Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 355 - 274: Staying Up Late is Harmful to Health

Chapter 355: Chapter 274: Staying Up Late is Harmful to Health

The journey from the foot to the peak of the mountain wasn’t very far, but it took the assistant nearly an hour to make it; by the time he arrived at the front of the shrine, he felt so weak he collapsed on the ground.

He walked slowly, but even so, the pain in his body did not lessen in the slightest.

At first, it was a nosebleed and a faint pain in the liver; now, there wasn’t a single spot on his body that was intact. The one hour’s journey felt like a whole lifetime to the assistant; he felt as if his body had become like rotten wood, with one foot already in the coffin.

He lay in front of the shrine for a long time, unable to get up.

In that hour, too much had happened. When the assistant reached halfway up the mountain, the sky above changed—day turned to night and then to the eerie scene now - a blood-red moon hung in the sky, turning the whole world red.

He saw the fox statue enshrined in the temple, with blood oozing from the eyes of the fox, making everything on the mountain seem even more mysterious.

At this moment, the assistant finally understood why the people from the Eco-Ship feared the restricted area: it was a calamity beyond reason, so much so that he had to question whether it could still be called a calamity; to him, it seemed more like a contagious disease. Once one set foot within the restricted area, one would immediately contract this illness.

This disease would hollow out your body in less than an hour, leaving you unable to even crawl up from the ground.

But this still couldn’t explain the changes to the mountain environment.

That red moon couldn’t be explained by any calamity.

"This guest, you seem in a bad condition; let me help you up,"

A male voice came from behind the assistant, and he caught a glimpse of a figure approaching with the corner of his eye.

It was a Fox Demon, with a tail that revealed its identity. It was carrying a basket that seemed to contain fresh fruits and vegetables just picked from the mountain and also a plucked and butchered chicken.

He was helped to stand, somewhat dazedly, and the Fox Demon supported him into the back room of the shrine. He leaned back in a rattan chair, but this did not make the assistant feel any better; his whole body was in pain, and even if he were taken to a hospital right away, he probably couldn’t explain his specific symptoms to a doctor accurately.

Until the Fox Demon brewed him a cup of tea.

This was said to be a special drink from Blue Star, brewed with tea leaves and berries.

The warm tea, along with the sweet fragrance lingering on his taste buds, made the assistant perk up a little.

"Your physical condition is very bad; is it because of frequent staying up late?"

The Fox Demon sat opposite him, stared at him for a while and said, "Staying up late has damaged your liver, leading to a series of symptoms you’re experiencing now. Although this cup of fruit tea can make you feel better, it’s still just a temporary relief. After you go down the mountain, you should still check your body thoroughly in the medical room. And from now on, try not to stay up late."

"...Are you a doctor?"

In such a sinister environment, the Fox Demon’s manner was unexpectedly refreshing.

"Merely have studied a little,"

The Fox Demon smiled lightly, "After all, we have a lot of free time."

The assistant didn’t reply; he indeed had been staying up late recently.

The events on Prison Planet had left the Consortium’s higher-ups without a good night’s sleep for several days, and naturally, his sleep had been affected too. Being woken up by a cellphone ringing in the middle of the night was normal, and he could foresee that as long as the casino issue wasn’t resolved, he was destined not to get a good night’s sleep.

But this was a bit too strange, wasn’t it?

He had only stayed up a few nights, yet his symptoms were so severe that he was almost at death’s door. Before coming to the restricted area, the doctor’s advice was that he just needed some anti-anxiety medication.

The rapid worsening of his condition did not match medical common sense.

"You’re a new face; what brings you up the mountain this time?"

The considerate Fox Demon went straight to the point. He didn’t want to delay the assistant’s descent to seek medical treatment; the illness would require ten days to half a month of recuperation to heal.

"A few days ago, the Eco-Ship extended an invitation to your daughter..."

Before he could finish, a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out.

Despite the series of bizarre events he had experienced, the assistant adjusted his tone to sound as gentle as possible, but he still couldn’t escape the pursuit of calamity.

The stabbing pain made him collapse on the table, his body convulsing uncontrollably.

The Fox Demon’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and the previously pleasant smile on his face disappeared. His gaze at this moment gave the assistant goosebumps.

"According to our original agreement with the company, you promised never to involve Jiuyue or our clan members,"

He waited for the human before him to explain.

If the company had unilaterally broken the agreement, they no longer needed to adhere to the many arrangements they had made with the company.

The last time they saw Jiuyue, she was a carefree little fox running around the mountains, lively and spirited, which satisfied their expectations for a child.

Although they missed their daughter every moment of the last decade or so, they didn’t want to see Jiuyue – especially not on the Eco-Ship of Universe Company.

They knew well enough the methods of the company and the Consortium; once aboard, it would be difficult to disembark.

He had heard that the Department of Life Sciences had hit a bottleneck in their research on armor. Although he had cooperated with every research effort of the company, technical problems had inevitably arisen. At this juncture, the company was likely to focus on Jiuyue in a bid to break through the technical deadlock in a short time.

Jiuyue was the only Fox Demon on Blue Star with both the calamitous and auspicious Fox heritage, which made her a treasure in the eyes of those researchers.

