ALL NOVEL Chapter 19 - Glass Fish.
“Where did it go? Where the hell did it go…”
Just moments ago, it had been in plain sight!
Lin Lin’s heart pounded furiously as his breathing grew labored.
The previous group of visitors had just exited the exhibit. Moving against the flow of the crowd was disorienting—visual obstructions, the cacophony of shuffling fabric, and mingled voices made it impossible to track the [Source of Infection 3301]’s position.
Frantic, Lin Lin shoved through the crowd, eliciting a few angry mutters. But his mind buzzed with static, making apologies the last thing on his mind.
His phone buzzed with a new notification.
Lin Lin lifted his left hand, hurriedly checking the screen. Finally, there was a reply from the man in sunglasses:
[I’m here.]
[Waiting in line. Where are you?]
“…!”
At last, a new message—
But what now? What should he say?
In his trembling hand, the pen’s infection-monitoring function continued to read the rising contamination levels around him.
To accurately locate the [Source of Infection 3301], Lin Lin had specifically requested a new model device that could track the concentration of infection values. Logically, it should have been able to pinpoint the entity’s location, but—
[Isn’t today a workday? Why is it still so crowded inside?]
[The flow control was pointless, it’s so hot, the aquarium’s air conditioning feels useless. I’m definitely posting a complaint later.]
[It’s so annoying. My friend’s late, and I can’t even get mad. Have to pretend I don’t care and be all magnanimous.]
[Someone bumped into me and didn’t apologize. Ridiculous. But now it’s too late to say anything… I hate being this weak.]
…
Most of the visitors had sweat beading on their faces and shirts. Some were fanning themselves, while others accidentally bumped into people. Smiles were on their faces, but their eyes spoke of frustration and irritation.
All around him, almost everyone’s face seemed filled with resentment, dissatisfaction, and grudge.
This wasn’t just because of the [Source of Infection 3301]’s presence.
The negative emotions concentrated around the aquarium were causing the infection index to rise rapidly, enveloping the entire environment in a thick layer of tension.
The [Source of Infection 3301] had become like a drop of water merging with the ocean.
[Damn it, damn it!]
The pen couldn’t provide an accurate reading!
Although the entity had indeed vanished into the [Freshwater Ecology Zone], was that truly where it had gone? What if it had blended in with the crowd and moved elsewhere? What if it encountered Ye Jishu? What would the consequences be…
As a Level 2 Enforcer, Lin Lin lacked the abilities of a Level 1 officer, who could use their [rationality] to pinpoint the concentration of an infection source. This was the massive gap between levels.
At that moment, Lin Lin felt a strong sense of unease and frustration with his own limitations.
Could he truly ensure Ye Jishu’s safety, especially when he was being used as bait?
Had the system made a mistake in assigning him this task?
He unconsciously tightened the necklace in his hand.
Stopped in his tracks, he was jostled by the crowd. Every face in his line of sight seemed to distort.
His wrist buzzed. His phone suddenly received a new message.
He lowered his head to check the screen.
[I’m in.]
[It’s really crowded. Are you close to the Freshwater Ecology Zone? It’s there. Draw its attention away.]
At that moment, Lin Lin felt a surge of energy. It was like he had come alive again. He raised his head and pushed through the crowd in the opposite direction.
[You better act professional.]
“…!”
Why was he being lectured by a person who had been late? And with that commanding tone…
Lin Lin felt a wave of frustration.
Even without being told, he would still do it.
If the situation required it, even if it cost him his life, he would not let anything happen to [Ye Jishu] while under his watch.
The [Freshwater Ecology Zone] was close.
Lin Lin pushed against the flow of people and finally entered the exhibit.
The air conditioning inside was strong, and despite the sunlight that had earlier been pouring in, the temperature had dropped, making him feel almost as if he had entered the depths of the ocean.
Unfortunately, after just a few steps, the crowd swallowed up the cool air.
His eyes scanned the crowd.
The voices of other visitors filled his ears, but he couldn’t afford to pay attention to the surroundings. Instead, he kept moving, pushing past people.
Ye Jishu wasn’t someone who would be lost in the crowd. He should have been easy to spot. Yet, for some reason, even though he held his breath and concentrated all his attention, Lin Lin couldn’t find him at first glance.
[This is so strange.]
[Good-looking face, slender and tall figure, how could I not notice him… what’s going on…]
Lin Lin shook his head, trying to clear the irrelevant thoughts from his mind.
Now wasn’t the time to think about that.
The priority was to find [Ye Jishu] before anything worse happened.
He turned, eyes darting across the crowd, not missing a single corner.
“Excuse me, please move aside…”
Lin Lin pushed aside another tourist blocking his path and looked up, suddenly noticing someone not far ahead.
Just a few meters away from him, Ye Jishu was slightly turned to the side, avoiding the flow of people, standing motionless in front of the glass.
He didn’t speak, only quietly observing the scene before him. Despite his casual attire, he seemed out of place with his surroundings.
[So obvious. Why didn’t I see him earlier…]
Lin Lin paused, that feeling of unease rising again.
Though he could only see Ye Jishu’s profile, it was unmistakably a face that could calm a person troubled by frustration… He wasn’t sure if that was the right way to describe it, but from the moment he saw Ye Jishu, he strangely felt at ease.
He understood that Ye Jishu was an ordinary person.
Therefore, it wasn’t the kind of safety that came from the need to survive.
Rather, it was as if his soul had been purified.
No matter how restless or negative his emotions were, just being close to Ye Jishu made them disappear.
As someone who frequently dealt with pollution sources, Lin Lin’s mental and rational state was always hanging by a fragile thread, never knowing when he might snap. But when he looked at Ye Jishu now, his tense body relaxed.
[Even if he’s not the mission target, I’d still like to be his friend.]
He stared at Ye Jishu, momentarily lost in thought.
Suddenly, a gaze landed on him.
Lin Lin shivered.
It wasn’t that he was being watched—it was the strange feeling of being observed. The cold sensation that had been missing rushed up his spine. Goosebumps appeared on his exposed arms and legs, making him want to scratch and rub his eyes in frustration.
[What’s going on—]
Lin Lin clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms.
The sharp pain helped him hold back this strange impulse, and he swiftly turned his head toward the source of the gaze, searching for the cause of the chill.
Then, his eyes met a pair of pure black pupils.
The young man was standing right next to him.
He had also been watching him, just like he had with Ye Jishu, but now, he had turned his face to look at Lin Lin.
That beautiful face was completely expressionless.
He didn’t make a sound or move unnecessarily. Only after Lin Lin finally noticed him did he move his lips.
…
Lin Lin couldn’t quite understand what was being said.
Why couldn’t he respond properly?
Then, to his horror, he saw the person’s mouth curl into a slight, contemptuous smile.
At the same time, the fish in the water, which had been scattered around, suddenly rushed towards the glass in unison. Like mindless, disrespectful corpses, they slammed against the glass, mindlessly crowding around the most attractive presence.
A mass of fish.
The deep blue sea as a background.
And standing in the shadowed corner near Ye Jishu, the young man smiled, staring at him.
The scene was so eerie, it made his skin crawl.
Lin Lin froze, unable to look at Ye Jishu anymore.
However, his ears still rang.
It felt as though all the blood in his body surged into his brain in that moment, leaving him in a blank state.
He wasn’t sure how long he stood there.
A sudden push from the crowd snapped him back to reality.
When Lin Lin looked back again in haste, Ye Jishu and the young man had disappeared from sight.
–
Ye Jishu looked at the clasped hands.
As they left the [Freshwater Ecology Zone], the two of them had unexpectedly held hands.
He was a little surprised.
His first reaction was to look up and check the other’s expression.
But the next words from Yan Mei were—
“I met someone annoying. Now I need your comfort, Jishu.”
“…!” Ye Jishu.
Annoying person.
Was that even possible? It was hard to imagine Yan Mei being bothered by anyone.
After all, people he didn’t like quickly disappeared from his sight.
Just like the ones who vanished after failing to confess to Yan Mei.
But because of Yan Mei’s nonchalant attitude, Ye Jishu silently swallowed his objection.
Yan Mei stood by his side for a while, staring at their hands. His mood seemed to improve for some reason. He gently shook his head, “Jishu, the fish just now were so beautiful. I want to go through the underwater tunnel and see the specimen area over there.”
“Hmm.” Ye Jishu replied.
The good thing about being with Yan Mei was that he didn’t have to think about where to go next. He just followed along.
But because of this, Ye Jishu found himself lost in thought, remembering the beautiful fish mentioned earlier.
He hadn’t reacted when the fish gathered earlier.
But when they slammed into the glass, some even getting mangled, the weird sensation surged back.
[Can the “heartthrob” be this intense…]
As he thought, the grip on their hands suddenly tightened, breaking his thoughts.
Ye Jishu looked up.
But instantly, he was blinded by the sunlight.
He hadn’t realized when they had left the underwater tunnel.
“Specimen area, it’s outside…” Ye Jishu murmured.
The weather had gotten hotter.
His jacket needed to be taken off.
He moved his body and looked around. Suddenly, a figure, who had been staring at him intently, caught his attention.
The person’s eyeballs were bloodshot.
Under the harsh sunlight, his whole face looked swollen, as if something was wriggling beneath his skin.
His strange sense of restlessness made people want to look closer to see what was moving under his skin.
Chen Heming.
What was he doing here… was it for Yan Mei?
Ye Jishu thought for a moment, then said, “Yan Mei, the person over there is—”
But before he could finish, a shadow fell over them.
His vision was blocked.
At that moment, he could only see the figure before him.
The person stood in front of him, naturally taking his jacket from his hand, not letting him hold onto something cumbersome.
“Don’t mind irrelevant people. It’s so hot, Jishu. Want some ice cream?”
Ye Jishu stared at him, stunned.
Then Yan Mei reached out, brushing his hair behind his ear, and softly spoke in front of him, “There’s an ice cream cart by the entrance to the specimen hall. Let’s go there now. Later, will you buy some for me? My mood is bad, I want you to pamper me more…”