Chapter 78: Testing the Boundaries of Forbidden Territory
Lin Jiu was confused. Didn’t he have the Chef God System send Si Xu an email? Could it be that Si Xu didn’t see it?
[Friendly reminder: The host was in the Magic Sea Dimension, so the system couldn’t enter Earth’s dimension on its own.]
Lin Jiu: !!!
Lin Jiu: !!!!!
Lin Jiu: !!!!!!!
Lin Jiu: “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?!”
Had he really gone missing for so many days without explanation? Was Si Xu worried sick? What about Mo Yu Restaurant?
“Would you have left in that situation?”
Lin Jiu hesitated. Probably not.
It had been a rare opportunity, one he might never encounter again in his lifetime.
Just look at all he had gained—magic points and treasure chests, and more four-star giant magic ray meat than he could ever eat!
Lin Jiu, feeling sheepish, didn’t dare call Si Xu. Instead, he stealthily called Jiang Xiwen.
She answered immediately, “Where have you been? Si Xu has been going crazy trying to find you!”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu: “…How’s the shop?”
Jiang Xiwen: “The shop’s fine. The app hasn’t released any reservation slots, so customers have been asking on Weibo what’s going on. I had no choice but to use my Weibo account, claiming to be the manager of the Mo Yu, and request leave on your behalf.”
Lin Jiu: “W-What excuse did you use?”
Jiang Xiwen sighed, “I didn’t even have to think of an excuse. As soon as I said you were on leave, everyone online assumed you were out gathering supplies again.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu let out a sigh of relief, feeling a little more at ease.
Since even the netizens believed he was out getting supplies, there’s no way Si Xu wouldn’t think the same.
Surely… it’s all fine, right?
Before Lin Jiu could finish his call with Jiang Xiwen, another call came in.
He quickly ended the call with her and switched to the new one.
“Where are you?” A low, cold voice came through the speaker.
Lin Jiu felt his hair stand on end, like a startled little animal. “I-I’m at…”
He glanced at the giant pile of magic ray meat stacked up to the ceiling. Should he say he was at home?
His home had now turned into a seafood storage facility.
“Lin Jiu.” Si Xu called his name in a tone colder than Lin Jiu had ever heard.
Lin Jiu felt a chill down his spine and stammered, “I… I’m at home.”
Si Xu said, “Don’t hang up, and don’t move. I’ll be there right away.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
It’s over… it’s over… it’s over…
Lin Jiu put the phone on speaker, gently placing it on the soft bed. He then tried to quietly crawl away, hoping to hide somewhere.
“You’d better not move,” Si Xu’s voice came from the phone.
Lin Jiu froze, then crawled back. “I-I didn’t move.”
Si Xu: “Your breathing is too far from the phone.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Resigned to his fate, Lin Jiu stayed right by the phone, not daring to move.
“I’m here, open the door.”
There was no response, so Si Xu knocked on the door.
Still, no response.
“Lin Jiu?”
Lin Jiu jolted awake, his face panicked. He hadn’t realized he’d fallen asleep on the bed.
“Xiao Jiu, I’m at the door. Let me in.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
He scrambled out of bed and fell to the floor with a thud—his legs had gone numb.
Si Xu could hear the loud crash over the phone. It was not a small fall.
Lin Jiu dashed out of the bedroom but tripped over a tentacle blocking the doorway. He nearly face-planted into the pile of meat, then shuffled along the wall to the entrance, cautiously opening the door before quickly hiding behind it.
When the door opened, Si Xu didn’t see Lin Jiu at first. Instead, he saw the giant pile of meat almost blocking the entrance, with a strong smell of seafood filling the air.
All the way here, Si Xu had been reminding himself to stay calm, to not scare Xiao Jiu. He hadn’t expected that when he opened the door, he wouldn’t see Lin Jiu but this absurd scene instead.
Recovering from his shock, Si Xu heard nervous breathing coming from behind the door.
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and immediately spotted Lin Jiu hiding there.
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu quickly turned to face the wall, covering his eyes, afraid to see Si Xu’s expression.
“I’m sorry! I was wrong! I shouldn’t have disappeared for so long without saying anything. I should’ve told you first, but I didn’t expect it to take so much time! It won’t happen again, please don’t be mad…”
Like a gecko clinging to the wall, Lin Jiu was peeled off and pulled into a tight embrace.
Lin Jiu was both anxious and scared—anxious that Si Xu was furious, and scared that Si Xu might abandon him.
