Chapter 42: Irene’s Excitement
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Deep within the winding alleys of Wutong Road, tucked away in the old city district, there was a small, dimly lit room. Inside, a large and powerfully built man—who stood nearly two meters tall—sat hunched over in a single-seater armchair. The chair was far too small for his broad frame, causing his knees to stick out awkwardly as he worked with great care on the unusual piece of equipment resting in his hands.
This equipment was a beam dagger. Its hilt was made of a dark red material, and tiny, droplet-shaped crystals were embedded neatly along its length, forming a sparkling line that ran through the entire handle. The hilt itself seemed custom-made for oversized hands, fitting perfectly in this giant of a man’s palm.
With a twist of his wrist, the man flipped the dagger smoothly, turning it over to admire it from all angles. Then he activated it. At once, a soft humming sound filled the air, and a gentle blue blade of light flickered to life at the dagger’s tip. This blade cut a hot, shimmering line through the shadows of the room.
“Careful with that,” called out a voice from across the space. Its owner was Li Lin, who was fiddling with a small pocket watch. He looked up and gave his companion a warning glance. “Don’t damage the coffee table. I’d hate to fill out a report to the bureau to pay for it.”
The burly man let out a low, pleased chuckle. “Cool, huh? I risked my life to get this,” he said, leaning back with a proud grin. “Saved a noble from the Alglade Star System, all by myself, right in the depths of the Windmill—an L-Level risk zone, no less. He handed me this dagger as a thank-you gift. It was crafted by the best blacksmiths, and those Brightgold crystals are top-notch. On Alglade, this thing can even be treated like a knight’s medal.”
Li Lin’s curiosity was clearly piqued. He raised his brows and asked, “What’s it do?”
“Let’s see…” The big man—Xu Jiali—tapped the hilt thoughtfully before replying with a mischievous grin. “You can skip lines when buying transport tickets, get fast-track services at hospitals, and enjoy free entry to the zoo—especially on holidays.”
Li Lin blinked, surprised by these unexpected perks. “Pretty… practical, actually. I always thought folks from Alglade were all about grand rituals and fancy titles.”
“They usually are,” Xu Jiali agreed with a shrug. “But even the most ceremonial people have to deal with everyday life. Still, traveling through Borderland is a pain. Most of my gear isn’t allowed past customs. I had a chainsaw sword once, but the authorities marked it as too dangerous and locked it up at the checkpoint.”
Li Lin opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say a word, a strange feeling came over him. Xu Jiali felt it, too. Both men turned to look toward the window of their rented room.
Under the dim and darkening sky, a slender figure appeared right outside, perched casually on the windowsill. It was a small girl in a dark red jacket, leaning dangerously forward with one leg dangling outside as though she had not a care in the world.
She regarded the two men with bright, curious eyes. “So, you two are the ‘agents’ responsible for this area lately?” she asked, as though discussing the weather.
Li Lin studied the girl carefully, an uneasy feeling stirring in his chest. “You are…” he began, already guessing her identity.
“Just call me Little Red Riding Hood,” the girl replied lightly. She waved a hand as if brushing off any formalities. “I’m with Fairy Tale. Your bureau hired me to help out around here for a while.”
“Oh, I know you,” Li Lin said, smiling politely now that his guess was confirmed. “Our captain’s mentioned you and the work you’ve done in this district over the past few days. I’m Li Lin, an agent with the Second Mobilization Squad of the Special Affairs Bureau.”
Across the room, Xu Jiali looked the girl up and down. His voice, deep and gruff, filled the small space. “There might be a ‘big one’ hiding here,” he said. “I thought the bureau would send Snow White, or maybe even ‘the King’ himself. No offense to your wolf pack, of course.” His words suggested that he had met Little Red before and knew a bit about her group.
Little Red shrugged, unconcerned. “Snow White’s too destructive for this job. Besides, we’re not sure if we’ll actually encounter any high-risk entities. I’ve been watching Wutong Road and investigating the strange happenings here, so I know this place best. If a ‘big one’ does show up, Snow White can come in a flash. She’s already on standby.”
As she spoke, Little Red hopped gracefully off the windowsill and landed inside, her hand raised in a friendly gesture. “Just popping in to say hello. You have my contact information, right? Call me if you need anything. Bye~”
In the blink of an eye, her body shimmered and melted into a dark shadow, twisting into the shape of a wolf. This shadowy wolf leaped out of the window and vanished silently into the night.
Li Lin and Xu Jiali exchanged a puzzled look. For a few moments, neither knew quite what to say.
Later that evening, after dinner, Yu Sheng settled himself onto the sofa and closed his eyes, trying to relax. But it was hard to find peace with the little pitter-patter of quick footsteps dashing around him. From one side to the other, they went—around and around the sofa, into the kitchen, back to the living room, and around again. It was like being circled by a small whirlwind.
