Chapter 33
The sales pitch blasting from the virtual loudspeaker was a little too down-to-earth. The crowd that had already gathered around fell into a slight silence, and not a single person stepped forward to buy anything.
Someone noticed the words “healing fruits and vegetables” in the ad and asked, “Healing fruits and vegetables? Does that mean these fruits can cure illnesses?”
The mysterious man in black robes—Lin An’an, out in human form for a bit of fresh air for the very first time—shook his head. “They can’t be taken as medicine, but they can be used as health supplements. These fruits and vegetables strengthen the body and improve general wellness. Everyone who’s eaten them says they’re great!”
He raised a thumbs-up, and the virtual loudspeaker very fittingly changed its pitch on the spot:
“Are you still drained every night because of insomnia?
Are you still anxious over your ever-worsening baldness?
Are you still flustered by the ringing in your ears every time you stand up?
Are you still…
If these troubles are bothering you, then what are you waiting for?!
Brother Robe Brand strengthening-and-health healing fruits and vegetables!
You deserve them!!!”
The entire place went silent.
After a long moment, a mutter came from the crowd: “Th-this… doesn’t that sound way too fake?”
The mutter was very soft, but because the surroundings were so quiet, it sounded remarkably clear.
Someone nodded in agreement. “It sounds like a pyramid scheme.”
Lin An’an: “……”
He somehow pulled out a glowing screen flashing with colorful lights and hung it on the little cart. On it were written the words:
“Grand opening special! Everything 90% off! 90% off everything!!!”
“90% off?” someone asked. “What’s the price after the discount?”
Lin An’an held up one finger. “One hundred star coins. One bag.”
He pointed at the fruit on the stall. Everything had already been packed into eco-friendly bags.
There were four kinds of fruit in total—some mixed two kinds together, some had several kinds in one bag, and some bags contained only one type, making it convenient for different tastes.
Someone in the crowd muttered, “After a 90% discount it’s still the same price as before? Then the original price would’ve been over a thousand?”
“Well, you can’t put it that way. A single tomato outside already costs over a thousand. This whole bag is actually really cheap.”
“That’s true. And if this stuff really does have health benefits… then it’s even more worth it!”
“I’m actually pretty willing to trust An Cub. Since he chose to work with this robe guy and said there’d be a surprise… maybe these healing fruits really are pretty good?”
Lin An’an stayed calm and unhurried. “Anyway, it’s only one hundred star coins. You won’t suffer a loss or get scammed for that much. Just buy a bag and try it—then you’ll know whether it works, won’t you?”
Everyone looked at each other.
That… actually sounded pretty reasonable?
The person standing at the front immediately said, “Then give me two bags.”
As he reached for the fruit on the stall, the mysterious man in black lightly pressed down on his arm. “Limit one purchase per person.”
The crowd was shocked. “There’s even a purchase limit?!”
Lin An’an nodded mercilessly. “Yep, yep. Limited quantity, first come first served!”
Quite a few people in the crowd sighed, forced to give up the idea of taking advantage of the discount and snatching extra.
A cartful of fruit was quickly sold out. Before leaving, someone asked, “Brother Robe, will it always be you selling from now on? Will An Cub come with you too?”
The mysterious Brother An replied, “Maybe once in a while.”
That uncertain answer disappointed them greatly, and they left sighing heavily.
Lin An’an gave a little wow in his heart. Was his personal charm really that huge?
Truly shocking for a cub.jpg
After putting away the cart, Lin An’an left the market. Very soon, another familiar set of footsteps sounded behind him.
When he turned around, he saw exactly what he expected—Brother Wolf, also dressed in black robes.
“How come you still followed me?” Lin An’an asked.
Feng Wu said, “Nothing to do at home anyway.”
A lie.
He was obviously worried about him.
Lin An’an laughed secretly to himself. “Today’s the first day, so nothing will happen for sure. In a few days, once people discover the true effect of the healing fruits, things might get chaotic.”
“Mm, I know,” Feng Wu said. “When that time comes, Si Youlin will come and take your place.”
Lin An’an nodded. Si Youlin’s treatment was already nearing its end. Lin An’an had been thinking that tonight, if he gave him one final deep treatment session on his own, Si Youlin should be fully cured.
The effect of the healing fruits and vegetables being sold to the public this time could be said to be negligible compared with the healing produce their own household had been eating.
