Chapter 31: Close Encounter
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation.
Yu Sheng gently pushed open the supermarket door and stepped inside. It was such a simple and ordinary thing to do—something people did every day without a second thought. Yet for Yu Sheng, it felt almost unbelievable at that moment. The strange encounters he’d had with other doors earlier still lingered in his mind like shadows that refused to fade. He could practically feel a nervous chill run down his back as he eyed the shelves, the shopkeeper, and the ordinary items around him.
“Is this really the same supermarket I remember?” Yu Sheng wondered, his eyes darting around warily. “Or has it turned into some awful copy? Could those jars on the shelves be filled with eyes soaking in some strange liquid? What if the shopkeeper suddenly whips out a chainsaw from his pocket and comes at me?”
These thoughts, although absurd, danced through his head for a few tense moments before he managed to calm himself. He drew a deep breath and forced a friendly nod in the direction of the young shopkeeper standing behind the counter. Yu Sheng watched, waiting for something odd to happen. But the shopkeeper just gave him a normal, slightly puzzled look. Slowly, Yu Sheng felt convinced this was indeed an ordinary supermarket. It was safe, normal, and just as he remembered.
“I’m here to buy a few things,” Yu Sheng finally said, keeping his voice steady. “Do you have cartons of instant noodles and packs of compressed biscuits?”
The young shopkeeper scratched his head and replied, “We’ve got instant noodles, sure. The unopened boxes are all stacked under the stairs that lead up to the second floor.” He gestured toward a sturdy iron staircase not too far away. “As for whole boxes of compressed biscuits, I’m afraid we’re out. What’s left is on the middle row of that left-hand shelf over there. Not many folks buy them, so I don’t stock much.”
“Got it. Please pack all the biscuits you have left,” Yu Sheng said with a nod. “I’ll go and get the instant noodles myself. Also, I’d like two packs of those large sausages.”
“Sure thing,” the shopkeeper agreed. He grabbed a large shopping bag and went straight to the shelf to pack the biscuits. As he worked, he chatted over his shoulder, “That’s a lot of instant noodles and biscuits. Eating just that stuff isn’t great for you. My wife’s always after me about that, says I should mix in vegetables or at least some canned fruit.”
“I’m just stocking up at home,” Yu Sheng answered quickly, not wanting to explain any more.
The shopkeeper shrugged and didn’t ask further. He was just about finished packing everything when the supermarket’s glass doors swung open again—both at once this time. The hinge on one side screeched loudly, sounding like it needed oiling badly.
Startled by the noise, the shopkeeper looked up and called out, “Hey! That door’s broken. Didn’t you see the sign?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t notice,” said the newcomer, a young man with black hair dressed in casual clothes. He glanced awkwardly at the crooked door as it stopped halfway and refused to close properly. Then he turned back to the shopkeeper, looking a bit embarrassed. “Do you have any cartons of instant noodles?”
At that very moment, Yu Sheng was returning from the aisles with a carton of instant noodles balanced in his arms. He caught a quick glimpse of the newcomer, then looked away, trying not to draw any attention.
The newcomer pointed at the box Yu Sheng was carrying. “Just like that one. I’ll take a box too.”
Without looking up from his work at the counter, the shopkeeper said, “Under the stairs, to the right. You can help yourself. I’m still finishing this order here.”
Yu Sheng walked past the young man without a word. He reached the counter, paid for his items, and heaved the heavy shopping bag in one hand while propping the carton of noodles on his shoulder. Without another glance, he stepped outside into the evening light that was beginning to fade.
Meanwhile, the black-haired young man, whose name was Li Lin, found the instant noodle boxes right where they were supposed to be—under the stairs. He bent down to grab one, but before he could lift it, he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out and checked the screen. It was a message from his captain.
Li Lin shot a brief look over his shoulder toward the counter, then quickly typed a response: “I’m all settled in. Just buying supplies now.”
A moment later, his phone buzzed twice. The new message read: “Notice anything unusual?”
Li Lin typed back: “Nothing yet. I’ll have a look around the streets tomorrow, get a feel for the neighborhood.”
He sent the message and hesitated for a moment, fingers hovering over the keys. Then he asked another question: “Any idea when the team’s ‘deep diver’ will arrive? Who’s coming?”
It took longer this time to get a reply. Eventually, his phone vibrated again: “Xu Jiali, arriving tomorrow.”
This surprised Li Lin. He was about to ask more when another message came in: “He just got back from Ameyn-IX. Something went wrong there, so his mission ended early. He’s doing a full report and medical checks at HQ right now. He’ll join you tomorrow.”
Li Lin frowned slightly at this and typed, “Sending him right back to work after a mission? No rest?”
