Chapter 091

Chapter 91: “Machine Spirit”?

Yu Sheng soon realized he had misjudged things.

Irene truly didn’t need space, but once they got in, it was still cramped. The problem wasn’t people. It was the car.

Which made it even more amazing that Xu Jiali could squeeze himself behind the wheel at all.

[How does a guy almost two meters tall pick a car like this?]

Yu Sheng and Foxy were tucked into the back seat. The front passenger seat was piled with two big boxes, so no one could sit there. The engine in front started up with a shaky whirr. Once they finally cleared the neighborhood, Yu Sheng couldn’t hold it in anymore and asked the driver: “You doing a side job after work?”

“Yep,” Xu Jiali answered cheerfully. “If I’m not on a business trip, I like to drive around the city after work. Might as well earn some pocket money.”

Yu Sheng gave the old car a strange look, then glanced at the hulking driver. [So this is a senior Deep Diver at the Special Affairs Bureau, and after work he drives ride share for extra cash… in a car almost as old as me? Is life at the Bureau really that hard?] He kept feeling something was off, but it felt rude to ask, so he held it in.

Luckily, there was someone present with a thicker skin. In front of someone familiar, the little doll didn’t have to “pretend” anymore.

Irene scooted from Foxy’s arms to the middle of the back seat, eyes bright again. She craned her head forward and asked: “Your car is very ‘unique’. Doesn’t the Special Affairs Bureau pay salaries?”

“That’s not it,” Xu Jiali said with a smile as he shook his head. “I’m attached to this car. It was the first one I bought after I started working. It was used when I got it, but I’ve driven it for years. I just can’t bear to change.”

He patted the gear lever, tilted his head slightly, and said: “And even if it’s old, this old server never messes up. All these years and it hasn’t failed me once. Right, old server?”

As soon as he finished, the engine under the hood gave a deep, strong rumble, and the horn chirped twice, quick and light.

It happened so fast that at first Yu Sheng didn’t notice anything strange.

A few seconds later, it hit him: Xu Jiali hadn’t done any extra action and hadn’t touched the horn. The car really answered its driver on its own.

“You’re telling me the car…,” Yu Sheng sat up straight, staring at Xu Jiali in disbelief, “just responded to you?”

In an instant his brain filled with images: this rusty junker was secretly rebuilt by an elite agent, a steel shell hiding an electronic brain. The roaring noise was an AI simulation. If needed, the car could lift off any time, the four wheels flipping to reveal eight air-to-air missiles, and even the tailpipe could fire rounds…

But Xu Jiali only smiled and said casually: “It’s nothing. It’s a Machine Spirit.”

“…?” Yu Sheng blinked.

The truth was even wilder than his guess.

Xu Jiali kept talking: “A lot of people at the Bureau are jealous. High tech gear is easy to get. With budget, you can buy as much as you want. But a Machine Spirit is rare luck. There are only a few pieces of gear with souls in the whole team. When we’re not on a mission, people treat them like treasures. Our captain tried to buy my car a few times. Last time, my old server got mad and chased him around the parking lot three laps. After that he didn’t dare bring it up. Hey, why are you so quiet?”

Yu Sheng was still stunned.

From Xu Jiali’s tone, this sounded like common knowledge, at least inside the Special Affairs Bureau’s system.

So he hid his shock and settled for a careful compliment: “That’s… pretty amazing.”

“Right? So a bunch of folks at the Bureau are learning from me now. Old cars and old phones, they won’t replace them. They just keep using them and hope, like me, they can work an old thing into a Machine Spirit.”

[You’re saying you rub a Machine Spirit into existence? Like jade getting a patina if you handle it long enough, a car grows a spirit if you keep ‘working’ it?]

Focused on driving, Xu Jiali didn’t notice the look on Yu Sheng’s face. After a quiet moment, he asked in a casual tone: “It’s late and you’re heading out. The address doesn’t look like it has a mall or night market. Going out for street food?”

