Chapter 82: Bai Li Qing’s Judgment
Irene always thought Yu Sheng had an endless supply of strange ideas—and he always pursued them with relentless energy. She had no doubts about this ever since he once pulled two lotus roots out of a drawer.
Compared to those past antics—like “cutting off some flesh from a Dangerous Entity to sample the flavor” or “using lotus roots to make a body for the Doll Lady”—trying to grow vegetables in the now-calm space of the Otherworld seemed almost reasonable.
After wandering a bit more through the Valley and confirming from the far side that a “spatial boundary” existed, Yu Sheng and his two companions decided to temporarily return to the Civilized World.
Crossing through the great Door, the familiar living room greeted them, bathed in warm light. The night outside remained deep and dark. Standing by the living room window, Yu Sheng felt briefly dazed.
“It’s still bright over there,” Irene perched on the windowsill, peeking out, “I forgot it’s night here.”
“After that ‘Dark Angels’ left, the entire Valley stayed in daylight,” Yu Sheng nodded. “We spent so long there and the sky never changed.”
“That place doesn’t even have a sun. Where the light comes from is a mystery,” Irene leapt from the windowsill onto Yu Sheng, then swiftly clambered down his leg to the floor, casually chatting as she went, “If that’s the case, shouldn’t it be called ‘Daylight Valley’ instead…”
Yu Sheng’s eye twitched. Watching Irene’s smooth, natural climb, he asked, “Aren’t you a bit too good at climbing people?”
“Am I?” Irene tilted her head, completely shameless. “Maybe it’s just practice.”
Yu Sheng’s lips twitched—he seemed ready to retort, but just then, a sudden ringtone interrupted his thoughts.
He pulled out his phone. Unsurprisingly, the name Bai Li Qing appeared.
“I’ll take this,” Yu Sheng waved to Irene and Foxy, then walked to the dining area with the phone.
He had barely answered when Bai Li Qing’s calm voice came through the receiver: “You’re back?”
Her voice was so composed, Yu Sheng almost felt she was sitting in the living room with him, watching silently.
“Uh… yeah, we’re back,” Yu Sheng felt a strange pang of awkwardness. “Something stirring on your end again?”
“Mm. We’re used to it now,” Bai Li Qing responded coolly, cutting straight to the chase. “So, you saw Night Valley? What’s its current state?”
“We did,” Yu Sheng composed himself before responding—then suddenly asked, “Sounds like you can’t monitor it yourselves? Doesn’t the Special Affairs Bureau have the means to search or enter different Otherworlds?”
There was a pause.
“They’ve stopped working,” Bai Li Qing replied more directly than Yu Sheng expected. “After the Hunger incident ended, we tried to send in investigators—but they couldn’t find Night Valley.”
“Couldn’t find it?” Yu Sheng caught that phrasing instantly. “You mean it wasn’t just inaccessible—it was untraceable?”
“Exactly. To all conventional detection methods used by the Special Affairs Bureau, Night Valley has disappeared. That’s why I was surprised to hear that you not only found it, but can freely enter that Otherworld.”
Yu Sheng considered it. He’d never sensed any surprise from the perpetually poker-faced woman, but he appreciated her honesty.
“Then let me share what I’ve observed. First, the name Night Valley doesn’t really fit anymore. Ever since the thing you called ‘Dark Angels’ left, there’s been no night—perhaps this is how it was meant to be all along.
“Second, from what I can tell, the Dangerous Entity—Hunger—is gone. I believe it’s permanent.”
He distinctly heard Bai Li Qing draw in a breath—then a stifled gasp.
He felt her surprise.
A moment later, her voice, now a little urgent, came through: “Did you just say permanently gone? Do you understand how Entities and Otherworlds interact? No offense—just a question.”
“I get it. As long as the Otherworld exists, the Entity persists. But Hunger really is gone. And that Valley’s nature has changed. I may not have your Bureau’s fancy tools, but… broadly speaking, I think Night Valley as an Otherworld is gone too. What’s left is just a peaceful extradimensional space. Does that make sense? Like…”
Yu Sheng trailed off, uncertain how to describe it. But then, from the other end—
“Like a hollow shell, emptied out,” Bai Li Qing said.
Yu Sheng blinked. He hadn’t expected such a perfect description—but it was exactly right.
