MaoMao King's Happy Home

Captain Li raised a hand to push up his glasses, hiding his gaze behind the glare on the lenses as he calmly explained, "MaoMao King is the name of a kind and adorable deity. She presides over the domain of 'luxury children's wear.' MaoMao King's Happy Home is both the name of the space we're in and her brand name."

Pink Hair's round face poked out from above her backpack, making an "Oh...!" sound. "So the great MaoMao King has lent her name to sponsor the space we're in, and she'll be investing in us to complete the upcoming missions, right?"

Captain Li nodded. "That's right! There's no need for everyone to worry too much. MaoMao King isn't some demanding evil god. You can tell from our team's name that we're a harmonious, friendly group. The missions we take on in the future will mostly involve brand strategy promotion, product dumping, finding cheap and stable sources of raw materials, seeking long-term business partners... things like that."

The more Yuan Zhu listened, the more something felt off. Is this really 'Infinite Flow'? The 'Main God's Space'? So I suddenly became a reincarnator, and my main mission is to travel to other worlds and sell MaoMao King's luxury children's wear across all the heavens and myriad realms?

At that moment, the young woman with the single ponytail, an official investigator, could not help speaking up. "Has this MaoMao King you speak of been registered in the real world?"

The captain replied, "Of course not. We aren't an enterprise of the real world, nor have we spread our sales channels there. If there's ever such a need in the future, we'll register a legitimate clothing company, submit to regulatory review, and pay taxes legally. As for the deity herself, she won't be descending upon the real world for the time being. Thank you for your concern."

Upon hearing that, the investigator revealed an enlightened expression. "So it's Anti-Law, then?"

The captain neither confirmed nor denied it, instead changing the subject. "Everyone should introduce yourselves. For some time to come, we may be seeing each other often and traveling to different small worlds to carry out missions. I hope we can get along pleasantly."

At once, Pink Hair with the backpack bounced forward and volunteered, "I'll go first! My name is Meng Xiyue. Xiyue is my given name, and Meng is my surname. I'm a second-year student at Tai Xi International University. I'm eighteen this year, and I enjoy reading. I'm very interested in the legendary 'Gods' Space,' and I hope we can all get along happily."

After speaking, she looked at the others with an encouraging gaze, waiting for them to speak. What a social climber.

The investigator stepped forward. "Zhou Chu, member of the Anomalous Disaster Investigation Section of the Tai Xi City Security Bureau. Before entering this space, I was reviewing materials in the archives. I don't know why I was pulled in here."

Her final question was directed at Captain Li. However, he did not answer directly, merely saying cryptically, "Naturally, it was because of certain special ties of fate. As the captain, I am MaoMao King's agent. There are things you may speculate about, but that I cannot say outright."

Seeing that his attitude was fairly friendly, Zhou Chu did not press him too hard. She nodded to show her understanding. "All right, I understand." Then she looked at the rainbow-mohawked youth beside her. "Starting with you, continue."

The teen holding a pipe wrench, with both a lip ring and a nose ring on his face, looked thoroughly nervous as he stammered through his introduction. "I-I'm Lü Rang. I'm from Run Ning. I'm eighteen this year and currently unemployed. Don't judge me by how I look—I graduated middle school. I just didn't want people to exclude me or bully me, so I started hanging around with my big bro. Before I got here, I was at home modifying this."

The otherworldly ghostfire youth raised the pipe wrench in his hand, looking both showy and proud. Then his gaze went straight to the braided girl beside him.

The young woman in work clothes ignored him. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and said, "My name is Mai Lili. I'm eighteen this year, an employee at September Bakery on the South Section of Run Ning 6th Street. Before something happened to me, I was picking up bread in the oven room. Then everything around me went dark, and I arrived here."

Although the captain had reassured them, spouting a bunch of incomprehensible things about "brand strategy promotion, product dumping, raw material supply sites, business partners... using your brains, not risking your lives," in an attempt to relax everyone, Mai Lili was still extremely nervous, her mind stretched taut.

She did not understand any of it, and it all sounded particularly lofty, which only made her panic more. It would have been better to tell her that they would have to gamble with their lives next—then she might have felt a little more at ease.

Then it was Yuan Zhu's turn. He had felt fine after hearing the introductions of the first few people, but after Lü Rang and Mai Lili, his mood became strange instead.

There seem to be rather a lot of eighteen-year-olds, huh? Including me, that makes four.

And this Mai Lili—before she was pulled into MaoMao King's Happy Home, she was on the South Section of Run Ning 6th Street, which isn't far from Fire Fang Cleaning Company.

So this girl was dragged in because of me?

"Yuan Zhu, eighteen this year. Senior technician at Guangyao Lighting Factory, temporary worker at Fire Fang Cleaning Company. Before entering this room, I was giving a work report at the company."

