Chapter 256: Fox Spirit, Oh Fox Spirit

Yu Sheng had truly experienced the rich talent of the Borderlands—and now the Special Services Bureau had experienced the extraordinary abilities of the “Inn” as well.

In the No. 2 cafeteria of the headquarters building, a few Special Services Bureau employees who had just finished their night shift and were preparing to have breakfast before heading home were shocked by the bad news that egg noodles and steamed buns for breakfast were temporarily out of stock. Then they saw, on the table closest to the serving window, several neatly stacked piles of plates and bowls, and sitting among the bowls and plates, a nine-tailed fox who was happily using chopsticks to twirl noodles and gnaw on them like chicken legs.

The fox girl’s face was glowing as she ate. Here at the Special Services Bureau, she didn’t need to hide anything. A bunch of big tails were wagging behind her as she ate, and two chefs standing nearby, tasked with serving her, had sweat already dripping to their feet, their hands shaking as they gripped the ladles.

As the nine-tailed fox polished off another bowl of noodles and then, without slowing down, started dipping fist-sized buns in the soup and swallowing them two at a time, one of the chefs finally stammered to his companion, “Um, maybe we should call the police…”

“Call the police, my ass,” the other chef said, his face green. “The Special Services Bureau headquarters calls the police to report that its own cafeteria has been looted? That would be a laughingstock until this time next year. And the director said to let this girl eat as much as she wants here, no matter how much, don’t stop her…”

“But she didn’t say she’d eat this much! I mean, I’m wondering, where does it all go? Even two elephants would be dead from overeating…”

“So much nonsense! Working at the Special Services Bureau, you’ve seen everything!”

“Never seen this one…”

“Oh no! She’s almost out of buns! Quick, to the kitchen!”

“Damn! Forgot to tell them to steam more! I-I-I, I’ll go grab two trays of steamed buns to hold her over!”

When Yu Sheng followed Bai Liqing to the cafeteria, this was the scene he saw.

His nine-tailed fox was in the middle of loading ammunition.jpg.

To be honest, even Yu Sheng was shocked. For a moment, he even wondered if he’d been starving this girl at home.

Of course, he only wondered for a moment, because he knew Hu Li’s “special nature”—she could eat, but she also had her fill. However, from the perspective of ammunition reserves, her “appetite” had no upper limit… ordinary people would never think of that.

When Bai Liqing so readily agreed to let Hu Li eat her fill in the cafeteria, Yu Sheng knew this would happen, but he didn’t warn her—after all, you don’t pass up a chance to fleece the Special Services Bureau.

Especially after he learned just how deep the pockets of the “Borderlands” behind the Special Services Bureau were, he felt even less guilty about taking advantage.

At that moment, Hu Li, who was holding a bowl of noodles and gulping down the soup, heard footsteps nearby. Her big ears twitched, and she put the bowl aside, grabbed one of her tails, wiped her mouth vigorously, and turned to look at Yu Sheng with a beaming face. “Benefactor! You’re here!”

“Yeah, I’m here,” Yu Sheng greeted her with a big smile, then skillfully grabbed one of Hu Li’s tails to wipe off the spots she had missed. “Full?”

Hu Li’s face was radiant (and also a bit shiny with oil): “Full! I was full a while ago!”

Then Yu Sheng turned and saw Bai Liqing walking over. Even on that steel-like expressionless face, he spotted a hint of shock—Bai Liqing stared wide-eyed at the piles of bowls on the table (which were clearly after some had been cleared away) and finally managed to say, “I originally thought… she just had a big appetite.”

Yu Sheng chuckled. “Eye-opening?”

Bai Liqing hesitated for two seconds. “…I’m more curious how you normally manage to feed her.”

Yu Sheng laughed. “What if I said I can’t afford it? Would you agree to let me open a portal from No. 66 Wutong Road straight to this cafeteria? Every day at mealtime, Hu Li could just come here to freeload.”

He had only said it casually, but unexpectedly, the female director actually considered it seriously for a second or two, then nodded solemnly. “Fine, this we can afford.”

“Uh, I was just joking,” Yu Sheng suddenly felt awkward, quickly waved his hand, and explained a bit. “Under normal circumstances, Hu Li really is just ‘a big eater.’ It’s no problem to feed her. But recently, to deal with the ‘Fairy Tale’ incident, her ammunition consumption has been a bit high. Eating more is just replenishing her arsenal… If you don’t stop her, she really could clear out this entire cafeteria.”

Bai Liqing: “…?”

Bai Liqing, excellent cross-dimensional combat expert, experienced warrior, legendary leader who had run the Special Services Bureau for a hundred years, encountered for the first time in her life the problem of a combination of words that made her think, “What the hell does that mean?”

