A silver-white celestial wolf crouched on the table, its sleek fur emitting a faint, shimmering glow. Its deep blue eyes were clear as crystal, ears twitching occasionally.
The wolf's nose was exquisitely sensitive. The moment she appeared, she cataloged the scents within miles. Everything here smelled foreign, leaving even Felix with a flicker of disorientation.
Soon, she adjusted to the unfamiliar scents and sounds, her gaze sweeping the room. It was a modestly refined space, cluttered with odds and ends. She spotted a bookshelf, crammed not just with books but also hair ties, charging cables, batteries, and a dead wireless mouse. Yu Yu seemed to pile everything together.
On the wall hung a bizarre yellow creature—cartoonish, oddly drawn, but faintly cute. Felix's deep blue eyes scanned slowly, absorbing every detail. Moments later, she formed a basic impression. Outsiders typically had no scent, a quirk of their arrival.
But Yu Yu did have one.
Unfamiliar, yet expected.
Felix memorized it, then glanced at the bed.
A deep blue glass bottle sat on the headboard, exuding a faint fragrance.
Likely a diffuser.
But too muddled—unpleasant.
Why wasn't Yu Yu awake?
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the figure on the bed jolted upright.
Yu Yu's eyes swept the room, instantly drawn to the radiant glow.
The silver-white wolf sat elegantly on the table, gazing down at her. Those deep blue eyes were clear and aloof, her fluffy ears as pink and tender as Yu Yu had imagined. A tuft of soft, flowing fur draped from her chest, her entire form shimmering with moonlight-like radiance, like a dreamborn immortal wolf.
Though her gaze was as cold as ever, the long-furred wolf looked so soft, so gentle.
Ohhh, Wolf Wolf! WOLF WOLF!!! (voice cracking)
With an agile leap, Yu Yu sprang from bed to table, but Wolf Wolf was ready, nimbly hopping to the bed.
Her tone was cool, laced with warning. "Captain Yu."
Yu Yu: "!!!"
Wahhh, why's Wolf Wolf so fast?!
Felix, wary of another lunge, quickly redirected her. "Where is this?"
Yu Yu's wolf-obsessed brain finally cooled.
She glanced at Wolf Wolf, then instinctively at her home, stunned.
"Senior?!"
"You… you're in my house?" Yu Yu felt a surreal haze.
She'd half-expected this from seniors roaming forums, but seeing it in reality sparked an absurd thrill.
Dream come true?
No—game invading reality!
Life-altering! NPC invasion of her chubby little world!
But if it was a gorgeous Wolf Wolf like this…
Yu Yu's heart screamed: More! Bring more!! (voice hoarse)
"Senior, this is my home," Yu Yu bubbled, "Xia District, Rong City's old quarter…"
"That's the Chong River nearby—doesn't it make you wanna smash it a bit?"
She buzzed around, introducing the place, her excitement spilling into incoherent chatter. Felix listened, then sprawled out, tail swaying leisurely.
Yu Yu snapped to. "Senior, why're you so small? Is the Duchess that much bigger?"
The Duchess was a massive wolf, towering over Yu Yu by two heads.
Felix, coolly: "Unsure. Likely unadjusted to this place."
Yu Yu's eyes sparkled. "Can't you change back?"
Heh, heh, hehehe.
Felix's tone chilled further. "Mana here is thin, and my Spirit is disrupted. I can't shift for now."
Tomorrow, or the day after, perhaps.
Felix disliked her gleeful look. "Why do you think I'm here?"
Yu Yu's grin went wild. "The invitation!!!"
"Duh! If a Supply Transfer Voucher moves items, an invitation moves people! I'm such an idiot!"
"How long can you stay?" Yu Yu gazed eagerly. "I'll take you out, treat you to yummy food, show you the sights—sound good?!"
Felix: "Uncertain. No sense of it yet."
"I'll stay invisible. Don't tell anyone."
She instructed Yu Yu sternly.
Yu Yu nodded fervently, eyeing Wolf Wolf hungrily. Wahh, how do I convince her?
Unlike the Duchess's oversized wolf form, this Wolf Wolf was Yu Yu's size, stretching perfectly from headboard to bed's end when sprawled—prime hugging material!
