Chapter 77: Dining Hospitality at Wutong Road 66

Chapter 77: Dining Hospitality at Wutong Road 66

Little Red Riding Hood knew that anyone living inside an Other Domain had to be odd, but she discovered she had still underestimated just how strange the “family of three” here really was.

Especially when they started eating.

A doll that did not need food sat primly right on top of the dining table, with her own dedicated bowl and chopsticks placed before her, making the scene look like an offering ceremony.

A many-tailed demon fox constantly pulled all sorts of snacks from her tails while eating, resulting in an utterly chaotic diet that included, but was not limited to, flatbread wrapped around mantou, bananas with chili peppers, and generally stuffing whatever she could find into her mouth.

But the strangest one was still Yu Sheng.

He actually ate human food.

Unbelievable.jpg.

Yu Sheng noticed that Little Red Riding Hood seemed somewhat dazed. Thinking she was simply feeling restrained because it was her first time visiting, he warmly urged her on.

“Eat, eat. I’m telling you, I’m pretty confident in my cooking...”

Halfway through the sentence, he suddenly remembered something and pointed at one of the dishes on the table.

“Oh right, you’d better not eat that one.”

Little Red Riding Hood froze for a moment.

It was just an ordinary-looking plate of stir-fried pork with chili peppers.

“Why?”

“It’s made from a local specialty product of an Other Domain. I’m not sure whether ordinary people can eat it,” Yu Sheng explained casually. “Anyway, Irene and Hu Li both dislike it.”

Little Red Riding Hood looked blank.

“A local specialty product... from an Other Domain?”

“It’s meat cut off the entity Hunger. I happen to like it, but most people don’t eat this sort of thing.”

Yu Sheng spoke with complete frankness.

After saying that, he even added a defense of himself.

“I’m actually pretty sensible about this kind of thing.”

Then he saw the girl across the table freeze completely.

She looked as though she had been turned to stone.

Several seconds later, Little Red Riding Hood finally blinked.

With a stiff expression, she looked toward Irene, who was sitting on the table and sniffing the aroma.

“Such... a niche language...”

“First time, huh?” Irene patted Little Red Riding Hood’s arm with the air of an experienced veteran. “I had exactly the same reaction the first time I heard it. Stop doubting it, it’s exactly what you think it is. Besides, you were there with us when that entity in the valley got eliminated. Don’t be so shocked. At least this one’s cooked before being eaten.”

“This stuff is best cooked,” Yu Sheng agreed, nodding while putting a piece of stir-fried meat into his mouth. “I tried it as sashimi before. Didn’t work. Too tough.”

Little Red Riding Hood immediately stared at the rest of the dishes on the table with horror.

She suddenly began regretting accepting Yu Sheng’s invitation.

Originally, she had merely wanted an opportunity to get closer to this strange “person” and the strange Wutong Road 66.

Perhaps she might uncover new intelligence about the Other Domain and later sell the information to the Special Operations Bureau for a good price.

Now, however, she realized something.

If an entity appeared harmless, then it was definitely terrifyingly bizarre in some other respect.

And if an Other Domain looked exceptionally safe, then it probably possessed some remarkably creative form of mental contamination.

Nervously, Little Red Riding Hood swallowed.

As she watched Yu Sheng enthusiastically devouring his meal, she suddenly wanted very badly to ask:

After you’re done eating that, you’re not going to eat me too, right?

But after hesitating for a long time, she ultimately could not bring herself to say it.

“Not to your taste?” Yu Sheng asked curiously after noticing that she had not touched her chopsticks for quite a while. “Uh, I do season things a little heavily. But you can try this vegetable dish. It’s pretty good.”

Under his gaze, Little Red Riding Hood neither dared avoid him nor shake her head.

After struggling internally for a long time, she finally reached out with her chopsticks and took a bite.

This is edible. This is edible.

She repeated the phrase in her mind as she swallowed it like medicine.

Then she discovered, to her surprise, that it tasted good.

It was simply normal stir-fried food.

“Benefactor’s cooking is good, right?” Hu Li asked happily.

Little Red Riding Hood nodded with a complicated expression.

Watching Hu Li eat nonstop, and remembering that the fox girl seemed never to have stopped chewing since entering the house, she finally could not suppress her curiosity.

“Don’t you get stuffed eating so much?”

“No.”

The tails behind Hu Li swayed.

“If I eat more, I can store up more tails. Then I can use them to help Benefactor fight.”

Little Red Riding Hood: “...?”

What kind of nonsense was that!?

She suddenly began to wonder whether her own comprehension abilities were defective.

It even felt as though Wutong Road 66 operated according to a worldview entirely different from that of the normal world.

Everything looked normal.

Everything sounded normal.

So why did every single thing feel so bizarre?

At that moment, Yu Sheng’s voice interrupted her spiraling thoughts.

“Oh right. The reason I invited you over today is that there are some things I’d like to ask you about.”

“Ah... huh?”

