Why Am I the One Being Pursued?

Just as she was agonizing like an ant on a hot pan, unsure how to make amends and apologize, she heard a helpless sigh:

"It's fine. I suppose I had it coming."

Bai Jun shook his head as he rubbed his badly swollen left cheek, calmly letting the matter slide.

After all, this Warp Trotter hadn't kicked him without reason. If they really got into it, it was his own fault, so he might as well take it as a lesson.

"Huh? How could that be okay? I should compensate you—"

"No need. I'm a clerk of the Earth-Balance Commission. Talking about money insults me!" Bai Jun righteously refused. The nobility radiating from him was enough to make petty people ashamed of themselves—if one ignored his comically swollen cheek.

"Okay..."

Elena paused while pulling a credit card from her wallet. In this day and age, people with such a golden spirit were truly rare. There was now a little more admiration and appreciation in her gaze as she looked at Bai Jun.

Her assessment of him had also changed from simply "a handsome man" to "a handsome, wonderful person"!

Being able to befriend such a noble person on the Xianzhou was nothing but beneficial. So she took out her postcard instead, drew a deep breath, and handed it to Bai Jun with the utmost formality.

"Although this introduction is a little late, please allow me to briefly introduce myself. Nice to meet you. My name is Elena, and I belong to Market Group 166 of the Strategic Investment Department at the Interstellar Peace Company. Thank you very much for finding Little Eight!"

"Bai Jun. Clerk of the Earth-Balance Commission."

Bai Jun solemnly accepted Elena's business card. The front bore Elena's name, department, and photograph, while the back displayed the vast, mysterious silhouette of the Divination Commission repairing the heavens. The edges had the Interstellar Peace Company's distinctive engraved patterns, and a closer look revealed the card owner's contact information.

He rummaged through his pockets, found his own business card, and handed it to Elena in exchange.

After receiving it, Elena carefully tucked the card into her breast pocket. Her overly serious manner made Bai Jun feel a little embarrassed, and he silently moved Elena's card from between the pages of his chronicle book to his inner lining.

It smells so good, so good... Why does this person smell so good?

All of a sudden, Bai Jun heard a thought caught by Mind Catcher activating. Before he could determine where it had come from, he felt something nudging against his pant leg. Looking down, he found that it was the Warp Trotter that had kicked him earlier.

"Zhang Zhang, come back! Don't be rude!"

This time, Elena sounded angrier. The Warp Trotter by her leg immediately released Bai Jun's pant leg upon hearing her, then energetically returned to Elena's side and began tussling with the little cat.

Bai Jun quickly realized that the voice from before had come from this strange Trotter, but he wasn't too surprised. After all, this wasn't the first time Mind Catcher had malfunctioned.

"Is this your pet? It's quite unusual."

"Mm-hmm, it is! Look, this little one is called Zhang Zhang! Don't mistake it for an ordinary Warp Trotter. It's especially sensitive to the scent of money. It can handle security, debt collection, and even debt accounting. I bring it with me whenever I travel for work now. It's practically become my lucky star~"

Elena picked up Zhang Zhang, who had been playing with the little cat, and affectionately rubbed her cheek against it. Her words were full of pride in the little creature. She even offered Zhang Zhang to Bai Jun, wanting him to hold it too.

Bai Jun hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking the Trotter. It wasn't nearly as heavy as it looked. Instead, it was as soft as jelly, and his fingers easily sank into its warm, squishy flesh. He had to admit, the wonderful sensation made it hard to put down.

"I really never expected someone to keep this kind of creature as a pet. I thought a creature that spends most of its life eating and running away couldn't be tamed—Huh? Hey! What's going on? Don't bite me! Elena, get it off me!"

Whether Zhang Zhang could understand human speech or not, it opened its mouth and chomped down on Bai Jun's arm again, just short of performing a death roll.

"Sorry, Bai Jun. It actually... doesn't mean any harm. I suppose this is just how it expresses affection." Elena hurriedly took Zhang Zhang back. Looking at the teeth marks on Bai Jun's wrist, she seemed unsure how to explain herself and could only offer an awkward smile.

"What kind of expression of affection is that... Reverence for food?" Bai Jun muttered, clutching his bitten wrist.

"It doesn't eat meat. Ever since before, it's liked shiny things the most, like gold coins and gemstones. It often eats until it's round and plump, which is why it's called Zhang Zhang..." As she spoke, Elena stuffed a handful of hard stones into Bai Jun's hand.

