Chapter 17
Chapter 17
The smell of fried chicken drifted lazily through the air, curling around the silver-haired girl sprawled on the sofa—Yun Xi herself. Former corporate slave, current broke witch, she was stabbing at her phone with newly regrown, doll-perfect fingers, doing battle with a horrifying number.
The balance page of the XX Bank app blinked back at her like a judge’s gavel.
“Tch...” A sigh half despair, half surrender slipped out. She jabbed the screen harder, as if sheer will could fatten the digits. “Wei Bro! Wei Bro, look! Half the month’s gone and my little nest egg—it’s been downsized to a lightning bolt! Is that even scientific? It’s anti-scientific!”
From the kitchen came the clang of a wok like a cymbal crash, followed by Wei Wu’s trademark boom: “Chill, Xi! Money’s just worldly stuff! My veteran’s pension can float us awhile. Besides, we’ve got double the joy—cough, double the grocery bills!” He leaned out, pink Hello Kitty apron stretched across his barrel chest, grinning. “Xiao Milu’s still growing—of course the food budget’s up. And those ‘special energy supplements’ of yours aren’t cheap either, right?”
Milu, hugging an oak staff almost as tall as she was, crouched on a tiny stool like a startled bunny, nibbling Wei Wu’s signature “energy chicken wing” (a bread-crumbed drumstick). At the mention of her name, her emerald eyes filmed with tears. “S-sorry, Senior Yun Xi... Milu eats too much... Milu will hunt for a part-time job tomorrow...” The wing suddenly looked like cardboard.
“Pause! Full stop!” Yun Xi attempted a cool carp-kip-up from the sofa—failed, flipped like a salted fish, and sat up rubbing her temples. “Xiao Milu, not your fault! It’s this accursed ‘new skin’ of mine—money-guzzling deluxe edition!” She raked her silver hair. “Back in my 007 office days I at least saved funeral money. Now? ‘Financial freedom’ means I’m free to drink northwest wind. I’m literally living ‘Reborn as a Broke Witch in Another World’—absolutely off-the-rails bonkers.”
The ancient bracelet on her wrist—the Eternal Dream: Prime Abyss—flickered. An indigo ball of light (Xing Dian) and a demure white cat hologram (Yue Fei) popped into view.
Xing Dian (bubbling child-voice): “Master, master! Xing Dian can eat less! Sunshine is enough!”
Yue Fei (languid, silky, barbed): “Foolish master. I told you to trade that glorified flashlight and leftovers-freshener for something useful—say, turning stone to gold? Or at least muzzle your inner ‘tiny T-rex’ so it stops demolishing the flat. Remember the repair bill for the living-room wall?”
“Yue Fei!” Yun Xi ground her teeth. “That was an accident! And stone-to-gold is a scam—no such chapter in Ancestor’s Survival Guide!” She stroked the bracelet, glaring at the ancestor who’d stuffed her into this pretty body.
Yun Xi (mental scream): “@Meng Yun Xi! Old Ancestor! Get out here! Your adorable ‘me’ is going bankrupt! Where’s the carefree witch life? I’m about to lose even milk-tea freedom! Is this reasonable? It’s unreasonable!”
A lazy, half-asleep mental voice floated back—Meng Yun Xi, the ever-missing ancestor.
Meng Yun Xi (telepathy, yawning): “Mn... zzz... Cute ‘me’... why shout at dawn—oh, dusk? Money? Is that edible? (´･ω･`)”
Yun Xi (mental tantrum): “Edible enough to buy milk tea, rent, groceries, sofa covers Xing Dian keeps incinerating! You nap like a log while poverty stacks debuffs on me!”
Meng Yun Xi (stretching): “Ahhh... poverty tempers the soul~ But hey...” A sly lilt crept in. “There’s a certified cash-grab right under your nose—that commission thingy from CAMCC?”
Yun Xi’s gaze slid to the coffee table. A stamped document lay there: Contamination Cleanup Commission – Xinghui Amusement Park, Special Biological Contamination. The payoff line made her heart skip.
Yun Xi (wary): “That? You serious? I can’t even keep Preservation Spell from glitching. I’d be either Shadowmare snack or CAMCC lab rat. And they’re obviously probing us—if we’re exposed—”
Meng Yun Xi (serene): “Relax~ (≧∇≦)ﾉ”
“Avoidance shameful but useful?” An imaginary head-shake emoticon. “Wrong! To Dream Ring Tower (disguised as CAMCC), refusal equals ‘I’m super suspicious, pretty please investigate me’. Accept, and you dance inside their rules—plus pocket change for boba. Call it edge-walking without crossing the line.”
