14. The Gossipy Octopus Huangfu Jun pressed her lips together...
Huangfu Jun pressed her lips together. She had picked up on the group's ulterior motives.
Watching the fun was fine, but there was no way she would take the blame alone.
However, she couldn't speak, and the Monster Bureau wasn't her turf. Escaping unscathed would be tricky.
She curled her fingers nervously, but something hard jabbed her. Seeing the meal card in her hand, she suddenly had an idea.
Just as Jin Ji's dormitory door came into view, the corridor lights dimmed.
Everyone stopped, looking around anxiously.
When the lights came back on, a mass of black smoke appeared.
Huangfu Jun's colleagues all frowned.
No need to guess—Deputy Director Ha was calling them back for overtime.
"You've got some nerve! Inspector Zheng is still here, and you dare to slack off! Lucky I was alert and covered for you. If this gets out, the Seventh Bureau will lose face, and so will our director!" Even the black smoke couldn't mask Hamo's anger.
Guiche Jun quickly hid behind Huangfu Jun, smiling apologetically. "Only Director Ha has the skill to pull this off right under Inspector Zheng's nose!"
Ying Wu chimed in, "Director Ha, don't be angry. A Jun is new here and unfamiliar with the place. It's her first time in the dorms. As seniors, we should show her around and help her get acquainted, right?"
The black smoke nearly exploded. "And that requires the whole team?! Everyone except Huangfu Jun, now! Immediately! Get back to work!"
Guiche Jun exchanged a glance with Huangfu Jun and was the first to slip away. The others, with expressions of deep regret, reluctantly descended the stairs.
"A Jun~" Ying Wu called out tearfully as she went down, "If I don't get to see your new dorm, I won't be able to sleep for decades."
Huangfu Jun could only wave goodbye with an awkward but polite smile. After all, she couldn't speak, so there was no need for hypocritical pleasantries.
Once they were gone, she happily turned around, bowed deeply toward the end of the corridor, and then skipped up to the fourth floor, holding her meal card.
She didn't notice that after she turned, a white mist coalesced and gradually took human form.
The figure watched her ascending back, his eyes darkening.
"You're being lenient with her. That's not like you," he said with a hint of curiosity.
A young man with a human upper body and an octopus tail materialized in response, holding an abacus and clicking it busily without looking up. "I'm always lenient. It's the Monster Bureau that goes too far. Besides, isn't A Mei your person? I have to give you face."
At this, Zhang Yu finally looked up, catching the last trace of Huangfu Jun's figure. A smile tugged at his lips. "Using the meal card to open my barrier and then realizing she could use it to send me brainwaves for service—A Mei is really smart. Are all half-demons this clever? Much better than the weird monsters in the bureau."
Bai Lin: ...
If there was any weirdness, it was Zhang Yu himself.
"What did you call her?" Bai Lin raised an eyebrow.
Zhang Yu laughed, his eyes curving. "A Mei? Don't overthink it. In my hometown, 'A Mei' is what you call a young girl. All those old monsters in this bureau are lazy and procrastinate. Not only have they never lifted a finger all these years, but I'd be grateful if they didn't cause me trouble. Not a single one has acknowledged my efforts, not even a cub. Oh, you're an exception. Apart from your face, it's for that respect that I show her some kindness."
"A cub? She's an adult."
Zhang Yu patted Bai Lin's shoulder. "Ha, she's still not as old as me. Calling her A Mei is fine. Besides, A Mei is such a good kid; seeing her makes me happy. She's my little sister."
Good? Hah!
Bai Lin's gaze turned icy.
Zhang Yu suddenly sensed something. His eyes lit up, and he leaned in close to Bai Lin. "Something's off, something's off. Captain Bai, you two aren't just old acquaintances. Spill it. How did you meet? Did she offend you? What grudge did you have before?"
Bai Lin gave Zhang Yu a cold glare.
Zhang Yu immediately dodged, keeping his distance.
Bai Lin turned without another word, dissolving into white mist and vanishing.
Zhang Yu pouted in disappointment, then sulkily returned to his post.
Due to the barrier, Huangfu Jun was completely unaware of Bai Lin and Zhang Yu's conversation.
Now, she was filled with curiosity about her own dorm. She couldn't wait to find her mystery-box dormitory and explore it.
If every demon's dorm related to their true form's habits, could she deduce her own true form from clues?
And if Xiao Haige and Octopus Bro could freely switch between forms, could half-demons do the same? Would her demonic blood activate only under certain conditions, like Inuyasha's?
Was she a flyer, a runner, or a swimmer? Carnivore or herbivore? Did she appear in legends?
Or was she a plant? In a pharmacopoeia or a cookbook?
She couldn't be an object-type demon, could she? Animals and plants had genders, but objects? How did they reproduce?
Or did reproduction only happen after taking human form?
If so, humans were really the universal adapter for interspecies breeding...
But regardless, she finally had a chance to learn her true form. Ehehe, so exciting! She rubbed her hands together eagerly.
With an excited heart and quick steps, she was desperate to find out everything about herself.
It seemed she had entered her exclusive passage. No other dorms were visible, only a long spiral staircase.
The path seemed long and dark, with no sound but her own breathing and footsteps—until her meal card glowed again, and a white door appeared before her.
Huangfu Jun's heart sank. The door had no antique charm; despite its delicate European carved panels, it was unmistakably a hospital door.