"How about trying to feed it something, Bai Jun? Maybe it won't be mad at you anymore."

"Oh, so it eats gemstones... Gemstones!?" Once Bai Jun processed that, he was utterly stunned. His mouth went dry as he swallowed hard, then lowered his head to find that Elena had indeed placed a pile of colorful gems in his palm. They lay there quietly, dazzling beneath the light.

He felt as if the handful of gemstones had burned his eyes. He immediately clenched them tightly and asked in a trembling voice, "M-Miss Elena, are you saying this Trotter usually eats gold coins and g-gemstones?"

"Yes, and Zhang Zhang has a very picky appetite. It won't even eat average-quality gems. They have to be exceptionally pure!"

"Then how much does it eat at a time...?"

"Mm, it depends on Zhang Zhang's mood. The most it ever ate at once was, I think, two catties of gold coins and more than thirty sapphires?" Elena squeezed hard.

"Then do you still need pets? The kind that can talk." Bai Jun suddenly leaned closer and asked seriously.

"Huh?"

Elena's eyes instantly widened, her cheeks flushing slightly as she unconsciously took a step back and covered her mouth with both hands.

The instant the words left his mouth, Bai Jun wanted to slap himself several times. Maybe he had spent too much time around Songyan today; he had started speaking without thinking too.

He felt that joke might have gone too far with someone he had only just met. To avoid ending up arrested by the Cloud Cavalry, he was just about to explain when Elena interrupted him.

"Mm, although that request is a little sudden, if it's you, I wouldn't mind."

Elena somehow produced a dog collar. There was a trace of delight beneath her seemingly serious expression as she moved to put it around Bai Jun's neck.

"No, I was joking..."

This time, Bai Jun backed away several steps. He looked at Elena as though she were a criminal with violent sadistic tendencies. "Also, what's wrong with you, carrying a collar around with you?"

"Ahaha, I have dozens of pets at home. As a qualified pet owner, isn't it perfectly reasonable to carry a dog collar with me?" Elena put away the collar with an awkward laugh, offering an explanation that seemed full of holes but was actually quite reasonable.

"Dozens? That's excessive..." Bai Jun imagined pet fur flying everywhere and immediately felt his scalp tingle.

"It's actually not too bad. I originally thought little animals from different ecosystems definitely wouldn't be able to live together, so I specifically designed my home with many different ecological zones. But in the end..."

Elena pointed at Zhang Zhang, who was happily playing with the cat, her eyes full of affection. "Look how well these two get along! They come from completely different planets, yet they can become so close. It's wonderful! I strongly recommend that you keep more pets too. Seeing them every time you get home from work is truly so happy!"

"You have a point... But I won't keep pets."

"Huh? Why? They're clearly so cute."

Elena knew how wonderful it was to drag one's exhausted body home from work every night, only to be pounced on by a crowd of furry creatures, their round heads pressing close to one's palm. The fatigue gradually melted away, replaced by the warmth and comfort of stroking their fur. That was why she strongly recommended pets to every office worker at the company.

"Pets only live for eleven or twelve years at most. A few years of companionship would make me unable to live without them, only for them to inevitably leave in a hurry. Don't you think that's cruel?"

Bai Jun shook his head and answered calmly, "When long-lived species form bonds with short-lived species... those bonds are meaningless to begin with. Forcing them only adds loneliness."

"To be able to say something so cruel, Bai Jun, you're a cruel person too..." Elena clearly had countless arguments to make, yet she couldn't say any of them. She could only bury them in her heart and speak softly, almost with a sigh.

In the end, Elena lightly punched his shoulder with her fist.

"Well, there's also the more important reason that I'm allergic to furry things!" The heavy atmosphere didn't last long. Bai Jun quickly returned to his previous lazy demeanor, bending down to rub Zhang Zhang's belly and earning another dissatisfied baring of teeth.

"But these creatures without fur are quite to my taste—ugh, if they didn't bite people at every turn." Bai Jun suddenly looked troubled and pointed at Zhang Zhang, who had bitten his palm. "Come to think of it, Elena, if Zhang Zhang bites you, do you need a rabies shot?"

"Uh, if it didn't break the skin, you probably wouldn't need to... All right, now you do."

