CHAPTER 79: FLUFF

She chewed on her food in a slow, unhurried manner. "I’ve no interest in allies who’ll stab me in the back at night. And competitors... well, those will come find me on their own soon enough."

The system continued its instructions.

[System Warning]

[Unknown Entity Detected. Hazard Level: Indeterminate.Source: Subject currently within 1 meter of host.]

Her gaze slid to the fluffball, who had stopped bouncing and was now chewing lightly on the corner of her blanket.

She snorted softly. "So you’re still calling it dangerous, hm? I’ll keep that in mind."

The fluff looked up at her, blinking innocently, then let out another coo.

For the first time in days, Ling Yu allowed a faint smile to tug at her lips. A sharp, fleeting thing, gone as quickly as it came.

The abandoned factory was quieter than the rest of the city.

Ling Yu had expected the usual chaos here, scuffles for scraps, betrayal and blood smearing the rusted floors. But instead, the air was thick with a strange calm. Perhaps it was because the people here had found themselves under a leader who, while cautious and wary, did not rule through cruelty.

He was a broad-shouldered man with streaks of white already in his hair despite his youth. His eyes were steady, his voice calm as he gave orders, and though the survivors clearly deferred to him, it wasn’t out of fear, but of a tentative trust. Ling Yu noted it at once, the difference between this place and the violence outside. The scuffles, the panicked hunts for food, the gangs that had already started to form. But here, the tension was muted and softened.

And when she had walked in, unannounced, burdened by blood and exhaustion, the eyes that turned to her were suspicious, sharp, ready to cut. But the fluffy creature at her side had shifted their gaze.

The little thing, curious as ever, had poked its head out from her cloak and tilted its round face toward the crowd. Its enormous eyes shimmered like polished obsidian, wet with innocence, and it let out a soft, musical coo.

The sound was so disarmingly gentle that the hostility in the air faltered. Someone even let out a laugh. A short, incredulous one, but not cruel.

"Is that... a pet?" a woman muttered.

"Looks like a ball of cotton grew legs," another said, shaking his head.

Ling Yu had said nothing, merely adjusted her cloak and walked further inside, as though none of their stares mattered.

The hostility never quite left, but it did not burn hot. Instead, it lingered in the way people kept their distance, the way the leader’s sharp eyes watched her from time to time with suspicion, but not immediate violence.

For that much, she was silently grateful to the fluffball.

The peace of the factory seeped into her bones, heavy as lead.

She had spent the entire day in motion. Fighting, cutting, burning, and moving forward without pause. Her body was trained, her spirit ironclad, but even she could not ignore the weariness dragging her limbs down now.

Her head leaned back against the wall, her eyes fluttering shut. The weight of exhaustion pressed against her like a tide, threatening to pull her down. Her stomach was quiet, her throat no longer parched thanks to the meal she had earlier, but the fatigue was not something food could mend. It was carved into her very marrow.

Her eyes closed, and for the first time in days, she did not fight it.

Her consciousness slipped, and she found herself in the familiar expanse of her personal space.

The air here was different. Fresh, vibrant and humming with quiet energy. The ground beneath her feet shimmered faintly, like dew-covered grass at dawn. The items she had gathered till now were neatly stacked in one corner: food packets, water bottles, spare blades, clothing, medicine and elctric machines.

Ling Yu moved automatically, reorganizing what she had, categorizing what would be needed soon. She rearranged the supplies so that the most essential items could be accessed instantly.

As she worked, she noticed something peculiar.

Her muscles no longer ached as sharply. The heaviness pressing on her chest lightened, even the faint cuts and bruises along her arms seemed less painful. She paused, touching her wrist where a thin line of blood had dried.

It was healing.

Not instantly, not magically gone, but faster than it should have.

Her silver eyes narrowed, flickering with cautious understanding. "So... this space accelerates recovery?" she murmured.

[Of course, it is. The space you have is different than others. You know there is a hot spring with medicinal water. It’s only right that the atmosphere is also suitable for small recoveries.]

[Even though it’s like this, a proper rest is still mandatory. So don’t do something that will cost you a big danger.]

Ling Yu’s lips curved faintly, not in joy, but in acknowledgment. "So even the heavens throw me a bone this time."

She continued working, her mind settling into quiet calculation. If she used this well, she could fight longer, push further than anyone else. She could burn herself down to the wick and still recover before others even rose to their feet.

It was an advantage worth guarding with her life.

When her tasks were done, she allowed herself to sit in the grass-like floor of the space. Her eyes closed once more, her breathing evening out.

In the blink of an eye, the night outside passed.

***

In the morning,

A gentle warmth brushed against her cheek.

Ling Yu stirred, lashes trembling before her eyes opened. The world around her was not the vibrant expanse of her space but the dim, gray dawn filtering through the factory windows. The concrete beneath her was cold, her blanket thin, but her body felt lighter and stronger.

Her eyes flicked downward.

The fluffy creature was curled against her face, its fur tickling her skin. Its tiny chest rose and fell with soft breaths, its little mouth open in the faintest coo.