Let this mouse go
[??? Caleb Ross!!! Ollie!!! What are you doing to our precious Jiji!!!]
[Aaaaaah get it away!!!]
The fans who adored Ollie's Jiji completely lost it.
Ollie had always done goofy pet content with a little hamster now and then, and most of the time it was ugly-cute in an endearing way. But Jiji was straight-up gorgeous—fluffy, photogenic, everything looked perfect on the little guy.
But this time…
This time they really couldn't take it.
Why did you have to pick that insect costume?!
There are so many cute bugs in nature—why this one?!
Everyone clicked in with hopeful curiosity, then clicked out with fingers full of curse-emoji, afraid that if they watched another second this pure little roach would crawl into someone's house tonight.
The comment thread collapsed under a tide of outrage, but Caleb Ross didn't flinch. He checked the shop backend and watched various sizes of roach suits sell out, then smiled the smile of money.
Humans are weird creatures: they shout "no" while their hands never stop buying.
Given how well Ollie's livestream was selling things this time, Caleb magnanimously decided not to scold him for secretly ordering takeout earlier.
Northridge and Easton Village were basically on opposite sides of the state, so Quinn reverted to his original form and slipped through the mountains to get to Ollie as fast as possible. He only took out his phone when he was nearly there.
Huh?
Huh???
Is that their Cub?
Why is it wearing such an ugly outfit?
Save, save, save—forward them all; I'll show the Cub later hahaha so dumb.
Zara would scream if she saw this kind of bug costume. Quinn forwarded the photos without thinking to their four-person group chat, then shut his phone off. He'd had it with that smelly bird always fanning him with its wings.
Compared to the small-squirrel stunt that had driven a spike of attention to Ollie's team, Julian North's squad was a little more low-key.
They'd also found some of the markers the show team hid in high places and had been stuck at first—until Jade Hayes surprised everyone with unexpectedly agile moves and grabbed a new highlight for their stream.
"Don't worry. We've got this. They don't have anyone who can climb. So far we've found three high markers—total fifteen points. They'll have a hard time catching up."
Maybe because of someone back home, Julian kept feeling like Jade wasn't quite right. The moves she pulled off were within a human's capability, sure, but could someone really be that flexible and fast?
As Jade warned, the show got trickier as they went on: the markers were placed higher and higher. They could keep using the squirrels for help, but Jade worried that repeated use would draw too much attention from the Supernatural Affairs Bureau.
Ollie's group had no choice but to comb the grass for markers. They were there, but yielded low points and few useful items. So far, the only food they'd managed to score were four bottles of water.
Mason Yu hadn't wanted to join them, but everyone tacitly respected his claim and left his share untouched. Ollie, true to hamster instincts, had an outfit tailored perfectly for a hamster: the jacket was thin but had one enormous pocket—big enough to hold his own water and Mason's as well.
Heavy, yes, but almost perfect.
[Jiang Yan's team only has ten points—five behind. Jade's amazing! I always thought she was a delicate beauty but dang she's got chops.]
[So is this Beastmaster Clan vs. the Strength Comps? Someone move the channel, please—why is this on the spirit-net?]
[Hold up, Ollie's side should be at twelve. Mason just found a marker—finally something good: four white-rice exchange coupons. I wonder if Ollie's got any KFC sweet chili sauce left. If not, just mix some sauce with rice—better than nothing.]
[This season's fake MVP: the Beastmaster lead & the Strength bro. Real MVP: KFC sweet chili sauce.]
[Okay, stop the ads. Crazy Thursday, who's venmoing me 50 so I can go eat?]
[I'm so done with "link it" — Ollie, put a link to your jacket. Please. Our lazy ghosts need this. Stick your umbrella or water bottle in that pocket like—genius.]
[Mason didn't really want to rejoin the team but since he got the coupon, he's coming whether he likes it or not lol.]
[He's so antisocial and Ollie carried his water for him for so long—come on.]
[Stop you two, stop fighting! You're ripping the wrong target. Go at Julian's fans instead—Ollie's crew, go at Shane Keane's fans!]