Si Xu held him for a long time, only when he was certain that Lin Jiu was really back did he lift him up, carrying him to the bedroom. He gently laid him on the bed and rolled up his pant legs, revealing pale knees that had turned red from the fall.
Si Xu remained silent, which made Lin Jiu even more nervous. “I’m sorry, please don’t be mad…”
Si Xu sat on the carpet, not looking at him.
“Lin Jiu, if one day I suddenly disappeared without a word, my phone still able to ring but with no one answering, until it ran out of battery and shut off, with no trace of me anywhere, as if I’d vanished from the world… What would you think?”
Lin Jiu couldn’t sit still anymore and lunged forward to hug him. “That won’t happen! I’ll never let it happen again…”
“I know. I’d probably think you’d gone to get supplies. I also know that if you had really gone out, you’d definitely tell me. You wouldn’t leave me worrying like this. But at the same time, I know the danger from the Liao family and Zhou family hasn’t been resolved, and foreign forces are still investigating your mother. What if they tried to harm you? What if the people who attacked my mother decided to target you too? I wouldn’t know what to think.”
“I checked the surveillance cameras. They showed you returning home after work, but you never left after that. I was terrified something had happened to you at home. I knocked and knocked, but no one answered. I had to call someone to unlock the door. Everything inside your house was normal—your phone on the bedside table, no signs of a struggle—yet you were gone… You disappeared from your own home. What do you think I would believe? The only thought I had was that you’d been kidnapped, or worse, caught in some dangerous situation beyond your control…”
“There wasn’t! None of that happened, I just went to—”
[Warning!!!]
The system’s voice suddenly boomed in his mind.
Lin Jiu’s head buzzed, and he collapsed onto the floor.
He knew his eyes were open, but everything had gone pitch black—he couldn’t see anything.
The system’s voice faded away, and silence filled his ears. He couldn’t hear anything.
He couldn’t feel anything…
All his senses were gone.
Lin Jiu knew he was still alive, and he tried calling out to the system in his mind.
But there was no response.
Panic set in. The thought of Si Xu seeing him like this would surely scare him.
Lin Jiu desperately tried to speak, but he couldn’t. He didn’t know if any sound was coming out or if he could even make a sound…
Other than his mind still working, Lin Jiu wasn’t even sure if his breathing or heartbeat were still there.
He wanted to tell Si Xu not to be afraid, that he wasn’t dead, that he wouldn’t die, not to worry…
But he couldn’t. He couldn’t do anything.
Lin Jiu could only keep calling the system over and over, but there was no response.
Everything from before felt like a dream.
There was no Demon Sea dimension.
No system.
He didn’t even know Si Xu.
He didn’t know who his parents were either.
He was just that same humble and silent little celebrity…
He had no idea how much time had passed, but in the endless void, a faint glimmer of light finally appeared, dim and hazy.
He tried to call out that name, repeating it over and over. He hoped Si Xu could hear him…
“His pupils are responding…”
“His senses are returning…”
“Lin Jiu, can you hear me?”
The voices came through, blurry and distant.
Lin Jiu’s hearing was slowly coming back.
He heard a lot of noise, like there were many people around him.
“Si Xu…”
At last, he could hear his own voice.
“Si Xu…”
“Si Xu…”
He felt like someone was holding him.
He heard Si Xu’s voice replying to him repeatedly, “I’m here, I’m here, don’t be afraid…”
Lin Jiu couldn’t move, but his senses were slowly returning.
“Si Xu…”
“I’m here.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Don’t say sorry. It’s okay. It’s all okay as long as you’re alright.”
“I couldn’t speak…”
“Then don’t speak. You don’t have to. I just need to know you’re alright. No need to say more.”
Lin Jiu now understood. In that moment, he had really wanted to tell Si Xu that he had gone to the Demon Sea dimension.
He had broken a taboo.
This was the system’s punishment for him.
It took away all his senses, leaving him no different from a corpse.
If he had recklessly revealed the existence of the system and the Magic Sea dimension, this would likely have been his fate—trapped like this forever, unable to recover.
This was the system’s warning.
Si Xu held him the whole time, until Lin Jiu could slowly raise his hand to return the embrace.
Si Xu, realizing that Lin Jiu could move, hugged him even tighter.
No one could understand the emotions Si Xu felt at that moment. Lin Jiu had suddenly collapsed, his eyes open but unable to see, unresponsive to being called or touched. He was alive, but completely unresponsive to the outside world.