Yu Yu paced frantically.
Felix: "When do you plan to act?"
Yu Yu: "…After lunch."
She wanted to savor Wolf Wolf, not save Shang Wei. Wahhh.
Shang Wei couldn't compare to Wolf Wolf's beauty!
Immortal wolf!!!
Yu Yu hauled in all the tastiest snacks and drinks, sharing them with Wolf Wolf.
Happy times flew by. Yu Yu checked the time. "Senior, let's go."
The silver-white wolf vanished, leaving only stray fur as proof of her presence. Clearly, Wolf Wolf found no suitable perch in this room, alternating between Yu Yu's table and bed. Yu Yu figured she'd be sleeping on a carpet tonight.
No, make that 99% certain.
The drive was uneventful, except…
Yu Yu leaned against the window. "Huh, wild cats around here?"
Near her home, a small bridge spanned the river. On its railings, two cats faced off. One was a sleek, glossy black cat, its lines graceful and elegant. Yu Yu's eyes widened.
Such a pretty kitty!
Want!
The other, also black, looked fiercer, with a tuft of white chest fur, glaring murderously at the pretty cat. It was almost funny—Yu Yu swore their locked gazes sparked with killing intent. Hearing her, both "wild cats" glanced over.
Yu Yu: "Whoa, they're looking at me! Shu Tu, they see me!"
"Wahh, cats are so cute. If they're still here when we return, let's kidnap them."
"Big one's yours, small one's mine!"
Yu Yu swiftly pivoted from buying to abducting. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, how could two kitties survive?
They needed owners to cuddle and charm!
Yu Yu saw them, and so did Shu Tu and the others.
Zi Shu: "…Wake up, you've got a big cat at home."
Fuyu yowled playfully, then grinned. "Two little kitties meeting a big cat? Rawr, they'd get eaten. Could you bear such pretty kitties getting munched?"
Yu Yu sighed, crestfallen. "What a shame…"
The car sped past, leaving the wild cats behind.
Flame Sovereign's voice was icy. "Traitor, explain yourself."
The black cat replied coolly, "Teacher, if I said I locked you up suspecting you'd turn into an anomaly, would you believe me?"
Midway, their car met another, pulling alongside.
The window rolled down, revealing Xiang Qin's calm profile. "Captain, long time no see."
Shu Tu smiled. "Likewise."
Xiang Qin: "Yu Yu, Shang Wei says you're helping her. True?"
Zhong Ye, on the other side, leaned in curiously.
Yu Yu, still half-sprawled by the window, lazily lifted her lids. "False. She's gotta pay."
Xiang Qin studied her, surprised.
Zhong Ye, equally shocked.
Yu Yu, helping Shang Wei?
Xiang Qin: "Zhong Ye first spotted this anomaly. Her Perception woke her, sensing an intruder, and she found traces…"
"Soon after, her mom woke up."
Order was restoring; traffic thickened.
Xiang Qin and Shu Tu drove steadily, swapping anomaly intel.
"You get it—Shang Wei's obsessed with her mom. We didn't dare speak up," Xiang Qin said, regretful. "She was thrilled, even cooked dinner. It took three days to tell her."
Yu Yu: "Her reaction?"
Xiang Qin: "…Better than expected. No meltdown."
Zhong Ye: "She likely knew. The anomaly's odd—near-zero contamination. The Bronze Leaf seems useless against it, but…"
"Long exposure, you'd feel the difference."
"Except Zhong Ye, with top Perception, neither I nor Shang Wei noticed," Xiang Qin said gravely. "This anomaly's unique, highly stealthy."
"It's clever, targeting Shang Wei's mom, who's defenseless. Even if Shang Wei knew, she couldn't accept it."
Zhong Ye shrugged. "Yeah, she didn't lose it, but she kicked us out."
Xiang Qin: "It's smart—scarily so. It leverages situations, recalls all her mom's memories. Early on, it faked poorly, but it got convincing."
Zhong Ye: "I wondered if Shang Wei wanted to let it slide."
Xiang Qin mused, "Unlikely, or she wouldn't have lured it into her body."
