Chapter 37: The First Step in Preparing the Body

Yu Sheng was rather surprised by Eileen’s request. He did not understand why she had chosen this moment to bring it up so solemnly.

They had indeed discussed the idea of crafting a physical body for the doll in the painting more than once, but nothing had ever been finalized. On one hand, there was a lack of trust and mutual understanding between them; on the other, there were simply too many chaotic matters at hand, leaving Yu Sheng with no time to consider the state of Eileen’s existence.

However, seeing the grave expression on the doll’s face, Yu Sheng realized this was no whim or momentary caprice.

He regarded her with an inquisitive look.

"I am going with you," Eileen’s answer was simple. "Consider it extra support."

"Are you sure?" Yu Sheng’s expression was subtle. "Of course, I’m not doubting your capabilities..."

"Listen," Eileen interrupted, leaning toward the edge of the frame. Her face occupied nearly two-thirds of the canvas, her tone intensely serious. "I am not joking. Although I don’t know how you intend to deal with that 'entity,' the fact that you can bring back 'local specialties' from it suggests you have some skills. I won't ask what those skills are, but you must understand that when dealing with the Otherworld, being 'good at fighting' is not enough—at least not against tricky entities like 'Hunger'."

She leaned back slightly. "Build me a body and let me regain some freedom of movement. It doesn't matter if it's crude; as long as I am free from the constraints of this damn oil painting, I can do much more. I may not recover my full strength, but I am certainly better than your average investigator, so-called spirit detectives, or Otherworld hunters. Even if I have forgotten much of my knowledge, the instincts of a living doll remain."

Yu Sheng stared at Eileen, and she returned his gaze with her crimson eyes.

"I can help you, Yu Sheng," she said earnestly. "We already cooperated once when we went into Hu Li’s dream."

This time, Yu Sheng pondered longer than ever before, and eventually, he had to admit that Eileen’s logic held merit.

His mind was filled with the urge to return to that valley to eliminate the "Entity-Hunger," but he knew that charging in recklessly offered little chance of success. He did not fear death, and he had been growing stronger while devouring the entity, but there was clearly an upper limit to such reinforcement. And "Hunger" was not easily destroyed.

"Corpse-dragging"—relying on endless deaths to exhaust the monster—might be a strategy, but it was clearly a last resort. Having a helper who could fight and understood supernatural powers would certainly be advantageous.

All it required was a measure of trust to release her from the painting. This trust had been forged when they had fallen into Hu Li’s dream together and emerged, nauseated, into reality.

"It seems I need to make a trip to the city center," Yu Sheng sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Materials like clay and wigs need to be bought at specialized craft stores; this old district doesn't have them."

The doll in the painting blinked, and upon realizing what he meant, a look of joyful surprise crossed her face. "You... you agreed?!"

"If you don't mind the quality of the body and trust my craftsmanship," Yu Sheng waved a hand, "I can give it a try."

"I don't have high standards; as long as it has a human shape, I can reshape it myself—provided you don't make mistakes during the 'alchemy' process," Eileen replied hastily, as if afraid he would change his mind. She paused, her expression turning subtle. "And... and if you really can't buy suitable materials..."

Yu Sheng looked curious. "And if I really can't buy suitable materials?"

"…You could use dough."

Yu Sheng was stunned for a few seconds, wearing the most shocked expression he had displayed since meeting Eileen. "Huh?!"

Eileen whispered in explanation, "The material is merely a medium. What truly takes effect is the alchemy; your blood and my soul..."

Yu Sheng was completely bewildered. "Hey, no... I know about settling for less, but this is too pathetic!"

Eileen thought for a moment and decided to give Yu Sheng a harmless, innocent smile, hoping to charm her way through it.

She succeeded.

Nevertheless, Yu Sheng decided to head out.

"I’m still going to buy some proper clay. It’ll take a fair amount to mold a body for you, so let’s not waste food. Besides, I have other things to buy," Yu Sheng said, rising from his seat. "Stay home and watch TV. If anything happens, call me remotely—if the TV freezes again, wait for me to return."

He picked up the remote and turned on the television for her. Eileen nodded obediently. "Oh... then come back quickly."

