Chapter 256

Chapter 256: Fox Immortal, Ah Fox Immortal

Yu Sheng had barely gotten a taste of how “blessed” the Borderland was when the Special Operations Bureau got a taste of it too—courtesy of the Hotel’s adept.

In Cafeteria No. 2 at headquarters, several employees coming off a night shift shuffled in for breakfast before going home. They were greeted by terrible news: egg noodles were temporarily out of stock, and the buns were “being replenished.”

Then they looked toward the table closest to the serving window.

There were stacks of empty plates and bowls piled like little towers. And sitting in the middle of the wreckage was a nine-tailed demon fox, cheerfully twirling noodles with chopsticks and gnawing on buns like they were chicken legs.

She ate with an almost radiant glow on her face. Here, she didn’t have to hide anything. A fan of huge tails swayed behind her as she ate, and two cafeteria masters hovered at her sides like dedicated attendants, serving her food with hands that wouldn’t stop trembling. Cold sweat had already soaked down to their shoes.

They watched as the fox finished another bowl of noodles. Then she dipped fist-sized buns into the leftover broth and bit down—two buns per bite, without slowing at all.

Finally, one serving master leaned in and whispered, voice shaking, “Uh… should we call the cops?”

“Call my ass,” the other muttered, face green. “You want the Special Operations Bureau headquarters calling the police to report the cafeteria got looted? We’ll get laughed at until next year. And the director said she can eat as much as she wants. We’re not allowed to stop her.”

“Sure, but nobody said she’d eat this much! Where is it even going? Two elephants would be full by now…”

“Quit whining. You work here—what haven’t you seen?”

“I’ve never seen this.”

“Oh no! She’s almost out of buns! Move—get to the back kitchen!”

“Holy—We forgot to tell them to steam more. I-I-I’ll grab two trays of mantou to stall!”

When Yu Sheng arrived at the cafeteria with Bai Li Qing, this was the scene he walked into.

His nine-tailed fox at home was literally loading ammunition.jpg.

Even Yu Sheng was stunned. For a split second, he honestly wondered if he’d been starving her.

Then he remembered Foxy’s “special trait.” She could eat a lot, and she did get full. It was just that, from the perspective of ammo stockpiles, her “appetite” had no upper limit… and no normal person would ever guess it.

When Bai Li Qing agreed so casually to let Foxy eat her fill in the cafeteria, Yu Sheng had known exactly what would happen. He hadn’t warned anyone—because if you could fleece the Special Operations Bureau, why wouldn’t you?

Especially after he’d learned just how massive and wealthy the Borderland behind the bureau really was. That knowledge did wonders for his conscience.

Foxy was gulping down soup when she heard footsteps. Her ears twitched. She set the bowl down, grabbed one tail and scrubbed at her mouth, then turned toward Yu Sheng with a delighted grin.

“Benefactor! You’re here!”

“Yeah, I’m here,” Yu Sheng said, smiling as he walked up. As usual, he took the tail and wiped the spot she’d missed. “Are you full?”

Foxy’s cheeks were flushed with happiness—and more than a little oil sheen. “I’m full! I got full a while ago!”

Bai Li Qing came up behind him, and on that iron poker face, Yu Sheng actually saw a trace of shock. The director stared at the mountain of dishes (and this was after some had already been cleared away) for a long moment before she finally said, “I thought… she just ate a lot.”

Yu Sheng chuckled. “Eye-opening, huh?”

Bai Li Qing held it in for two seconds. “…I’m more curious how you can afford to feed her normally.”

“If I told you I can’t,” Yu Sheng said, laughing, “would you let me open a teleportation door from Wu Tong Road 66 straight to this cafeteria? So Foxy can come mooch meals here every mealtime.”

He meant it as a joke.

Bai Li Qing actually considered it. Then she nodded solemnly. “Yes. We can still afford that.”

Yu Sheng froze. “Uh—I was kidding.” He waved both hands, suddenly awkward. “Under normal circumstances, Foxy really is just ‘a big eater.’ It’s not hard to support her. It’s just that lately, dealing with the fairy tale incident burned through a lot of ammo. Eating more is basically restocking the arsenal… and if you don’t stop her, she really can empty this entire cafeteria.”

Bai Li Qing stared at him.

In all her long life—outstanding otherworld-combat expert, seasoned warrior, legendary boss who’d led the bureau for a hundred years—this might have been her first genuine “What the hell does that even mean?” moment.

Foxy seemed to realize, belatedly, how the scene looked. She glanced at the piles of plates, then at the two cafeteria masters whose sweat was practically dripping, and her neck visibly shrank.

