Today was another glorious day of overtime for many within the Special Affairs Bureau Technical Division. Not only would they enjoy the exhilarating thrill of continuing their tasks after the workday ended, but they also had the distinct honor of sharing this overtime with their revered Director.
Meanwhile, the culprit responsible for this overtime was entirely oblivious.
Having eaten to her heart’s content, Foxy cheerfully followed beside Yu Sheng as they strolled along a small river at the edge of the Old City District.
For Yu Sheng, it had been a long time since he’d last experienced such carefree moments. Ever since he arrived in this Boundary City, his nerves were constantly tense. Just as he finally adapted, troubles large and small continually arose. To simply wander outside, worry-free and without any burdens—it felt like something from a past life.
Though his “past life” hadn’t been all that long ago.
For Foxy, strolling alongside Yu Sheng was something incredibly, delightfully special—different from the joy she felt when freely roaming in the Valley.
She cherished the process of Yu Sheng gently helping her grow familiar with this city—whether it was memorizing a new street, discovering a small shop, encountering a strange new animal, or even noticing a single blade of grass, a flower, or a tree.
This simple process filled her with a quiet reassurance, though she herself couldn’t clearly explain why.
The evening breeze carried a slight chill, and faint music drifted from the distant commercial streets.
Sometimes Yu Sheng would lose sight of her, but after glancing around a few times, the Demon Fox Maiden would inevitably leap out from some hidden corner, often eagerly displaying some new treasure she’d found.
“Benefactor! Look, I found a flower! It’s still blooming, even in winter!”
Foxy rushed back from the grass, eyes sparkling as she waved a small bunch of wildflowers before him.
Yu Sheng chuckled helplessly, introducing her find, “I don’t recognize it. Just call it a wildflower.”
“Okay!” Foxy nodded delightedly, promptly stuffing several blossoms into her mouth before darting off again.
Minutes later, she returned, excited as ever: “Benefactor! Rocks from the riverbank!”
“Mm-hmm, rocks,” Yu Sheng replied casually.
“Benefactor! A wooden stick! Very straight!”
“Mm, wooden stick… Hey, give me that, it might be useful at home.”
“Benefactor! A bottle!”
“…Throw it in the trash.”
“Benefactor! A balloon!”
“Mmm, ball—wait, where did you get a balloon?!”
Suddenly, a child’s loud wailing erupted nearby—a tiny kid, even shorter than Xiao Xiao, cried heartbreakingly just a few meters away: “Big Sister stole my balloon—”
Yu Sheng broke into a cold sweat, hastily urging Foxy: “Hurry, give it back…”
Foxy reluctantly returned the balloon, muttering softly, “I saw it float from his hand. I thought he didn’t want it anymore…”
Half a minute later, Foxy trotted back to Yu Sheng, clapping her hands cheerfully as though nothing had happened.
Yu Sheng could clearly see how happy the Demon Fox Maiden was, but still couldn’t shake off the odd feeling about taking her out—though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what felt off.
Lost in thought, Yu Sheng barely noticed when Foxy suddenly bolted from sight again. Within seconds, she rushed back excitedly, raising something proudly in her hand: “Benefactor! A rat!”
Yu Sheng jumped back in horror. “Whoa! You don’t have to show me that—and definitely don’t eat it!”
“Alright,” Foxy sighed regretfully. The rat vanished instantly from her palm, transformed into a small burst of glowing flame. “Actually, my hometown had a special dish made from these…”
Yu Sheng felt another wave of cold sweat, quickly checking around to make sure no one saw. Exasperated, he turned to Foxy. “Please stop running around—you’ll scare people. Can’t you just stroll quietly with me for a bit?”
“Yes!” Foxy agreed happily at once—though they’d repeated this process several times, at least she quieted down again, keeping pace slowly beside Yu Sheng.
“Why are you so happy?” Yu Sheng asked, trying to distract this overly energetic Demon Fox so she might stay calm beside him a little longer.
“Just being out for a walk makes me happy, and being with Benefactor makes it even better!” Foxy replied cheerfully. Clad entirely in white, her brilliant smile shone in the winter evening, radiantly beautiful beyond words. “It’s too bad Irene didn’t come along—she’d have fun, too…”
For the Technical Division at the Special Affairs Bureau, today was yet another perfect day for overtime. Not only could they savor the thrill of working after hours, but they could also do so alongside their revered Director.
Yet, the “culprit” responsible for this extra work remained blissfully unaware.
With a satisfied belly, Foxy cheerfully trotted beside Yu Sheng, enjoying a leisurely stroll along a small river at the edge of the Old City District.
