Chapter 157: All Are Strangers

On the Nth floor, the "roof" of the Borderland—the Special Tasks Bureau's headquarters building's most unique observation deck—even after passing through those doors and seeing countless unbelievable vistas, Yu Sheng was still awestruck by this small island floating in nothingness and the magnificent stream of light spanning the sky above it; this nothingness and the radiance at its end even stirred in him certain associations—associations with… the end of the world.

But perhaps this association did not come from the view before him, but from the current topic.

Yu Sheng swirled the ice cubes in his glass, watching the transparent crystals collide endlessly in the water, and after a long while, he spoke: "I heard the world beyond the Borderland is vast—beyond those 'doors,' I've indeed seen many distant vistas. Li Lin and the others told me that even with the Special Tasks Bureau's influence, we cannot even reach the edge of the world; beyond the starry river, no one knows how many more sights lie in the boundless universe."

"You're right, this world truly is vast. Though the vast majority living in the Borderland never consider such things, those of us like you and I must adopt some 'long-term' way of thinking," Bai Liqing said calmly, "yet even so, we still have over an eighty percent certainty that 'Hu Li' comes from 'outside,' not from some distant, undiscovered corner of this universe."

Yu Sheng frowned involuntarily: "Why?"

"The reasons are comprehensive," Bai Liqing said patiently. "We analyzed her hair samples—some components exceeded our understanding. We assessed the civilization level of the 'homeland' in her memories; if such a civilization truly existed, this universe should be littered with its traces—the ripples from its starfaring would have permeated the cosmic background radiation, spreading throughout spacetime. We also employed certain mystical methods… would you like to hear about them?"

"No need. I just need to know this conclusion was reached seriously by your team," Yu Sheng waved his hand, then fell silent, lost in deep thought.

Hu Li's homeland was far away—he'd known that from the start—but he hadn't imagined it could be beyond the world itself.

In fact, back in that room, when Bai Liqing told him the current investigation results and asked Hu Li that string of questions, he had already vaguely guessed this answer—the answer might be unimaginable to ordinary people, but to Yu Sheng, it wasn't entirely unacceptable.

Because he knew he himself came from a "distant" place—in this sense, he and Hu Li were very much alike.

Yu Sheng pondered: which homeland—his own or Hu Li's—was farther? Which was harder to return to?

Was his memory of that quiet seaside town truly behind one of those doors? Could Hu Li's distant home also be reached again through a "crack"? Hu Li's homeland lay beyond the world—then what of his own? Was that small town even part of this world?

In the end… this "world," this world that included the Borderland—was it still what he understood it to be? Yu Sheng was already beginning to lose clarity.

Bai Liqing said nothing. She simply sat quietly across from Yu Sheng, her colorless eyes fixed on the man before her, never once breaking gaze.

In her vision, another pair of phantom eyes slowly opened in the distance—eyes as colorless as hers, insubstantial and ethereal, like reflections in nothingness, now observing Yu Sheng in deep thought from another angle alongside her.

A voice devoid of emotional fluctuation echoed in Bai Liqing's mind: "Incredible… I'm looking at him directly, yet I still can't discern what he truly is. He seems… not here at all, yet radiates an intense sense of presence. He's a very interesting fellow, sister."

Bai Liqing's expression didn't change; she replied silently in her mind: "Don't do anything reckless. Don't cause misunderstandings."

"It's fine. No one can see a 'gaze,'" the eyes said calmly. "I'm merely satisfying my curiosity."

Yu Sheng turned his head, glanced back, then looked at Bai Liqing again, pointing behind him: "Your friend?"

Bai Liqing: "…?!!!"

Yu Sheng was stunned—mainly because he'd always assumed Bai Liqing was a stoic; he never imagined this sister could widen her eyes so dramatically.

The next second, Bai Liqing blurted out: "You can see her?!"

"Uh… shouldn't I be able to?" Yu Sheng was now confused. He pointed at himself in bewilderment, confirming that the sudden pair of giant eyes staring at him from behind were indeed connected to Bai Liqing, then turned to face the phantom eyes and greeted them: "Uh, I'm Yu Sheng. You…"

The eyes vanished instantly.