He had in truth concealed many things—among them, the details surrounding his role in triggering the “Banquet,” the nature of his connection with the Valley, the transformations his blood could induce, and the “vitality” now slowly awakening within that Valley. What Bai Li Qing knew came primarily from the reports relayed back by Li Lin and Xu Jiali. And yet…
This Madam Director of the Special Affairs Bureau possessed exceptional acuity and judgment.
“As for this ‘shell’—” Bai Li Qing’s voice echoed once more, smooth and composed. “The Special Affairs Bureau wishes to conduct an on-site investigation. Naturally, your consent and assistance are required.”
Yu Sheng hesitated for a moment.
It wasn’t that he harbored any particular distrust or resentment toward the Special Affairs Bureau. Up to this point, his interactions with their operatives had been amicable. But some truths demanded secrecy, and the Valley… was now bound to him in ways deeper than he could articulate.
Bai Li Qing, ever perceptive, caught that brief flicker of hesitation.
“You may take your time to consider,” she said patiently. Her tone remained distant and calm, yet there was an undercurrent of sincerity, as if she were making an effort to show good faith. “Should you choose to open the great Door, we are willing to let you appoint the investigators, control their numbers and timing, and observe the entire process. We only seek to collect crucial data. After all, this is unprecedented—a true ‘annihilation’ of an Otherworld and a Dangerous Entity. Surely, I need not elaborate on the significance of that for our kind.”
With the offer laid bare, Yu Sheng found it hard to outright refuse. “Alright, I’ll think it over these next few days.”
…
Song Cheng, watching Bai Li Qing make her call by the window, couldn’t help but whisper to the slightly balding and portly middle-aged man beside him, “Hey, Director Wu, was the Madam Director always this easygoing?”
“You’re asking me? You deal with her way more than I do,” grumbled Wu Bo Han, lowering his voice even further. “You know us in the Information Center—we’re practically invisible until the quarterly summaries. Your Operations Division even calls us ‘Server Cave Dwellers’…”
Song Cheng chuckled. “Honestly? Not inaccurate.”
Wu Bo Han shot him a glance, then nervously looked toward Bai Li Qing, still mid-call. “But seriously… this is the first time I’ve seen her talk to someone so patiently, so… pleasantly. That ‘Yu Sheng’ guy—is he really that important?”
“Important? No. He’s something else,” Song Cheng shrugged. “Your whole department’s been working nonstop and still haven’t felt it yet?”
“…Don’t get me started.”
Just as Song Cheng opened his mouth to quip again, a chill shot down his spine. He straightened at once.
A calm yet immense pressure was fixed on him.
“Entity-Hunger has been permanently erased.”
That single, quiet declaration from Bai Li Qing silenced all the chaos in Song Cheng’s mind. A deafening “What?” echoed through his soul.
His mouth opened, but no words came.
“When your two operatives return from leave, have them maintain close contact with ‘Yu Sheng,’” Bai Li Qing continued, unfazed by his stupor. “He retains Human emotional logic. His reactions are genuine. We need individuals to form stable bonds of trust and goodwill with him—your agents performed admirably. Also, send someone to Wutong Road No. 66 tomorrow to deliver the registration forms. Choose wisely—avoid those who treat Otherworlds and Dangerous Entities like archenemies. Find someone sharp. Likable.”
Song Cheng finally snapped back to attention. “Yes, Madam Director.”
Bai Li Qing gave a slight nod, then turned her gaze to the balding, rounder man beside him.
This was the Head of the Special Affairs Bureau’s Information Center.
“How are things on your end?” she asked.
“We’ve ruled out every possibility. From a systems perspective, no anomaly should even exist,” Wu Bo Han replied quickly, adjusting his posture. “We even tried deleting Yu Sheng’s file and re-registering him, but every operation failed. The entries seem to ‘float’ above the database—unreadable, uneditable, without error codes. Honestly… if the system won’t raise an alert soon, I might.”
“Rather than report, perhaps summon the professors from the Academy,” Song Cheng suggested. “Their incense rituals and binary prayers work wonders on Machine Spirits. They cured a depressed transport unit in Team Four last time.”
“I’ll contact Terra and have someone sent,” Bai Li Qing nodded gently. “But if even the Academy’s scholars fail, we drop it. For now—stop all attempts to alter Yu Sheng’s archive data.”
“Yes, Madam Director.”