Yu Sheng had known all along that the Special Affairs Bureau would send someone over. After all, Little Red Riding Hood had reported that Angel Cultists had been spotted at the museum. The Bureau would definitely want to confirm the details with the “special witness”—Yu Sheng himself. He figured that they would likely send Li Lin and Xu Jiali, since those two were relatively familiar with him.
What he did not expect was the presence of more than just Li Lin and Xu Jiali. Captain Song Cheng of the Second Mobilization Squad had arrived as well.
In the living room of Wutong Road No. 66, Yu Sheng observed the tall, broad-shouldered man before him. Captain Song appeared dependable and battle-tested, with short black hair, slightly tanned skin, and a thin scar peeking out from underneath the collar of his plain black coat and white shirt. His physique suggested years of frontline combat experience—though not quite as muscular as Xu Jiali.
With their leader here, Li Lin and Xu Jiali sat rather stiffly on the sofa.
Meanwhile, Song Cheng was just as curious about this place. It was his first time visiting the hidden Otherworld location known as Wutong Road No. 66—currently one of the most mysterious places in the Borderland.
At first glance, it felt like an ordinary home, with nothing obviously unusual about it. The furniture and appliances all seemed to match the typical style you’d expect from a middle-class household in the Borderland—not too new, not too old.
Yet in Song Cheng’s experience, “residences” in the Borderland were seldom this convincingly normal. He was familiar with the Dark Little House, Dorm 404, and the elusive Apartment No. 6 on the outskirts of town. Those Otherworld dwellings usually hid little details that gave away how unnatural they were—like an odd mix of ancient and modern decorations, or random placements that seemed off, hinting that something non-human had tried its best to mimic a human home but slipped up in the details.
Here, though, as far as Song Cheng could see, nothing felt out of place in that way. Everything felt perfectly ordinary—at least, if one ignored the two dolls sitting on the coffee table watching TV and the fox busily grooming its tail.
Just then, Yu Sheng broke the slightly awkward silence. “So, um, would anyone like some tea?”
Yu Sheng waved off the concern. “No worries, actually. I was curious to see what Li Lin and Xu Jiali’s ‘Captain’ would be like. It’s good to meet you.”
The two Irises on the coffee table turned and rolled their eyes at this polite exchange. Speaking in unison, they remarked, “You humans and your endless formalities.”
Unable to resist any longer, Song Cheng pointed at the two dolls and asked, “I was under the impression there was supposed to be… only one?”
Li Lin and Xu Jiali looked just as puzzled. When Yu Sheng had opened the door for them earlier, they’d spotted two Irises strolling about the living room. They had both wondered if they were seeing double.
“There was a slight mishap that caused the number to go up,” Yu Sheng explained, rubbing his hands together somewhat awkwardly. “Just think of it as a result of some research between me and Iris.”
Li Lin, looking stunned, asked, “So… will there be more in the future?”
After a moment of thought, Yu Sheng nodded earnestly. “Probably.”
Sensing that Yu Sheng wasn’t eager to delve deeper into the topic, Li Lin decided not to press further. Song Cheng, however, found the entire exchange very strange, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why. In the end, he focused on the real purpose of his visit.
“I’m here for two reasons,” he began. “First, to confirm the report from Little Red Riding Hood that Angel Cultists appeared in the Otherworld Museum. Second, to deliver something.” He gestured toward Xu Jiali, who opened a briefcase she had brought along and placed a file folder on the coffee table. “This folder contains the complete set of legal registration documents and certification for the ‘Hotel’ as an officially recognized organization. Please review everything and let us know if you have any questions.”
These were the Hotel’s official registration documents.
Yu Sheng had nearly forgotten about the entire registration process, so his face lit up. He hastily picked up the folder, and one of the Irises leaned over to look as well (the other Iris was still watching TV with great interest).
The first page was a registration certificate bound with a black cover, stamped with the circular seal of the Borderland Council, along with the diamond-shaped red insignia of the Special Affairs Bureau. Inside were the basic registration details—location, date, business type, and name. Seeing the word “Hotel” printed in large letters reassured Yu Sheng that everything was official.
