"Come on, just scribble something—it's just a report." Ji Yueming sat calmly sipping tea, noticing the girl clinging to her arm, hands on her forehead, like a willow swaying in the breeze. "Ah, I'm so exhausted. I just came back from a mission. I'm completely drained—I need some rest."
With tears welling up in his eyes, Nie Yu clung to her arm, pleading, "Then don't just go all out! Shouldn' t we wait until the search team identifies the anomaly before acting?"
As they were arguing, a tall young man in combat gear walked in. "Captain, this morning at Tianheng Hall, we detected an unusual mark underground. The detection team suspects it might be a growth anomaly."
The two men became serious in an instant.
Ji Yueming asked, "What about that anomaly?"
'The body isn't ours. There's still the aura of the Chongming Demon King lingering at the scene—it's highly likely he took it away,' the young man said.
"Nie Yu, retrieve all records pertaining to the Celestial Grand Assembly and its leader. Nie Ling, accompany me to the inspection department." Ji Yueming rose and strode forward.
"Exactly." Nie Yu sprang up and dashed off to look up the information.
Nie Ling trailed behind Ji Yueming, narrating the situation with clear diction and rapid speech as he walked.
The detection unit's report remains pending. The anomaly manifests as a distorted deity statue that has been inhabited by the entity for at least four months, with D to C-level traces detected. Investigators suspect the entity may have attained higher power levels during its residency, though the absence of the physical form prevents definitive confirmation.
"Field surveys and interrogations show that the anomaly was used to induce others to perform sacrificial rituals on it, which may have been a means of its promotion.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is urgently contacting the Alliance of Ten Thousand Demons...
Ji Yueming listened to every word without missing a single one.
Since the Demon King Chongming has intervened, he definitely won't escape—no need for her to worry about that.
The Chongming Demon King, originally the Chongming Divine Bird, is a fierce and bold spirit. He has made Qixia Mountain his base, claiming the surrounding cities as his domain. Whether for business or leisure, he roams the area, casting his aura to intimidate all demons, monsters, and supernatural beings, keeping them in check.
Ji Yueming, who kept his identity hidden, lived in Yunjin City nestled against Qixia Mountain. With the protection of the Demon King—known for flaunting his feathers during idle moments—he ensured his family lived in peace and stability.
Unfortunately, the Abnormal Event Management Bureau has a strained relationship with the Ten Thousand Demon Alliance, making it difficult to obtain that anomaly from Demon King Chongming.
The emergence of growth abnormalities is not a good sign.
In theory, no abnormal growth should have occurred since 26 years ago.
...
Deep in Shennongjia, the dense forest is shrouded in perpetual mist. An ancient giant tree rises from the mist, its lush foliage shimmering with the soft golden glow of sunlight.
The divine bird of Chongming landed on the tree, its claws as black as gold and iron, firmly gripping the branch.
The giant tree shook its branches, its voice hoarse and slow: "Chongming, how did you return?"
Jian Yun spread his wings and shook off a feather: "Old Xun, I've caught something odd. Take a look."
The Wood Demon King reached out a branch to catch the feather.
The golden-red feathers, with their enigmatic patterns, seal the anomalies within completely.
"Oh, that's it," said the Wood Demon King Xun Mu slowly. "The Bureau of Abnormal Phenomena just contacted me, saying they want to study this anomaly too."
Jian Yunhong snorted, "That bunch of petty folks? They try to meddle in everything. But what can they do?"
Xunmu smiled slowly.
The bright-eyed bird adjusted its crimson feathers and said, "I'll talk to them after we finish our research."
"You decide what to do with it," Xunmu said calmly. "Remember that trip to Xia Yueshan? She was waiting for you to film."
Xia Yuexian, a fox spirit known as Heart Moon, now disguises herself as a human to operate in the entertainment industry. She runs the talent agency that Zhan Yun uses to hide his human identity.
"Got it." Zhan Yun spread his wings.
Get it done early and go home early to be with your wife and kids.
...
Jinke News Agency: Zhan Yan continues to enjoy the gossip with pay.
A 'craftsman' got into a heated online feud with someone on Chao Fan Forum after his idol 'Tianshi' was belittled. After winning the argument, he felt unsatisfied and generously offered 100 points to post a challenge, inviting others to join the battle. Together, they proudly earned a three-day title.
Hmm? What's this new gadget?
Aside from the craftsman, the moment he heard this, he knew it was another superpowerer's alias—and like him, they were fans of' Tianshi. 'When he searched for the' Tianshi' entry, it surfaced alongside his search. Most of the extraordinary entries Zhan Yan had accumulated so far were discovered this way.