The produce sold outside could only keep Alpha symptoms from worsening, and ease a small portion of the pain caused by Alpha, but it could not truly cure the illness.
Lowering the effect of the healing produce had been Feng Wu’s idea.
The appearance of Alpha Syndrome was far too strange. Feng Wu had always suspected that deep waters lay hidden behind it.
The situation was still unclear. It was not yet time for truly effective healing produce to appear.
His golden eyes shifted slightly, and Feng Wu swept a glance at the youth beside him from the corner of his eye.
The other party had already removed the black robe in a dark alley. He wore a disguise mask on his face, covering his naturally eye-catching features.
Feng Wu withdrew his gaze, his thoughts racing.
He did not believe that such a large-scale illness across the whole galaxy could have been created by the Second Prince alone. There had to be others around him—or rather, behind him.
The appearance of healing produce with only a weak effect would definitely attract the attention of those hidden in the shadows. The only question was whether they could use it to seize some clues.
Lin An’an stayed in human form all the way until they got home.
If they were going to put on a show, they had to make it convincing. They needed to create the illusion that a “mysterious man” truly existed, so that everyone’s attention would be diverted onto that nonexistent person.
And that role, naturally, could not be better suited to anyone more than “already dead” Si Youlin.
Today was the first day of selling the healing produce. Lin An’an had been too excited to resist, so he personally went to the market once. After that, barring any surprises, the selling would mostly be handed over to Si Youlin.
The people inside heard movement and came out.
Si Youlin asked, “How did it go?”
Still wearing his disguise mask, Lin An’an gave him a thumbs-up. “Do you even need to ask?”
When An Cub goes into action, one cub beats two!
Si Youlin smiled, his gaze gentle. “Put the black robe on again and let me see.”
He needed to confirm once more what Lin An’an looked like while wearing the black robe, so that when he played the role next time, everything would be foolproof and no flaws would show.
Lin An’an nodded and put the black robe back on.
He had deliberately chosen a very loose robe, concealing his originally slim figure very thoroughly.
After putting it on, he took two steps around the room, letting Si Youlin memorize his gait and certain habits.
“Actually, you don’t need to copy that much,” Lin An’an said. “Most of the time it’ll be you going out in the future anyway. I only went once on the first day. No one will notice anything.”
Feng Wu, however, said, “Just in case.”
“Okay then.” Lin An’an looked at Si Youlin, who was trying hard to imitate him. “It’ll be hard on you from now on.”
Si Youlin just smiled. “Not at all. I’ve been dying to go out. I’ve been cooped up at home for who knows how long.”
Besides, the youth had cured his Alpha, and he had no way to repay him with anything of equal worth.
For most Alpha patients, “curing Alpha” was something that could not be measured in money at all. It was almost equivalent to their lives.
“Our heights are pretty close,” Si Youlin said. “That does make things much easier.”
Lin An’an glanced at him. “……”
He was too embarrassed to say that before going out today, he had specifically asked Brother Wolf for Snake Brother’s height, and had then stuffed height-increasing insoles into his shoes.
For once, Xiong Yingjun was unexpectedly quiet. Ever since Feng Wu and Lin An’an came in, he had not said a word. He just sat on the sofa, silently watching them.
Lin An’an grew curious. “Brother Xiong, why aren’t you saying anything?”
He was being too quiet—so quiet that it felt unnatural.
Xiong Yingjun’s gaze drifted, and his voice came out airy and faint. “You’re so tall…”
Lin An’an: “…?”
He looked at himself in his height-increasing insoles, then at Xiong Yingjun, who still looked abnormally tall and sturdy even while sitting on the sofa.
“You used to be just this tiny.” Xiong Yingjun gestured with one hand. “How did you suddenly just… whoosh… become this big…”
Oh.
So he still had not accepted the whole suddenly became human thing.
Lin An’an was both amused and helpless. “Brother Xiong, I literally told you from the very beginning that I was already an adult.”
“I know, I remember,” Xiong Yingjun blinked, still looking dazed. “But knowing it is one thing. Seeing it is another.”
Lin An’an did not know whether to laugh or cry.
At that moment, another room door was pushed open, and one big and one small white cat came out. The instant they saw the black-robed mysterious figure in the room, both of them stopped at the exact same time.
