Chapter 269: Aftermath

The group filed one by one through the great door leading back to the real world; Yu Sheng, as usual, stayed at the rear of the line. Before stepping through the door, he turned back one last time to take another look at this fog-shrouded "block within the mirror."

The otherworld's self-repair trait began to take effect; the streets damaged by battle were slowly recovering within the mist. No new entities had appeared yet, and the surroundings were utterly calm, so still that the earlier eerie clamor of the clustered entities and the perilous fierce battle seemed nothing but an illusion.

After a moment of thought, Yu Sheng bit hard on his own finger, flicking a few drops of fresh blood onto the nearby road surface. At the same time, he once again confirmed the coordinates for opening a door within this unfamiliar "otherworld," only then passing through the gate to return to reality.

Before the Wanxiangji Mall, a special "ambulance" dispatched by the Special Operations Bureau had already arrived at the square. The young man who had narrowly escaped with his life was, as soon as he passed through the door, ushered into the vehicle by several Special Operations Bureau agents—

First came an emergency check to confirm whether any residual mental contamination or other "aftereffects" of contact with the otherworld remained, alongside a security scan to prevent anything that should not enter the real world from slipping out with him. Next came a routine cleaning of the "resin" still clinging to his body, followed by professional psychological counseling and an explanation of precautions for those newly encountering otherworlds and entities...

The most important precaution was to keep an open mind.

Clearly, the Special Operations Bureau had a very professional procedure for handling this.

It was an hour later before Yu Sheng and the others saw the young man again.

He held a cup of medicinal tea said to have a "gentle calming effect," sitting in the carriage and slowly sipping it, his gaze somewhat dazed. Only when Yu Sheng's trio and Little Red Riding Hood sat opposite him did he finally snap out of his trance, then force a smile in their direction—still looking as if he had barely survived a shock, yet utterly exhausted.

"How are you feeling now?" Yu Sheng asked casually.

"My whole body still feels sticky; I can't get all that resin off. I want to take a shower as soon as I get home," the young man sighed. "And I'm exhausted, like I've run three thousand meters... Ah, well, I did run for a long time, more than three thousand meters. A bunch of messy things in the mist were chasing me..."

"A bunch?" Yu Sheng instinctively raised an eyebrow. "What kind?"

"I didn't get a clear look, and I can't remember," the young man said with a mournful face. "I don't even dare to think about it now; it was terrifying... I just remember being caught up by a tree with legs that ran around. That tree looked like an old woman. It swung a branch at me, knocking me to the ground, then vomited all over me. When I opened my eyes again, I saw you all... And at that time, the Miss beside you was a fox three or four meters tall..."

As he spoke, he instinctively glanced at Hu Li again, his eyes still holding traces of shock, as if the memories and emotions of that moment remained imprinted in his mind like a lingering "afterimage." But immediately afterward, he realized his mistake and quickly apologized: "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean anything by it; I was just startled back then..."

Hu Li didn't care at all—she was busy rummaging through Yu Sheng's pocket for cookies to eat.

Although her tail held many food reserves, rummaging for snacks from the benefactor's person was always the fox Miss's favorite thing to do.

"He still seems to have some behavioral impairment and short-term mental paralysis," Little Red Riding Hood leaned over and whispered to Yu Sheng. "The medicine hasn't worn off yet. Although the rationality-treatment drugs given to ordinary people encountering the otherworld for the first time are reduced and reduced again, since this is his first time taking medication, the effects will last a while."

Yu Sheng nodded understandingly, then looked at the young man opposite: "Big nephew, do you remember how you 'fell' into the other side?"

"The two Special Operations Bureau people on the bus just asked me, but I really can't recall the details," the young man said apologetically. "I don't even know from what moment things around me started to seem off. I often zone out and get confused; I didn't notice anything when I came over this morning..."

He paused here, then continued while trying hard to remember: "I just remember entering a side door of the mall... That side door seemed newly opened. I walked straight in, lost in thought, and only noticed how quiet it was nearby as I kept walking. When I looked up, I saw everyone in the mall had turned into blurry shadows, and mist had risen all around. Then, with another blink, even the shadows were gone. Suddenly, I was the only one left in the mall. My phone signal was dead; I dialed several numbers but couldn't get through..."

Yu Sheng listened with a serious expression. At this moment, Erin beside him asked, "Then, big nephew, do you remember knocking on the glass of the storefront window at the mall entrance? Did you hear anything at that time? Besides the sound, what else could you see?"

