13. Bai Lin, what grudge do you have? Huangfu Jun was momentarily bewildered.
Weren't these people just called back by Hamo for overtime? How did they end up here again?
And what was with their astonished expressions? Weren't they all colleagues with the logistics director, Zhang the octopus? How could they have never seen his human form?
As if reading Huangfu Jun's confusion, Guiche Jun was the first to step through the door from the crowd, raising a hand in greeting with a smile. "Xiao Junjun, don't worry. Inspector Zheng called Director Ha in for cross-examination. Without surveillance, we naturally snuck out to check out your new dorm."
Huangfu Jun blinked.
It was clear that the new dorm held great allure for them.
She nodded, then turned to look for Director Zhang, but behind her was empty—not a trace of him.
Huangfu Jun was puzzled.
The other colleagues, seeing Zhang Yu vanish abruptly, dared to smile and walked toward Huangfu Jun.
Ying Wu was the quickest. Her eyes swept the surroundings as if afraid Zhang Yu might suddenly reappear, and she unconsciously lowered her voice. "Director Zhang has a terrible temper; no one has ever seen him smile."
Shan Yang, following behind, added tentatively, "Sister Ying is right. Xiao Huangfu, do you have some connection with Director Zhang? He was so special with you?"
Huangfu Jun, about to take out her phone to type, paused. Before she could process Shan Yang's words, Ying Wu cut in. "Old Shan, what kind of question is that? A Jun is just a little girl. How could she have any relationship with the irritable Zhang? It must be Captain Bai's special instructions. Didn't you see how Captain Bai, even breaking his own rules, insisted on taking A Jun on the trip, afraid we'd bully her?"
Her tone was both dismissive and sour.
Huangfu Jun felt slightly displeased but was caught by the last sentence.
[What does 'even breaking his own rules' mean?]
She turned to Guiche Jun, sending him a questioning look.
Guiche Jun met her eyes and, as if reading her mind, smiled. "Ever since Captain Bai joined the Monster Bureau, he's never taken anyone on missions. Xiao Junjun, you're indeed the first person in the Seventh Bureau to go on a business trip with him."
Then, as if afraid Huangfu Jun might overthink, he took her arm and headed toward the crystal spiral staircase ahead. "Let's not talk about that for now. Xiao Junjun, did you know? Everyone sees a different scene when they return to their dorm. If we weren't following you, we'd never have seen this brilliant view of the dormitory lobby."
Huangfu Jun blinked and used the excuse of taking out her phone to type, freeing her arm from Guiche Jun's grasp. [Don't you usually leave work together?]
Shan Yang and Ying Wu followed closely. Jin Ji crossed her arms, looking impatient, but still kept pace with the group.
Guiche Jun continued explaining as they reached the stairs. "Even if we leave together, we each enter different spaces and passages. Only on the first night a new dorm is opened can others see the alternate scene. And it lasts only until midnight that night. So no matter what trouble we might face, we had to come and join the fun. The most scarce thing in our bureau is novelty and excitement."
Huangfu Jun nodded. Although the monster world was different from the human world, the love for excitement and fun was universal.
As the group reached the second floor, Guiche Jun pointed to the first room by the stairs. "This is Old Shan's room. It'll be hard to see again after today, Xiao Junjun, come take a look!"
Still on the spiral staircase below, Jin Ji snorted coldly. "Borrowing someone else's flowers to offer to the Buddha, showing off with someone else's room. Hah."
Guiche Jun turned back, winking at Jin Ji. "Old Shan's room is the closest, most convenient for Xiao Junjun to see. Besides, someone of Old Shan's caliber definitely wouldn't mind such a small thing."
Ying Wu grinned and chimed in, "That's right, that's right. Old Shan's room is the cleanest, the most presentable among us. If A Jun is to visit any room, it should be Old Shan's. Ah Jin, if you want, you can show A Jun your own room. Guiche and I will definitely support it."
Jin Ji let out a cold snort through her nose. "If you want to see my room, yours can't escape either. Since we're looking at Huangfu Jun's room, everyone's rooms should be shown. No one gets out of it."
Ying Wu's face soured at Jin Ji's retort, and the atmosphere grew awkward.
Huangfu Jun turned back, blinking at Jin Ji.
She could sense that Jin Ji didn't like her, but her blunt and unreserved manner actually resonated with Huangfu Jun.
Shan Yang stroked his white beard and stepped forward, breaking the stalemate.
He pointed to his dorm and smiled at Huangfu Jun. "Jin Ji's idea is good. Let's start from my room and go one by one. But each dorm has a different aura of demonic energy, so it's not suitable to enter. We'll just look from outside the door."
Ying Wu nodded eagerly. "Good idea! Let's do what Old Shan says!"
The awkwardness dissipated, and Guiche Jun perked up. He walked to Huangfu Jun and added with a smile, "We can make the doors transparent so Xiao Junjun can see clearly. When we look at your dorm later, we won't go in either—just look from outside, so we don't disturb the elder."
Shan Yang nodded slightly. "Guiche Jun's idea is good." He waved his hand, and the door in front turned into a transparent glass door. "Huangfu, this is my dorm. Welcome to have a look."
Huangfu Jun blinked. After all, she was a fresh graduate, still curious about everything novel.
She stepped closer to the door, and the sight before her far exceeded her expectations!
Behind Shan Yang's door was not a human dorm at all, but a bottomless mountain stream.
From the stream came the sound of water. Opposite the stream was a cliff of jagged rocks.
Many tenacious plants grew in the rock crevices, lush and leafy. Halfway up the cliff, fresh vines and cliff grass intertwined. Amid the dappled shadows, she could vaguely see a cave about two meters in diameter. Sunlight spilled golden into the cave, and as the wind blew, the swaying tree shadows moved like living wallpaper, adding a touch of vitality. The floor was covered with thick dry grass, scattered with tiny flowers of various colors. In the middle of the dry, fluffy grass was a noticeable depression.
In the corner were piles of goat horns of various shapes, finely crafted goat horn artifacts, some charred but evenly ground powder, and a heap of brushes of different sizes. A few seemed well-handled, glowing with a jade-like luster in the sunlight.
The lawn near the cave entrance was patchy and even bare in spots, like bald patches.
Following the direction of the bare patches up the cliff, she saw leaves with bite marks and tree trunks with scratch marks.
Some marks were so high that Huangfu Jun had to tilt her head back fully to see them. The plants varied, but the grazed leaves were all visibly tender and succulent.
Huangfu Jun turned back in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock. "Uncle Shan, are your hobbies this down-to-earth? Those goat horns are polished to a sheen! Is that powder the traditional Chinese medicine I'm thinking of?
And the grass near the nest is all eaten bare—how do you even climb this near-vertical cliff?
Are you really a goat or a bharal?
You've taken human form but still retain such strong biological habits?
And your living environment is this natural?
Is this environment natural or man-made??"