Chapter 273

Chapter 273: Days With the Demon Fox

For many people in the Special Operations Bureau Technical Department, today was another wonderful overtime day. Not only did they get the thrill of working after work, they also got to work overtime with their beloved Director.

The culprit behind it all, however, had no idea.

After eating and drinking her fill, Foxy happily followed beside Yu Sheng as the two of them wandered along a small river on the edge of the Old Quarter.

For Yu Sheng, it had been a long time since he’d felt this light. Since coming to Boundary City, his nerves had been tight most of the time. Just when he’d finally adapted, one problem after another had piled on. Being able to walk outside like this—thinking about nothing, worrying about nothing—felt like a gift from another life.

Even though that “other life” wasn’t that long ago.

For Foxy, strolling outside with Yu Sheng was even better. Running wild in the Valley had been fun too, but it was a different kind of happiness.

She liked the slow process of getting familiar with the city with Yu Sheng beside her—learning one more street, recognizing one more shop, seeing one more kind of animal in this world. Even noticing a single blade of grass, a flower, a tree.

It made her feel steadily more at ease, even if she couldn’t explain why.

The evening wind carried a chill, and faint music drifted from Commercial Street far away.

Yu Sheng walked along the riverbank at an easy pace, watching Foxy bounce around nearby. He called it a walk, but the young lady never stayed calmly at his side for more than a few minutes. Most of the time she was darting everywhere—onto the riverside grass, onto the concrete ledge by the water, sometimes into the bushes—never still for a second.

Sometimes Yu Sheng would turn his head and lose track of her entirely. But if he looked around a few times, she would pop out from some corner, thrilled to show off her newest “treasure.”

“Benefactor!”

Foxy ran back from the grass, eyes shining, waving a handful of small flowers. “I found a flower! It’s still blooming in winter!”

Yu Sheng smiled helplessly. “No idea. Call it a wildflower.”

“Okay!” Foxy nodded. Then, without hesitation, she casually stuffed a few flowers into her mouth and ran off again.

A few minutes later she came back with the same excitement. “Benefactor! A stone from the riverbank!”

“Yeah. A stone.”

“Benefactor! A stick! A very straight stick!”

“Yeah, a stick… Hey, give me that. I can use it at home.”

“Benefactor! A drink bottle!”

“…Throw it in the trash.”

“Benefactor! A balloon entity!”

“Yeah, a bal—wait, where did you get a balloon entity?!”

As if on cue, a little child started crying nearby. A tiny kid, even shorter than Xiao Xiao, wailed a few meters away. “Sister stole my balloon entity—!”

Yu Sheng broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly shoved Foxy toward the child. “Give it back. Now.”

Foxy went over, muttering, “It floated out of his hand. I thought he didn’t want it anymore…”

Half a minute later she came back clapping her hands, cheerful as ever.

Yu Sheng could tell she was having the time of her life, but something about walking her outside felt… off. He couldn’t put his finger on it.

Then Foxy spotted something else. With a whoosh, she vanished from his sight. A few seconds later she whooshed back, holding something up proudly.

“Benefactor! A mouse!”

Yu Sheng recoiled. “Good lord. You don’t need to show me that—and you’re not allowed to eat it!”

“Fine,” Foxy pouted regretfully. In her palm, the mouse dissolved into a burning afterglow. “There’s a dish back home, though…”

Yu Sheng’s cold sweat doubled. He checked quickly to make sure no one was around, then stared at her, helpless. “Stop running everywhere. You’re going to scare people. Can’t you just stroll with me for a while?”

“Okay!” Foxy nodded immediately.

They’d repeated this process several times already, but at least she quieted down and walked at a steady pace for a little while.

Yu Sheng seized the chance to distract her. “Why are you so happy?”

“I’m happy just going for a walk. I’m even happier walking with you, Benefactor!” Foxy grinned. Dressed in pure white, her bright smile bloomed in the winter air, so beautiful it almost didn’t feel real. “It’s a pity Irene didn’t come out. Bringing her would be fun too…”

“If she hears you, you’ll start another argument,” Yu Sheng said, shaking his head. “She only cares about going to the mall to shop. Walking outside is boring to her. She’s not like you—you’re happy as long as you can go out.”

“We demon foxes are like that. In ancient times we cultivated in mountains and wild forests…” Foxy said, suddenly solemn.

Yu Sheng opened his mouth to answer.

Foxy was gone again.

A moment later, she zipped back and held something up like a prize.

“Benefactor! A screw!”

Yu Sheng stared at the screw in silence.

Now he finally understood what felt off.

This wasn’t a walk.

This was taking a hyperactive fox on a scavenger hunt.

Yu Sheng had the sudden, vivid urge to tie a leash to her.

Then he imagined her strength, her speed, and her bottomless energy. He decided if he actually tried, he’d be the one getting walked.

He didn’t dare think any further.

The streetlights flickered on.

Yu Sheng stopped tracking Foxy’s bouncing and inhaled the night air, then slowly exhaled, watching Boundary City settle into darkness.

Once, the night sky here had only made him uneasy.

But without realizing it, even the eerie illusion arts that appeared after nightfall had become familiar—almost… friendly.

A nearby streetlamp flickered. In its shifting light, a tall, thin phantom gradually took shape. The hollow, towering figure stood quietly under the lamp, looking at Yu Sheng.

Yu Sheng looked back. Seeing there were no outsiders around, he smiled and greeted it.

Far between the buildings, that steam locomotive running through the night sky appeared again. It poured out rolling white fog, silently slipping into one building, then sliding out through the glass curtain wall of another, vanishing into the horizon.

Yu Sheng almost felt like he could hear its whistle—distant and unreal, as if separated by layers of time and space.

By now, he understood that compared to the dangerous entities generated in each otherworld, these night phantoms—things ordinary people couldn’t even see—were gentle and harmless.

Just then, his phone rang.

He pulled it out and saw Bai Li Qing’s name.

Calling at this hour?

Does she ever go home?

Yu Sheng answered. “Hello? Good evening.”

“Good evening,” Bai Li Qing said. “Two things. Is this a good time to talk?”

“Sure. I’m free,” Yu Sheng said, keeping an eye on Foxy. “I’m taking a walk nearby.”

“Good. First—can you open a few teleportation doors at random right now? Anywhere is fine.”

Yu Sheng stopped short. “Open doors? Why?”

“We’ve just launched an automatic recognition and filtering system,” Bai Li Qing said. Her tone stayed composed, but there was a distinct note of satisfaction beneath it. “It can automatically recognize the space-time rifts you open and suppress the warnings, switching to automatic recording. The system is online now. I hope you can cooperate with a test—if it runs normally, you won’t have to file reports for Door Opening anymore.”

Yu Sheng brightened immediately. He finally understood why her voice sounded almost… cheerful. “That’s easy. Hold on. I’ll find a quiet corner and open a few small doors.”

He stepped behind a large billboard and, without any prior reporting, casually opened a door leading to the basement of Wu Tong Road 66.

“How’s that? I already did Door Opening.”

On Bai Li Qing’s end, he heard muffled voices, like technicians speaking near her.

“The system is active. Please try a few more times.”

“Sure,” Yu Sheng said, grinning as he cooperated. He opened several doors in succession: within the borderland, to the Valley, to the Museum, even to some barren alien planet he didn’t recognize. He cycled through almost every door type he knew. “All right. I’ve opened a bunch. What’s the reaction on your side?”

“Other than a small, acceptable delay when opening doors to an otherworld, the entire recognition and filtering system is working normally,” Bai Li Qing said. She sounded even more pleased now. “From now on, you don’t need to report your Door Opening.”

“That’s great. Congrats to you guys too—this saves a ton of work,” Yu Sheng said. “So what’s the second thing?”

Bai Li Qing went quiet for a beat.

“The second thing…” Her voice hesitated, just slightly. “I want to ask—about that iron ingot Foxy used to pay last time, after you brought her to eat at the Special Operations Bureau cafeteria. Do you still have any?”

Yu Sheng blinked. “…Huh?”