Chapter 33: Delayed Activation?
Yu Sheng pondered, his mind racing. It seemed that his blood had no effect on Irene — perhaps because the Cursed Oil Painting served as a medium of sealing, blocking the permeation of his blood. Or maybe it was because Irene, as a Doll, was naturally immune to its influence. More likely… the unusual reaction with Foxy had been a special case.
After waiting for a long while with no change, Irene’s patience finally wore thin. Staring up at the top of the painting’s frame, she muttered irritably, “Then just wipe the blood off already. This is my living space, you know? Bloodstains everywhere aren’t exactly good luck…”
Yu Sheng scoffed. “You, a creepy Doll sealed inside a painting, are worried about bad luck? Your mere presence here is already unlucky enough!”
Irene shot back instantly, thoroughly displeased. “Who said I was unlucky? I’m gorgeous — how could I be unlucky? People decorate their rooms with entire walls of plastic figurines, and here you are, fussing over a painting of a beautiful Young Lady! Isn’t that the point of hanging art?”
Yu Sheng was genuinely stunned, unable to comprehend how Irene managed to cram so many unrelated arguments into one breath. Shaking his head, he grumbled, “That’s not the same at all…” He grabbed a wet tissue and moved to wipe the blood off the frame.
It wouldn’t come off.
Surprised, Yu Sheng scrutinized the frame. Even after scrubbing with considerable effort (carefully avoiding the canvas itself to prevent damage), the bloodstains remained stubbornly unmoved — as if they had become part of the painting’s frame itself. But what really caught his attention was the tissue in his hand — not a single trace of red on it.
No matter how persistent a stain might be, this was downright unnatural!
Irene couldn’t see the tissue, but noticing Yu Sheng’s sudden stillness, she grew uneasy. “Uh… what’s going on?”
“It won’t come off,” Yu Sheng murmured in disbelief, staring at the stained frame as if the blood had fused with the original coloring. “It’s not like it soaked in… It’s as if it’s always been that way.”
Silence. Yu Sheng glanced at Irene, only to find her frozen in the painting, expression slack and unfocused. A few seconds later, her face contorted with terror, as though recalling something dreadful. Abruptly, she pointed at him, shrieking, “Aaaah! Yu Sheng — y-you’re d-d-d-dead…!”
Yu Sheng blinked, then sighed. Realizing what had happened, he nonchalantly settled into the opposite chair. “Stop screaming about ‘death’ so much — it’s bad luck. Though… yeah, the count is a bit on the high side.”
Momentarily pausing, Irene shot him a glance, then resumed her screaming.
With the Doll verging on hysteria, Yu Sheng had no choice but to think of ways to calm her down — she was far more excitable than Foxy. Verbal comfort proved futile, and Yu Sheng wasn’t sure whether the delayed activation of his blood’s power had caused a shock too overwhelming to handle.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.
In the next instant, he grabbed the Cursed Oil Painting, swinging it around with fierce, reckless vigor, even tossing it into the air before catching it with a smooth flourish. Placing it back on the table, he watched as the Doll Lady dragged herself onto the velvet-covered chair, exhausted.
The screaming ceased.
Now came the cursing.
Still, calming Irene down became notably easier this time. Once she’d vented her anger, Yu Sheng managed to explain the situation to her properly. He also confirmed that his blood did affect Irene despite her sealed state — though the blood seemed to merge solely with the Oil Painting Frame, it clearly influenced her, triggering the same effect as with Foxy: a traumatic recall of witnessing Yu Sheng’s death.
Yet this time, Yu Sheng didn’t sense the same mental or emotional link with Irene as he had with Foxy. Glancing at the now fuming Doll, he couldn’t help but inwardly speculate that Irene might simply lack both aspects altogether.
Though still visibly upset, Irene’s initial shock from the resurrection revelation eventually took precedence over her prior frustration. She stared at Yu Sheng, her expression still etched with disbelief. “You’re telling me… this isn’t the first time?”
Yu Sheng nodded slowly, reflecting on the rain-soaked encounter with the frog. “Yeah. Actually, it started even before I met you. Don’t ask me how it works, though. Just like that strange Door earlier, I know it happens, but I don’t understand why.”
