Wang Xian had to admit—ugly as the Goblin Boss had been, its taste in meat was excellent.
He watched Cheng Yao nibble away happily, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel, eyes half-closed in bliss. The girl looked like she'd found her new favorite meal.
Feeling mischievous, he lowered his voice to a creepy whisper.
"Yaoyao… is the barbecue tasty?"
Cheng Yao blinked at the sudden shift in tone, shot him a suspicious glance, then smiled and nodded.
"Delicious! I've never had anything like it."
She took another bite of the sizzling meat.
Wang Xian leaned in slightly, voice dropping another octave.
"Really? What do you think it's made of… to taste that good?"
That did it.
Her chewing slowed. Her expression froze. Slowly, she turned to look at him.
"Uncle… don't you dare—"
"What do you think it is, hmm?" Wang Xian said, his voice all gloomy mock-seriousness, eyes narrowing with playful menace.
"Human... meat?!" Cheng Yao choked.
The half-eaten barbecue slipped from her fingers and hit the ground with a soft thud. A second later—
"BLECHHH!"
She doubled over, gagging, retching, tears brimming in her eyes.
Wang Xian froze mid-smirk.
Okay, maybe that landed a bit too well...
He rushed to her side and began patting her back, trying not to laugh.
"Hey, hey! If it really was human meat, would I be eating it too?"
Cheng Yao's body went rigid. Slowly, she looked up, realization dawning.
She'd been played.
"UNCLE!"
With a shriek, she grabbed his arm, yanked up his sleeve—and bit him. Hard.
"OW! OW—DAMN! LET GO!"
"Stinky uncle! You're too mean!" Cheng Yao muttered around her bite, teeth still clamped down like a terrier. "You made me almost puke!"
"I said I was sorry! Ow—Yaoyao! Seriously!"
"Serves you right!"
Wang Xian winced and squirmed.
"Let go, or I'll get mad!"
"Not letting go!"
"It hurts!"
"Too bad!"
It took dozens of promises—from daily grilled meat to letting her pick his nickname—for Cheng Yao to finally release him.
Wang Xian inspected the faint bite mark on his forearm.
"You're a dog."
Cheng Yao just gave a cold huff and turned back to the campfire, picking up another skewer like nothing had happened.
"...You can still eat?"
Wang Xian looked at her in disbelief.
Most people would've sworn off food for a week after thinking they'd eaten a fellow human. But Cheng Yao? She was back to munching like it never happened.
"Strong heart or zero shame," he muttered.
After dinner, Wang Xian leaned back against a rock, feeling the exhaustion of days spent grinding settle into his bones.
"So... you heading back tonight?"
Cheng Yao checked her phone and shook her head.
"It's already past nine. I'll go back in the morning."
"Good call. Too risky traveling at night."
Wang Xian stretched and yawned. "We'll stay put 'til dawn."
That's when things got weird.
Cheng Yao's eyes widened like saucers. She stared at him in disbelief.
"U-Uncle... did you just say... until dawn?"
Wang Xian blinked. "Yeah. Why?"
Her cheeks flushed scarlet. She lowered her head, fidgeting.
"T-Then... it's settled. But not yet, okay? I just ate... and if we do it now, I might get... you know, indigestion..."
"…What?"
Wang Xian tilted his head, genuinely confused.
"I said we'll just sit here until sunrise. What are you even talking about?"
"You're not... tired?" Cheng Yao asked hesitantly, her face now the color of a tomato.
"Why would I be tired from sitting?"
"I-I mean... you'll have to do all the... moving…"
Now it was Wang Xian's turn to squint.
"...Yaoyao, are you okay?"
He stepped closer, concern flickering across his face.
Cheng Yao immediately jumped to her feet like she'd been zapped.
"I-I'm fine! Just gonna go... wash up! Yep! Stream! Be right back!"
Without waiting for a reply, she bolted toward the nearby creek, arms flailing, hair bouncing.
Wang Xian stared after her.
"Weird girl," he muttered.
Then he sat down by the dying fire and opened the forum.
If I'm stuck here 'til dawn, might as well see what the world's up to.
The forums were blowing up even harder than before. Dozens of posts appeared and disappeared by the second, but a few had climbed to the top and held their place:
"Changes Under Digitization: The Importance of Levels and Class Advancement"
"Conjectures About the Prophet's Identity"
"Talent Classifications – From Normal to Mythic"
"The Dragon Kingdom Officially Recruits Hidden Professionals – High Benefits"
"How Digitization is Reshaping Blue Star"
Of course, the most popular post was still his—the one made under his forum ID: [Prophet].
The next most active thread?
"Who is the Prophet? Theories and Evidence."
He clicked it open, skimming the most-liked replies at the top.
Top Theory 1: The Prophet is connected to Blue Star's digitization. He might even be behind it.Top Theory 2: He has supernatural powers—can see the future.Top Theory 3: He's a reborn player, reliving a timeline.Top Theory 4: He's an 'insider dev', leaking hidden info.
Wang Xian's mouth twitched.
Reborn player?
His fingers hovered over the screen as a cold sweat trickled down his spine. That third guess was... too close for comfort.
He tapped into the reply thread, scanning the reactions. Fortunately, most people mocked the rebirth theory.
"Reborn? What is this, a web novel?"
"Bro's been watching too many time-travel dramas."
He breathed a little easier.
Good. They think it's ridiculous. That means I'm still safe.
The most upvoted theory remained the "insider developer" guess. Dozens agreed with it, citing how precise and timely his information had been.
That's fine. Let them think that. Just means I need to stay a step ahead.
Wang Xian closed the thread, opened a blank post, and cracked his knuckles.
Time to feed them just enough truth to keep their eyes off the real stuff.
Let the world keep guessing… while I move on to the next stage.