Chapter 11: Third Time’s the Charm
At the final moment when death loomed, Yu Sheng felt an infinite, crushing darkness—a viscous, almost sentient entity. His consciousness seemed to be dissolving rapidly, and he knew his body, ravaged by grievous wounds, was losing vitality at an alarming pace. As his physiological functions shut down, his thoughts, tied to his corporeal form, began to fade away as well—an inevitable law of nature.
Yet on the brink of oblivion, an intense force—or rather, a resolute thought—bound his mind firmly. In a daze, he recalled the frog that had devoured his heart and the last time he had “resurrected.” What had happened back then? What had changed within him? Why was he still alive?
These questions crystallized into a stubborn will, keeping his consciousness clinging to the edge of the abyss, even as it threatened to plunge into nothingness. He truly wanted to know—what exactly had happened after death? How had he returned?
The darkness pressed in like a suffocating weight, growing cold and coarse, as if being buried under a thick layer of soil. His soul strained under the burden, struggling to breathe. Suddenly, the weight lifted, vanishing without a trace.
In a fleeting epiphany, a thought sparked in his wavering consciousness:
In his death, death itself had perished before him.
Yu Sheng’s death had died. Thus, the deceased Yu Sheng returned once again from the boundless darkness to the world of the living. His “body” felt suddenly lighter, rapidly breaking away from the endless void.
During this ascent, he vaguely saw something on the surface of that darkness, as if he were skimming across some kind of “layer.” But there was no time to discern it clearly before his eyes snapped open.
The frigid night wind blew through a gaping hole in the temple wall. Outside the half-collapsed roof was the chaotic, filthy sky of the Valley, the hollow wind howling through the Night Valley.
Yu Sheng sat in a corner of the ruined temple, his mind clouded—an all-too-familiar sensation. Not long ago, he had experienced this same feeling. But this time, his recovery was faster; within just a few breaths, his memories flooded back, including the sense of being buried in darkness.
After regulating his breath, Yu Sheng slowly stood up. His joints, stiff and dormant, seemed to awaken as if a newly formed body was swiftly learning how to live. Strength flowed through him, his mind cleared, and he finally looked outside the dilapidated temple—where his blood had once pooled. The spot was now empty—the monstrous beast was gone…or perhaps merely hiding as it had before.
After a moment of silence, Yu Sheng tentatively spoke in his mind: “…Irene.”
Almost instantly, Irene’s spirited voice erupted in his mind: “Yu Sheng! Oh my god, are you okay?!”
Then she rattled on without pause: “You just suddenly went silent, I kept calling you, but no response—not even a trace of your consciousness. I thought you were dead! You scared me half to death! If you died, who would come home to fix the TV?—Are you really okay?”
Yu Sheng’s face twitched involuntarily. “So you’re just worried about no one fixing the TV?”
Irene pondered for a moment. “…Well, not just that. I was also a little worried you were actually dead…”
Yu Sheng: “…”
She actually hesitated!
Forcing himself to calm down, Yu Sheng gritted his teeth, striving to sound composed. “What if I told you I really did die just now?”
Irene was entirely unconvinced. “Quit messing around. You sound as lively as ever…”
“…Yeah, just kidding,” Yu Sheng deflected nonchalantly. After a brief pause, he asked abruptly, “How long was I out?”
“Huh? How long what?”
“From when I told you I was done for to now—how long has it been?”
“Uh… I can’t see the living room clock from where I am… But I’d guess around half an hour? Not sure—been stuck in this painting for years, my sense of time’s a bit off. But judging by the sky, not much has changed. At least it hasn’t been a whole night—the sun’s not up yet.”
Yu Sheng: “…You realize half an hour and a whole night are massively different, right?!”
There was a brief silence before a low, grating chuckle sounded from Irene’s side.
Irene instantly protested: “It wasn’t me! It’s this bear!”
Exhausted both mentally and physically, Yu Sheng waved it off. “I know.”
