Chapter 28

Chapter 28: You Can Write an IOU

Feng Ling still didn’t understand why Zhou Zhou clung so hard to the title.

But she did understand why he wasn’t staying in full hellhound card form. He was rationing strength.

She turned to Huang Fu Miao Miao. “That little jelly you drink—does it work on a human?”

Huang Fu Miao Miao blinked. “It should… probably.”

“Then give him a pouch,” Feng Ling said, pointing at Zhou Zhou.

If you were running on empty, you replenished.

Zhou Zhou’s face went flat.

Huang Fu Miao Miao’s face went flat too.

One hated using anything made by aberrant creatures. The other hated spending points she’d bled for.

But Huang Fu Miao Miao still redeemed a small pouch of nutrient gel and handed it over with the energy of someone paying ransom.

Feng Ling tossed it to Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou shifted one beast claw back into a human hand and caught it. He took a moment to steel himself—big picture, big picture—then tore it open and sucked it down in one gulp.

It tasted like concentrated juice with a gelatin bite, faintly sweet. As it settled, fatigue peeled away from his muscles. His head cleared. Even his thoughts sharpened, buzzing with energy.

The effect was frighteningly good.

Which made Zhou Zhou even less comfortable.

This was aberrant tech. The better it worked, the more it felt like a trap.

He looked at Feng Ling, voice tight. “Any side effects?”

“Never tried it,” Feng Ling said. “No idea.”

Zhou Zhou stared at her, speechless.

Feng Ling turned to Huang Fu Miao Miao again. “That recovery potion worked well too. Get one for Old Cao.”

Huang Fu Miao Miao looked like she was about to cry. “That’s expensive. If I redeem it, I’ll only have two points left…”

Feng Ling’s tone stayed casual. “Have the Inspection Bureau write you an IOU. We get points for killing bugs, don’t we? A potion for a few bugs and you break even.”

“Hey,” Zhou Zhou snapped, “don’t make decisions like that.”

An IOU from the Inspection Bureau to an aberrant? It sounded insane.

Feng Ling shrugged. “That jelly pouch counts as one bug. You already drank it. Don’t think about dodging the bill.”

Zhou Zhou choked on his own anger.

Feng Ling continued, calm and cutting, “We’ve already wasted time. The longer we stall, the more likely the polluted entity hatches more bugs. Heal the leg. Then we can execute without second-guessing.”

At that point, refusing just sounded stupid.

Huang Fu Miao Miao was the only one truly suffering. She redeemed the recovery injection, saw her balance drop to a pitiful 2, and felt a real, physical ache in her chest. She couldn’t bear to look again. She shoved the syringe at Cao Hong Yi.

“Inject it into your leg,” she muttered, wounded like she’d lost a limb.

Zhou Zhou, still bristling, barked, “I’ll pay you back—principal and interest!”

Huang Fu Miao Miao pouted, still looking devastated. Somehow that made Zhou Zhou even more irritable.

While the potion took effect, Feng Ling closed her eyes.

Earlier—when she struck the polluted entity—she’d used mother’s longing.

A red mist rose in her vision.

She followed it, trying to trace where the polluted entity had gone.

Ten meters. More.

Then she stopped.

It was too dark. Every tunnel was a black throat. No landmarks. No edges. Nothing. Her mark tracking might as well have been blind.

Feng Ling opened her eyes, mood sour.

By now, Cao Hong Yi’s leg had recovered most of the way. He wasn’t sprinting, but he could walk without it wrecking him.

The group visibly relaxed. Even Zhou Zhou’s expression eased—until he noticed Feng Ling’s cold face. Then he immediately wiped the relief away, like showing it would cost him.

Zhou Zhou spoke with forced seriousness. “Don’t worry. I’ll leave enough bugs alive. I won’t take our debt out of this cave.”

Feng Ling answered with a distracted, “Mm. Follow the plan.”

Zhou Zhou’s face twitched. He’d just tried to give her face. Why was she acting like ice?

He didn’t understand her at all. A minute ago she’d been fired up, planning. Now she looked bored. What had he done?

“Fine,” Zhou Zhou said through his teeth, turning on Qin Liang. “Export the data. Give her the chip.”

Qin Liang worked the detector, removed the internal chip, and handed it to Feng Ling with the careful seriousness of someone passing a fuse.

“You saw the map,” Zhou Zhou said, unusually patient. “You remember it. These tunnels connect. Once you’re out, keep going left and you’ll reach the passage to the parking garage. I’ll make noise, draw the bugs and the polluted entity. Buy you time.”

“Got it,” Feng Ling said, pocketing the chip.

Zhou Zhou pulled out a combat knife and shoved it into Fang Ye’s hands. “Feng Ling needs speed. She can’t bring you. You stay with us. We’ll do our best to keep you alive, but if things go bad, you protect yourself. We might not be able to pull you out.”

Fang Ye gripped the knife like it was the only solid thing in the world. He nodded hard. “I—I’ll try not to be a burden.”

Zhou Zhou exhaled once. “Move.”

The team split.

Feng Ling and Huang Fu Miao Miao went first. Their silhouettes vanished into darkness.

The rest followed Zhou Zhou into another hole, weapons ready, nerves tight.

Feng Ling moved fast.

Huang Fu Miao Miao stayed glued to her side, not daring to drift even half a step away.

From somewhere deeper, sharp, rhythmic banging echoed—Zhou Zhou’s group making noise on purpose.

Without the swarm harassing them, Feng Ling quickly found the tunnel leading back toward the parking garage. The flashlight carved out a narrow slice of visibility. After a short walk, she spotted the protruding rock—the one that had slammed into Cao Hong Yi’s forehead earlier.

A little farther and her phone would catch signal.

She could call Su Yu Qing directly and have him send someone to retrieve the chip near the pit. Faster. Cleaner.

After the chip was delivered, she planned to head back down. She still wanted to see what was hiding in that uterus-shaped pit.

Scratch.

Scratch.

Feng Ling stopped mid-step and snapped her head around.

Huang Fu Miao Miao nearly ran into her. Before she could speak, Feng Ling grabbed her by the collar and flung her forward, tossing her into the front of the passage like a rag doll.

In the space Huang Fu Miao Miao had been occupying, a human-faced insect monster lunged.

“It’s the polluted entity!” Huang Fu Miao Miao screamed.

It had chased them.