Chapter 72

Chapter 72: A World Unveiled

Yu Sheng’s question made Bai Li Qing lift an eyebrow, subtle but immediate.

“Borderland is, of course, one of a kind,” she said. “A ‘world nexus’ isn’t mass-produced.”

“I’m talking about Boundary City,” Yu Sheng said, serious now. “If Borderland is unique, what about Boundary City? This city inside Borderland—could there be another city like it somewhere in the world?”

He paused, eyes locked on hers. “Very similar, but not quite. Same name. Some locations share the same names too. But it isn’t extraordinary like this place. It’s just… ordinary.”

“If this world has an observable scale of tens of billions of light-years—or even wider—then in a range that huge, is it possible a city like what I described exists?”

Yu Sheng wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Bai Li Qing’s expression grew unusually grave as she listened.

She fell silent for several seconds before speaking carefully. “About your ‘hypothesis’—I’ll call it a hypothesis for now. Scholars do have an assumption, and it goes like this.”

“If the universe’s spatial and temporal scales are infinite—or at least statistically near-infinite within the range human minds can imagine—then it’s possible for two identical or highly similar places to appear. Two planets with extremely similar parameters. Two similar mountain peaks. Even… two very similar histories.”

“The probability of such mirrors might be low, but given enough time and enough space, it is never zero.”

Yu Sheng thought for a moment and nodded. “I think I’ve heard a theory like that…”

“Then I’ll tell you one limitation of that assumption—the non-public part,” Bai Li Qing said. “Even if it’s true, even if any place and event might have a mirror somewhere in infinite time and space, there are two exceptions. They will not have mirrors.”

“First, a planet called Terra. It lies deep among the stars, far from here, but it has hidden connections to Borderland.”

“Second, this Borderland.”

“In other words, there won’t be a second Boundary City in this world. Boundary City is a component of Borderland, and Borderland itself… has no mirror. No matter how boundless space is, no matter how infinite time is, from past to future, there will only ever be this one Borderland, this one Boundary City.”

Yu Sheng’s eyes widened slightly. For a long time, he didn’t speak.

“Judging by your reaction…” Bai Li Qing adjusted her posture. “You’re almost certain another ‘Boundary City’ exists—and you’ve even seen it?”

Yu Sheng forced down the rush in his chest. He inhaled slowly, then tapped the tabletop once, as if anchoring himself.

“Yes. I’ve seen it. It was a small coastal town. From the southern end to the northern end, you could drive across it in thirty minutes. There was no Otherworld, no Special Operations Bureau. People lived normal lives.”

“The sunlight… the sunlight was always good—soft, never harsh on the eyes. And the sunsets were beautiful.”

He described scene after scene from memory. He didn’t hide anything. She already knew the truth about No. 66, wu tong road. And if anyone could help him, it would be the person responsible for managing Otherworld affairs.

Bai Li Qing listened without interruption. Her colorless eyes hid whatever she was thinking. Only after Yu Sheng finished did she say, “May I see it?”

Yu Sheng blinked. “See it? How?”

Bai Li Qing reached out and pressed her hand to his temple.

The touch was icy. A brief wave of dizziness followed, like the world tilting by a degree.

“This is my ability,” Bai Li Qing said seriously. “If you don’t mind, open your imagination to me for a moment. Of course, if you don’t feel safe, I won’t force you.”

Yu Sheng frowned. He weighed it quickly, then nodded.

He closed his eyes and pictured his hometown as clearly as he could—the look of that other Boundary City.

The ordinary coastal city rose in his mind, and then he felt it: as if another pair of eyes was watching those imagined scenes with him.

A moment later, he opened his eyes.

Bai Li Qing still had her eyes closed. Behind her, the endlessly extending cafe began collapsing from far to near. The neatly arranged, repeating tables and chairs were swallowed by darkness. The structure folded into an invisible abyss, falling without a sound.

