Chapter 158: Contact, Evaluation, Judgment
The elevator descended smoothly and silently, wrapping the cabin in a heavy hush.
Bai Li Qing was the first to break the silence. “Regarding Foxy’s ‘homeland’ possibly being in the ‘Otherworld,’ it’s best if no one mentions it.”
Yu Sheng didn’t speak, only glanced at her with a questioning look.
“Because of the influence of the Dark Angels, people in this world are extremely wary of ‘Otherworld Visitors,'” Bai Li Qing stated plainly, not bothering with riddles. “Organizations like the Special Affairs Bureau are still relatively calm and rational about it, but there are others… less so.”
Yu Sheng nodded gently. “Got it. Understood.”
When they returned to the small room, Irene and Foxy were still quietly waiting inside.
The moment Yu Sheng entered, Foxy joyfully ran up holding a plate of cake, charging at him with a momentum that felt more like an assassination attempt. “Benefactor! This is for you! Tasty stuff!”
Yu Sheng nearly got knocked over by the force of the offering, staggering back half a step before regaining balance. He glanced down at the plate to see a palm-sized piece of cream cake, squished and contorted, and absolutely overloaded with nuts. The nuts were so stuffed in they surpassed the volume of the cake itself.
Looking at Foxy, he noticed her face and hands were covered in cream, with even a small dab smeared on her ear. How she’d managed to get it there was a mystery. Had she stuffed her whole head into the cake?
The Demon Fox Maiden grinned from ear to ear, eyes filled with gleeful anticipation. Yu Sheng hesitated, then finally took the cake. Irene, watching, explained nonchalantly, “Just eat it. Silly Fox saved it just for you. She said you like nuts and raisins, so she dumped half a jar of toppings into it.”
Yu Sheng had entered the room preoccupied with thoughts of the Dark Angels, the Otherworld, and the bleak fairytale of a cursed return home. But when faced with Foxy’s warm and cheerful smile, all that gloom melted away. Still, his face twisted as he stared at the abomination of a dessert—deeply touched, but also very worried about his blood sugar.
But it was a heartfelt gesture. Hard to refuse. And with Bai Li Qing—expressionless but clearly enjoying the scene—watching from the side, Yu Sheng could only force a thank-you and scoop a bite with a fork.
He nearly broke a tooth.
“What is this?!” Yu Sheng exclaimed, digging through the mound and pulling out a shiny, rock-hard object. He looked up at Foxy.
Foxy beamed. “It’s a raisin.”
Yu Sheng: “…?”
“I couldn’t fit any more, so I squished it.”
Yu Sheng: “…?”
Damn raisin, she’d practically compressed it into a brick. The silly Young Lady lacked common sense, but sure had strength!
Yu Sheng barely managed to eat a couple bites that wouldn’t wreck his teeth, then returned the rest to Foxy, claiming he’d already had a snack earlier. Foxy accepted it without fuss and happily continued eating, crunching on the raisin-brick with the noise of an industrial shredder.
Yu Sheng even thought he saw sparks fly from her mouth.
“Once you’re done, let’s head home,” Yu Sheng said, wiping cream from Foxy’s ear with a tissue. “We still have a lot to do back there.”
“Finished your ‘tour’?” Irene, standing on the table, looked up at Yu Sheng.
Yu Sheng smiled and ruffled the little doll’s hair. “All done.”
“Alright then,” Irene casually pushed his arm aside and climbed onto his shoulder with practiced ease. “So, what about the ‘iron lump’ you brought along? Still no verdict? Leaving it here?”
Yu Sheng turned to Bai Li Qing.
“That might take some time,” she said calmly. “We need to conduct a detailed scan of its internal and microstructure. Not something that can be done in a day or two. If you trust us, you can leave it here.”
“…That’s fine,” Yu Sheng replied after a brief moment of thought, nodding easily. “It’d just be gathering dust with me anyway. Just make sure to let me know when you find something. Foxy! Don’t wipe your mouth with your tail!”
Bai Li Qing watched the scene unfold before her.
Weird. Mismatched. Absurd—and yet, somehow natural for this odd group.
A subtle smile crept into her eyes.
“I’ll arrange for someone to escort you home,” she said suddenly.
“Ah, no need. We’ll head back ourselves,” said Yu Sheng as he wiped Foxy—face, hands, mouth, tail—with a tissue. Glancing back at Bai Li Qing, he added casually, “Since you’re right here, there’s no need to report back through the phone.”
Bai Li Qing was stunned for a beat, but quickly caught on. She picked up the phone and immediately sent a message to the Surveillance Division. Then, casting Yu Sheng a complex glance, she asked, “Now… is it alright?”