When Lin An’an had gone out in human form, Bai Yang had been taking a nap with Bai Yue, so he knew nothing about the little cub’s big transformation into a person.
Seeing a stranger appear at home now, Bai Yang instinctively panicked and turned to carry his little sister back into the room.
Although Bai Yue’s condition had greatly improved, that only applied when she saw familiar people. Bai Yang did not dare let her abruptly come into contact with a strange new person like this.
However, just as Bai Yang opened his mouth to grab the back of the kitten’s neck, the little kitten suddenly sped up, slipped right out from under her brother’s mouth with a whoosh, and escaped.
Bai Yue went straight over to the mysterious black-robed figure, sniffed and sniffed with her pink little nose, and seemingly recognized a familiar scent. She immediately pounced onto the black robe and clung to it shakily.
The little kitten’s behavior made Lin An’an freeze, and almost at the same time as Feng Wu, he said, “Scent.”
The two looked at each other, and Lin An’an quickly warned Si Youlin, “Snake Brother, when you go out, remember to use mental power to block your scent too.”
A human form might not notice the difference, but if someone suddenly shifted into their second form, the smell might give everything away.
Si Youlin nodded and carefully noted that point down.
Bai Yang stared, utterly shocked by what his little sister had done. He approached blankly, then his eyes suddenly widened, his beautiful blue pupils full of suspicion and surprise.
…This scent felt so familiar?
Why did it smell so much like little brother An Cub’s?
Wait, didn’t it smell exactly the same as little brother An Cub?
After discussing disguise techniques with Si Youlin, Lin An’an gave a poof and transformed back into a little cub, tumbling together with the little kitten that had been lying on his knees.
Bai Yang blinked.
Oh. So it really was An Cub.
No wonder Yueyue was so close to him and not scared at all.
Bai Yang blinked again—and suddenly his pupils shook.
Wait, An Cub…?
Little brother? Big brother???
That very evening, Lin An’an found time to completely cure Si Youlin’s Alpha.
Over the next few days, every afternoon, Si Youlin dressed up as the mysterious black-robed man and went punctually to the market to set up a stall.
Lin An’an went along with him too, but he set up at the neighboring stall, selling ordinary fruits and vegetables with no healing effect, just like before.
The healing produce stayed discounted for three straight days, and on the fourth day returned to its original price.
The number of buyers visibly dropped, and a cartful of healing produce sold much more slowly. But Lin An’an was not worried in the slightest.
The healing effect of this batch of produce was relatively weak, so naturally the results came slowly too. It was not something people could notice in a day or two.
During that time, Lin An’an also received some skepticism while livestreaming.
[Did An Cub get scammed? The fruit processed by the mysterious guy doesn’t seem that special. [super quietly jpg]]
[How dare he trick our cubby? Does that damn mysterious man even have a heart? Cubby is still so little!!!]
[Wuwuwu my heart aches so much for cubby. He just bullies a little cub who still doesn’t understand the world. [crying like crazy jpg]]
[Damn damn damn, tomorrow I’m bringing rotten eggs to smash at him. Don’t be scared, An Cub! We’re here! We definitely won’t let you get bullied!!!]
The little cub: “…Pujii?”
This seemed… a little different from the way he had imagined it would develop?
He had expected that, at the beginning, before people discovered the effect of the healing produce, there would definitely be doubt and questioning.
But what he had not expected was that the fans in his livestream room were almost all comforting him and saying they were going to go punish the “awful mysterious man.”
Lin An’an was deeply moved.
But at the same time, he also found it just a tiny tiny bit funny.
He was scamming himself. He was crusading against himself…
Was there not something a little weird about that?
When Xiong Yingjun saw these reactions in the livestream, he could not help asking, “Can’t you just tell them directly what the healing produce actually does?”
The little cub gave him a gaze full of fond pity. [If I told them now, would they believe me?]
Xiong Yingjun frowned and thought for a while, then realized belatedly. “Oh, right, they probably wouldn’t. They’d just think you—no, they’d just think the mysterious man was a super gigantic liar.”
Lin An’an nodded, thinking that in that case, he himself would probably end up looking like some silly little fool who had been brainwashed.
Fortunately, this situation did not last very long.
Two more days passed. Lin An’an and the black-robed Si Youlin arrived at the market one after the other, only to find several people squatting at the entrance waiting. The moment they saw them, their eyes lit up.
