Chapter 39: We’re Not Actually Related, You Know!
Bai Xuan moved briskly through the kitchen, sleeves rolled high, brow knit in concentration. He’d never prepared wolf heart before, but the Book of Worlds had provided a recipe—simple enough: toss it in the pressure cooker, let it stew until tender, then finish with a pinch of salt. Done.
As for the taste? The Book of Worlds had nothing but praise: Delicious!
“What a massive heart…” Bai Xuan muttered, eyeing the hulking slab of organ meat that nearly overflowed the pressure cooker.
It was enormous. There was no way he could finish more than a tenth of it himself.
But how much would he need to eat to boost his Attributes?
According to the system prompt—“Can provide Attributes to up to five people”—did that mean he’d need to consume a fifth of it himself? That would be at least two jin…
(Roughly 1kg, or 2 lbs.)
He could only hope it didn’t taste as bad as it looked.
Meanwhile, Bai Yu was racing home.
With Liu Qian gone to Baihai City, she’d left the Safehouse early.
As she drove, Bai Yu flexed her fingers, watching them stretch and contract at will. A faint, satisfied smile played at her lips.
With this new Anomalous Ability, she could finally—
“Oh, right. I haven’t told Bai Xuan yet.”
She immediately sent Bai Xuan a voice message.
Bee-beep-beep—
“Hm?”
Bai Xuan, tending the wolf heart, heard his phone chime and picked it up.
But as soon as he read the message, his expression turned serious.
“Bai Xuan, I’m on my way home.”
…?
Bai Yu was coming back?
He froze for an instant, glancing at the bubbling pressure cooker.
He couldn’t just stop cooking it halfway through, right?
After a moment’s thought, he slipped back to his bedroom and called quietly to Mare Alera: “Little Mare, you need to stay quiet in here for a while, alright? No noise, understand?”
“Why, Human?” Mare Alera looked up, clutching a pillow she’d gnawed damp, her eyes wide and curious.
“Because…” Bai Xuan searched for a reasonable excuse. “Because the ‘Queen’ of this planet is coming home. If we make her angry, she’ll throw us out onto the street.”
“…?”
Mare Alera blinked, took another bite of her pillow, and mumbled, “The Queen who rules this planet? Interesting. Maybe she can join me in destroying the world!”
“…Right.” Bai Xuan narrowed his eyes, then repeated sternly, “Hide. Not a sound, understand?”
“Okay!”
With his warning delivered, Bai Xuan left the bedroom.
He had barely stepped into the kitchen when the front door clicked open—Bai Yu entered, carrying two bags of groceries.
She closed the door and immediately caught the rich, meaty aroma drifting through the apartment. She called toward the kitchen, “You’re cooking something?”
“Yeah,” Bai Xuan replied. “Picked up some meat at the market. Thought I’d make something nutritious for you.”
“Meat?” Bai Yu followed the scent, eyeing the hissing pressure cooker. “What kind?”
“Donkey.”
“Donkey?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I’ve never had donkey before. How long does it need to stew?”
“Half an hour or so.”
“I’ll shower first, then,” Bai Yu said. “Afterward, I’ll come enjoy your feast.”
Bai Xuan smiled. “Alright, Your Excellency.”
“Mhm.” With that, Bai Yu vanished into her room for a bath.
Bai Xuan let out a breath and glanced back toward his own bedroom—only to see Mare Alera peering through the cracked door, silently watching the direction Bai Yu had gone.
“???”
“What are you doing?” Bai Xuan asked, incredulous.
“Human, I have to observe this planet’s ruler carefully…” Mare Alera began, only for Bai Xuan to gently rap her on the head.
“Ow!”
“Go hide! I’ll bring you some meat later.”
“…Fine, Human.”
Ninghang City Investigation Bureau.
A dozen men and women crowded around the conference table, voices raised in heated debate.
“What the hell is going on!? Why are there Gale Wolves inside the city?”
“Is that really the main issue? Shouldn’t we be talking about the fact that there was a Wolf King among them?”
“Are you all brain-dead? The real story is that an Extremist Organization member was crushed to death by the Wolf King!”
“You’re all missing the point! Shouldn’t we be figuring out where that red dragon mecha came from?”
“Well… The problem is, we don’t know much about mechs. That stuff is more common in the States or Sakura Country.”
“I heard Yanjing has a mecha too—supposedly fifty, sixty meters tall.”
“No way, that big…?”
Knock, knock!
Suddenly, a bespectacled middle-aged man rapped the table sharply. “Everyone, we’re here for business, not idle gossip!”
“Right, right! Deputy Director’s right!”
“According to surveillance, the red dragon mecha seems linked to that mysterious figure in the Slime Mask.”
“Him again? Why is it always him?”
“Maybe there’s an organization behind them—and that guy is probably some kind of high-ranking member?”
“What about the lady knight? Did she appear this time?”
“Tch. Honestly, I think that red dragon mecha is even more dangerous than the lady knight!”
“That was a Gale Wolf King! Estimated Anomaly level at least E+!”
“Nonsense! The lady knight wiped out over ten thousand zombies in one strike, not to mention dozens of Tyrant bioweapons! How could the mecha be stronger than that?”
“Zombies are nothing! The Wolf King could eat one in a single bite!”
“You—!”
“Enough! Quiet!” The bespectacled man’s shout cut through the noise.
He turned to Shen Mei, his voice heavy. “Any progress on what I asked you to investigate?”
“Um…” Shen Mei’s face tightened. She forced a smile. “Deputy Director, you know how it is. These people are like ghosts—tracking them down is… well, extremely difficult.”
He sighed, his tone grave. “Do whatever it takes. We need to know who they are.”
His voice grew even heavier. “Their power is already beyond our control. If they ever turn against Ninghang City, we won’t have time to react.”
The room fell silent.
It was clear: the strength displayed by those two individuals and the dragon far surpassed what entry-level Investigators could handle. Even mid-level Investigators would struggle to stop them.
As for Senior Investigators…
Ninghang City was only a C-rank city. The Bureau had a single Senior Investigator, and he wasn’t even in town right now.
Bai Xuan divided the wolf heart into five equal portions. He delivered servings to Mare Alera and Serene first.
Then, he plated up for himself and Bai Yu, each taking only a tenth—sliced like steak and arranged artfully on their plates.
“Is it ready?” Bai Yu emerged from her room, towel-drying her hair.
“Yeah, just finished—”
Bai Xuan turned, then froze. Bai Yu wore nothing but a thin slip.
Droplets of water clung to her skin, the fabric nearly translucent, revealing a faint blush of pink beneath.
“Yu-jie, you know… we’re not actually blood-related.”
Bai Xuan’s voice was quiet, almost a warning.
“So what?” Bai Yu didn’t even blink. She sat down, sliced off a piece, and popped it into her mouth.
Her eyes widened, sparkling with delight.
“This is amazing!”