Seeing blood constantly welling from Bai Jun's palm, Elena could only bow apologetically, nearly in tears, while swearing that she would absolutely make Zhang Zhang apologize to Bai Jun later.

Overworked Office Drones Would Never Meet a Rambling Hanya

After seeing Elena off, it was already past four in the afternoon.

The vaccination matter came to nothing. It had only been a joke, after all. Bai Jun could recover from such a minor injury in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Besides, Bai Jun knew Zhang Zhang hadn't bitten down with any real force. With the bite strength it used to chew gemstones and gold coins, it would have punched two holes in him otherwise. Leaving only one or two teeth marks was already exceptionally gentle.

Zhang Zhang, you're so gentwe.jpg

Setting aside the fact that Zhang Zhang had viciously bitten him, his conversation with Elena had been quite enjoyable. It had been a long time since Bai Jun had met a member of the opposite sex who suited his personality so well—though this was purely a clean friendship, with absolutely no other implications, okay?

When he returned to his seat, Bai Jun saw a brand-new jade bracelet lying quietly on his desk. There was no need to think about it; this had to be the publicly funded replacement Jade Omen. He hadn't expected it to arrive so quickly.

Replacing a Jade Omen on the Xianzhou didn't involve the hassle of phone cards and the like from his previous life. A Jade Omen was essentially a tool that engraved semiconductor chip circuitry onto materials such as jade, then used the Jade Omen central hub to transmit signals everywhere.

Everyone had their personal biometric data entered into the Jade Omen central hub at birth. In other words, as long as they were alive, their information would never be lost no matter how many times they replaced their Jade Omen.

After quickly verifying and registering his information, Bai Jun turned on the Jade Omen. A glaring message immediately appeared before his eyes.

Silver Hacker: Log on tonight on time, or suffer the consequences.

The moment Bai Jun saw those large words on the screen, his face turned ugly. He opened Silver Hacker's profile, only to find no option to delete the contact. He immediately felt as though the sky had fallen and the entire world had turned gray.

"I'm done for. A hacker's latched onto me..."

No, perhaps there was still a chance to struggle!

His powerful survival instinct drove his fingers to tap rapidly against the screen.

Nan Liujing: Please spare me. I'm just a lowly employee. I work during the day, and I really don't have the energy to play at night.

Silver Hacker: ???

Silver Hacker: By "no energy," do you mean staying up until one or two in the morning watching videos?

Nan Liujing: ???

Silver Hacker: Fine. See you at ten-thirty tonight. And just so you know, if you don't come, I'll send out your browsing history.

It was as if thunder exploded in Bai Jun's head, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. He slumped weakly against his chair, his Jade Omen nearly falling from his hand. Steadying himself, he shakily typed out a line, then tossed the Jade Omen aside and propped his elbows on the desk as he began questioning his life.

Having his browsing history stolen... No way!

Though I may be shattered to pieces, I will leave my innocence in this world. Bai Jun wanted nothing more than to smash his head against the wall and strive to become a good man in his next life, but a voice from nearby soon made him realize that there were things in this world even more terrifying.

"Qing Yan, come over here. There are some troublesome matters that need you to deal with." Jing Yan held a large stack of documents and beckoned Bai Jun over with a smile.

Bai Jun stiffly raised his head to glance at the clock on the wall. The hands pointed to 16:34. There were clearly less than thirty minutes until the end of the workday, yet it now seemed like a flower reflected in a mirror—visible but unattainable.

Ah, life really did feel bleak.

After working overtime to deal with the Earth-Balance Commission' affairs, Bai Jun looked out the window. Exalting Sanctum had already entered its own night.

"I'm exhausted. Better hurry home, take a bath, and rest."

Dragging his weary body through the cold, quiet streets, Bai Jun lit his Louryu Lantern. Today somehow felt much busier than before. Sushang, Fu Xuan, Qing Que, Elena... All kinds of troublesome matters had gotten mixed together.

His steps carried him steadily and resolutely toward home, while his thoughts continued to wander.

The bustle of the realm gradually subsided, and the crowds slowly quieted. Dim yellow light filled the streets and alleys, while the flickering glow beneath streetlamps outlined the lanes and cast long shadows.

As if sensing something, Bai Jun suddenly stopped. His gaze followed a rainbow-shaped arch bridge beside the street all the way to its other end.

There, a group of pale-faced children carrying blue-green lanterns walked through the streets of Xianyun Heaven.

