Eileen's sudden decision to dart away took everyone by surprise.
Although she was just a small puppet standing at only 66.6 cm tall, her tiny legs were surprisingly quick.
Unfortunately, just as she was about to run for the door, the frame she was carrying got caught on the leg of a chair.
She had intended to slip under the chair but forgot she had something strapped to her back.
Yu Sheng took his time, walking just a couple of steps before catching Eileen, who was still struggling in mid-air.
"Don't hold a grudge like that!" Eileen flailed her tiny arms, throwing punches at the air.
"I was just trying to wake you up! I admit my method was a bit too creative, but look, you woke up in the end! Hey, let me go..."
"I'm not saying what to do," Yu Sheng interrupted, chuckling as he set the little puppet down on the ground.
"Just thought I'd mention, next time, don’t bite that hard. Even with my strong recovery, it still hurts after so long. You might want to ease up a bit—though it would be even better if you could avoid biting at all."
Eileen was taken aback, her surprise evident.
"Oh, you’re not angry?"
"Of course not! I know what's what," Yu Sheng shrugged and turned to head outside.
"Now, let’s finish getting ready. We need to head to that valley."
For a moment, Eileen stood there, stunned.
She quickly shuffled after him as he walked away.
"Did you remember all the 'features' over there?"
"Every last one."
...
"I feel like this place is pretty peaceful," Xu Jiali said from behind the window, munching on the pancake rolls Li Lin had bought that morning.
She gazed out at the street and sighed.
"It’s nice, much more comfortable than those lawless star districts. There aren’t any Angel Cultists on the streets..."
"Compared to the combat intensity during your field missions, it's definitely a lot more relaxed," Li Lin replied, sitting beside Xu Jiali and slurping his hot soy milk.
"Think of it as a sort of vacation. Our task is just surveillance, and if anything serious happens, the bureau will send reinforcements."
"But 'Little Red Riding Hood' seems to be on edge," Xu Jiali said, peeking out the window again.
"She’s just a kid, yet she’s as wound up as a tight spring—when I first came out of the 'platform,' I was just like her."
Not too far outside, on the rooftop of a nearby building, a girl in a dark red coat was hiding in a corner, watching the street with a half-eaten sausage in her mouth.
Shadowy wolves flickered in and out around her.
It seemed she sensed the gazes upon her.
"Little Red Riding Hood" cautiously looked up at the window where Li Lin and Xu Jiali were.
After confirming nothing was amiss, she nodded lightly, glanced at the street one more time, and pulled out some notebooks and stationery from her bag, burying herself in her homework.
The wolves continued to monitor the street on her behalf.
Li Lin couldn’t help but mumble, glancing at the dark red figure on the rooftop, "I’ve heard of the 'Fairy Tale' organization, but this is the only member I’ve seen in person... She looks underage and is out here doing such dangerous work?"
"Half of 'Fairy Tale’s' members are about her age, and they mostly come from the same place," Xu Jiali sighed.
"They’re all unfortunate kids."
Li Lin was shocked.
"All of them? Why...?"
"Children are more easily drawn into 'Fairy Tale,' while adult members often find it hard to survive within it," Xu Jiali waved a hand dismissively.
"If you're really interested, check the files later. Just don't ask her about it."
Noticing Xu Jiali's tone, Li Lin understood something.
He replied thoughtfully, gradually turning his focus back to the serene old streets outside.
"It doesn't look like anything unusual will happen today," he said, exhaling lightly as he continued sipping his soy milk.
Xu Jiali said, "I’m still hungry. What about your instant noodles? Can I take a pack?"
"It's under the bed in the back room—boil some water yourself. The kettle's in the kitchen. The water dispenser in the living room isn’t working. Oh, and grab me a pack too."
...
Yu Sheng looked doubtfully at Eileen standing by the door.
"Is this your idea of preparation?"
Eileen stood on a shoe stool in the entryway, trying to puff out her chest to appear stronger.
In her hands, she grasped a large kitchen knife—too big for the tiny puppet’s grasp, so she had to hold it with both hands.
"I’m just being careful. It's good to have a weapon for protection. If it comes down to a fight, just witness my incredible magic power!"
Listening to Eileen’s confident bragging, Yu Sheng couldn't help but twitch his face.
"You might as well grab a fruit knife—it'd be easier for you to hold."
"But a fruit knife lacks imposing presence!"
"With your height, even a dragon-slaying knife wouldn’t look imposing!" Yu Sheng shook his head with helplessness.
