Until a small white dot suddenly appeared in front of me.
At first, I thought I was seeing things. I rubbed my eyes and saw it was still there, so I tried to get closer for a better look.
The next second, the white dot suddenly shattered, and a Space-Piercing Hairpin emerged out of thin air, nearly stabbing me. Startled, I fell straight onto the ground.
“Seaweed Ball! Get over here!”
I shouted toward Lu Xiu.
“What’s wrong?”
He was woken up by my noise, grumbling and reluctant to get up.
“Here! Something happened!”
I hurriedly pointed at the hairpin and said.
Crack—
The Space-Piercing Hairpin appeared again, as if chiseling open the wall, tearing apart the space before me.
A not-too-big, not-too-small pitch-black hole was slowly forming.
“Oh, that was fast?”
He didn’t seem alarmed at all, even moving closer for a look.
“What is that?”
“A hairpin.”
“I’m asking you a serious question!”
“Alright, alright, this is a bizarre containment item that can break open space. But every time it’s used, you lose your sense of direction for about ten days. It’s probably the Rescue Personnel from the Response Division.”
So that’s it… It nearly scared me to death.
I thought it was another one of Nirvana Society’s tricks.
I sat down next to him, waiting for the other party to finish breaking through the space.
“…So slow.”
“After all, the hairpin is only so big.”
“Feels like the person didn’t eat breakfast.”
“…Fun fact, sound can travel through space tunnels.”
I stopped talking, afraid the person on the other side would get annoyed and just leave.
Fortunately, in the end, they opened a hole about half the size of a person. Lu Xiu stood up and bent down, extending his hand to me.
“Hold on to me. In case there’s spatial chaos, at least we won’t get separated.”
“Oh, okay.”
I reached out my right hand and held his as we stepped into the hole together.
As soon as we went in, I smelled a unique odor, a hard-to-describe mix of instant noodles, spicy sticks, and the sweetness of bread.
“Agent Lu Xiu, hello.”
The voice belonged to a man who had his back to us, holding that same white jade hairpin in his hand, looking mysterious.
“I’m behind you,” Lu Xiu said.
“Oh, sorry, my sense of direction is off…”
The man turned to his left, now facing us sideways.
“…Is he blind?” I muttered.
“That’s the price. Everything comes with a price, remember that.”
“Not listening, not listening.”
“Ahem…”
The man interrupted our conversation, “Director Qu is waiting for you in the office. Also, this rescue is not covered by the mission budget, so you’ll need to pay yourself. Here’s my Green Bubble Number, you can scan the code or pay in cash.”
He took out a photo of a QR code from his lapel and spoke to the empty wall.
After paying, Lu Xiu’s face fell even more, looking not much different from those earthbound spirits.
I quietly pulled away from him, afraid he might suddenly turn into a monster and eat me.
The corridor to the Director’s Office was very familiar—it was the same corridor the robot led me down last time.
As soon as we approached the door, we heard sounds coming from inside.
【World, listen to my heartbeat—】Magic Girl Wululu, transform! Let my holy radiance shine upon all evil! Ha!”
Then came that familiar voice: “Oh oh oh! Go, go! Wululu, you’re the cutest!”
Lu Xiu and I exchanged glances, silently agreeing not to knock but to continue listening.
“Wuwuwu… So moving, why haven’t I met a Magic Girl as cute and charming as Wululu…slurp…”
Sniff sniff—
Is that… the smell of instant noodles?
What on earth is this guy doing in there?
“Ahem.”
Lu Xiu was the first to break the silence, and immediately there was a noisy commotion inside. Then Director Qu’s calm voice called out, “Come in.”
I didn’t know what to say.
Honestly, in this crowd of weirdos, Seaweed Ball actually seemed pretty normal?
The door to the office opened. Qu Le sat upright at his desk, handling paperwork. When he saw us, he smiled: “So, what brings you to see me?”
“Who is Magic Girl Wululu?”
I asked curiously.
Visibly, Qu Le’s smile stiffened.
“Haha… What are you talking about, Wululu this, Xilulu that…”
“The cute and charming Magic Girl you mentioned just now, I heard everything.”
I was puzzled—was there something wrong with my ears?
I glanced at Lu Xiu, who was biting his lip so hard his face was turning red.
“Ahem, well, that’s confidential. I was just doing research.”
He sighed, looking out the window.
“Recently, there have been more and more bizarre and demon incidents. According to the Response Division’s investigation, most of them spread via the internet: Secret Societies, forums, even so-called chat logs. So, I suspect all this is related to Internet Demons.”
“And what does that have to do with Wululu?”
“…Because I have to understand internet content. Know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll never lose a hundred battles—remember this.”
