In the old district, deep along Wutong Road, a rented house stood quietly. Inside, a burly man nearly two meters tall was crammed into a single sofa that seemed a bit tight for him. He sat hunched over, meticulously tending to his equipment.


    It was a beam dagger. The dark red hilt was iid with tiny, droplet-shaped crystals that connected in lines running through the entire body of the weapon. The hilt was clearly custom-made for its user, fitting perfectly in the man’srge palm.


    The burly man flipped the dagger in his hand, spinning it a few times. Then he casually activated it. Apanied by a slight humming sound, a bright blue de of light suddenly ignited, carving a scorching arc through the air.


    “Careful there, don’t scratch the coffee table—I’ll have to file a report to the bureau for damages,” Li Lin said as he fiddled with a pocket watch. He nced up at Xu Jiali across from him. “That thing’s pretty slick.”


    “Cool, isn’t it? I risked my life for it,” the burly man chuckled proudly. “I rescued an Alde Star Realm noble from the ‘Windmill’ in Depth L-, all by myself. He gave me this afterward. It’s custom-made—the best forging craftsmen, the finest radiant gold crystals. On Alde territory, it can even serve as a knight’s medal.”


    Li Lin raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What’s it good for?”


    “Well… you don’t have to queue for tickets within the atmosphere, get priority at hospitals, free entry to the zoo—but only on holidays.”


    Li Lin blinked, momentarily stunned. “That’s… quite practical. I thought those mysterious Alde people were all about rituals and symbolism in everything they do.”“They’re usually pretty enigmatic, but no matter how mystical they are, they still have to live their lives, right?” Xu Jiali shrugged, then grumbled a bit. “Ah, operating in the Bordends is a hassle. Lots of equipment we’re not allowed to bring. I even have a chainsaw sword, but beforeing here, it was deemed a hazard. It’s locked up in customs now…”


    Li Lin thought for a moment and was about to speak when he suddenly sensed something. He and Xu Jiali both turned to look at the window.


    Under the deepening night sky, a figure had appeared on the windowsill—a petite girl wearing a dark red cloak, leaning against the window frame in a rather precarious pose, one leg dangling outside.


    She nced curiously at the two men inside. “So, you two are the assigned ‘agents’ for this neighborhood right now?”


    “And you are…” Li Lin frowned, vaguely guessing her identity.


    “Just call me Little Red Riding Hood,” the girl on the windowsill waved her hand. “From ‘Fairy Tale.’ Your bureau hired me to help out in this area for a while.”


    “Oh, I know you,” Li Lin said, his suspicions confirmed. A polite smile appeared on his face. “Our team leader has mentioned you often these past couple of days, and your investigations in this area. I’m Li Lin, operative of the Second Squad of the Council’s Special Affairs Bureau.”


    On the other side, Xu Jiali gave the girl a once-over and spoke in a deep voice, “This ce might be hiding a ‘big one.’ I thought you’d send Snow White over, or even the ‘King.’ Of course, I’m not doubting your wolf pack.”


    Unlike Li Lin, who was rtively new, Xu Jiali clearly did not meet Little Red Riding Hood for the first time.


    “Snow White’s destructive power would be overkill here—we might not even run into a high-risk entity,” Little Red Riding Hood said casually. “I’ve been active in this part of the city, investigating the anomalies on Wutong Road, so I’m more familiar with it. Don’t worry; if we do run into a ‘big one,’ Snow White cane over quickly. She’ll be here in no time if called.”


    As she spoke, she stood up from the windowsill and waved to the two men inside. “Just dropping by to say hi. You should have my contact info. Call me if anythinges up. Bye~”


    In the next moment, the girl’s figure suddenly melted into a shadow vaguely shaped like a wolf. It leaped from the windowsill and vanished into the night in the blink of an eye.


    Li Lin and Xu Jiali were left staring at each other inside the rented room.


    After dinner, Yu Sheng rested on the sofa with his eyes closed. He listened to the pattering sounds darting back and forth between the living room and the dining room—sometimes on the right, sometimes on the left, then circling around the sofa over and over.


    He opened his eyes and saw Irene running around the living and dining rooms. The thirty-centimeter-tall doll was carrying an oil painting almost as tall as she was, scurrying around like a little rocket.


