"We wasted a whole day running around for nothing. Either we found con artists, urban legends, or just plain nothing. Sigh, the Force tells me that the urban myth 'Mecha Bulk' and the superhero 'Captain Flute' might actually be able to create miracles, but they've vanished without a trace. Looks like Emperor Sith's sabotage really is everywhere, pulling out all the stops."
Kathy Yang really likes to cross her arms and lower her head, staring into space, as if this move somehow makes her look more mature: "But don't worry, the Force says we'll definitely find traces of a miracle with the vet we're about to meet. Disciples of the Force, don't lose heart! Let's figure out a way to spy—wait, I mean 'quietly observe without disturbing the other party!'"
Mickey raised his hand: "Boss, I've got a plan—could break through a million enemy troops."
Kathy Yang pointed with her sword finger: "Good, worthy of being my think tank! Out with it—quick!"
"Yes!" Mickey pushed up his glasses, the lenses flashing a white gleam, and put on a cool, emotionless expression. Even his voice got sharper: "I've checked the height of this pet clinic, the size and position of the windows, the surroundings and nearby buildings. After considering everything, I've picked out some observation points—here, here, and there. But since we can't be sure which room that mysterious vet will be in, we've got a problem..."
"Boss!" Max interrupted Mickey's speech, tugged Kathy Yang's sleeve and pointed: "That big sister already charged in head-on—straight into enemy territory!"
"Huh?!" They turned to look—sure enough, Yang Qi swaggered through the clinic door, even gesturing for them to wait outside.
"Why'd she just go right in!" Kathy Yang, always a bit shy dealing with people face-to-face, hesitated. But with the Force calling, she made a decision: "Disciples of the Force, don't let our vanguard charge in alone! Quick, follow me—uh... actually, let's just spy instead..."
No matter how sneaky the three of them tried to be, Yang Qi went in openly to greet the familiar vet. The clinic had changed since their last visit—less clutter, the big reception desk was gone, and the lobby was filled with pet cages here and there. Overall, it looked pretty messy.
There was a welcome bell on the door. As the 'Welcome!' chime sounded, someone in a white coat hurried out from the back—Lu Yide. He clearly hadn't expected visitors, and was caught off guard. He quickly yanked off his sleeves and gloves, stuffed them into his pocket, and his isolation gown, which should've been spotless, was kind of dirty—he looked more like a janitor than a doctor.
"Welcome, welcome!" Lu Yide greeted them with a professional smile, but froze when he saw Yang Qi: "You are...?"
"What, you don't recognize me anymore?" Yang Qi whipped off her sunglasses and hat, revealing her true face. She grabbed a handful of his belly fat and gave it a shake, then patted it: "Your weight's gone up, your waist's gotten bigger, and your memory's shrunk. You can't even recognize me?"
"It really is you! Come on, sit down!" Seeing it was Yang Qi, Lu Yide finally dropped the professional act and looked genuinely happy. He glanced around, but couldn't find a chair, so he gave an awkward smile: "Uh, we're remodeling, so it's a mess—sorry you have to see it like this."
"No worries, don't be so polite." As Yang Qi looked around to make sure there was no eavesdropping or surveillance, she also checked out the clinic: "Where's your receptionist girl? Did your wife get jealous and kick her out?"
"Nothing like that. She quit on her own. Her family wanted her back home, found her a match in the village, so she went back to get married." Lu Yide answered, then made a weird sound almost no one could notice. The parrot in the corner flapped its wings, the cat in the cage meowed, and Lu Yide finally found two folding chairs in a corner: "Here they are! Please, have a seat."
Yang Qi grabbed a chair and sat down like a boss, took the cup of tea Lu Yide poured, and asked: "How's business? Still going okay?"
"Well... with your sharp eyes, you don't even need to ask. So I won't pretend things are better than they are." Lu Yide gave a bitter smile and sighed. "It's a depression—business is bad, really bad."
