Chapter 269: Aftermath

The group filed through the door leading back to the real world. Yu Sheng, as usual, stayed at the rear. Just before stepping through, he turned back one last time to take another look at this district shrouded in thick fog—the "block in the mirror."

The Other Realm's self-repair properties had begun to take effect. The streets damaged by the battle were slowly recovering in the mist. New entities had not yet appeared, and everything around was calm, so calm that it felt as if the eerie, clamoring cluster entity and the fierce battle that had just occurred were nothing but an illusion.

After a moment's thought, Yu Sheng bit hard into his own finger and splashed a few drops of blood onto the nearby pavement. At the same time, he reconfirmed the coordinates for opening a door in this unfamiliar "Other Realm," then finally passed through the door and returned to reality.

In front of the Wanxiangji Shopping Center, the special "ambulance" sent by the Special Affairs Bureau had already arrived in the square. As soon as the young man who had narrowly escaped death passed through the door, he was sent to the vehicle by several Special Affairs Bureau agents.

First came an emergency check to confirm whether there was any residual mental contamination or other "aftereffects" of contact with the Other Realm. At the same time, a safety scan was performed to ensure nothing that shouldn't enter the real world had followed him out. Then, incidentally, they helped him clean off the remaining "resin" from his body, and professionals provided psychological counseling, explaining precautions for first-time contact with Other Realms and entities, and so on.

The biggest precaution was to keep an open mind.

Clearly, the Special Affairs Bureau had a very professional handling process for this sort of thing.

It was an hour later when Yu Sheng and the others saw the young man again.

He was sitting in the vehicle, slowly sipping a medicinal tea said to have a "mildly calming effect," his gaze somewhat dazed. It wasn't until Yu Sheng's trio and Little Red Riding Hood sat down across from him that he snapped out of his trance. Then he forced a smile in their direction—still looking terrified and exhausted.

"How are you feeling now?" Yu Sheng asked casually.

"My whole body is still sticky. I can't wipe off all that resin. I want to take a shower as soon as I get home," the young man sighed. "Also, I'm tired. It feels like I ran three thousand meters... Ah, I did run a long time, even more than three thousand meters. A bunch of messy things were chasing me in the fog..."

"A bunch?" Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow instinctively. "What kind?"

"I didn't get a clear look, and I can't remember," the young man said miserably. "I don't even want to think about it now. It was too scary... I just remember finally being caught by a big tree running around on legs. That tree looked like an old woman. It smacked me to the ground with a branch, then vomited all over me. When I opened my eyes again, I saw you guys... and at that time, the girl beside me was a three- or four-meter-tall fox..."

As he spoke, he unconsciously glanced at Hu Li again, his expression still a bit shaken, as if the memories and emotions from that moment were still imprinted in his mind like an "afterimage." But then he caught himself and quickly apologized: "Ah, sorry, no offense. I was just startled at the time..."

Hu Li didn't care at all—she was busy rummaging through Yu Sheng's pockets for cookies to eat.

Although she had plenty of food stored in her tails, going through her benefactor's pockets for snacks was always the fox girl's favorite activity.

"He still seems to have some speech impediments and short-term mental paralysis," Little Red Riding Hood leaned in and murmured to Yu Sheng. "It should be the medication still wearing off. Although the rational treatment drugs used for ordinary people's first contact are heavily reduced doses, this is his first time taking them, so the effects will linger for a while."

Yu Sheng nodded in understanding, then looked at the young man across from him. "Nephew, do you remember how you 'fell' into the other side?"

"The two Special Affairs Bureau agents on the car already asked me, but I really can't remember the details," the young man said apologetically. "I don't even know at what moment things started to feel wrong. I'm often a bit spacey and absentminded. When I came here this morning, I didn't notice anything either..."

He paused, then continued while trying to recall: "I only remember entering a side door of the mall... It seemed to be a new door, so I just walked in, head down, thinking about something. As I walked, I noticed it was very quiet around me. I looked up and saw that the people in the mall had all turned into blurry shadows, and fog was rising all around. Then, in the blink of an eye, even those shadows disappeared. The mall was suddenly empty except for me. The phone signal wouldn't work either—I tried dialing several numbers, but none of them went through..."

Yu Sheng listened seriously. Meanwhile, Ai Lin asked, "Nephew, do you remember earlier when you tapped on the glass at the mall's entrance window? Did you hear something then? Besides the sound, what else did you see?"

