Standing on the sidewalk along Jinxiu Road, Dai Yuxing’s body trembled, and she quickly answered the wireless communicator strapped to her chest.
"This is the command center. The scheduled contact time passed 12 minutes ago. What happened? Over."
"This is SNH013. No abnormalities. It was my negligence. Over."
A moment later, Dai Yuxing’s phone rang. She checked the caller ID and answered, "Captain Mei, haven’t you slept yet?"
"I’m on duty tonight," Captain Mei said sternly. "Why didn’t you report during the scheduled contact time?"
"My mind was a bit tired," Dai Yuxing explained, "so I zoned out and took a brief nap, missing the time."
"Dai Yuxing!" Captain Mei said sharply. "You are currently on duty, please take it seriously! If this happens again, it will affect your end-of-month evaluation!"
"There won’t be a next time," Dai Yuxing said. "I am not well-suited for night operations. Tomorrow, I will apply to be relieved from the night shift and return to normal tactical operations."
The other end went silent. Dai Yuxing could hear Captain Mei flipping through papers.
"We’re currently understaffed. Continue with the night shifts for a few more days," Captain Mei said, his voice noticeably softer now.
"No," Dai Yuxing stated. "I lack the ability for night operations. My behavioral habits from the past twenty-four years mean my efficiency at night is inherently low."
"Please find someone more capable. As an Awakener, I believe I should work at a more appropriate time. Also, I will apply for a day off tomorrow morning. The last two nights on duty have left me mentally exhausted, and my Qi Cyclone is not functioning well."
Her application for time off and the stated reasons were entirely legitimate. The Qi Cyclone was crucial for a Tactical Cultivator, and besides, Dai Yuxing had already worked two night shifts; it was high time she was rotated. Thus, Captain Mei could only say, "Please return to your post as soon as possible."
After hanging up, Dai Yuxing exhaled and tucked her loose hair behind her ears.
She suddenly felt foolish for having taken on night shifts. Disrupting her natural sleep cycle like that was a woman’s greatest enemy.
Besides, why was she on Jinxiu Road? Her patrol area wasn’t even here.
As a Tactical Cultivator and an Awakener, Dai Yuxing was almost solely responsible for the entire Century Park area. This wasn’t just because of a shortage of Tactical Cultivators; it was also because the Tactical System, while acknowledging the existence of the Fairy Palace God of Cookery, had indeed dispatched a night patrol unit to the park.
However, that was a decision made by the entire Tactical System. When it trickled down to each city’s Tactical Bureau, hardly any of them believed they would be the ones to encounter the Fairy Palace God of Cookery. Consequently, they were only willing to dispatch the minimum number of Cultivators required for the night shift. After all, everyone had plenty of work during the day.
Dai Yuxing shook her head, preparing to continue her patrol along the originally planned route, when she suddenly saw an SUV pull over by the road. As for the brand, Dai Yuxing couldn’t tell—she didn’t even have a driver’s license and had no interest whatsoever in four-wheeled machines.
A man in a suit got out of the car, looking somewhat haggard. He paused when he saw Dai Yuxing, seeming to notice the Black Body Armor she wore. His expression shifted subtly, then he nodded at her and walked into Century Park.
This late at the park? Dai Yuxing found it odd but didn’t dwell on it, nor did she have any interest in following him—she wasn’t a police officer.
Continuing her patrol around Century Park, she reached the Li Bai memorial statue when she saw an old lady with a walking stick. Dai Yuxing quickly approached her. "Ma’am, why aren’t you home at this hour? Where is your family?"
The old lady stammered, "Oh, dear, I couldn’t sleep, so I came out for a walk."
Dai Yuxing looked around. Although the park was quiet at night, it still seemed quite safe. She offered, "Would you like me to help you walk?"
"No need, no need. You go about your business, dear," the old lady replied.
Watching the old lady head toward the fountain, Dai Yuxing shivered and rubbed her own hands. No wonder she’s dressed so warmly. Her hand was so cold, she thought.
After walking a bit more, Dai Yuxing saw a dog with glossy fur run past. Aren’t dogs supposed to sleep at night? she wondered.
