Chapter 38
The little hamster stole a guarded glance at Mu Feiyi, then quietly turned his back to the screen. His instincts told him that this human had been harboring very suspicious intentions just moments ago.
Right then, a knock sounded at Mu Feiyi’s door. The man rose from his seat, looking at his phone with reluctant hesitation as if debating whether to end the video call.
The little hamster, however, gave him no time to ponder. Lunging forward, he slapped the red disconnect icon with a swift, decisive tap of his front paw.
Smack.
The line went dead instantly, offering neither side a second chance to reconsider. The message was unmistakable: he had only been humoring this human out of polite obligation and couldn’t wait to clock out.
Staring at the darkened screen, Mu Feiyi murmured under his breath, “Can an ordinary hamster truly be this intelligent?”
Usually, that level of tactical awareness was reserved for Border Collies.
“Coming,” Mu Feiyi called toward the door. He resolved to interrogate the little creature the next time they crossed paths. While he had always known the hamster possessed an uncanny cleverness, this went beyond pet antics.
This is far too smart.
Setting his curiosity aside for the moment, he turned his focus to the high-stakes business at hand. His main objective in traveling to City D was to meet an influential elder through a well-connected local associate.
The woman who entered wore a deeply apologetic expression. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Mu. Elder Liu was called away on an urgent matter today. Our meeting scheduled for the day after tomorrow will likely have to be postponed.”
“Postponed for how long?” Mu Feiyi asked evenly, showing no trace of frustration.
He had been sitting alone on the open-air terrace conducting his video call with the hamster, while the rest of their traveling party relaxed inside the private salon, sipping tea, chatting, and playing mahjong.
The woman took a seat across from him on the patio. “I don’t have an exact timeline. The summons was completely unexpected, and he departed for the capital immediately.”
Mu Feiyi’s brow furrowed. “Could something monumental be developing?”
“We suspect as much, but no details have trickled down,” she replied, visibly troubled. “There hasn’t been a whisper through our usual channels. If something major has truly happened, it must be unprecedented. Still, his personal secretary indicated he shouldn’t be away for long. Elder Liu left without packing any luggage. He has a critical administrative conference to chair the day after tomorrow, and he hasn’t canceled it—he merely instructed his staff to hold the docket until his return.”
“I only require ten minutes of his time,” Mu Feiyi said, coming straight to the point. “Could you relay to him and his chief of staff that I wish to consult him regarding the northern overland transport corridor currently under construction?”
He paused, laying down a decisive bargaining chip. “I intend to facilitate a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement between our market and Country V.”
Country V sat adjacent to that critical northern trade route, though not entirely within its active perimeter. Mu Feiyi wanted to negotiate an arterial extension. The timing was prime: the aging monarch of Country V was nearing abdication, and the crown prince was poised to ascend the throne. That young heir was desperate to secure a landmark economic achievement immediately upon taking power to cement his domestic authority.
Under the old monarch, relations between the two nations had remained frosty. The prince, however, had spent years studying abroad, developing a deep admiration for their culture and conducting discrete working visits in recent months. While Mu Feiyi could not guarantee total success, he recognized an extraordinary strategic opening—one that could reshape regional trade while establishing his own post-corporate foothold.
The woman stared at him, stunned. “Mr. Mu, you truly possess an astonishing vision. If you pull this off, who in high society would dare claim you are nothing without the Mu Corporation?”
Rising quickly, she smoothed her skirts. “Please wait here. I will personally draft an urgent memorandum to his office right away.”
She understood the stakes; if this initiative bore fruit, her brokerage role would earn her immense political capital.
Mu Feiyi watched her hurry inside, then turned his gaze back toward the glittering panorama of City D.
His sapphire-blue eyes held a trace of quiet perplexity. What crisis could possibly be so severe that a statesman like Elder Liu would rush back to the capital without even packing a suitcase?
A vague, prickling unease began to settle in his gut. Just days ago, he had felt absolute confidence in orchestrating this trade alliance. Now, an inexplicable tension pressed against his chest like an iron weight. It felt as though an endeavor that should have naturally succeeded was about to shatter due to this abrupt disruption.
