Chapter 185: “We Help You Become the Perfect Self!”

Chapter 185 "We Help You Become the Perfect Self!"

"That's my medicine, right? What are you doing?"

The woman questioned warily, hugging herself in a typical defensive posture, casting a disapproving look at Meng Siyou as if lamenting, "So young and already stealing?"

Interrupted from his examination of the bottle of medicine, Meng Siyou smiled politely and replied calmly, "I’ve been sitting here the whole time without moving. The bottle rolled out of your pocket—your right pocket, probably a bit shallow. You might want to be more careful next time."

To reinforce his point, he gestured vaguely toward her pocket, prompting the woman to let out a small gasp and instinctively check her empty trouser pocket.

"Oh, I did put it there... So it must have fallen out by accident," she muttered, her hostility melting away as she apologized embarrassedly. "Sorry for misunderstanding you!"

"Thank you for picking it up in time. If it had rolled into some corner, it’d be even harder to find."

Meng Siyou handed the bottle back and asked casually, "You seem to really value this medicine. Is there something wrong with your health? Is it particularly effective?"

"Well..."

The woman tightened her grip on the bottle, biting her lip hesitantly. "It’s personal. I’d rather not say."

Watching her evasive gaze, his Ability user instincts warned Meng Siyou—

This strange, fishy-smelling medicine was almost certainly suspicious.

Even if it had nothing to do with the supernatural world, it clearly looked like a black-market product. As a public official, Meng Siyou had a duty to investigate and report it.

"Alright," Meng Siyou sighed for show. "Earlier, I noticed my mom using something similar. I’m worried she might have fallen for some health scam. But every time I ask, she hides it like a secret. Makes me even more concerned..."

"If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I’m planning to take hers to the hospital for advice tomorrow."

The woman went rigid, suddenly objecting nervously, "N-no, you can’t take it to the hospital!"

Just then, a gust of wind pushed thick clouds over the sun.

In the changing light, Meng Siyou faintly noticed something moving deep within the woman’s eyes—her dark irises rippling like disturbed water, uneven ripples appearing for just an instant.

But when he blinked, her eyes were normal again... as if the change had been a trick of the light.

Hesitating, Meng Siyou grew even warier. "Why can’t it be taken to the hospital?"

"Don’t tell me... this really is some knockoff medicine? You can’t just take that kind of stuff!"

Their conversation had already drawn the attention of nearby elderly onlookers, and now Meng Siyou raised his voice in dramatic disbelief...

The woman felt everyone's eyes on her. She quickly stuffed the bottle into her handbag, zipped it shut, and after a moment of hesitation, finally lowered her voice.

"Fine, I’ll tell you—but don’t spread it around, and don’t take it to the hospital!"

"This medicine is extremely rare. It’s a cutting-edge product developed by a foreign pharmaceutical company. Right now, getting it domestically requires connections and effort!"

She hastily added, "Of course, it’s completely safe and healthy. It just hasn’t entered the domestic market yet. Overseas, people are fighting to get it—thousands of dollars for just this tiny bottle!"

Meng Siyou pushed further, "So... what exactly does it treat?"

"Everything," the woman answered as if stating the obvious. "Any illness or health issue—obesity, hair loss, insomnia, binge eating, anorexia... these capsules can fix it all!"

"..."

Meng Siyou’s mouth twitched. Even the most outrageous fraudulent supplements wouldn’t dare make such absurd claims!

How could any medicine genuinely cure *all* ailments?

It even promised to defeat mankind’s eternal enemy—baldness!

Who would actually believe this nonsense?

"Honestly, I didn’t believe it at first either," the woman said, understanding his doubt but persisting. "But once you try it... just one capsule, and you’ll see—everything they say is true!"

"It helps us... become the *perfect* versions of ourselves!"

Her voice, full of zeal, startled two sparrows pecking seeds nearby. Farther off, a black cat arched its spine, pupils narrowing to slits as if sensing danger. It hissed loudly in the woman’s direction before darting into the bushes.

