First Time Is Strange, Second Time Is Familiar

In fact, ever since Yu Sheng learned about the dangerous and widespread phenomenon of "Otherworlds" in this world, and when this massive "Boundary City" was still a special place called "The Crossroads," he had already figured that there must be people who specialized in dealing with such phenomena. Not the lone wolves fighting solo (though such people definitely existed), but organized, even professional and regularized, groups.

There were official ones, and possibly civilian ones too.

But as Eileen said, under normal circumstances, these people wouldn't interact with ordinary people.

Otherworlds were beyond common sense, the end of rationality, countless tiny and dangerous holes in the seemingly stable mountain of reality. Ordinary people might never deal with the scenes hidden within these holes in their entire lives, but if an unlucky person accidentally glimpsed the fleeting images escaping from these holes, there was no turning back.

This was the "knowledge" Eileen had told him from the beginning. Judging from these descriptions alone, Yu Sheng could tell that those who specialized in dealing with Otherworlds would definitely find ways to prevent ordinary people from accessing any information related to Otherworlds, including their own existence.

But if something truly happened, they should have their own response mechanisms...

Yu Sheng looked up again, gazing at the deserted street outside the window.

"Seriously, how long do those 'professionals' you mentioned usually take to react?" he asked, feeling uneasy.

"I don't know, I can't remember clearly... But I recall it being very fast," Eileen said, hugging her plush bear and rocking back and forth on the chair, looking rather annoying. "They have a ton of methods to sense abnormal situations. The entire Boundary City should be full of their surveillance. It was like that before I was sealed, and it's definitely even more advanced now."

Yu Sheng remained silent, just watching the doll in the oil painting.

"Of c-course, professionals are also human, and humans can be disorganized at times. Maybe they might react a bit slowly occasionally?" Eileen suddenly sounded guilty. "Maybe they haven't discovered the anomaly on your side... even though the commotion you're causing is quite significant..."

"That sounds quite unreliable," Yu Sheng frowned, then sighed. "According to you, my entire house is an 'Otherworld,' but no one has come knocking yet. I seriously doubt the professionalism of these 'professionals' you speak of... Sigh, I think in the end, I'll have to rely on myself."

Eileen blinked her eyes. "Y-yes?"

Then she spoke again, curiously. "What are you planning to do? From what you're saying... you still plan to deal with that valley and the entity within it?"

"It's not that I want to deal with it, but it will find me again sooner or later. I have this feeling," Yu Sheng said, tugging at the corner of his mouth. He thought of that strange freezing rain, and the frog within it. "And didn't you say it yourself? Once you've dealt with an Otherworld, there's no going back—I've probably been in contact with 'Otherworlds' longer than you think."

"This... alright, you're right. There are indeed quite a few people who specialize in dealing with Otherworlds who were initially just unlucky ordinary people caught up in events," Eileen mumbled. "I seem to recall about one-tenth of ordinary people becoming 'Otherworld' experts, either actively or passively, after coming into contact with an Otherworld. After all, it's like being haunted by something..."

Hearing Eileen's words, Yu Sheng couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Only one-tenth? What about the other nine-tenths? Did they successfully return to normal life?"

Eileen tilted her head back. "They died."

Yu Sheng: "..."

"W-well, some did survive. Many people are rescued every year," Eileen said, noticing Yu Sheng's expression and hastily explaining. However, she added, "Of course, it seems more people die."

"...Eileen." Yu Sheng looked at the doll in the oil painting.

"Yes? Yes?"

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

"Y-yes?"

Yu Sheng sighed and slowly got up from the dining table.

"Whether I live or die doesn't really matter much to me, but I do need to find a way to gather more information about Otherworlds. Those 'professionals' you mentioned... if they can't come to me, then I'll have to seek them out," he said as he thought. "After all, your memories and experience are quite unreliable."

"Seek them out?" Eileen didn't seem to care about Yu Sheng's latter remark, appearing quite cheerful. "Then... then why don't you really go look at the utility poles nearby for small advertisements from some Otherworld security companies?"

Yu Sheng looked at her with a helpless expression. "...I'm serious."

"I'm serious too," Eileen blinked. "They really do leave behind such contact methods, convenient for ordinary people like you who have encountered an Otherworld once and luckily returned, seeking help. It's just that normal people usually can't see these contact methods; they've been processed with 'technical means'—but it's different for people who have come into contact with an Otherworld. They will more or less undergo some changes of 'spiritual awakening,' and have a high chance of noticing those 'secret symbols' that are usually hidden."