At last, Yu Sheng opened his eyes and saw Irene darting about. She was no taller than fifteen centimeters—tiny like a child’s doll—yet she was now racing through the apartment as if she possessed endless energy. She had strapped an oil painting to her back, which nearly matched her own height, and was somehow managing to run at top speed in spite of it. The painting bobbed behind her as she scurried about like a cheerful little sprite.
On Irene’s fourth lap around the sofa, Yu Sheng finally broke his silence. “Can’t you take a break?” he asked, sounding both astonished and amused. “Give your poor shoes a rest.”
Irene skidded to a sudden stop in front of him, looking up with shining eyes. Her excitement was practically glowing in her tiny face. “No way! I can’t stop! I can run everywhere now—look at me!” she chirped. “I can even climb onto the coffee table and jump off it!”
She bounded away before finishing her sentence, racing halfway around the sofa. In a heartbeat, she scrambled onto the coffee table. After a few nimble steps, she leaped onto Yu Sheng’s lap. He barely had time to react before she hopped right off him and landed neatly on the floor.
Irene rushed over to the TV cabinet next. She climbed up its side, stood on tiptoe, and stretched her arm up high. With a triumphant push, she pressed the TV’s power button. The screen flickered on, bathing the room in a soft glow.
“I can even reach the TV switch!” she exclaimed, spinning around to face him. She was beaming with pride. “Now, even if you’re not home, I can turn it on and off all by myself!”
Yu Sheng leaned back on the sofa, rolling his eyes playfully. “Alright, alright,” he said, conceding defeat. “Congratulations, you’re amazing.”
Just then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a flicker of movement—there she went again, sprinting back across the floor. Irene grabbed hold of the sofa cover, then his pant leg, and climbed swiftly up until she was sitting beside him once more.
The tiny doll perched cross-legged, looking quite pleased with herself. Her tall oil painting poked out behind her like a strange, rectangular cape. Despite its size, Irene carried it as if it were no more than a light backpack. She had gotten so used to it that it barely slowed her down, even if she bumped into things now and then.
Yu Sheng found the whole thing rather astonishing. It was hard to believe that she had been sealed away inside that painting for so long. Now she seemed as lively and energetic as a bird just released from its cage.
“Doesn’t carrying that around bother you?” he asked, finally voicing his curiosity. “If I had to lug a door on my back all day, I’d never get used to it. You’ve adapted so quickly.”
Irene just grinned. “It’s not bad,” she said cheerfully, rocking back and forth on the sofa cushion. Although the TV was on, she paid it little mind, still too excited to focus. “It felt odd at first, but after running around a few times, I got used to both the weight and the size. It even makes me feel secure, kind of like sleeping with a wall behind your back or being wrapped in a warm blanket.”
Yu Sheng nodded slowly. “I guess I understand. Still, I thought you’d hate that painting. It kept you sealed away for so long, and now you’re stuck carrying it around with you.”
Irene tilted her tiny head thoughtfully. “That’s true,” she admitted, “but I like to think positively. You know how people say, ‘make the best of it’? As long as today is better than yesterday, there’s no need to complain.”
Yu Sheng smiled at her optimism. “The saying is ‘make the best of a bad situation,’” he corrected gently.
“Close enough,” Irene said, waving her hand dismissively. She looked as though her earlier excitement was calming, her breathing returning to normal. Then, as if something important popped into her mind, her expression turned serious again. “Alright, I’ve pretty much gotten used to this new body of mine. We should talk about that fox…”
Yu Sheng frowned, glancing at her uncertainly. “You still want to come with me?” he asked.
“Of course! We agreed on it before,” Irene said firmly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“In this state?” Yu Sheng asked, trying to be diplomatic. He sighed and decided to be direct. “Can you even fight like this? You’d have to jump just to kick my knee.”
Irene’s temper flared for a moment. “I’ll smash your knee to bits!” she exclaimed hotly. “Who says I can’t fight like this?”
Yu Sheng hurriedly apologized, holding his hands up in surrender until Irene’s brief burst of anger subsided. Soon enough, she relaxed and leaned back, crossing her tiny arms. “You’re not entirely wrong, though,” she said grudgingly. “Fighting head-on in this size could be tricky. I mean, a fifteen-centimeter-tall doll isn’t exactly going to take a bullet for you.”
She shook her head but then straightened up, a confident glint in her eyes. “But don’t worry. A doll isn’t just about muscle and strength. We’ve got special talents, remember? Even in my current ‘free’ state, I can still do plenty.”
Raising her hand, Irene let thin black threads unfurl from her fingertips. They stretched out like silk, delicate and eerie, weaving through the air to form a soft, glimmering web.
“A doll’s abilities are nothing to scoff at!” Irene said proudly, smiling as if she were presenting a prized skill.