Though it was already the dead of night, Chen Sanping's impromptu midnight song woke every resident in the courtyard.
In less than a moment, more than ten residents, disheveled and half-dressed, rushed out. Chen Sanping, already trembling with fear, practically collapsed into the warm embrace of the people.
No one knew what had happened, but several residents restrained the babbling fool and, as he wished, dialed 911. A few minutes later, a burly patrol officer hurried onto the scene.
The moment Chen Sanping saw the officer, it was as if he had seen a deity. With tears welling up, he rushed towards him. "Comrade police! Comrade police! You've arrived just in time—there's a monster in the house!"
"A monster?" The patrol officer frowned slightly, sidestepping Chen Sanping's embrace while handcuffing him to his motorcycle.
Before he could inquire further, the chubby landlord hastily intervened. "Officer, don't listen to this nonsense! I've rented this house for over ten years, and there's never been any ghostly disturbance. Just ask everyone, they'll vouch for it!"
It was the truth. The neighbors nodded in agreement, some even swearing to it.
"There really is a monster!" Chen Sanping, turning pale, ignored his identity and shouted, "Just now, my brother and I sneaked in, and we bumped into an electric rice cooker, an electric scooter, a laptop... Yes, that scooter—just now, it even claimed it could outrun a Ferrari!"
What was he even saying? No one, not even someone from Qing Mountain Hospital, would speak so erratically. The officer adjusted his hat, staring at the scooter locked by the window, wondering how it could possibly outrun a Ferrari.
But stalling wasn't the solution. The patrol officer thought for a moment before turning to the landlord. "Are you the landlord? Then where are the tenants? It's not right for us to barge in like this."
"Oh, you mean Chen Mo? He just left… Ah, speak of the devil, here he is!" The landlord scratched his head and suddenly looked toward the entrance of the courtyard.
Under the dim light, a young man entered, carrying a late-night snack—dressed in a white shirt and jeans, with a light yellow wool sweater draped over his shoulders. His face, partially obscured by gold-rimmed glasses, looked refined and composed. However, the slight smirk on his lips hinted at a touch of sarcasm, and his demeanor was nonchalant, almost indifferent.
Despite seeing a crowd gathered in front of his house, the young man paused only for a brief moment before regaining his calm, as though nothing could surprise him.
It was clear that "Chen Mo" was well-liked, as the residents greeted him enthusiastically. The patrol officer, after sizing him up, couldn't help but soften his expression, evidently charmed by his affability.
However, the moment Chen Mo learned of the situation, he picked up a wooden stick and casually handed it to Chen Sanping. "Here, why don't you give yourself a good whack? It might help clear your head…"
This was the epitome of sharp wit. Amid the laughter of the crowd, Chen Sanping turned crimson, unable to respond.
The patrol officer raised an eyebrow and said sternly, "Mr. Chen, I don't believe in these ghost stories either, but for your safety, let's check inside. We also have a thief in your house."
Without objection, Chen Mo nodded and led the way inside. The crowd followed, inspecting the room. Everything appeared to be in its usual place—laptops, phones, and whatnot. There was no sign of anything supernatural.
While the patrol officer attempted to rouse the old man, Lei Laohu, Chen Mo casually took out his phone.
Glancing at the two terrified thieves, he shrugged indifferently and opened his phone. "A monster? I don't really get it. My phone's a cheap brand, but I don't think it's become sentient yet!"
The residents burst into laughter again, and even the patrol officer allowed a smile to slip. At this point, there was no need for Taoist priests—everyone simply escorted the two thieves out of the room.
Chen Sanping, still unconvinced, shouted at Chen Mo, "You don't believe me, but these things really are monsters! Just wait and see—"
Before he could finish, the patrol officer kicked him, silencing him. The neighbors, satisfied by the free entertainment, returned to their homes to sleep.
Chen Mo exchanged a few words with the landlord before closing the door with a smile. However, as soon as the door clicked shut, his expression shifted. He cleared his throat and murmured, "I've told you a thousand times, don't misuse your powers! What, do you want us to keep having bad luck?"