At that moment, Si Xu only prayed that Lin Jiu was okay. All the anger and desire for answers didn’t matter anymore—he just wanted Lin Jiu to be alright.
That was all he wanted.
When Lin Jiu had fully recovered, he had no idea how much time had passed. He looked up to see a circle of people in white coats standing around, all staring at them intently.
Lin Jiu: “…”
He shifted, trying to hide himself in Si Xu’s embrace, not wanting anyone to see him.
Si Xu knew Lin Jiu was shy and quickly scooped him up from the examination bed, carrying him briskly to the resting area.
Once they were alone in the room, Lin Jiu finally felt like he didn’t have to hide.
Si Xu laid him on the hospital bed. “How are you feeling? Is anything uncomfortable?”
Lin Jiu couldn’t take his eyes off him. During that time in the darkness, even though he knew Si Xu was right beside him, he couldn’t see, hear, or feel him. It was terrifying.
Lin Jiu shook his head. “I’m fine now.”
Si Xu gently smoothed his long hair and bent down to kiss his forehead.
Lin Jiu could tell that Si Xu’s fingers were still trembling—he must have been terrified.
Lin Jiu grasped his hand. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”
Si Xu touched his face, as if confirming he was really there. “It’s alright, as long as you’re okay.”
Lin Jiu’s nose tingled. “Did the results come out yet? I need to get them before I can tell you everything…”
Lin Jiu was being vague, but Si Xu understood.
He gripped Lin Jiu’s hand tightly. Only now did he realize that Lin Jiu had exchanged the genetic enhancement formula for energy crystals, and it had all been for him.
Si Xu sat by the bed and pulled him into his arms again. “Yes, the results came out. I was waiting for you to return.”
Lin Jiu sat up. “I’m fine now, you should get back to work.”
What he wanted to say was, “Hurry up and negotiate with the higher-ups. Securing those unknown energy crystals is urgent.”
Si Xu sighed. “It’s not that urgent.”
Lin Jiu: “It’s very urgent.”
Si Xu said, “Isn’t your seafood more urgent?”
Lin Jiu’s eyes widened in shock. “H-How long has it been?!”
That entire room of seafood couldn’t go bad!
If it all spoiled, even if he lost all his magic points, it wouldn’t be enough!
Si Xu: “You were in that state for about an hour.”
Lin Jiu jumped off the bed, completely forgetting he wasn’t wearing shoes. “Quick, quick! I need a cold storage unit, the bigger the better!”
Si Xu grabbed him and put him back on the bed. “Stay still.”
He left, and the silver metal door closed automatically.
Lin Jiu: “…”
Only then did Lin Jiu realize that the place they were in didn’t look like a hospital.
What kind of hospital had rooms of this level?
The silver metal door opened again, and Si Xu walked in carrying a pair of fluffy slippers.
Lin Jiu finally noticed that he was wearing fluffy pajamas with his hair in a mess.
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu: “Is this… the base?”
“Yes.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Great. His dignified image as a boss was probably ruined.
Si Xu put the fluffy slippers on Lin Jiu’s feet, then picked him up and briskly walked out.
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu: “I-I can walk on my own.”
Si Xu: “I want to carry you.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu gave up. His dignified image was already shattered; a little more wouldn’t make a difference now.
When Si Xu left, he instructed Team Seven to help handle the massive amount of seafood in the house.
Si Xu didn’t ask why there was so much seafood in the house, and the team members didn’t dare ask either. They obediently drove refrigerated trucks to move the seafood. Where exactly to move it would depend on the captain’s instructions.
The sudden appearance of so much seafood in the house was unusual, and the fewer people who knew, the better. That’s why Si Xu only mobilized Team Seven.
One by one, refrigerated trucks drove into the neighborhood, and the security guards were shocked. If Lin Jiu, the owner, hadn’t been there with them, the security would never have let them in.
Even so, the guards kept checking in from time to time.
It was late at night, and while everyone else in the neighborhood was asleep, Lin Jiu’s house was brightly lit.
When Weng Cheng and Lin Han arrived at Lin Jiu’s house with the handcarts, they were stunned. Their understanding of “hauling seafood” was far from what they saw in front of them—a literal mountain of seafood!
They couldn’t comprehend how so much seafood had ended up inside the house. Could the place even be livable after this?
Lin Han stammered, “F-Five refrigerated trucks… don’t seem to be enough.”
There were six of them, with Chang Beimu unable to drive the trucks. Even Qiao Anya had come along, driving one.
Si Xu had already arranged with a nearby cold storage facility to move the seafood there.
