Chapter 5 (1/2): Boss, one order of fried chicken with cilantro!

Yangxin City’s Xijiang Hospital was the most renowned large hospital in the area.

Two kilometers north was the bustling City Center, and to the south lay Xijiang University, surrounded by broad pedestrian streets and blocks of school district housing.

Its prime location meant that Xijiang Hospital’s emergency department was busy all year round.

After Fang Shen made way for hurried doctors for the third time, he had no choice but to press himself against the wall as he walked.

Veteran detective Tan Zhenguo strode by with a file in hand, walking briskly.

“You’re young—later, you’ll do the talking. Be careful not to agitate anyone.”

Fang Shen straightened, nodding seriously.

Earlier that morning, there had been a homicide in the university district.

The victim was a woman living alone—no boyfriend, no sex life, freelance work, and almost no contact with the outside world.

Investigating the murderer was extremely difficult; their only lead was that the killer drove a white van and was skilled at evading investigation.

Then, around eight this morning, the same white van, in order to dodge a fatigued truck driver, ran onto the sidewalk on Huanbei West Road and hit an ordinary black-haired teenager.

The van fled the scene.

The truck driver, after calling an ambulance, stayed put and waited for the police.

“I get it. For this traffic accident, the truck driver’s mainly at fault, the white van less so. But add the criminal case, and it’s all on the van—death sentence.”

That was what the black-haired accident victim said.

“Are you a law major?”

“No, I study art.”

Fang Shen forced a smile.

The old detective’s hand on his shoulder tightened until he almost felt his bones would snap.

No way, could revealing details about the homicide really be blamed on him?!

Every time Fang Shen tried to be vague about the case, the boy would start coughing violently, looking like he was about to suffocate—which was when the nurse outside the door started glaring daggers, ready to kill!

“So, did you see the van’s driver?”

Fang Shen hurriedly added, “Of course, don’t push yourself. It’s normal if you can’t remember.”

From surveillance footage, the black-haired boy had turned around at eight this morning—this was why they’d rushed over to question him.

But given his injuries, Fang Shen didn’t expect much—recalling the incident must be painful.

Though he was wrapped head to toe in bandages, Chu Xiuyan was actually energetic enough to run a kilometer on the spot.

“Sure, want me to do a sketch for you? …Oh, wait, I think my hand’s broken, can’t draw.”

Fang Shen: …How do I even reply to that?

Chu Xiuyan went on, “Then I’ll describe him. Buzz cut, square face, small eyes, black mole on right cheekbone, crooked mouth, gold chain, that’s all I remember… Actually, I feel like I could do a portrait with my left hand, though I’ve never tried.”

Fang Shen glanced at his phone, which was recording, chose to ignore the latter part, and replied seriously, “Thank you. Your description might help us catch the killer.”

“You’re welcome.”

Chu Xiuyan smiled.

“I’m a bit tired now, so…”

Fang Shen: “Alright, rest well. We’ll leave you be.”

Once the two left the room, Chu Xiuyan breathed a sigh of relief.

He fished his phone out from under the blanket, unlocked it with a fingerprint.

The screen showed a delivery in progress.

Ahh, for some reason, eating a Super Giant Cumin Spicy Black Pepper Cilantro Fried Chicken with Ice Cola in front of the police felt a bit awkward.

Like having “Mom watching you.”

Terrifying.

Absolutely terrifying.

The Delivery Guy had already arrived at the hospital and was probably heading upstairs.

Chu Xiuyan grinned in anticipation.

At that moment, the two detectives, who should have left, reappeared at the door.

The young one said, “Let’s exchange contacts…”

The Delivery Guy appeared behind the detectives, peeking into the room.

Chu Xiuyan’s pupils contracted in shock.

Delivery Guy: “Excuse me, which one of you is Mr. Chu?”

Fang Shen slowly turned, eyes wide with shock.

The old detective, expressionless, turned to take the delivery from the guy.

“That’s mine.”

And then.

Both Chu Xiuyan and the Delivery Guy ended up with a bit of pocket money.

Except, one lost his meal.

The other, as requested, went to the hospital cafeteria to buy a plain bowl of sweet porridge.

In the end, Chu Xiuyan stared at the porridge and pitiful side dishes left on the tray at his bedside.

He buried his head and wailed.

“My Super Giant Cumin Spicy Black Pepper Cilantro Fried Chicken with Ice Cola, ahhhhhh—”

System: [Can’t you respect your setting, you broken-boned patient? You were in surgery just three hours ago!]

Chu Xiuyan: [My Super Giant Cumin Spicy Black Pepper Cilantro Fried Chicken with Ice Cola, ahhhhh!!]

System: [Why does fried chicken even have a cilantro flavor?!]

Chu Xiuyan: [My Super Giant Cumin Spicy Black Pepper Cilantro Fried Chicken with Ice Cola, ahhhh!!]

System: [Enough, you’re too noisy! You’re totally ignoring me, aren’t you!]

In the end, hunger won out, and the sweet porridge was finished off.

***

After a long quarrel, Chu Xiuyan and the System finally calmed down, shifting their focus from “why can’t fried chicken be cilantro-flavored” to the upcoming comic launch.

He’d already picked the comic platform: Xingman. A well-established, highly regarded old-school ACG website in China—diverse genres, transparent rankings, good benefits for newcomers.

[In a whole bunch of xxxxx four-character shounen manga names, isn’t Zai Fan unique and attractive? Fifteen characters in all! By the way, boss counts as two characters by width.]

System: [Fine, you’re the protagonist, your call.]

