Chapter 282
Chapter 282: Going Home Means Driving the House Back
What Bai Li Qing said left Yu Sheng completely stunned.
His biggest takeaway was that any organization capable of building a theory like that was truly something else. Those Holy Revere Hermitage people were leagues beyond the raving angel cultists. No wonder they could create something as outrageous as an artificial saintess and still hold territory, while the angel cultists could only kill themselves and hope to scare a dark angel into glancing at them. The execution wasn’t even on the same level.
As for whether Holy Revere Hermitage’s idea of “repairing mortals and the whole world through sanctification” had any merit, Yu Sheng had no interest in digging into it.
Cult stuff always had to be persuasive on the surface. Even if it was twisted at the core, they’d polish it until it looked smooth—otherwise, how would they recruit?
After all, the people who genuinely wanted to burn society down from the start were a minority. If your lively folk group advertised itself as “we exist to set the world on fire,” you’d only attract losers who’d already been beaten down and were full of resentment. But if you said, “Our organization aims to bring warmth to the whole world through scientific innovation,” it sounded educated and impressive…
That whole chain of thought took only a few seconds. Then Yu Sheng asked, “Does Holy Revere Hermitage cause a lot of trouble for the borderland? Have they done things here before?”
“Because of the borderland’s special nature, we’ve dealt with almost every cult group or larger illegal force, including Holy Revere Hermitage,” Bai Li Qing said. “But most conflicts happened at distant border stations or colony planets.”
“They rarely dare to cause trouble in the borderland homeland. The few actions they’ve taken here were smuggling or rescuing members. But this time, it’s different.”
Her tone grew heavier.
“An artificial saintess isn’t something they send out casually. The combat power is one thing, but more importantly, they have special symbolic meaning within Holy Revere Hermitage.” Bai Li Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly. “An artificial saintess often serves as the core of an important saint-veneration operation. Her appearance protects important assets—and also symbolizes a saint’s guidance and shelter.”
She let that sit for a moment. “You understand what I’m implying.”
Yu Sheng didn’t answer right away. He frowned, thinking. After a long moment, he asked, “Could it be related to this thick fog showing up?”
“…I’m wondering that too,” Bai Li Qing said. “This fog is highly unusual. If an otherworld on this scale had been in Boundary City from the beginning, it couldn’t have gone undiscovered for so long.”
“And the timing is sensitive,” she continued. “It appeared not long after the angel fell. At a time like this, anyone moving quietly in the borderland is especially suspicious.”
Just then, the forensics team returned.
They brought the black head veil and the few blades Yu Sheng wanted.
“We checked it. It’s an N-12 model artificial saintess,” the bureau agent reported as he returned the samples. “This unit’s service time should be under five years. N-12 is a newer model. There isn’t much in the database.”
He continued, “The shell uses Orton alloy, military-spec Class II armor grade. We detected trace carbyne crystal clusters, likely produced in Great Cross Sector. The blades are the mature unidirectional crystal-alloy blades used on the previous N-11 model. Origin can’t be confirmed. We suspect they were made in a Holy Revere Hermitage secret forge.”
The technician paused, then pointed to the head veil. “This was checked too. Ceremonial style. Local brand, but it circulated to more than twenty external channels through the councilor trade network. And since it’s popular in some regions outside, there are many counterfeits and rebrands, while the genuine anti-counterfeit work is poor. Tracing the source is very difficult.”
Yu Sheng listened from the side, stunned all over again. So this was what professionals sounded like—even if he didn’t understand half the material science and origin jargon.
But for Bai Li Qing, the information clearly mattered.
“N-12…” she murmured, thoughtful. “Sending in such a new model probably wasn’t a decision a branch could make. At minimum, it was an order from a sage under the hermitage at mid-level or above.”
After a moment, she nodded at the reporter. “All right. Go back for now.”
“Yes, Director.”
The forensics team left.
Bai Li Qing’s gaze settled on Yu Sheng. “About that arm—we want to keep it for analysis. There are very few shell samples of artificial saintesses, especially new models like this. We really need it. The Special Operations Bureau will purchase it at the standard for a high-grade anomalous item. Is that okay?”
“That’s easy.” Yu Sheng waved cheerfully. “I already said I only want these long knives. Do whatever you want with the rest. I don’t really understand the market anyway.”
As he spoke, he carefully picked up the extremely sharp, sturdy “knives” and handed them to Foxy to store in her tail.
Then he hesitated, picked up the black head veil, studied it, and glanced at Irene. “Want to take this back and turn it into a skirt?”