Little Red Riding Hood reacted half a beat late and looked at him with bewildered eyes.

Yu Sheng had no idea why she was reacting that way.

Without overthinking it, he got straight to the point.

“How do spirit world detectives like you usually work? Or rather, is there anything important to know about being a spirit world detective?”

“Usual work? Most of the time I take outsourced jobs from the Special Operations Bureau. Sometimes other organizations or private individuals ask for help too, but those aren’t reliable,” Little Red Riding Hood said casually. “Most spirit world detectives actually get the majority of their commissions from the Special Operations Bureau or its subcontracting agencies. They’re the official organization after all. They have good information channels, and most commissions get collected there first. Look at this.”

As she spoke, she pulled out her phone.

After tapping a few times, she showed the screen to Yu Sheng.

Curiously, he leaned over and saw an enormous list of chat windows.

More than half of the profile pictures carried a unified insignia and were labeled as belonging to the Special Operations Bureau.

“This is a dedicated platform set up by the Bureau. Spirit world detectives and independent investigators can all use it. People exchange intelligence, chat, and gossip here. Public commissions are posted on it too. The official name is Border Communication, but a lot of people just call it Ride-Hailing Labor...”

Yu Sheng listened with fascination.

He wanted another look at the contents on the screen, but Little Red Riding Hood had already put her phone away.

“Strictly speaking, I shouldn’t be showing this to outsiders. It’s supposed to be kept secret from ordinary people. But while you’re not a spirit world detective or investigator, you’re definitely not an ordinary person either, so it’s fine to show you. As for what people in our profession need to pay attention to...”

She paused briefly.

A hint of teasing appeared on her face.

“Everyone has their own work habits. If there’s a common framework, then there are only two rules. First, don’t disrupt the order of the Boundary Zone. Second, try to stay alive. If you really can’t manage the second one, then at least die somewhere shallow. Don’t make things too difficult for the corpse collectors.”

Then she suddenly looked puzzled and stared curiously into Yu Sheng’s eyes.

“Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

Yu Sheng looked completely calm.

“Oh. We might be colleagues soon.”

Little Red Riding Hood: “...?”

After dinner, Little Red Riding Hood left.

“I feel like her expression was kind of weird when she left,” Irene muttered while sitting on the table and watching Yu Sheng clean up the dishes. “She seemed a little out of it...”

“High school students are under a lot of pressure. That’s normal. Especially since she has to work part-time too,” Yu Sheng said casually while wiping the table. “I noticed the screen on her phone was cracked. Her living conditions probably aren’t that great. That’s why I wanted to invite her over for a meal and let her relax a bit.”

“Really?” Irene looked doubtful. “I feel like she was more nervous when she left than when she arrived.”

“That’s just your imagination.” Yu Sheng waved dismissively. “Trust my judgment. Humans understand humans. Besides, I was a high school student once too. If we invite her over more often in the future, she’ll definitely feel better. I’m sure of it.”

“Uh... right?”

While they spoke, Yu Sheng finished cleaning the table.

After handing the dishes over to Hu Li, who had volunteered to wash them, he let out a long breath and prepared to do something serious.

“I’m going to open a door.”

Irene, who had been climbing down from the dining table to run to the living room and watch television, turned around.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“I’m going back to that valley for another look.”

Irene immediately slipped off the table leg.

Smack!

Both doll and painting hit the floor together.

“You’re out of meat in the refrigerator, aren’t you!” The little doll scrambled back to her feet and stared at Yu Sheng in horror. “You’re going to restock?!”

“No.”

Yu Sheng hurriedly waved his hands.

“Something that Director Baili Qing said to me today has been bothering me.”

Then he told Irene about the matter Baili Qing had specifically mentioned before leaving.

Miss Doll listened with a frown.

“What if it’s a trap? What if she’s tricking you into stepping on a landmine or something? Big shots who suddenly show up and ramble on about things always do that. That’s how it works on TV.”

“Maybe watch less TV.”

Yu Sheng rolled his eyes at her.

“Besides, even if she has other plans, I was going to revisit that valley anyway.”

Irene continued frowning.

“Why?”

“There’s something I want to investigate. We left too hastily last time.”

Yu Sheng’s expression was very serious.

“Don’t be so nervous. It’s not like I can’t come back. The passage is stable now. If anything looks wrong, I’ll retreat immediately.”

“Well... alright.”

After thinking it over, Irene reluctantly relaxed.

“Then should we tell Hu Li? She might worry.”

“I’m just going over to check the situation. It shouldn’t take long. If she comes out and asks, tell her I’ll be back soon.”

As he spoke, he reached into the air.

A hazy door opened in his hand.

“Actually, I expect to be back before she finishes washing the dishes. I’m only taking a look, after all.”

At that point, he suddenly paused and looked back at the door he had opened.

“...Should I have informed the Special Operations Bureau first?”

“You only thought of that after opening the door? Just get in there already! The complaint hotline’s going to start ringing any minute now! Go on, go on. I’ll wait here for you.”