"You’ve misunderstood; it was your daughter who initiated the visit request,"

"Sweet talked and deceptive."

The dignified Fox Demon scrutinized the assistant.

Even if the assistant wasn’t lying, the company must have deceived and manipulated. The company had always been adept at such schemes.

Seeing the recording equipment the assistant carried, he guessed the company’s ploy.

Using the parents as leverage, they lured Jiuyue step by step into their trap.

"Go back now, before I change my mind."

The Fox Demon spoke in a cold voice, "Then relay a message to Jiuyue for me, we do not welcome her here, even if she boards the Eco-Ship, I will not meet with her."

The negotiations had failed, and there was absolutely no room for a turnaround.

The assistant felt something clogging his throat, making it difficult to breathe, and his vision began to double. Every spot on his body was in a state of emergency, alerting him that this was the final eviction. If he continued to stay here, death was certain.

It seemed the Fox Demon had no intention of giving him the opportunity to explain either.

The assistant wondered if, in his current physical state, he would be able to make it down the mountain unscathed.

"Spare him, he has just arrived on the Eco-Ship and there is much he doesn’t understand."

A familiar voice came from outside the ancestral hall; Fu Ling, who should have been attending an academic conference, had suddenly appeared here.

The assistant looked outside, and compared to him, Fu Ling seemed unaffected by the disease.

Yet the Fox Demon did not seem to welcome Fu Ling’s arrival, and redirected her anger toward her.

"Don’t give me that scary look, I’m here specially to inform you about Jiuyue’s situation. You have no need to worry about her, she’s doing well right now."

During her speech, she gave the assistant a meaningful glance.

Understanding her cue, the assistant staggered out of the ancestral hall.

Once the room fell silent, the Fox Demon said coldly, "You can start explaining now."

The only reason that misfortune had not touched Fu Ling was that this new Director of the Department claimed to be Jiuyue’s friend and had met with her numerous times on Blue Star.

"Explanation? There’s nothing to argue about in terms of motive. The Mandala Consortium’s invitation to your daughter at this point in time is indeed not a simple act of conscience, to reunite you and her, but has other motives."

Fu Ling briefly informed the Fox Demon about the recent news from the Prison Planet.

The Fox Demon frowned more and more deeply.

Why couldn’t that girl just stay peacefully on Blue Star? How did she end up playing a big director on a planet full of prisoners?

These matters of interstellar travel touched upon his areas of ignorance.

But this was not a good sign. Jiuyue had offended the business of a consortium-owned casino, and with his understanding of the corporation, the casino folks wouldn’t let it go easily.

It sounded like this was a mess Jiuyue herself had gotten into.

The Fox Demon’s tone softened a bit as he said, "I didn’t expect Jiuyue to cause you so much trouble. Alright, I’ll persuade her in the video."

He really did not want Jiuyue to be entangled with the company in any shape or form.

"The higher-ups of the Consortium want me to do this, but as Jiuyue’s friend, it seems somewhat unscrupulous."

Fu Ling put away the recording device in front of the Fox Demon.

After all, it wasn’t their department paying the compensation, so she was not in a hurry at all. When she returned, she would report a failed negotiation.

The assistant disrupted by the disaster had experienced firsthand the terror of misfortune and surely wouldn’t say much more on this issue either.

"I’m just here to remind you, it won’t be long before you can see your own daughter."

"The company promised that they would never involve Jiuyue."

"You know the company’s style, especially that of the Shan Clan people. All promises are only valid as long as they’re based on the value of use."

Fu Ling shrugged her shoulders.

If it weren’t for Duan Mingyuan’s involvement in the incident a few months ago, the father-daughter reunion might have happened sooner—though in a less than desirable manner.

But now things were different.

"A lot has happened outside recently, and Jiuyue is no longer the person you remember. Now, she comes and goes as she pleases. The Consortium can’t afford the cost of forcibly keeping her on the Eco-Ship. They only hope your daughter will stop playing the big director."

So no matter when or where, the power of choice is always in the hands of the strong.

Jiuyue and the Blue Star People have upset the Consortium quite a bit with a series of recent incidents, but they have no choice but to settle these issues peacefully.

"By the way, she should also bring you a surprise this time we meet."

Fu Ling suddenly remembered something and added, "She’s found herself an impressive boyfriend."

"...Boyfriend?"

The Fox Demon’s pointed ears on top of his head shot up instantly, but even more volatile was the reaction of the stunning Fox Demon who had been hidden behind a statue; she stormed over and loomed over Fu Ling from a higher position, demanding, "She’s found a boyfriend? Why haven’t you ever mentioned this to us? What kind of man is he?"

What kind of man was Duan Mingyuan?

That was a good question.

In the eyes of the company and the Chamber of Commerce, he was probably a major troublemaker whom they were quite powerless to deal with.

But clearly, Jiuyue’s parents weren’t inquiring about the company’s opinion.

So from Jiuyue’s perspective, what kind of man was Duan Mingyuan?

The answer was imminent.

"An ogre."

"Hmm?"

"An Ogre Boxer."

Fu Ling said seriously, "That’s what your daughter thinks."