Chapter 340: The Fox

“It’s come to this now—do you still have the heart to joke?”

Hearing Beina’s fierce words, Wang Ya felt a faint envy, but Beina’s current situation was clearly dire.

As an archaeology student, Wang Ya knew full well that Beina had already committed crimes under Xia law: tomb robbery, intentional destruction of cultural relics, illicit trafficking of artifacts, smuggling, theft, espionage, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and endangering public safety.

These were only the ones Wang Ya could think of—other crimes might exist, but only investigation could reveal them.

Even just these known charges—if any two were selected—were enough for life imprisonment; combined sentencing would inevitably mean death, and even with mitigating factors like meritorious service, the sentence could not be lower than life.

In Beina’s case, there was no possibility of sentence reduction.

“My friend, relax,” Beina said after a long pause, summoning a sliver of strength to speak to Wang Ya.

“I don’t know if you realize it, but our world is undergoing a great transformation—in our terms, the gods are returning; in your Xia, spiritual energy is reviving. These things are unknown to the public, yet they are the battlegrounds of contention.”

“And the nations I come from—or rather, a large portion of them—lack the research capacity. Your Xia invests no less than a trillion annually in this field, and funding increases every year.”

Beina took a breath and said, “The wealthiest people in our country have all been absorbed by a certain organization. They’ve handed over vast fortunes to that group, showing not the slightest concern for us—they’re preparing to abandon us.”

“But we won’t accept it quietly,” Beina said, looking at Wang Ya. “If I somehow survive, I hope we’ll meet again one day.”

“If I get the chance, I think I could take you to touch real, fluffy werewolves.”

Despite the effects of the snake venom, Beina bid farewell to Wang Ya, with whom she shared a special affinity.

“The chance of us meeting again is slim—you’re in no position to hire a defense lawyer.”

Wang Ya sighed.

Beina had trampled the Cultural Relics Law from top to bottom and was suspected of multiple grave crimes. Not only could she not afford a lawyer—any lawyer who saw her case file would probably leap up and flee overseas overnight.

Afraid of being too slow, they’d get dragged into the mess—or worse, Beina would go to prison first, and then it’d be their turn on the defendant’s bench.

“Hehehe. When lawyers see me and read my charges, they’ll probably be stunned. Every charge comes with asset forfeiture. They’ll look at me like I’m a freeloader.”

Beina laughed twice.

“By the way, I like lilies and citrus blossoms. If you want to send a wreath, remember to add two daisies.”

Wang Ya: “...”

…………

As the collapsed tunnel gradually cleared, members of the external logistics team began entering, escorting all suspects to the Mining Group Hospital.

The beast-warrior Romanuo received special attention, clad in a restraint suit, and was transported to the Spirit Particle Research Institute.

The takeout the Fox Master had ordered earlier arrived at his door as the tunnel reopened.

“Wait a moment over there—”

After retrieving his takeout, An Sheng called out to the logistics personnel preparing to carry Beina away.

“Hmm?”

The logistics officer paused, puzzled, and turned to look at the Fox Master.

“She’s my friend’s friend. I’m worried she might get hungry on the way, so I brought her something to eat.”

The Fox Master placed the takeout bag on the ground and pulled out a cold pizza.

Beina stared at him, baffled.

The Fox Master opened the pizza box, revealing a completely chilled Hawaiian pizza.

Beina’s pupils shrank sharply; her face turned pale with horror, her arms twitching involuntarily as she burst into Italian.

The logistics personnel immediately grabbed her flailing arms—one on each side—and held them tight.

As her arms were pinned, Beina’s face flushed crimson, as if she’d lost the ability to speak, her eyes wide with shock.

“Don’t thank me.”

The Fox Master placed the pizza on the stretcher, then pulled out a box of cold spaghetti, picking two pineapple chunks from the pizza and placing them atop the pasta.

Beina gasped sharply, her face filled with disbelief.

Beina, humiliated, felt a strange thrill—but seeing the pineapple pizza, she grew angry again; yet realizing she was being mocked by something fluffy, she felt a thrill once more.

On the stretcher, left side: pizza. Right side: pineapple spaghetti. In her hands: a cup of iced grape Americano. She was loaded into the ambulance and taken to the Mining Hospital.

“The Fox Master keeps his word. I said I’d make you eat pineapple pizza once I caught you—and I will.”

Watching Beina depart, An Sheng muttered quietly to himself.

“If there’s nothing else here, I’m going home to sleep.”

An Sheng glanced at the time and spoke to Wang Qiqi, who was organizing logistics and clearing the site.

“Alright! When the site opens, I’ll notify you in advance.”

Seeing the Fox Master was leaving, Wang Qiqi nodded and returned to her work.

Over the past three years, Beina’s team had made painfully slow progress excavating the site—partly due to the ceramic factory construction, partly because they dared not make too much noise.

This Spirit Particle site had only opened two layers; the known area suggests a third layer remains.

Whether there are new zones beyond the third layer can only be known once it’s opened.

“By the way, when Romanuo wakes up, let me know—I want to take a look at him.” An Sheng had already turned to leave but suddenly remembered something and rushed back to tug at Wang Qiqi’s sleeve.

“Got it,” Wang Qiqi replied.

…………

“It’s already past five.”

Walking through the newly excavated tunnel, An Sheng checked his phone’s time and muttered to himself.

It was 5:13 a.m.—the drive from Tiechuan back to Xiqi would take nearly an hour.

After spending the whole night away, Yu Xueqing would probably be waiting at the door with a broomstick.

The little fox wrinkled his nose. If Yu Xueqing dared touch his butt, he’d strike back.

An Sheng emerged from the site, passed the ceramic factory glowing faintly with firelight, and saw Lin Ying in the business vehicle.

“Fox Master!”

Lin Ying waved at him with a smile.

“You’ve come at the perfect time—I have something to tell you.”

An Sheng leapt onto the business vehicle, standing upright on the airplane seat, arms crossed, face beaming:

“I have a feeling—I feel my brand-new tail will grow tonight!”

“I was going to ask you to come and give me an award, but I got so carried away fighting that my tail started developing.”

The wish energy earned tonight was quite substantial.

For smashing the chemical plant with the Bear Demolition Team: +1 wish energy.

For crushing the chameleon: +3 wish energy.

But.

An Sheng was still unsatisfied.

Those three forest werewolves were pathetically weak. Based on past experience, each such beast-warrior should’ve yielded three points—but those three idiots together only gave three points total, their threat level negligible.

1 + 3 + 3 = 7.

Tonight, An Sheng earned 7 wish energy points.

“The Fox Master’s growing another tail?” Lin Ying’s expressionless face showed a flicker of surprise.

“Yes. My butt’s itching.”

(End of Chapter)