As he spoke, several electrical appliances began to shake lightly. Even the scooter poked its front wheel out from the window.
"That's right! That's exactly it! I've been telling them not to act up!" The rice cooker, wobbling in place, squeaked in agreement. "Nono says life is so dull, we need something exciting… Hey, Bookie, did you just say NO to me?"
Before it could finish, the phone lunged at it, and the laptop, ever the opportunist, quickly pulled up a boxing match video. The scooter cheered from the side. In a matter of moments, the four peculiar "monsters" were in an uproar, all blaming each other.
"Keep it up, I'm going to bed. I've got deliveries to make tomorrow," Chen Mo sighed helplessly, turning off the light. "By the way, did anyone call me just now?"
The quarreling monsters simultaneously paused, exchanged looks, and then, in perfect unison, shook their heads. Chen Mo gave them a suspicious glance before turning toward his bedroom.
As he closed the door, the laptop immediately began typing furiously, spelling out in bold letters: "Nono, are you sure you're not going to tell the boss? If he finds out, he might just tear you apart!"
"Don't be ridiculous! If I tell him, I'll be torn to pieces right now!" The Nokia phone's screen lit up, silently typing a few more lines: "Besides, this is for the boss's own good… By the way, where's the thief's wallet? Don't you dare keep it all to yourself, Cooker!"
Faced with three sets of angry eyes, the rice cooker reluctantly shook, spilling out the wallet and clothes. Seizing the opportunity during the squabble, it jumped onto the table, wobbling toward the window.
"Cooker, you're not going to…" the laptop asked suspiciously. "Yesterday, the neighborhood auntie was complaining that people have been stealing underwear from the streets. How about you try something else first?"
"Bullshit! This is just a normal collecting hobby—nothing wrong with it!" With a light thud, the rice cooker jumped out of sight, vanishing into the night.
"Pathetic. Don't you dare follow his example. You should at least have some ambition…" The scooter scoffed, puffing out exhaust fumes. "Hmm, how about we rob a bank in a few days? The cashier at the corner shop is quite a looker!"
This suggestion was met with great enthusiasm, and the three began animatedly discussing the plan, with the phone's screen flashing with excitement.
Chen Mo, sitting back and enjoying his late-night snack, rolled his eyes at the ridiculous idea. With a tired sigh, he lit a cigarette, lost in thought. He absentmindedly extended his hand and lightly tapped the cigarette box—
As his fingertip brushed the box, it began to dance across the floor as if it had a life of its own…
It seemed the cigarette box had taken on the same nature as the rice cooker and its companions, transforming into a sort of "monster" itself. However, as the green glow faded, the box came to a halt and returned to normal.
"Strange. What exactly did that guy do to me?" Chen Mo stared at his hands, a puzzled expression crossing his face as he sighed deeply.
This confusion had lingered for five or six years, ever since that strange old man appeared…
It all started with a random encounter while delivering food—where he was stopped and asked a series of bizarre questions. Then, before Chen Mo knew what was happening, the old man attacked him from behind, knocking him out cold.
When he woke up, Chen Mo found himself with a peculiar ability: as long as he continuously emitted green light, anything around him could come to life—even become a monster.
However, this ability seemed to work in proportion to the amount of green light used. Most things only retained life for a few minutes and had no self-awareness.
But the rice cooker and its friends were exceptions—they had undergone long-term experiments after Chen Mo gained this power, and now they were sentient, troublesome "monsters."
Indeed, real trouble—like when the rice cooker had stolen a bunch of items, forcing Chen Mo to clean up afterward.
Thinking back to when the laptop had hacked into the U.S. military's network two years ago, nearly causing nuclear missiles to target Russia, Chen Mo bit his finger, swearing that unless there was an extraordinary circumstance, he would never create another monster.
Naturally, if someone else had this power, they could either become a superhero or a demon. When Chen Mo first gained this ability, he had half-jokingly tried to use it for personal gain—using the laptop's hacking capabilities to make money.
Two days later, while out for a