Chapter 47: The Fork in the Road

“We’re on solid ground!”

Irene stood atop a massive, pitch-black boulder, clutching a cleaver with both hands, struggling to strike a pose she thought looked imposing. She shouted into the empty expanse of the Valley Floor, her voice carried away by the night wind.

Yu Sheng flicked a finger at Irene’s head, nearly knocking her off the rock. “Stop making a fuss. We haven’t found Foxy yet, and you’re about to attract the attention of ‘Hunger’ ahead of time.”

“That thing doesn’t rely on hearing,” Irene retorted, begrudgingly hopping down from the rock. She adjusted the strap on her back that secured her painting frame and looked around. “It’s just as desolate as you said—eerie and oppressive. It feels like the sky is covered by something unnatural.”

“Be cautious,” Yu Sheng warned, giving her a once-over. Despite knowing that this little doll possessed many strange abilities, he couldn’t help but remind her, “If anything happens, prioritize your own safety. I don’t fear death, but it’s different for you. We can’t be sure that if this temporary body of yours is destroyed, your soul would survive.”

“Relax, I’ll take care of myself. Besides, to be honest, ‘Hunger’ doesn’t pose much of a threat to me.” Irene raised her head confidently. “Dolls aren’t affected by mental influences, and more importantly—I don’t get hungry.”

“Sure, you don’t get hungry, but you sure like to snack. I can’t even take a sip of water without you giving me that look,” Yu Sheng grumbled, glancing down at his feet.

The plastic bags filled with provisions were still there, making him breathe a sigh of relief. His meticulous preparations when opening the Door had paid off—all the supplies had made it through. At least, the start of this journey had gone smoothly.

Yu Sheng bent down and effortlessly lifted the heavy bags, which would have been a challenge for an ordinary person. He then looked toward the crumbling, decrepit temple not far ahead. It stood quietly in the dark, unchanged since he last left it.

“We’ll head over there first. Foxy should be nearby—I can feel it,” Yu Sheng said quietly as he took a step into the night.

He had barely moved when Irene’s voice came from behind, loud and exasperated, “Hey, wait! Slow down! I can’t keep up!”

Turning back, Yu Sheng saw the 66.6-centimeter-tall little doll dragging her cleaver in one hand and balancing herself with the other, struggling over uneven rocks and navigating around larger stones like she was crossing mountains. Obstacles that an ordinary person could step over required her to either climb or circle around.

Yu Sheng watched the spectacle with a helpless sigh. He crouched down in front of her and said, “Hop on my shoulder—just don’t say ‘Giddy up!’”

Irene’s face lit up with joy as she dashed toward him with the cleaver raised. “You’re the best!”

Yu Sheng let out a panicked yelp. “Put that thing away first! Or at least turn the blade around!”

Good grief—a blood-red-eyed, living doll charging at his neck with a cleaver in the dead of night—now that’s a terrifying sight, even for him.

…

“This place is giving me the creeps,” Li Lin shivered as a chilling wind swept through the forest, an uneasy feeling gnawing at his gut. “Is this still the Borderland?”

“Otherworld, Night Valley, current depth L-3, gradually sinking to L-4. Danger level—according to records—exceeds Level 3.” Xu Jiali’s voice, calm and matter-of-fact, came from beside him. The towering man, nearly two meters tall, had connected a portable depth meter to his eye and was scanning their surroundings, cross-referencing his stored data. “This area of the Otherworld is classified as Wilderness—that’s big trouble.”

Li Lin’s eyes widened as he recalled the training sessions where he’d encountered this kind of information. Xu Jiali’s reminder brought a flood of memories back—lessons on handling dangerous zones and surviving the Otherworld’s unpredictable shifts.

The ‘Wilderness Type’ Otherworld stretched vast and borderless, a desolate realm devoid of any clear exit. Leaving required meeting specific conditions, finding the right time, or aligning with the proper position. Marked as Depth L-3, it was practically divorced from reality, bound by rules that defied reason. Long-term exposure posed a severe risk of mental erosion and cognitive interference.

