Chapter 47: The Road Splits in Two

"Our feet are on the ground!"

Erin stood on a heavy, black stone, struggling to hold a cleaver with both hands. She forced herself into a pose she thought looked imposing against the night wind and shouted into the empty valley.

Yu Sheng poked the doll's head with one finger, nearly knocking her off the stone. "Stop making such a fuss. We haven't found Hu Li yet. If you keep this up, you'll attract 'Hunger's' attention prematurely."

"That thing doesn't sense us by hearing," Erin said, hopping down from the stone with a pout. She tightened the straps holding the picture frame on her back, then looked up to survey the surroundings. "... It really is desolate. And just like you said, it's eerie and sinister. It's as if something is covering the sky."

"Be careful," Yu Sheng said, glancing at the tiny Erin, who showed almost no combat capability. Although he knew this doll possessed many strange abilities, he couldn't help but add a warning. "If anything happens, prioritize protecting yourself. I'm not afraid of death, but you are different. Neither of us can be sure if your soul will survive if this temporary body is destroyed."

"Don't worry, I'll protect myself. And to be honest, 'Hunger' isn't much of a threat to me," Erin said, tilting her head back. "Dolls generally aren't affected by mental influences. And more importantly—I don't get hungry."

"Right, you don't get hungry, but you're still quite greedy. Even when I drink water, you have to stare at it twice," Yu Sheng muttered, glancing at his feet.

The several large plastic bags they brought were all there, instantly relieving him. Such caution and meticulousness when opening the door had been necessary. He had sent all the "load" through the gate, so at least the beginning went smoothly.

Yu Sheng bent down and easily lifted the food, which would have been quite heavy for an ordinary person, then looked ahead into the distance.

The collapsed, dilapidated temple stood quietly in the night, not much different from when he had left.

"Let's go over there first. Hu Li should be nearby; I can feel it," Yu Sheng said softly, stepping into the night.

Then, after taking just two steps, he heard Erin shouting behind him: "Hey, wait! Slow down! I can't keep up!"

Yu Sheng turned his head and saw the 66.6-centimeter-tall little doll dragging a cleaver with one hand while balancing with the other. She navigated around several large stones on the road as if crossing mountains and rivers, then waded through the rocky valley floor, stepping deep and shallow among the scattered stones.

Obstacles that an ordinary person would simply step over required her to climb or take a long detour...

Yu Sheng watched the scene speechlessly, suddenly sighed, walked over, and squatted in front of Erin. "You should sit on my shoulders—but don't say 'giddy-up'!"

Erin instantly became overjoyed, holding up the cleaver and running toward Yu Sheng. "Hey! You're so nice!"

Yu Sheng immediately let out a loud cry. "Put that thing away first! Or at least change the direction of the blade!"

Good heavens, a living doll with blood-red eyes charging at his neck with a cleaver in the night was way too terrifying.

Yu Sheng wasn't afraid of death, but he was afraid of that.

"Where exactly have we been sent?" Li Lin shivered as the cold wind blew through the forest, a growing sense of unease swirling in his heart. "Is this still the Borderland?"

"Otherworld, Night Valley, current depth L-3, gradually sinking toward L-4. Danger assessment... according to data records, above Level 3," Xu Jiali's voice came from the side. The burly man, nearly two meters tall, had somehow connected a portable depth detector to his eyeball. He was scanning the surroundings while speaking rapidly based on data memorized in his mind. "This Otherworld is classified as 'Wilderness'—we're in big trouble."

Li Lin's eyes slowly widened. Prompted by Xu Jiali, he finally recalled the data he had encountered during training.

"Wilderness"-type Otherworlds are large-scale, have no clear boundaries or exits, and require specific conditions, times, or directions to leave. A depth of L-3 means this place is basically completely isolated from reality, operates on rules that defy reason, and long-term stay carries a high probability of mental and cognitive erosion. Danger Level 3 means there is obvious malice here; something is lurking that will actively attack and try to kill intruders. The threat is fatal and cannot be avoided or countered by methods like "following rules."

Operating in an Otherworld of this level usually requires at least a full squad of Special Bureau agents, over a dozen people, fully armed and carrying heavy equipment.

And that's just for an investigation mission—in other words, the goal is merely to gather intelligence and evacuate alive, not to attempt to confront the entities here. That would require even more manpower or more senior special personnel.