For Yu Sheng, moments of ease like this had become rare. Ever since arriving in this strange place known as “Boundary City,” he’d lived mostly on edge. He’d barely adapted to the city’s rhythm when troubles big and small constantly disturbed his peace. Just walking freely outside, without worrying or thinking too deeply about anything, now felt like a memory from another lifetime.
Though in truth, that “previous life” wasn’t very distant at all.
“You know, if she heard you say that, there’d be no end to the fuss she’d make,” Yu Sheng shook his head helplessly. “Shopping malls are about the only thing that excites her. A stroll outside just seems boring to her—not like you. For you, it’s enough just to step outdoors.”
“It’s the way of Demon Foxes,” Foxy replied earnestly, her eyes bright with pride. “Since ancient times, we’ve cultivated our strength in wild mountains and vast fields…” Without waiting for Yu Sheng to respond, she suddenly dashed away, returning in a blink. “Benefactor! Look, a screw!”
Yu Sheng fell silent.
At last, he understood the strange feeling accompanying his walks with Foxy—[Heavens above, I’m basically taking a nine-tailed cyber-cultivating fox-dog out for a walk.]
This wasn’t an ordinary stroll; he almost felt like attaching a leash to her…
But as Yu Sheng considered Foxy’s monstrous strength, her lightning-fast speed, and seemingly endless energy, he quickly realized that if anyone were to be leashed, it’d probably be him, not her. He wisely decided to dismiss the thought.
Just then, the streetlights flickered to life.
Ignoring the excited Demon Fox Maiden darting about, Yu Sheng took a deep breath of the night breeze and exhaled slowly, relaxing fully as he admired the nighttime landscape of Boundary City.
Once upon a time, this city’s nightfall had filled him with tension and unease.
Yet gradually, even the peculiar “phantoms” appearing after dark had become strangely familiar—even comforting in their own strange way.
A streetlamp nearby flickered faintly, and within its dim light appeared a tall, slender shadow. The empty-eyed specter stood silently beneath the glow, watching Yu Sheng.
Yu Sheng met its gaze calmly, and seeing no one else nearby, he greeted it cheerfully with a nod.
High above, weaving through distant buildings, emerged the ghostly steam locomotive. Trails of white mist billowed silently as it passed through walls of glass, disappearing once more into the distant skies.
Yet somehow, Yu Sheng imagined he could hear its whistle—a faint echo that pierced across realms of space and time.
Now he knew these mysterious visions, visible only after nightfall in Boundary City, were gentle illusions—far removed from the truly dangerous Entities of the Otherworld. They posed no threat, no cause for alarm.
Just then, the melodic ring of his phone broke through his thoughts.
Taking out his phone, Yu Sheng saw the caller’s name: Bai Li Qing.
[Calling at this hour? Is she still at work?] Yu Sheng was briefly puzzled, but he answered promptly: “Hey, good evening…”
“Good evening,” Bai Li Qing replied. “Two things. Is now a good time?”
“Sure, I’m free,” Yu Sheng replied easily, keeping an eye on Foxy. “Just taking a walk.”
“Good. First, can you open a few teleportation doors right now? Anywhere will do.”
Yu Sheng blinked. “Teleportation doors? What for?”
“We’ve just rolled out a new automated identification and filtering system,” Bai Li Qing explained calmly, yet Yu Sheng noticed a rare hint of joy in her tone. “It automatically recognizes and filters out your space-time openings, bypassing alarms and logging them directly. It’s online now—we’d appreciate your help testing it. If all goes well, you won’t need to report each door you open in the future.”
Yu Sheng’s eyes lit up with delight, understanding why even the stoic Bai Li Qing sounded pleased. “No problem! Hold on, let me find a quiet spot to test it…”
He quickly stepped behind a large billboard nearby, casually opening a door to the basement of Wutong Road No. 66—without reporting first.
“How’s this? The door’s open.”
Yu Sheng heard muffled conversations from Bai Li Qing’s side—technicians reporting data.
“The system’s working. Can you try a few more?”
Yu Sheng happily obliged, opening several doors in quick succession—to places across Borderland, the Valley, the Museum, and even a desolate alien world. He methodically tested every type of door he knew, updating Bai Li Qing continuously. “Alright, that’s everything I can open. Any issues?”
“A slight delay on Otherworld entries, but still acceptable,” Bai Li Qing reported, sounding even happier now. “The system’s working perfectly. From now on, no more manual reporting required.”
“That’s great news! Congrats—you’ll save a lot of trouble,” Yu Sheng replied cheerfully. “And what’s the second thing?”
Bai Li Qing hesitated a moment.
“The second thing,” she said slowly, sounding oddly uncertain. “The last time you brought Foxy to our cafeteria at Special Affairs Bureau, she paid using those…‘iron ingots.’ Do you have more of them?”
Yu Sheng blinked.
“…Huh?”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
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