    As Irene began her fourthp around the sofa, Yu Sheng finally couldn’t hold back. “Can’t you take a break? Give those shoes a rest too.”


    Irene dashed up to him, her face full of excitement. “No way! I can’t stop! I can run everywhere now—everywhere! Look, I can climb onto the coffee table and even jump off it!”


    Before she finished speaking, the doll had already taken off again. First, she ran half a circle around the sofa, then climbed up the coffee table in front of Yu Sheng. With a few quick steps, she leaped from the tabletop onto his leg. Just as he was about to reach out and grab the little whirlwind, Irene nimbly hopped forward again, jumping from the sofa back onto the floor.


    She then zipped over to the TV cab, mbered up with some effort, stood on tiptoe, and stretched her arm to press the TV’s power button.


    The doll cheered and turned to Yu Sheng with an excited face. “I can reach the TV switch! Now, even when you’re not home, I can reboot the TV myself!”


    Yu Sheng rolled his eyes and leaned back helplessly. “Alright, alright, congrattions. You’re amazing.”


    The next second, he caught a sh out of the corner of his eye—Irene had zipped back from the TV cab. She grabbed onto the sofa cover with one hand and his pant leg with the other, and in a few swift moves, climbed onto the sofa to sit beside him.


    The tiny doll sat cross-legged on the sofa, not even as big as a cushion after sitting down. The painting was propped up behind her, and given the proportions, it looked like a wall.


    But Irene had adapted to carrying the frame with astonishing speed. Whether she was running, climbing, or even sitting on the sofa with it on her back, it didn’t hinder her movements at all—asionally, there were inevitable bumps and scrapes, but she didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.


    This left Yu Sheng feeling quite amazed.


    “Doesn’t carrying that around feel inconvenient?” he couldn’t help but ask. “Honestly, if I had to carry a door panel everywhere, I wouldn’t adapt as quickly as you…”


    “I think it’s fine,” Irene replied cheerfully, swinging her legs on the sofa. Although she had turned on the TV, she clearly couldn’t focus on it. “Sure, it was a tiny bit awkward at first, but after running a couple ofps, Ipletely got used to its weight and size. And, how should I put it…”


    She suddenly paused as if searching for the right words. After a few seconds, she hesitantly continued, “It gives me a sense of… security. When I have it on my back, I feel safe and at ease. Have you ever had that feeling? Like when you have to sleep with your back against the wall or snuggled into a pile of nkets.”


    “I get what you mean, but it’s still quite… unbelievable,” Yu Sheng looked at the little doll beside him. “I thought you’d be resistant to that painting, considering it sealed you away for so many years, and now you have to carry it around all the time.”


    “Well, there’s a bit of that,” Irene nodded slightly after some thought, but soon her smile returned. “But as the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make the best of it! As long as today is better than yesterday, there’s nothing toin about.”


    “It’s ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’…” Yu Sheng corrected.


    “Same difference,” Irene waved it off nonchntly. She finally seemed to have calmed down from her earlier excitement. “Alright, I’ve pretty much adjusted to my new body. Let’s discuss that fox…”


    Yu Sheng nodded but then frowned slightly, looking at the tiny doll who barely reached his knee. “Are you still nning toe with me?”


    “Of course, we agreed on it,” Irene said matter-of-factly.


    “In this state?” Yu Sheng tried to phrase it delicately, but there was no subtle way to say it. He had to be blunt. “Can you still fight? You’d have to jump up just to kick me in the knee…”


    “I could shatter you with one kick! So what if I’m small?” Irene puffed up, clearly a bit miffed. “Who said I can’t fight like this?”


    Yu Sheng hurriedly offered a slew of apologies and reassurances.


    Fortunately, Irene’s temper red up quickly and died down even faster. She soon calmed down, leaning back on the sofa with her arms crossed. “But you’re right. In this form… my frontalbat ability is somewhat affected. You can’t exactly expect a thirty-centimeter-tall doll to take a bullet for you…”


    She shook her head and suddenly changed her tone. “But don’t worry! A doll’s capabilities aren’t limited to directbat. I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve—even with my current ‘freedom,’ there’s still a lot I can do.”


    She raised her hand as if to show him something.


    From her fingertips, thin strands of pitch-ck threads extended like eerie spider webs, weaving and intertwining in the air.


    “A doll’s abilities are vast!” Irene dered proudly.


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