"Actually, I didn't even hear clearly. Everything that happened in the fog felt like an illusion. I just felt that the glass was moving, so I went over and tapped it. I couldn't see anything in the glass—just the fog on the street," the young man said, then tried to recall for a long time, but shook his head regretfully. "I can't remember anything more."

"Then, nephew, you..."

"Uh, I have a name," the young man finally couldn't hold it together after being called "nephew" over and over. He pointed at himself awkwardly. "My name is Zheng Zhi..."

It would have been better if he hadn't said his name, but the moment he did, the carriage fell silent, the atmosphere even more awkward than before.

"...So you're still 'Zhi'!" Ai Lin stood up on her seat, hands on her hips, sounding justified. "Who gave you that name?"

"My grandmother," the young man across from her said innocently. "She hoped I would become an upright person..."

"Ahem," Yu Sheng finally coughed twice, interrupting this pointless topic. "Zheng Zhi, right? I've got it. Judging by your current state, I don't think you'll remember any useful details. So we won't ask anymore. Go home and rest. The Special Affairs Bureau said they'd arrange a car to take you back. If you recall anything at home, contact us immediately."

"Okay," the young man named Zheng Zhi nodded immediately, then his expression turned a bit strange. After hesitating for two or three seconds, he cautiously spoke: "Also, you saved me. I should pay you a fee, right? I've heard about it. You're professional 'Other Realm Detectives.' Other Realm Detectives charge for their work..."

He trailed off, probably afraid of being misunderstood, and quickly added: "I have money. I do. It's just maybe not a lot. I don't know your industry's fee standards..."

He looked nervous and at a loss, his tone lacking confidence.

Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood exchanged glances, both finding it a bit amusing and exasperating.

"Don't worry about that," Little Red Riding Hood said helplessly. "Other Realm Detectives aren't heartless money-making machines. Unless someone signs a paid commission with us in advance to retrieve someone from an Other Realm, for cases like yours where you're accidentally trapped, it's our rule to rescue people first regardless of reward. The Special Affairs Bureau will give us a reward later—they have a specific incentive system for this."

Zheng Zhi let out an "oh," scratched his head, and gave an awkward smile.

"But I have a few words of warning for you," Little Red Riding Hood then spoke up. "I don't know if the Special Affairs Bureau agents told you earlier... but 'you need to be careful' from now on."

Zheng Zhi's expression clearly changed, then he smiled bitterly and spread his hands. "They warned me."

"Once you've dealt with the 'other side,' you've established a connection to those things beyond the boundaries of reason. That connection is irreversible," Little Red Riding Hood said seriously. "From now on, you'll have a higher probability of seeing things ordinary people can't see—seeing those hidden entrances and lurking 'abnormal entities.' And given that you already have a 'high-sensitivity, low-stability' constitution, this situation may be more severe for you. There's a high probability you'll fall into an Other Realm again."

"...The Special Affairs Bureau told me that too," Zheng Zhi said, his hands clasped tightly together, knuckles turning white. "They said they'd arrange for my community to register me. From now on, I can get medication from the 'Abnormal Doctors.' After the adjustment period, I can take reduced doses of rational blockers, which will weaken my connection to the 'other side.' They also said they'd arrange follow-up 'training' for me, mainly teaching me some basic knowledge of the occult so I can protect myself when encountering abnormal situations..."

As he spoke, he sighed. "Ah, my uncle was most afraid of this before he died, but in the end, I still ended up with it."

"Since you know all that, I won't put more pressure on you," Little Red Riding Hood nodded lightly. "Go home, don't think too much. Take a shower, get some sleep, eat and drink normally. Anxiety and tension won't help. Trust the Special Affairs Bureau and the Council. If something happens, call the emergency number they gave you first, or contact us directly."

Zheng Zhi left with a worried expression, taking the Special Affairs Bureau's car home.

Yu Sheng stepped out of the vehicle and, after watching him leave, couldn't help muttering quietly: "Ah, what bad luck..."

"It is bad luck," Liu Bing's voice came from the side. "But in the Borderlands, cases like his aren't rare."

With that, he turned to look at Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood.

"I've already reported the basics to my superiors, and submitted the reward application. You saved a person, discovered a new Other Realm, and collected original data from that new Other Realm, so the bonus won't be small. It should be around three to four hundred thousand. It'll be transferred to 'Fairy Tale' and 'The Inn's accounts later."

As soon as Yu Sheng heard that, the smile on his face became genuine.

He was a straightforward and simple person like that.

(End of this chapter)