Chapter 29: Days Spent with a Doll

Chapter 29: Days Spent with a Doll

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

“Actually, I’m not completely sure either. Like I said, a lot of my memories are blurry, including many of the most basic pieces of knowledge,” the doll in the painting said slowly, pointing at her head. “The effects this painting has had on me go beyond simple memory loss. Over the long years, it dismantled my thought processes. As for those characteristics of Hunger, most of them are just vague impressions. I’ve reorganized them according to my own understanding. You’d better treat them as reference material only.”

“...No matter what, the thing is definitely difficult to deal with,” Yu Sheng said after thinking for a moment and nodding. “Looks like we’ll need a backup plan. If we can’t handle that monster, we’ll have to find a way to bring Hu Li out of that Valley. By the way, leaving that Other Domain should also free her from Hunger’s influence, right?”

“It should. The influence of an Other Domain can’t spread into reality. But honestly, pulling another person out of an Other Domain while Hunger is blocking the way is already absurdly difficult.”

Irene spoke while thinking, then suddenly raised her head and stared straight at Yu Sheng.

“Wait a second. You’re really planning to deal with that thing yourself? No, forget that for now. How do you even know you’ll definitely end up back in that Valley?”

“Wasn’t it you who said that once a person comes into contact with an Other Domain, they can never completely sever that connection?” Yu Sheng replied casually. “I took it to mean something like falling into quicksand. You can only keep sinking deeper. Even if you manage to climb out temporarily, you’re really just delaying the inevitable.”

Irene widened her eyes.

“I did say that, but what I meant was that after you’ve dealt with an Other Domain, you become connected to the entire realm beyond sanity. You’ll have a higher chance of encountering other Other Domains or supernatural phenomena. It doesn’t mean you’ll definitely return to the specific Other Domain you first encountered. This stuff is completely random!”

“But I have a feeling I’ll see that monster again soon. And that Valley too.” Yu Sheng met Irene’s gaze seriously. “I haven’t completely disconnected from that place. It... seems to still be waiting for me.”

A trace of gravity flashed through Irene’s crimson eyes.

After thinking for a moment, she spoke uncertainly.

“...A spiritual intuition?”

“I don’t know whether it’s what you call spiritual intuition.” Yu Sheng spread his hands. “But ever since I came into contact with that monster, I’ve genuinely started being able to ‘sense’ certain things. It’s vague, but it seems surprisingly accurate.”

“...Even after being exposed to supernatural stimuli, ordinary people rarely develop spiritual intuition in such a short time, much less learn to consciously use it,” Irene said as she looked him up and down, genuine amazement appearing on her face. “You might actually be a natural-born investigator.”

Yu Sheng opened his mouth.

“Uh... is that a good thing?”

Irene thought about it.

Her mouth was as merciless as ever.

“Investigators tend to have pretty high mortality rates.”

Yu Sheng: “...”

Before he could say anything, Irene added another remark.

“But ordinary people who come into contact with Other Domains and fail to develop spiritual intuition tend to die even faster.”

The corners of Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched.

“Well, fine. That’s not really a huge problem.”

Irene was instantly astonished by how broad-minded he was.

Yu Sheng merely shook his head and stood up from the dining table.

A voice immediately came from the painting.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“The kitchen! I slept all day, and dinner isn’t going to make itself!” Yu Sheng shot Irene a glare. “By the way, why do you get so nervous every time I move? It’s like you’re afraid I’m going to throw you away.”

“Obviously! Moving around by myself is already difficult. Do you know how insecure that feels? Besides, you’re the kind of person who can fall into an Other Domain just by stepping outside. How am I supposed to know whether one day you’ll stand up and suddenly vanish again, and that’ll be the last time we ever meet?”

Irene’s words were as irritating as ever.

But after frowning briefly, Yu Sheng realized that she was simply worried about him.

And beyond that...

He could sense the helplessness caused by being trapped inside a painting, unable to control her own circumstances, along with the anxiety of finally finding someone she could talk to and being afraid of losing that connection.

After thinking for a moment, he stood up and picked Irene up from the table.

She immediately cried out in alarm.

“Hey! What are you doing? I... I was watching TV! I’m warning you, don’t hang me back up in that room upstairs! I... Fine, I won’t talk anymore. Just put me back...”

“Cooking alone is boring. You’re free anyway. Come keep me company and chat while I cook.”

Irene froze.

Peeking over the edge of the frame, she studied Yu Sheng’s expression, looking almost unable to believe it.

Then she nodded enthusiastically.

“Sure! Sure!”

Yu Sheng curled his lips and carried Irene into the kitchen.

He casually propped her up on the windowsill, then turned around and opened the refrigerator to inspect the ingredients for dinner.

Hu Li’s figure surfaced in his mind.

The moment he saw the food, he could not help remembering the fox girl crouching amid the ruins of the broken temple, holding a rotten cabbage leaf in her mouth as she stared at him from afar.

She was still hungry.

Yu Sheng pressed his lips together and forcibly suppressed the many thoughts in his heart before taking out the leftover stew from the morning and two mantou.

Dinner would just be reheated leftovers with mantou. A pot of porridge would be enough to go with it.

He put the mantou and stew into the microwave, then washed rice and prepared the porridge.

Yu Sheng worked silently.

After only thirty seconds, he was already regretting bringing Irene into the kitchen.

The chatterbox had not stopped talking since the moment he opened the refrigerator.

“Hey, that’s a pretty big fridge! Do you really need one that large when you live alone?

“That’s the meat you stewed this morning, right? Honestly, after processing it, that ‘local specialty’ actually looks pretty normal. Say, it won’t suddenly come back to life inside the bowl, will it?

“You’re just making porridge? That’s not very interesting to watch. Why don’t you carve a flower out of a radish or something? You could carve a seal too.

“Why aren’t you turning on the range hood? Oh right, you’re not frying anything.

“Is it getting dark outside? Turn me around so I can look at the street... No? Fine then.

“What’s your mother’s surname?”

Yu Sheng finally reached his limit.

Grabbing Irene, he carried her over to the sink.

“Do you believe I’ll soak you in here right now? I’ll scrub you with dish soap until the paint comes off, do you believe that?!”

Irene instantly shrank back and hugged her teddy bear as she sat on the chair again.

“Fine, I won’t talk...”

At last, the world became peaceful.

Irene returned to the windowsill, sitting in her chair and hugging the teddy bear as she watched Yu Sheng.

Yu Sheng was leaning against the stove in a daze.

Neither of them spoke.

After who knew how long, Irene was the first to break the silence.

“I still think trying to deal with Hunger by yourself is dangerous. Even though I can’t remember exactly how powerful that entity is, it definitely isn’t something an ordinary person can handle. You... could die.”

“I’ll come back to life.”

“I’m being serious!”

“So am I.”

Irene glared at him, looking somewhat angry.

But the anger lasted only a few seconds before she sighed.

“Seriously. Think of another way. Try contacting the people in this city who specialize in fighting Other Domains. Don’t take unnecessary risks.”

“I don’t want to take risks. I just think the risks are going to come looking for me,” Yu Sheng replied, shaking his head. “But I understand what you’re saying. I won’t throw my life away recklessly. As for those professionals you mentioned, I’ll go find them.”

“Oh. Good.”

Dinner passed peacefully.

Irene watched a mindless urban drama on television, occasionally commenting on the characters and plot.

Yu Sheng focused on eating, occasionally responding to her chatter.

He ate this meal exceptionally cleanly.

By the end, he had not even left the last bit of broth in the bowl, using pieces of mantou to wipe every trace of it from the sides.

“I’m heading out for a bit.”

After cleaning up the dining room and kitchen, Yu Sheng changed into outdoor clothes and casually informed Irene.

The moment she heard him, Irene immediately looked up from the television.

There was even a trace of panic on her face.

“Where are you going?!”

“To the little convenience store at the intersection. I’m buying some food. It’s not far.” Yu Sheng noticed her expression and could not help laughing. “Don’t be so nervous. It’s not like I fall into an Other Domain every time I leave the house. Relax. This house may be a little strange, but from now on I’ll always check outside before walking through the door.”

“Uh, alright then.” Irene scratched her hair, looking somewhat puzzled. “But I remember there was still plenty of food in the fridge.”

“I’m buying more,” Yu Sheng said. “Things that don’t need refrigeration and can be eaten immediately.”

Irene understood.

“Oh, okay. Then be careful. And remember, don’t walk out immediately after opening the door! Check outside first!”

Yu Sheng smiled.

It had been a very long time since anyone had told him to be careful when going out.

Although the person saying it this time was a foul-mouthed doll, it still felt pretty good.

After changing clothes, he thought for a moment and stuffed several pieces of bread and packets of biscuits into his pockets before finally approaching the front door.

His hand settled on the doorknob.

He took a quiet breath.

Honestly, ever since he had opened this door and fallen directly into an Other Domain, he had developed a slight psychological scar regarding it.

But he could not stay trapped inside this house forever.

Gritting his teeth, Yu Sheng slowly pushed the door open.

First a crack.

Then a little wider.

He cautiously observed the outside.

Only after repeatedly confirming everything for quite some time did he finally let out a breath and step outside.

Fortunately, the door was not quite that cursed.

It seemed that stepping out of the house and immediately entering an Other Domain was not a particularly common occurrence.

Perhaps certain conditions had to be met before some kind of effect associated with the door would activate.

Perhaps it required opening the door multiple times.

Or perhaps it only happened at specific times.

Walking through the nearly deserted streets, Yu Sheng’s mind gradually settled as he entertained various possibilities.

No matter what, he felt genuinely relieved.

With light footsteps, he passed through the mostly empty streets and soon arrived at the small convenience store by the intersection.

He pushed open the door.

The instant he did, a jolt shot through his heart.

Then...

A blast of hot wind struck his face.

Beyond the doorway stretched a scorched wasteland shimmering with heat.

A crashed aircraft sat atop a distant hill, belching thick black smoke.

Nearby, two heavily armed figures clad in black powered armor that resembled alien battle suits were locked in combat.

One of them suddenly raised an arm.

Hiss.

A plasma blade ignited from its wrist and stabbed toward the other fighter.

Then the two black-armored figures, looking like interstellar mercenaries, seemed to notice the gaze from the side at the same time.

They abruptly turned their heads toward Yu Sheng.

Dim red lights flickered from the visors of their helmets.

Yu Sheng: “...?”

He instantly took a step backward and slammed the door shut with a loud Bang!