He despised being caught on the defensive, yet high-level state maneuvers were impossible to probe from the outside.
“Forget it,” Mu Feiyi muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I should let the little one know that I won’t be able to return the day after tomorrow.”
Consider this another debt the little hamster owes me, he thought with a wry smirk. When we meet again, I’ll make sure he repays every bit of it with interest.
Meanwhile, back at the suburban estate, the little hamster had no idea that a certain human was plotting his retribution.
Balancing on his tiptoes, the hamster held the nozzle of a garden hose firmly over the rim of an industrial water barrel.
His uncle and sister had spent the evening sweeping through commercial distributors, buying up every container they could lay their hands on—from modular utility pails to enormous agricultural cisterns. The giant vats, however, proved terribly cumbersome to transport and position.
“A second freight load is arriving tomorrow morning,” Yu Yuanzhou said, wiping a sheen of sweat from his forehead. “Even when the crisis strikes, municipal taps won’t run dry in the first twenty-four hours. My primary concern is catastrophic contamination of the city water grid.”
“The spiritual spring water can purify it,” the little hamster squeaked reassurantly, reminding his uncle of its detoxifying properties.
The father and daughter had operated on separate fronts all evening, each piloting a utility truck through commercial corridors. Yu Yuanzhou had used his corporate connections to clear out a large building supply warehouse, purchasing their heaviest industrial water drums alongside rows of reinforced steel shelving.
He had hired a crew of commercial carpenters at double overtime rates to assemble the storage racks across the unused suites on the fifth floor and in the subterranean basement. To eliminate the need for manual hauling, he had laid hundreds of meters of high-pressure hose directly from the main bathrooms to the upper racks. Expecting a human to lug a seventy-five-kilogram drum of water up four flights of stairs was simply out of the question.
“That distributor only had twenty seventy-five-kilogram barrels, fifty fifty-kilogram drums, and eighty each of the smaller utility jugs,” Yu Yuanzhou murmured to the hamster. “The warehouse manager is coordinating regional stock transfers for dawn. I also cleared out their entire inventory of clean industrial steel barrels. We need to store every drop of clean water our pipes can draw over the next two days.”
Tianwei had returned well past midnight. She had scoured small retail shops across the district, buying out whatever plastic buckets remained. Most corner hardware shops only stocked thirty-liter containers, but she had secured dozens of heavy-duty, twenty-liter utility pails fitted with airtight snap-on lids. When empty, they nested inside one another, maximizing the cargo bed’s payload.
The installation crew labored through the night, erecting heavy-gauge industrial racks in five spacious rooms on the fifth floor and throughout the concrete basement. Aesthetics were completely disregarded in favor of raw load capacity; each welded tier could comfortably support over two hundred kilograms without buckling.
Tianwei and the little hamster took turns monitoring the water lines, stifling yawns as the buckets slowly filled.
“If I had known this was coming, I would have forced Dad to install an olympic-sized indoor lap pool,” Tianwei grumbled, rubbing her exhausted eyes.
“Is it too late to dig one now?” The hamster looked up, his dark eyes wide with sudden hope.
“Far too late. Concrete curing and multi-layer waterproofing membranes require days to set properly,” she replied, giving his chubby cheek an affectionate squeeze. “Don’t get your hopes up. However, on the final day, we can seal and fill every single bathtub in the entire house. Care to guess how many we have?”
The little hamster tilted his head, considering the sprawling layout. “Ten?”
“Hah! You vastly underestimate our family’s architectural excess,” Tianwei said with a proud smirk. “Every en-suite bathroom features a full soaking tub, plus the primary suites on the fourth and fifth floors each house oversized jacuzzi basins. In total, we have eighteen full bathtubs!”
The sheer scale made the hamster’s whiskers twitch. It was no wonder his uncle had been willing to face the terrifying gauntlet of the Seven Catastrophes just to haul this entire structural fortress into the jade dimension.
At daybreak, the brother and sister continued their water-filling vigil in shifts. Meanwhile, Yu Yuanzhou had contacted an industrial tank manufacturer in a neighboring province that produced massive three-ton agricultural reservoirs. Paying triple the standard rate for dedicated same-day hot-shot delivery, he secured a single three-ton reservoir for the garden perimeter, alongside dozens of heavy-duty, three-hundred-kilogram square utility cisterns.