The highlight is the 'Superordinary Forum' —a perfect spot to dive into the extraordinary world while casually catching the action!
But the gossip system only serves as a platform for casual browsing, without providing detailed information like forum addresses. Zhan Yan, momentarily at a loss, decided to give up for now.
Working for pay while loafing around wasn't exactly ideal. Zhan Yan turned on his office computer, where Zhenke News Agency's archived reports and materials lay. He opened them, cross-referenced them with the gossip-tracking system, and began his paid role as a content creator.
A homeowner in Lvyuan New Town was hit with exorbitant water bills, which was later confirmed to be caused by a malfunctioning water meter.
A mermaid who rented a place in Lüyuan New City residential area was caught by the landlord for paying exorbitant water bills after daily baths. The involved mermaid has now been arrested and subjected to disciplinary education.
...
A woman in Jianping District noticed glowing food in her refrigerator, which tested positive for luminescent bacteria. Experts advise separating raw and cooked ingredients when cooking.
In Jianping District, a hungry ghost entered a resident's home at midnight, sampled the fish fillet from the refrigerator, and remarked,' This fish could swim two laps in the water if it were raw.'
A hungry ghost from Jianping District sneaked into someone's home at midnight, sampled the leftover tomato and egg dish, and exclaimed: "Salt? That's heresy! The real deal should have sugar!"
A hungry ghost from Jianping District sneaked into Hao Lai Zai Restaurant at midnight, sampled the leftover dishes from the kitchen, and remarked, 'Even ghosts wouldn't come for soy milk with salt.'
After stumbling upon a foodie's post about' Hungry Ghost' (a popular food blog), Zhan Yan got intrigued and kept scrolling.
The Hungry Ghost thought Jianping District had nothing to offer, so he wandered off to Wenhai District.
A hungry man from Wenhai District visited Sanwei Guan Guan Tang (a local soup restaurant) late at night. After sampling the broth, he remarked, 'It tastes great.'
Oh, it's rare to find a place with such rave reviews. Zhan Yan jotted down the shop's name, ready to try it. The flavors of this family-run restaurant had all been stolen by Zhan Yun Kai. When Zhan Yun Kai wasn't around, ordering takeout was painful enough, but eating their homemade dishes was even more agonizing.
If this place is really good, we'll have enough to eat for three meals a day.
A couple in Wenhai District got into a heated argument, with the husband being sent to the hallway to eat durian for criticizing his wife's cooking as' terrible.'
In Wenhai District, a hungry ghost entered a man's house at midnight. When he heard the husband say his wife's cooking was so delicious that even ghosts wouldn't eat it, he became intrigued. After taking a bite, he spat out: "Ugh!"
How awful is this? Zhan Yan wondered. Could it be even worse than his brother's cake?
...
Sweet Cake Shop.
The sweet aroma of cake wafted from the warm, white bakery, filling the air and reaching pedestrians 'nostrils. When millions of olfactory receptors detected this scent, they generated electrical signals that traveled to the brain, triggering dopamine release. This release of dopamine awakened the brain's memory of sweetness, making people's steps slow and their eyes drawn to the bakery...
Mom! I want to eat cake! The little child who was passing by held onto her mother's hand and refused to leave.
The elegant lady glanced at the bakery and swallowed instinctively. "Good girl, we'll go to another cake shop later. This one's not edible."
Why? It smells so good!
The woman frowned in pain. "Because Mom ate it."
"Too bad!" she added.
Mom hurried past the cake shop, holding the child who was reluctant to let go. A little less time, a little less suffering.
Inside the shop, Zhan Jinli was mixing the cake batter, while the conversation outside was clearly audible.
The little devil who had been pestering him since morning stood at the doorway, seething with anger: "What a tasteless move! This is outrageous! Your Majesty, shall I go and teach them a lesson?"
Jian Jinli gave him a cold glance. The little demon, having reined in his fury, obediently ducked his head and stared at Jian Jinli with pleading eyes: 'Your Majesty, you can't just stand by! That hungry demon has already seized half our territory...'
"Taking half your territory," Zhan Jinli said, calmly pouring half a can of powdered sugar into the cake batter.
The little boy began to sob at his feet.
Jian Jinli shoved the cake into the oven, set the time and temperature, then gave the whining little devil a playful nudge. "Feel it?"
The little devil sat on the ground in a daze. "What?"