Then they quickly made their way toward the mysterious man in black.
“Brother—no, big brother, big brother, can you sell me a little more of that healing produce?” The man rubbed his hands together, looking both excited and nervous. “Five bags—no, no, three bags would do!”
Black-robed Si Youlin shook his head. “Sorry. One bag per person. The rules won’t change.”
The man’s face instantly fell, only to hear Si Youlin add, “But you can buy on behalf of others if you bring their Sin Star ID.”
“For real?” His eyes lit right back up. “Alright, alright, I’ll buy one bag first, then I’ll run back and come right back for two more!”
After buying the healing produce, the waiting crowd did not forget to greet the little cub and the others at the neighboring stall.
The most excited among them had stars in his eyes. “A surprise! It really is the biggest surprise ever!!!”
The words came completely out of nowhere, and before anyone could ask more, he hurried off, shouting all the while for them not to sell too fast because he would be right back.
Lin An’an looked up and exchanged a glance with Feng Wu.
It seemed the healing produce had already started taking effect.
And sure enough, after returning home that day, Lin An’an found several discussion posts about it on SinNet.
He clicked into the one with the highest reply count.
Thread title: [About the healing produce sold by the mysterious black-robed man who’s working with An Cub.]
Original post: **[Bought three bags during the first three days when they were on promotion—apples, mini pears, and oranges. I didn’t buy any more after the price went back to normal, because I felt the effect didn’t seem that magical and I didn’t want to rush into being some huge sucker.
But over the past few days, I’ve had this feeling… and I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but it feels like my fingernails aren’t growing quite as fast anymore? I’ve attached pictures on the first floor. Could everyone help compare? I’m genuinely afraid it’s just eye strain or a hallucination.
PS: My Alpha symptom is excessive nail growth. My nails grow incredibly fast, and I have to trim them at least ten times a day, otherwise it seriously affects my normal life.]**
1L / OP: [[nail comparison image]]
2L / OP: [Please help me take a look, thank you so much, thank you so much. [palms pressed together jpg]]
3L: [Front row. Doesn’t look like there’s that huge a difference?]
4L: [Probably your imagination. This is an Alpha symptom we’re talking about.]
8L: [I get OP. I also wish every day I could wake up cured. Sigh, I’m really going crazy. [cat sighing jpg]]
15L: [Saying this very quietly, but after layering the images and doing comparison processing, I did find that the nail growth speed did get a little slower over the next few days—but only a tiny bit, like less than one millimeter.]
19L: [One millimeter is way too little though. Could just be a fluke or measurement error.]
24L: [I also want Alpha to be cured, or even just having symptoms ease a bit would be nice. But everyone, let’s not keep daydreaming like this. Living well is still the most important thing. [hands behind back, sighing in acceptance jpg]]
31L: [Holy shit, OP, I’m the same as you! My Alpha symptom is hair growing way too fast, and after eating the healing produce I also felt it slowed down. I thought it was just my imagination too!!! (Too bad I didn’t take comparison photos.)]
39L: [Well well, now there are two crazy people. Somebody carry them away. [cat bringing a stretcher jpg]]
…
155L: [It really works! It really works!!! My symptom is hair loss. Before this, I’d already gone bald enough to look like a monk (crying and covering my face), and I had to wear a wig to go out. Plus the bald spot was getting worse day by day. But after eating the produce… no more words, just pictures. [photo]]**
167L: [Damn damn damn, when you compare it like this it’s so obvious! The speed at which the bald spot was spreading clearly slowed down over those later days!!!]**
189L: [My daughter said the same thing—after eating the apples she felt less miserable. Her symptoms are pretty severe: swelling in all four limbs accompanied by intense pain. Painkillers don’t help at all. I thought she was just going numb from the pain, but could it really be the healing produce having an effect? [shocked jpg]]**
222L: [My spouse also said the symptoms haven’t worsened these past few days. This morning I even laughed and asked whether she just hadn’t fully woken up yet…]
…
Lin An’an skimmed through it roughly.
This post had quite a wide time span—three or four days, probably—and the change in attitude throughout it was very obvious.
Still, apart from those who had personally experienced the effects, most people remained doubtful and unwilling to believe.
All of that was within Lin An’an’s expectations.
