Chapter 256: Fox Immortal, Oh Fox Immortal

Yu Sheng had finally experienced the land's abundance and talent in the borderlands—and now the Special Tasks Bureau had also experienced the extraordinary abilities of the "Inn."

In the No. 2 cafeteria of the headquarters building, several Special Tasks Bureau employees who had just finished their night shift and were about to grab breakfast before heading home were stunned to hear the news that egg noodle soup and buns were temporarily unavailable—then they saw the neatly stacked piles of plates and bowls piled atop the table closest to the serving window, and sitting amid the dishes, happily chewing noodles like chicken legs with his chopsticks, was the nine-tailed fox.

The fox girl's face glowed with delight; here in the Special Tasks Bureau, she had no need to hide—her many tails swayed behind her as she ate, and two senior cooks stood beside her, sweating profusely down to their shoes, their hands gripping the ladles trembling uncontrollably.

Watching the nine-tailed fox finish another bowl of noodles and then devour buns the size of fists, dipping them in noodle broth, two at a time without slowing, one of the cooks finally stammered to his companion: "Uh… maybe we should call the police…"

"Call what?!" the other cook's face had turned green. "You're gonna call the police to report that our own cafeteria was robbed? This'll be laughed about until next year—and the director himself said this girl can eat as much as she wants, no restrictions!"

"But she's eating this much?! I just don't get it—where does she put it all? Even two elephants would burst!"

"Enough nonsense! What haven't you seen working in the Special Tasks Bureau?!"

"We've never seen this…"

"Bad! She's almost out of buns! Quick, to the kitchen!"

"Damn! Forgot to tell them to steam more—I—I—I'll grab two trays of steamed buns first!"

When Yu Sheng arrived at the cafeteria with Bai Liqing, this was the scene he saw.

The nine-tailed fox at home was loading ammunition. jpg.

Honestly, even Yu Sheng was shocked—he briefly wondered if he'd been starving her at home all this time.

Of course, he only thought it for a moment—he knew Hu Li's "special nature"—she could eat, but she did have a limit; it's just that, from an ammunition-reserve perspective, her appetite had no upper bound… no ordinary person could ever imagine this.

When Bai Liqing had so readily agreed to let Hu Li eat her fill at the cafeteria, Yu Sheng knew this would happen—but he didn't warn her—after all, it was the Special Tasks Bureau's wool, and why not shear it?

Especially after learning just how vast and wealthy the "borderlands" behind the Special Tasks Bureau truly were, he felt zero guilt about it.

At that moment, Hu Li, who was slurping her noodle soup loudly, heard footsteps nearby. Her big ears twitched, she set down her bowl, grabbed one of her tails to wipe her mouth, then turned with a bright smile toward Yu Sheng: "Savior! You're here!"

"Yeah, I'm here," Yu Sheng smiled warmly as he approached, then, as effortlessly as ever, grabbed one of her tails to wipe the spots she'd missed. "Full yet?"

Hu Li's face glowed red (and slightly oily): "Full! I was already full just now!"

Yu Sheng turned back and saw Bai Liqing approaching too; on that steel-faced, emotionless woman's face, he actually saw a flicker of shock—Bai Liqing stared at the mountain of dishes (already partially cleared), and after a long silence, finally spoke: "I thought… she just had a big appetite."

Yu Sheng chuckled: "Eye-opener?"

Bai Liqing held her breath for two seconds: "…I'm more curious how you manage to feed her."

Yu Sheng laughed: "If I said I couldn't afford it, would you agree to let me open a portal straight from No. 66 Wutong Road to this cafeteria? Every mealtime, I just send Hu Li over to mooch off you guys."

He'd only been joking—but the female director actually considered it for a second or two, then nodded solemnly: "Fine. We can afford that."

"Uh, I was just kidding," Yu Sheng suddenly felt awkward, waving his hands and quickly explaining: "Under normal circumstances, Hu Li really is just 'a big eater'—feeding her isn't a problem. But lately, to resolve the 'Fairytale' incident, her ammunition consumption was high, so eating more is just replenishing her arsenal… if you don't stop her, she really could empty this entire cafeteria."

Bai Liqing: "…?"

Bai Liqing, an outstanding expert in cross-dimensional confrontation, an experienced warrior, the legendary leader who had commanded the Special Tasks Bureau for a century—this was the first time in her life she encountered a problem of textual permutation: "What the hell does that even mean?"

