First Step in Preparing the Body

When Yu Sheng heard Eileen's request, he was a little surprised. He didn't know why she would bring this up so seriously at this time.

They had indeed discussed Eileen's request to create a body for the person in the painting more than once before, but it had never been settled. On one hand, Yu Sheng and Eileen still lacked trust and understanding of each other. On the other hand, there were too many chaotic things going on, and Yu Sheng didn't have the time to consider Eileen's physical needs.

But seeing the extremely serious expression on the doll maiden's face now, Yu Sheng realized she wasn't bringing this up on a whim or out of childishness.

He looked at Eileen with a questioning gaze.

"I want to go with you," Eileen's answer was simple. "It'll be one more person to look out for."

"Are you sure?" Yu Sheng's expression was a little subtle. "Of course, I'm not doubting your strength..."

"Listen," Eileen interrupted Yu Sheng. She leaned close to the edge of the painting, her face occupying two-thirds of the frame, her tone unusually serious. "I'm not joking with you—although I don't know how you plan to deal with that 'Entity,' judging by the fact that you could bring back 'souvenirs' from it, you must have some skills. I won't ask what kind of skills they are, but you need to know that when dealing with the Otherworld, just being 'good at fighting' isn't enough. It's certainly not enough to deal with tricky Entities like 'Hunger.'"

As she spoke, she moved back slightly. "Build me a body, give me back some freedom of movement. It doesn't have to be perfect, as long as I can escape the shackles of this damned oil painting, I can do a lot more. I won't recover all my strength, but I'll definitely be much stronger than ordinary investigators or so-called Spirit Realm Detectives and Otherworld Hunters. Even if I've forgotten a lot of knowledge, I still have the instincts of a living puppet."

Yu Sheng stared at Eileen, and Eileen met his gaze with her scarlet eyes.

"I can help you, Yu Sheng," Eileen said very seriously. "We already cooperated once when we went to Huli's dreamscape."

This time, Yu Sheng thought longer than ever before. Afterward, he had to admit Eileen had a point.

His mind was filled with the desire to return to that valley and deal with the "Entity-Hunger" there. But he also knew that the chances of him going in alone and destroying that monster were indeed not high. Of course, he didn't fear death, and he had gradually become stronger by devouring "Entity-Hunger," but this enhancement clearly had its limits. And "Hunger"... it wasn't easy to destroy.

Relying on constant death to "drag the corpse" and wear down the monster might be a solution, but it was clearly a last resort. If he could have a helper who was capable and understood some supernatural power, it would definitely be good.

All he needed to do was give Eileen some trust and release her from this painting.

And that trust had already been established when they fell into Huli's dreamscape together and met again afterward, spitting at each other upon waking from the dream.

"It looks like I need to go to the city center," Yu Sheng sighed softly and leaned back in his chair. "I'll have to buy materials like clay and wigs from a craft store. You can't find them in this old town area."

The doll maiden in the oil painting blinked. After realizing what he meant, her face lit up with surprise. "You... you agree?!"

"If you don't have high standards for the body's quality and you trust my craftsmanship," Yu Sheng waved his hand. "I can try."

"I don't have high standards! As long as it looks like a person, I can reshape it myself—just don't make any mistakes during the 'Alchemy' part," Eileen said hurriedly, as if afraid Yu Sheng would go back on his word if she spoke too late. After she finished, she pondered for a moment, her expression becoming a little subtle as she turned her face. "And... and if you really can't find suitable materials..."

Yu Sheng looked curious. "If I can't find suitable materials, then what?"

"...You can use dough too."

Yu Sheng froze for two or three seconds, finally showing the most shocked expression he'd had since meeting Eileen. "Huh?!"

Eileen explained in a low voice, "The materials are just a medium. The part that truly takes effect is the Alchemy. Your blood and my soul..."

Yu Sheng was completely bewildered. "No, wait... I understand compromising, but isn't this too much of a compromise?!"

Eileen thought for a moment and decided to show Yu Sheng a harmless smile to try and get her way.

She succeeded.

But Yu Sheng still decided to go out and buy things.

"I'll still go buy some proper clay. The amount needed to sculpt a body for you should be quite a lot, so let's not waste food. Besides, I have other things to buy," Yu Sheng sighed, getting up as he spoke casually. "You just stay home and watch TV. If anything happens, call me remotely—if the TV freezes again, just wait until I get back."

With that, he picked up the remote and turned on the TV for Eileen. The Eileen in the painting nodded obediently. "Oh... then come back quickly."

