Chapter 90 – We’ve Got a Job

Yu Sheng thought it over carefully and decided that bringing all those towels, washbasins, and plastic bottles from his house to the Special Operations Bureau for appraisal probably wasn’t the best idea. Setting aside whether the Bureau would even be willing, just dumping that mountain of junk into the “curiosity collectibles market” would probably be enough to disrupt market order. It was a niche circle to begin with—casually offloading a few things from his house might single-handedly impact the entire year’s trading volume…

But his restless and agile mind didn’t cool down entirely just because of this rational assessment. Instead, it shifted into even more serious deliberation.

Eileen tilted her head up to glance at Yu Sheng, the little doll’s face full of suspicion. “You’re still planning to peddle junk for money, aren’t you?”

“Little Red Riding Hood said you’ve got to at least sell stuff that looks mysterious and has ‘atmosphere,'” Yu Sheng waved his hand dismissively. “Apparently quite a few collectors are the type who are ‘well-informed’—ordinary people who know a thing or two about the supernatural realm. They buy this stuff mostly out of a hobby for the occult and as bragging capital for showing off to each other…”

Eileen sighed. “This is why I sometimes just can’t understand humans as a species. So many of them have no real ability yet are absolutely determined to court death—what’s wrong with being an ordinary person who can’t see the Otherworld or entities? At least you’d get to live a peaceful life. But no, they just have to be interested in things from ‘the other side,’ thinking they’ll be fine after learning a couple of safety precautions. Never mind whether those half-baked safety measures even work—some of the stuff brought out from the Otherworld might actually be dangerous.”

“Well, even the Special Operations Bureau hasn’t banned this sort of thing,” Yu Sheng shrugged. “Anything that’s been appraised by them and cleared for market circulation is basically harmless. The truly sinister stuff is all locked up in the Bureau’s containment warehouses—that’s what the Frontier Communications encyclopedia says, anyway.”

The moment he finished speaking, his phone suddenly buzzed again. Little Red Riding Hood had sent a new message.

“If you want to make some ‘extra cash,’ I’ve actually got a job. Interested in helping out?”

Yu Sheng was momentarily stunned, then immediately replied: “What kind of job?”

“A commission from the Curiosities Association. I originally turned it down because it’s a bit risky and the payoff is uncertain. Most importantly, I’m shorthanded on my end. But if you could come help—bring that fox who’s really good at fighting—this commission would actually be a great fit. You’d get to familiarize yourself with the real ‘working methods’ of a spirit detective, you’d get half the commission fee, and most importantly: if we actually run into something we can’t handle, you can just grab me and run.”

After a short while, Yu Sheng saw a new message pop up on the screen: “The specific job is to go into a ‘museum’ and find a certain item. If we can successfully bring it out, that counts as mission complete. If you’re interested, I’ll send you the materials on the ‘museum,’ along with the specific payment details.”

Yu Sheng instinctively exchanged a glance with Eileen (the fox beside them was busy gnawing on a chicken leg and had no idea what was happening). Each of them saw a glimmer of eager anticipation in the other’s eyes.

They had a job!

Of course, what occupied Yu Sheng’s mind at this moment wasn’t just the words “commission” and “payment.” Even more important was one thing: the opportunity to come into contact with more of the Otherworld, to learn more about things related to the “supernatural realm,” to accumulate more knowledge!

For him, the weight of such knowledge surpassed any payment—because any piece of intelligence related to the Otherworld might help him find that door leading back to his homeland!

“Send it over!” He quickly replied.

Little Red Riding Hood didn’t waste words either, directly forwarding a long string of materials, followed by a figure for the payment.

The instant Yu Sheng saw that number, he froze.

“That much?”

“We split it fifty-fifty,” Little Red Riding Hood explained. “Entering the Otherworld is dangerous business, so naturally the pay has to be higher. But correspondingly, our costs aren’t exactly low either—setting aside equipment wear and tear during operations, just the Rationality-Blockers, nebulizer inhalers, induction agents, and other such drugs we need to replenish each time aren’t cheap. We have to pay for all of that out of pocket, and after deducting it from the earnings, what you actually take home isn’t all that much.”

Yu Sheng stared blankly at the string of messages Little Red Riding Hood had sent, holding it in for a long time before finally asking: “What exactly are Rationality-Blockers, nebulizer inhalers, and induction agents?”

After this message was sent, Little Red Riding Hood suddenly went silent.

Yu Sheng waited for a long time before finally seeing the other person’s reply pop up on screen, opening with a barrage of exclamation marks.

“!!!!! You found another bug?! I’m so jealous of you!!”

Yu Sheng thought about it, then looked down at Eileen. “What does she mean?”

“How would I know?” Eileen scratched her little head. “Probably jealous that you’re carefree?”

“I don’t think that’s it…”

Yu Sheng muttered, and then saw new messages pop up on screen: “I just contacted the client at the Curiosities Association. They’ve agreed to reassign this job, but the time requirement is tight—it has to be done by midnight tomorrow at the latest. If you have time, it’d be best to head out tonight.”