[Speaking of Shane, isn't he kinda off today? Why so quiet—no chaos at all.]
Not only had he not made trouble, he'd barely said a word since the episode started. Even when votes were needed, he complied without a fuss and mysteriously stayed out of the camera.
His fans noticed he was keeping his distance from Julian, like there was something terrifying about Julian that made him step back.
[Julian's a washed-up leading man who came back for cash—how did he learn bullying? If he didn't do something to Shane I won't believe it. Look at how scared he looks.]
[? You really blame Julian? Dude's a has-been who had to come on a variety show—where would he get the clout to mess with your shining star? Your guy isn't really the company golden child? Julian wouldn't dare. LMAO.]
Shane's fans had a severe persecution complex, but some of their suspicions weren't entirely off-base.
[Julian is a senior—Shane respects seniors. Julian's tight with Ollie. If Julian and Ollie get along and Shane doesn't, Julian could be targeting him.]
[Shane's leveling up—good for him. He's learning the "tea" skills from Evan White. @Caleb Ross, please don't book guests for these tea-dripping shows anymore.]
[Why drag Evan into this? Our baby Evan might be "tea" and dumb sometimes, but he's gorgeous! Treat him with love. His husband is from the Mu family—he could easily be a resource player in showbiz but he just quietly plays vase roles. Compared to most people in the industry, that's admirable.]
[True.]
If Ollie's fans were the most hysterical group, Evan's were the strangest. Who mocks their idol as "little green tea" all day long, then turns around and buys his numbers? When Evan released something new, his fans would first trash his acting on Instagram, then dutifully go stream it anyway.
Sometimes rival fans felt like props in this little fanplay—"little green tea" had become an affectionate nickname.
Why Shane wouldn't approach Julian was simple: the shadow of last night's near-death still clung to him, and Ollie's warning hadn't left his mind. More unnerving, Julian carried a powerful, death-tinged aura—one that hid itself carefully.
Worst of all, whenever Shane tried to tap into his own powers near Julian, the energy almost spilled… and then got sucked away by some stronger pull. If Shane hadn't retracted his hand fast, those forces would have been gone.
It was like his power was a small magnet near a huge, primordial magnet somewhere around Julian—ready to yank the smaller one back at any moment.
In a huge enamel basin painted with blossom-and-prosperity patterns, a jasper turtle statue sat with a sapphire-blue snake coiled on its back. Her body was translucent like crystal, gemlike, and her head smooth and round—not exactly menacing.
But when she yawned, two long, sharp fangs flashed, proving she was hardly as fragile as she looked.
Ned Blake pulled a beat-up promotional umbrella out of the storage room and propped it by the basin to shield Mira from the glare.
"You sulk again? If you really don't like humans, I'll tell the Bureau. You're just bored and moody. Get a job and you'd be fine."
Mira wasn't Ming Yu—she was Mira the Underworld Snake. She didn't like sunshine; now she was sunning herself on her brother's statue and acting all depressed.
"You're vicious. You don't even want to go to work, but you want me to go? Go away. Don't bother me—I think I can feel my brother's power."
Ned didn't argue. Myles had dispersed into the world; wherever there were plants, Myles' presence could be felt, and Mira sensed him every day.
The blue snake snapped her tail on the basin with a loud smack, but it didn't harm the stone turtle at all. She wrapped a fruit in her coils and split it with her tail, flicking one half toward Ned.
Her scales carried venom, technically, but after years together Ned and the others had built up immunity.
Mira used to split fruit with her brother, but after he died she only offered food to a few friends. Once, she almost poisoned that weak little hamster Ollie, and since then she'd been reluctant to fully take her true form.
"I think your venom's leveled up. This fruit tastes oddly delicious. Hold on—I'll get a basin of water. Hop in for a bit. I'll get Zara to bake a fruit tart afterward—"
"Slap!"
Her tail lashed Ned across the face, leaving a bruise turning from red to purple.
"You're crazy."