The dog seemed to notice Dai Yuxing’s gaze. It turned its head to look at her, its eyes lively. With gray fur and a white underside, it moved with incredible speed and vanished like a wisp of smoke.
As Dai Yuxing continued her patrol, she suddenly realized that Century Park was surprisingly active at night. There were people of all ages—men, women, elderly, and children. However, they all seemed to be in a hurry, and occasionally, if someone spotted Dai Yuxing, they would deliberately take a detour to avoid her.
Dai Yuxing didn’t find this suspicious, though. In a park at three in the morning, it was normal for people to be wary of others, even if that other person was a girl. Any girl daring to roam around at such an hour, and who wasn’t drunk, either had to possess overall Combat Power greater than a man’s or, let’s just say, was packing more than most men.
It wasn’t until Dai Yuxing started to feel that something was truly amiss that she found herself by the lake. There, next to the musical fountain, was a food stall cart. Many customers were sitting on chairs in front of it, quietly eating supper, and some were even queuing.
Dai Yuxing paused for a moment but didn’t feel anything particularly wrong and simply walked away. She wasn’t a city environmental management officer, and besides, she felt quite full and had no interest in getting a late-night snack.
Dai Yuxing wondered, Could this food stall be famous? Why would so many people come here specifically for a meal at night?
At that moment, she noticed a strange incident across the way. A customer walked into an open area, and the female owner of the food stall cart also walked towards him.
Then, the female owner slapped the customer twice with a speed that left afterimages. The customer immediately knelt and took something out from his clothes, handing it to the woman.
Dai Yuxing thought, Someone tried to dine and dash? He’s so weak, yet he still tried it?
However, her attention was now captivated by the female owner. An inexplicable fondness bloomed in her heart. She’s so beautiful, so cute! Cute when she hits people, cute when she takes money, and even cuter when she cooks!
Despite these thoughts, Dai Yuxing still had no intention of going over for a late-night snack.
It was a very strange sensation, like being stuffed after a buffet and having no desire to go near the food serving area again, no matter how many delicious dishes were there.
Dai Yuxing felt she wasn’t just full; her entire being felt profoundly satisfied.
Her intuition told her she didn’t need to, nor was there any necessity to go over there.
After patrolling for another half hour, the watch on Dai Yuxing’s left wrist vibrated slightly, reminding her it was now 4:00 AM, the scheduled contact time. Dai Yuxing proactively activated her wireless communicator.
"This is SNH013, over."
"This is Command Center. Any anomalies during your patrol? Over."
"Patrol without any anom—"
Dai Yuxing stopped mid-sentence, abruptly turning her head towards the musical fountain.
Memories flooded back like a surging tide. She stood stunned for a long moment, then pulled out her signal gun and found, as she suspected, one flare missing.
"SNH013, please continue your report. Over."
Dai Yuxing took a deep breath and quickly ran to a spot where she could see the musical fountain. However, the food stall cart, bustling with people just half an hour ago, had vanished. There wasn’t even any trash left on the ground.
"I encountered the Fairy Palace God of Cookery, but she has already left. Over."
"What?" The Command Center was taken aback. After a three-second pause, the voice asked, "Please describe the specific situation."
"I encountered the God of Cookery’s food stall cart at the musical fountain in Century Park, on Jinxiu Road, and I sat down for a meal. But until she left, I had completely forgotten about this memory."
Dai Yuxing looked up at the night sky. Due to Shenhai City’s extensive light pollution, stars were almost invisible at night; only the moon remained relatively clear.
Tonight was a waning crescent. Gazing at the bright moonlight, Dai Yuxing said, "Just as the briefing stated, the God of Cookery is a beautiful Asian woman. The food she provides is not limited by tools or ingredients."
With a tone full of awe, Dai Yuxing continued:
"She is a kind, considerate, elegant yet approachable woman with a powerful, inviting aura. Her smile can melt the bastions around one’s heart; her food allows people to lay down all their burdens; like the moon, she helps people lower their guard."
"Beneath her beautiful exterior, I saw a fairy with a pure soul and noble character."