“I don’t want it!” Irene’s face twisted with instant disgust. “It’s creepy, and who knows how many brutal things that C Buckle did while wearing it. It’s bad luck.”
Yu Sheng laughed. “Usually I see you playing games, killing monsters, peeling hides, ripping scales, crafting gear with blood everywhere, and you look pretty happy.”
“That’s different!” Irene planted her hands on her hips atop Bai Li Qing’s desk. “A game is a game. Real life is real life!”
Yu Sheng casually tossed the head veil to Foxy. “Fine. If you don’t want it, you don’t want it. Foxy can keep it for now. Her tail has plenty of space.”
By the time they finished talking about Holy Revere Hermitage, it was almost three in the morning.
This investigation wasn’t going to wrap up anytime soon, so Yu Sheng decided to head home first. Foxy was yawning so hard her ears drooped.
And he still had to drive the house back into the real world. Even though Wu Tong Road 66 had built-in cognitive interference—and in theory, it wouldn’t attract the attention of any ordinary person even if it flew all over Boundary City—he was still uneasy. The house was parked in the otherworld right now. If it stayed too long, who knew what might happen.
“Then we’ll head back,” Yu Sheng said, casually opening the door to his living room. “Wu Tong Road 66 will return to its original position soon. There might be a bit of commotion when it happens. Be prepared over here, and record the new signature code so you can update it in your automated system.”
“All right,” Bai Li Qing said, standing from behind her desk. “I’ll personally follow the Deep Diver unit’s search. If we find any new clues in Mistbound City, I’ll contact you.”
Yu Sheng nodded and led Foxy and Irene through the doorway.
Watching the hazy door close silently in front of her, Bai Li Qing stayed still for a few seconds, then let out a quiet breath.
She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed an internal number.
“Technical department. Who’s on duty right now? …Okay. I have a request…”
—
“Home is still the best,” Irene muttered the moment they returned, jumping out of Foxy’s arms and stretching hard. “In that iron-faced office, everything feels cold. Even the air feels heavy.”
Foxy yawned hugely, and the big tails behind her drooped with it. “Benefactor, sleepy.”
Yu Sheng smiled and rubbed the fur behind her ear. “Go upstairs and sleep first. I’ll move the house back.”
“Okay~”
Foxy answered drowsily and headed for the second floor. Halfway up, she dropped to all fours and crawled the rest of the way.
Yu Sheng watched her, not sure whether to laugh or sigh.
He felt like this fox young lady was getting more and more relaxed. Honestly, it didn’t seem like a bad thing.
Shaking off the last of his own sleepiness, Yu Sheng went to the entryway, put his hand on the handle, and started sending Wu Tong Road 66 back to the real world.
This was his first time doing the reverse operation. To be honest, he was nervous.
And when people got nervous, they tended to think up terrible ideas.
The instant he felt the link form with the “door,” a bold thought flashed through his mind: since this house could move back and forth between the borderland and Mistbound City, could it move somewhere else too?
If he used the same method as transferring into Mistbound City and assigned the entire Wu Tong Road 66… what would happen if he drove the house somewhere much farther away?
Onto an alien planet. Into one of those bizarre places he’d seen while practicing door-opening.
In those distant lands, would Wu Tong Road 66 “naturally” appear there as well?
And if it landed in another city, with people living there…
Irene noticed Yu Sheng freeze. Then she saw the strange smile creeping onto his face and immediately panicked. “Hey, hey, hey—don’t try it right now! It’s three in the morning. Calm down!”
“Ahem.” Yu Sheng snapped out of it and forced his focus back into place. “I’m just thinking it through. Thinking. I’m not going to mess around this time.”
He steadied himself and followed the method he’d used before. Treating Wu Tong Road 66 and the entryway door as a whole, he completed the assignment and prepared to open it.
The handle turned easily. The lock clicked.
Yu Sheng slowly pushed the door open.
Outside, the street was quiet in the night. No fog. Everything normal.
Two unfamiliar Special Operations Bureau agents stood in the open space in front of the door, each holding something like a recorder, staring blankly at him.
After a long moment, they spoke at the same time.
“Uh, you’re back?”
“Yeah,” Yu Sheng said. “I’m back.”
“Welcome back…”
“Want to come in for a bit?”
“No, no. Our instant noodles are ready…”
“Oh.” Yu Sheng nodded. “Then I’ll close the door.”
“Go ahead, go ahead.”
Yu Sheng shut the door and looked down at the Little Doll by his feet.
“They don’t seem very smart,” he murmured.
“I think so too,” Irene agreed. “Kinda dumb.”