Irene sounded oddly pleased. “Ah, you finally trust me now…”
Yu Sheng was too lazy to deal with the sealed Doll anymore. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that it wasn’t because he believed her story, but rather—if she truly wanted a beating, she didn’t even need to laugh. Just speaking was enough to make someone want to hit her.
As facts would have it, Irene’s infuriating mouth made the bear’s wicked grin seem like nothing more than an accessory, adding fuel to the fire.
With useless thoughts circling in his mind, Yu Sheng stepped out of the ruined temple once again.
He wasn’t sure if it was just an illusion, but his stamina seemed even better than before his last death. His steps were lighter, his movements stronger—even his vision seemed to have improved. It felt as though he was gradually adapting to this place—to the darkness, the treacherous ruins, and the omnipresent malice and the Hunger’s gaze.
He walked across the open ground in front of the temple, toward the forest beyond—the depths of this ‘Otherworld.’ He knew he might die again, perhaps in the next step, in the next moment.
“Yu Sheng,” Irene’s voice echoed in his mind, “Are you really okay just now?”
“It’s nothing, just a minor injury. I’m fine now.”
“Well… why don’t you just stay put for a bit? Or find somewhere safe to hide. I’ll try to think back—maybe I’ve encountered the ‘Valley’ you mentioned before…”
“You go ahead and recall,” Yu Sheng replied casually. “I’ll keep looking around.”
“Ah? But that might be a bit danger—”
“Irene,” Yu Sheng cut her off directly. He had already stepped onto the open ground and took a deep breath of the eerie, foul-scented air of the Valley, gazing at the faintly visible sinister Dense Forest in the distance. Suddenly, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You know, these past days I’ve been living in a daze.”
Irene seemed a bit lost. “Uh… should I know that?”
Yu Sheng didn’t care about her reaction and just continued, “Earlier, you mentioned ‘Otherworld’ and some incidents of people accidentally entering it. Do you know how I reacted?”
“How?”
“I was happy.”
“Huh?”
“Happy. I was extremely happy,” Yu Sheng stood in the darkness, unable to contain his laughter. “You said some people accidentally opened a wrong Door, or just happened to step on a misplaced floorboard at the wrong time, falling into this place called ‘Otherworld,’ right? And you also said that if they’re lucky enough and find the rules of the Otherworld, they might actually have a chance to get back…”
“That’s what I said…” Irene hesitated. “But it really depends on luck. Professional Investigators might manage, but ordinary people without training are basically doomed once they fall in…”
Yu Sheng mumbled softly, “It’s fine. If I keep dying, I’ll figure it out eventually…”
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing. I just suddenly found something to do,” Yu Sheng let out a long breath, as if expelling the haze of confusion accumulated over the past two months in this world. “Let’s start from here. It might take some time, but I’ll definitely find a way out of this place.”
“Though I’m not sure what’s going on over there, it feels like you’ve… become spirited again?” Irene spoke hesitantly. “Well, that’s good, right? Just… try not to die, okay? Still waiting for you to come back and fix the TV… and maybe find me a body…”
“Alright, when I get back, I’ll figure out your body issue,” Yu Sheng replied offhandedly. “I did dabble a bit in sculpture and modeling before. Might give it a try.”
This time, Irene sounded genuinely delighted. “Huh? You have experience as a Doll Maker? Why didn’t you say so earlier? How skilled are you? What level of Dolls or models can you make?”
Yu Sheng hesitated before admitting candidly, “Pretty much just watched some online videos of masters shaping clay. My brain told my hands I could do it, but my hands didn’t believe it.”
Two seconds later, Irene’s swearing could peel paint off walls.
Yu Sheng, however, felt completely at ease—an inexplicable sense of relaxation buoyed his confidence as he moved forward, glancing up at the distant mountain in the night.
A colossal creature several meters high, appearing like a fusion of countless twisted, beastly limbs, stood at the roadside, glaring at him.
Yu Sheng stopped, thought for a moment, and called out mentally to the still cursing Doll, “Irene.”
“What?”
“…Nothing. I might die again soon.”
“Huh?”