Erin's decisive turn-and-run action caught Yu Sheng by surprise, and indeed the miniature doll moved quite swiftly on her tiny legs—unfortunately, she was only 66.6cm tall.
A sixty-something centimeter tall doll could only create so much of an afterimage with her short legs, and before she even reached the door, the picture frame on her back got stuck on a chair leg—she had intended to crawl under the chair but forgot she was carrying something on her back.
Yu Sheng leisurely walked two steps and caught Erin, who was still flailing about in mid-air.
"You really know how to hold a grudge!" Erin flailed her arms, throwing punches and kicks at the air, "And I was just trying to wake you up! I admit my method was a bit too creative, but you did wake up in the end, didn't you? Hey, let me go..."
"I didn't say I was going to do anything," laughed Yu Sheng, cutting her off and gently placing the doll on the ground, "I just wanted to say, don't bite so hard next time. Even with my healing abilities, it took quite a while to recover and it still hurts, you definitely have a touch of revenge in you—of course, it would be even better if you didn't bite at all."
Erin was startled, somewhat surprised: "Ah, you're not mad?"
"Nonsense, I'm not ungrateful," Yu Sheng sneered, turning to walk out the door, "Let's get ready, we're about to head to that valley."
Erin stood still on the ground, somewhat dazed, and hurried after Yu Sheng when she saw him walking away: "Did you get all the 'features' down?"
"Crystal clear."
...
"I'm starting to feel that this place is actually quite peaceful," Xu Jiali sat behind the window, nibbling on the pancake Guozi Li Lin brought back this morning, watching the street outside with some emotion, "It's so nice, much more comfortable than the Lawless Star Region, and there's no Angel Sect followers on the streets..."
"Compared to the intensity of the battles you deal with on field missions, this place is definitely more relaxed," Li Lin sat next to Xu Jiali, holding a cup of hot soy milk and slurping, "Take it as a half-vacation. Anyway, our task is just surveillance. If anything serious does happen, the Bureau will naturally send reinforcements."
"But I see 'Little Red Riding Hood' is always so tense," Xu Jiali looked up and glanced out the window, "How old is that kid, all wound up like a tight spring—I was like her when I first came out of the 'platform.'"
Not far from the window, concealed on the rooftop near a building, a girl in a dark red coat was hidden in a corner, watching the street below, with a stick of ham sausage in her mouth. The shadowy figures of the Wolf Pack occasionally appeared and disappeared around her.
Seeming to perceive the gaze on her, "Little Red Riding Hood" cautiously looked up toward the window where Li Lin and Xu Jiali were, and after confirming there was no issue, she nodded slightly, looked at the street again, then pulled out some notebooks and stationery from her bag beside her and began to bury herself in homework.
Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack continued to watch the street in her stead.
Li Lin looked at the dark red figure on the nearby rooftop and couldn't help muttering, "I've often heard of the name 'Fairy Tales', but this is the only member of the organization I've actually seen... She looks underage, yet she's out here doing such dangerous work?"
"Over half the members in 'Fairy Tales' are about her age, and most come from the same place," Xu Jiali sighed, "They're all unlucky children."
Li Lin was surprised, "All of them? Why would..."
"Because children are easily ensnared by 'Fairy Tales', and adult members often struggle to survive in the organization," Xu Jiali waved her hand dismissively, "If you're really interested, go check the files in the archive room later. Don't ask her about it in front of her."
Li Lin sensed something from his colleague's attitude, gave a thoughtful 'oh', and then returned his attention to the peaceful and tranquil old street outside.
"It looks like there won't be any trouble today." He sighed softly, continuing to slurp his soy milk.
Xu Jiali: "I'm not full yet, where's the instant noodles? I'll take a pack."
"Underneath the bed in the other room—boil your own water. The kettle is in the kitchen. The water dispenser in the living room doesn't work, it doesn't dispense hot water. Oh, and make a pack for me too."
...
Yu Sheng looked at Erin standing at the door with skepticism: "Is this your preparation?"
Erin stood on the shoe bench by the entrance, trying to puff her chest out to appear more formidable, clutching a large kitchen knife she'd taken from the kitchen—with the knife being so large, and the handle not suited for a doll's hands, she had to cradle the handle with both hands to keep it steady.
"I'm just being overly cautious, it's reassuring to have a weapon for self-defense, and when the fight really starts you can just rely on my super magical powers."
Listening to the doll's overly confident brag, Yu Sheng's face twitched: "Then you might as well take a paring knife, it would be easier for you to hold."
"Paring knives lack presence."
"With your height, even holding a Dragon Slayer Sword wouldn't have presence!" Yu Sheng said helplessly, "Now don't go breaking it when you get there, alright? I quite like that knife, it's especially good for slicing meat."
