Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Big Shopping Run

Seeing Ren Wen Wen with the window down, Yu Sheng’s first thought flashed through his mind like a curse: The male lead and his motorcycle are such a great ship.

His whole body tensed.

Then his second thought arrived, and it was only slightly more reasonable. He looked her up and down. “Did the Special Operations Bureau send you? Did you set up a post near my house?”

Ren Wen Wen went blank for a beat.

Then she reacted, waving quickly. “Ah, no. I just came out to run an errand, and I happened to pass near your place.”

Yu Sheng stared at her, suspicious, looking for the tiniest crack of a lie. But her face stayed earnest.

“I’m logistics and office staff,” Ren Wen Wen added quickly. “Aside from delivering documents and running errands, I usually don’t go out on field work. The people posted near you are definitely colleagues from the action department…”

Yu Sheng laughed. “You didn’t even deny the posted part.”

“You can probably guess it anyway,” Ren Wen Wen said with a helpless smile. “Since Wu Tong Road 66 is a new otherworld. Of course, if you mind, I can go back and report—”

“No need,” Yu Sheng cut in, waving it off. “You’re not going to actually pull the post back, so don’t bother with the process.” His tone stayed indifferent. “Besides, you can’t keep an eye on me, and you can’t find Wu Tong Road 66.”

Ren Wen Wen’s smile went a little awkward. She changed the topic with impressive speed.

“Then… you’re heading out, right? Do you want a ride?” She tapped the steering wheel lightly. “I’m done with my errand and I was going back to the bureau anyway. I don’t have anything urgent right now.”

To be honest, Yu Sheng hesitated.

This shipper was on a level he couldn’t handle. If he got in the car and she started discussing the love-hate relationship between humans and motorcycles, he truly wouldn’t survive it.

But after two or three seconds, he nodded anyway. “Thanks. Take us to the north entrance of Huai Yang Street, by the farmers’ market.”

He canceled his rideshare order, then climbed into Ren Wen Wen’s car with Foxy and Irene.

Out of pure self-preservation, he refused to sit in the passenger seat, even though it was empty. He squeezed into the back with Foxy instead.

Irene sat between them—because even the doll thought human-and-motorcycle shipping was too advanced.

Ren Wen Wen drove smoothly, occasionally glancing at Yu Sheng through the rearview mirror. After almost ten minutes, she couldn’t help asking, “Teacher Yu, when are you writing your new book?”

Hearing the word teacher made Yu Sheng feel itchy all over.

“I’m writing,” he said quickly, forcing his face into something calm. “I’ve been rushing the draft these last two days…”

“Is the new book still horror mystery?” Ren Wen Wen lit up instantly. “Will the old characters show up? Will you have cameos like in your previous works? Is the stage still in Stillwater City?”

Yu Sheng had no idea how to answer, because he hadn’t even created the document for the new book yet. He hadn’t even named the folder. And now he was stuck in a ridiculous, ship-induced bottleneck.

So he did what any author in survival mode would do: he dodged and changed the subject.

“No spoilers before I start,” he said firmly. “I don’t like to spoil things. Anyway, it’ll definitely be a good story.” He cleared his throat. “What were you doing out here today?”

“Running errands,” Ren Wen Wen said casually. “Our captain sent me out early this morning to deliver materials to an outsider who lives around here. I looked for him forever. Where he lives is way too hard to find…” She paused, then added, dryly amused, “But it’s still easier to find than Wu Tong Road 66.”

“Outsider?” Yu Sheng echoed, curious.

“An Alglade person,” Ren Wen Wen explained. “You know Alglade, right? They call themselves the people blessed by the stars. Their perception and calculation for stars and the universe are sharp. A lot of Alglade people are interested in what’s special about the borderland, so they live long-term in Boundary City to study it. They get along pretty well with the Special Operations Bureau.” She shrugged. “They look a lot like humans. You might’ve met Alglade people before and not even noticed.”

Yu Sheng listened, mind turning over these strange facts that hid beneath ordinary life—things a normal person would never brush against.

Then the car jolted lightly.

“We’re here,” Ren Wen Wen said, turning in her seat.

“So fast?” Yu Sheng blinked.

“It’s close,” she said with a smile. “Do you want me to wait here for a bit? Or I can go in with you. I know this place pretty well.”

