Chapter 20: Eileen’s Intelligence and Advice

The doll girl in the oil painting greeted Yu Sheng with joy and surprise. Her voice carried a hint of unexpectedness, but there was absolutely no shock or panic that one might expect from seeing a dead person return to life.

Yu Sheng felt this certainly wasn't because Irene was simply thick-skinned.

As expected, the problem lay with him. But considering he had died and come back to life so many times in such a short period, it didn't seem strange for something even more bizarre to happen to him.

"You could call it a lucky break; I made it back, at least," Yu Sheng replied casually. He turned to close the door he had left ajar, then immediately looked down to inspect himself, confirming that not only had his body fully recovered, but his clothes had also returned to their original state, just as before.

Yu Sheng frowned. Connecting this to Irene’s current reaction, he felt that rather than being "resurrected," it was as if the entire "event" of his "death" had simply vanished into thin air.

The sight of him standing by the door in a daze caught Irene's attention. The doll in the painting spoke up, puzzled: "Yu Sheng? Are you all right? Why do you look so vacant? By the way, tell me how you actually got back. Our connection was constantly cutting in and out, and there was always a bunch of chaotic noise on your end. I had no idea what kind of weird things you ran into in that Otherworld… Wait? What is that you're holding in your hand?"

Prompted by her, Yu Sheng finally noticed that he was still clutching something tightly—it was, shockingly, a severed tail with pitch-black scales, looking bizarre and hideous.

Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched. "Damn it, I almost forgot about it... It’s actually still here."

The thing was still slightly contracting and squirming in his hand, though it was clearly not as "vibrant" as it had been initially. It seemed that even though the monster's limb possessed incredible vitality, it would gradually die after being severed from the main body.

A strange feeling welled up in him. For a moment, Yu Sheng didn't even know how to explain the origin of this thing to Irene. After a brief hesitation, he carried the severed tail toward the kitchen, saying casually to Irene as he walked: "...A little local specialty."

The doll in the painting was stunned. "...Ah?"

By then, Yu Sheng had tossed the tail into the kitchen sink. After confirming that the thing no longer had the strength to crawl out, he felt uneasy and poked it a few times for good measure, then placed a pot lid over it—so that if it really did crawl out, he would hear the sound of the lid hitting the floor. Only then, feeling a sense of exhaustion, did he return to the dining room and drag his heavy body into a chair.

His mind was a mess. There were too many things to think about, and more importantly, he was truly exhausted.

But he forced himself to stay awake. Now was not the time to sleep.

Across the table, Irene watched him cautiously. "Yu Sheng, tell me about your experiences in that Otherworld, and how you..."

"I was just about to tell you that," Yu Sheng interrupted with a wave of his hand. He adjusted his posture and looked at the doll in the painting with a serious expression. "I’ve got a stomach full of questions—let’s start with what I encountered over there. I met a girl who was trapped in the Otherworld just like me, but she might have been trapped for a very, very long time..."

Yu Sheng didn't hide anything. He told the doll everything about his experience in that night-veiled valley, including the information revealed to him by Hu Li, as well as the monster—that flesh-and-blood amalgamation which looked like an abstract expressionist’s nightmare.

***

Except for his "death and resurrection," which he hadn't yet figured out how to explain, he left that part out for now.

He knew, of course, that he and Irene weren't exactly close, nor could they be said to trust each other much, but he had no other options. In this city, Irene was the only "abnormal individual" he had encountered so far with whom he could communicate, and the only person he knew who had any understanding of "things beyond common sense." Aside from her, he really didn't know who else he could discuss the Otherworld with.

He felt he should trust the doll in the painting a bit more; after all, so far, her attitude had been relatively friendly (except when she was swearing).

Irene listened very attentively. When Yu Sheng mentioned the flesh-monster, her expression turned exceptionally serious. Several times she seemed about to speak, but held back, never interrupting his narrative.

Not until Yu Sheng’s story reached a stopping point did the doll girl adjust her posture. She sat upright in her chair, which was draped in a red velvet blanket, and said with a serious face: "First, I must emphasize one point: I don't remember much. This painting has worn away too many of my memories, so the help I can give you is very limited..."

Yu Sheng nodded. "I know that."

"Hmm," Irene hummed, her expression softening slightly. "Then I will do my best to supplement your knowledge about the Otherworld. First, you should already have a basic understanding of what they are—a collective term for 'regions' that deviate from order and defy common sense. Do you know that the Otherworld also generates things called 'Entities'?"

"...Entities?" Yu Sheng looked confused.

