Upon reflection, Yu Sheng realized that his initial judgment had been slightly mistaken.
While Erin indeed took up little space, once they got into the car, it became quite cramped—this had little to do with the people but was largely due to the vehicle itself.
This made Xu Jiali squeezing himself behind the steering wheel appear quite extraordinary.
How could such a tall and brawny man, nearing two meters in height, choose such a small car! Yu Sheng and Hu Li were crammed in the back seat (the front passenger seat was piled high with two large cardboard boxes, leaving no room to sit) as they listened to the engine sputtering to life at the front.
Finally, as the car came out of the neighborhood, he couldn't hold back any longer and asked Xu Jiali, who was driving, "Is this your side job after work?"
"Yeah," Xu Jiali replied cheerfully.
"Since I have nothing better to do, when I'm not on a business trip, I like to drive around the city after work, making a bit of pocket money on the side."
Yu Sheng wore a puzzled expression.
He glanced at the rattling little car, then looked over at the burly man in the front seat and thought to himself whether this veteran special agent from the Special Forces actually drove a ride-share for extra cash—especially in such an old car that might be almost as old as he was himself.
Was the living standard for the Special Forces agents this dire?
The more he thought about it, the more odd it felt, but he hesitated to ask, feeling uncomfortable suppressing his questions.
Thankfully, there was someone less subtle in the car—Erin, sensing the tension, shifted from Hu Li's lap to the center of the back seat and peered ahead.
"Your car is quite 'unique'—doesn't the Special Forces usually pay salaries?"
"Not really," Xu Jiali shook his head with a smile.
"I’ve become quite attached to this car. It’s the first car I bought after joining the job. Though it was already used when I bought it, it’s been by my side for so many years. I really can’t bear to part with it.”
At this point, he reached over to pat the gear stick beside him and slightly tilted his head to say, “And don’t let its age fool you. This old guy has never let me down. Not once in all these years—right, old buddy?”
As he spoke, Yu Sheng heard a deep, powerful rumble from the engine at the front, and the horn let out a cheerful "beep beep."
The whole sequence unfolded so quickly that initially, he didn't even realize anything was odd.
It wasn’t until a few seconds later that he suddenly comprehended Xu Jiali hadn’t made any extra maneuvers or honked the horn—this car had actually responded to its driver's interaction!
"Your car…" Yu Sheng immediately sat up straight, incredulity washing over him as he stared at Xu Jiali, "Did it just respond to you?"
In that instant, his mind raced with imaginations.
Perhaps what seemed like an old clunker had secretly been modified by an elite agent, filled with an electronic brain hidden within its rusty shell.
The noise it made was actually simulated by some artificial intelligence, and if needed, it could launch into the air, transforming into a missile launcher with eight tubes!
Yet, Xu Jiali merely chuckled casually, saying, “Oh, it’s nothing; it’s just the machine soul.”
Yu Sheng: "…?"
Things were getting even more absurd than he had imagined.
Xu Jiali continued, "So a lot of people in the bureau envy me. High-tech gear is easy to obtain—when funds are ready, you can get as much as you want. But the machine soul?
That’s a rare find. Only a few pieces in the whole squad have that quality. We treat them like treasures when there are no tasks at hand.
Our team leader has tried to buy my car several times, but last time, when this old buddy got upset and chased him around the parking lot for three laps, he gave up the idea. Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"
Yu Sheng was still in shock.
But from Xu Jiali's tone, it seemed this was commonplace knowledge—at least within the Special Forces community.
So he buried his astonishment and instead replaced it with a subtle admiration, saying, “That’s... quite impressive.”
“Right? So now many people in the bureau are trying to be like me. They don’t want to change their old cars or phones, just keep using them, hoping to get their own machine soul like mine.”
Yu Sheng: "…"
Did he just hear 'machine soul' could be cultivated? So, in this world, if you simply use something long enough, it grows a 'soul,' huh?
Meanwhile, deeply focused on driving, Xu Jiali didn’t notice Yu Sheng’s subtle reactions.
After a moment of silence, he casually asked, “You guys are out this late; I see the address you’re going to doesn't have pedestrian streets or shopping malls… going to a night market?”
As he spoke, he glanced in the rearview mirror at Erin, who was sitting between him and Yu Sheng. “And this lady here is accompanying you—her way of getting out is quite creative.”
