Chapter Twenty-Two: Zhu You Saw Herself as a Secret Agent

Zhu You told Yi Shen that she often came to this noodle shop for meals and shared some stories about her school life. Once she started talking, she was quite composed and at ease. Yi Shen didn't speak much, simply noting that the girl was indeed far too thin, reminding her to eat more regularly. Otherwise, once she entered the Dimensional Gate, her stamina might not keep up.

They finished their noodles quickly. Yi Shen was ready to set out for the Snowfield Desert. Though this girl was quite likable, his main focus right now was on leveling up; there was no need to delay her on his account.

"Um… I…" Zhu You hesitated as she saw Yi Shen preparing to leave.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Can I add your contact information? Last time it was just my sister who added you, and I felt a bit embarrassed," Zhu You replied, her cheeks flushing.

At the next table, two male students stared in disbelief. They had assumed Zhu You and Yi Shen already knew each other, but not only had she caught up to eat with him, she now asked for his contact information.

"Uh… It might not be very convenient," Yi Shen paused. He didn't actually mind, but out of caution regarding his location, he had already discarded his communicator.

"Oh, it's nothing, really. I was just asking," Zhu You waved her hands quickly, trying to ease the moment. After all, Yi Shen was so capable; it was already rare enough that he was willing to interact with her. Still, a trace of disappointment colored her face, tinged with a bashful blush.

Seeing her expression, Yi Shen realized she had misunderstood his meaning.

"It truly isn't convenient. Or, if you like, when you finish eating, we could take a walk together?" Yi Shen considered for a moment. This place was crowded, making it hard to say much. He could tell Zhu You had a favorable impression of him, but his current circumstances were unusual.

After some thought, Yi Shen realized that perhaps Zhu You could indeed be of help to him in certain ways.

...

"So, you want me to keep an eye on the forum for news about Moonlight Land and Peach Blossom Hollow while you’re away?" Yi Shen had led Zhu You to a secluded corner of a park, creating a story about needing to leave for a while and being unable to use his communicator because he was on a special mission.

He'd expected Zhu You to ask more questions, but to his surprise, she accepted his explanation without hesitation and even offered to help, not bothering to ask whether he was a good or bad person.

Zhu You was a head shorter than Yi Shen—slender and frail. This left Yi Shen with a faint sense of guilt, as if he were deceiving an innocent girl.

"Yes, or you could watch for any important news across the entire Jingmen Safe Zone," he continued. "Don't tell anyone about this, not even your sister. The fewer people who know, the safer it is. When this is all over, I’ll make sure to reward you."

Yi Shen spoke earnestly. Somehow, the process had led him to enlist this little girl as his inside informant. Once he entered the other world, his contact with the outside would be cut off. Having someone on the outside gathering information would be invaluable.

Zhu You seemed the type—a simple, straightforward student at the martial arts academy. At school, she was unlikely to attract much attention.

"Alright!" Zhu You, though petite, possessed a streak of rebelliousness and determination. Normally, her elder sister handled everything, but she’d always longed to take on more herself, to do something out of the ordinary.

Her sister had told her that staying in contact with Yi Shen wouldn’t be a bad thing. If they could glean even a little from him, it might change their family's fortunes.

Now, with Yi Shen seeking her help, both her budding admiration for him and a desire for excitement made Zhu You eager to try. At this moment, she saw herself as an undercover agent, even lowering her voice when speaking to Yi Shen.

"About three days," Yi Shen said. "Let’s meet here again then. If I don’t show, come again at the same time on the fourth or fifth day." He felt Zhu You was a promising candidate to be trained.

Since he was now heading for the Dimensional Gate, he didn't intend to buy another communicator just yet; perhaps next time, he’d see if he could find an unregistered device on the black market.

"Alright!" Zhu You repeated, her enthusiasm undimmed.

Yi Shen found her both amusing and endearing, then told her she could head back to school if she had nothing else to do.

As he watched her walk away, he thought that if Zhu You proved trustworthy, perhaps he could involve her more deeply in the future.

...

With an unexpected new agent under his wing, Yi Shen could only attribute it to his own good looks—managing to gain an eager admirer just from a simple breakfast.

Setting aside such thoughts, Yi Shen took the black market bus back to the Snowfield Desert, the alternate dimension.

This time, his objective was clear: first, to increase his experience, and second, to gather items or equipment to sell and accumulate contribution points.

His parents' circumstances were now uncertain, meaning his previous plan to use contribution points to buy materials for research would have to be put on hold. Going forward, he'd need to save up points slowly for future purchases.

As before, Yi Shen rented a terrain vehicle. Unlike his last visit, this time it was daytime on Earth, so the crowds were much larger. Even the women advertising their tour services by the roadside were deep in conversation with mercenaries or customers.

Yi Shen’s destination was an area called "Nanxi," about two to three hundred kilometers south of the Dimensional Gate. Even at full speed, it would take four or five hours by terrain vehicle.

In Nanxi, the monster levels ranged from 10 to 20. Most importantly, the area contained a secret realm known as the Nanxi Gobi. This ten-person dungeon was similar in overall monster levels to the Frozen Rift he'd visited before, but the area was larger and the monsters more numerous.

Since human exploration of the alternate world was mostly limited to a radius of two to three hundred kilometers around the Dimensional Gate, the Nanxi Gobi was distant enough to guarantee Yi Shen's safety—there was virtually no chance anyone would discover him. In fact, even if he died to monsters, no one might ever know.

The road to Nanxi Gobi was a rugged one. Unlike the Frozen Rift, which at least had some man-made dirt roads, the way to Nanxi Gobi was largely desert and off-road terrain.

A five-hour drive would consume most of the vehicle's fuel, so Yi Shen brought along two extra cans of gasoline.

Once he reached the secret realm, he hoped to find some items or skills to make travel easier. For instance, elite Chocobo-like monsters occasionally dropped special eggs, which could, through a particular process, become mounts or pets, making travel in the other world far more convenient.