Yu Sheng was taken aback.

He'd noticed the eyes appearing behind him from the start—after all, the thing made no effort to conceal itself and was huge enough to catch his peripheral vision. Honestly, he'd felt a brief shock and tension at first, but quickly noticed Bai Liqing's face remained utterly unchanged, and from her gaze, he deduced she too saw those "giant eyes"—so he instantly calmed down.

After all, he'd seen plenty of bizarre things in the Borderland, so he'd immediately assumed the giant eye was just a normal "phenomenon" here—but now, seeing Bai Liqing's reaction, he suspected his judgment might be wrong…

Bai Liqing remained frozen—the longest she'd ever been stunned since becoming Director of the Special Tasks Bureau. After a long while, her expression finally adjusted. She ignored the constant noise in her mind and said to Yu Sheng: "You're the first person—aside from me—to see her."

Yu Sheng opened his mouth, realizing he hadn't considered this possibility at all; his expression grew awkward: "I didn't know… she was just floating there… she's really your friend? An invisible friend? Who is she?"

Bai Liqing looked deeply conflicted. After much hesitation, she sighed: "My sister." Now it was Yu Sheng's turn to be speechless: "…?"

He wanted to say, "Your sister certainly has a distinctive appearance," but after much hesitation, he held his tongue.

He also noticed Bai Liqing seemed unwilling to discuss this with outsiders, so he quickly cleared his throat and said: "Ah, this seems to involve secrets—I won't pry further. But why did she suddenly appear just now? And why did she vanish the moment I greeted her? Did I scare her?"

Bai Liqing sighed: "Yes."

"…Then please apologize for me?"

"Alright."

Yu Sheng felt the director-sister before him seemed slightly weary.

He shook his head, drained the ice water in his glass, exhaled deeply, and rose from the sofa.

"Let's go back."

"Don't you want to ask more?" Bai Liqing looked at him, puzzled.

!.

"Ask more? About what?" Yu Sheng spread his hands. "About Hu Li? Or about your sister?"

He smiled, shaking his head gently: "I already know what I need to know. I won't pry into your private affairs. As for Hu Li—unless we truly find her homeland and a way to send her home, I don't care about anything else."

As he spoke, Yu Sheng had already stepped toward the nearby "elevator," but after taking a few steps, he suddenly paused, turned back to Bai Liqing: "Wait—there actually is one thing… According to what you just said, Hu Li and those 'Dark Angels' both came from 'outside,' right?"

"Yes," Bai Liqing did not evade, and her follow-up was candid: "But right now, we only know that 'something' exists beyond the world. We know nothing about what 'outside' is like—neither the origins or purposes of the Dark Angels, nor Hu Li's homeland, have any clues."

"Hmm," Yu Sheng seemed unconcerned with Bai Liqing's latter half; he merely nodded, then continued thoughtfully: "If any information about the Dark Angels emerges in the future, can you tell me first?"

Bai Liqing was surprised. She looked at Yu Sheng, hesitated for two seconds: "You want to…"

"I promised to send her home. Even though she keeps saying she doesn't care… I think she deserves the chance to choose," Yu Sheng said seriously. "I don't care where the Dark Angels came from or what their goals are—but I'm deeply interested in how they made their 'holes.' Also, if Hu Li and her parents really crashed into Nightfall Valley because of the Dark Angels, then I have a debt to settle with them."

Bai Liqing watched Yu Sheng's earnest face silently. No one could tell what she was thinking, but after a moment, she nodded.

"Alright. Since you've requested it, the Special Tasks Bureau will prioritize sharing this information with the 'Inn.'"

"Thank you."

"Let me add one thing," Bai Liqing thought for a moment, then said, "You seem very concerned about the people around you. You should know dealing with the Dark Angels… is extremely dangerous."

"I know," Yu Sheng smiled, a touch of helplessness in it. "Several people have warned me already. But what can I do? She calls me 'Gracious Lord'—in this world, she has no other family."

"I understand."

Bai Liqing nodded, and asked no more.

But whether it was an illusion or not, Yu Sheng always felt the female director before him seemed… slightly lighter after his answer.

(End of Chapter)