At the N-level, on the “rooftop” of the Borderland, stood the most distinctive observation deck of the Special Affairs Bureau headquarters. Despite having walked through numerous doors to witness countless unimaginable sights, Yu Sheng was still deeply moved by the small island floating amidst the void and the grand streams of light that cut across the sky above it. The emptiness, along with the brilliance at its farthest edge, stirred something within him—a notion of the world’s end.
Perhaps, though, this feeling wasn’t entirely born from the scene itself but rather from the current topic of conversation.
Yu Sheng swirled the ice cubes in his glass, watching the translucent crystals clash and jostle in the water. After a long silence, he finally spoke. “I’ve heard the world beyond the Borderland is vast. Through those ‘doors,’ I’ve indeed seen many distant landscapes. Lin Li and the others told me that even with the reach of the Special Affairs Bureau, it’s impossible to touch the world’s end. Beyond the galaxy, who knows how many wondrous sights the vast universe holds?”
“You’re absolutely right,” Bai Li Qing responded calmly. “This world is enormous. While most people living in the Borderland never think about such things, people like us have to adopt a ‘long-term’ perspective. Even so, we are over 80% certain that the Fox Spirit comes from ‘outside’—not from some undiscovered, distant part of this universe.”
Yu Sheng furrowed his brows. “Why?”
“The reasoning is multi-faceted,” Bai Li Qing explained patiently. “We analyzed her fur samples. Some components in them defy our understanding. We also evaluated the technological level of the civilization in her memory of her ‘homeland.’ If such a civilization truly existed, their traces should be everywhere in this universe. The ripples from their interstellar travels would have even imprinted themselves onto background radiation, permeating all of space and time. We’ve also employed some… mystical methods. Would you care to hear about them?”
“No need. I trust you’ve reached this conclusion seriously,” Yu Sheng said, waving his hand dismissively. He fell silent, lost in thought.
The Fox Spirit’s homeland was far away—that much he had always known. But he hadn’t expected it to be so far as to lie beyond this world.
In truth, when Bai Li Qing revealed the current findings in that earlier room and asked the Fox Spirit a string of questions, Yu Sheng had already vaguely guessed this answer. For ordinary people, such a notion might be unimaginable, but for Yu Sheng, it wasn’t all that difficult to accept.
Yu Sheng pondered: Between his homeland and the Fox Spirit’s, which was farther away? Which was harder to return to?
Would the peaceful coastal town he remembered really be behind one of those doors? Could the Fox Spirit’s distant homeland also be accessed again through some “rift”? If her homeland lay beyond the world, then what about his? Was that small town truly within this world?
When it came down to it… this “world”—this place encompassing the Borderland—wasn’t quite what Yu Sheng had thought it was. He wasn’t sure anymore.
Bai Li Qing remained silent. She simply sat across from Yu Sheng, her colorless eyes fixed on him, never looking away.
In her view, however, another pair of phantom eyes slowly opened in the distance. Like hers, these eyes lacked color and appeared as if reflected in the void. From another perspective, they too were observing Yu Sheng, who was lost in thought.
A flat, emotionless voice echoed in Bai Li Qing’s mind. “Fascinating… I’m looking straight at him, yet I still can’t discern what he is. It’s as if… he isn’t here at all, yet his presence is overwhelming. He truly is an interesting individual, sister.”
Bai Li Qing’s expression remained unchanged as she responded internally, “Don’t act rashly. Don’t cause a misunderstanding.”
“No one can see a ‘gaze,’” the phantom eyes replied indifferently. “I’m merely satisfying my curiosity.”
Yu Sheng suddenly turned his head to glance behind him before looking back at Bai Li Qing. He pointed over his shoulder. “Is that your friend?”
Bai Li Qing froze. “…?!!!”
Yu Sheng was stunned—not because of the phantom eyes, but because he had always assumed Bai Li Qing was entirely expressionless. Yet here she was, her eyes wide in shock. 𝐑ἁΝỗ𐌱Ɛṣ
In the next second, Bai Li Qing blurted out, “You can see her?!”
“Uh… am I not supposed to?” Yu Sheng blinked, pointing at himself in confusion. He confirmed that the large eyes that had suddenly appeared behind him were indeed connected to Bai Li Qing, then turned and waved toward the void. “Hi there, I’m Yu Sheng. You are…?”
The phantom eyes vanished instantly.
Yu Sheng was thoroughly surprised.
