Chapter 21: Familiar Yet Strange
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation.
Yu Sheng had already suspected something. As soon as he realized that these “Otherworlds” were not just dangerous but somehow common, and that this massive “Boundary City” was actually a special place called the “Bounderland,” he knew there must be groups who dealt with these strange occurrences. It wasn’t just about lone wanderers—though surely they existed too—there had to be larger, organized, and perhaps even official groups.
And maybe, some were just civilians trying to handle the mess.
“But,” Irene had pointed out, “these people aren’t the kind to interact with regular folks.”
Otherworlds went beyond the realm of ordinary understanding. They were like tiny but dangerous cracks in the seemingly solid foundation of reality. Most people lived their entire lives without ever catching a glimpse of the bizarre, fleeting visions that slipped through these cracks. But for the unlucky few who did see them, there was no turning back.
This was what Irene had told Yu Sheng from the beginning. Just from that, Yu Sheng knew that those who dealt with Otherworlds must do everything they could to stop ordinary people from knowing anything about them—including their own existence.
But if something really went wrong, surely they had a system in place to respond…
Yu Sheng looked up again, staring at the cold, silent street beyond the window.
“Honestly, how long do these ‘professionals’ usually take to respond?” he asked, unease in his voice.
Irene hugged her stuffed bear, rocking back and forth on the chair. “I’m not sure… I can’t really remember. But I think they’re usually quick,” she said with a smug grin. “They have tons of ways to detect unusual situations. The whole Crossroads should be under their watch. It was like that before I got sealed, and I’m sure they’ve improved since then.”
Yu Sheng’s eyes lingered on a painting of a doll nearby, and he didn’t say a word.
“Of course, professionals are still human,” Irene added quickly, her expression turning sheepish. “Humans make mistakes. Maybe they missed the strange stuff happening to you… even though things have been pretty noisy here.”
“Doesn’t sound very professional,” Yu Sheng muttered, frowning. He sighed, rubbing his temples. “So, according to you, my house is practically an ‘Otherworld,’ and yet no one has come knocking. I’m seriously starting to doubt how competent these ‘professionals’ really are… Seems like, in the end, I’ll have to deal with this myself.”
Irene blinked, then smirked. “Oh, is that so?”
Curiosity lit up her eyes. “So, what’s your plan? It sounds like you’re thinking about handling that valley—and whatever’s lurking there.”
“It’s not that I want to,” Yu Sheng said, his mouth twisting into a grim smile, “but I have a feeling it’ll find me sooner or later. And besides, didn’t you say it yourself? Once you’ve touched an Otherworld, there’s no going back. My journey with Otherworlds probably started way before you think.”
“Well, you’ve got a point,” Irene admitted with a grumble. “A lot of people who ended up dealing with Otherworlds were just unlucky regular folks. About one in ten of them end up becoming ‘experts’ because they got stuck with the weird stuff.”
Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow. “One in ten? And what happens to the other nine-tenths? Do they just go back to their normal lives?”
Irene threw her head back. “They die, of course.”
Yu Sheng stared at her blankly. “…”
“There are survivors too!” Irene added quickly, noticing his expression. She looked flustered. “They save a bunch of people every year. But… yeah, more people die.”
“Irene,” Yu Sheng said, glancing at the painted doll.
“Uh… yeah?”
“If you don’t know how to say something… you can always choose not to say anything.”
“Is that so…?”
Yu Sheng sighed, rising slowly from his seat at the dining table.
“Honestly, living or dying doesn’t matter that much to me, but I do need to learn more about these Otherworlds,” he said, thinking aloud. “If those ‘professionals’ aren’t coming, I’ll have to seek them out myself. After all, your memory isn’t exactly reliable.”
“Seek them out, huh?” Irene didn’t seem offended. Instead, she kept smiling. “Well, why don’t you check the telephone poles nearby for ads from Otherworld security companies?”
Yu Sheng stared at her in disbelief. “…Are you serious?”