“No, no.” Yu Sheng waved both hands like she’d offered him a loaded weapon. “We’ll be here at least half a day. I won’t waste your time. Thanks.”

Before she could say another word, he grabbed Foxy and Irene and fled the car like he was escaping.

The shipper drove away into the distance.

Yu Sheng let out a long breath. Then he dragged Foxy to a quieter corner, pulled out his phone, and opened Border Comms. He searched for whether the Special Operations Bureau had set up a nearby node.

He actually found one—right near the farmers’ market entrance.

Following the navigation, he led Foxy over to a deserted spot: an empty storefront with a PRIME LOCATION FOR RENT sign posted on the glass. Despite the busy street around it, there wasn’t a single person anywhere near the door.

Off to the side, a lone node device stood awkwardly in the open, giving off a faint hum.

Yu Sheng looked around, then placed his hand on the storefront door. He held his breath and concentrated, recording the coordinates with quiet seriousness.

Foxy watched him and couldn’t help whispering, “Benefactor, what are you doing?”

“Leaving a door-opening record point,” Yu Sheng said, casual on the surface. “It’ll be easier next time. And there’s a node here, so I can borrow their… dispersal effect, so door-opening won’t scare people in the future.”

With no one around, Irene shifted inside Foxy’s arms and peeked her head out, eyes bright with curiosity. “There’s an otherworld even here?”

“Just this shop.” Yu Sheng pointed. “On Border Comms it’s marked as an L-1 otherworld: the Shop. Supposedly it opens at midnight. If you wander in, you’ll enter an enormous general store.” He lifted a finger. “The danger level is low. The main problem is that everything they sell is insanely expensive, and you can’t leave until you spend all the money you’re carrying. Also, anything you buy turns into sand the moment you leave the Shop.”

“…What a vicious otherworld!” Irene barked. Then, as if she’d aged ten years in a second, she sighed. “So even this kind of otherworld exists…”

“That’s borderland flavor,” Yu Sheng said, exhaling. “You get otherworlds like this too—unclear meaning, confusing traits, all kinds of nonsense.” He tapped the storefront again. “But it doesn’t really matter to us. I’m just using it as a marker.”

Once the coordinates were recorded, Yu Sheng followed his plan and went into the market for a proper shopping run.

First, he bought enough food for Foxy on a wholesale scale. Frozen chicken legs, rice, flour, and cooking oil were all far cheaper here than in a supermarket.

When the vendor saw Yu Sheng—an unfamiliar face stocking up like he was preparing for a siege—he asked if Yu Sheng was opening a restaurant. He even offered a discount if Yu Sheng bought long-term.

Yu Sheng smiled, saved the number, and thanked him. There was no way he could explain that he wasn’t opening a restaurant.

He was buying weapons.

Weapons where one cruise missile cost twenty chicken legs.

Every time he bought a few boxes, he led Foxy to a quiet corner and had her tuck everything into her tail.

After the food run, he bought a pile of vegetable seeds and a handful of tools he thought might be useful.

Irene, listening in his mind, couldn’t hold back anymore. “I wanted to ask when we left—why are you buying seeds?”

“To farm,” Yu Sheng said, like it was obvious. “Did you forget my plan? I’m going to clear a plot in the valley and plant fruits and vegetables.”

“…You’re serious?!” Irene sounded genuinely rattled. “I thought you were joking!”

“Farming is serious,” Yu Sheng said solemnly. “You’ve got good land. Isn’t it a waste not to plant anything? And now the hungry entity over there is gone, so there’s no more source of meat. I have to plant something to make up for it.” He paused. “Oh, right. Speaking of which, I need to buy chicklings too. Once they grow up, they’ll lay eggs… and I can stew them for Foxy.”

Irene went dead silent for a second.

Yu Sheng glanced at Foxy. “Foxy, can you store living things in your tail?”

Foxy nodded proudly. “I can! As long as I protect their vitality with immortal arts, keeping them in there for a month or two is no problem!”

Irene stayed blank for several seconds before finally forcing out, “So you really did want to go to the valley to restock, didn’t you? Entity-Hunger got eaten by you and you’re still kind of sad about it?!”

Yu Sheng kept a straight face.

But he really was a little sad. If he’d known that thing couldn’t regenerate after being eaten, then at the end of the grand feast, he should’ve saved one. Then he’d never have to buy meat again…