“He requested it himself,” came the captain’s reply. “There were some unique circumstances with the deep dive. He’s experiencing a few aftereffects and needs to wear a stabilizer for a few days. He decided to move his downtime to next week. It’s quiet over there, right? You can talk about it with him tomorrow.”
Shaking his head, Li Lin sent a quick “Okay” before heading toward the counter with his box of instant noodles.
The shopkeeper barely glanced at him as he reached for the barcode scanner. “Just instant noodles, eh? Eating only that kind of thing isn’t good for you, you know. My wife never stops telling me I should eat better.”
Li Lin chuckled lightly. “Well, want me to put it back?” he joked.
“That’ll be forty yuan,” the shopkeeper answered dryly, ignoring the joke.
Back at Yu Sheng’s place, Irene heard the front door open from inside her painting. She listened carefully, waiting to see Yu Sheng, but he didn’t walk in right away. After a moment, he finally poked his head in, peering about suspiciously as if expecting some monster to jump out at him. He slipped inside, set down his bags, and closed the door gently, as though it might bite him.
From her painted frame, Irene watched his odd behavior in silence. She waited until he was done and said, “Yu Sheng, what are you doing? Why are you creeping into your own house like a thief?”
Yu Sheng let out a long sigh as he switched into his indoor shoes. “Don’t ask,” he said, rubbing his face. “I think I’ve developed some kind of fear of doors. Now I have to check every door three times before I can walk through it. It’s ridiculous.”
Irene’s gaze drifted to the pile of supplies Yu Sheng had brought in—cartons of instant noodles, packs of biscuits, and large sausages.
“You’ve bought an awful lot of stuff,” she said, sounding impressed. “You really should’ve brought one of those little camping carts, you know, the ones people use to haul things around. They’re so handy.”
Yu Sheng stood there for a second, looking at his pile of instant noodles, biscuits, and sausages, and then suddenly slapped his forehead. “Ah! I completely forgot to buy any liquid food! She’s been starving for so long, she can’t handle solid food right away… I should go back out and get some porridge or something easy to swallow.”
Irene’s eyes followed him as he actually started moving toward the door again. She could hardly believe he was about to rush out once more. Finally, she said, “Why not just wait until tomorrow?”
Yu Sheng paused, one hand on the doorknob, one shoe halfway off again. “But she’s still hungry…” he insisted.
“How would you even get it to her tonight?” Irene asked, holding his gaze. “Besides, I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while now. Even if you bring her food, it’s only a temporary solution. The real problem isn’t just that she’s hungry—it’s that Entity you call ‘Hunger.’”
Yu Sheng stood there, hand still on the knob, thinking hard. After a moment, he let go of the door and stepped out of his outdoor shoes again. He walked over to the table and sat down, facing Irene’s painting.
“You’re right,” he said quietly. “Feeding her helps, but it won’t fix the real problem. Hunger itself is the issue. I can wait until tomorrow. There’s no need to rush out tonight, especially since I still need to find a stable way back into that valley.”
Irene noticed the determined look on his face. She remembered he had mentioned earlier that he might have a new idea. Now she felt certain something had happened.
“Wait a minute,” Irene said, narrowing her eyes. “Did something happen while you were out? Do you have a way to reach that valley now?”
Yu Sheng leaned forward and raised his right hand in front of Irene’s frame. Then, to her astonishment, a doorknob appeared in midair—just hanging there—and a moment later, a door began to take shape around it. The edges of the door shimmered like a heat haze, wobbling slightly. Irene stared, speechless, as Yu Sheng tugged it open.
On the other side of this impossible doorway, they saw a female elf dressed in a long, silver-white robe. Strange mechanical limbs and wheels sprouted from her back like a spider’s legs, and she seemed to be adjusting a large machine that glowed with shifting lights. The moment she turned and spotted Yu Sheng, her eyes went wide with shock. She shouted, “Who the hell are you and how did you—”
Before she could finish, Yu Sheng slammed the door shut with a loud bang. The door vanished, leaving only the quiet of the room behind.
“…I didn’t think I’d open the same place twice in a row,” Yu Sheng murmured, sounding both thoughtful and surprised. “That might mean something… Perhaps I can try to do it again later.”
Irene was practically quivering with disbelief. If she could have leapt right out of her painted chair, she would have. Her voice went up several notches. “What was that just now?! What on earth was it?! Huh?!”
“It’s a door,” Yu Sheng said with a shrug.
“I KNOW it’s a door,” Irene cried, almost screaming now. She took a deep breath, her painted face showing equal parts confusion, frustration, and a hint of fear. “But that’s not the point! What the heck IS that door?! EXPLAIN!”