After Bystander A Bound to JJ Literature City – CH14

Chapter 14 – Please Do Not Sexually Harass the System

When Yu Zhi finally got a clear look at the suited cockroach-man’s face, his carefully constructed smile faltered. Damn, that’s ugly!

It wasn’t so much a face as an absence of one. Aside from the bulging eyes, there was only a grotesque arrangement of mouthparts. Two serrated mandibles like miniature blades formed the upper jaw, while the lower half consisted of black, hairy antennae that constantly rubbed together. A black hole in the center secreted a steady stream of saliva.

Yu Zhi clenched his fists, struggling to maintain a pleasant expression. The cockroach-man scanned the group, its long antennae swaying and smacking against the stainless steel door frame with a sickening thwack. The impact left a noticeable dent.

Everyone braced for an attack, but instead, the creature took a step back. Yu Zhi felt a surge of relief. The “Cockroach Exterminator” title was working. The cockroach-man, sensing danger, instinctively wanted to distance itself from him.

Its mouthparts moved, forming words in a voice identical to Zhu Boxue’s. “I don’t know,” it said. “Go ask someone else.”

“Xiao Zhuang?” Yu Zhi prompted.

Zhuang Ding, still dazed, shook his head, indicating the creature was lying.

Yu Zhi took a step forward, offering a disarming smile. “I’m sorry for bothering you,” he said, his demeanor gentle and harmless.

The cockroach-man nodded and reached for the door.

“Officer Yu, no!” Zhuang Ding blurted, realizing his earlier assessment might have been wrong. “It was lying!”

The cockroach-man whipped its head around, fixing its gaze on Zhuang Ding. He flinched, fear gripping him.

“What Officer Yu—”

Before it could finish, Yu Zhi fired. The bullet pierced the creature’s right eye, exiting the back of its head with a sickening splatter. The right half of its skull, still attached to the antennae, clattered to the floor, yellowish-green fluid gushing from the wound.

The creature instinctively reached out to lick the fluid, then seemed to register what had happened. It glanced at Yu Zhi, then turned to flee.

Yu Zhi fired again, hitting its leg. The cockroach-man stumbled, its hands hitting the ground. It began to crawl towards the balcony, its movements eerily insect-like.

Primed for quick escapes thanks to Fu Suxi and the system, Yu Zhi’s body reacted before his mind could catch up. He sprinted after the creature, kicking it hard before it could leap from the balcony.

He wasn’t particularly strong, but the “Cockroach Exterminator” title amplified his force. He landed on the creature like a falling boulder, pinning it to the ground. Only its antennae twitched, slapping against the balcony railing with a rhythmic thwack, thwack.

The others, recovering from their shock, rushed over.

The cockroach-man stared up at Yu Zhi. “Master Yu—” it began.

“Calling me ‘Daddy Yu’ won’t help either,” Yu Zhi interrupted coldly. “I’ll ask you one more time. Where is the source of the contamination? Where is the thing that turned you into this?”

The creature’s antennae thrashed violently, snapping two of the aluminum alloy railings.

Yu Zhi switched tactics, employing a mix of threats and persuasion. “You want me to get away from you, right?” he asked. “Our target is the source, not you. Look at your broken skull. If you had cooperated earlier, would you have been shot? Those bullets were meant for it. Are you really that loyal? Just tell us, and I’ll leave. We’ll all have a bright future.”

Something in Yu Zhi’s words resonated with the creature. Its mouthparts moved. “He’s in room 605,” it rasped.

Yu Zhi glanced at Zhuang Ding, who nodded, confirming the creature was telling the truth.

“What is the contamination source?” Yu Zhi pressed.

“It’s… a cockroach,” the creature hesitated.

“What does it look like?”

“Dark, useless—”

Yu Zhi kicked it again. “I’m asking about its appearance!”

“A short guy, about 1.7 meters tall,” the creature corrected itself.

Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow. 1.7 meters is 1.7 meters. Why call him short? He couldn’t see the creature’s expression, but he could hear the disdain in its voice. How can a contaminated being look down on the source? he wondered. Is it because it’s mimicking Zhu Boxue’s personality?

After Zhuang Ding confirmed the creature’s statements were true, Yu Zhi withdrew the watermelon knife from his inventory.

Before Zhuang Ding could ask if they were going to room 605, Yu Zhi raised the knife and brought it down, severing the cockroach-man’s neck in a single, swift motion.

Zhuang Ding stared at him, bewildered. “Officer Yu,” he said, “you really… say one thing and do another.”

“What are you talking about?” Lu Liming interjected. “This is what Brother Yu calls ‘hiding a knife behind a smile’!”

Yu Zhi sighed. Neither of those are good phrases.

He glanced down at the severed neck of the cockroach-man. The cross-section revealed a body devoid of bone, filled with yellowish-white fibrous tissue and the same foul-smelling, yellowish-green liquid.

Yu Zhi pressed his foot down, and the severed neck gurgled like a drainpipe, spewing more of the liquid. Truly disgusting.

He stepped back in disgust, only to find the cockroach head had rolled to Tang Yong’s feet and was now coated in vomit. Even more disgusting.

“Are we going to room 605 now?” Lu Liming asked.

Yu Zhi shook his head, watching the twitching body of the cockroach-man. These contaminated beings were resilient, like true cockroaches. Even dismembered, they remained alive. If they were this hard to kill, the source would be even tougher.

And he only had one bullet left.

“Let’s search this room first,” Yu Zhi decided. “Look for anything useful—alcohol, lighters, flammable materials. We need to prepare before facing the source.”

Lu Liming and Zhuang Ding readily agreed. Tang Yong, however, remained preoccupied with his ongoing battle against nausea.

They dispersed without further discussion.

Yu Zhi had just entered the living room when a low battery alert sounded from the computer on the sofa. He glanced at the screen and saw an open diary entry. The word “cockroach” caught his eye. He quickly scanned the entry:

[March 10, Rainy]

When alone, one is both a soldier and general. Accept fate, but don’t resign to it.

[March 11, Rainy]

An adult’s breakdown happens in an instant. This morning, an uninvited guest arrived at home—a cockroach. Never mind, allow yourself to be fragile, allow all things to pass through.

[March 12, Rainy]

Midday meeting, I suddenly received a WeChat message from Guo Qiang asking to borrow money. Said he wanted to borrow 200 yuan to go to the hospital. I politely declined. Because he needs to understand that life doesn’t always deal a royal flush, and the bottom card in life is always oneself.

[March 13, Rainy]

Woken up by an insect bite in my sleep, disturbing my sweet dreams. Couldn’t let it go for a long time. Letting go is too difficult, can only wait for it to rot in memories.

[March 14, Rainy]

The building manager hurriedly knocked on my door, asking if I had seen his son Guo Qiang. I shook my head, but he gave me a suspicious look. Relationships between people are indeed as thin as cicada wings. I’ve lived my whole life treading on thin ice.

[March 15, Rainy]

Gao Yangyao ordered a car today and invited me to ride to the company with him in the future. I politely declined. He doesn’t realize that his showing off looks ridiculous in others’ eyes.

*

Yu Zhi scrolled down, but there were no further entries. The last one was from the day before yesterday. The incident must have happened yesterday, he deduced.

Then he noticed a few new lines in the editing box at the bottom of the screen. Today’s entry. Written by the cockroach-man.

[March 17, Sunny]

Standing high up, I smelled Junior Yu’s fragrance and enjoyed a sumptuous lunch. Junior Yu, you can be smelled but not reached. But smelling you, I am willing. Born as a human, I am sorry.

Yu Zhi stared at the screen, speechless.

[User “Rebirth in a Different Universe” congratulates you on receiving a confession from a contaminated being.]
[User “Pure Love Warrior” expresses satisfaction with the diary content you saw.]
[User “World’s Cutest Girl” pities the unspoken love of the contaminated being.]
[User “Not an Insect Cigar” criticizes your ruthlessness.]

You guys have some seriously strange tastes, Yu Zhi thought, shaking his head. He ignored the comments and sniffed his fingers. He couldn’t smell anything.

Remembering the reactions of the other contaminated beings, he hesitantly addressed the system. [System, do I smell good?]

[Please do not sexually harass the system.]

Yu Zhi was dumbfounded. What the—?