As a teammate, she pitied Shang Wei.
Always grinning, but her heart hid blades, ready to stab anyone.
Now, with a glimmer of hope, she had to sever it herself, maybe losing her mom…
If she survived, vengeance might be her only drive.
Had she ever been genuinely happy?
Yu Yu: "Combat strength?"
Xiang Qin's expression twitched. "Without firearms, probably zero."
Zhong Ye: "So, it's unique. Near-no contamination, smart, memory-stealing, but combat's trash."
"In anomaly terms, it's probably struggling."
Yu Yu's face flickered oddly, opening her wristband.
She tried setting a private stream for Senior Felix and Jin Che, but…
Seeing the flood of viewers, Yu Yu griped, "Senior Xue, why no invite-only mode?"
"My stream, and I can't set a password? Reasonable?"
"You skipping updates on purpose?!"
Xue: [What?]
"I said I want stream passwords!"
Xue: [What?]
Yu Yu: "…"
Wow, Senior Xue has this side.
Feng Ye: [What's so secret? Where are you?]
She added, [Why offline today? The puppy keeps mentioning your potatoes—she brought it up tons.]
In Yu Yu's Spirit senses, the gorgeous Wolf Wolf lounged on the car roof, basking in the breeze.
But the Grand Archon seemed unaware?
Yu Yu glanced, noting Flame Sovereign's absence. Rare.
Good—less "little runt" nagging.
As Yu Yu started the stream, Xiang Qin clammed up.
Unlike Zi Shu's casual vibe, Xiang Qin and Zhong Ye kept sneaking glances.
No matter how often, it stunned them.
Eternal Darkness streaming reality?
Mind-boggling.
Yu Yu: "Senior Jin Che, remember the memory anomaly?"
Jin Che: […Naturally.]
Yu Yu rambled, "We found another. It starts with Chang Yu…"
She babbled, two cars, one wolf, two cats, and stream viewers all listening.
Yu Yu likely had no clue how many watched her streams.
The two black cats, invisible, perched on Xiang Qin's car roof, intently following Yu Yu's rundown.
Yu Yu: "…But this anomaly's not ferocious. It can't fight, and it spreads only by touch."
"We're checking it out, saving Shang Wei," Yu Yu said, having explained her plight. "So, I'm streaming for Senior Jin Che's input."
The stream's reaction to Shang Wei's ordeal? Crickets.
Only Senior Meng sighed, [She's had rough luck.]
Yu Yu suspected it was because Shang Wei was in Guild 2, and Meng was its leader.
The cars crossed a Federation-rebuilt bridge, nearing Shang Wei's home.
"…A wildlife reserve?" Yu Yu gaped. "That's remote."
Xiang Qin coughed. "Shang Wei said someone's outside, blocked by her spells. We just go in?"
Yu Yu mused, "Why no group Feather Fall?"
Then she could fly them over.
Jin Che: […Research it yourself.]
Yu Yu: "Next time, promise."
Stepping out, she summoned an Earth Elemental, clambering onto its broad shoulders. "Let's go."
Mage's Eye soared skyward.
Wind Wall swirled, blocking firearms.
Teleport and Windriding stood ready.
Yu Yu's safety was likely tops among them.
After a thought, she summoned the Flame Lord. "Plus an ADC."
Her spell barrage left everyone speechless.
Zi Shu and crew were unfazed, but Zhong Ye and Xiang Qin were floored.
This was a spellcaster?
The sun blazed, and the Flame Lord emerged, its flames roaring brighter.
It let out a melodic hum, circling the group, sparks igniting grass and flowers.
Yu Yu's Summon Raindrop sweated. "Go, go."
The Earth Elemental was a solid mount. While Zi Shu and others trudged unevenly, Yu Yu streamed leisurely.
"See, that's dumb dog Shang Wei's house," Yu Yu pointed at a distant building, then hissed. "Wait, it's so hidden. How'd that thing find it, swapping her mom right when you were online?"
Zi Shu looked up. "Is it hunting us?"
They'd teamed with Chang Yu to slap that fledgling anomaly hard…
As they neared, Zi Shu's words silenced Yu Yu.
No way, right?
Anomalies held grudges too?