The square tanks were engineered from reinforced, food-grade polyethylene, measuring exactly one meter in length by fifty-six centimeters in width and height. With their modular, cube-like geometry, they could be stacked securely without wasting cubic volume. Unstacked, their reinforced tops served as flat platforms to support cases of dry goods.
By mid-afternoon, the expedited flatbeds rolled into the courtyard. The colossal outdoor reservoir was anchored in the garden, while the modular square containers were ferried upstairs room by room. Before long, the fourth and fifth floors were transformed into an ocean of water storage, leaving only narrow, half-meter aisles between the towering rows of tanks.
Navigating the corridors required sideways stepping, but the volume secured was staggering: thousands upon thousands of liters of pristine water. Their household of three would never face thirst in the wasteland.
The estate’s extensive plumbing proved to be its greatest asset. With multiple hoses running simultaneously from adjoining bathrooms, the water lines hummed without interruption.
Perched on his uncle’s shoulder, the little hamster looked out over the flooded maze of tanks lining the upper halls, swelling with profound satisfaction.
He patted his velvety cheeks happily. “This is enough clean water to last for years! We can even take full baths every few days!”
The sight of so much stored water brought an immense sense of security. Previously, he had fretted over the sprawling empty rooms on the upper floors; now, every square foot served an indispensable purpose.
His velvety ears twitched to the rhythmic, continuous gurgle of water pouring into the drums.
Gurgle, gurgle…
The sound had a very distinct, unfortunate effect on his tiny bladder.
With a squeak of realization, the hamster leaped down from his uncle’s shoulder, scampered toward the master bathroom—pat-pat-pat—and emerged minutes later with a bashful, sheepish expression.
It was… somewhat embarrassing.
Torn between amusement and exasperation, Yu Yuanzhou pinched the creature by the scruff of his neck, lifting him back to his shoulder. “At least our little hamster has the decency to use proper plumbing. That saves me from buying pallets of wood shavings and litter.”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”
The hamster clambered upright on his hind legs, his tiny front paws stretching out frantically to cover his uncle’s mouth. His velvety ears flushed bright pink as he let out a stream of urgent chirps, begging the man to stop teasing him.
Smiling fondly, Yu Yuanzhou stroked the creature’s soft head. “All right, let’s keep an eye on the gauges.”
“Mm!” The little hamster nodded vigorously, his mind running through their mental checklist:
Clean utility water was secured.
Grain staples were stowed in the jade vaults. Agricultural plots were planted with vegetables, and crates of fresh produce were frozen in stasis. Livestock was grazing on the internal pastures, and commercial cuts of meat were locked in spatial storage.
Medical supplies were comprehensive: broad-spectrum antibiotics, sterile IV sets, disposable syringes, anti-inflammatories, fever reducers, analgesics, and cases of mosquito coils and insect repellents.
Laptops and tablets were loaded with offline libraries of novels, reference manuals, television series, and films.
High-octane fuel reserves were packed to capacity, reinforced four-wheel-drive rigs were staged in the garages, and cold-weather down suits were boxed alongside pallets of clean-burning alcohol fuel.
Reconnaissance dirt bikes and mountain bikes were cached, supported by utility snowmobiles, heavy freight sleds, and inflatable zodiac boats.
Tianwei had even secured decades of personal care essentials, from dental supplies to body washes and soaps.
Equipped with this monumental hoard, their family could retreat from the world and live in luxurious abundance for decades.
Glancing upward, the numbers floating in his vision read:
18 hours, 45 minutes, 52 seconds.
Yu Yuanzhou pulled on his tailored overcoat, his expression turning solemn. “I’m heading to corporate headquarters to finalize the severance paperwork and secure the transport fleet. If you two need to make any final runs tonight, do so quickly, but return early to rest.”
Fastening his cuffs, he looked at his children with quiet gravity. “Tonight will likely be the last peaceful night of sleep this world will ever know.”
He also intended to visit a few lifelong friends across town. In his heart, he knew this might very well be their final farewell.