At this point, Eileen suddenly paused, her expression quite serious as she sized Yu Sheng up. "Haven't you felt any... changes happening to yourself?"

Changes after contacting an Otherworld?!

Hearing the doll's words, Yu Sheng's heart stirred, and he quickly spoke, "The changes you're talking about, do they include becoming strong enough to crush stones, recovering from a stab wound in a few breaths, being able to sense others' memories and thoughts, and also being able to come back from the dead..."

Eileen listened, stunned, looking at Yu Sheng as if he were an alien. "What?"

"...No?"

"At most, you can see things you couldn't see before! What you're talking about, are you even human anymore? You've changed species—don't read too many novels and watch too much anime, okay?"

Yu Sheng: "..."

Seeing the doll's reaction, Yu Sheng decisively didn't continue on this topic.

His own situation was indeed unusual. Even within the realm of "the supernatural," it seemed a bit too supernatural.

Fortunately, Eileen didn't seem to think too much about it—perhaps it was truly because she had been sealed for too long; this doll's mind didn't seem to be very sharp.

Yu Sheng let out a breath and looked towards the kitchen.

A faint hint of conflict and hesitation flashed across his face. Then, he tugged at the corner of his mouth and walked towards the kitchen.

Eileen in the oil painting immediately jumped down from the chair. "Hey, are you making breakfast?"

He didn't know why this guy, who couldn't eat anything at all, got so excited every time it was mealtime.

"I'm going to deal with the 'local specialties' I brought back just now," Yu Sheng said without looking back.

Eileen, holding the plush bear in one hand, waved with the other. "Oh, go ahead..."

The doll suddenly stopped.

Her mind, not very sharp due to being sealed for too long, finally registered one thing.

...What "local specialties" could there possibly be from an Otherworld?!

"Wait a minute!" Eileen suddenly let out a scream, the noise almost startling Yu Sheng, who had already reached the kitchen door. "What kind of 'local specialties' are you talking about?!"

Yu Sheng walked into the kitchen, stopped, and turned back with a slight smile. "Guess?"

Eileen's eyes widened as she watched Yu Sheng start tying on an apron. A hint of shock, along with a "Is this guy completely out of his mind?" expression, gradually appeared in her scarlet eyes. "Wait, hold on, what are you doing? You're not actually planning to... No, did you really get that thing off that entity?! How did you, an ordinary person, manage that?! Oh god, you're really going to..."

Yu Sheng decisively closed the kitchen door, blocking out Bipiji's commotion.

A moment later, Eileen's faint shouts could be heard from the dining area: "Hey, don't close the door! At least help me restart the TV first! The TV's unwatchable!"

Yu Sheng, however, was no longer paying attention to her.

He walked to the sink and removed the lid from the "meat." He saw that the severed tail, which had been placed there, seemed to have finally quieted down. Only the severed muscle ends twitched slightly from time to time.

He silently looked at the tail that had once burrowed into his stomach, and once again felt that sensation seeping from his very bones... "appetite."

But this time, the appetite wasn't as violent as it had been initially. It merely flickered, carrying a sense of pleasant anticipation and a perfectly measured restlessness.

Can this really work? Is this normal? Am I still normal?

Yu Sheng pondered these questions, but his thoughts didn't cause his hands to hesitate at all.

He prepared ginger, scallions, and cooking wine, then took out a cutting board and a cleaver. Yu Sheng meticulously washed the severed tail with clean water, scraped off the scales, then placed it on the cutting board and made the first cut.

It was easier to cut than he expected. Although it had been as hard as stone when it was on the monster, the feeling of the knife cutting through it now was just like firm beef.

And there were no bones inside.

Yu Sheng recalled that the first time he felt his body "strengthen" was after gnawing on that monster.

After that, during his second encounter with the monster, he had also torn and eaten its flesh, and after that, he felt his strength improve further. Although the increase was noticeably smaller, there was indeed a change.

This gave him a bold and... delicious idea.

What would happen if he cooked it?

Yu Sheng skillfully cut the meat into pieces, his mood gradually improving.

Eileen's noisy clamor outside became less bothersome.

He didn't know if what he was doing was normal. It was probably quite abnormal, considering even a doll sealed in an oil painting found it incredibly creepy.

But compared to coming back from the dead, a suspicious piece of meat was really no big deal.

"I've eaten it raw," Yu Sheng muttered to himself as he cut the meat. "First time is strange, second time is familiar..."