“Any side effects or costs?” Irene pressed, suspicion lacing her tone.
Yu Sheng hesitated, gathering his thoughts before responding cautiously. “So far… none that I’ve noticed. Physically and mentally, I feel fine.”
Irene kept her gaze fixed on Yu Sheng’s eyes. “Even in the future, you must do your best to avoid such ‘Resurrections.’”
Yu Sheng sighed helplessly. “Of course, I know.”
“The repercussions might come far in the future, and the price could manifest in ways you cannot even imagine,” Irene insisted, as if afraid that Yu Sheng hadn’t fully grasped the gravity of her warning. “The world tends toward balance. Anything that exceeds reason and order will inevitably encounter a ‘rebound’ from those very principles. And Resurrection… It’s the most absurd phenomenon among all super-rational events. Although you claim nothing unusual has surfaced, I find that hard to believe.”
She paused, her expression stern as she clarified, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s that I don’t trust the ‘appearance’ of this situation.”
“I understand, I understand,” Yu Sheng nodded seriously, but then spread his hands in mild frustration. “But let’s be honest, has there been a single time I died voluntarily?”
“…Right,” Irene admitted.
“I just keep a positive mindset, since there’s no other choice. In that situation at the Valley, I could only maintain my composure,” Yu Sheng sighed. “I know you’re worried, but don’t worry—I have my own judgment.”
Irene stared at him for a long while before finally mumbling under her breath, “Fine… Just remember it… I’m still waiting for you to make me a body.”
Yu Sheng exhaled, feeling a bit relieved. One had to admit, this Doll’s adaptability was quite impressive. Such an outlandish situation, yet she ultimately accepted it with surprising ease…
Suddenly, Irene raised her head again, looking like she couldn’t hold back any longer. “Hey, seriously—are you really human? Are you sure you were born and raised eating regular food? Can’t you remember if something weird happened in your childhood…?”
“…” Yu Sheng stayed silent, immediately retracting his previous thoughts—maybe this Doll’s adaptability wasn’t that strong after all.
After casually brushing off a few more of her murmurs, Yu Sheng didn’t dwell on them. He still remembered his original plan after testing the ‘Blood’ phenomenon: Continue familiarizing himself with the characteristics of ‘Door’ opening, pinpointing the replication channel and accurately locating the ‘Landing Point.’
The goal was to eventually open the Door leading to the Valley.
To deliver food to Foxy.
Irene finally quieted down, watching as Yu Sheng gripped the kitchen Door handle. After hesitating for a long time, she couldn’t help but ask, “Even if you find that Door back to the Valley, have you thought about how to deal with Hunger?”
Yu Sheng slowly turned the handle, sensing that subtle feeling from his ‘Spiritual Intuition,’ and answered calmly, “I’ll take it one step at a time.”
“That’s not even a plan!” Irene’s eyes practically burned holes through his back. “Are you going to feed Foxy or that monster?!”
“I mean, if I can defeat the Entity’s manifestation of Hunger, that would be best. Temporarily neutralizing it might help Foxy break free from Hunger’s influence. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try bringing Foxy out through the Door, but that might leave lingering effects—she could still be targeted by Hunger. If neither option works, at the very least, I’ll deliver food so she’ll feel a bit better. As long as I can stabilize the Door-opening method, we can strategize long-term.”
“I’m saying to take it one step at a time—choose one of those three options when the situation demands. As for how to fight the Entity… I honestly don’t have a solid plan yet.”
“Well, at least you’re not just barging in blindly to feed the monster,” Irene sighed, sounding somewhat reassured.
Yu Sheng hesitated, suppressing the urge to say, ‘If the monster eats me, it might mess up its mouth and stomach.’ He knew that if he spoke those words aloud, the Doll would probably ramble on endlessly…
With that random thought flickering through his mind, Yu Sheng slowly pulled open the kitchen Door.
A vast, empty darkness stretched beyond it. Distant, dim stars twinkled in the void. Apart from that… there seemed to be nothing at all.
Yu Sheng stared at the emptiness beyond the Door, and after a moment, realization hit him. He slammed the Door shut with a loud bang.
“What the hell—it’s outer space!”