Chapter 37: The First Step in Preparing the Body

Hearing Irene's request, Yu Sheng was somewhat surprised; he didn't know why she was bringing this up so solemnly at this particular moment.

Regarding the matter of crafting a body for this painted doll, they had indeed discussed it more than once before, but it had never been finalized. On one hand, it was because Yu Sheng and Irene still lacked mutual trust and understanding; on the other, there were simply too many chaotic matters currently underway, and Yu Sheng had no time to consider the issue of Irene's body.

But seeing the extremely solemn expression on the doll lady's face, Yu Sheng realized she wasn't bringing this up out of a whim or temporary caprice.

He looked at Irene with a questioning gaze.

"I want to go with you," Irene's answer was simple. "Just to look out for one another."

"Are you sure?" Yu Sheng's expression was a bit subtle. "Of course, I'm not doubting your strength..."

"Listen," Irene interrupted him. She leaned toward the edge of the frame, her face occupying nearly two-thirds of the picture, her tone exceptionally serious. "I'm not joking with you—while I don't know exactly how you plan to deal with that 'Entity,' judging by the fact that you can bring back 'local specialties' from them, you must have some skill. I won't ask what specific skills they are, but you should know that when dealing with the Outer Realms, being 'able to fight' isn't enough. At the very least, it isn't enough when dealing with a troublesome Entity like 'Hunger'."

As she spoke, she pulled back slightly: "Build me a body so I can regain some ability to move freely. It doesn't matter if it's crude, as long as I can break free from the shackles of this damn oil painting, I'll be able to do much more. Although I won't be able to recover my full strength, I will certainly be much stronger than an ordinary Investigator, or so-called Spirit World Detectives or Outer Realm Hunters. Even if I've forgotten much of my knowledge, I still possess the instincts of a living doll."

Yu Sheng stared fixedly at Irene, and Irene gazed back at him with her crimson eyes.

"I can help you, Yu Sheng," Irene said earnestly. "We already cooperated once when we went into Hu Li's dream."

This time, Yu Sheng thought longer than usual, and then he had to admit that Irene was right.

His mind was filled with the desire to return to that valley to deal with the "Entity—Hunger," but he also knew that the chances of him simply charging in alone to eliminate that monster were indeed not high—of course, he did not fear death, and he had been gradually growing stronger through the process of devouring "Entity—Hunger," but this strengthening clearly had an upper limit, and "Hunger"... was not easy to destroy.

Relying on continuous deaths to "wear down" the monster might be a way, but that was clearly a last resort. If he could truly have a capable helper who understood some supernatural powers, it would certainly be better.

He only needed to give Irene some trust and release her from this painting.

And that trust had already been established when they fell into Hu Li's dream together, and again when they met and vomited on each other after waking from the dream.

"It looks like I'll have to make a trip to the city center," Yu Sheng exhaled softly and leaned back in his chair. "Materials like clay and wigs need to be bought from specialized handmade shops; you won't find them in this old district."

The doll girl in the oil painting blinked, and upon realizing what was happening, a look of pleasant surprise instantly appeared on her face: "You... you agreed?!"

"If you don't have high requirements for the quality of the body and trust my craftsmanship," Yu Sheng waved his hand, "I can give it a try."

"Requirements aren't high, as long as it looks human. I can reshape myself—as long as you don't make a mistake during the 'Alchemy' stage," Irene spoke hurriedly, as if fearing Yu Sheng would change his mind if she spoke too late. After saying this, she thought for a moment, her expression turning slightly subtle as she turned her head. "And... and if you really can't find suitable materials..."

Yu Sheng looked curious: "What if I really can't find suitable materials?"

"...You can use dough."

Yu Sheng froze for two or three seconds before finally showing the most shocked expression since he had met Irene: "Huh?!"

Irene explained in a low voice: "The material is just a medium; what actually takes effect is the alchemy part, your blood and my soul..."

Yu Sheng was completely dazed: "Wait, no... I know about settling for second best, but isn't this a bit too low-tier?!"

Irene thought for a moment and decided to show Yu Sheng a harmless, cute smile to charm her way out of it.

She succeeded.

But Yu Sheng still decided to go out and buy things.

"I'd better go buy some proper clay. The amount needed to mold a body for you should be quite large, so it's better not to mess with food. Besides, I have other things to buy," Yu Sheng breathed out, speaking casually as he stood up. "Just stay home and watch TV obediently. If something happens, call me remotely—if the TV freezes again, just wait for me to come back."

As he spoke, he picked up the remote and turned on the TV for Irene. The Irene in the frame nodded obediently: "Oh... then come back quickly."