The doors and windows along the street were shut tight, and not a soul was in sight. Only those children moved soundlessly, as though they had taken shape from dense darkness itself, with several tiny lampstands floating beside them.

From afar, the sight was spine-chilling and terrifying, exactly like a scene from an old Xianzhou horror film.

An ordinary person would have been scared out of their wits, but Bai Jun was unfazed. He knew they were not ghosts, but living people who worked for the Ten Lords Bureau.

These judges and underworld attendants responsible for receiving the dead had said farewell to the netherworld. Even if ordinary people passed directly in front of them, they wouldn't be able to see them. Of course, that only applied to ordinary people; anyone with even a little ability could see them, though they wouldn't deliberately mention it.

For various reasons, Bai Jun had seen the Ten Lords Bureau at work more than once or twice. Yet every time he saw them, he still chose to take a detour.

The reason was that, as the Xianzhou Alliance institution responsible for monitoring the lifespan and laws of long-lived species, the Ten Lords Bureau had to maintain its independence and purity. Any relationship of interest with ordinary society could become a major hidden danger capable of shaking the Xianzhou Alliance's foundations. In any case, for that reason, members of the Ten Lords Bureau were people completely detached from society.

Orphans, eccentrics, criminal conscripts... That was basically the sort of people they were.

Any normal person could figure out with the back of their head that they should stay far away from them, right?

"Tch, what bad luck. I should take a detour."

Bai Jun muttered in displeasure and turned to leave, but just as he lifted a foot, a faint sigh suddenly drifted into his ear.

"The judges of the Ten Lords Bureau are all people born incomplete. Treating them like that will invite misfortune, you know?"

"Wah—!"

Bai Jun jolted in fright, dropping the Louryu Lantern in his hand. Acting on instinct, he moved to draw the long saber at his waist and strike back. Seeing that he did not seem to be joking, the woman behind him hurriedly explained, "It's me, it's me. Just a little joke. Don't get worked up."

Under the hazy, indistinct lamplight, Bai Jun finally saw her appearance clearly.

A slightly modified Ten Lords Bureau uniform wrapped around her exquisite, curvaceous figure, while her long legs, which exceeded half her height, were even more eye-catching. Her delicate hips were tightly outlined by short shorts, and the snow-white skin exposed between those shorts and her strapped knee-high boots formed an absolute zone that looked even more alluring under the intoxicating dim light.

Her silver-gray hair fell smoothly and freely down her back, several loose strands concealing part of her pretty face. Her refined features were deep and captivating, but the dark circles beneath her eyes and her always vacant lead-gray gaze made her look as if she were in poor condition. In truth, she was.

"Ah, it's been a long time. Have you been well lately? I haven't been well lately, but since I'm never well anyway, it doesn't really matter..."

Upon seeing Miss Hanya, whose usually lifeless eyes and work-worn exhaustion filled her lovely face as she muttered endlessly to herself, Bai Jun quietly withdrew his left hand from the saber hilt. His taut, stern expression gradually softened into helplessness.

"Miss Hanya, do you know you'll scare people to death acting like that at night?"

"But you looked pretty scary just now too. I thought you were really going to cut me down... Say, if I got hurt like this, would it count as a workplace injury?"

"Mm? Probably not... Don't change the subject! And I didn't even draw my saber. How could I possibly have cut you?" Bai Jun bent down to pick up the Louryu Lantern, patting its body until its dim yellow glow returned. Just as he was about to continue complaining, he felt a fragrant breeze approach.

"Shh, keep it down. I slipped out secretly. Don't make me go back and write a self-criticism."

Hanya's normally expressionless, indifferent face looked especially nervous now. She stepped close and pressed herself against Bai Jun, covering his mouth with her hand so that the sound wouldn't disturb the returning procession of underworld attendants nearby.

Bai Jun felt his shoulder sink into two soft mounds, while warm, smooth skin pressed against his lips. He could only roll his eyes helplessly and nod in agreement.

Once she moved her hand away and he regained the ability to speak, Bai Jun forcefully suppressed the urge to complain. Shielding his face with one hand, he deliberately lowered his voice. "So, what did you secretly slip out to find me for?"

"I just happened to run into you and wanted to catch up. Still, such a coincidence does show that you and I have some predestined connection." Hanya smiled, then asked, "What about you? Why are you wandering around the streets so late?"