"In short, they are the 'natives' or 'products' of the Otherworld. Entities don't necessarily have a fixed appearance; sometimes they might be bizarre humanoids, sometimes beasts or monsters, sometimes even a ball of fire, a gust of wind, or a running stone. As long as it is generated within an Otherworld, possesses clear 'activity,' and can react to outsiders, it can be considered an 'Entity.'"

Yu Sheng nodded, lost in thought.

"Entities are broadly classified and numerous," Irene continued. "Generally speaking, entities have very obvious 'abnormal' characteristics. They are born in the Otherworld and naturally possess traits of being illogical, strange, and dangerous. Most entities lack intelligence—at least, they don't exhibit 'thinking behavior' that humans can understand. However, it seems a very small number of entities possess wisdom... I don't recall the specifics of that part.

"Anyway, ninety percent of entities are dangerous. They just vary in strength. Some might only cause your nose to itch, but others are life-threatening the moment a human sets eyes on them. Therefore, there is a hypothesis that 'Entities' are a kind of immune response from the Otherworld—a sort of antivirus program generated to eliminate intruders. According to this view, to the Otherworld, the investigators and lost souls arriving from the world of order and common sense are the truly indescribable monsters..."

Yu Sheng listened silently, then suddenly realized: "...So, the 'monster' I encountered was an 'Entity' generated in that valley?"

"It should be," Irene nodded.

"Can entities be eliminated?" Yu Sheng asked next.

"Entities can be killed, but they cannot be permanently destroyed," Irene said gravely. "Because strictly speaking, an entity is just a 'generated object.' Kill one, and a new 'copy' will be generated in the Otherworld. They are manifestations of the Otherworld’s operating rules. As long as the Otherworld exists, entities will continue to be generated. However, generally speaking, the generation of entities also takes time, and it seems there are ways to suppress the operation of certain Otherworlds, delaying or even blocking the generation of entities within them... I don't remember the details."

"Can be killed, but cannot be permanently destroyed..." Yu Sheng repeated the words, suddenly feeling that the situation was even more troublesome than he had imagined.

***

He wasn't afraid of dying.

The monster, however, seemed even less afraid...

Unknowingly, Yu Sheng had already assumed he would return to that valley and encounter that monster again. He didn't know where this thought came from, but by the time he noticed it, this notion—or perhaps a form of "intuition"—had taken root in his heart.

"...Whatever. Being able to kill it temporarily is a good thing," he exhaled softly and looked up at Irene again. "Other than that, what else do you know about entities? Like, their weaknesses, for instance."

"Entities don't have universal weaknesses. Sometimes an entity's weakness isn't on itself, but in the 'Otherworld' or the rules of the Otherworld itself. Some entities... even change their own weaknesses," Irene shook her head. "So, exploring the Otherworld and fighting entities is a professional and dangerous task. I suggest you find a professional to help—not someone like me who is trapped in a painting."

Yu Sheng couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Easier said than done. Where am I supposed to find a professional? They don't put up advertisements on utility poles..."

Irene: "They do, actually."

Yu Sheng: "...?"

"They have contact methods—of course, not necessarily small ads on utility poles," Irene said, nodding with extra emphasis when she saw Yu Sheng’s stunned expression. "Since this world is full of Otherworlds, and they are very dangerous to ordinary people, there naturally must be a large group of professionals who specialize in handling these matters. If nothing else, in such a huge city, someone has to be responsible for maintaining order, both in the light and in the shadows, right? There are official departments for this, and various large and small civilian organizations. Although I can't remember the specifics, these people are definitely active everywhere...

"Of course, under normal circumstances, they keep their distance from the lives of ordinary people and hide in the shadows. This is because many Otherworlds have strange and peculiar properties, such as 'activating when known about,' or 'actively approaching those who feel fear toward them.' So, they must prevent ordinary people from coming into contact with information about the Otherworlds as much as possible. But once a poor soul has already made contact, or if an Otherworld reaction occurs in the city, these professionals naturally have a set of methods to quickly locate and track them down..."

Yu Sheng listened to Irene’s account in a daze. After a moment of hesitation, he looked up toward the window.

"So, that means since an 'Otherworld reaction' has now occurred on my end, I just have to wait, and the 'professionals' you mentioned will take the initiative to come and contact me, right?"

"...I... suppose so?" For some reason, Irene’s tone suddenly lacked confidence.

Yu Sheng noticed her lack of confidence as well. "...Then why haven't they come yet?"

"I don't know. By all logic, they should have come by now."