Yu Sheng agreed, put on his jacket, and walked towards the entrance.

Gripping the doorknob, the first thing he did was steady himself. After confirming that there wouldn't be a volcanic eruption, meteor shower, sulfur lake, little green men with lightsabers, or an elf big sister with mechanical modifications outside the door, he took a deep breath, opened the door, and successfully stepped onto the old street of Wutong Road.

Yu Sheng suddenly felt that this was quite interesting.

It was easy for him to go to the ends of the world (whether he could return or would die outside was another matter), but it was much more difficult for him to open the door and walk onto the street.

As he walked towards the bus stop, Yu Sheng casually observed his surroundings.

At some point, his mindset while walking through this vast and unfamiliar city had subtly changed. The depression and unease of the past few days had quietly faded. As he walked on this street, which couldn't be called his "hometown," he felt nothing but peace, and even a hint of... excitement and anticipation.

Even the sky, which was so bright it was a little dazzling, now looked like a pleasant, sunny day.

Vendors were selling things at the intersection, sparse pedestrians passed by, and a child who had caused some unknown trouble ran past the street shouting, followed by an adult running and cursing.

Yu Sheng wondered if any of Eileen's "professionals" were among them. Were those who protected this city from the shadows and fought against the Otherworld noticing the small "oddities" hidden in this peaceful and idyllic old town area?

He even let his thoughts wander, starting to speculate which of the pedestrians on the street looked unfamiliar, which looked like plainclothes officers, and which looked like Spirit Realm Detectives and investigators.

The uncle selling Jianbing Guozi at the intersection looked a bit like one; he had a different, less skilled one today. The aunt hanging clothes on the balcony opposite might also be one; he hadn't seen her before. Could the mischievous child who ran past shouting earlier be one? Eileen said Spirit Realm Detectives had "tricks" to change their appearance, which was quite magical...

Anyway, the young man in the tank top with dyed yellow hair squatting on the ground with his phone on speaker was definitely not one; he looked too out of place.

Yu Sheng hummed a tune as he walked through the old street, brushing past Li Lin, who was wearing a tank top, had dyed yellow hair (a wig), and was squatting on the ground with his phone on speaker.

A while later, Xu Jiali, who was nearly two meters tall (male), wandered onto the street. He glanced down at Li Lin, who was on watch, then squatted down and lit a cigarette, squatting alongside him like a young man.

"Is your disguise reliable?" Xu Jiali asked.

"Extremely reliable," Li Lin replied casually. "I used to dress like this on stakeouts during external missions. My colleagues who sold Jianbing Guozi were exposed, but I wasn't—I even have a two-dimensional battle suit, which has even better concealment. Once, I apprehended a border smuggler, and he didn't even believe that a two-dimensional character was a spy from the Special Operations Bureau."

The strong man listened, dumbfounded. "What's a two-dimensional battle suit? It sounds like a force field-type Power Armor? Aren't you guys not allowed to use that stuff at The Crossroads?"

"...It's hard to explain to you," Li Lin said with a look of disdain, moving aside. "Stay away from me. You're too big; don't expose me."

"Impossible. My vibe alone makes me look more unemployed than you," the strong man pouted. "As for you, you haven't found anything all morning, have you? Honestly, I suspect that even if there's something hidden here, it's unlikely to be a 'person.' It's more likely to be a weird entity or an erosion point from the Otherworld, which fits the clues you've found so far—damn it, there was such a huge commotion in Boundary City last night. I don't know how things are at the bureau now. We two have to be like idiots, staring here and wasting time on something we don't even know what it is..."

Li Lin ignored the strong man, pulled out a large power bank, plugged it into his phone, and then chose to turn up the speaker volume even higher.

Two or three hours later, Yu Sheng had already bought all the items he wanted at a mall in the city center.

Now, he dragged his heavy bags to a secluded spot and began to ponder.

He had bought quite a bit—the weight wasn't an issue for him now, but carrying it all on the crowded bus ride home would be a hassle.

So, he had a bold idea.

He felt it was definitely worth a shot.

Yu Sheng looked up, confirming again that no one was paying attention, then silently reached out his hand toward the air beside him—a gate took shape in his hand.

Three seconds later, deep within Boundary City, in a hidden "depth," countless operatives, clerks, captains, and their Director, Baili Qing, who were already working overtime to the point of mental fuzziness, were jolted from their chairs by a sudden alarm...

Yu Sheng went home, carrying a few large plastic bags.