When Yu Sheng heard Irene’s request, he was a bit taken aback. He couldn’t fathom why she was bringing up such a serious matter at this moment.
They had indeed discussed creating a body for the girl in the painting several times before, but they’d never settled on anything. Partly because they still lacked mutual trust and understanding, and partly because life had been too chaotic lately—Yu Sheng hadn’t had the time to consider Irene’s physical form.
But now, seeing the exceedingly earnest expression on the doll girl’s face, Yu Sheng realized she wasn’t bringing this up on a whim or out of fancy.
He looked at Irene questioningly.
“I want to go with you,” Irene said simply. “Consider it an extra pair of eyes.”
“Are you sure?” Yu Sheng’s expression was somewhat nuanced. “I mean, it’s not that I doubt your abilities…”
“Listen,” Irene interrupted, leaning so close to the edge of the frame that her face occupied two-thirds of the painting. Her tone was unusually serious. “I’m not joking. I may not know how you plan to deal with that ‘Entity,’ but given that you managed to bring back ‘souvenirs’ from it, you must have some skills. I won’t ask what they are specifically, but you need to understand that when confronting the Otherworld, just being able to ‘fight’ isn’t enough—especially against tricky entities like ‘Hunger.'”
She took a slight step back. “Make me a body so I can regain some freedom of movement. It doesn’t have to be perfect; as long as I’m freed from this cursed oil painting, I can do so much more. Even if I can’t restore all my powers, I’m definitely stronger than the average investigator or so-called spiritual detective or Otherworld hunter. Even if I’ve forgotten a lot of knowledge, I still have the instincts of a living doll.”
“I can help you, Yu Sheng,” Irene said earnestly. “We already collaborated once when we ventured into Foxy’s dream.”
This time, Yu Sheng pondered longer than ever before. Eventually, he had to admit that Irene had a point.
He was eager to return to that valley to deal with the ‘Entity—Hunger,’ but he knew that charging in alone didn’t give him a high chance of success. Sure, he wasn’t afraid of death, and he’d grown stronger by devouring parts of ‘Hunger,’ but such enhancements clearly had limits. And ‘Hunger’… was not easy to eliminate.
Relying on repeated deaths to wear down the monster might be one strategy, but it was definitely a last resort. Having a capable ally who understood supernatural powers would be a huge advantage.
All he needed was to place some trust in Irene and release her from the painting.
That trust had been established when they plunged together into Foxy’s dream, and then, upon waking and seeing each other, both felt a mutual discomfort that somehow bonded them.
“Looks like I’ll have to make a trip downtown,” Yu Sheng sighed softly, leaning back in his chair. “Materials like clay and wigs need to be bought from specialized craft stores; you can’t find those in this old neighborhood.”
The doll girl in the painting blinked. Realizing what he meant, a look of delight spread across her face. “You… you’re agreeing?!”
“If you’re not too picky about the quality of the body and you trust my craftsmanship,” Yu Sheng waved his hand dismissively, “I can give it a try.”
“I’m not picky. As long as it looks human, I can reshape it myself—just make sure you don’t mess up during the ‘alchemy’ part,” Irene hurriedly added, as if afraid that any delay might make Yu Sheng change his mind. After speaking, she hesitated, her expression turning a bit awkward as she glanced aside. “And… if you really can’t find suitable materials…”
Yu Sheng looked curious. “If I can’t find suitable materials, then what?”
“…You could use dough.”
He stared blankly for a few seconds before displaying the most shocked expression he’d ever shown since meeting Irene. “What?!”
Irene explained in a small voice, “The material is just a medium. What truly matters is the alchemy—the combination of your blood and my soul…”
Yu Sheng was utterly baffled. “Wait, I get making do with less, but isn’t that a bit too much?!”
Irene thought for a moment and decided to flash him an innocent smile, hoping to charm her way through.
But Yu Sheng still decided to go out and buy proper supplies.
“I’d better get some real clay. Making a body for you will require quite a bit; let’s not waste food. Besides, I have some other things to buy,” he said, exhaling as he stood up. “You stay here and watch TV. If anything comes up, call me remotely—and if the TV crashes again, wait until I get back.” 𝔯ÃƝȮBЕŞ
With that, he picked up the remote and turned on the TV for Irene. In the painting, she nodded obediently. “Oh… then come back soon.”