Yu Sheng gave an affirmative response, threw on his coat, and walked toward the entryway.

Grasping the doorknob, his first task was to steady his mind. Only after confirming that no volcanic meteor showers, sulfur lakes, little green men wielding lightsabers, or mechanically augmented elf big sisters would appear outside the door did he take a deep breath, push open the door, and successfully walk out onto the old streets of Wutong Road.

Yu Sheng suddenly felt that this was quite interesting.

Going to the end of the world was easy for him (setting aside whether he could return or whether he would die out there), but conversely, pushing open the door and walking onto the street was much more difficult for his current self...

Walking toward the bus station, Yu Sheng casually surveyed his surroundings.

At some unknown point, his mindset while walking through this vast and unfamiliar city had undergone a slight change. The oppression and unease of the past few days had quietly receded. Walking down this street that could not quite be called his "hometown," what he felt in his heart, besides tranquility, was actually a hint of... excitement and anticipation.

Even the sky, which was bright to the point of being dazzling, now looked like a pleasant, sunny hue.

There were vendors selling things at the intersection, scattered pedestrians passing by, and children running along the roadside shouting about whatever trouble they had caused, followed by adults running and cursing all the way.

Yu Sheng wondered to himself: would there be any of those "professionals" Irene mentioned among them? Those people who protected this city from the shadows, fighting against the Outer Realms—had anyone noticed the small "wrongness" hidden within this peaceful and harmonious old district?

His thoughts even drifted, and he began to speculate which of the pedestrians by the road looked like a stranger, which looked like an undercover officer, and which looked like a Spirit World Detective or an Investigator.

The uncle selling pancakes at the intersection looked a bit like one; he had changed to a very poor skill set today. The auntie hanging laundry on the balcony opposite was also a possibility; he hadn't seen her before. What about the brat who just ran past shouting? Irene said Spirit World Detectives also had "tricks" to change their appearance, which sounded quite magical...

Anyway, the delinquent squatting on the ground nearby in a tank top with dyed yellow hair and his phone on full volume definitely wasn't one; he looked nothing like it.

Yu Sheng hummed a little tune as he walked through the old street, brushing past Li Lin, who was squatting on the ground wearing a tank top with dyed yellow (wig) hair and his phone on full volume.

After a while, Xu Jiali (male), who was nearly two meters tall, wandered onto the street. He glanced down at the surveillance-tasked Li Lin, then squatted down to light a cigarette, squatting alongside him like another delinquent.

"Is this outfit reliable?" Xu Jiali asked.

"Very reliable," Li Lin said casually. "I used to wear this for field surveillance. All those pancake-selling colleagues of mine were exposed, but I wasn't—I even have a set of '2D combat gear'; that has even higher concealment. Once, I pinned down a border smuggler, and he didn't even believe a 2D character was a Special Bureau spy."

The brute listened, stunned: "What's 2D combat gear? Sounds like a force-field type power armor? Aren't you guys not allowed to use that stuff in the Boundary?"

"...I can't explain it to you," Li Lin said with a look of disdain, moving aside. "Stay away from me. You're too big; don't expose me."

"Impossible. My temperament looks even more like an unemployed person than yours," the brute curled his lip. "As for you, you haven't found anything all morning, right? Honestly, I suspect that even if there really is something hidden here, it's unlikely to be a 'person.' It's more likely to be a weird Entity or an Outer Realm erosion point. That fits the clues you've found here so far—damn, there was such a commotion in the Boundary City last night; I wonder how things are at the Bureau now. Here we are, two idiots, wasting time staring at God-knows-what..."

Li Lin couldn't be bothered to deal with the brute. He pulled out a large power bank, plugged it into his phone, and chose to turn the phone's volume up even higher.

Two or three hours later, Yu Sheng had finished buying everything he wanted at a downtown mall.

Now, dragging several large bags, he arrived at a deserted place and began to sink into thought.

He had bought quite a lot—the weight wasn't an issue for his current self, but carrying it all while squeezing onto a bus to go back would still be very troublesome.

Therefore, he had a bold idea.

He felt it was very much worth a try.

Yu Sheng looked up, confirmed once more that no one was paying attention, and then silently reached out, probing the air beside him—a door took shape in his hand.

Three seconds later, deep within a concealed "depth" of the Boundary City, inside the Special Bureau headquarters, countless agents, clerks, captains, and their Director, Baili Qing, who had been working overtime to the point of mental fog, were catapulted from their chairs by the sudden sounding of an alarm...

Yu Sheng arrived home carrying several large plastic bags.

(End of Chapter)