Irene’s sudden decision to turn and run caught Yu Sheng off guard. The little doll’s short legs moved surprisingly fast—but unfortunately, she was only about two feet tall.


    A tiny doll with such short legs wasn’t going to get far. Before she could reach the door, the picture frame on her back snagged on a chair leg—she’d nned to slip under the chair but forgot she was carrying something.


    Yu Sheng took a couple of leisurely steps and grabbed Irene, who was still iling mid-air.


    “Hey! That’s not fair! Holding grudges now?” Irene shouted, punching and kicking at the air. “I was just trying to wake you up! Okay, maybe my method was a bit… creative, but you did wake up in the end! Let me go!”


    “I didn’t say I was going to do anything,” Yu Sheng interrupted with a grin, casually cing the small doll back on the ground. “I just wanted to tell you, next time, don’t bite so hard. Even with my healing, it took ages to recover, and it still hurts. Feels a bit like payback—though it’d be better if you didn’t bite at all.”


    Irene blinked, surprised. “Oh, you’re not angry?”


    “Of course not. I’m not ungrateful,” Yu Sheng shrugged, turning to head out the door. “Now, get ready. We should set off for that valley.”


    Irene stood there, a bit stunned. Seeing Yu Sheng walking away, she hurried to catch up, her little legs moving rapidly. “Did you remember all the features over there?”“Every detail,” he replied.


    …


    “I actually think this ce is quite peaceful,” Xu Jiali said, sitting by the window, nibbling on the pancake roll Li Lin had bought that morning. Her eyes were on the street outside, full of emotion. “It’s really nice, much more tranquil than the Lawless Star Zone, and there are no Angel Cultists around…”


    “Compared to the action you see on missions, this ce is definitely peaceful,” Li Lin sat beside her, sipping hot soy milk. “Think of it as half a vacation. Our task is just surveince. If anything serious happens, the Bureau will send reinforcements.”


    “But I notice Little Red Riding Hood is always on edge,” Xu Jiali nced out the window. “She’s just a kid, wound up like a tightly coiled spring—I was like her when I first came out of the tform.”


    Outside, not far from the window, on the rooftop of a nearby building, a girl in a dark red coat hid in the shadows, watching the street. She had a sausage in her mouth, and ghostly wolves flickered in the air around her.


    Sensing their gaze, Little Red Riding Hood looked alertly toward their window. After confirming nothing was wrong, she nodded slightly, nced at the street again, then pulled out notebooks and pens from her backpack and started doing homework.


    The wolf pack continued to watch the street for her.


    Li Lin looked at the dark red figure on the rooftop and muttered, “I’ve heard of the organization ‘Fairy Tale’ often, but she’s the only member I’ve seen… She doesn’t even look old enough, and she’s out doing such dangerous work?”


    “More than half of ‘Fairy Tale’s’ members are about her age, and theye from the same ce,” Xu Jiali sighed. “They’re all unfortunate kids.”


    “All of them?” Li Lin was surprised. “Why?”


    “Because children are more likely to fall into fairy tales, and adults often don’t survive long in it,” Xu Jiali waved a hand. “If you’re really interested, check the archivester. Don’t ask her directly.”


    Noting her tone, Li Lin thought for a moment. “Oh,” he said, turning his attention back to the peaceful streets outside.


    “Looks like nothing will happen today.” He exhaled and continued sipping his soy milk.


    “I’m still hungry,” Xu Jiali said. “Got any instant noodles? I’ll grab a pack.”


    “Under the bed in the back room—boil the water yourself. The kettle’s in the kitchen. The water dispenser in the living room doesn’t work; no hot water. Oh, and make a pack for me too.”


    …


    Yu Sheng looked at Irene standing by the door, skepticism on his face. “That’s your preparation?”


    Irene stood on the shoe bench inside the entrance, trying to puff out her chest to appear more formidable. She was gripping arge kitchen knife—the handle was too big for her small hands, so she had to hold it with both.


    “Just being prepared. Having an extra weapon makes me feel safer. When the real fight starts, just watch my super magical powers.”


    Listening to her confident boasting, Yu Sheng’s face twitched. “You might as well take a fruit knife; it’d be easier for you to hold.”


    “Fruit knivesck presence.”


    “At your height, even if you wielded a dragonyer, it wouldn’t have presence!” Yu Sheng said helplessly. “Just don’t damage it when we get there. I really like this knife; it’s great for cutting meat.”


    “Alright, alright, stop nagging. Why so worried?” Irene rolled her eyes impatiently. “Hurry up and open the door. Let’s at least check what’s on the other side.”


    Seeing this, Yu Sheng said no more. He turned and grasped the door handle, ncing at the pile of items at his feet.


    Those were the food supplies for Foxy.


    Previously, when he’d entered the Otherworld, the items he carried came through the door with him. But this time, he was attempting to bring much more—besides a pile of food, there was also Irene. With so much load, he wasn’t sure he’d seed.


    He had tested it, but only with short-distance doorways inside the house. Going to the Otherworld was different from small movements in the real world.


    So he prepared as much as possible. If it didn’t work, this trip would serve as a test.


    Yu Sheng wore an extrarge coat withpressed biscuits, bread, and a few cans of porridge stuffed in the pockets. When he opened the doorter, he would try to hold it open as much as possible, first sending the supplies through, then passing through with Irene.


    To do this, he needed to open the door as wide as possible.


    He still didn’t understand the principle behind this process, so he relied on intuition.


    Yu Sheng squinted slightly, recalling the features of the valley he’d learned through Foxy’s perception.


    He remembered the cold night wind, the stench of decay, and the bone-gnawing hunger that filled the Otherworld.


    And most importantly, the aura needed for spiritual guidance.


    All of this transformed into the frequency when opening the door, into the imagined scenery on the other side.


    He focused all his attention on opening the door this time. He wanted to open a doorrge enough, stable enough, to bring Irene through, to bring all the supplies through, to reach Foxy urately.


    The door handle turned slightly, and a chill seeped through the slowly opening door into the entrance hall.


    A passageway farrger than any previous one was established.


    As for howrge this passageway was?


    Well,rge enough to make Director Bai Li Qing of the Special Affairs Bureau and all the action team leaders sound the rm in their offices.


    A strange, deep humming sound suddenly echoed throughout the Wutong Road district. However, this hum was beyond ordinary people’s hearing; only those trained, who had extraordinary perception of the Otherworld’s powers, could feel the continuous tremor it generated deep within their spirits.


    Xu Jiali, carrying two bowls of instant noodles from the kitchen, immediately sensed something. She looked up in astonishment at the window, only to see the daylight outside rapidly dimming, as if a heavy curtain was covering the entire city. Under the curtain, all the buildings were bing transparent and disappearing. A hazy, valley-like scene was emerging from the original streets.


    Outside, Little Red Riding Hood, who was busy with her homework, suddenly looked up. The wolves whimpered uneasily in the shadows, and a cold wind rose out of nowhere, rustling her math workbook.


    A moment ago, Li Lin, who had been marveling at the peaceful street, jumped up suddenly. “What the—! Something’s happening outside!”


    Xu Jiali rushed over with the instant noodles, quickly realizing, “No! It’s not outside that’s the problem!”


    Li Lin turned sharply. “What do you mean?”


    “It’s us perceiving the changes—we’re falling into the Otherworld!” As a seasoned deep diver, Xu Jiali instantly assessed the situation. She shoved the instant noodles into Li Lin’s hands and dashed to her equipment box, pulling out a beam dagger and protective gear. “Quick, contact the Bureau before the signal—”


    But the descent into the Otherworld was faster than Xu Jiali had imagined.


    A pulling force far beyond her experience dragged her and Li Lin’s perception beyond the limits ofmon sense almost instantly. She felt a blur before her eyes, barely had time to grab her equipment, and heard the hollow wind howling.


    All the scenery changed. The apartment faded like a dream, and a valley shrouded in night appeared before them.


    Li Lin only had time to see the phone screen on the table light up, the director’s number shing briefly—then, all that was left were dark rocks and shadowy woods.


    The two agents looked at each other in confusion. Then they heard a low growl beside them.


    They turned to see the girl in the dark red coat standing solemnly nearby.


    “We’ve fallen into the Otherworld,” Xu Jiali said after a moment of silence.


    Little Red Riding Hood nodded slightly. “I know. Judging by the scale and features, it should be a Wilderness type.”


    Li Lin looked at Xu Jiali, then at the girl in red, feeling he should say something.


    He nced down at the instant noodles in his hands and raised them. “Want some noodles?”


    <em></em>