Honestly, he didn't need to say it. Just look at the pet cages in the corner—last time Teacher Yang came, there were way more cages, and most of them were full. The place was packed, with animal noises everywhere. Even if you lied about needing a checkup for Cangcang, you'd have to make an appointment and wait a long time.
But now, the number of cages has dropped sharply, and more than half are empty. The pets inside are all kind of listless, like they're feeling the effects of the times too.
"The economic downturn hit hard and fast. Tons of businesses lost funding, and tons of employees got laid off. I know a boss who was rolling in cash, super confident, even started private loans to make more money. But when the money dried up, he couldn't pay back the loans. Now his house and car are gone, and he doesn't even have a place to live. If he can't pay back on time, his whole family will end up on the streets, never able to recover."
"With things like this, sigh, can we really talk about pets anymore? Pets are basically emotional fillers for their owners—a luxury, a higher-level need. Like they say, when the granaries are full, people care about etiquette; when you have enough to eat and wear, you get a pet if you want. But now, people can't even afford food, their basic needs aren't met, who has time for pets or any luxury?"
Listening to Lu Yide, Yang Qi felt the depression more directly and nodded: "Looks like you've really been hit hard. Hey, can you still get by? Need any help?"
"It's tough, but I'm not dead yet. Plus, this shop is my property, so I can still think of something." Lu Yide took a sip of tea and pointed to the door he came out of—the old exam room: "I'm all dirty because I'm moving stuff out. Once it's empty, I'll put up a partition and rent it out as a small storefront. This area's not bad, maybe someone will want to sell noodles or rice bowls. Shouldn't be too hard to find a renter."
But even so, the once high-flying pet doctor now has to rent out his own exam room—can't feel good. And the depression affects everything. In Jiping City these days, even restaurant business isn't easy, and it's not certain anyone will come looking to rent.
Yang Qi looked at Lu Yide and decided to cut to the chase: "Old Lu, part of me came here by chance, but part of it was planned. You know why I'm looking for you, right?"
Lu Yide nodded with a complicated expression: "I know. That young guy came to see me last time. You and him want the same thing."
"Not exactly. Last time, he just wanted a teammate—I'm here to officially recruit you." Yang Qi looked right at Lu Yide, giving him no chance to dodge: "I've got businesses and power outside. What I need is someone I trust. If you're in, you come with me right now. If I eat, you'll never go hungry. If I make it big, you'll live in glory too. What do you say?"
"I..." Lu Yide looked even more conflicted: "You saved my life. I'm not ungrateful, and I'm honored you keep inviting me. But honestly... I don't want to go back to the Chosen One life."
His face flushed, his tone both self-mocking and agitated: "Laugh if you want, I'm just not brave. Sure, I went to another world, sure, I learned a lot, looks like a successful Chosen One. But the world I went to was basically a regular village—your world is totally different, really different!"
He seemed parched, tilted his head back and finished his water: "Yeah, I was cocky when I first got back, thought I wasn't afraid of anything. But I never imagined what I'd face—it wasn't what I thought, not at all!"
"I thought I'd use my druid powers to mess with rich kids or prank the Southside Four. But when I looked up, I ran into the Alien Queen—almost got gutted! I still have nightmares about that, wake up sweating every time!"
Lu Yide hung his head, clutching it with both hands, fingers buried in his hair, eyes closed as he muttered: "I'll never forget when you came to save me, how calm and cool you all were. I'm deeply grateful, but honestly, from that moment on, I knew—I just don't belong with you guys. Aliens might be normal for you, but not for me. Not at all."
"Just one—not even the Alien Queen, just one regular alien—could destroy everything I have! Call me a coward, say I lack ambition, say I'm ungrateful, whatever. I told that young guy the same thing, and now I'm telling you." Lu Yide looked up, eyes bloodshot, voice hoarse: "I've got a wife and kid. I just want to live a good life with them."
"I don't want to be a Chosen One. I don't want to be a druid."
"You... I'm sorry, but please stop disrupting my life. I just want to be a regular person!"