Jian Jinli crouched down and pinched the little devil's cheek: "I'm warm and soft now, a living person." He shoved a piece of egg tart into the little devil's mouth.
"I'm not the Ghost King anymore. I've been reborn as a human now," he said amid the sweet scent of cake. "I want to live a few days in the mortal world. You should take this to the Bureau of Unusual Affairs. Don't cry."
"But," the little devil mumbled, his teeth grinding on the egg tart, "you just used the Five Ghosts' Transport Method yesterday to unload flour, cream, sugar, and chocolate for us..."
"Ah," Zhan Jinli said, his gaze drifting. "That's not the same."
...
After a day of paid gossip, Zhan Yan unearthed fresh buzzwords to fill his knowledge bank. Most were white or green, with a few blue ones occasionally popping up to enrich his sparse information universe.
Jinke News Agency's shift wraps up at 4 PM. Zhen Hua noted their work rhythm shifts between hectic and relaxed periods. Zhan Yan is currently clocking in at the news agency for a few days, planning to switch to remote work once he gets the hang of the workflow. This perks package is truly enviable for corporate slaves.
On the boring return bus ride, Zhan Yan turned on his social media feed and kept scrolling through the 'Hungry Ghost' gossip platform, treating the juicy updates as gourmet recommendations.
[A hungry ghost in Wenhai District saw something strange? ±#%. Unable to bear the hunger in his stomach, he ate the strange thing? ±#%.]
Zhan Yan:???
He first encountered garbled text in the gossip system.
Zhan Yan had encountered anomalies multiple times in the gossip system. These anomalies usually bore specific levels and names—like the A-level anomaly 'Gap' dropped by the Celestial Master's talent, or the C-level anomaly' Evil God·Primary' captured by the Demon King Chongming. But what could it be if it had neither a name nor a level? And could it even be eaten?
He continued to read the forest *evening* *organization*.
[Wenhai District Hungry? ±?? Feeling so hungry that he barged into someone's house and ate his fill.]
[Wenhai District Hungry? Feeling like your stomach's growling, you head to Xiao Liu's Stir-Fried Noodle Restaurant and binge-eat your way to satiety.]
...
The ghost in Wenhai District had eaten a lot, yet still felt an unbearable hunger, so it turned its gaze to the people around it.
[Wenhai District's' Hungry Ghost '! υGhost argues that a true gourmet shouldn' t eat raw food—it's too crude—and shifts his focus away from humans.]
Zhan Yan's nerves tightened. The cryptic anomaly was deeply troubling. Before it appeared, Hungry Ghost had only savored food, never showing any hunger. He was more like a gourmet. But after the anomaly emerged, he began to feel an unbearable hunger. When his hunger remained unfulfilled, he turned his gaze to living humans.
In the subsequent segments of the story, the Hungry Ghost keeps repeating between 'directing his gaze to those around him' and 'gourmet shouldn' t eat raw food '—it's like the 'eating melon' system is glitching. Yet the garbled text between 'hungry ghost' keeps changing, confirming this is indeed a recurring issue.
The hungry ghost wants to eat people. The hungry ghost can tolerate it for a while.
But what if it can't stand it?
The hungry ghost mentality in the food blog has been updated to [Foodies might also enjoy natural foods].
Zhan Yan's home, her brother's cake shop, and her sister's studio are all located in Wenhai District.
He needed to find a way to report this to the Abnormal Affairs Bureau, but he didn't have their contact information.
Zhan Yan pulled out his phone and started checking Zhen Hua's call records. Since Zhenke News Agency was a subsidiary of the Abnormal Affairs Administration Bureau, its director must have connections with the bureau.
The number you dialed is not in service...
Not in service? Where did the president go for just a moment?
A passenger nearby muttered, 'Why is there no signal all of a sudden?'
"Is the signal bad here? I don't have a network either."
Zhan Yan realized it wasn't the stationmaster's signal was out, but his own connection had dropped. Yet he'd never experienced this before on this bus.
Zhan Yan had a bad feeling...
The hungry ghost in Wenhai District had eaten his fill, yet his hunger still gnawed at him, prompting him to cast a glance at those around him.
The ghost in Wenhai District decided to choose a delicious natural food.
The gossip platform has just posted another update:
The ghost from Wenhai District (a district in Shanghai) caught a whiff of your lingering shrimp dumpling aroma and found you irresistibly delicious.
Zhan Yan:...
What kind of troublemaker is this hungry ghost? He ate shrimp dumplings this morning, and now it's already afternoon!
Dad, your skills are so good you can even attract ghosts, you know?!