With the title settled, next came the cover and content.

He couldn’t interfere with the latter, but for the cover, Chu Xiuyan had badgered the System endlessly, eventually talking it into his vision.

Soon, the System announced the comic had been published.

He quickly opened the Xingman backend and found his comic with its stunningly cool and gorgeous cover.

The background was a post-apocalyptic ruin.

A black-haired boy stood amid the wreckage, eyes crimson, surrounded protectively by a swarm of vaguely shaped Ashen Monsters.

One, dragon-like, roared at a giant eye composed of countless Blood Crystals looming in the sky.

“Wow.”

Chu Xiuyan was pleasantly surprised—seemed the System really understood him!

He opened the summary; a bland line instantly appeared, wiping away his smile.

[After the calamity descends, can the mysterious boy survive in this bizarre world…]

The mysterious boy, expressionless, opened the author backend, deleted that dull blurb, and replaced it with the line he’d been pondering for ages.

[Ever since a global Blood Mist, disaster has reigned. Mutant beasts rampage, plants grow wild, turning cities to ruins.

***

A black-haired youth emerges from the mist, wild and unrestrained, his coat billowing behind him.

With a single gesture, thousands of Blood Beasts gather in the fog, ready to tear apart everything for their master.

He is darker than the night, more dazzling than the light.

He is the most terrifying Blood Tyrant, the most merciful Saint.

In this world overrun by disaster, he is the First Ray of Dawn before the sunrise.

“It’s time for one last Great Mist.”]

The System didn’t stop him, just commented, [So cringe.]

“But isn’t this cooler than the old blurb?”

Muttering, Chu Xiuyan returned to the homepage, searched for his comic, hit ‘favorite,’ turned off his screen, and got ready to sleep.

No way was he sticking around to read with zero comments and no feedback—he only came for the praise.

With his eyes closed, he fell asleep instantly.

After getting hit by a car at eight that morning on the 1st, he’d spent two days in a neighboring world, never sleeping the whole time. With the constant tension and fierce battles, it was a miracle he’d made it this far.

The System didn’t disturb him, only stared at the comic’s backend stats, lost in thought.

There were five chapters up already.

The number of clicks? Pathetically, zero.

***

[Revived!!]

Chu Xiuyan slept ten hours straight.

He woke up to darkness outside.

A nurse had checked on him during the night—seeing no deterioration, she’d left him alone.

[System, System, how many favorites does the comic have? What about reviews?]

The System didn’t answer.

A little puzzled, but still excited, Chu Xiuyan eagerly picked up his phone.

The moment he saw the comments section, his smile froze.

[The male lead is so cute—wanna beep——]

Chu Xiuyan: “???”

“No, no, that can’t be right! Shouldn’t it be handsome?!”

He frantically scrolled through the comments: a whole string of “cute” and “starry eyes.”

The black-haired boy fell silent.

He began to think.

Then, cautiously, he opened the first chapter.

It started in a dungeon.

Or not quite a dungeon.

The first panel was all red and black: blood stains and white bones in the shadows, highlighting the eerie darkness.

With a “da-da” of footsteps, four figures appeared in the corridor.

“…Your mind might be a bit muddled right now, don’t be anxious—just trust your instincts. If you need to eat fresh flesh and blood, tell me, I’ll find a way… But don’t harm anyone in the dungeon. They’re still useful for now. Can you do that?”

A gray-haired Mutant smiled gently.

Beside him stood a slightly shorter black-haired boy, delicate features, still a bit baby-faced, eyes downcast as he examined the Blood Crystal on the back of his hand—small, thumb-sized, gleaming like a gem.

The next panel zoomed in on the inside of his sleeve—his pale skin cracked open, tiny Crimson Crystals writhing up his wrist, merging and overlapping in a mass both grotesque and fascinating.

“Sure. But I haven’t tried it yet… the taste of blood.”

The boy’s lips curled, a faint coldness in his smile. Shadows slashed across his face, hiding those crimson eyes like deadly calm beneath the ocean’s surface, mysterious and dangerous.

***

Chu Xiuyan: “!!!”

“Ahhh, I look so cool!!”

“What an epic entrance!!”

He rolled around under the covers, giddy.

[System, thank you! You really get me!]

The System stayed silent, oddly quiet.

Bullet comments popped up on the screen.

[Starting off so intense? My god, cannibalism!]

[The black-haired one’s the protagonist, right? What a presence!! So cool!]

[Is it a villain main character? The art’s gorgeous, hope it doesn’t get 404’d.]

[That opening… I love it. Hope the MC stays on the dark side!]

Chu Xiuyan tilted his head.

“But I never turned dark?”

Not caring, he kept reading enthusiastically.

The story moved fast; the character work and backgrounds were top-notch.

By Chu Xiuyan’s standards, even if the plot was mediocre, the smooth, powerful lines alone would make this comic a hit.

Sure enough, the comments even speculated this was the work of some big-name incognito artist.

Chapter one: black-haired boy’s debut, gray-haired Mutant Fanyi gives a brief intro to the Stranger Settlement, then cuts to the Mutants chatting around a campfire.

The final scene: the black-haired boy gazes at the campfire from afar—last panel, still cold-faced; next, eyes suddenly crinkled with a smile.

The comic auto-flipped to chapter two’s cover, instantly exploding the comments section.

Under a dark red night, the firelight illuminated the scene.

The ground was littered with a dozen Mutants, fate unknown, shattered Blood Crystals everywhere, an atmosphere both terrifying and beautiful.