Eileen quickly understood what Yu Sheng meant by "rule-type."
"Actually, I'm not entirely sure either. Like I said, my memories of many things are blurry, including a lot of basic knowledge. This painting's influence on me wasn't limited to memory loss—it dismantled my thought process over the long years." The person in the painting pointed at her own head and spoke slowly. "As for the characteristics of 'Hunger,' most of them are only vague impressions. I reorganized them based on my own understanding, so you'd better treat them only as a reference."
"...Regardless, it's true that thing is hard to deal with." Yu Sheng pondered for a moment before nodding. "Looks like we need a backup plan too. If we can't handle that monster, we'll have to find a way to bring Huli out of that valley. Come to think of it, if she leaves that Otherworld, she should be able to escape Hunger's influence too, right?"
"That should be possible. An Otherworld's influence can't spread into reality. But seriously, bringing another person out of an Otherworld while under Hunger's blockade is already absurdly difficult."
Eileen spoke as she thought, then suddenly raised her head and stared straight at Yu Sheng. "Wait, are you really planning to deal with that thing yourself...? No, forget about how you plan to deal with it. How do you know you'll definitely be able to return to that valley?"
"Didn't you say that once a person comes into contact with an Otherworld, they can never escape that connection?" Yu Sheng replied casually. "I understand it as being like falling into quicksand. You can only keep sinking. Even if you temporarily climb out, you've merely managed to hold yourself up for a while during the sinking process..."
Eileen stared at him. "I did say that, but what it means is that after dealing 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. It doesn't mean you'll definitely return to the Otherworld you first encountered. This thing is completely random!"
"But I have a feeling I'll see that monster again soon, along with that valley." Yu Sheng met Eileen's gaze with complete seriousness. "I haven't completely 'severed' my connection with that place. It... seems to still be waiting for me to return."
A hint of gravity flashed through Eileen's crimson eyes. After thinking for a moment, she spoke uncertainly. "...Spiritual intuition?"
"I don't know if that's what you mean by spiritual intuition." Yu Sheng spread his hands. "But ever since I dealt with that monster, I really have been able to 'sense' certain things. It's vague, but it seems quite accurate."
"...Even ordinary people would find it difficult to develop spiritual intuition in such a short time, even after being stimulated, let alone control and use it to a certain extent." Eileen looked Yu Sheng up and down, her expression filled with amazement. "You might just be born with the Investigator's Holy Body..."
Yu Sheng opened and closed his mouth. "Huh? Is that a good thing?"
Eileen thought about it, then spoke with her usual sharp tongue. "Investigators have a pretty high mortality rate."
Yu Sheng: "..."
Before he could say anything, Eileen's sharp tongue added, "But ordinary people who have encountered an Otherworld and failed to develop spiritual intuition have an even higher mortality rate."
The corner of Yu Sheng's mouth twitched twice. "All right, then. It's not a big problem."
Eileen was instantly astounded by Yu Sheng's immense capacity for taking things in stride, while Yu Sheng merely shook his head and rose from beside the dining table.
A voice immediately came from the oil painting. "Hey, where are you going?"
"The kitchen! I slept all day, and I still haven't figured out dinner!" Yu Sheng turned and glared at Eileen. "By the way, why do you get so nervous whenever I move somewhere? It's like I'm about to throw you away or something."
"Of course I'm nervous! I can barely move on my own right now. Do you know how uneasy that makes me feel? Besides, you're the kind of person who can fall into an Otherworld the moment you leave the house. How am I supposed to know whether you'll disappear again the next time you stand up, and then we'll be separated forever..."
Eileen's mouth was as irritating as ever, but Yu Sheng merely frowned before realizing that she seemed to be trying to show concern for him.
And... he realized that being trapped inside an oil painting had left the doll powerless to control her own situation, while finally finding someone she could talk to had made her anxious about losing him.
After thinking for a moment, he stood up and picked Eileen up from the dining table.
Eileen immediately cried out, "Hey, what are you doing? I—I'm still watching TV! I'm warning you, don't hang me back in that room on the second floor! I... Fine, I won't talk anymore, just put me back down first..."
"Cooking alone is boring. Since you're free anyway, come keep me company in the kitchen and talk to me."
Eileen froze. She secretly observed Yu Sheng's expression from the edge of the frame, seemingly unable to believe it, but soon nodded enthusiastically. "Sure, sure!"
Yu Sheng curled his lips, carried Eileen into the kitchen, propped her up on the windowsill, then turned around and opened the refrigerator to check the ingredients for dinner.
Huli's figure floated into his mind. The instant he saw the food, he couldn't help remembering the fox girl squatting amid the ruins of a ruined temple, staring at him from afar with a rotten vegetable leaf clenched in her teeth.
She was still hungry.
Yu Sheng pressed his lips together, forcefully suppressing his many thoughts before taking out the leftover stew from that morning and two steamed buns.
He would just heat up the leftovers and eat them with the buns, then cook some porridge while he was at it.
He put the buns and stew from the refrigerator into the microwave, then washed rice and prepared to cook the porridge. Yu Sheng busied himself in silence, and half a minute later began regretting bringing Eileen into the kitchen—
That blabbermouth hadn't stopped talking from the moment he opened the refrigerator!