“We’re not fighting blindly; we’re accumulating experience. Researching popular anime to understand young people’s interests is important, because Internet Demons are new-generation demons, and they’re naturally connected to young people.”
I see.
I more or less understood.
“Pfft—”
Beside me, Lu Xiu couldn’t hold it in anymore and choked on his own saliva.
“Cough cough cough… No, I can’t hold it… hahaha…”
“What are you laughing at?”
“Hahaha… I’m… I’m laughing at how dumb you are…”
“You’re the dumb one!”
Why am I being insulted out of nowhere? I didn’t even do anything.
“Well, looks like you two make a good team. Before you came, I was worried that if you didn’t get along, I’d have to reassign you. But now, it seems fine.”
“……Fine, my foot. I feel like I’ve lost years off my life.”
Lu Xiu stopped laughing and sighed, full of bitterness.
“Relax, it’s still better than risking your life on the front lines all day.”
“…Do you know how many abnormal incidents I’ve encountered in the past few days? Just getting to the Response Division, I almost lost my life…”
“I received your letter. This is indeed a lead worth investigating. Containment items that are usually harmless suddenly going out of control, plus their connection to the Nirvana Society…”
“Time is running out for us. Wolf in Front, Tiger Behind, and we’re walking on a tightrope—one slip, and it’s the abyss.”
“So what now?” Lu Xiu looked at Qu Le. “Do you have a plan?”
“No detailed plan yet, but… this is most likely related to Sui.”
He suddenly looked at me. “Me?”
I pointed at myself.
What does this have to do with me?
“Think about it. You’ve taken elevators many times before without incident. But the only difference in this Elevator Incident was that Sui was there.”
“So you mean… she’s related to Nirvana Society?” Lu Xiu stroked his stubble, frowning.
“Not necessarily, but it’s one possibility, right? The Ball-shaped Creature you captured earlier was also confirmed as a Nirvana Society member—a Lawless Outlaw contracted with the Demon of the Circle.”
Lu Xiu didn’t say anything, but clearly, the atmosphere in the room turned heavy, even I could sense something was off.
“So, there are two options. One, you step back for now and I’ll assign someone else to supervise Sui to ensure your safety. The other… you continue watching over Sui, and I’ll do my best to meet your needs, including lowering requirements for containment items and other applications.”
Qu Le leaned back in his chair, waiting for Lu Xiu’s answer.
“What does that mean?”
I was stunned.
Does that mean Lu Xiu will be replaced?
Wouldn’t that mean my Kuoyan Fire Village and freedom would be gone?
“I don’t agree!”
I immediately objected.
“I don’t want a different person.”
Heaven knows if the new person would mistreat me.
But they didn’t say anything, my opinion sank like a stone, not even making a ripple.
Everything, once again, felt like that very first morning.
“Why do none of you ever listen to me!”
I was a little angry.
It’s always like this. Why—why do none of you ever listen to anything I say…
Inside, a strange sourness made me tremble.
“Sigh… What a headache…”
At that moment, a pair of big hands suddenly covered my head. They were rough, yet carried a unique warmth.
“There’s no such thing as quitting halfway. Once you choose to do something, just push forward. Otherwise, what makes you different from a coward?”
Lu Xiu’s voice was soft, tinged with weariness and age, “I’ve been on hundreds, maybe thousands of missions, scraping by every time. Maybe, like that person said, I’m good for nothing except being lucky to survive, so don’t make trouble for others.”
He stopped.
He turned to Qu Le and said.
“……Seriously.” Qu Le shook his head and laughed, “Why do you always act cool in front of me?”
“You’re the only acquaintance I have, after all.”
“Alright, alright, then I’ll cut you some slack. Tell me your requests, I’ll meet them if I can.”
I looked at Qu Le, then at Lu Xiu, and seemed to understand something.
“I want food. Lots of good food.”
The big hand on my head suddenly tightened.
I turned and saw Lu Xiu’s “kind” smile, as if he was saying, “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll pop your head.”
I immediately shut my mouth.
“Some defensive containment items… a few sets of children’s clothes… Oh, and some Soul-Nourishing Pills.”
Qu Le nodded, “Soul-Nourishing Pills… might not be possible.”
“Why?”
“The Bureau is out of funds. How about some Liuwei Dihuang Pills instead?”
Poor Lu Xiu, Lu Xiu sighed.
He turned around, holding my hand as we walked toward the door.
“Oh, right, almost forgot this.”
He pulled a sphere-shaped coin from his pocket and flicked it with his finger. The silvery sound rang out crisply, drawing a golden arc through the sunlight, landing in Qu Le’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Mm. May courage be with you.”