“Sorry…” she mumbled. “I think I ate a little too much…”

Before she could finish, the two masters blurted in unison, “Not too much! Not too much! It’s great that you ate well!”

Foxy still blushed. Then she stepped forward and tugged a large chunk of something out from her tail. “Here. Take this… as a thank-you gift.”

Yu Sheng didn’t even see what it was before it hit the floor with a heavy bang.

A huge, black, metallic block—like a counterweight—landed hard enough to make nearby tables shudder.

Even Irene, perched on Yu Sheng’s shoulder, jumped. “Holy crap! What is that?!”

Foxy grabbed Yu Sheng’s sleeve, eager to escape. Her face was red all the way to her neck. Yu Sheng could only smile awkwardly at Bai Li Qing as he opened the door back to Wu Tong Road 66.

“I’ll take her home first,” he said quickly. “If you get any news about the Anka Aila Crystal or that ‘cloth strip,’ tell me right away. I’ll be waiting at home… and don’t forget the orphanage relocation expenses!”

One step, and they were back.

The familiar sight of home relaxed Foxy immediately. She flopped on the sofa, tails swishing, and let out a contented sigh that sounded like her whole body had softened.

Irene jumped off Yu Sheng’s shoulder the instant they returned. Like a little rocket, she shot onto the coffee table, grabbed the remote, and claimed the best spot—even though nobody was fighting her for it.

Yu Sheng watched her for half a second, helpless, then hung his coat on the rack and turned back to Foxy. “So what was that thing you left them? It looked heavy.”

Foxy lifted her head from the cushion. She pushed up on all fours, stretched long and wide, then yawned.

“Nothing special,” she said lazily. “You know. Loading my tails, firing fox fire, stuff like that. Reactor products after the reactions. I saved up some of it. It’s not valuable, but you can forge tools out of it. It still has more spiritual essence than ordinary material.”

Then she stretched again and flopped back down.

“Benefactor,” she mumbled. “Sleepy. Sleeping.”

Yu Sheng stared at her.

He didn’t really understand.

But the fox was already out cold.

…

“It seems to be iron,” the technician said after staring at the black block for a long time. He glanced up to report to Bai Li Qing. “At least in terms of material composition. The main thing we can detect is iron. As for purity, we’ll need lab equipment to determine that.”

Bai Li Qing’s tone turned strange. “Iron? You’re saying this is just… a cast-iron ingot?”

“Yes.” The technician nodded. “But there are also some weird residual energy reactions. I’ve never seen anything like it, so I can’t say what’s going on yet. Where did it come from?”

Bai Li Qing didn’t change expression. “…The fox paid her bill after eating.”

The technician stared at her.

He didn’t say it out loud, but the same thought crossed his face anyway.

What the hell does that even mean?

“Send it to the lab later,” Bai Li Qing said, waving him off. “Get a flatbed cart to haul it away. It doesn’t seem dangerous. Handle it as a Class II unknown substance. That’s all.”

Not long after, Bai Li Qing returned to her office.

She sat behind her enormous desk, rubbed her forehead, and tried to sort out her thoughts.

Dealing with Yu Sheng and his people—his team members—was… strange. Sometimes it exhausted you. Sometimes it put you on edge. But more than anything, it expanded the limits of your imagination.

Still, overall, things were moving in a good direction. A controllable direction.

So next… what else might happen?

With a faint, inexplicable feeling—something subtle she hadn’t felt in years—Bai Li Qing hesitated, then turned on the computer on her desk and opened a special communication interface.

A low, droning hum came from under the desk. It wasn’t the sound a normal computer made.

A moment later, the screen lit up.

Pavilions and towers stretched across the display. Immortal mountains rose in the distance, wrapped in clouds and mist. Rosy light glowed among the clouds, beautiful enough to sting the eyes.

An old man’s voice came from off-screen. “Director Bai Li, why are you looking for me?”

Bai Li Qing stared at the screen for a beat. “…Immortal. Your camera is upside down.”

“Huh? Oh. Oh, didn’t notice.”

The image shook, then stuttered into place. An old man with white hair and a long beard appeared on screen, wearing a plain daoist robe. His face was gentle, but there was an undeniable pressure behind it.

A pavilion sat behind him, looking as if it had been built directly atop clouds. Two celestial cranes chased each other through the mist.

“Director Bai Li,” the old man said again, “why are you looking for me?”

Bai Li Qing didn’t waste time. “Immortal Yuan Ling. Is your Border Comms name ‘Three Thousand Wayward Disciples’?”

The old man blinked. “How did you know?”