At this point, Hu Li herself seemed a bit embarrassed. She probably finally noticed the piles of plates on the table and the two chefs whose sweat had already reached the floor. She shrank her neck and lowered her voice. “Sorry, I think I ate a bit too much…”

Before she could finish, the two chefs spoke in unison, “Not at all! Not at all! As long as you enjoyed it!”

But Hu Li’s face was still red. Suddenly, she stepped forward and pulled out a large lump from her tail: “This is for you, just… consider it a thank-you gift.”

Yu Sheng didn’t even see what it was when he heard a loud thud. A large, dark, metallic lump like a counterweight was casually thrown onto the floor by Hu Li, even shaking the nearby tables.

Even Ailin on his shoulder was startled. “Holy crap! What is that?!”

Then Hu Li grabbed Yu Sheng and wanted to go home. Yu Sheng saw that the girl’s face was red all the way to her neck, so he could only smile awkwardly at Bai Liqing, casually pulled open a door leading to No. 66 Wutong Road, and said, “I’ll take her home first… Don’t forget to notify me immediately if there’s any news about the Anka-Era crystal or that ‘cloth strip’! I’m waiting at home! And the orphanage settlement fee!”

Stepping through the door, the familiar sight of home immediately relaxed Hu Li. She flopped onto the sofa contentedly, her tails waving back and forth, letting out a happy sigh after eating and drinking her fill.

Ailin, meanwhile, immediately jumped off Yu Sheng’s shoulder, shot like a little rocket to the coffee table, grabbed the remote, and took the prime viewing spot—even though no one was competing with her for it.

Yu Sheng helplessly glanced at the little puppet who had started searching for various mindless variety shows, hung his coat on the rack, and came over to the sofa, curiously asking the fox girl, “By the way, what exactly was that thing you left for them? It looked pretty heavy…”

Hu Li lifted her head from the sofa cushion, first stretched her limbs and yawned, then explained, “Nothing much. It’s just the core residue after reactions like loading tails and firing foxfire. I saved some up—it’s worthless material, but you can forge tools with it, and it has a bit more spiritual essence than ordinary stuff.”

Then she stretched again and flopped onto the sofa. “Benefactor, sleepy. Time to sleep.”

Yu Sheng: “…”

He really didn’t understand—but the fox girl was already fast asleep.

…

“It seems to be just a piece of iron. At least in terms of material composition, what we can detect is mainly iron,” the technician who had been called in to inspect the object said, holding a device and measuring the black, metallic-looking “block” for a long time before looking up at Bai Liqing. “As for the exact purity, we might need lab equipment to figure it out.”

Bai Liqing’s tone was strange. “Iron? You mean it’s just a pig iron ingot?”

“Right,” the technician nodded. “But there are some strange energy residues. I’ve never seen anything like it, so I’m not sure what it is. Where did you find it?”

Bai Liqing’s face was expressionless. “…The fox paid the bill after eating.”

The technician: “…?”

The symptom of “What the hell does that mean?” after arranging those words started spreading like a contagion through the Special Services Bureau.

“Send it to the lab later. Find a… handcart to move it,” Bai Liqing said, ignoring the bewildered look on the technician’s face and waving her hand. “It shouldn’t be dangerous. Handle it as a Class II unidentified substance. That’s all.”

A while later, Bai Liqing returned to her office.

She sat behind the huge desk, rubbing her forehead, organizing her thoughts.

Dealing with Yu Sheng and his gang… team members was truly a strange experience. Sometimes it exhausted you, sometimes it kept you on edge, but most of the time, it mainly expanded your imagination.

But overall, things were moving in a good and controllable direction.

So then… what would happen next?

With a faint, subtle feeling she hadn’t experienced in many years, Bai Liqing hesitated, then turned on the computer on her desk and opened a special communication interface.

A low hum came from under the desk, a sound different from a regular computer case running.

After a moment’s wait, the interface on the screen lit up, displaying a stretch of connected pavilions and towers, and in the distance, misty immortal mountains and spiritual peaks, with rays of light among the clouds, a breathtaking scene of extraordinary beauty.

And an old man’s voice came from off-screen: “Director Bai, what business do you have with me?”

Bai Liqing: “…Zhenren, the camera is reversed.”

“Ah? Oh, oh, didn’t notice.”

The image shook, then lagged slightly, and an old man with white hair and beard, wearing a simple Taoist robe, with a calm face that exuded a hint of authority, appeared on the screen.

The background behind the old man looked like a pavilion, but it seemed to be built directly on the clouds. Two cranes were chasing and playing in the mist around the pavilion.

“Director Bai, what business do you have with me?”

Bai Liqing thought for a moment and decided to get straight to the point: “Yuan Ling Zhenren, is your name on the ‘Borderline Communication’ something like ‘Three Thousand Disciples’?”

“How did you know?”