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“Actually, I’m not entirely sure,” the doll inside the painting said slowly, pointing to her own head. “I’ve told you, many things are a blur to me now—even the most basic knowledge. The influence of this painting on me isn’t just memory loss. Over the long years, it’s dismantled my thoughts. Regarding the characteristics of ‘Hunger,’ many are just vague impressions I’ve pieced together. You’d best take it as a reference.”

“Well, regardless, that thing is definitely hard to deal with,” Yu Sheng pondered for a moment and nodded. “Looks like we need a backup plan. If we can’t handle that creature, we should find a way to get Foxy out of that valley. By the way, if we can get her out of that Otherworld, she should be free from ‘Hunger’s’ influence, right?”

“She should be,” Irene replied thoughtfully. “The Otherworld’s influence can’t spread into reality. But honestly, getting someone out of an Otherworld under the blockade of ‘Hunger’ is extremely difficult.”

As she thought aloud, Irene suddenly looked up, staring straight at Yu Sheng. “Wait, are you seriously planning to deal with that thing yourself? I mean, setting aside how you’ll handle it, how do you know you’ll even return to that valley?”

“Didn’t you say that once someone has contact with the Otherworld, they can never break that connection?” Yu Sheng said casually. “I understand it like falling into quicksand—you can only keep sinking. Even if you get out temporarily, it’s just stalling the sinking process…”

Irene widened her eyes. “I did say that, but what I meant is that after interacting with an Otherworld, you establish a connection with the entire realm ‘beyond reason.’ You’ll have a higher chance of encountering other Otherworlds or supernatural phenomena, not necessarily the same one you first encountered. It’s completely random!”

“But I have a feeling I’ll meet that creature again soon, and that valley too,” Yu Sheng said earnestly, meeting Irene’s gaze. “I haven’t completely ‘disconnected’ from that place. It’s… like it’s waiting for me to return.”

A hint of seriousness flashed in Irene’s crimson eyes. She thought for a moment and hesitantly asked, “A spiritual intuition?”

“I don’t know if it’s what you call spiritual intuition,” Yu Sheng shrugged. “But ever since I dealt with that creature, I’ve indeed started to sense certain things. It’s vague, but it seems accurate.”

“Ordinary people, even after a stimulus, rarely develop spiritual intuition in such a short time, let alone control and use it,” Irene couldn’t help but look Yu Sheng up and down, a bit amazed. “You might just be a naturally gifted investigator…”

Yu Sheng opened his mouth. “Uh, is that a good thing?”

Irene thought for a moment, her sharp tongue as usual. “Investigators tend to have high mortality rates.”

Yu Sheng: “…”

Before he could say anything, Irene added, “But ordinary people who come into contact with the Otherworld without developing spiritual intuition have even higher mortality rates.”

Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched. “Well, that’s not a big problem then.”

Irene was astonished by Yu Sheng’s carefree attitude. He just 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’ve slept all day, and we still don’t have dinner!” Yu Sheng turned and glared at Irene. “Why do you get so nervous every time I move, like I’m about to throw you away?”

“Obviously! I can barely move on my own now. Do you know how insecure that feels? And someone like you who could step into the Otherworld just by going out—how do I know if you’ll disappear the moment you stand up, and we’ll be separated forever…”

Irene’s mouth was as irking as ever, but Yu Sheng merely frowned, sensing that she was just trying to express concern.

And… he realized the helplessness she must feel, being trapped in a painting, unable to control her situation, and the anxiety of finally finding someone she could talk to.

He thought for a moment and picked up Irene from the dining table.

She immediately exclaimed, “Hey, what are you doing? I’m… I’m still watching TV. I warn you, don’t hang me back in that room upstairs! I… I’ll stop talking if you put me back…”

“It’s boring to cook alone. Since you’re idle anyway, come to the kitchen and chat with me.”

Irene was stunned for a moment, sneaking a peek at Yu Sheng’s face from the edge of the frame, seemingly incredulous, but quickly nodded enthusiastically. “Sure, sure!”

Yu Sheng rolled his eyes, carrying Irene into the kitchen. He casually placed her on the windowsill, then turned to open the fridge, checking the ingredients for dinner.

Foxy’s figure appeared in his mind—the moment he saw the food, he couldn’t help but think of that fox spirit girl squatting in the ruins of the broken temple, nibbling on a wilted vegetable leaf and looking at him from afar.

She must still be hungry.

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

He decided to heat up the leftovers and buns for dinner, and cook some porridge.

Placing the buns and stew into the microwave, then washing rice to cook porridge, Yu Sheng busied himself silently. Half a minute later, he began to regret bringing Irene into the kitchen—this chatterbox hadn’t stopped talking since he opened the fridge!

“Wow, your fridge is pretty big! Do you really need such a big fridge for just yourself?