Upon hearing Fire Fang, Mai Lili and Lü Rang both glanced at him. That meant they had both heard of this cleaning company. So the rainbow-mohawked youth named Lü Rang also lived nearby? "Huo Tuo Luo, butcher at Run Ning Fourth Farmer's Market."

The enormous, fat, muscular bald Black man, who had been holding a cleaver and acting cold all along, finally spoke. He used the local dialect, his words brief and direct, radiating an icy keep-out-of-my-way air.

This Fourth Farmer's Market also seemed to be not far from him—within ten kilometers in a straight line. Yuan Zhu felt increasingly guilty.

Finally, the old woman leading that little black-and-white lamb smiled and spoke as well. "You can call me Granny Yu. I live in a rural village outside Run Ning. Today, I went to the farmer's market to sell lambs. I don't know much. I never went to school, and I don't understand spaces or how to do missions. I don't have a birthday. I should be over sixty this year, nearly old enough to die, so you don't need to bother with me."

At that moment, the rainbow-haired ghostfire punk suddenly spoke up. "Granny, don't worry. I'll help you within the limits of my ability."

"No need. I truly don't have long to live. But this little lamb—if you have the ability, take better care of it and bring it back to Run Ning to sell for money. Don't let it die. That would be such a pity. If it really does die, you must eat it. Don't waste the fruits of my labor."

"Uh..." Rainbow-haired Lü Rang stood there in a daze for a long while, then nodded hard. "All right! I'll definitely eat it!"

"Baa-eh-eh!" The little goat bleated furiously.

"No, I told you to take care of it and keep it alive, not eat it," Granny Yu explained helplessly. "Eat it after it dies."

Lü Rang froze, then gripped his pipe wrench and swore, "Oh, I swear I won't eat it as long as it's alive!"

The old woman sighed and stroked the lamb's head again. Why did this all somehow feel so strange?

The others also looked oddly at the goat that kept rubbing against the old woman, feeling that it probably would not live much longer.

Meng Xiyue looked over everyone, then said, "There are so many people from Run Ning—one, two, three, four, five, plus one lamb. While Tai Xi only has the two of us."

Zhou Chu looked at her. "What are you trying to say?"

Meng Xiyue said, "When I was at school, I heard a senior student mention a research hypothesis. The land around Run Ning is currently in a special state of extremely active spacetime. Even in daily life, it can randomly and frequently experience 'spacetime junctions,' randomly linking Run Ning to any location on Du Ling Star before quickly severing the connection. The specific manifestation is that wild animals obviously unsuited to Run Ning's natural environment will suddenly spawn in its streets and alleys, especially frequently at night, before abruptly vanishing after a period of time. Some local cleaning companies in Run Ning also pile up garbage in advance, which is then swallowed by this spacetime phenomenon and never returned."

Yuan Zhu was stunned again. He first thought of Little Sweet Water Well Alley, which had suddenly spawned the previous night, and then was shocked by the wisdom of the locals.

They actually use such a high-end 'spacetime distortion phenomenon' to dispose of garbage? What cleaning company is this much of a crouching dragon and hidden phoenix? It can't be Fire Fang, can it?! Hearing this, the rainbow-mohawked youth could not help jumping out again to crack a joke. "I've seen it, I've seen it! Every Wednesday night, our boss organizes a convoy. We bring weapons and hunt down the large animals that suddenly appear in the streets. We killed a ferocious boxing beast with a pouch on its belly and three legs."

Pink Hair frowned, pondering for a moment before cautiously asking, "You aren't talking about a kangaroo, are you?"

"What! A rat? How could there be such a huge rat? And I actually ate it!" Lü Rang's face revealed terror and despair.

Yuan Zhu truly could not bear to listen any longer, so he asked, "Why can garbage be thrown to any corner of the world, while wild animals that appear in Run Ning disappear?"

Pink Hair nodded appreciatively, very pleased by this question that allowed her to display her extensive knowledge. "It has to do with whether something is alive. When living creatures encounter Run Ning's special spacetime distortion phenomenon, they are not only transported away, but after some time, they return to their point of origin. But if they meet with misfortune during that period and are hunted down, then they remain permanently on the other side. Garbage is the same—it has no life, so once swept away, it doesn't return. Unless someone on the other end of the spacetime junction immediately sends the garbage back."

Yuan Zhu said, "Who would be that bored?"

"I think I've heard of that," Bread Girl Mai Lili, who had been listening in from the side, suddenly said.

"Huh?" Yuan Zhu did not understand.

"I mean, someone saw huge garbage bags printed with Fire Fang suddenly fall from the sky. A whole lot of them. They smashed onto the road and struck pedestrians. Some people were lightly injured."

Everyone immediately turned to look at him again. You're with Fire Fang, aren't you?

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