Chapter 29: Days Spent with the Doll

Irene quickly understood what Yu Sheng meant by "rule-based."

"Actually, I'm not entirely sure either. As I said, my memories of many things are blurred, including even the most basic knowledge—the influence this painting had on me wasn't just a simple loss of memory; over the long passage of time, it dismantled my very way of thinking," the figure in the painting pointed to her own head and said slowly. "The characteristics regarding 'Hunger' are mostly just shallow impressions I’ve reorganized based on my own understanding. You’d best treat them as a mere reference."

"...Regardless, it’s true that thing is incredibly difficult to deal with," Yu Sheng mused for a moment, nodding. "It seems I still need a backup plan. If I can't handle that monster, I’ll find a way to bring Hu Li out of that valley—by the way, if she leaves that exotic realm, she should be able to shake off the influence of 'Hunger,' right?"

"That should be possible. The influence of an exotic realm cannot spread into reality. But truly, the difficulty of extracting someone from an exotic realm while under the blockade of 'Hunger' is utterly absurd."

Irene spoke while lost in thought, then suddenly looked up, staring straight at Yu Sheng. "Wait, are you seriously planning to go and deal with that thing yourself? Never mind how you'd deal with it—how do you know for sure that you can even return to that valley?"

"Didn't you say it yourself? Once a person makes contact with an exotic realm, they can never truly sever that connection," Yu Sheng said casually. "I take that to mean it’s like falling into quicksand; you can only keep sinking. Even if you manage to climb out temporarily, you’ve only held yourself up for a moment during the process of sinking..."

Irene’s eyes widened. "I did say that, but what I meant was that once you’ve dealt with an exotic realm, you establish a link to the entire domain 'beyond reason.' You’ll have a higher probability of encountering other exotic realms or supernatural phenomena; it doesn't mean you'll definitely return to the specific one you first encountered. This thing is completely random!"

"But I have an intuition that I’ll see that monster again very soon, along with that valley," Yu Sheng met Irene’s gaze earnestly. "I haven't completely 'disconnected' from that place. It... it seems to be waiting for me to go back."

A flicker of gravity passed through Irene’s crimson eyes. She thought for a moment and spoke uncertainly: "...Spiritual intuition?"

"I don't know if that’s what you call spiritual intuition," Yu Sheng shrugged. "But ever since I dealt with that monster, I have indeed started to 'sense' things. It’s very vague, but it seems quite accurate."

"...Even after being stimulated, it is very difficult for an ordinary person to develop spiritual intuition in such a short time, let alone control and utilize it to any degree," Irene couldn't help but look Yu Sheng up and down, her expression one of astonishment. "You might just be a natural-born investigator..."

Yu Sheng opened his mouth: "Ah, is that a good thing?"

Irene thought about it, her sharp tongue as biting as ever: "The mortality rate for investigators is quite high."

Yu Sheng: "..."

Before he could say anything, he heard Irene’s biting tongue add: "But the mortality rate for ordinary people who have contacted an exotic realm yet fail to develop spiritual intuition is even higher."

Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched twice. "Alright then, that’s not a big problem."

Irene was stunned by Yu Sheng’s easygoing nature, while Yu Sheng simply shook his head and rose from the dining table.

A voice immediately came from the oil painting: "Hey, where are you going?"

"To the kitchen! I've been asleep all day; dinner isn't even ready yet!" Yu Sheng turned his head and glared at Irene. "Why are you so nervous every time I move? It’s as if you’re afraid I’m going to throw you away."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can't even move on my own; do you know how unsettling that is? And with you, since you can fall into an exotic realm just by stepping out the door, how do I know if you’ll just vanish one of these times when you stand up, separating us forever..."

Irene’s mouth was as annoying as ever, but Yu Sheng only frowned before realizing that she was simply trying to show concern.

And... he sensed the helplessness of being trapped in an oil painting, the lack of control over her own situation, and the anxiety of someone who had finally found someone to talk to, only to fear losing them.

He thought for a moment, picked up the painting from the dining table.

The latter immediately exclaimed: "Hey, what are you doing? I... I was watching TV. I'm warning you, don't hang me back in that room on the second floor! I... fine, I'll stop talking, just put me back..."

"Cooking alone is boring. Since you’re idle anyway, come to the kitchen and keep me company."

Irene paused, sneaking a glance at Yu Sheng’s expression from the edge of the frame. She seemed incredulous, but quickly nodded vigorously: "Okay, okay!"

Yu Sheng curled his lip, carried Irene into the kitchen, propped her up on the windowsill, and turned to open the refrigerator to check the ingredients for dinner.

Hu Li’s image surfaced in his mind—the moment he saw the food, he couldn't help but remember the fox-girl squatting in the ruins of the dilapidated temple, chewing on a piece of rotten cabbage while locking eyes with him from afar.

She was still hungry.

Yu Sheng pressed his lips together, suppressing the many thoughts in his mind, and took out the leftover stew from the morning and two steamed buns.

He would just heat up the leftovers and the buns, and maybe boil some porridge.

