Chapter 108: Big Shopping Trip

Seeing the window roll down to reveal Ren Wenwen, the first thought that popped into Yu Sheng's mind was, "The male lead and his motorcycle really are a great ship." His entire body visibly tensed up. Then his second thought was to look the other person up and down. "...Did the Special Operations Bureau send you? Have you guys set up a permanent post near my place or something?"

Unexpectedly, the moment he said that, she froze for a second before reacting. "Ah, no, I happened to be in the area on business and was passing by your place."

Yu Sheng eyed her suspiciously, trying to find traces of a lie on her face, but she seemed to be serious.

"I'm a logistics clerk," Ren Wenwen added very earnestly. "Unless I'm delivering documents or running errands, I generally don't go out on field duty. The ones stationed near your place must be from the operations department..."

Yu Sheng chuckled instead. "So you're not denying the 'stationed near my place' thing."

"You must have figured it out anyway, since '66 Wutong Road' is a new aberrant domain," Ren Wenwen laughed. "Of course, if you mind, I can report it back..."

"No need. It's not like you'll actually withdraw the post, so let's skip the formalities," Yu Sheng waved his hand casually. "Anyway, you can't keep tabs on me, and you can't find 66 Wutong Road either."

A hint of awkwardness seeped into Ren Wenwen's smile, then she quickly changed the subject. "So... are you heading out? Want me to give you a ride? I've finished my errands and am heading back to the bureau. No rush for now."

To be honest, Yu Sheng was really torn at that moment.

After all, this 'shipper scholar' in front of him was at a level that made him uncomfortable. If she started discussing the tragic love story between humans and motorcycles once they got in the car, he didn't think he could handle it. But he hesitated for only two or three seconds before nodding. "Thanks, then. Drop us off at the north entrance of Huaiyang Street, near the farmer's market."

As he spoke, he canceled the ride-hailing order on his app and, along with Hu Li and Ai Lin, got into Ren Wenwen's car.

Out of reverence for the 'shipper scholar,' Yu Sheng didn't even dare sit in the passenger seat. Even though it was empty, he firmly squeezed into the back with Hu Li.

Ai Lin sat between them—because even a doll found the human X motorcycle pairing a bit too avant-garde.

Ren Wenwen didn't react to this. She just drove, occasionally glancing at Yu Sheng in the back through the rearview mirror. After nearly ten minutes, she couldn't help asking, "Yu-laoshi, when will you write your next book?"

The respectful title 'laoshi' made Yu Sheng's skin crawl.

"Working on it, working on it," Yu Sheng quickly adjusted his expression, though his tone was still a bit unnatural. "Just grinding away on the draft these past couple of days..."

"Is the new book still horror-suspense?" Ren Wenwen's face lit up. "Will characters from before make an appearance? Will there be cameos like in your previous works? Is the setting still 'Jingshui City'?"

Yu Sheng didn't know how to answer. He hadn't even created a document for the new book, let alone named the folder, and he was still stuck thanks to that bizarre CP bottleneck. So he could only try to brush her off while attempting to change the subject. "I'm keeping it under wraps until the book comes out. I don't like spoilers. It'll be a good story, rest assured... Anyway, enough about that. What were you out doing today?"

"Running an errand. My team leader sent me out first thing this morning to deliver some materials to an 'Outlander' who lives nearby. I searched all over—the place he lives is hard to find. But it's still easier to find than 66 Wutong Road."

"Outlander?" Yu Sheng was curious.

"An Alglerede. You know Alglerede, right? They call themselves 'the people blessed by the stars.' They have keen perception and calculation abilities regarding stars and the cosmos. Quite a few Algleredes are interested in the peculiarities of the Borderlands, so they live long-term in Boundary City to study the place. They have a good relationship with the Special Operations Bureau," Ren Wenwen said casually. "They look very similar to humans. You might have encountered an Alglerede before without even realizing it..."

Yu Sheng listened thoughtfully to these wondrous facts, hidden beneath the surface of everyday life in Boundary City and unknown to ordinary people. Then he suddenly felt the car jolt.

"We're here." Ren Wenwen turned her head from the front seat.

"That fast?"

"It's really close," Ren Wenwen smiled. "Should I wait for you here? Or I could browse with you—I know this area pretty well~"

"No, no, that's fine," Yu Sheng quickly waved his hands, afraid she'd use the opportunity to ask more about his new book. "We'll be at least half a day. I won't waste your time. Thanks a lot."