"Alright, alright, stop nagging, why all the fuss," Erin holding the knife with both hands, impatiently rolled her eyes at Yu Sheng, "Hurry up and open the door. Whatever it is, we need to check out what's happening over there first."
Seeing this, Yu Sheng said no more, but turned and gripped the handle of the front door, simultaneously double-checking the items piled at his feet.
This was the food sent to Hu Li.
When entering the Exotic Realm previously, everything he carried with him, as well as the trash bag he was holding, passed through the portal. But this time, he was attempting to carry much more — besides a large amount of food, Erin was added to the load. With so much "cargo," he actually felt quite uncertain about whether the transfer would be successful.
He had conducted tests, of course, but those were merely short-distance portal opening tests at home, distinct from traveling to the "Exotic Realm"... it was not the same as moving within a small area in the real world.
So, he could only make additional preparations; if unsuccessful, this attempt would serve as another test.
Yu Sheng wore an exceptionally oversized coat, its pockets stuffed with compressed biscuits, bread, and a few cans of Babao porridge. Later, when opening the portal, he would try his best to "hold" the portal open, first sending the supplies at his feet through, followed by crossing the threshold with Erin.
For this, he would need to open the portal "wider" than before.
He still didn't know the principle behind this process, so he could only rely on his instincts.
Yu Sheng squinted his eyes slightly, recalling the characteristics of that valley which he had noted through Hu Li's senses.
Remembering the cold night wind, the stench of decay, and the hunger that gnawed at one's marrow pervading the entire Exotic Realm.
And most importantly, the "scent" needed for Spiritual Guidance.
All these transformed into the "frequency" used to open the portal, becoming the scenery he envisioned standing beyond the door.
Next, he focused all his attention on this attempt to open a portal — it had to be big enough, stable enough to bring Erin through, to bring everything through, to reach Hu Li precisely...
The doorknob turned slightly, and a chilly air infiltrated the entryway through the slowly opening crack...
A passageway much larger than any previous one was established.
As to the actual size of this corridor?
Sufficient, at least, to make the Special Service Bureau Director Baili Qing and all the task force team leaders let out a piercing shriek in the office.
Buzz—
A bizarre and deep buzzing sound suddenly echoed throughout the Wutong Road district. However, this buzzing was beyond the hearing range of ordinary people and could only be perceived by those who were trained and had an extraordinary sensitivity to the powers of "another world" — they could hear it causing a continuous tremble deep within their spirituality.
Xu Jiali, who was carrying two bowls of instant noodles from the kitchen, instantly sensed something and looked up in astonishment, only to see the daylight outside the window rapidly darkening, as if a thick veil was gradually descending over the whole sky of Boundary City. Beneath the veil, all the buildings outside the window were becoming transparent, disappearing, and an obscure scene resembling a valley was "growing" out from the original district.
Little Red Riding Hood, who had been busily completing her homework on the roof, suddenly looked up, the Wolf Pack uttering uneasy whines in the shadows, a cold wind blowing out of nowhere, swirling her math workbook.
Li Lin, who was just appreciating the tranquility of the street below a moment ago, suddenly leaped up, well-articulated shout: "Damn! Something's going down outside!!"
Xu Jiali hurriedly brought the instant noodles to Li Lin and then quickly realized: "No, it's not outside that's changing!"
Li Lin turned around abruptly: "What do you mean?"
"We are 'observing' the change — we are falling into the Exotic Realm!" As an experienced deep diver, Xu Jiali immediately diagnosed the situation, and without further ado, she pushed the noodles into Li Lin's hands and rushed to her equipment box. She grabbed her Laser Dagger and protective gear, "Quick, contact the Bureau while the signal is still..."
However, they were falling into the Exotic Realm faster than Xu Jiali had expected.
Some kind of "pull" far beyond his experience dragged him and Li Lin's perception over the brink of common sense and reason in almost an instant. He only had time to grab the equipment before a hollow wind roared towards him.
Everything before their eyes had changed, the rental house dissipated like a fleeing dream, and a valley veiled under the night sky appeared before them.
Li Lin only managed to see the cellphone screen on the table light up, the Director's phone number flashing on it for a split second — and then, his vision was filled only with dark stones and a gloomy forest.
The two Special Service Bureau Officers looked up blankly and exchanged gazes before hearing a low growl from a wolf nearby.
They turned their heads and saw a girl wearing a dark-red coat standing seriously beside them.
"We have fallen into the Exotic Realm," Xu Jiali said quietly after a moment of silence.
Little Red Riding Hood nodded slightly: "I know, judging by the scale and characteristics, it should be of the 'Wilderness' type."
Li Lin glanced at Xu Jiali and then at the red-clothed girl, feeling that he should say something as well.
He looked down at the noodle cups in his hand and raised his head: "Want some instant noodles?"