He put the buns and stew in the microwave, then washed the rice to make porridge. Yu Sheng worked in silence, and half a minute later, he began to regret bringing Irene into the kitchen.

This chatterbox hadn't stopped for a second since he opened the fridge!

"Hey, your fridge is pretty big! Do you really need one this big for just one person?"

"That’s the meat you stewed this morning, right... I have to say, that 'local specialty' looks quite normal after being processed... though, does it really not suddenly come alive in the bowl?"

"You're just making porridge? That’s not very interesting to watch. Why don't you carve a flower out of a radish? Or carve a stamp?"

"Why isn't the exhaust fan on... oh, you aren't stir-frying."

"Is it getting dark outside? Turn me around, let me see the street... fine, forget it."

"What’s your mother’s maiden name?"

Yu Sheng finally couldn't take it anymore. He carried Irene over to the sink: "Do you believe I’ll dunk you in here right now? I swear I’ll scrub you until you lose your color!"

Irene instantly shrank her neck and sat back down on the chair, clutching her teddy bear: "Fine, I won't talk..."

The world was finally peaceful.

Irene returned to the windowsill, sitting on the chair with her teddy bear, watching Yu Sheng. The latter was leaning against the stove, lost in thought. Neither of them spoke.

After an unknown amount of time, Irene broke the silence: "I still think it’s dangerous to deal with 'Hunger' alone. Although I can't remember exactly how powerful that entity is, it’s certainly not something an ordinary person can handle. You... you will die."

"I’ll resurrect."

"I'm being serious!"

"So am I."

Irene glared at him, looking somewhat angry. But she only stayed angry for a few seconds before sighing.

"Seriously, find another way. Try to get in touch with the people in this city who specialize in fighting exotic realms. Don't take risks."

"I don't want to take risks; I just feel like the 'risk' finds me," Yu Sheng shook his head. "But I know what you mean. I won't throw my life away, and as for those 'professionals' you mentioned, I will go find them."

"Oh, that’s good."

Dinner passed in peace. Irene watched some mindless urban drama on TV, occasionally commenting on the characters and plot, while Yu Sheng ate his meal earnestly, occasionally responding to Irene’s chatter.

Yu Sheng finished his meal thoroughly, even using the bun to wipe the last bit of meat broth from the bowl.

"I'm going out for a bit." After cleaning the dining room and kitchen, Yu Sheng changed into his outdoor clothes and said casually to Irene.

Irene, who was watching TV, looked up instantly, her expression betraying a hint of panic: "Where are you going?!"

"Just to the small convenience store at the intersection to buy some food. It’s not far," Yu Sheng said. Noticing the expression on Irene's face, he felt a mix of amusement and frustration. "Don't be so nervous. I don't fall into an exotic realm every time I step out the door... Rest assured, although this house is a bit strange, I’ll observe carefully every time I open the door from now on."

"Uh, okay," Irene scratched her hair, looking puzzled. "But I saw there was still plenty of stuff in the fridge earlier."

"I’m going to buy some more," Yu Sheng said. "Things that don't need the fridge, ready-to-eat items."

Irene understood.

"Oh, that’s good. Be careful when you go out... and definitely remember to look before you walk out after opening the door!"

Yu Sheng laughed.

It had been a long time since anyone told him to "be careful." Although it was coming from a doll who usually spouted nonsense, it felt pretty good.

He finished changing, then thought for a moment and stuffed several pieces of bread and biscuits into his pockets. Only then did he walk to the front door, his hand on the knob, taking a gentle breath.

Truth be told, ever since he fell into an exotic realm the last time he pushed this door open, he had developed a bit of a... shadow regarding it.

But he couldn't stay in this house forever because of that.

Yu Sheng gritted his teeth and slowly pushed the door open.

First a crack, then a bit wider, observing the situation outside cautiously.

After confirming repeatedly for a long while, he exhaled and stepped out of the house.

Fortunately, that door wasn't that evil after all.

It seemed that falling into an exotic realm after leaving the house wasn't a high-probability event. Perhaps it required specific conditions to trigger some kind of "effect" of that door? Maybe it required opening the door a certain number of times, or at a specific time?

Yu Sheng walked down the street, his heart settling slightly as he couldn't help but let his mind wander. But regardless, he felt a genuine sense of relief.

He walked with a light step down the nearly deserted street, and before long, he arrived at the small convenience store at the intersection and pushed the door.

The moment he pushed the door, he felt a jolt in his heart, and then—

A blast of hot wind rushed into his face. The scorched earth on the other side of the door steamed with heat. A crashed aircraft was emitting thick smoke on a distant hill, and two fully armed figures, wearing black power armor that looked like some kind of alien battle gear, were brawling. One of them suddenly raised their hand, a plasma blade ignited at the wrist with a "hiss," and stabbed toward the opponent.

Then, the two "black cans" dressed like interstellar mercenaries seemed to notice the gaze from the side at the same time. They whipped their heads around to look at Yu Sheng, the dim red monitors on their faceplates flickering.

Yu Sheng: "...?"

He stepped back abruptly and slammed the door shut with a bang.