“Name?”
The staff member didn’t look up, their pen hovering above the form, tone as flat as reciting a script.
White Li sat on the cold iron chair, her hands on her knees, her tail hanging over the edge of the seat, her ears drooping.
The harsh white light made her face look pale green, her silver-white hair almost blinding under the glare.
She took a deep breath, her lips moving.
“…Li Ya.”
“Last name?”
“D-Don’t have one.”
The staff member finally looked up and glanced at her.
Their gaze lingered on the fox ears atop her head and the tail behind her for a second, then they lowered their head and wrote a few words on the form.
“Gender.”
“…Female.”
The scratching of the pen tip against the paper was especially clear in the quiet room.
“Age.”
“Eighteen.”
“Race.”
“Fox Clan… I guess?”
White Li’s voice was small, tinged with uncertainty.
The staff member stood up and took a plastic tag from a cabinet beside them.
A black base, a white number engraved on it, edges already a little worn.
They walked over to White Li and handed it to her.
“Hold this, chest level.”
White Li took the tag and looked down at the number.
She stood up, held the tag in front of her chest, and faced the white background panel on the wall.
The staff member stepped back a few paces and raised an old camera.
“Look at the lens.”
White Li stared at the lens and tried to pull the corners of her mouth into a smile.
But it collapsed halfway, becoming an expression somewhere between a bitter grin and a grimace.
Click—
The flash went off, White Li blinked, and a white patch of light spots lingered in her vision.
The printer beside them made a clattering sound, the staff member pinched the corner, waited a few seconds, and pulled out the photo paper.
They placed the photo on the table, then adjusted the angle.
“Turn around. Side.”
White Li obediently turned, holding the tag at her side.
Click—
Another one.
The staff member put away both photos, clipped them to the form, and pointed to the door behind them.
“Go out, turn left, second room. Someone will take you to the temporary holding cell.”
White Li put the tag down on the table.
She turned and took two steps toward the door, then stopped and looked back.
“Um… which room is Xiao Yu in?”
The staff member didn’t answer, already starting to arrange the next form.
White Li bit her lip and pushed open the door to leave.
The corridor was bathed in harsh white light, with fully armed guards standing on both sides.
She turned left and headed toward the second room.
Last night, White Li had still been unable to escape the Knight’s grasp, and along with the Yellow-Haired Monster, ended up in the shelter.
But the Yellow-Haired Monster wasn’t as lucky as her.
From the moment he was captured, he had been subjected to the strictest containment measures.
The last time White Li saw him was in the hall, locked inside a special metal cage, his mouth and limbs all firmly secured.
‘Poor guy, but that’s what he gets for not trying hard enough. The Blazing Knight subdued him easily.’
Still, White Li wasn’t about to take it lying down.
Given all the bad things she had done before, she had no idea how long she would be locked up here.
The guards stood like statues, motionless, only their eyes occasionally shifting to follow White Li.
White Li kept her head down, trying to look as obedient as possible.
Her ears drooped, her steps light and slow.
Turn left, second room.
The door was made of iron, with a small glass window set into it.
White Li stood on tiptoe and peered inside.
There was an iron bed, a table, a chair, and in the corner, a tiny sink and toilet.
Similar to the prison cells she’d seen in movies, only without iron bars, replaced by a heavy iron door controlled by an electronic lock.
The guard swiped a card, and the door lock let out a soft click.
“Get in.”
No emotion in the voice.
White Li obediently stepped inside, and the iron door closed behind her with another click, followed by the hum of the electronic lock re-engaging.
She stood in the center of the room, looking around.
The iron bed was fixed to the wall, with a thin mattress and a light gray blanket folded on top.
The table was empty, and the chair was bolted to the floor.
Above the sink was a small mirror made of stainless steel, unbreakable.
In the corner of the ceiling was a ventilation vent with a grid of narrow slits—too thin even for her arm to fit through.
‘Sigh, what do I do now?’
White Li sighed and sat on the bed.
The mattress was hard and a bit uncomfortable.
She touched the wristband hidden in her tail—the cool silver metal against her skin.
Before entering the shelter, while no one was watching, she had stuffed the wristband into the thickest part of her tail fur.
The Fox Clan’s tails were big and fluffy, more than enough to hide a small object.
The staff had only checked her clothes and pockets; no one thought to search a fluffy tail.
The corner of White Li’s mouth curled up slightly.
She lay down and stared at the ceiling.
A day and a half had passed since she asked her homeroom teacher for leave.
Counting the weekend, she still had two and a half days.
If “White Li” didn’t show up at school within two and a half days, Lin Du would start worrying.
Maybe he would call the police, maybe he would go to the rental apartment, maybe he would…
No, she still had a mission.
She had to escape within two and a half days.
White Li rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.
The pillow was thin, smelling of laundry powder mixed with a faint trace of disinfectant.
She closed her eyes and started going over information in her head.
First, the shelter’s layout.
From the hall to the temporary holding cell, she had passed two corridors, three corners, and four iron doors.
There were surveillance cameras on both sides of the corridor, spaced about five meters apart.
Guards patrolled every fifteen minutes, two at a time, one in front and one behind.
Second, the shelter’s schedule.
Even though she had only been here a few hours, she had already figured out some patterns.
Meal times were 7:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM.
During meal delivery, the slot in the middle of the iron door would open, and at least two armed guards would be outside.
The same procedure when collecting trays.
Third, the wristband.
Its magical energy had been replenished, ready for use at any time.
White Li opened her eyes and stared at the vent in the corner.
What was behind that vent?
Pipes?
And where did they lead?
She sat up, walked under the vent, and stood on tiptoe, sticking her fingers into the gaps of the grid.
Her fingertips barely touched the edge of the grid, but she couldn’t get a grip.
She was too short.
‘Give up.’
She would need a tool, even a toothpick would do.
White Li looked down at her fingernails—neither sharp nor hard.
Her own magical energy was sealed by the collar around her neck, so she couldn’t make an ice spike.
She went back to sit on the bed and kept thinking.
The guards had key cards.
If she could get one, she could open this door.
But how?
Fight them?
No chance.
Steal?
She couldn’t even get out.
White Li bit her lip, and a scene suddenly flashed through her mind.
In movies, the protagonists who escape use a spoon to file through window bars, or twist sheets into ropes.
She glanced at the sheet beside her.
Cotton, not very sturdy, but if twisted into a rope and wet with water, it might bear some weight.
The problem was that this room had no windows, only the vent.
‘There’s nothing I can do here!’
White Li sighed again, pulled the blanket over her face, and covered herself.
‘For now, let’s just sleep.’