Then, a *ding* echoed in Meng Siyou’s mind as the system’s emotionless mechanical voice announced:

「Congratulations, Player. You’ve triggered the B+-ranked real-life scenario *"A Mother’s Hidden Worry."* Good luck.」

「Number of Players: 65 (and rising).」

「Scenario Description: *"The love of parents for their children runs deep."*—This is a bottle of wonder drug, and a mother’s deep concern under extraordinary circumstances.」

「Mission 1: Investigate the reason behind the Universal Capsule’s *"cure-all"* claims and trace its origin.」

「Mission 2 (Side): Prevent the spread of ■■■■■■.」

「Warning: This is a time-limited mission. After seven days, the medicine’s distribution will become uncontrollable, and this world risks becoming a nest for divine beings.

This concerns the players’ original world. Proceed with caution!」

By the end, Meng Siyou’s expression had turned to stone.

......

The stairwell echoed with heavy banging, objects colliding against walls, vibrations rippling outward like invisible waves.

Yi Fengchu opened his door to the sound of quiet swearing downstairs, followed by the fawning apologies of movers.

He waited, leaving the door ajar, until three sweaty workers made their way up, panting as they hauled large jugs of purified water—one, two, three...

At a glance, Yi Fengchu counted at least ten of the largest-sized jugs.

And before he’d opened the door, they’d already done two loads...

Who needed *that* much purified water at home?

Were they starting an aquarium?

The lead worker noticed Yi Fengchu and stiffened, quickly explained, "Sorry, we’ll be done soon. Won’t disturb you."

"It’s fine," Yi Fengchu replied with a faint smile. "Carry on."

He watched as the movers struggled upstairs. Moments later, the heavy jugs landed with a dull *thud*, shaking the entire apartment building slightly.

With the job done, the movers sighed in relief, wiping sweat as they descended.

Passing Yi Fengchu’s door, the lead worker—perhaps put at ease by the young man’s mild demeanor—offered a simple, friendly grin. "Sorry for interrupting your nap, buddy."

"Our apologies, it's rare for us to get an order for dozens of water jugs in a residential area like this..."

Yi Fengchu glanced upward and suddenly asked, "Were they cooking when you delivered the water?"

"Huh?" The worker froze for a moment before waving his hand. "No, not at all. No smell of food whatsoever. The curtains were pulled completely shut—even in broad daylight, the place was pitch black inside. Didn't even see a shadow moving!"

"No clue what's going on there, ordering so much water all at once. The floor was packed—full barrels of purified water, empty bottles knocked over everywhere... I even asked if they’d made a mistake with the quantity, but got angrily snapped at..."

The lead worker was going on when suddenly, a younger deliveryman behind him interrupted, "Boss, regulations say we can’t disclose client info..."

"Oh, right, right."

Coming to his senses, the lead worker paused, confused, and patted his head; a strange feeling came over him—

Normally, after a day of exhausting manual labor, he’d never have the energy to chat so casually with a stranger mid-job.

But for some reason, the moment he met the unfamiliar young man’s dark eyes, under that smiling gaze, his mouth started moving of its own accord, words flowing out effortlessly, one after another...

Now that he’d snapped out of it, it seemed downright unnatural...

Some primal instinct made him avoid dwelling on it, avoiding recollection, deliberately maintaining a protective fog of willful ignorance and numbness, distancing himself from the unfamiliar black-haired youth.

He hastily bid Yi Fengchu farewell and disappeared down the stairs with his crew.

Yi Fengchu remained in place, gazing upward with a thoughtful expression.

Snakes often flick their slender tongues, collecting and analyzing complex scent particles in the air to navigate, track prey, or sense danger.

At this moment, just by standing there, Yi Fengchu could hear the discordant notes of fate being plucked awry, sensing the gathering, swirling storm of brewing chaos.

And the reason he’d asked the workers if cooking was happening upstairs was simple—

From them, he’d caught a briny ocean scent.

Sweet and tantalizing... the scent of cooking.

Yi Fengchu stepped back inside and closed the door; an image flashed through his mind—that old classmate who’d been secretly tailing him lately.

"It’s you," he murmured, smiling to the empty room. "—The investigator of this incident."

Downstairs.

Meng Siyou was about to report back to the Anomalous Affairs Bureau when a familiar book appeared before him—the "Book of Fate" left by the prophet.

Through the faint golden text appearing line by line, Meng Siyou could vividly imagine the High Being’s amused smirk.

"Perhaps your world could use some help :)"

"Enter the nearest apartment building. Unit 602, top floor. There, you’ll find the clues you need."