After all, Alpha had been a massive problem troubling the entire galaxy for years. Suddenly some mysterious man appears and claims his fruits and vegetables can ease the symptoms—if the mysterious man were not Lin An’an himself, even Lin An’an would suspect he was some scammer out to make money.
Si Youlin asked him, “Should we increase the amount of produce sold tomorrow?”
[Yes.] The little cub nodded without hesitation. [Tomorrow definitely won’t be enough.]
Compared with all the patients on Sin Star, the current amount of healing produce being grown was no more than a drop in the ocean.
Lin An’an calculated things quickly in his head and thought to himself that perhaps, in the future, planting the entire planet would become more than just words.
Imperial Capital Star, Amio Palace.
Xia Yuanhan paced back and forth irritably inside the room. On the terminal screen before him was one of the SinNet threads about “healing produce.”
The thread was still refreshing continuously. Although nine out of every ten comments were saying that “healing produce curing Alpha” was nonsense, the one or two scattered comments claiming it really did help were still enough to make Xia Yuanhan increasingly agitated.
He could not help saying, “Didn’t you guarantee me that Alpha absolutely could not be cured?”
A cold mechanical voice sounded in the room. “Why are you so anxious? You haven’t even gotten the goods yet, so how can you be sure they actually work?”
“And besides…” The voice gave a mocking laugh. “Healing produce? Do you really believe that?”
Xia Yuanhan forced himself to calm down a little. “I don’t want to believe it, but—” he pointed at the huge screen displaying the thread, “some people do.”
A knock suddenly sounded at the door, interrupting their conversation.
The door opened, and Fan Xiu walked in holding a box. “Your Highness, your interstellar delivery.”
“Put it there.” Xia Yuanhan’s fingers twitched once. “Leave.”
Once Fan Xiu withdrew, Xia Yuanhan immediately tore open the package.
Inside was, unmistakably, a bag of healing produce sold by the mysterious man.
Points of light gathered and flickered in the room. The holographic screen suddenly vanished, and a pale white figure with a faint illusory quality appeared out of thin air.
It was a multidimensional holographic projection.
At first glance, this figure looked no different from an ordinary person. But once he stepped out of the shadows, it became clear that the exposed skin on his arms shimmered with an unnatural metallic sheen.
Xia Yuanhan impatiently thrust the fruit and vegetables forward.
The projected figure stretched out a hand, hovering it above the produce. A pale, eerie light lit up in the center of his palm, and a light screen instantly appeared before him, covered in symbols and text Xia Yuanhan could not understand.
A moment later, the projected figure withdrew his hand, and a hint of interest entered the mechanical voice. “Interesting.”
Xia Yuanhan asked, “Well?”
“These fruits…” The mechanical voice did not deny it. “They really are useful.”
Xia Yuanhan’s hand immediately tightened.
“Useful, but not useful.”
Xia Yuanhan’s brows drew together. “What does that mean?”
“These things really do have a certain healing effect on Alpha, but only to the extent of easing symptoms—for example, reducing pain and slowing the rate at which the illness worsens,” the mechanical voice said calmly. “But they cannot truly cure Alpha.”
“Not to mention that the healing effect contained in these fruits is minimal. Even if someone eats enough of them, though the Alpha symptoms may seem to disappear, that is still only the symptoms disappearing.”
After thinking for a moment, Xia Yuanhan suddenly understood. “So you mean… the symptoms disappear on the surface, but in reality the person is still carrying Alpha?”
“Exactly. So you needn’t worry.” The mechanical voice laughed quietly. “If you’re really that worried, it’s not impossible for me to make another move.”
“Oh, you’ll absolutely be making another move,” Xia Yuanhan said, suddenly smiling as the anxiety in his heart receded. “But not now.”
The projected figure raised a brow slightly.
“Not now,” Xia Yuanhan said softly. “Don’t they think they’ve seen hope? Then let them have a little more hope. Let them pile up all this false hope… and when it’s enough, smash it completely and send them tumbling back into the abyss of despair—”
“Only true hope that arrives in the midst of true despair will become their light.”
Wild, sinister ambition flared in the young man’s eyes.
“I am their light. Their only light.”
![After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar]](https://i1.wp.com/panda-translations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20220822190944_300_420.jpg?resize=151,215 "After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar]")