Standing atop the brass desk lamp, the little hamster watched his uncle’s tall silhouette walk out the front door, before turning his head to meet his sister’s steady gaze.
“Sister, aren’t you going out to say your goodbyes?”
“No,” Yu Tianwei replied with a soft smile, gently patting the little hamster’s velvety crown. “There’s no need.”
She had already carved out time over the past few days to sit down with her closest friends, and that was more than enough.
“Oh.” Perched atop the brass desk lamp, the little hamster nodded, sitting back on his haunches. “Then… are we not…”
“Not what?” Tianwei asked, assuming the little creature was itching to sneak out for some late-night fun.
To her surprise, the ever-conscientious hamster looked up with wide, earnest eyes. “Did we forget to stockpile light bulbs?” His delicate ears gave a nervous twitch after asking.
“Hah,” Tianwei scoffed, amused. “If we had to wait for you to remember, it would be far too late. I already bought them. Every wattage, every base size, every specification you could think of. I ordered them six days ago, and I stood right there watching you sweep them into the Kuntian Jade.”
“Oh.” The little hamster gave a dazed, sheepish nod. Patting his fluffy chest with a tiny pink paw, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I’m not worried anymore.”
That relieved pat was so vigorous that a stray wisp of white down floated into the air.
“Forget about it. Put stockpiling completely out of your mind tonight—no supply lists, no shopping sprees. Sister is going to…” Tianwei’s hand swept down, smoothly catching the hamster just as he tried to scurry away, and carried him up the stairs.
“Don’t sniff me, Sister! Stop sniffing! The little hamster is terrified, QAQ!” Honestly, why are humans so obsessed with sniffing fluff?
“I’m not going to sniff you,” Tianwei promised, torn between irritation and fond laughter as she gently pinched the round head peeking out between her fingers. “I’m going to give you a warm bath, take you out on the town for some fun, and then bring you home for a good night’s sleep. How does that sound?”
“You promise not to sniff the little hamster?” The hamster wiggled his front paws free from her grip, staring up with deep, skeptical hope.
“Mm-hmm, no sniffing.” There would be endless opportunities down the road; she didn’t need to indulge tonight.
“All right, then.” Relieved, the little creature went limp, abandoning all thoughts of escape.
Stepping into the master bathroom, Tianwei turned on the faucet, and a stream of warm water splashed directly over the hamster’s unsuspecting head.
Caught completely off guard, the furball let out an outraged “Lululu!” He shook his head violently, kicking and flailing his paws to splash water right back into his sister’s face!
Tianwei pushed up her sleeves, diving headfirst into an epic, three-hundred-round wrestling match with the soaking-wet hamster!
“You little rascal, you think I can’t handle a tiny pest like you?!”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!” Behold the little hamster’s rapid-fire melon seed barrage!
Pew-pew-pew-pew!
“little hamster… you’re completely drenched, and you haven’t shrunk an inch!” Shielding her face from the flying seeds, Tianwei stared in sheer shock at the dripping creature sitting on the porcelain rim. “You aren’t just fluffy—you’re actually solid fat!”
The little hamster froze. Awkwardly, he ran his wet paws over his soaked fur, looked down at his round tummy, and tried in vain to cover the bulging belly with his tiny paws.
“I-it’s… it’s just right!” he stammered. “Besides, all proper small animals are supposed to be plump, right?”
He twitched his ears bashfully, squirming on the spot, before looking up with a sweet, disarming gaze that practically begged for approval.
Unfortunately, Tianwei hesitated.
To be fair, a soaking-wet hamster is hardly a vision of cuteness. Stripped of his cloud of dry, velvety fluff, the creature looked like a soggy dumpling, and she couldn’t bring herself to utter a blatant lie against her conscience.
The moment he saw her hesitate, the little hamster straightened his spine, adopting a stern, no-nonsense scowl. “You’d better choose your next words very carefully, or you will never get to cuddle the little hamster again for the rest of your life.”
“Adorable!” Tianwei immediately nodded with frantic enthusiasm, abandoning every shred of personal integrity. “My brother is breathtakingly cute no matter what he looks like! Chubby makes you ten times cuter!”
