Chapter 198 | The One Who Devours All

“Calm down for a moment, don't get excited,” Yue Shi’s voice rang out at the right time, carrying a unique, hypnotic magic that could soothe the mind.

The Beast Tamer’s chest, which had been heaving violently, slowed slightly. His crimson eyes glared at Yue Shi, and the impending explosion of madness seemed to be forcibly suppressed.

“Were your feelings played with?” Yue Shi asked.

Su Jinglu glanced at Yue Shi in surprise, seemingly shocked that he could say such a thing with a straight face. How could he even utter such a ridiculous statement?

The other party wanted a three-person romance!

However, the Beast Tamer seemed to have found an outlet for his emotions. He nodded vigorously and angrily, his voice filled with grievance and rage. “Yes, they lied to me!”

“How were you lied to? Do you mind telling me? Perhaps I can help you,” Yue Shi said, appearing patient and concerned on the surface, while his gaze never left the begonia hairpin.

The begonia hairpin in the Beast Tamer’s hand looked ordinary, but it was the true key—the source of this absurd disaster.

【Sexual Characteristics Detachment Hairpin】: Continuously emits a unique curse field. The holder can specify a gender; within the field's range, the sexual characteristics of all target humans matching the condition will be forcibly detached and manifested as independent living organisms. The detachment process is accompanied by cognitive distortion, causing the affected targets to develop a strong instinct to chase and reclaim said organisms.

It was no wonder the men downstairs had all gone mad, fighting over those small animals. After all, those were their ██.

“Those two people spent my money, played with my feelings, and even cheated me of my body!” the Beast Tamer accused, his voice shrill.

Yue Shi was momentarily speechless.

Given the Beast Tamer’s plain appearance and indistinguishable gender, the idea of someone cheating him of his body was truly hard to imagine. Who would be so desperate?

But Yue Shi maintained a gentle expression and guided him. “Tell me the details. How did they lie to you? If a large sum of money is involved, the Investigation Bureau will not stand by. We will definitely help you recover your losses and use the law to punish them!”

“No!!!” The Beast Tamer’s reaction was unexpectedly intense, and his newly calmed emotions flared up again. The surrounding small animals also bared their teeth and hissed.

“I won't allow you to punish them! No one can hurt them!”

Yue Shi: “...” Fine, he was a top-tier love-brain.

He immediately changed his tune, his voice becoming even softer. “Alright, alright, we won't punish them or hurt them. Can you tell me now?”

Hearing this, the Beast Tamer’s guard lowered slightly. He carefully pulled out an object wrapped in waterproof oilcloth from inside his soaked clothes.

Opening the oilcloth, he revealed a worn, old photo album.

Finally, he stood up from the edge of the roof and walked over to the water tank to shield himself from the wind and snow, terrified that the album would be ruined by the slush.

Yue Shi followed him silently.

Su Jinglu followed closely behind, though she cautiously maintained her distance. Her gaze shifted between Yue Shi and the Beast Tamer, filled with inquiry.

She didn't understand why Yue Shi could so easily pacify this dangerous supernatural source.

Was it some miraculous effect of his incredible looks?

No, no, it couldn't be that superficial.

There had to be a deeper reason!

With trembling hands, the Beast Tamer flipped open the first page of the album.

What came into view was a sweet photo of a couple.

The background was a park. A woman in a light green dress smiled brightly, holding a wildflower. Beside her, a man in a white shirt looked down at her, his eyes full of affection.

A handsome man and a beautiful woman—it was a picture-perfect couple.

On the second page, the photo was taken in a cozy dessert shop. It was the same couple, exchanging milk teas and smiling brilliantly.

The third was a silhouette of them watching the sunrise together, romantic and beautiful.

As they continued flipping through, there were photos of their daily life at home: cooking, watching TV, playing around...

Every photo was filled with love and happiness.

Yue Shi felt like he was watching a standard romantic documentary.

Looking at the photos, the Beast Tamer seemed to fall into a memory. “Both of them were my best friends. The three of us grew up together in an orphanage...”

In the distance, several helicopters bearing the Investigation Bureau logo were circling. The observers inside the cabins kept their eyes fixed on the hotel rooftop.

“Report: The source of this supernatural incident has been confirmed to be on the rooftop. Investigator Su and a male investigator from Amber City are in contact with the source. The situation is currently stable and has not deteriorated further,” a communicator reported to a superior.

“Understood. Notify all ground and air units to be fully prepared. The moment Su Jinglu signals or the situation spirals out of control, execute containment or elimination protocols immediately. Priority is given to the safety of Su Jinglu and our colleague from Amber City,” a calm command came from the other end of the radio.

“Understood!”

The helicopter adjusted its position. Another transcendent in the cabin stared intently at the Beast Tamer’s location on the roof.

Multiple heavily armed investigators also quietly appeared at the rooftop entrance, but they followed orders to only seal the passage and did not rush forward.

Yue Shi continued looking at the album.

However, as he flipped further, he keenly noticed that the vibe of the photos was slowly changing.

In the corners or backgrounds of those sweet couple photos, a third figure gradually began to appear, as if captured by accident.

At first, this figure was just part of the background and didn't stop the main couple at the center from smiling happily.

But as the album went on, the third person’s presence in the photos grew larger and larger, moving from the edges toward the center, gaining more and more prominence.

Sometimes it was a photo of the three of them, but the couple’s smiles were no longer as joyful or carefree as before.

The third person’s expression, however, held a sense of cautious satisfaction and an almost imperceptible possessiveness.

Eventually, the photos became almost a record exclusive to the three of them.

Eating together, traveling together... the interaction between the original couple significantly decreased, and their eyes showed signs of exhaustion and avoidance.

Meanwhile, the third person was always squeezed between them, engaging in intimate gestures that crossed the boundaries of ordinary friendship.

The Beast Tamer babbled on the side, his voice a mix of nostalgia and resentment.

“They were like my older brother and sister, always taking care of me. Although our lives were very difficult then, I felt happy. With the three of us together, we had the whole world.”

“Later, I awakened my supernatural power and became a transcendent. I could talk to small animals and control them. I used this ability to earn a lot of money. Our lives got better day by day. We moved out of the orphanage and into a big house.”