Yu Sheng offered a smile and, right before her eyes, reached into the air. A shimmer sparked, and a Phantom Door opened out of nowhere, leading directly into the living room at Wutong Road No. 66.
“Would you like to come in for a bit?” he asked politely, standing in the doorway and addressing the Female Bureau Chief with courtesy. “We’re already at the door to our home, after all…”
Everything about the sentence felt awkward to Bai Li Qing, and with a stiff expression she shook her head. “No. I have work to do.”
“Alright then. We’ll head in first. Thanks for your hospitality. Let me know if anything comes up,” said Yu Sheng, nodding. Then, carrying the Doll and holding Foxy’s hand, he turned and stepped through the Phantom Door. “Bye-bye.”
“Mm. Farewell…”
As the words left her lips, the Phantom Door dissolved into nothingness. Just like that, the guests were gone—so sudden, yet so natural. As if they had never been there at all.
Bai Li Qing stood still in the small chamber, staring at the place where the Door had vanished. After a long moment, she took a deep breath and steadied her gaze.
She picked up her phone and dialed a number. When it connected, she spoke calmly, “How’s the situation at the Surveillance Group?”
Song Cheng’s voice responded, “Still manually tracking. The misalignment just settled.”
“…The Spatial Stabilizer has been running the whole time, right?”
“Yes, full power.”
“And the internal calibration system and the Spatial Cloaking System in the Headquarters Building?”
“Those systems never shut down. You know that.”
“What about the Warp Disruptor…”
Song Cheng sounded a bit exasperated. “It’s on too. We even cranked it to max output today with indiscriminate coverage. Customs and the transit office downstairs had to temporarily shut down because of it.”
Bai Li Qing paused for two seconds.
“…He opened a Door right in front of me, didn’t even look confused. I think he didn’t sense anything obstructing him at all.”
A soft flick from the other end of the line—a lighter, a cigarette being lit.
“Director,” said Song Cheng with tired honesty, “Him walking out through a Door right in front of you—that’s not the problem. The real issue is, next time, he might just walk in the same way. You should be prepared for that.”
“I am. That was always a possibility.”
“Isn’t that a bit risky?” Song Cheng pressed. “We invited him directly into HQ today… now he knows where we are.”
“Trust my judgment, Little Song,” Bai Li Qing exhaled gently, her tone serene. “Letting him see the Special Affairs Bureau as a ‘friend’ yields more benefit than risk. Especially after today’s deeper interaction, I’m even more certain.”
“…Understood. I trust what your eyes see. I’ll get back to monitoring the group.”
“Good.”
Just before hanging up, Song Cheng suddenly remembered something. “Ah, right. One more thing. Good news.”
“Speak.”
“The Technical Division made a breakthrough. Their specialists have filtered and integrated the signal traits from all recorded ‘Door Opening’ events so far. Should be able to add automated filtering and tagging functions to the spatial alert system soon,” he said, a smile in his voice. “If it works, life will be a lot easier.”
“Outstanding Employee of the Year. Best Team. Star Class Troubleshooter. Technical Star Medal. Public Commendation—if it works.”
“…Director, the year isn’t over yet…”
“Then it’s set, unless someone saves a whole world in the final month.”
“Fair enough…”
The call ended. Bai Li Qing tossed the phone onto the desk, exhaled with a hint of weariness, and leaned back into her chair. Her gaze drifted to the large observation window overlooking the lab across the way.
On the surface of the pale-blue glowing Polymer Barrier, at some point, a pair of faded, indifferent eyes had appeared silently.
Those eyes stared at her.
“…That person is gone?”
“Gone.”
“Oh.”
“Still going to keep watching?”
“Yes.”
Bai Li Qing’s expression remained unchanged, but she sighed.
The slightly mechanical voice echoed again in her mind. “Can’t help it. You know this is instinctual for me.”
“Suit yourself,” said Bai Li Qing. After a brief pause, she added casually, “Did you glean anything? Despite your reckless approach this time, it was still close-range observation.”
“He has humanity,” said the eyes.
Bai Li Qing didn’t respond, unsurprised.
“A strong, genuine humanity. Not a mimicry. And… he probably isn’t an Entity. At least, not one generated by Wutong Road No. 66.”
That got a reaction. Her gaze sharpened.
“How can you tell?”
“His shadow. The way he casts into the Spirit Realm is broader than Wutong Road No. 66 itself. Rather than being created by it… perhaps it was he who created Wutong Road No. 66 in the Borderland, just so he could rationally exist within our world.”