Chapter 17: Droppings from the Sky

Si Muchen breathed a sigh of relief, quickly finished the pancake in a few bites, and mumbled, “Thank you, Auntie… Uncle is still waiting for me… I’m full… I’ll be going now!”

With that, he dashed away as if being chased, disappearing in an instant.

Yu Wanqin didn’t even have a chance to speak before he vanished.

“That kid… why run so fast?”

Tongtong felt dizzy as she mechanically shoveled food into her mouth. Even the most delicious dishes tasted bland.

Hmm… that familiar drowsiness was creeping in again.

Not long after Si Muchen left Tongtong’s house, he saw Lin Zhiguo walking toward him with a dark expression.

His eyes turned cold.

[System, target: Lin Zhiguo. Misfortune transfer—use all available charges on him today!]

[Got it, Host!]

The System was thrilled.

Today, it had eaten its fill and could use misfortune transfer a full five times.

Lin Zhiguo was doomed!

[…Misfortune transfer!]

The System’s light flickered.

Lin Zhiguo had been lost in thought, head lowered, when out of nowhere, droppings descended from the sky, splattering all over his face.

“Plop!”

Wet, warm, and carrying an indescribably pungent odor.

It was a fresh, soiled diaper.

Lin Zhiguo: “!!!”

He exploded with rage, overwhelmed by an unspeakable mix of disgust and humiliation.

He frantically wiped the filth from his face.

Trembling with anger.

He looked up furiously. “Who! Who did this?!”

Upstairs, a woman slammed her window shut in fright.

Si Muchen cast a cold glance before turning and walking away.

Fuming, Lin Zhiguo rushed home to grab a change of clothes. The moment Yu Wanqin opened the door, she was hit by an unbearable stench.

She recoiled, ready to shut the door again.

“Did you fall into a cesspool?”

Lin Zhiguo glared, seething with anger. “Move! I need clothes for the bathhouse!”

“Wait!” Yu Wanqin quickly stopped him, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Stay right there. I’ll get them for you!”

It was too filthy—she didn’t want the entire house reeking of that awful smell.

Afraid he might barge in, she closed the door again.

Lin Zhiguo: “!”

He felt the rejection keenly, a surge of fury rising within him with nowhere to vent.

Within minutes, Yu Wanqin returned with the clothes.

Holding her nose.

As soon as Lin Zhiguo took them, she shut the door again.

From inside, Tongtong’s puzzled voice rang out.

“Mom, what’s that smell? It’s awful!”

“Nothing, just a beggar who fell into a cesspool.”

Lin Zhiguo: “!!!”

He was livid.

But his misfortunes didn’t end there. At the bathhouse, when he turned on the faucet, the pipe burst, scalding him with hot water. He hastily threw on clothes and rushed out, only to trip and fall hard.

His leg fractured.

Comrades rushed him to the hospital overnight, but on the way, they got into an accident, worsening his already broken leg.

After a long, exhausting night, the doctor finally set his leg in a cast. Then, in the middle of the night, he received an urgent call from his superior about a critical mission, forcing him to hurry back.

And in that solemn setting, he embarrassingly let out a fart.

Then… it spiraled out of control.

A series of over ten loud farts followed.

Even the usually stoic Commander Liu changed expression, his face darkening as he demanded, “Lin Zhiguo, do you have a problem with me?”

He had just finished outlining the strategic deployment, and now this.

What was the meaning of this?

Lin Zhiguo turned pale with fear.

“I… I don’t!”

But as soon as he finished speaking, he couldn’t hold back and let out two loud, unmistakable farts.

Not only that, Lin Zhiguo felt a sudden wetness in his pants, as if something had sprayed out.

The stench was overwhelming!

Gu Yanbin walked straight to the door: “Deputy Battalion Commander Lin, are you so young and already suffering from incontinence?”

The others also looked at him with reproach.

Lin Zhiguo’s face flushed instantly, turning red from his neck all the way to the tips of his ears.

Like a boiled shrimp.

He wished he could dig a hole in the ground and disappear—he’d rather die than face anyone after this!

Lin Zhiguo was scolded by Commander Liu and slunk away, covering his rear.

Thanks to Gu Yanbin’s deliberate spreading of the story,

the news that Lin Zhiguo had lost control of his bowels and soiled himself during the meeting spread like wildfire. In just two hours, it had reached every corner of the Military District!

【Mission accomplished! Host, get out of here!】

Si Muchen, who had watched the whole scene from a hidden corner, was finally satisfied. This time, he didn’t call the System useless.

“…I guess you’re still somewhat useful.”

【Of course! When the System makes a move, it’s always a knockout!】 Hehe! The System wore a proud expression.

Si Muchen quietly slipped away.

Meanwhile, Tongtong also heard about the incident the next day from Grandma Wang.

Grandma Wang’s son was a deputy battalion commander in another battalion of the Third Regiment and had attended the meeting the day before.

When he returned, he vividly described Lin Zhiguo’s disgraceful behavior to his family.

As the saying goes, like father, like son—Grandma Wang was a master at gathering gossip in the compound,

and her son was no slouch either.

Every piece of juicy news from the military camp, big or small, he brought home to share with his family.

He narrated it with such flair and vivid detail

that when Grandma Wang recounted it on the spot, Tongtong couldn’t help but stare in shock.

Her rosy little mouth hung open.

After the initial surprise, she couldn’t help but feel disgusted: “Ew! My dad is a grown man and still pooped his pants! That’s so gross!”

“Exactly! Oh, Tongtong, when you have time, try to persuade your dad to see a doctor. Who knows, he might have some kind of illness.”

“Okay, Grandma Wang.”

Just then, Lin Zhiguo, limping on one leg, hobbled back and overheard this very comment.

Furious enough to see stars, he stormed off again.

It was a precise blow, even more humiliating than a public shaming.

In just one night, Lin Zhiguo had suffered unprecedented physical and emotional trauma.

His luck had hit rock bottom.

He felt that Tongtong and her mother were jinxing him. Otherwise, why would he have such terrible luck as soon as they arrived?

After much thought, Lin Zhiguo decided he needed to find a way to drive Yu Wanqin and her daughter away.

The next day, he requested sick leave from Regiment Commander Zhou, intending to go home and recuperate.

In addition, he applied for another housing unit from his superiors.

Since it was for Yu Wanqin and her daughter to live in, he didn’t care what kind of place it was—as long as it could keep out the wind and rain.

So Regiment Commander Zhou approved an empty storage room in the family compound for him.

It was cramped, dark, and damp, with mold spots covering the walls.

But it didn’t matter.

After all, it was for the mother and daughter to live in.

Shen Wei followed him through the door.

She saw Tongtong and Yu Wanqin sitting on the sofa, cracking sunflower seeds, with freshly bought peach shortbread and canned fruit on the table. Their lives seemed infinitely more comfortable than his.

Over the past few days, he had sent all the money he could spare back to his hometown.

He and Shen Wei had been surviving on watery porridge, and even the children had lost weight.

Lin Zhiguo’s heart ached at the sight.

With a dark expression, he said, “Yu Wanqin, your husband is back, and he’s limping. Can’t you see?”

Yu Wanqin looked up and slowly spat out a sunflower seed shell: “Oh? And so?”

Lin Zhiguo’s face turned livid with anger. He entered the room leaning on his cane and said furiously, “The family is in a special situation right now. To cut expenses, even your sisters-in-law can’t stay in the guesthouse anymore.”

“Since you refuse to leave, I’ve applied for temporary use of the storage room in the compound… You and Tongtong can move there!”

Storage room?

That didn’t sound like a good place at all!

Tongtong’s little brows furrowed.