"Just don’t break that knife if you take it with you. I actually like it, and it’s great for cutting meat."
"Enough, enough with your worries," Eileen rolled her eyes at Yu Sheng, still holding the knife.
"Hurry up and open the door. We need to check what the situation is on the other side."
Seeing her impatience, Yu Sheng said nothing more.
He turned and grasped the door handle, glancing at the items piled by his feet.
Those were supplies meant for Hu Li.
Previously, when entering the other realm, the things he was carrying along with the trash bag were taken through the door, but this time he had more to carry—besides a big pile of food, he had Eileen.
With this extra "load," he wasn’t too sure if it would work.
He had tested it before, but only from short distances at home; going to the 'other realm' was entirely different from moving small distances in reality.
So, he needed to prepare more just in case.
If it didn’t work, at least it would be a trial run.
Yu Sheng wore a particularly baggy coat, his pockets stuffed with compressed biscuits, bread, and a few cans of eight-treasure porridge.
When the door opened, he planned to "prop the door open," send the supplies through first, and then accompany Eileen through the passageway.
For that, he had to make sure the door was as "wide" as possible.
He still didn’t understand how the process worked, so he could only go by instinct.
Yu Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the characteristics of the valley as recorded by Hu Li's perceptions.
He remembered the cold night wind, the rancid smells, and the overwhelming hunger that gnawed at the very bone through the entire other realm.
Most importantly, the "breath" needed to guide his spirit.
All of it transformed into the "frequency" when he opened the door, shaping the scene he envisioned beyond the door.
Next, he attempted to focus all of his attention on this door-opening, wanting to create a door grand enough, stable enough to carry both Eileen and everything else to Hu Li.
The handle turned slightly, and a cold breath seeped through the slowly opening door...
A passage far larger in scale than the previous attempts was established.
Just how grand was this passage, you ask?
Well, it was enough to set off sharp alarms in the office of the branch chief, Bai Liqing, and all the action squad leaders.
Buzz—
A strange, deep humming suddenly echoed across the entire Wutong Road neighborhood, a sound that exceeded the limits of ordinary hearing.
Only those trained, possessing a keen perception of the forces of "another world," could hear its lingering tremors in the depths of their spirits.
Xu Jiali, carrying two bowls of instant noodles from the kitchen, immediately sensed something.
Startled, she looked up towards the window, only to see the light outside quickly dimming.
It was as if a heavy curtain were gradually descending over the entire city, and beneath that curtain, all the buildings outside were becoming transparent and disappearing, revealing a hazy view reminiscent of a valley.
The "Little Red Riding Hood," who had been busy with her homework on the rooftop, also suddenly looked up.
The wolves in the shadows let out anxious whines as a cold gust of wind blew, ruffling her math book.
Just moments ago, Li Lin had been in awe of the peaceful street but suddenly leaped up, shouting, "What the hell! Something’s going on outside!!”
Xu Jiali rushed over with her instant noodles, quickly realizing, “Wait! It’s not the outside causing the commotion!”
Li Lin turned back sharply. “What do you mean?”
"It’s us observing the changes—we're falling into the other realm!" As a seasoned deep agent, Xu Jiali made the quick assessment and immediately handed her noodles to Li Lin, rushing to her gear box.
She retrieved a beam dagger and protective gear, barking, "Quick, contact the bureau, while the signal's still good..."
However, the plunge into the other realm was faster than Xu Jiali had anticipated.
A force of "attraction" far beyond what he had experienced yanked both him and Li Lin's perceptions completely across the boundary of common sense and reason.
He barely had time to register what was happening before the air whistled hollowly around them.
Everything around them changed, the rental apartment vanished like a dream, and a valley cloaked in darkness appeared before them.
Li Lin only caught a brief glimpse of his phone lighting up on the table, the bureau chief’s number flashing for a moment—before all that remained was dark stone and thick woods.
The two special agents looked at each other in confusion before hearing a low growl from beside them.
They turned to see the girl in the dark red coat standing solemnly nearby.
"We’ve entered the other realm," Xu Jiali said after a brief silence.
Little Red Riding Hood nodded gently.
"I can tell, judging by the scale and features, it’s likely a ‘Wilderness’ type."
Li Lin glanced at Xu Jiali, then at the girl in red, feeling he should say something too.
He looked down briefly before raising his hand, "Want instant noodles?"
(End of Chapter)