“Danger? Pfft.” A smug ripple. “Flowers in greenhouses never toughen up. Shadowmares are just river-of-time flotsam—shattered dream bubbles, rock-candy gone stale. Understand them, and you tame your space-time dragon blood. Treat them as free, ugly punching bags.”
“And the kid...” emphasis here, “bring her. Milu’s power is newbie-level, but her star-moon trait purifies certain ‘echoes’. Built-in cleanse aura. Better she flaps under your wing than sneaks off solo and dies. Who’d split the rent then?”
Yun Xi: “......” She had no comeback—especially about rent. And... the ancestor kind of made sense.
“Fine...” She hoisted the white flag in her mind. “For milk-tea freedom—uh, training, understanding Shadowmares, and protecting Xiao Milu—mission accepted!” (Inner memo: Old Ancestor, if I crash and burn, fish me out!)
Meng Yun Xi (cheerful): “That’s the spirit! Go, cute ‘me’! zzz...” The presence snapped off, sleep skill successful.
Yun Xi resurfaced, sucked in a breath that felt world-changing (for boba). She lifted the commission paper and faced Wei Wu’s worry lines and Milu’s sniffles.
“Hem.” She cleared her throat, striving for reliability (achieving zero). “So, Wei Bro, Xiao Milu... the organization—CAMCC—has a glorious, arduous mission for us. Pay’s... decent.”
Wei Wu killed the stove, stomped out, brow knotted. “That haunted amusement-park thing? No way. Too dangerous. I’m coming—bodyguard if nothing else!” He thumped his chest; Hello Kitty on the apron quivered. “My fists are hard, eyes sharp—won’t drag you down!”
Milu tightened her grip on the staff, knuckles white. “S-senior... Milu will help! No dragging!” Voice shaking, eyes stubborn.
Yun Xi’s heart warmed; she flattened her expression (like a kitten mimicking a tiger). “Negative. CAMCC operation—confidentiality agreement. Civilians barred—rules.” She waved the paper. “And relax, we’re... strong! (Ultra guilty.) If an unknown AOE clips you, CAMCC won’t compensate me for a brother!”
Wei Wu looked like a Labrador told to stay. “But—”
“No buts!” Yun Xi planted fists on hips (more like puffed fur). “Wait here for victory! Prepare celebratory milk tea—full sugar, extra boba!” Boba diplomacy, engage!
Wei Wu sighed, defeated. He stalked to his room, returned with a heavy-duty torch and a tactical dagger, shoved both into her hands. “Take these. Might not hurt ‘those things’, but—mental placebo! Shine eyes, or whack heads. If it goes south—run! Forget the money—bro’s got your backs!”
Yun Xi swallowed hard, nodded. “Got it! Can’t win? Strategic retreat—Ancestor’s legacy!”
Ding-dong—doorbell.
Milu nearly rocketed through the ceiling.
A CAMCC courier in a standard suit, face AI-blank, handed over a metal case. “Ms Yun Xi, Ms Milu. Standard protective gear and comms. Rendezvous at Xinghui perimeter in one hour. Good luck.” He left like a delivery drone.
Yun Xi cracked the box. Inside: two silvery rompers that looked like trash-bag material, stamped “CAMCC – Special Environment Operations”. Paper-thin. Two black wristbands (smart-watch vibe). A park map color-zoning “contamination hot spots”. And two chocolate bars labeled “CAMCC Employee Benefit – Energy Bar”.
She rattled the suit—plastic rustle echo. “High-end official gear? I’m not exorcising, I’m cosplaying a broke sanitation worker at comic-con. Seriously?”
Milu poked the fabric. “Senior... this really stops Shadowmare goo?”
Yue Flicked tail, drawling: “Stops? Darling, its best feature is convincing Shadowmares you’re literal trash—why bite garbage? Or... easy body-bag for sample collection.”
Xing Dian orbited, bright: “Master, forget trash! Xing Dian will burn threats—boom!”
Yun Xi eyed the torch & dagger (physical placebo), the plastic romper (mental placebo), Wei Wu’s tragic-puppy face, and Milu white-knuckling her staff.
She exhaled, grabbed the suit. “Fine—mosquito legs are still meat. Official skin, we wear it. Remember, when fight starts, this thing’s decoration. We’ve got us—plus star-moon backup!” She squeezed Milu’s shoulder. “Onward! For boba! For rent! For... world peace? Let’s move!”