At that moment, Hu Li herself seemed a bit embarrassed—perhaps she finally noticed the towering piles of dishes and the two cooks whose sweat had soaked their shoes. She shrank back slightly, her voice dropping: "Sorry… I think I ate too much…"

Before she finished speaking, the two cooks chimed in unison: "Not too much! As long as you're satisfied!"

But Hu Li still blushed, then stepped forward suddenly and pulled out a large object from her tail: "This is for you… as a thank-you gift."

Yu Sheng didn't even see what it was before he heard a loud "thud"—a heavy, dark, metallic object, like a counterweight, was casually tossed onto the floor, shaking several nearby tables.

Even Ai Lin on his shoulder jumped: "Holy crap! What the hell is that?!"

Then Hu Li tugged at Yu Sheng to go home. Seeing her face flushed all the way to her neck, Yu Sheng could only awkwardly smile at Bai Liqing, opened the portal to No. 66 Wutong Road with a wave, and said: "I'll take her back now… if you get any new info about the Ankaela Crystal or that 'cloth,' notify me immediately—I'll be waiting at home… and don't forget the orphanage's placement costs!" He stepped through the portal. The familiar sight of home instantly relaxed Hu Li; she happily collapsed onto the sofa, her tail swaying, emitting a contented sigh after her feast.

Ai Lin immediately jumped off Yu Sheng's shoulder like a tiny rocket, dashed to the coffee table, snatched the remote, and claimed the prime viewing spot—even though no one was competing for it.

Yu Sheng sighed, watching the little doll once again scouring idiotic variety shows, then hung his coat on the rack and walked over to the sofa, curiously asking the fox girl: "By the way, what exactly was that thing you left them? Looked awfully heavy…"

Hu Li lifted her head from the sofa cushion, stretched out all four limbs in a huge yawn, then yawned again as she explained: "Nothing much—just the core residue from loading my tail and firing foxfire. I collected some—it's worthless material, but good enough to forge tools; at least it has a bit more spiritual essence than ordinary stuff."

Then she stretched again and flopped onto the sofa: "Savior, sleepy. Sleeping."

Yu Sheng: "…"

He hadn't understood—but the fox girl had already fallen asleep instantly.

…

"It's basically just iron—at least, the measurable components are mostly iron," the technician, called in for analysis, said after scanning the dark, metallic-looking "block" for a long time, looking up at Bai Liqing. "Exact purity levels would require lab equipment to determine."

Bai Liqing's tone was strange: "Iron? You mean this is just an iron ingot?"

No one made a single mistake in content!

"Yes," the technician nodded. "But there's still some strange energy residue—never seen anything like it. Where did you find this?"

Bai Liqing's face was expressionless: "…The fox's bill after dinner."

The technician: "…?"

The "What the hell does that even mean?" symptom spread person-to-person within the Special Tasks Bureau.

"Send it to the lab later—get a cart to haul it away," Bai Liqing said, ignoring the technician's bewildered expression, waving her hand. "No apparent hazard. Class II unknown substance. That's all."

After a while, Bai Liqing returned to her office.

She sat behind her massive desk, rubbing her forehead, organizing her thoughts.

Dealing with Yu Sheng and his group… team members was truly an odd experience: sometimes exhausting, sometimes nerve-wracking, but mostly, it primarily enhanced imagination.

Overall, things were progressing in a good, controllable direction.

So what would happen next?

With a faint, long-unfelt emotional flutter, Bai Liqing hesitated, turned on her computer, and opened a special communication interface.

A low hum came from beneath the desk—different from the usual sound of a computer case.

After a brief wait, the screen lit up, revealing a vast expanse of pavilions and terraces, distant mist-wreathed immortal peaks, clouds glowing with radiant light, a breathtakingly wondrous landscape.

And a voice from off-screen: "Director Bai, what do you need?"

Bai Liqing: "…Master, your camera's upside down."

"Huh? Oh, right, didn't notice."

The image wobbled, then flickered slightly, and an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in a simple Daoist robe, his face calm yet radiating quiet authority, appeared on screen.

The background behind the old man appeared to be a pavilion, yet it seemed built directly upon the clouds, with two immortal cranes chasing and playing amidst the mist surrounding the pavilion.

"Bureau Chief Bai Li, what do you need from me?"

Bai Li Qing thought for a moment and decided to get straight to the point: "True Immortal Yuan Ling, is your name on the 'Border Communication' 'Three Thousand Wicked Disciples'?"

"How did you know?"

(End of this chapter)