“That’s the stew you made this morning, right? I have to say, that ‘local specialty’ looks pretty normal after cooking… By the way, are you sure it won’t suddenly come back to life in the bowl?

“You’re just cooking porridge? Then there’s not much to see. Why don’t you carve a flower out of a carrot? Or make a stamp.

“Why didn’t you turn on the range hood…? Oh, you’re not stir-frying.

“Is it getting dark outside? Hey, turn me around; I want to see the street… Fine, fine, if you won’t.

“What’s your mother’s maiden name?”

Yu Sheng finally couldn’t take it anymore. He picked up Irene and brought her close to the sink. “Do you believe I’ll soak you in here right now? I’ll scrub you with dish soap until your paint comes off!”

Irene immediately shrank back, hugging her teddy bear and sitting back on the windowsill. “Fine, I won’t talk…”

Finally, peace.

Irene sat quietly, hugging her teddy bear and watching Yu Sheng. He was leaning against the stove, lost in thought. Neither of them spoke.

After a while, Irene broke the silence. “I still think it’s too dangerous for you to deal with ‘Hunger’ alone. Although I can’t recall exactly how powerful that entity is, it certainly isn’t something an ordinary person can handle. You’ll… die.”

“I’ll come back to life,” Yu Sheng replied calmly.

“I’m being serious!”

“So am I.”

Irene glared at him, seeming a bit angry. But after a few seconds, she sighed.

“Honestly, think of another way. Try to contact those in this city who specialize in fighting the Otherworld. Don’t take risks.”

“I don’t want to take risks; I just feel that ‘risk’ will find me,” Yu Sheng shook his head. “But I understand what you mean. I won’t recklessly throw my life away. As for those ‘professionals’ you mentioned, I’ll look for them.”

“Oh, that’s good then.”

Dinner passed peacefully. Irene watched a mindless urban drama on TV, occasionally commenting on the people and events in the plot. Yu Sheng ate seriously, occasionally responding to Irene’s chatter.

He ate very cleanly this meal. In the end, he didn’t even leave a drop of soup, using the bun to wipe the bowl spotless.

“I’m going out for a bit.” After tidying up the dining room and kitchen, Yu Sheng changed into his outdoor clothes and casually said to Irene.

Irene, who was watching TV, instantly looked up, her expression showing a hint of panic. “Where are you going?!”

“Just to the small supermarket at the corner, to buy some food. It’s not far,” Yu Sheng said, noticing the look on Irene’s face and finding it a bit amusing. “Don’t be so nervous. It’s not like I step into the Otherworld every time I go out… Don’t worry. Although this house is a bit strange, I always check before opening the door.”

“Oh, okay,” Irene scratched her head, still a bit puzzled. “But I saw there’s still quite a lot in the fridge.”

“I’m going to buy some more,” Yu Sheng explained. “Stuff that doesn’t need refrigeration, ready-to-eat.”

Irene understood. “Oh, alright then. Be careful when you go out… Remember to look outside before you open the door! Don’t just step out!”

Yu Sheng laughed.

It had been a long time since anyone had told him to “be careful when you go out.” Although this time it was a doll who usually had a mouth full of snark, it felt nice.

He finished changing, then thought for a moment and stuffed several pieces of bread and biscuits into his pockets before heading to the door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he took a deep breath.

Honestly, ever since he opened this door last time and directly fell into the Otherworld, he did have a bit of… a phobia about this door.

But he couldn’t just stay in the house forever.

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

First, he opened it a crack, then a bit wider, cautiously observing the outside.

After repeatedly confirming, he breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out.

Thankfully, the door wasn’t that treacherous.

It seemed that coming out of that house didn’t have a high probability of falling into the Otherworld. Perhaps certain conditions were needed to trigger some “effect” of that door? Maybe it required opening the door multiple times, or at specific times?

Walking down the street, Yu Sheng felt a bit more at ease and couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander. But regardless, he truly relaxed a bit.

He walked briskly down the almost deserted street. Before long, he arrived at the small supermarket at the corner and pushed the door.

The moment he pushed the door, he felt a chill run down his spine, and then—

A blast of hot air hit his face. On the scorched earth ahead, heat waves shimmered. In the distance, a crashed aircraft billowed thick smoke on a hill. Two fully armed individuals, clad in some kind of black exoskeleton armor resembling alien battle suits, were grappling with each other. One suddenly raised his hand, an ion blade igniting with a “sizzle” at his wrist, stabbing toward the other.

Then, the two who looked like black-armored interstellar mercenaries seemed to notice Yu Sheng’s gaze simultaneously. They turned sharply to look at him, the dark red sensors on their faceplates flickering.

Yu Sheng: “…?”

He quickly took a step back and slammed the door shut.