As he spoke, he glanced in the rearview mirror at the little Miss Doll sitting between Yu Sheng and Foxy, and added: “And the Miss Doll is coming too. Her way of going out the door is pretty creative.”

Yu Sheng was about to answer, but Irene beat him to it: “We’re going out to work!” Then she turned to Yu Sheng and asked: “…We can say that, right?”

Yu Sheng didn’t mind and said: “Go ahead. It’s not a secret op, and he’s official.”

“Work?” Xu Jiali reacted at once. After a short silence, his voice turned serious and he asked: “Need help?”

“No,” Yu Sheng said, waving a hand, “not a big project.”

“Is it legal?” Xu Jiali asked after a few seconds. “Don’t blame me for asking.”

“Little Red Riding Hood introduced it,” Yu Sheng said.

“Then it should be fine. The Fairy Tale organization has a good reputation and follows the rules,” Xu Jiali said, finally relaxing, but still gave two more reminders. “I know you set up the Hotel, so I’ll say this. Borderland is a mixed place. Even with the Bureau’s eyes everywhere, there are always blind spots. Be careful of traps, be wary of temptations. If someone or something feels suspicious, don’t hesitate. Report it right away. Reporting is a virtue.”

Maybe it was just a feeling, but when he said “reporting is a virtue,” Yu Sheng thought he heard a special weight in the words.

“Relax, we get it,” Irene said, a little impatient. Then she urged him: “Can you drive faster? Why does your car feel like it’s working so hard?”

“It really is a little nervous today. It doesn’t feel free when it runs,” Xu Jiali said, scratching his hair. “It even stalled once when I got near your street. That usually doesn’t happen.”

Yu Sheng felt a tug at his sleeve. He turned and saw Foxy staring straight at him.

“Benefactor, want me to tie one tail to the back and push?”

He refused at once.

[Come on. A subsonic hatchback with rocket assist racing through the streets at midnight? That’s worse than a rocket-boosted fox. With the fox, it’s so outrageous fewer people might believe it. If the car draws the Borderland authorities, Xu Jiali’s license is done.]

Even though the ride took about a quarter longer than usual, they still made it to the spot Little Red Riding Hood had pinned.

Yu Sheng looked out the window. Ahead, the streetlights thinned. A large building loomed faintly at the end of the road.

“We’ll get out here. It’s hard to turn around on the small road up there.”

“Got it,” Xu Jiali said, waving. “Take your stuff. If anything happens, call me.”

The three got out.

On the dim street, Xu Jiali watched the two figures walk away. Irene was so small she was hidden by Foxy. After a long moment, he let out a gentle breath, released the wheel, and leaned back against the seat that was a bit tight for him.

The car started itself, puttered to the curb, and settled where it wouldn’t block anyone. The engine purred softly, a steady rumble.

Out of the corner of his eye, Xu Jiali glanced at the dash, smiling: “Old server, got scared, huh?”

The engine grumbled twice.

Xu Jiali stretched as far as the cramped driver’s space allowed and set his hand on the wheel: “Say no more. Thanks for today. Ninety-seven octane, full tank.”

…

Yu Sheng looked back.

Far away, a pair of lights moved, turned, and slipped off onto a side road.

Irene’s voice sounded in his head: “Do you think that was a coincidence?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yu Sheng said, waving a hand.

“It doesn’t matter?”

“A ride is a ride, no matter whose car it is. Let’s see if Li Lin also ‘happens’ to drive ride share near our place someday. I hope his car is bigger,” Yu Sheng said with a grin. “If it keeps happening, I might as well stop paying. Their Bureau will reimburse anyway.”

“…You really are laid-back,” Irene said with genuine admiration.

Yu Sheng didn’t answer. He just patted Irene’s hair and looked ahead.

Under a dim streetlight, a petite girl in a dark red coat stood quietly in the glow. It looked like she had been waiting a while.