He carried Lin Jiu back to the room, not letting him lift a finger. Si Xu and Team Seven took care of everything.
Without any proper tools, they could only put on gloves. At first, they thought they’d have to move the seafood piece by piece into the trucks. But then, with just a wave of Si Xu’s hand, a large pile of meat floated into the air and landed on the handcart. Once it was full, they sent it downstairs. Three people stayed below, loading the seafood into the refrigerated trucks.
Lin Han, always chatty, couldn’t help but ask, “Is this fish?”
Wrapped up in a fluffy blanket, Lin Jiu sat at the doorway, watching them work.
“Yes, it’s fish,” Lin Jiu replied.
Lin Han clicked his tongue, “That’s a massive pile. How many fish are in there?”
Lin Jiu’s expression grew complicated. “Actually, this is just one…”
Lin Han: “…”
Weng Cheng: “…”
Lin Jiu continued, “…Part of one.”
Lin Han: “!!!!!!!”
Weng Cheng: “!!!!!!!!!!”
Not satisfied with the shock, Lin Jiu added, “This kind of fish can discharge electricity, over a thousand volts at a time.”
Lin Han: “!!!!!!!!!!”
Weng Cheng: “!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Si Xu, who had been quietly working, glanced back at Lin Jiu.
Lin Jiu immediately explained, “I stayed far away. This big guy was hunting the Blue Demon, and I was just scavenging on the sidelines…”
To prove he wasn’t lying, Lin Jiu walked over, grabbed one of the Blue Demon’s tentacles, and gave it a tug. The mountain of seafood in the living room instantly collapsed, revealing a massive blue “octopus” being dragged out from under the pile.
Lin Jiu pulled the Blue Demon toward the doorway and pointed it out to Si Xu, “Look, its head was eaten by that big guy.”
The three of them: “…”
Lin Jiu’s earnest expression was meant to prove he wasn’t lying, but little did he know his words sent chills down their spines.
If something that huge could have its head eaten, it could easily swallow a person whole.
Si Xu tried hard to hold back his questions. He didn’t dare ask if Lin Jiu had gone back into the sea…
But then Si Xu suddenly froze and looked sharply at Lin Jiu!
He had already known that Lin Jiu had gone to sea to catch seafood before. Back then, it baffled him—who goes out to sea to catch their own seafood?
Recalling foreign powers investigating Vera’s origins and Lin Jiu’s unusual behavior toward strangers… Could it be that… Xiao Jiu was…
When Lin Jiu saw the way Si Xu was looking at him, he quickly added, “I didn’t get electrocuted. I stayed far away.”
Lin Han chimed in, “There are fishing boats that insulate from the electric shocks. As long as you’re not in the water, it should be fine.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Feeling guilty, Lin Jiu averted his eyes, avoiding Si Xu’s gaze.
His reaction made it clear to Si Xu—he absolutely went into the sea again!
Si Xu took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, saying nothing. He raised his hand, and the headless Blue Demon flew over to Weng Cheng and Lin Han.
Both of them felt their scalps tingle and backed away repeatedly.
Even dead, this creature was terrifyingly huge. Who would dare catch it alive?
When the handcart reached the Blue Demon’s tentacle, it instantly looked like a toy cart.
Lin Han, sensing the captain’s foul mood, nervously asked, “C-Captain, h-how do we handle this?”
Si Xu: “Cut each tentacle and transport them one by one.”
Lin Han hugged the wall and went to the kitchen to fetch two knives. Together with Weng Cheng, they began cutting the tentacles.
The tentacle meat was thick, sticky, and soft, making it extremely difficult to cut. The two worked up a sweat, finding the task impossibly tough.
Lin Jiu quietly slipped back into the room, afraid that Si Xu would discover he had gone back to the sea. He didn’t dare come out again.
Si Xu, noticing the sudden silence, went to check the bedroom. He found Lin Jiu sitting on the carpet, leaning against the bed, fast asleep.
Si Xu sighed, gently lifting him and placing him on the bed to sleep properly.
Lin Jiu woke up, his eyes alert.
Si Xu gently patted him. “Sleep.”
Lin Jiu closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep again.
Looking at Lin Jiu’s sleeping face, Si Xu couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering when he had described the Siren race to him.
Thinking back to Lin Jiu’s stubborn “I’m fine” response, Si Xu felt both amused and helpless.
Did Lin Jiu already know about his true identity?
—
Oof poor MC, the sounds awful