Danger Level 3 meant that malevolence lurked openly here—something dwelled within, hostile and predatory, hunting down Intruders with lethal intent. No rules or clever tricks could mitigate or counter its aggression. Operatives venturing into such a domain usually formed an entire squad from the Special Affairs Bureau—dozens of fully armed professionals with heavy equipment. Their mission was solely investigative—surviving to extract intelligence, not confronting the Entity directly, which required far more personnel or veteran specialists.

Li Lin glanced around. Including Xu Jiali, only two Special Affairs Bureau Operatives were present. One was a Deep Diver, a specialist trained to counter Entities, but the sudden nature of the incident left him poorly equipped. Adding to the motley crew was a contracted teenage ‘Spirit Realm Detective,’ supposedly adept at scouting.

[Fate’s gone to hell,] Li Lin thought grimly.

“Give your food to the young lady over there,” Xu Jiali, the most experienced on site, broke the silence with a stern command. His tone left no room for objection. “Li Lin, you and I will use this.”

Li Lin snapped out of his despondency and swiftly followed the veteran’s instructions. Without hesitation, he handed his two bowls of instant noodles to the dazed Little Red Riding Hood, who hesitated before taking them. Meanwhile, Xu Jiali passed him something—a needleless injector, its pale green liquid glowing faintly under the night sky.

Sanity Blocking Agent.

Li Lin glanced at his colleague in shock, seeing him press the injector firmly against his own arm.

“The Entities generated here are ‘Hunger’ types, with a propensity for psychic attacks,” the massive man stated calmly. “The name alone should tell you what’s coming—inject it. The aftereffects are worse than using a nebulizer, but at least it guarantees your rationality for forty-eight hours.”

Nodding, Li Lin triggered the injector. A soft hiss marked the entry of the Sanity Blocking Agent. At that moment, Little Red Riding Hood, hearing the word ‘Hunger,’ stepped forward in alarm.

“Wait, you guys should eat! You’re both still human, and I can endure much more—I even have snacks with me…”

Xu Jiali cut her off with a commanding wave. Towering nearly two meters tall, he loomed over the diminutive girl like a stone monument in the dark, his voice calm but unyielding. “Listen to me. I know your situation. Your Wolf Pack is our greatest asset against the Entity. You must maintain combat readiness.”

Little Red Riding Hood hesitated, then slowly squatted by a nearby rock, beginning to eat the now-cold noodles in silence. Li Lin cast a questioning look at Xu Jiali, who shook his head slightly and murmured, “If she falls into Hunger, her Wolves will devour her.”

In the cold wind, soft howls echoed through the forest as the Wolf Pack prowled restlessly among the trees. An ominous sense of being watched seeped through the Valley, as if malevolence itself had become a tangible presence.

Within the ruined temple at the Valley’s heart, Yu Sheng and Irene moved cautiously, their every step accompanied by the pervasive stench of decay that seemed to crawl into their nostrils with sentient intent. Irene stopped breathing altogether—a trick that filled Yu Sheng with envious admiration.

“Are you sure that Fox is here?” Irene, perched on Yu Sheng’s shoulders, brandished a kitchen knife while craning her neck to peer through the shadows. “I can’t see a thing…”

“Positive,” Yu Sheng replied nonchalantly. “There’s a faint connection between us—established by blood. I have one with you too, even if you haven’t noticed.”

“Oh?” Irene glanced skeptically at Yu Sheng, then down at her hands, as if trying to sense this elusive link. A faint rustling interrupted her musings, and both of them turned sharply towards the sound.

A white silhouette cautiously slipped out from behind a collapsed wall—a silver tail swaying gently in the night breeze, fluffy ears twitching warily. Realization bloomed on her face, and the Demon Fox Maiden broke into a joyful sprint, her laughter ringing out in pure delight.

“Benefactor!” Foxy cried, bounding across the rubble and circling Yu Sheng twice before skidding to a halt in front of him, her expression a blend of relief and joy. “You really came! Benefactor, is it truly you?”

Yu Sheng’s smile was as bright as her own. Setting down the bundle he carried, he beamed at her. “Yes, it’s me. I brought plenty of food this time. No more going hungry from now on.”

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