Chapter 274

Chapter 274: So Weird

Under the streetlamp, Yu Sheng held the phone and listened as Bai Li Qing explained the absurd situation.

They had taken the iron ingot Foxy had produced back then, made a hammer from it, and a machine spirit had appeared.

Nearby, the demon fox girl was squatting by a landscaping strip, digging a hole with intense seriousness, like she meant to bury a stone she’d picked up.

Yu Sheng didn’t even have the spare attention to scold her for destroying public greenery. Bai Li Qing’s story was too ridiculous.

“Originally, the lab planned to immediately manufacture a series of items to test the material’s… ‘spirit imbuement’ properties. But considering the material may be precious, I stopped the testing,” Bai Li Qing said seriously. “Its properties are difficult for us to understand. Its composition isn’t special, yet after simple processing it showed unbelievable energy activity. We’re very curious what it really is, and whether Foxy can provide more samples.”

She paused, then added, “Of course, we’ll pay.”

Yu Sheng rubbed his forehead, trying to remember. “That thing… Foxy said it was some kind of reactor byproduct after a reaction. From the way she described it, it sounded pretty cheap—at least, cheap back home.”

There was silence for a long ten seconds.

Then Bai Li Qing’s voice came through, sharp with disbelief. “A reactor?!

“You mean Foxy has a reactor in her stomach?!”

“Sounds like it,” Yu Sheng said. Only then did he realize how insane that sounded. He stroked his chin. “It’s… kind of outrageous.”

“Kind of outrageous?” For the first time, Yu Sheng heard Bai Li Qing’s composure crack at the edges. Her voice jumped several pitches. “You think this is only kind of outrageous?!”

Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched. He glanced at Foxy, still digging. “Let me put it this way. The first time I watched her fire her tails like missiles, I used up all the surprise I’ll ever have in this lifetime. My ability to rebuild my worldview is so strong it scares even me.”

Silence again.

Yu Sheng distinctly heard Bai Li Qing take a deep breath.

“So,” she said, regaining control, “you’re telling me Foxy can produce more ingots at any time, but she needs time to accumulate. Correct?”

“That’s what she said. But she might have some stockpiled. I’ll ask her—though she’s busy right now.”

“What’s she busy with?” Bai Li Qing asked.

“Digging holes in the landscaping.”

Bai Li Qing went silent.

Yu Sheng felt awkward too. He coughed and walked up behind Foxy. “Foxy. Stop digging. I need to ask you something.”

Foxy looked up, eyes shining. “Benefactor, what is it?”

“That metal ingot you left behind after eating at the Special Operations Bureau cafeteria last time,” Yu Sheng said, failing to come up with a more dignified description. “Do you still have any? And how long does it take you to make one?”

“It depends on what kind of food I consume and the reactor’s daily output power. Hard to say,” Foxy said, blinking. “Maybe one every seven or eight days? But I do have a few stored right now… They want more?”

Yu Sheng nodded.

Before he could respond, Bai Li Qing’s voice came through the phone, brisk and utterly sincere. “Tell her the Special Operations Bureau can build a cafeteria just for her. You can even open a door directly to the serving window.”

Yu Sheng stared at the phone in silence.

Foxy blinked at him, clearly not understanding what was happening.

So Yu Sheng explained what the bureau had found.

Foxy usually looked a bit slow, but she was sharp when it mattered. In a few sentences, she understood completely. She clapped her hands, delighted.

“That’s just spirit infusion,” she said, grinning. “Spirit Fox Mystic Iron is basic material for forging artifact spirits back home. This is totally normal.”

Yu Sheng opened his mouth. Then closed it again.

Of course it was normal.

On the other end, Bai Li Qing continued, already sliding into negotiation mode. “When we have time, we can discuss it seriously—setting up a dedicated assigned cafeteria for Hotel at the Special Operations Bureau, and officially signing a long-term purchase contract with Hotel for… what was it called?”

“Spirit Fox Mystic Iron,” Foxy supplied helpfully.

“Right. A long-term contract to purchase Spirit Fox Mystic Iron…”

—

Irene stared at Yu Sheng with blood-red eyes.

Yu Sheng sat on the sofa, staring back with absolute calm.

Beside them, Foxy had piled her walk loot onto the coffee table: a very straight stick, a very round stone, and a handful of oddly shaped screws. She played with them happily, completely unconcerned by the tension in the air.

“You’re saying the Special Operations Bureau is willing to spend a huge amount of money—or regularly provide supplies—just to trade for those metal lumps Foxy tosses out after eating?!” Irene demanded. “And to guarantee output, they’re really going to build Silly Fox a cafeteria—ridiculous enough that you can open a door straight to the serving window?! Are they sick or something?”

“What metal lumps?” Yu Sheng corrected solemnly. “That thing has a name now. It’s Spirit Fox Mystic Iron. Back in Foxy’s homeland it’s a spiritual treasure material. In this world, it’s a treasure that can reliably produce machine spirits. You understand what that means?”

Irene blinked, dazed. “I-is that so…?”

Then she snapped back, sprang up, and glared again. “No! Why?! Why is the junk she spits out after eating worth top price, while I cooperated for ages testing crystals and all we got was an ‘anti-Irene crystal’… I told you, this world is targeting me!”

Yu Sheng sighed and patted her head. “Yeah. I feel for you.”

Irene tilted her head, thought for a moment, then waved a hand with sudden generosity. “Fine. I’m not mad anymore.”

This time Yu Sheng froze.

After half coaxing and half tricking Irene into calming down, Yu Sheng walked over to Foxy, who was still arranging her treasures. “Still not done sorting?”

Foxy looked up and happily held out two sticks. “Benefactor, look! Don’t these two sticks look like two swords?”

Yu Sheng studied them, then rubbed his chin. “Honestly… they kind of do.”

“Then they’re a paired set. A male and female sword,” Foxy declared. She shoved one stick into Yu Sheng’s hand. “Benefactor gets one. I get one.”

Then she swept the rest of her random loot into her tail. In seconds, everything was packed away neatly.

Yu Sheng barely had time to react before he was holding an unmatched divine stick.

He couldn’t help staring at her tail, muttering. “I’m really curious how you store things in there. You just toss stuff in, and I never see you organize it. But when you pull things out, nothing’s messy at all…”

“I do organize it!” Foxy said, offended. “It’s just… not very well. But it’s not that messy inside either.”

She leaned closer, eyes bright. “Hey, Benefactor. Do you want to go in and take a look?”

Yu Sheng stared. “…What?”

“Do you want to go into my tail and look around?” Foxy said happily. “I’ve never invited anyone inside before! The time I stuffed Irene’s picture frame in doesn’t count…”

Yu Sheng’s imagination stalled for a solid second.

He finally admitted to himself that his mental endurance was still slightly weaker than a nine-tailed fox’s worldview.

And just as curiosity began to bloom—

A shout from the window cut through the room.

“Hey! Yu Sheng! Look outside! There’s fog!”

It was Irene.

The moment Yu Sheng heard the word “fog,” he jolted to his feet and rushed to the window.

Irene stood on the sill, pointing.

Beyond the glass, thick fog rolled in. Heavy white mist, like a sticky, flowing liquid. It swallowed the street, and even the distant streetlights looked warped and jittery, as if the world were being viewed through a crooked lens.

“What the hell?!” Yu Sheng lunged closer, staring at the street with Irene.

“When did it turn like this?” he asked, glancing down at the doll.

“No idea. I just looked up and it was already like this,” Irene said, baffled. “But it can’t have been long. Right after it got dark, one of my bodies even glanced at the window. There was no fog then.”

“Benefactor…” Foxy came over too, her voice hesitant. “It looks like the thick fog that trapped Zheng Zhi before, but it seems denser and heavier. The atmosphere feels far more ominous.”

Yu Sheng’s face hardened. He went to the doorway and yanked it open.

He needed to confirm what was happening outside.

Wu Tong Road’s old street lay quiet under the night. The streetlights were clear. The sky was clean.

What fog?