"Hey, your refrigerator's pretty big! Can one person really use a refrigerator this big?
"That's the meat you stewed this morning, right...? I have to admit, that 'local specialty' looks pretty normal after being processed... Say, it really won't suddenly come alive in the bowl, will it?
"You're only cooking porridge? Then there's nothing interesting to watch. How about carving a flower out of a radish? A seal would work too.
"Why aren't you turning on the range hood...? Oh, you're not stir-frying anything.
"Is it almost dark outside? Hey, turn me around. I want to look at the street... No? Fine, then.
"What's your mother's surname?"
Yu Sheng finally reached the end of his patience. He grabbed Eileen and brought her in front of the sink. "Do you believe I'll soak you in there right now? I'll scrub you with dish soap until your color comes off—do you believe me?"
Eileen instantly shrank her neck and hugged her teddy bear as she sat back down on the chair. "Fine, I won't talk..."
The world was finally quiet.
Eileen returned to the windowsill, sat on the chair hugging her teddy bear, and watched Yu Sheng. He was leaning against the stove in a daze, and neither of them spoke.
After an unknown amount of time, Eileen was the first to break the silence. "I still think it's too dangerous to deal with Hunger alone. I can't remember exactly how powerful that entity is, but ordinary people definitely can't handle it. You... will die."
"I'll revive."
"I'm being serious!"
"So am I."
Eileen glared at Yu Sheng, looking somewhat angry.
But she was only angry for a few seconds before sighing.
"Seriously, think of another way. Find those people in the city who specialize in fighting Otherworlds and get in touch with them. Don't take the risk."
"I don't want to take risks. I just think the 'risks' will come looking for me." Yu Sheng shook his head. "But I understand what you mean. I won't throw my life away. As for those 'professionals' you mentioned, I'll look for them."
"Oh, good."
Dinner passed peacefully. Eileen watched a vapid urban drama on television, occasionally commenting on the people and events in the plot. Yu Sheng ate earnestly, occasionally responding to Eileen's rambling.
Yu Sheng finished the meal cleanly. In the end, he didn't even leave the last bit of meat broth in his bowl, using a steamed bun to wipe the bowl completely clean.
"I'm going out for a while." After tidying up the dining room and kitchen, Yu Sheng changed into clothes suitable for going outside and casually spoke to Eileen.
Eileen, who had been watching television, immediately raised her head, a hint of panic on her face. "Where are you going?!"
"To the little supermarket at the intersection. I'm buying something to eat. It's not far." Yu Sheng noticed the expression on Eileen's face and laughed helplessly. "Don't be so nervous. I don't fall into an Otherworld every time I leave the house... Don't worry. This house is a little strange, but I'll check outside before opening the door every time from now on."
"Uh, all right." Eileen scratched her hair, then looked puzzled. "But there was still quite a lot of stuff in the refrigerator when I looked earlier."
"I'm going to buy some more," Yu Sheng said. "Things that don't need to be refrigerated and can be eaten right away."
Eileen understood.
"Oh, okay. Be careful when you go out... And remember, don't just walk out after opening the door! Look outside first!"
Yu Sheng smiled.
It had been a long time since anyone had told him to "be careful going out." Although this time it had come from a doll who usually spouted nothing but trash talk, it still felt pretty good.
After changing his clothes, he thought for a moment, then stuffed several pieces of bread and some biscuits into his pockets. Only then did he come to the front door, place his hand on the handle, and take a gentle breath.
To be honest, ever since he had pushed open this door last time and fallen directly into an Otherworld, he had developed a bit of a... psychological shadow regarding it.
But he couldn't stay in this house forever just because of that.
Yu Sheng gritted his teeth and slowly pushed open the door.
First, he opened it a crack, then opened it a little wider, cautiously observing the situation outside.
Only after repeatedly confirming everything for a long while did he exhale and step out of the house.
Fortunately, the door wasn't that sinister after all.
It seemed that falling into an Otherworld after leaving that house wasn't particularly likely. Perhaps certain conditions were needed to trigger the door's "effect"? Maybe he needed to open it several times, or perhaps it only happened at a specific time?
Yu Sheng walked along the street. After calming down a little, he couldn't help letting his thoughts wander. Regardless, he had truly breathed a sigh of relief.
He walked briskly along the nearly deserted street and soon arrived at the little supermarket at the intersection. He pushed the door open.
The instant he did, he already felt a jolt in his heart. Then—
Hot wind rushed into his face. Heat shimmered above the scorched, barren land beyond the door. A crashed aircraft belched thick smoke from a distant hill, while two fully armed figures in black power armor resembling some kind of alien battle armor grappled with each other. One of them suddenly raised a hand, and a plasma blade ignited at the wrist with a hiss before stabbing toward the other.
Then, the two black armored figures dressed like Star Realm Mercenaries seemed to notice the gaze from the side at the same time. They abruptly turned toward Yu Sheng, the dark-red monitors on their faceplates flickering faintly.
Yu Sheng: "...?"
He abruptly stepped back and slammed the door shut.
Before you continue