Yu Sheng shot to his feet, panic flaring. “Hey! This place is collapsing! Hey, wake up—th—”

Before he could finish, Bai Li Qing opened her eyes. “It’s fine. Just a minor aftereffect of using my ability.”

As she spoke, the collapsed cafe returned to normal with the same soundless inevitability. The tables and chairs reappeared, the darkness retreating as if it had never been there.

Yu Sheng swallowed. He forced a laugh that didn’t quite land. “Oh… your ability is pretty… flashy.”

Bai Li Qing didn’t respond. She rubbed her forehead lightly, thinking.

“You saw it all?” Yu Sheng asked. “So what do you think…?”

“I saw it. It was as you said—a calm coastal city,” Bai Li Qing said, cutting him off. She hesitated for a fraction of a beat, then continued as if the pause had never existed. “And many places carried the shadow of this city.”

“I believe you truly saw such a ‘Boundary City.’ But I’m curious—why are you so fixated on this place?”

“For personal reasons.” Yu Sheng’s voice was quiet but firm. “I want to find it. But by what you said…”

“Theory is still theory.” Bai Li Qing shook her head, and for the first time her certainty softened into something more cautious. “In fact, I still don’t believe a second Borderland exists. But if it’s only that some place happens to resemble this city in its architecture and layout… that isn’t completely impossible.”

Yu Sheng looked at her, suspicious. “…Really?”

“Who knows?” Bai Li Qing exhaled. “A scholar once said our universe is still very young. Some new laws of physics may not even have been born yet. So everything human understanding says about this world might be wrong—or might be overturned someday.”

“Right now, I do believe the Boundary City you showed me truly exists. It’s just… not recorded in Borderland’s archives.”

“And if one day you find it…”

“You’ll be the first to know,” Bai Li Qing said, nodding solemnly.

Yu Sheng thanked her.

But he didn’t fully believe her. Instinct told him she wasn’t being completely sincere about this particular matter.

He didn’t know where that feeling came from, and he decided not to press.

“I have another question,” Yu Sheng said, switching topics. “I’m asking for a friend.”

Bai Li Qing nodded. “Ask. I have plenty of time today.”

Yu Sheng considered his words. “About ‘Alice little house’—does the Special Operations Bureau know this organization?”

“Alice little house? Of course,” Bai Li Qing said immediately. “Those living dolls are active in the supernatural field. We’ve dealt with them many times.”

Yu Sheng’s heart jumped. So he’d finally found the right thread. “You mean Alice’s dolls? Then that means this little house is registered with the Special Operations Bureau?”

“No. You’ve misunderstood,” Bai Li Qing said, shaking her head. “Alice little house isn’t something registered with the Special Operations Bureau. It’s an independent force outside Borderland. Even though they keep a low profile, their influence is not actually smaller than ours.”

Yu Sheng stared. “…?”

“This world doesn’t have only one special place called Borderland, and naturally it doesn’t have only one major organization called the Special Operations Bureau,” Bai Li Qing said. “We’re only one of many official organizations that deal with Otherworld and entities.”

“Besides us, there’s the Bamosian-built ‘the Bamosa Hermit Society,’ Terra’s ‘the Academy’ and ‘the Archaeological Association,’ the Alglade people’s ‘the Astrology Association,’ and so on.”

“The Alice little house you mentioned is also a similar independent force. They follow an ancient holy spirit called Alice. They are ancient creations directly blessed by the holy spirit. The era they were active in was even earlier than the Special Operations Bureau.”

Yu Sheng went silent.

So Irene really did have that kind of background.

So Little Doll hadn’t been bragging all this time.

Yu Sheng didn’t bother hiding his expression. Bai Li Qing noticed at once. “I remember the report mentioned there’s also a ‘doll’ by your side?”

“That’s right. Her name is Irene. She claims she’s one of Alice’s dolls, but she was accidentally sealed for a long time.”

“But I remember the report also mentioned her height is only about this tall…” Bai Li Qing lifted her hand and measured a height in the air beside the table.

Yu Sheng touched his nose, embarrassed. “Yeah… that’s another accident…”