She delivered the praise with absolute, unwavering conviction.
Without missing a beat, she grabbed a bottle of gentle pet shampoo and squeezed a generous dollop directly onto his wet crown.
The little hamster crossed his front paws over his damp chest, thoroughly disgruntled. “Hmph! I think you just forfeited all rights to cuddle your sweet, milk-scented little brother!”
“Nonsense, Sister loves you the most,” she placated, telling a shameless fib as she gently spun him around to lather his back.
Still, being a palm-sized puffball had its distinct advantages: a quick scrub, a gentle rinse under the faucet, and he was sparkling clean once more. It barely used a drop of shampoo, either.
After applying a dab of nourishing conditioner, she wrapped him in a soft hand towel and set the hairdryer to a warm, gentle breeze. She made sure to cradle him securely in her palm the entire time, terrified that the airflow might pick up the tiny creature and send him tumbling across the room like a stray feather.
Outside, the quiet evening was serene and peaceful.
Leaving the villa behind, Tianwei and Little Yuan—now back in his human form—drove the rugged off-road utility vehicle through the suburban streets, cruising lazily along quiet alleys and bustling boulevards.
Whenever they spotted an appealing street-food stall illuminated by glowing yellow lamps, they pulled to the curb to sample the local flavors. It was a tranquil portrait of ordinary mortal life, vibrant and untouched by the coming storm.
Leaning out the passenger window, Little Yuan watched his sister tap her phone against the vendor’s payment code. A moment later, she returned carrying four steaming foil trays of wok-charred flat rice noodles and two massive platters of fried meat skewers dusted with cumin and chili.
Leaving one tray of noodles and a handful of skewers in the front seat, he swept the rest into the timeless stasis of the Kuntian Jade.
Tianwei slipped back behind the wheel. Seeing only a single plate waiting on the console, she reached over and gave his cheek an affectionate pinch. “Smart boy!”
Putting the car in gear, she smiled. “Next stop: the central shopping square.”
Even past nine o’clock, the pedestrian plaza was alive with young couples, families on evening walks, and rows of bustling stalls.
Tianwei treated Little Yuan to a late-night movie, buying two jumbo tubs of sweet caramel popcorn and a colossal Blizzard cup from the Dairy Queen next door, piled high with extra cookie dough and brownie bites.
Downstairs at McDonald’s, they cleared out half a dozen large orders of salty, golden fries. Moving on to the KFC around the corner, they ordered ten party buckets of crispy fried chicken, twenty platters of roasted New Orleans glazed wings, and a towering stack of their favorite spicy chicken burgers.
Placing such an enormous, greasy feast so close to midnight drew plenty of exasperated glares from the exhausted kitchen staff, but the crew dutifully fired up the fryers and fulfilled the order anyway.
Little Yuan seized the chance to drop by a late-night parlor and order twenty large, stuffed-crust cheese pizzas, sweeping the boxes into his dimensional vault while the crusts were still piping hot and fragrant.
By the time they wrapped up their culinary raid, it was past midnight. Finding that 24-hour pizzeria had required navigating a maze of quiet, winding detours.
The city streets had grown blessedly empty.
Tianwei drove with an easy smile, munching on a crisp fry as she cast a gentle glance sideways. “Is there anything else you want to eat, anywhere you want to see, or anyone you want to visit?”
Little Yuan reclined lazily against the leather seat, offering a slow, contented shake of his head.
In this mortal realm, his social circle had always been sparse. His sister and uncle were the only two who had genuinely sheltered and cherished him.
The only other person he had formed a meaningful connection with was Mu Feiyi—and he harbored no worry on that front, because the man’s celestial star blazed with magnificent, unshakeable brilliance against the night sky.
Beyond them, he only knew Senior Qian, who was destined to survive among the ten percent. As for his wretched biological father and Jiao Yuwan? He hoped with all his heart that they ended up among the ninety percent, saving everyone the headache.
Before calling it a night, Tianwei decided to take her sheltered younger brother to an upscale lounge so he could finally experience modern nightlife. Yet the quiet young master was glaringly out of place amid the thumping bass and neon haze.