Just as Yu Sheng was about to reply, Erin jumped in first, "We’re out working!"
Only then did she turn to Yu Sheng, looking a bit sheepish. "…Is it okay to say that?"
Yu Sheng, indifferent, replied, “Go ahead, it’s not a secret mission, and it’s not like we're meeting someone covert.”
“Working?” Xu Jiali’s expression turned serious suddenly. “Do you need any help?”
“No need,” Yu Sheng waved his hand, “It’s nothing big.”
Xu Jiali nodded, but after a few seconds, he couldn’t help but ask again, “Is it legal? Don’t blame me for asking…"
“It’s referred by Little Red Riding Hood.”
“Well, that should be fine; the ‘Fairy Tale’ organization has a good reputation and usually follows the rules.” Xu Jiali felt reassured but still added a couple more cautions. “I know about your ‘guesthouse’ establishment—let me just say a bit more. The border area is full of mixed characters. Even with the Special Forces' surveillance, there are always corners they can’t see. Be careful not to fall for any traps. If anything or anyone seems suspicious, don’t hesitate—just report it. Reporting is a virtue.”
Yu Sheng couldn’t shake the feeling that when Xu Jiali mentioned “reporting is a virtue,” there was an unusual solemnity in his tone.
“Don’t worry; we know what we’re doing,” Erin waved her hand, becoming a bit annoyed, urging him, “By the way, can you drive a bit faster? Why does it feel like this car is struggling to move?”
“It does seem a bit tense today, hard to get going,” Xu Jiali scratched his head. “It even stalled once when we got near your street. That’s not normal.”
Yu Sheng felt a tug on his sleeve, and turning to look, he saw Hu Li staring at him intently.
"Benefactor, do you want me to tie a tail to the back of the car to give it a push?"
Without a second thought, Yu Sheng rejected the fox girl’s idea.
No way! This was the middle of the night; a supersonic car racing down the street would attract all sorts of attention.
It would be better to have a rocket-propelled fox! At least the latter was so outrageous that fewer people would believe it.
But if the former caught the notice of the authorities in the border area, Xu Jiali’s license would surely be gone...
Regardless, after almost a quarter more time than a normal ride, they arrived near the location that Little Red Riding Hood had sent them.
Yu Sheng looked out the car window, noticing the sparse streetlights ahead and a large building looming at the end of the road. “Let’s get out here; the small road ahead isn’t good for turning around.”
“Okay,” Xu Jiali waved his hand, “Take your belongings with you—if anything happens, call me.”
Yu Sheng and the others got out of the car.
On the dimly lit street, Xu Jiali watched the two figures (with Erin small enough to be blocked from view by Hu Li) walk away into the distance.
After a while, he exhaled gently, released the steering wheel, and leaned back in his seat, which felt a little cramped for him.
The car began to move on its own, slowly inching to a safe spot by the roadside, and then the engine softly purred, making a gentle humming sound.
Xu Jiali caught a glimpse of the dashboard from the corner of his eye and smiled slightly, “Old buddy, you scared, huh?”
The engine grumbled a couple of times in response.
Xu Jiali stretched dramatically in the cramped space and rested his hand on the steering wheel. “Just shut it, you worked hard today. Fill up No. 97!”
...
Yu Sheng turned back to take a look.
In the distance, dim lights moved, turning and disappearing on the other side of the road.
Erin's voice echoed in his mind, “Do you think it was a coincidence?”
“Whatever.” Yu Sheng waved his hand dismissively.
“Whatever?”
“It doesn’t matter whose car I’m riding; I just wonder if I’ll see Li Lin also ‘coincidentally’ driving around our neighborhood later. Hopefully, his car is bigger,” Yu Sheng said with a chuckle. “If I keep bumping into him, I might not even have to pay for the ride—it’ll surely be reimbursed by the bureau anyway.”
“... Your mindset is pretty carefree,” Erin remarked genuinely.
Yu Sheng didn't respond; he simply brushed Erin’s hair and raised his head to gaze into the distance.
Under a somewhat dim streetlamp, a petite girl in a dark red coat stood quietly in the light, looking as if she had been waiting for quite a while.
(This chapter ends here.)