Yu Sheng agreed, donned his coat, and stepped toward the doorway.
Grasping the doorknob, he took a moment to steady himself. After confirming that there wouldn’t be a volcanic crater, meteor shower, sulfur lake, lightsaber-wielding little green men, or a cyborg elf lady outside, he took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped onto the old street of Wutong Road.
Suddenly, Yu Sheng found the situation rather amusing.
Reaching the ends of the world was easy enough for him (whether he could return or survive was another matter), but opening the door and stepping onto the street had become more challenging…
As he walked toward the bus stop, Yu Sheng casually observed his surroundings.
At some point, his mindset while navigating this vast and unfamiliar city had subtly changed. The gloom and unease of the past few days had quietly faded. Walking down a street that wasn’t really his ‘hometown,’ he felt not only calm but also a hint of… excitement and anticipation.
Even the sky, so bright it was almost blinding, now seemed cheerfully sunny.
Vendors sold goods at the street corners; a few pedestrians passed by; children who had gotten into some mischief ran shouting down the street, with adults chasing after them, scolding all the way.
Yu Sheng wondered if among these people were the ‘professionals’ Irene had mentioned—those who protected the city from the shadows, battling the Otherworld. Had anyone noticed that this peaceful and harmonious old neighborhood hid some small ‘oddities’?
He let his thoughts wander, speculating which passersby looked unfamiliar, who might be undercover agents, who could be spiritual detectives or investigators.
The pancake vendor at the corner seemed suspicious; today, there was a new one whose skills were lacking. The woman hanging clothes on the balcony across the street might be one; he’d never seen her before. Could the mischievous kids who just ran by be undercover? Irene had said spiritual detectives could change their appearance—it was quite magical…
But the guy squatting nearby in a vest, dyed yellow hair, blasting music from his phone—he definitely wasn’t one. Didn’t fit the profile at all.
Humming a tune, Yu Sheng walked through the old street, brushing past Li Lin, who was squatting there with dyed yellow hair (a wig), blasting music from his phone.
A while later, Xu Jiali—a nearly two-meter-tall man—strolled onto the street. Glancing down at Li Lin, who was on surveillance duty, he squatted down, lit a cigarette, and joined him like a fellow street punk.
“Is your outfit reliable?” Xu Jiali asked.
“Very reliable,” Li Lin replied casually. “I always dress on surveillance missions. Those pancake-selling colleagues got exposed, but I never did. I even have an anime costume that’s even more discreet. Once, I nabbed someone smuggling across the border; he couldn’t believe an anime fan could be an agent of the Special Task Force.”
The big guy looked puzzled. “What’s an anime costume? Sounds like a force-field-powered suit? Aren’t those banned in the Borderlands?”
“…You wouldn’t understand,” Li Lin said dismissively, scooting away a bit. “Stay away from me. You’re too conspicuous; you’ll blow my cover.”
“Impossible. With my vibe, I look even more like an unemployed drifter than you,” Xu Jiali smirked. “But you haven’t found anything all morning, have you? Honestly, I suspect that even if something is hidden here, it’s probably not a ‘person.’ More likely, it’s a weird entity or an Otherworld incursion point—that fits better with the clues you’ve found so far. Damn, with all that commotion in Boundary City last night, who knows what’s going on back at headquarters now? And here we are, sitting like idiots, staking out who-knows-what…”
Li Lin couldn’t be bothered to respond. He pulled out a large power bank, plugged it into his phone, and turned up the volume even more.
Two or three hours later, Yu Sheng had bought everything he needed at the downtown mall.
Now, dragging his bags to a secluded spot, he began to ponder.
He had bought quite a lot—the weight wasn’t an issue for him now—but lugging it all back on a crowded bus would be a hassle.
So, he had a bold idea.
He thought it was worth a try.
Yu Sheng looked up, confirming once again that no one was watching. Then he silently reached out, touching the air beside him—a door formed under his hand.
Three seconds later, deep within Boundary City in a hidden ‘depth,’ countless agents, clerks, team leaders, and their director, Bai Li Qing—who had been working overtime to the point of exhaustion—were jolted out of their seats by sudden alarm bells…
Yu Sheng, carrying several large plastic bags, went home.
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation