remote village

Lin Feng hung up the phone, staring blankly into space.

In the past, he would have dismissed the zero-second call and strange number as a glitch in his phone, not giving it much thought. But now, in his current sensitive state, he realized that his life had completely deviated from the norm. Things that had always been considered dinner table gossip and urban legends might actually be true—mythical stories, and even some of the fantastical works seen in movies... could all be true.

Lin Feng was so sensitive that even a meow from his cat, named "Roll," would be taken as an omen. Recalling the unconventional phone number, he felt a chill, but more importantly, he realized—he had never applied to any import and export trading company!

Yes, he had sent out many resumes for various positions, including two for male public relations officers and one for a pet psychologist (heaven knows what that profession entails), but he had definitely not applied to any import and export trading company! Lin Feng was well aware of his academic background and expertise; he was the kind of person who needed a calculator just to buy celery. How could he dare to apply to a trading company? Was he trying to sell himself by the pound?

In Lin Feng's mind, import and export trading companies were akin to small neighborhood convenience stores. His knowledge was limited to such an extent.

"Landlord? Landlord, are you okay?" Mu Yun's startled voice snapped him out of his reverie. He nodded to the two unconventional tenants in the living room and explained, "Oh, it's a job interview notification from an employer. I have to go for an interview this afternoon."

"Don't worry, landlord, I'll watch the house for you!" Mu Yun raised her paw happily, as if she had encountered something good. "I'm best at watching over things, I'll make sure nothing gets stolen!"

"Such a dog-like statement." Vivian couldn't resist taunting her archenemy, but every time she did, it hit the mark. Lin Feng wanted to say, "You're so down-and-out, can't you just drop the act? Do you even deserve your status as a blood clan?" 

Mu Yun glared at Vivian but then shook her head, indicating that she didn't care. Her stomach growled, quickly dissipating her anger and leaving her weakly resting her head on the table, "Landlord, please cook. After eating, I'll watch over the house..."

Lin Feng was a bit dazed. Had he rented out to tenants or to ancestors? He had been a landlord for many years, but this was the first time he had encountered tenants who were so familiar! However, he attributed everything to cultural differences among different species and dismissed it with a smile. These two were not easy to deal with, and to ensure his future life was stable, he needed to improve their relationship. This way, at least when Mu Yun and Vivian fought again, he would have the confidence to scold them a bit, as the landlord and pet owner.

Lin Feng finally fed the two unconventional tenants, and during this process, he confirmed that Vivian did indeed eat normal human food. With that, he felt relieved. It was already 11 o'clock, so he could skip lunch and let the vampire and werewolf fend for themselves until dinner. Considering Vivian's current destitute state and Mu Yun's refusal to share her food (canine animals are protective of their food), he specially bought a box of biscuits for Vivian, almost bringing the poor vampire girl to tears... What a situation!

Due to a vampire's habits, Vivian needed a long time to sleep during the day. Soon after eating, she went upstairs to tidy up her room and prepare to rest. On the other hand, Mu Yun was most energetic during the day. She would guard the entrance and help watch over the house. For now, they were separated due to their respective species' habits, and Lin Feng didn't have to worry about them tearing down the house while he was away. This allowed him to go to the "interview" at the address provided by the mysterious woman with a bit more peace of mind.

Despite his many doubts, Lin Feng decided to go and see what was happening. Whatever was coming, he couldn't avoid it. If the woman on the phone was related to the "unusual" encounters of the past few days... then he was in for it. Judging by the fighting prowess of Vivian and Mu Yun, this was not a realm that an ordinary person could navigate, let alone someone with a less-than-adequate brain.

He had considered taking Mu Yun with him, but ultimately decided against it. He had only just met the werewolf girl, who seemed a bit simple-minded... okay, she was a bit silly, but that wasn't a reason to take advantage of her. He couldn't drag a girl along as a bodyguard just because they had a bit of trust between them. It wouldn't be right (he had let her stay at home to guard against vampire attacks before, but that was a last resort). Also, Lin Feng, as a man of seven feet, a real man, couldn't nervously bring a girl along as a bodyguard just because he had encountered some strange things in the past few days. How would that look? 

So, he decided to brave it alone.

As he waited at the bus stop, his mind was once again filled with the "unusual" forms of Vivian and Mu Yun... "Is it really okay to leave them at home?" he muttered to himself. 

Honestly, Lin Feng had been a landlord for many years (if that's even considered a profession), and he had seen all kinds of tenants. As a landlord, the most important thing was to determine if the tenants were reliable, whether they were dangerous individuals, thieves, or scammers—renting out a property only to attract thieves and suffer heavy losses was not uncommon. Lin Feng wasn't worried about his two female superheroes being the latter; he knew... they were far more dangerous than that!

Was it a mistake to leave them at home? When he returned, would he find a ruin? Would he see over two hundred fully armed SWAT officers? Would the Chinese Academy of Sciences' convoy be parked outside? Would he see two Americans in black suits and sunglasses holding a lead pipe to their own heads?

With all these unrealistic thoughts running through his mind, Lin Feng boarded the bus, heading to a remote... and desolate place.

The address given by the mysterious woman on the phone was a place Lin Feng had heard of but never been to. It was extremely remote, beyond the reach of the city's radiation, and could be considered a village outside the city. There was no direct bus from the city center, and even in the relatively remote southern suburbs, there was only a dilapidated bus that ran once an hour.

This magical place was called "Wang Ba Tuo Zi."

Clearly, this was also a magical name. The author hopes it doesn't get censored for being indecent—because this damn place is really called "Wang Ba Tuo Zi."

Lin Feng sat in the rickety bus, which seemed like it would fall apart at the slightest bump, for half an hour. The bus was drafty, and at most, there were only three passengers on board at any given time. He even suspected that the driver, with his world-we

ary face, was deliberately matching the terrible condition of the bus. But in the end, he was safely delivered to his destination and dumped in a place that looked almost no different from the wilderness he had passed through earlier.

As the bus drove away, making a clattering sound, similar to Lin Feng's current mood—boiling with rage, he felt like shouting to the sky—clearly, he had been tricked! Did that woman even write a draft before tricking people?!

Not far down the road, following a winding path, was Wang Ba Tuo Zi. Lin Feng stood on a high ground by the road and could clearly see everything. It was an old village with probably only dozens of households, with almost half of the houses still crumbling mud-brick structures. The village buildings looked haphazard and carried the scent of decades past. The largest building in the village was a small brick building in the center, about the same size as Lin Feng's house...

The woman on the phone had lured him here under the guise of an "import and export trading company."

Was his intelligence lower than his feet to believe that?!

But Lin Feng had still been fooled into coming.