Chapter Fourteen: Consumed by Obsession

He calmed his excited heart and raised his head. Under his black hair, his eyes seemed to possess a magical allure, and his voice carried a magnetic resonance. "Yes, I'm your fan," he said.

Shen An feigned composure, even offering He Zhouzhou a gentle smile.

He Zhouzhou examined his features carefully, and upon hearing his voice, her heart suddenly began to pound uncontrollably.

Furthermore, when she met Shen An's clear, black-and-white gaze, her cheeks flushed for no apparent reason.

The live stream chat had already erupted into chaos.

The man before them turned out to be Zhouzhou's fan, and on top of that, he was strikingly handsome.

Most captivating were his eyes—bright and transparent, as if enchanted—and his voice was pleasant to the ear.

Previously, the chat was flooded with messages from male viewers, but now a crowd of girls appeared.

"Hey, handsome, do you have a girlfriend?"

"He's mine, nobody try to steal him from me!"

"Let go of that handsome guy, I want to date him!"

Girls in thrall can be even scarier than men.

It was the first time He Zhouzhou had seen so many female viewers simultaneously commenting in her live stream.

But at that moment, the fan was looking directly at her. She hurriedly set aside the stream and said, "Why don't you join us for dinner?"

The girl sitting opposite Zhouzhou was supportive, turning to him and saying,

"Yes, Zhouzhou's fan, come sit with us."

Invited by two beauties, Shen An moved his seat and was about to join them when a jolt went through his mind.

He Zhouzhou was getting up to make space.

Suddenly, Shen An spoke: "Sorry, I'll sit over there."

Carrying his tray, he glanced at Zhouzhou, his expression shifting from earlier joy to a growing gloom.

He sensed something approaching him.

Was it targeting him?

Shen An couldn't be certain.

Still, he couldn't remain near Zhouzhou.

The presence felt chaotic, with a scent of elemental oxygen mixed with a nauseating odor.

Faced with unknown danger, Shen An had no choice but to distance himself from He Zhouzhou.

He feared that, should something happen, she might be caught in the fallout.

Yet his action immediately displeased the girl across from him.

He Zhouzhou was making room, and not only did the fan refuse her invitation, but his move left her feeling awkward. The chat was flooded with messages accusing him of arrogance, with curses mixing in with those defending him.

"Maybe he has something urgent to attend to."

"He's not that kind of person."

He Zhouzhou sat down, embarrassed, saying nothing about what had just happened and continued eating.

"Zhouzhou, ignore him. Once we know his username, kick him out of the stream if he ever comes in. We don't need one more fan, what's he playing at?"

"No, maybe he just had something come up!"

He Zhouzhou still wanted to speak up for Shen An.

"Does he look like someone with urgent business? It's as if he's afraid we'll follow him, sitting so far away. Look at him, clearly avoiding us, pretending he doesn't know you."

Seeing Shen An sitting far from them, He Zhouzhou was at a loss for words.

The earlier joy vanished, leaving her in a somber mood.

Shen An, eating his fast food, had no idea what Zhouzhou and the others were thinking as he continued to sense changes around him.

He detected something that startled him.

Around him, several people's presence began to grow chaotic.

He traced the source of the disturbance.

In the end, Shen An found it emanated from a plate of meat that had just been brought in.

He narrowed his eyes, staring at the meat the waiter had just served.

At that moment, a customer at the table beside him suddenly stood up.

His eyes turned blood-red in an instant.

His gaze locked onto the plate of meat.

Simultaneously, several others rose to their feet.

Shen An noticed that the food before these people all carried the scent of elemental oxygen.

"What’s happening? Did eating this meat cause them to lose control, become deranged?"

Shen An looked around, seeing only three tables with customers who had eaten the meat, which gave him some relief.

One customer lunged at the plate of meat.

Then a second, a third.

The rapid developments prompted shouts of alarm from the restaurant staff and patrons.

One man was the first to rush forward, grabbing the food with both hands, frantically trying to stuff it into his mouth.

"Ah! Zhouzhou, look!"

The girl opposite He Zhouzhou cried out, pointing across the room.

He Zhouzhou, holding the live stream, looked over.

She saw those people behaving like madmen, fighting over the food.

Some even pushed other patrons to the ground without anyone intervening; waiters who tried to stop them were shoved down as well.

Their strength was extraordinary, terrifying to behold.

"What’s wrong with these people?"

"Call the police!"

"Quick, restrain them!"

"No use, they're too strong! The waiters just passed out. Whoever goes near... well!"

The chat exploded with suggestions, some viewers even reporting the incident to the police.

He Zhouzhou and the girl opposite her were both visibly tense.

The restaurant manager hurried out, flustered by the chaos in his establishment, trying to intervene.

But just as he stepped forward, one of the men eating grabbed a fork and lunged at him.

"Ah!" He Zhouzhou cried, eyes shut.

Thud!

It sounded like someone being slammed to the ground, the impact reverberating through the floor.

He Zhouzhou opened her eyes.

In her line of sight stood the person who had left earlier.

The man who claimed to be her fan.

The same one who had seemingly avoided her, choosing a distant seat.

He was there.

He blocked the attacker’s fork, throwing him to the ground, and had already moved the manager aside.

"Careful."

He Zhouzhou saw the other two men gripping utensils as if they were deadly weapons.

Shen An moved as if he had eyes on his back.

Without even looking, he lifted his leg high, sending one attacker flying backwards.

With a side kick, another was knocked aside.

His movements were swift and decisive; in a few short moments, he subdued all the assailants.

Throughout, Shen An said not a word.

He approached the fallen men, secretly activating his devour ability, targeting the chaotic elemental oxygen within them.

Moments later, the elemental oxygen dissipated from their bodies.

Shen An then absorbed the elemental oxygen contained in the meat on the plate, checked his senses, and, finding nothing else unusual, relaxed.

He went up to the manager.

The manager rushed forward, profusely thanking Shen An.

"Where did this meat come from?" Shen An asked.

"This, it was delivered yesterday by a hunter. Is there something wrong with it?"