Worse still: Mu Feiyi had informants planted in that very venue!
Tianwei nearly lost her mind!
She had barely guided the boy to a leather booth, her coat still draped over her arm, when her phone buzzed with an incoming call from the man himself!
Fuming, she watched her naive brother nod compliantly into the receiver, politely explaining that he was heading home early and that his sister had only brought him out to see the world.
Beside herself with rage, Tianwei snatched the device straight out of his hand. “Are you his warden now?! Since when do you micromanage his curfew?!”
“You misunderstand, Miss Yu,” Mu Feiyi’s voice came through the speaker, smooth, composed, and maddeningly calm. “I am merely concerned that staying out so late will leave him exhausted tomorrow.”
Holding his primary phone to his ear, Mu Feiyi casually picked up his secondary device, texting the nightlife associate who had tipped him off: Thanks. Drinks are on me when I return.
“If you truly want to broaden his horizons, I can recommend far better establishments,” Mu Feiyi continued coolly, rattling off several elite addresses. “Those venues cater to a more experienced crowd. You are welcome to visit anytime, but as for him…”
He paused, a protective note creeping into his tone as he considered the youth’s pure, uncomplicated nature. Little Yuan would never recognize the predatory games played in those dark corners. “Besides, that particular club you’re sitting in was raided by narcotics officers just three months ago.”
“Fine! We’re leaving this second!” Tianwei caught her brother’s sleeve, pulling him toward the exit. “We’re already inside the car—are you satisfied now?!”
“Please hand the phone back to Little Yuan so I can say goodnight,” Mu Feiyi replied, having achieved his objective with total satisfaction.
“Hmph!”
“Hello?”
The moment the car door shut, Little Yuan had shifted back into his furry hamster form out of sheer embarrassment. Perched atop the leather headrest with the phone propped beside him, he rubbed his round, velvety cheeks. “I… I’m in the car now.”
“Go to bed early tonight, all right? I’ll come see you in a few days,” Mu Feiyi murmured. He had decided that as soon as his audience with Elder Liu concluded, he would catch a flight back to see the boy before departing for the mountain expedition. Once he cleared that high-altitude trek, he would build his new empire from the ground up.
“Mm-hmm,” the little hamster chirped softly, keeping his back turned toward his sister. The phone’s metal casing felt cool against his flushed ears. “You… you should get some sleep too.”
“I will,” Mu Feiyi replied, feeling a faint pang of regret that he couldn’t see the boy’s face. “Is your little hamster asleep?”
“He’s about to turn in,” the creature answered, dropping onto his plump rear with a soft plop. “He… he’s tucking himself under his little blanket right now.”
“Good boy.” The quiet tenderness in the man’s voice made it hard to tell whether the praise was meant for the pet or the master. “I bought two bags of specialty roasted peanuts today. I’ll bring them to you when we meet.”
“Mm-hmm!” The hamster nodded vigorously, before murmuring an awkward, rushed farewell: “Goodnight!”
He tapped the screen to end the call, swiftly ducking behind the device to peek guiltily at his sister in the driver’s seat.
“Hah.” Tianwei reached across the console and gave the little furball a playful flick.
Taking the hit with dramatic flair, the hamster flopped flat onto his back.
“You little rascal!” Tianwei chuckled, accelerating toward the residential gates. “Get straight upstairs to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a grueling battle.”
The moment the SUV rolled into the villa’s garage, the hamster leaped down from the high seat, hitting the concrete floor and rolling across the dust like a runaway billiard ball.
Tianwei groaned, pressing a hand to her eyes. “I just washed you!”
Can’t fight her, so the little hamster must flee!
Like a fluffy ball of yarn, he scampered frantically across the tiles. Pumping his stubby legs, he pinned his velvety ears flat against his head to reduce aerodynamic drag, dashing for the front door at maximum velocity!
“Wash your paws before you climb into bed!” Tianwei shouted, chasing him through the foyer. “If you drag dirt onto those clean sheets, I swear I will walk down the street and bring back a stray alley cat to lick your paws clean!”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”
Sister is terrifying! An absolute monster!
The little hamster is traumatized, QAQ!
Wuwuwu~