“I am,” Irene blinked innocently. “They leave contact info around so people like you, who survive Otherworld encounters, can find help. Normal people won’t see it—they use ‘special techniques’ to hide the symbols. But anyone who’s touched an Otherworld has some kind of ‘spiritual awakening,’ so there’s a good chance you’d notice them.”
She paused, her gaze turning serious. She looked Yu Sheng up and down. “Haven’t you noticed any changes in yourself?”
Changes after touching an Otherworld?!
Yu Sheng felt a jolt and quickly asked, “Do you mean super strength, healing from wounds in seconds, reading minds, or… I don’t know, coming back from the dead?”
Irene stared at him, wide-eyed. “What?!”
“…No?”
“At most, you’ll start seeing things others can’t. What you’re describing—are you sure you’re still human? Maybe you’ve changed species. Seriously, stop reading so many novels and watching anime.”
Yu Sheng was speechless.
Seeing her reaction, Yu Sheng dropped the subject. Something wasn’t right with him—even by supernatural standards. But thankfully, Irene didn’t seem too interested in figuring it out—probably because her brain had gone fuzzy after being sealed away for so long.
He exhaled, glancing toward the kitchen. He hesitated briefly, then forced a smile as he headed in that direction.
Irene jumped down from her chair excitedly. “Oh, are you making breakfast?”
Yu Sheng didn’t bother looking back. He couldn’t figure out why someone who couldn’t even eat would get so excited about food. “I’m going to deal with the ‘local specialty’ I brought back.”
Irene waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, go ahead, go ahead…”
Then she froze.
Her mind, still sluggish from her long seal, finally processed what he’d said.
…Wait, where in an Otherworld do you find “local specialties”?!
“Hold on!” Irene shrieked, nearly scaring Yu Sheng out of his skin as he reached the kitchen door. “What kind of ‘specialty’ did you bring back?!”
Yu Sheng paused in the doorway, turning slightly with a sly smile. “Take a guess.”
Irene’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Yu Sheng, who had begun tying an apron around his waist. Her crimson eyes glinted with surprise and horror. “W-Wait a minute! What are you doing? You don’t mean… No, no way! Did you really take that from the valley creature? How did someone like you even manage that?! Hey, wait, you’re not seriously going to—”
Before she could finish, Yu Sheng calmly shut the kitchen door, cutting off her frantic voice.
A few moments later, her muffled shouts came through the door. “Hey, don’t close the door! At least fix the TV first! I can’t watch anything!”
But Yu Sheng wasn’t paying attention anymore.
He approached the sink, removing the pot lid that covered the severed tail. The wriggling appendage had finally gone still, with only the occasional twitch in its muscles.
He stared down at the tail that had once burrowed into his body, feeling that strange hunger rise again from deep within his bones.
This time, however, the hunger wasn’t as fierce. It was more of a gentle stirring—an anticipation that was almost pleasant.
Can I really do this? Is this normal? Am I still normal?
He asked himself these questions, but none of them made his hands falter.
With precise movements, Yu Sheng washed the tail thoroughly, scraping off the scales before placing it on the cutting board. He picked up a knife and, with a clean cut, sliced through the flesh.
It was easier than he had expected—though the tail had been rock-hard when attached to the creature, now it cut like firm beef.
And there was no bone inside.
Yu Sheng had figured it out. The first time he noticed changes in himself was after eating part of the creature. During their second encounter, he’d torn at its flesh again, feeling another small boost in strength—not as much as the first time, but still noticeable.
This led him to a bold and… delicious idea.
What would happen if I cooked it?
As he chopped the meat into pieces, his mood lightened.
Even Irene’s noisy complaints outside seemed to fade into the background.
He didn’t know if what he was doing was right or wrong… It was probably wrong. After all, even a doll trapped in a painting thought this was bizarre.
But compared to coming back from the dead, eating a suspicious piece of meat didn’t seem like a big deal.
“I’ve already eaten it raw,” Yu Sheng muttered to himself as he continued cutting. “Once raw, twice cooked…”