With that, he grabbed Hu Li and Ai Lin and fled the car.

The 'shipper scholar' finally drove off.

Yu Sheng let out a long sigh of relief, then immediately took Hu Li to a quiet corner. He pulled out his phone, opened the 'Border Comm' app, and started searching for any 'nodes' set up by the Special Operations Bureau nearby.

He actually found one—right near the entrance to the farmer's market.

He followed the phone's navigation with Hu Li and indeed found an empty spot. It was a vacant storefront with a 'Prime Location for Rent' sign. Despite being in the middle of the bustling market, a large area in front of the door was completely empty of people.

A solitary 'node' device stood conspicuously on the empty lot, occasionally emitting a faint hum.

Yu Sheng looked around, then placed his hand on the door of the shop, held his breath, and concentrated, seriously recording the 'coordinates' of this place.

Hu Li watched curiously. "Benefactor, what are you doing?"

"Leaving a waypoint for opening a gate," Yu Sheng said casually. "Makes it easier to come next time. Plus, there's a 'node' set up by the Special Operations Bureau here. I'll mooch off their wifi... I mean, mooch off their repulsion effect, so I don't scare people when I open a gate in the future."

Since no one was around, Ai Lin moved a bit, poking her head out of Hu Li's arms and curiously looking around. "There's an aberrant domain here too?"

"Right in front of us—this shop. It's marked as an L-1 level aberrant domain on Border Comm, called 'The Store,'" Yu Sheng pointed. "Legend says it opens at midnight. If you wander in by mistake, you'll enter an incredibly huge general store. Danger level is very low. The main hazard is that everything inside is ridiculously expensive, and you have to spend all your money to leave... Also, anything you buy there turns to sand once you leave 'The Store.'"

"...Such a vicious aberrant domain!" the little doll exclaimed, then couldn't help but sigh. "Even something like this exists..."

"Just another feature of the Borderlands," Yu Sheng exhaled. "There are all kinds of incomprehensible, puzzling aberrant domains. But it's got nothing to do with us. I'm just using it as a landmark for the gate."

As he spoke, he finished recording the coordinates of this place. Then, as planned, he began a massive shopping trip in the market.

First, he bought enough food for Hu Li at wholesale prices—frozen chicken legs, rice, flour, and cooking oil were much cheaper here than at the supermarket.

The seller, seeing such an unfamiliar 'buyer,' curiously asked if he was opening a restaurant and enthusiastically offered a discount for regular bulk orders. Yu Sheng happily took the guy's number, but couldn't explain that he wasn't opening a restaurant—he was stocking up on arms at a farmer's market...

The kind of arms where one cruise missile costs twenty chicken legs.

Every few boxes he bought, he'd take Hu Li to a secluded corner and stuff everything into her tail.

Once the food shopping was about done, he bought lots of vegetable seeds and some tools he might need.

Ai Lin couldn't help muttering in his mind, "I wanted to ask earlier when we left—why are you buying seeds?"

"To farm, of course," Yu Sheng said matter-of-factly. "You forgot my plan? I'm going to open a patch of land in the valley and grow some melons, fruits, and vegetables."

"...You're serious?!" The little doll was shocked. "I thought you were joking!"

"Farming is serious business," Yu Sheng said earnestly. "Tell me, wouldn't it be a waste not to plant something on such good land? Plus, now that the Starvation entity is gone from that place, there's no more meat source. I have to grow some things to make up for it... Ah, that reminds me. I need to buy some chicks. When they grow up, they can lay eggs, and we can stew them for Hu Li. Hu Li, can you put live things in your tail?"

Hu Li immediately nodded proudly. "Yes! As long as I protect their vitality with immortal arts, I can keep them for a month or two, no problem!"

Ai Lin was stunned for a few seconds before speaking. "So you really did plan to 'stock up' in that valley from the start, didn't you?! You're actually disappointed that you ate up Entity-Starvation?!"

Yu Sheng kept a straight face, looking serious.

But he really was a bit disappointed—if only he'd known that thing wouldn't regenerate after it was gone, he should have kept one at the end of the 'Feast.' Then he'd never have to buy meat again...

(End of chapter)