Li Lin looked around. Including Xu Jiali, there were only two Special Bureau agents on site. Although one was a Deep Diver, a special personnel dedicated to combating entities, the incident happened suddenly, and this tough guy hadn't brought much equipment.

Beside them was a minor "Spirit World Detective" taking on an outsourced job, reportedly of the reconnaissance type.

Fate is completely screwed.

"Give the food in your hands to that little girl over there," Xu Jiali, the most experienced person on site, broke the silence, giving orders with a serious face. "Li Lin, you and I will use this."

Li Lin quickly snapped out of his "Fate is completely screwed" lament and, without hesitation, executed the senior agent's instructions. He handed the two bowls of instant noodles directly to the still-confused Little Red Riding Hood, then reached out to take what Xu Jiali offered. It was a needleless syringe containing a pale green liquid that glowed faintly in the night.

Sanity Blocker.

Li Lin looked up in shock, watching his colleague press the syringe against his arm.

"The entities generated here are 'Hunger,' which tend to have mental attacks," the burly man said calmly. "Judging by the name, you should know what this is about. Get a shot first. Although the side effects are worse than the nebulizer, it will at least guarantee you won't lose your judgment for forty-eight hours."

Li Lin nodded. With a "pfft" sound, he injected the Sanity Blocker from the syringe into his body.

Meanwhile, Little Red Riding Hood reacted instantly upon hearing the name "Hunger." She immediately stepped forward. "Wait, then you two should eat quickly. Your bodies are still ordinary; I can withstand much more than you. And I have snacks on me..."

"Listen to me," Xu Jiali cut her off directly. The nearly two-meter-tall burly man stood in the night, towering almost two heads above Little Red Riding Hood. He looked down at the girl before him with an exceptionally serious expression. "I know your situation."

Little Red Riding Hood opened her mouth but finally said nothing more.

Xu Jiali patted her shoulder. His low voice seemed to carry a reassuring power. "This is for us too. Your wolf pack is our greatest hope for combating entities. You must maintain your combat effectiveness."

Li Lin watched Little Red Riding Hood squat down beside a stone nearby and silently start eating the now-cold instant noodles. He turned to glance at his colleague beside him, his expression showing some confusion.

!.

Xu Jiali shook his head gently and lowered his voice. "If she falls into hunger, her wolves will eat her."

In the night, the wolf pack emitted uneasy, low whimpers in the forest.

In the cold wind, the malicious "gaze" was spreading through the valley.

In the ruins of the dilapidated temple, Yu Sheng and Erin searched carefully.

The omnipresent stench of decay seemed to grow even stronger, even drilling into their nostrils as if it had consciousness, making people extremely uncomfortable.

Erin simply stopped breathing.

This made Yu Sheng quite envious.

"Are you sure that fox is here?" Erin asked, holding a cleaver in one hand and Yu Sheng's hair in the other. She sat on the latter's shoulders, stretching her neck and straining to look around. "I can't see anything..."

"Yes, I'm sure," Yu Sheng said casually. "There is a weak connection between her and me, established through blood. There is one with you too, although you might not notice it yourself."

"Oh, really?" Erin looked at Yu Sheng skeptically, then looked down at her own hand, as if pondering what the "weak connection" the other person mentioned was.

Just then, a faint rustling sound suddenly came from the silent ruins, interrupting Erin's pondering and Yu Sheng's movements.

Both of them raised their heads almost simultaneously, looking toward the direction of the sound.

A white figure cautiously emerged from behind a collapsed wall section.

A silver-white fox tail swayed gently in the night, and fluffy ears trembled slightly in the wind. The fox spirit girl who had emerged from the ruins stared with wide eyes at the figure standing not far away. Once she finally made out who it was, she immediately smiled happily.

"Benefactor!"

Hu Li ran out from behind the broken wall, sweeping over the scattered bricks and tiles on the road almost like a gust of wind. She circled around Yu Sheng twice quickly before stopping in front of him, her face filled with pure joy and a hint of disbelief. "You really came! Benefactor, really?"

"Yes, it's me, it's true," Yu Sheng smiled happily as well. Immediately, he placed the things in his hands on the ground. "I brought you lots of delicious food. Starting today, you won't go hungry anymore."

(End of Chapter)