Yu Sheng acknowledged her, pulled on his coat, and walked toward the entryway.

As he gripped the doorknob, he took a moment to steady himself, confirming that there wouldn't be a volcanic eruption of meteorites, sulfur lakes, green men with lightsabers, or elf-maidens in mechanical armor waiting on the other side. He took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped out onto the old street of Wutong Road.

Yu Sheng suddenly found the situation amusing.

He could reach the end of the world with ease (regardless of whether he could return or survive), yet simply opening the door to walk down the street was, for him, the more difficult task.

Walking toward the bus stop, Yu Sheng cast a casual glance at his surroundings.

At some point, his mindset while walking through this vast, unfamiliar city had shifted. The stifling anxiety of the past few days had quietly receded. Walking down a street that wasn't his "hometown," he felt not only calm but a flicker of excitement and anticipation.

Even the sky, bright to the point of being blinding, now looked like a pleasant, sunny day.

Street vendors were selling goods, pedestrians passed by in trickles, and a child who had caused some sort of trouble ran past shrieking, chased by an adult who was cursing loudly.

Yu Sheng wondered: were any of these the "professionals" Eileen mentioned? Did anyone among those who protected the city from the shadows notice the small "anomalies" hidden in this quiet, peaceful old district?

He let his mind wander, speculating on which passerby looked like a stranger, which looked like an undercover agent, or a spirit detective.

The man selling jianbing at the corner looked a bit like one, though he had swapped in a less skilled cook today. The woman drying clothes on the opposite balcony might be one, too; he hadn't seen her before. Could the noisy child be one? Eileen had said spirit detectives had "tricks" to change their appearance; it was quite magical.

The young man in a tank top with dyed yellow hair, squatting on the ground and blasting music from his phone, definitely wasn't one. He was far too unconvincing.

Yu Sheng hummed a tune as he walked through the old street, brushing past Li Lin, who was indeed the young man in the tank top with dyed yellow hair, squatting and blasting music.

A while later, Xu Jiali, a man nearly two meters tall, strolled onto the street. He looked down at Li Lin, who was tailing someone, then squatted down, lit a cigarette, and joined him like a fellow troublemaker.

"Is this disguise of yours reliable?" Xu Jiali asked.

"Very reliable," Li Lin replied casually. "I used to wear this for field surveillance, and even when my coworkers at the jianbing stall were exposed, I wasn't. I even have a 'two-dimensional battle suit'—that has even higher concealment. Once, I pinned down a border smuggler, and he still didn't believe a 'two-dimensional' character was an agent from the Special Investigation Bureau."

The burly man blinked. "What's a 'two-dimensional battle suit'? Does it sound like a field-based power armor? Aren't you guys forbidden from using that stuff in the Boundary Zone?"

"…I can't explain it to you," Li Lin said with a look of disdain, shifting away. "Stay further away from me. You're too big; don't get me exposed."

"Impossible. My vibe looks even more like a bum than yours," the burly man scoffed. "Anyway, you haven't found anything all morning, right? Seriously, I doubt that if there’s something hidden here, it’s a 'person.' It’s more likely an eerie entity or an Otherworld erosion point. That would fit the clues you’ve found so far—damn, there was such a huge commotion in the Boundary City last night, and I don't even know what the situation is at the Bureau. Here we are, acting like idiots, wasting time staring at who knows what..."

Li Lin ignored him, pulled out a large power bank to plug into his phone, and turned the volume up even louder.

Two or three hours later, Yu Sheng had finished buying everything he needed at the downtown mall.

Now, dragging a pile of bags, he reached a deserted area and fell into thought.

He had bought quite a lot—the weight wasn't a problem for him, but dragging it onto a crowded bus would be a hassle.

So, he had a bold idea.

He felt it was well worth a try.

Yu Sheng looked up, confirmed no one was watching, and silently reached out into the air beside him—a door took shape in his hands.

Three seconds later, deep within a hidden "depth" of the Boundary City, countless agents, clerks, captains, and their Director, Baili Qing, who had been working overtime until their minds were a blur, bolted from their chairs at the sudden sound of an alarm...

Yu Sheng returned home with his large plastic bags.