He had actually noticed the eyes behind him from the very beginning. After all, they made no effort to conceal themselves and occupied quite a large space. A quick glance from the corner of his eye was enough to spot them. To be honest, Yu Sheng was startled and tense for a brief moment at first. But he quickly observed that Bai Li Qing’s expression remained completely unchanged, and her gaze suggested that she too had seen the “big eyes.” That calmed him down almost instantly.
After all, Yu Sheng had encountered plenty of strange phenomena in Boundary City, so his first instinct was to regard the giant eyes as just another “normal” part of the environment. But now, judging by Bai Li Qing’s reaction, he suspected he might have misjudged the situation.
Bai Li Qing froze for what felt like the longest time since she had taken on the role of director at the Special Affairs Bureau. It took her quite a while to regain her composure, during which she entirely ignored the persistent noise in her mind. Finally, she spoke to Yu Sheng. “You’re the first person to see her—besides me.”
Yu Sheng opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. His expression was tinged with awkwardness. “How could I have known? She was just floating there… Is she really your friend? An invisible friend? Who is she?”
Bai Li Qing appeared conflicted, her hesitation stretching on for a while before she finally sighed. “She’s my sister.”
Now it was Yu Sheng’s turn to be at a loss for words. “…?”
He wanted to say, “Your sister truly has a unique appearance,” but he wisely decided against it after some hesitation.
He also noticed that Bai Li Qing didn’t seem inclined to discuss the matter further, especially with an outsider. Clearing his throat, he quickly shifted the topic. “Ahem. Seems like there’s more to this than I understand, so I won’t pry. But why did she suddenly appear just now? And when I greeted her, she disappeared. Did I scare her?”
Bai Li Qing sighed again. “Yes.”
“…Could you apologize to her on my behalf?”
Yu Sheng sensed that the director seemed a bit weary.
Shaking his head, he downed the rest of his iced water in one gulp, exhaled deeply, and rose from the sofa.
“You don’t want to ask anything more?” Bai Li Qing looked at him curiously.
“Ask about what?” Yu Sheng spread his hands. “About the Fox Spirit, or about your sister?”
He chuckled, lightly shaking his head. “I’ve learned what I need to know. I won’t dig into your personal matters. As for the Fox Spirit… unless you find her homeland and figure out a way to send her back, I’m not particularly concerned.”
Saying this, Yu Sheng began walking toward the nearby “elevator.” However, after taking just a few steps, he abruptly stopped, as though something had occurred to him. Turning back to Bai Li Qing, he asked, “Wait, there is one thing. According to what you said earlier, both the Fox Spirit and the Dark Angels come from ‘outside,’ right?”
“Yes,” Bai Li Qing replied without hesitation, following up with an honest clarification. “But all we know is that there are ‘existences’ beyond this world. As for what exactly is ‘outside,’ we have no idea. We lack any clues regarding the origin or purpose of the Dark Angels or the Fox Spirit’s homeland.”
“Hmm.” Yu Sheng seemed uninterested in the latter part of her explanation, merely nodding before thoughtfully continuing, “Then if you obtain any intelligence related to the Dark Angels in the future, could you inform me as soon as possible?”
Bai Li Qing was slightly taken aback. She studied Yu Sheng for a moment before hesitating. “You want to…”
“I promised to help her return home. Even though she keeps saying it doesn’t matter, I think she at least deserves the choice,” Yu Sheng said seriously. “I don’t care where the Dark Angels come from or what their goals are. But I am very interested in how they ‘create’ these breaches. Also, if the Dark Angels were truly responsible for the crash that took the Fox Spirit’s parents and left her stranded in Night Valley, then I have a score to settle with them.”
Bai Li Qing quietly regarded Yu Sheng’s earnest expression. No one could tell what was on her mind. After a brief pause, she nodded.
“Very well. Since you’re asking, the Special Affairs Bureau will prioritize sharing that information with the Hotel.”
“One more thing,” Bai Li Qing added after a moment of thought. “You seem to care deeply about the people around you. You should be aware that dealing with the Dark Angels… is very dangerous.”
“I know. Several people have warned me already,” Yu Sheng said with a wry smile. “But what else can I do? She calls me her Benefactor—and she has no other family in this world.”
Bai Li Qing nodded, asking no further questions.
Still, Yu Sheng couldn’t shake the feeling that, after hearing his answer, the director seemed… slightly relieved.
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation