Chapter 29 – Days Spent Living with the Puppet

Eileen quickly understood what Yu Sheng meant by ‘rules-based.’

‘Actually, I’m not entirely sure myself. Like I said, a lot of things are hazy in my memory—even some of the most fundamental knowledge. The effect this painting has had on me goes beyond simple memory loss; over the long passage of time, it has dismantled my thoughts,’ said the Puppet in the Painting, pointing to her own head and speaking slowly. ‘As for the traits related to “Hunger,” most of them are only vague impressions that I’ve reorganized based on my own understanding. You’d better treat it as nothing more than a reference.’

‘…Whatever the case, it’s true that thing is hard to deal with,’ Yu Sheng murmured, then nodded. ‘It seems I’ll need a backup plan. If I can’t handle that monster, I’ll find a way to get Hu Li out of that valley. By the way, if she leaves that Otherworld, that should free her from the influence of “Hunger,” right?’

‘That should be possible. The Otherworld’s influence can’t spread into Reality—but honestly, getting someone else out of an Otherworld from beneath “Hunger’s” blockade is also a ridiculous challenge in itself.’

Eileen was thinking as she spoke, then suddenly looked up and stared straight at Yu Sheng. ‘Wait, are you really planning to handle that thing yourself… Actually, forget how you’d handle it for now—how do you even know you’ll definitely be able to return to that valley?’

‘Didn’t you say so yourself? Once a person makes contact with an Otherworld, they can never sever that connection,’ Yu Sheng said casually. ‘The way I understand it, it’s like falling into a pit of quicksand—you can only keep sinking deeper. Even if you manage to escape for a while, it just means you’ve stalled the sinking process temporarily…’

Eileen stared wide-eyed. ‘I did say that, but what I meant is that after dealing with an Otherworld, you become connected to the entire domain of “beyond reason.” You’ll have a higher chance of encountering other Otherworlds or supernatural phenomena—not that you’ll necessarily return to the specific Otherworld you first made contact with. It’s completely random!’

‘But I have a gut feeling that I’ll encounter that monster again very soon—and that valley too,’ Yu Sheng said earnestly, meeting Eileen’s gaze. ‘I’m not completely “disconnected” from that place. It… seems to be waiting for me to return.’

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

‘I don’t know if it’s what you’d call spiritual intuition,’ Yu Sheng shrugged. ‘But ever since dealing with that monster, I’ve started to be able to “feel” things. It’s vague, but it seems quite accurate.’

‘…Even under stimulation, it’s very rare for an ordinary person to develop spiritual intuition in such a short amount of time—let alone exert a degree of control and use over it,’ Eileen couldn’t help but look Yu Sheng up and down, a hint of amazement in her expression. ‘You might just be a born investigator saint body…’

Yu Sheng opened his mouth. ‘Ah, is that a good thing?’

Eileen thought about it, and her blunt mouth was as blunt as ever: ‘Investigators tend to have pretty high mortality rates.’

Yu Sheng: ‘…’

Before he could say anything, he heard that blunt mouth add another line: ‘But ordinary people who have come into contact with an Otherworld without developing spiritual intuition have even higher mortality rates.’

Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched a couple of times. ‘Well then, not much of a problem.’

Eileen was instantly astonished by how broad-minded Yu Sheng was, while Yu Sheng simply shook his head and rose from the dining table.

A sound immediately came from the Oil Painting: ‘Hey, where are you going?’

‘The kitchen! I’ve been asleep all day and dinner isn’t sorted yet!’ Yu Sheng turned his head and shot Eileen a look. ‘By the way, why do you get so nervous every time I move? It’s like you think I’m going to throw you away.’

‘Obviously! I can barely move on my own right now. Do you know how unsettling that feels? And with someone like you who can fall into an Otherworld the moment you step out the door, how am I supposed to know that one of these times you’ll get up and disappear, and we’ll be separated forever…’

Eileen’s mouth was as insufferable as ever, but Yu Sheng just furrowed his brow slightly and sensed that she was only trying to show concern.

He also sensed—the helplessness of this Puppet trapped inside an Oil Painting, the loss of control over her own circumstances, and the anxious, clinging state that came from finally finding someone she could actually talk to.

He thought about it for a moment, stood up, and picked Eileen up from the dining table.

She immediately cried out in alarm. ‘Hey, what are you doing?! I… I was watching TV! I’m warning you, don’t you dare hang me back in that room on the Second Floor! I… fine, I’ll stop talking, just put me back first…’

‘Cooking alone is boring. It’s not like you have anything to do anyway—come to the kitchen and keep me company.’

Eileen froze, peeking at Yu Sheng’s expression from the Edge of the picture frame. She seemed a little disbelieving, but quickly nodded eagerly: ‘Sure, sure!’

Yu Sheng curled his lip, carried Eileen into the kitchen, casually propped her up on the Windowsill, then turned around to open the refrigerator and check the ingredients for dinner.

Hu Li’s Figure surfaced in his mind—the moment he saw food, he couldn’t help but think of that fox-girl crouching in the ruins of a decrepit temple, holding a rotten cabbage leaf in her mouth as she gazed at him from a distance.

She was still hungry.

Yu Sheng pressed his lips together and forcibly suppressed the many thoughts surging in his heart, taking out the braised meat left over from the morning and two steamed buns.

He’d just heat up the leftovers and have them with the steamed buns tonight, and cook up some porridge while he was at it.

He put the steamed buns and braised meat from the refrigerator into the microwave, then rinsed the rice and prepared to cook porridge. Yu Sheng worked in silence—and within half a minute, he began to regret bringing Eileen into the kitchen.

That chatterbox hadn’t stopped since the moment he opened the refrigerator!

‘Hey, that’s a pretty big refrigerator! Can you really use a refrigerator that big all by yourself?’

‘Is that the braised meat from this morning… You know, I have to admit, that “local specialty” looks pretty normal after being prepared… But are you sure it won’t suddenly come back to life in the bowl?’

‘You’re just cooking porridge? There’s nothing interesting to watch then. Why don’t you carve a flower out of a radish? Carving a seal stamp would work too.’

‘Why isn’t the range hood on… Oh, you’re not stir-frying.’

‘Is it getting dark outside? Turn me around so I can see the Street… Fine, fine, I get it, no.’

‘What’s your mother’s surname?’

Yu Sheng had finally had enough. He grabbed Eileen and held her up over the Sink. ‘Don’t think I won’t dunk you in here right now! I’ll scrub you with dish soap until the color comes off, don’t test me!’

Eileen instantly shrank her neck and sat back down in her Chair, hugging her Toy Bear. ‘Fine, I won’t say anything…’

The World was finally peaceful.

Eileen returned to the Windowsill, sitting in her Chair and hugging her Toy Bear as she watched Yu Sheng, who was now leaning against the stove in a daze. Neither of them spoke.

After some time, it was Eileen who broke the silence first: ‘I still think it’s very dangerous to go up against “Hunger” on your own. Even if I can’t clearly remember how powerful that entity is, it definitely isn’t something an ordinary person can handle. You… will die.’

‘I’ll come back to life.’

‘I’m being serious!’

‘So am I.’

Eileen stared at him with wide eyes, looking somewhat annoyed.

But she was only annoyed for a few seconds before letting out a sigh.

‘Seriously, think of another way. Try to get in contact with the people in this City who specialize in fighting Otherworlds. Don’t take the risk.’

‘I’m not looking for risk. I just feel like risk will come looking for me,’ Yu Sheng shook his head. ‘But I understand what you mean. I won’t throw my life away recklessly. As for the “professionals” you mentioned, I’ll go find them.’

‘Oh, good.’

Dinner passed in peace. Eileen watched some mindless urban drama on television, occasionally offering commentary on the characters and events in the show, while Yu Sheng ate attentively and occasionally responded to Eileen’s chatter.

Yu Sheng ate that meal thoroughly. By the end, he hadn’t left even the last trace of meat broth in the bowl, wiping the Edge of the bowl clean with a steamed bun.

‘I’m heading out.’ After tidying up the Restaurant and kitchen, Yu Sheng changed into outdoor clothes and said offhandedly to Eileen.

Eileen, who had been watching television, immediately looked up with what was almost a hint of panic on her face. ‘Where are you going?!’

‘To the little supermarket at the Intersection. Just buying some food, it’s close,’ Yu Sheng said, noticing the expression on Eileen’s face and feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation. ‘Don’t be so nervous. It’s not like every time I step out the door I fall into an Otherworld… Don’t worry. This house may be a bit strange, but from now on I’ll take a good look before stepping through any door.’

‘Oh, okay,’ Eileen scratched her Hair, then looked somewhat puzzled. ‘But I saw the refrigerator earlier—there was still quite a bit in it.’

‘I want to get a few more things,’ Yu Sheng said. ‘Stuff that doesn’t need refrigerating. Ready-to-eat things.’

Eileen understood.

‘Oh, alright. Be careful going out… Make sure you don’t just walk straight out after opening the door! Take a look outside first!’

Yu Sheng smiled.

It had been a long time since anyone told him to ‘be careful going out.’ Even if the one saying it this time was a Puppet who normally talked nothing but nonsense, it still felt pretty good.

He changed his clothes, then thought about it and stuffed several pieces of bread and biscuits into his pockets before making his way to the Door. He gripped the door handle and quietly drew a breath.

Honestly, ever since he had pushed this Door open and fallen straight into an Otherworld last time, he had developed a bit of a… Shadow when it came to this door.

But he couldn’t just never leave this house because of that.

Yu Sheng steeled himself and slowly pushed the Door open.

First just a crack, then a little more, carefully observing the situation outside.

After repeated and careful observation, he finally let out a long breath and stepped out the front door.

Fortunately, the door wasn’t that cursed after all.

It seemed that stepping out of that house and falling into an Otherworld wasn’t a high-probability event. Perhaps there was a specific condition required to trigger some kind of ‘effect’ with that door? Perhaps it required opening the door a certain number of times, or at a specific moment in time?

Yu Sheng walked along the Street, and once his heart had settled somewhat, he couldn’t help letting his mind wander—but regardless, he was genuinely relieved.

He walked briskly along the nearly empty Street, and before long arrived at the small supermarket at the Intersection and pushed the door open.

The moment he pushed it open, he felt a jolt deep in his chest—and then—

A wave of hot wind hit his face. The scorched earth on the other side of the door shimmered with heat haze. A crashed aircraft on a Hill in the Distance billowed Thick Smoke, and two fully armored figures clad in jet-black powered armor—something that resembled alien combat suits—were grappling with each other. One of them suddenly raised their arm, and with a sharp hiss from the wrist, a plasma blade ignited and was thrust toward the other.

Then, both of the black-armored figures—dressed and equipped like Star Realm mercenaries—seemed to notice the gaze from beside them at the same time and snapped their heads toward Yu Sheng. The dark red sensors on their face shields flickered with faint light.

Yu Sheng: ‘…?’

He lurched back a step and slammed the door shut with a bang.

(End of Chapter)