Yu Sheng thought about it and figured he had nothing going on at home anyway. Besides, Hu Li had eaten so much she could use some exercise to digest it all. He quickly replied: “Alright, tonight it is.”

“I’ll send you the address. Get here as soon as you can.”

Putting away his phone, Yu Sheng let out a light breath, then glanced at the fox girl who had just finished crunching through the chicken bones and swallowing them, and was now carefully licking her fingers.

He reached over and patted her tail. “Hu Li, get changed. You’re coming out with me.”

Hu Li looked completely bewildered. “Huh? Benefactor, where are we going?”

“The ‘inn’ has got a job,” Yu Sheng grinned, his face full of eager anticipation. “Come on an adventure with me.”

“Okay!”

Moments later, Yu Sheng walked out the front door, with Hu Li cradling the now-dimmed Eileen close behind him. The three of them (?) stood in the open space in front of No. 66 Wutong Road, facing the night breeze, gazing out at the city district beneath the dark sky.

After a moment, Eileen suddenly spoke up: “How are we getting there?”

“Want me to take you?” Hu Li looked at Yu Sheng, her eyes gleaming in the darkness. Though she’d been a bit dazed before leaving the house, she seemed to have gotten excited now too. “Just point me in the direction, Benefactor~”

An image flashed through Yu Sheng’s mind and he immediately shook his head vigorously. “Absolutely not. In the dead of night, a rocket-propelled fox streaking across the city at subsonic speed—I wouldn’t even know how to write the next day’s Boundary City news headline. Let’s just call a ride.”

Eileen squirmed. “…A supernatural organization’s very first mission and the three of us are squeezing into a ride-hail?”

“We’re still in the startup phase…” Yu Sheng also felt it was a bit awkward. “We should get a car eventually, once we have the money. Then again, the three of us aren’t exactly squeezing. You don’t even take up any space.”

Eileen’s response was absolutely scathing.

Yu Sheng had by now become thoroughly skilled at treating Eileen’s yapping as background noise. He simply tuned out the doll’s nattering and headed to the street corner with Hu Li, pulling out his phone to call a ride.

The reason he didn’t call it to the front door was the worry that another “locksmith” situation might occur.

Hu Li watched Yu Sheng’s hands with curiosity. After quite a while, she pointed at his phone and remarked with wonder: “Benefactor’s magical treasure sure is convenient. It can do everything.”

“You don’t have these where you’re from? Something similar?” Yu Sheng asked curiously. He figured that with the level of civilization in Hu Li’s homeland being so advanced, there was no way they wouldn’t have personal information devices like this.

“We do,” Hu Li nodded as expected, but then immediately added, “But children aren’t allowed to use them. They’re worried it’ll interfere with cultivation. Mama was lenient and let me use it for half a shichen each day, but more than half the functions were still locked…”

Yu Sheng: “…”

Even cyber-cultivating foxes had to deal with underage anti-addiction restrictions?!

“I’ll reset my old phone and give it to you later,” Yu Sheng mused for a moment, then said casually. “It probably won’t be as advanced as the ‘magical treasure’ you used as a kid, but it should be enough to keep you entertained. You can also use it to learn about this world.”

Hu Li’s eyes immediately lit up. “Thank you, Benefactor!”

“Hey! Only for her?” Eileen was instantly displeased. “I want one too…”

Yu Sheng glanced at her. “With your size, can you even operate a phone? Just answering a call would be a struggle—can you even get your mouth and ear to reach the microphone and speaker at the same time?”

“Of course I can! I can even use your laptop!” Eileen declared self-righteously. “I hold it with both hands!”

She shouldn’t have brought that up. The moment she did, veins bulged on Yu Sheng’s forehead. “You have the nerve to mention using my computer—I haven’t forgotten about the account incident!”

Eileen’s tone immediately softened. “Didn’t you already hang me on the clothesline for half an hour? We’re even… Besides, it was only a twelve-hour ban…”

Yu Sheng opened his mouth, about to say something more, when a light from the distant intersection suddenly cut him off.

The ride he’d called had arrived.

He and Hu Li both turned toward the direction of the approaching car.

A trembling little vehicle came into view.

Eileen: “This car… isn’t it a bit too shabby? It looks like it’s about to be scrapped.”

Yu Sheng watched the car go over a speed bump, each clank making him worry that the bumper was about to fall off. He picked up his phone to double-check the ride-hail’s license plate number, confirmed this really was the car he’d ordered, and couldn’t quite keep a straight face either. “It is a bit old, but it’s not quite at the scrapping stage.”

As he spoke, the little car—which looked like it had been resold seven times over—creaked to a stop right in front of him.

Honestly, in that instant it stopped, Yu Sheng seriously questioned whether it had braked normally or simply broken down…

Then he saw the driver’s window roll down, and a familiar face appeared before his eyes.

Xu Jiali’s face.

“Oh, it’s you guys?”

The two-meter-tall burly man crammed into the driver’s seat looked genuinely surprised.

(End of Chapter)