Included in the folder was another copy of the certificate, along with two small black devices that resembled USB drives.
“These two devices hold digital data,” Song Cheng explained. “They come with a special version of the Borderland Communications program. If you plug one into any computer with internet access, that computer will temporarily connect to the Special Affairs Bureau’s information platform. You can log in to Borderland Communications using the Hotel’s shared account. The account can’t be changed or canceled, and there are security features built right into the drives to prevent any data leaks or hacking attempts. Once you unplug them, all the access records will be erased. If either device gets severely damaged, it will automatically transmit a distress signal to the Bureau, along with its last-known coordinates.”
“That’s… pretty advanced,” Yu Sheng remarked, staring at the unassuming little gadgets with surprise. He wasn’t much of a tech person, but from Song Cheng’s description, these devices were on a level far beyond the standard electronics he was used to—something like black tech, in his mind.
“The Special Affairs Bureau’s technology is generally reliable,” Song Cheng said with a small smile. “In extreme cases, these can also be used as single-use distress beacons.” ṘäꞐȪ₿ƐS̈
Yu Sheng raised a curious eyebrow. “If one of them gets damaged here in this house, would it still be able to send out its coordinates?”
Song Cheng’s smile froze momentarily. Then he cleared his throat. “Well, that’s why I said ‘generally’ reliable…”
Laughing, Yu Sheng slipped one of the devices into his pocket. After a moment of thought, he waved over the fox, who was still grooming her bushy tail, and handed her the other data drive. “Here, keep this in your tail as a backup.”
Foxy nodded and tucked the drive away inside the fluffy fur, then padded off to continue grooming.
“Make sure to sweep the floor when you’re finished,” Yu Sheng reminded her, “so there’s no fur lying around.”
“Got it!” Foxy replied cheerfully.
Song Cheng watched with an increasingly stiff smile. After a long pause, he murmured, “Where did she… actually put that?”
“I’m guessing that detail didn’t make it into the reports,” Yu Sheng teased, grinning. “Foxy has all sorts of strange abilities. You’ll learn about them eventually. But for now, let’s talk about the museum.”
Pulling himself together, Song Cheng said, “We’ve already started searching. We’re using technical methods to identify suspects in the southern district, and all exit points from the Borderland are under strict surveillance. If those two cultists are still in Boundary City, it’s just a matter of time before we track them down. Your information was incredibly helpful. Honestly, in all my years at the Special Affairs Bureau, I’ve rarely seen a case where we got such detailed leads this early.”
Xu Jiali nodded in agreement. “Angel Cultists are always elusive, and they usually don’t leave any witnesses alive. It’s been extremely difficult to capture them in the past. The team working on this says it’s the easiest Angel Cultist case they’ve had in ages.”
“Well, they didn’t leave any living witnesses this time either,” Yu Sheng said casually. “It’s just that a dead witness managed to speak.”
Song Cheng’s expression turned serious. “That’s precisely why I wanted to come in person. About your ability to communicate with the deceased, and considering the overall power the Hotel has shown, the Special Affairs Bureau hopes we can work more closely in the future.”
He then pulled out a thick envelope from his bag and placed it on the coffee table.
Yu Sheng blinked, instantly guessing what it was. Opening it and taking a quick peek, he looked surprised. “A reward? Like a bounty for reporting? That’s a lot.”
“It’s payment for assisting in apprehending the Angel Cultists,” Song Cheng explained. “Even though we haven’t caught them yet, your help goes far beyond that of a normal informant. The Special Affairs Bureau always offers compensation for cooperation, and since Angel Cultists are considered highly dangerous targets, the budget for capturing them is quite generous.”
Yu Sheng barely registered the finer details Song Cheng was explaining—he was already calculating how many upgrades they could make with this money. Iris would get her long-desired new TV. Foxy could feast on a steady supply of chicken legs. And he himself could start ticking off items on his seemingly endless list of plans.
It was certainly a faster way to earn money than writing books!
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation