tide had been confirmed by the Special Abilities Squad and announced to the villagers that very morning.

The people coming and going at the small market wore expressions of deep sorrow.

Cen An saw the elderly couple who had been selling wild vegetables before. The old woman’s back was even more hunched, and the old man’s hair had turned much whiter.

On the stall in front of them, there were only two bundles of wild vegetables, yet no one was showing any interest.

Cen An bought a bundle at random.

As he paid, the old woman looked at him and said, “Young man, your name is Cen An, isn’t it?”

Cen An paused for a moment, then nodded. “You know me?”

The old woman studied him closely, untied the other bundle of wild greens, grabbed a large handful, and shoved it into his basket. “Thanks to your Wind-Cold Fruit, the old man and I were able to survive the rainy season.”

Cen An quickly refused. “No, no, no—you should keep these to sell…”

The old woman shoved them into his basket without listening to his protests. “Take them. We’re old now. We’re too scared to go out foraging during the beast tide. Who knows when we’ll be able to sell wild vegetables again… Take them, just take them.”

If the land can’t be cultivated and they can’t go out to forage, what does that mean?

Cen An sighed, pulled out two crystal cores, and slipped them into the old couple’s bundle while they weren’t looking.

Sure enough, there were no bird eggs at the small market—not just bird eggs, but no eggs of any kind.

In the end, Cen An returned with a basket full of wild vegetables.

They’d agreed to have hot pot for lunch, but the sun was still hanging low in the east when Tian Yuan and Yu Lin—those two idlers—showed up.

The house was bustling with activity when a sudden noise came from outside. Cen An peeked out and saw Su Rui descending from the sky using his wind-elemental ability, followed by Yin Xiang.

As soon as Yu Lin saw the two of them, his eyes narrowed. “Wind element… a triple-elemental ability?”

Tian Yuan winced at the look on his face. “What are you up to now? We’re at Cen’s place—be careful not to make him angry.”

Yu Lin glared. “Cen An would never get mad at me!”

He fixed his gaze on Yin Xiang, his mind racing with one mischievous idea after another. He felt this kid might be a bit easier to trick than his brother…

Outside, Su Rui folded his arms and glared at Cen An, clearly displeased. “Why didn’t you call me when you were eating?”

Cen An couldn’t be bothered to respond. He thought to himself, “You came anyway, even though I didn’t call you.” He walked past him to look at Yin Xiang. “Where’d you get such a huge cow? Did you catch it? Are you hurt?”

Yin Xiang shook his head with a grin. Sure enough, he was carrying half a cow on his back—both hands gripping the front hooves, the cow’s head resting lifelessly on his shoulder, the rear half smeared with blood, and a string of intestines and stomach hanging from it.

Cen An’s lips twitched. He pointed to the courtyard and told him to go clean it up.

Yin Xiang, still holding the cow, scampered off.

Just as Cen An turned to go back inside, a familiar breeze stirred at his feet, sweeping him into a familiar embrace. He clenched his fist, ready to punch——

Su Rui instinctively covered his head. “Don’t hit me! I brought a gift!”

Cen An raised an eyebrow at him, thinking to himself: I’ll take a look first. If I’m not satisfied, I’ll keep beating you.

Su Rui cupped his hands and produced a bamboo basket lined with dry grass, on top of which lay nine wild chicken eggs.

The Great White Wolf’s eyes lit up. “How about that? Hit the spot, didn’t it? I heard you say you wanted some eggs!”

Cen An’s lips twitched. “So-so. A bit too few.”

“I didn’t have much time. Just wait a bit longer, and I’ll get you every single wild chicken egg in these mountains…”

Inside the house, Yu Lin watched with envy. Damn, he’s pretty good at this… No, I have to find a way to win Brother Cen back…