Chapter 6: Inactive

Professor Wang could not help but rub his forehead when he recalled the massive flock of birds circling above when he left, and the laboratory equipment destroyed by birds that had broken in through an open window.

"To be honest, it wasn’t good. The influence of that flower was too great. The birds acted as if they were possessed, frantically slamming against the research institute's glass, and several even forced their way into a lab where an experiment had just concluded, shattering quite a few beakers and test tubes!"

Mo Qianxun grew nervous instantly. Surely—surely she wouldn't be expected to pay for the damages, right?

"Oh, don't you worry, it's fine. It’s just a few beakers and test tubes. They’ve been used for a long time anyway; we can just replace them! You don’t need to carry any mental burden, it’s really alright!" Sensing Mo Qianxun’s anxiety, Professor Wang quickly comforted her.

He had read Mo Qianxun’s file. She was a poor young girl who had grown up in an orphanage. Being a girl, her life there had not been easy. Fortunately, she was diligent enough to get into university, but after graduating, she kept hitting walls while job hunting, which was why she chose to work as a food delivery rider.

Reassured by Professor Wang’s response, Mo Qianxun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took out the talisman, handing it to him. "Here, take this. If you stick this in the laboratory, those birds will disperse."

Professor Wang took the talisman and studied it repeatedly, failing to see any mystery to it, but since Mo Qianxun had produced it, it proved that the item must be effective. He set the talisman aside. "Young lady, would it be convenient for you to tell us the sequence of events again?"

"No problem..." Mo Qianxun repeated how she had bound the delivery system, how she delivered the meals, and what the situation was with the delivery system itself.

After listening, Professor Wang and General Zhao exchanged a look. "Could we take a look at your delivery system?"

"Of course!" Mo Qianxun opened her phone and tapped on the "Dian Dian" app. Since only she could operate it, whenever they wanted to see something, she would tap it for them.

General Zhao and Professor Wang were surprised to see the balance. "Including today, you’ve made six deliveries for a total of 60 points. It seems each order is worth 10 points!"

Mo Qianxun nodded.

"I’m actually quite interested in what the announcement says about transactions between users and the system store!" General Zhao’s eyes gleamed. If the other party’s technology was higher than theirs, then whatever they traded for would surely be something extraordinary!

"Look here!" Professor Wang pointed to the personal information section. Next to Mo Qianxun’s avatar was a tiny black dot, and surrounding the dot was a circle resembling a progress bar.

"I really never noticed that before!" She had initially thought it was just a decoration; she never expected it to be a progress bar.

Mo Qianxun tapped the small black dot. Suddenly, a small figure wearing black clothes popped up on the page. However, the figure was lying flat, as if asleep, and above it were three large characters: "Not Activated." Below it was a progress bar. The bar had already reached 90%.

"How interesting! It seems that after one more delivery tomorrow, this little figure should be activated!" Professor Wang looked at the figure, his eyes full of curiosity.

Mo Qianxun opened the order details. She had completed six orders so far, all with five-star ratings, so the rider rating showed five stars.

"It’s quite professional-looking!" General Zhao commented with a smile after examining the entire app.

Mo Qianxun nodded; it really was quite professional.

"You might have to stay here today. It’s for your own protection; the situation this morning has already been posted online, and the comments aren't very kind to you. We’re worried that someone might try to cause you trouble," General Zhao said as he stood up. Having learned what he needed, the rest was to report to his superiors and see what their stance would be.

Mo Qianxun took out a small porcelain bottle. "This is a Rejuvenation Pill, given to me by Hu Mei’er. They say it can save anyone as long as they have a breath of life left, but it must be diluted before consumption, or the power contained within will likely cause the user to explode."

Professor Wang and General Zhao’s eyes lit up immediately. Professor Wang was desperate to study the composition of the pill, while General Zhao thought of how many of the motherland’s brave sons could be saved if this were used on the front lines or by peacekeeping forces.

"Thank you!" General Zhao’s expression of gratitude was very sincere this time.

"Don’t thank me; thank Hu Mei’er. She’s the one who gave it to me!"

"I am grateful to both! If the medicinal effect of this pill is truly that potent, it could save so many people!" General Zhao looked at the porcelain bottle, his eyes reddening at some unknown thought.

Afterward, Mo Qianxun was arranged to stay in a vacant dormitory. She fiddled with the app on her phone, reviewing Hu Mei’er’s six reviews. She wondered how Hu Mei’er placed orders and left reviews. Looking at their attire, she feared Qingqiu might still be in an ancient stage of development—did they even have phones?

Meanwhile, having finished the roasted chicken, Hu Mei’er was meditating in a cave. A vortex of spiritual energy had formed around her, and she was frantically absorbing that power from the center of the swirl.

Outside the cave, the elders of the fox clan stood guard, watching their surroundings vigilantly, terrified that something might interrupt Hu Mei’er’s breakthrough.

"If Mei’er succeeds in her breakthrough, she will be a Six-Tailed Fire Fox."

"Indeed. Most of the fox clan are currently at five tails, and only us old folks have reached eight. If things continue this way, I fear Qingqiu will truly decline," an old man in gray robes sighed.

"Fox Six, don't say such dismal things. Now that Mei’er has found a great opportunity, as long as we maintain a good relationship with the people of that other world, the fox cubs will have great opportunities for growth!"

"Sigh! You tell me, why didn't the chicken I roasted have this effect? I clearly used top-quality spirit chickens!" Fox Six looked at Fox Five beside him, feeling quite conflicted.

"Who knows!" Fox Five had no idea either.

Just then, a sharp scream rang out from inside the cave.

Everyone immediately stood on high alert, watching as dark clouds gathered in the sky. Lightning flickered like silver dragons, rolling through the clouds, waiting for the right moment to strike. After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a fiery red shadow flew out from the cave, soaring toward the sky.

The long-brewing heavenly thunder finally struck down impatiently. The seven elders standing below watched Hu Mei’er, who was confronting the lightning in mid-air, and broke into a cold sweat for her.

Everything depended on this moment. If she survived the lightning tribulation, Hu Mei’er would be a Six-Tailed Fire Fox; if she failed, she would likely be a crippled fox—at best, her meridians would be severed and her cultivation lost; at worst, her soul would scatter, disappearing from the heavens and earth forever.

Not far away, Hu Mei’er’s friends stood below, watching her undergo the tribulation, silently cheering her on.