Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Big Shopping Spree

When Ren Wen Wen lowered the car window, the first thing that popped into Yu Sheng’s mind was: [The male lead and his motorcycle make a great ship.] His whole body tightened at once. Only after that did he really look her up and down as he asked: “Did the Special Affairs Bureau send you here? Did you all set up a post right by my place?”

His question made her pause. Two seconds later she answered: “Ah, no. I’m just here on an errand and happened to pass by your home.”

Yu Sheng stared at this miss, trying to spot a lie on her face, but she seemed serious.

“I do clerical work in logistics,” Ren Wen Wen added, very earnest, “I only go out to deliver files and run errands. I don’t usually do field work. If anyone is stationed near you, it would be our colleagues from the Operations Division.”

Yu Sheng laughed: “So you’re not denying there is a station.”

“You could guess that much,” Ren Wen Wen said with a smile, “since ‘66 Wutong Road’ is a new Otherworld. But if you mind, I can report it when I get back.”

“No need. You wouldn’t really pull the station anyway, so let’s not do that paperwork,” Yu Sheng said, waving a hand like it was nothing. “You can’t keep an eye on me, and you can’t find 66 Wutong Road.”

A trace of awkwardness flashed in Ren Wen Wen’s smile, so she changed the topic fast: “Then you’re heading out, right? Want me to give you a ride? I finished my errand and I’m going back to the Bureau. I’m not in a rush.”

To be honest, Yu Sheng hesitated. This “shipper” in front of him was on a level he could hardly handle. If he got in the car and she started talking about love and hate between a human and a motorcycle, he would not survive. But after two or three seconds, he nodded: “Thanks then. Take us to the north end of Huaiyang Street, near the farmers market.”

As he spoke, he canceled his ride-hailing order and got into Ren Wen Wen’s car with Foxy and Irene.

Out of respect for the shipper’s power, Yu Sheng didn’t dare sit in the front passenger seat. Even though it was empty, he firmly squeezed into the back with Foxy.

Irene sat between them, because even a doll felt that human times motorcycle was a bit too ahead of its time.

Ren Wen Wen didn’t react to that. She drove and, every so often, looked at Yu Sheng in the rearview mirror. After almost ten minutes, she couldn’t hold it in: “Teacher Yu, when will you start your new book?”

She used the honorific “Teacher,” but the word only made Yu Sheng’s skin crawl a little.

“I’m writing, I’m writing,” he said, quickly fixing his expression though his tone was still stiff. “I’m rushing the draft these days.”

“Is the new book still horror and suspense?” Ren Wen Wen smiled, excited. “Will any of the old characters show up? Will there be cameos like in your earlier works? Is the setting still in Stillwater City?”

Yu Sheng had no idea how to answer. He hadn’t even created a document yet, not to mention a folder, and now the evil Door ship had jammed his brain. He could only stall while trying to change the subject: “I keep things secret before I start a book. I don’t like spoilers. It’ll be a good story, that’s for sure. Anyway, what are you doing out here today?”

“Running errands. Our Captain sent me out early to deliver papers to an outlander who lives around here. I went in circles. His place is super hard to find, though still easier than 66 Wutong Road.”

“Outlander?” Yu Sheng was curious.

“An Algladian. You know Alglade, right? They call themselves ‘the children blessed by the stars.’ They’re sharp at sensing and calculating anything about the stars and the cosmos. A lot of Algladians are interested in what makes the Borderland special. Many live long term in Boundary City to study this place, and they have good relations with the Special Affairs Bureau,” Ren Wen Wen said casually. “They look a lot like humans. You might have met Algladians before and just didn’t notice.”

Yu Sheng listened, thoughtful at these strange facts that normal people never encounter, hiding under everyday life in Boundary City. Then he felt the car sway.

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

“So fast?”

“It was close,” she said with a grin. “Do you want me to wait for you? Or I can walk around with you. I know this area well.”

“No, no,” Yu Sheng said, hands waving fast. He feared she’d use the chance to ask about his new book again. “We’ll shop for at least half a day. Don’t let us hold you up. Thanks.”

He tugged Foxy and Irene along and hopped out like he was escaping.

The shipper finally drove away. Yu Sheng let out a long breath, then led Foxy to a quiet corner of Clear Tranquility. He took out his phone, opened Border Comms, and searched for a Special Affairs Bureau Node nearby.

There really was one, right by the farmers market entrance.

He and Foxy followed the phone’s map and found an empty spot: a vacant shop with a big “Prime Location For Rent” sign. Even though it sat by the busy street, a wide zone around the shop’s doorway had no people at all.

Only a lonely Node device stood on the open ground to the side, humming softly now and then.

Yu Sheng looked around, placed his hand on the shop’s doorway, held his breath, and carefully wrote down this place’s “coordinates.”

Foxy couldn’t hold back her curiosity: “Benefactor, what are you doing?”

“Leaving a Door Opening marker,” Yu Sheng said. “It’ll make it easier next time. And since there’s a Bureau Node here, I’ll piggyback their wifi… I mean, their dispersal effect, so my Door Opening won’t scare people later.”

No one was around, so Irene moved a bit. She poked her head out of Foxy’s arms and looked around: “There’s an Otherworld here too?”

“It’s this shop,” Yu Sheng said, pointing. “Border Comms marks it as an L-1 Otherworld called ‘The Shop.’ It opens at midnight. If you wander in, you’ll end up in a huge grocery store. It’s not very dangerous. The main problem is everything is super expensive, and you have to spend all your money before you can leave. Oh, and anything you buy turns into sand after you walk out of The Shop.”

“What a nasty Otherworld!” the little doll cried. Then she sighed. “There’s even an Otherworld like that…”

“It’s a Borderland special,” Yu Sheng breathed out. “Some things here just don’t make sense. But it doesn’t matter to us. I’m only using it as a Door Opening marker.”

He finished recording the coordinates and started his plan: a big shopping trip in the market.

First came bulk food for Foxy. Buying frozen chicken legs and rice, flour, oil, and grain here was much cheaper than at a supermarket.

The seller saw a stranger buying like a wholesaler and asked if he was opening a restaurant, even offering a discount for long-term supply. Yu Sheng happily took the number, but there was no way to explain he wasn’t opening a restaurant. He was here to buy weapons at the farmers market.

The kind of weapons where a cruise missile costs twenty chicken legs.

Every few boxes, he and Foxy found a quiet corner and stuffed everything into her tail.

Once the food was done, he bought a lot of vegetable seeds and some tools he might need.

Irene muttered in his head: “I wanted to ask as soon as we headed out. Why are you buying seeds?”

“To farm, of course,” Yu Sheng said like it was obvious. “Did you forget my plan? I’m going to open a field in the Valley and grow fruits and vegetables.”

“You were serious?!” The little doll was shocked. “I thought you were joking!”

“Farming is serious,” Yu Sheng said solemnly. “It would be a waste not to plant on such good land. And now that the Hunger Entity is gone, we lost our meat supply. I should grow something to make up for it. Oh, you reminded me. I need to buy some chicks too. When they grow up, they’ll lay eggs, and I can stew some for Foxy. Foxy, can your tail hold living things?”

Foxy nodded proudly: “Yes! As long as I use immortal arts to protect their life force, I can keep them for a month or two.”

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Irene said: “So you really wanted to go to the Valley to ‘stock up,’ right? You even feel bad that you ate the Hunger Entity?”

Yu Sheng kept a straight face.

But he really did feel bad. If he had known it wouldn’t regenerate after he ate it, he would have saved one for later. Then he would never need to buy meat again. [What a loss.]