"Photography material? What kind of photography material?" Lin Xiaoqiang stared intently at the bottle Ah-Zhai was hiding behind his back, his tone full of suspicion.
Ah-Zhai’s smile grew increasingly stiff. He stammered, “It’s just… uh… some rather special secretions from around the community.”
Lin Xiaoqiang’s face turned pale instantly. “Secretions? What the hell are you collecting those for? Don’t tell me… don’t tell me you also heard about those dogs’ plan?!”
Ah-Zhai’s eyes flickered, clearly hesitating about whether to tell the truth. “I… I just thought… maybe these things contain some kind of… supernatural energy! I wanted to study it!”
“Supernatural energy?!” Lin Xiaoqiang almost laughed out of rage. “Do you even know what that stuff is?! That’s dog snot! They’re planning to use it to create a virus that makes people lazy!”
Ah-Zhai froze. He stared at Lin Xiaoqiang in disbelief. “Are you serious? Dog snot… to make a virus? That’s just… ridiculous!”
“It’s not ridiculous at all! I can hear their thoughts! They’ve already started putting the plan in motion! And… I think you might already be infected!” Lin Xiaoqiang pointed at Ah-Zhai’s tired face and dark circles. “Haven’t you been feeling exhausted lately? Like you just want to lie down all the time?”
Ah-Zhai paused, thinking back over the past few days. Actually… yeah. He had been feeling unusually drained. Even though he hadn’t done much, he constantly wanted to collapse in front of his computer and binge anime. His passion for photography had taken a serious nosedive.
“Could it be… really…?” Ah-Zhai’s voice trembled with uncertainty.
Just then, Wang Meili opened the door. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and yawned. “What are you two sneaking around for this early in the morning? What’s going on?”
Lin Xiaoqiang immediately told her everything about the “Couch Potato Plan” and Ah-Zhai’s suspicious behavior.
Upon hearing it, Wang Meili’s sleepiness vanished without a trace. She frowned and eyed the bottle in Ah-Zhai’s hand. “That does look kind of… gross. Ah-Zhai, you’d better throw it away.”
Ah-Zhai hesitated, but when he saw the serious expressions on both their faces, he finally nodded reluctantly. “Alright… I’ll throw it away.”
But things weren’t that simple. Just as Ah-Zhai was about to toss the bottle into the trash, Mrs. Cui from next door suddenly opened her door. Her face was sallow, and her eyes were vacant.
“My… my remote… it’s gone… I… I can’t find it… I’m so tired… don’t want to move…” she muttered weakly before slumping against the doorframe.
Lin Xiaoqiang and Wang Meili exchanged a look, both seeing the gravity in each other’s eyes. It looked like the “Couch Potato Virus” had already started to spread throughout the community!
“We have to stop them!” Lin Xiaoqiang clenched his fists.
“But… how?” Wang Meili gazed at the invisible plague of laziness overtaking the neighborhood, feeling overwhelmed.
“First, we need to find the Dog King’s hideout and stop them from making and spreading the virus!” Lin Xiaoqiang declared. “Ah-Zhai, even if you might be infected, your photography skills might help us find some clues!”
Ah-Zhai, though clearly still fatigued, perked up slightly at the idea of his “expertise” being useful. “I’ll… I’ll do my best.”
And so, on a morning shrouded in an atmosphere of lethargy, the three members of the Supernatural Research Club once again set out on their absurd mission to “save the world.” Only this time, their enemy was sneakier than ever—and they themselves were at risk of being swallowed up by laziness at any moment.
Their next goal: to locate the Dog King and uncover its secret virus production base.
And maybe—just maybe—the first clue… was already hidden somewhere in Ah-Zhai’s seemingly random photos.
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