"Actually, I didn't even hear it clearly. Everything that happened in the mist felt like an illusion. I just felt the glass moving, so I went over and knocked. I couldn't see anything inside the glass, only the mist on the street," the young man said, then tried hard to recall for a long while, but still shook his head regretfully. "I couldn't remember anything more."

"Then, big nephew, you..."

"Uh, I have a name," the young man finally couldn't hold back under the constant "big nephew" address. He awkwardly raised a finger to point at himself. "My name is Zheng Zhi..."

As soon as he said his name, the carriage fell instantly silent, the atmosphere becoming even more subtle than before. "... Isn't that still 'big Zhi-zi'!" Erin stood directly on the seat, hands on her hips with righteous indignation. "Who gave you that name?"

"My grandmother," the young man opposite said with an innocent expression. "She hoped I could become an upright person..."

"Ahem," Yu Sheng finally couldn't help but cough twice, cutting off this meaningless topic. "Zheng Zhi, right? Fine, I've noted it. Judging by your current state, I suppose you can't recall any useful details. We won't ask further. Go home and rest first. The Special Operations Bureau said they will arrange a car to send you back. If you remember anything later at home, contact us immediately."

"Okay," the young man named Zheng Zhi nodded immediately, then his expression turned somewhat strange. After hesitating for two or three seconds, he cautiously spoke up: "Also, since you saved me, I should give you a reward, right? I've heard that you are professional 'Spirit World Detectives,' and Spirit World Detectives charge money for their work..."

He stopped here, probably fearing Yu Sheng and the others might misunderstand, and quickly added: "I have money, I do, though maybe not much. I don't know your industry's fee standards..."

He appeared nervous and at a loss, his voice lacking confidence as he spoke.

Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood exchanged glances, both feeling somewhat amused yet helpless.

"Don't worry about that," Little Red Riding Hood said with a helpless expression. "Spirit World Detectives aren't heartless money-making machines. Unless someone signs a paid commission with us in advance to rescue someone from the otherworld, then for cases like yours where you were accidentally trapped, our rule is to save people first regardless of any gain. Later, the Special Operations Bureau will reward us—they have a specific incentive system for this."

Zheng Zhi finally went "oh," scratched his head, and showed another slightly awkward smile.

"However, I have a few words to remind you of," Little Red Riding Hood spoke up again. "I don't know if those people from the Special Operations Bureau mentioned it to you just now... You must be 'careful' from now on."

Zheng Zhi's complexion clearly changed, then he bitterly smiled and spread his hands: "They reminded me."

!

"Once you have dealt with the 'other side,' you have established a connection with those things beyond the boundaries of sanity. This connection is irreversible," Little Red Riding Hood said seriously. "From now on, you will have a higher probability of seeing things ordinary people cannot see, of seeing those hidden entrances and 'anomalous entities' hiding away. Given that you yourself possess a 'high sensitivity, low stability' constitution, this situation may be even more severe for you. There is a high probability you will fall into the otherworld again."

"... The Special Operations Bureau told me the same thing," Zheng Zhi said, his two hands clasped tightly together, his knuckles turning somewhat white. "They said they would arrange for community registration for me. From now on, I can go to the 'Otherworld Physician' to collect medicine. After passing the adaptation period, I can use reduced doses of rationality blockers. That stuff can weaken my connection with the 'other side.' They also said they would arrange follow-up 'training' for me, mainly teaching me some basic knowledge of the occult, so I can perform simple self-protection when encountering abnormal situations..."

As he spoke, he let out a sigh: "Sigh, my uncle was most afraid of this before he passed away, yet I still ended up facing it."

"As long as you know, that's enough," Little Red Riding Hood nodded gently. "Then I won't put pressure on you. Don't think too much after you get back. Take a shower, sleep, eat and drink as usual. Nervousness and anxiety are useless. Trust the Special Operations Bureau and the Council. If something happens, first call the emergency number they left you, or contact us directly."

Zheng Zhi left with a worried expression, taking the Special Operations Bureau's car home.

Yu Sheng walked out of the carriage. Watching the other person leave, he couldn't help but mutter softly: "Sigh, what bad luck..."

"It is bad luck," Liu Bing's voice came from beside him, "but in the Borderlands, such unlucky situations are not rare for people like him."

Saying this, he turned his head, looking at Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood.

"I have already reported the basic situation to my superiors, and the reward fund application has been submitted as well. You saved a person, plus the discovery of a brand-new otherworld and the raw data collected within that new otherworld. The bonus won't be small; there will be three or four hundred thousand. It will be transferred directly to the accounts of 'Fairy Tale' and 'Inn' later."

Upon hearing this, the smile on Yu Sheng's face instantly became heartfelt.

He is simply such a pure person.

(End of Chapter)