Chapter 11: Nothing Lasts Beyond Three
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In the final second before death descended, Yu Sheng felt an immense, boundless darkness—so heavy and dense it seemed almost tangible, like a viscous fluid.
He sensed his consciousness rapidly fading. He knew that the body sustaining that consciousness was losing vitality fast, ravaged by grievous wounds. As physiological functions ceased, the thoughts carried by the flesh also sank into oblivion—this was the natural law.
Yet, at the edge of his fading awareness, a force—or rather, a strong... “thought,” a strange fixation—seemed to bind Yu Sheng’s mind tightly. In a daze, he recalled the frog that had devoured his heart, and remembered his previous “resurrection.”
What exactly had happened then? What had occurred to him? Why was he still alive?
These questions became an obsession, propping up his consciousness on the brink of endless darkness. Though faltering, he never fully succumbed. He desperately wanted to know... what exactly had happened? How had he “returned” after death?
The darkness pressed down, its sticky texture gradually turning cold and coarse. He felt as though buried under a thick layer of earth, his soul struggling to breathe beneath the crushing weight... Then suddenly, the pressure vanished.
In a moment of sudden enlightenment within his wavering consciousness, a thought surfaced—
In his death, death itself had died first.
Yu Sheng’s death had died, so the deathly Yu Sheng once more returned from that boundless darkness to the realm of the living. He felt his “body” suddenly lighten and begin to accelerate away from the endless black void.
During this process, he vaguely saw something on the surface of that darkness. It seemed he was rapidly passing over some “surface,” but he had no time to get a clear look before abruptly opening his eyes.
A cold night breeze blew through a large hole in the wall. Outside the half-collapsed roof, the sky was a turbid and chaotic canopy. Deep in the night, the hollow winds howled through the valley.
Yu Sheng sat in the corner of a ruined temple, his mind foggy—a sensation he knew well, having just experienced it moments ago.
But this time, he recovered more quickly; after only a few breaths, memories returned, including the feeling of being buried by the darkness.
After steadying his breath, Yu Sheng slowly rose.
He felt his joints gradually thaw from stiffness, as if a newly born body was rapidly learning how to “live.” Strength surged, his mind cleared, and then he looked outside the ruined temple, toward the place where blood had flowed moments before.
Now there was nothing. The giant beast seemed to have left—or perhaps was merely hiding, as before.
After a moment of silence, Yu Sheng tentatively spoke in his mind: “...Eileen.”
Almost the instant he finished, Eileen’s frantic voice exploded in his mind: “Yu Sheng! Are you okay!?”
She quickly began to chatter anxiously: “You suddenly stopped responding earlier. I called out to you and got no reply, couldn’t even sense your consciousness. I thought you were dead! I was terrified. If you’re dead, then who will fix the TV? Are you really alright?”
Yu Sheng’s facial muscles twitched sharply: “So you’re only worried because no one will come home to fix the TV?”
Eileen thought for a moment: “...Not exactly. I’m also worried you might actually be dead…”
Yu Sheng: “...”
She actually hesitated!
Trying to calm himself, Yu Sheng ground his teeth and forced his voice to sound even: “What if I told you I really did die just now?”
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Eileen didn’t believe it at all: “Stop joking. You’re clearly alive and kicking right now…”
“...Yeah, I was just joking,” Yu Sheng said subtly, letting the topic drop. Then after a pause, he spoke somewhat abruptly: “How long has it been?”
“Huh? How long what’s been?”
“From the moment I told you I was about to die until now. How much time has passed?”
“Um... I can’t see the clock from where I am... I’d guess about half an hour? Not sure, though. I’ve been sealed inside this painting for years, so my sense of time is a bit fuzzy. But the sky outside hasn’t changed much; at least, it’s not morning yet…”
Yu Sheng: “...Isn’t that way too inaccurate? Do you know the difference between half an hour and an entire night?!”
Eileen was silent for a moment, then a sharp, low laugh came from her side.
“That’s not me! It’s this bear!”
Yu Sheng, exhausted, waved his hand: “I know.”
Eileen sounded pleased: “Ah, so you finally believe me…”
Yu Sheng was too worn out to bother with this sealed doll. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he wasn’t convinced by her story, but rather thought—if she really wanted a beating, she didn’t need to try; her words alone were enough.
It was clear that beside Eileen’s cheeky mouth, the bear’s mocking laugh only added fuel to the fire...
Lost in useless thoughts, Yu Sheng stepped out of the ruined temple again.
Whether by illusion or not, he felt his stamina was even better than before he “died”—his steps light, movements strong, even his gaze seemed sharper.
It was as if he was adapting to this place, to its darkness, its rugged ruins, and the omnipresent malice and hungry stares.
He headed toward the empty ground before the temple, toward the woods on the far side, deeper into this “alien land.”
He knew he might die again—and perhaps soon, even in the next moment.
“Yu Sheng,” Eileen’s voice echoed in his mind once more, “are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a few minor injuries. All healed now.”
“Then maybe you should stay put for now, or find a safe place to hide. I’ll try to recall something; maybe I’ve encountered that ‘valley’ you mentioned before…”
“You keep recalling. I’ll keep exploring here,” Yu Sheng said casually.
“Ah? That might be a bit dan—”
“Eileen,” Yu Sheng cut her off. He had already reached the clearing and took a deep breath of the valley’s cold, eerily pungent air. Looking toward the shadowy, sinister forest in the distance, he suddenly smiled, pulling at the corner of his mouth.
“You know, these days I’ve been living in a daze.”
Eileen clearly was a bit lost: “Um... should I know that...?”
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Yu Sheng didn’t care about Eileen’s reaction, speaking to himself: “...You mentioned ‘alien lands’ earlier, and some incidents of people inadvertently entering them. Do you know how I reacted?”
“How?”
“Happy.”
“Huh?”
“Happy. I was genuinely happy,” Yu Sheng said, standing in the night, unable to hold back a smile. “You said some people accidentally open a wrong door, or at an incredibly unlikely moment, step on the wrong floorboard and fall into what’s called ‘alien lands,’ right? And you said if those who fall in are lucky enough to find the laws of those lands, there’s still a chance to return…”
“That’s what I said...” Eileen hesitated, “But it really depends on luck. Professionals might manage, but ordinary people without training basically die if they fall into alien lands...”
Yu Sheng murmured softly: “No problem. You die and figure it out as you go...”
Eileen: “...What?”
“Nothing. I just suddenly found something to do,” Yu Sheng exhaled softly, as if releasing all the stifled frustration from wandering aimlessly in this world for two months. “I’ll start here. It might take a while, but I’m sure I can get out of this place.”
“Though I don’t know how things are on your end, you seem... uplifted?” Eileen said hesitantly. “Well, that’s a good thing at least. Good luck? Try not to die... We’re still waiting for you to come back and fix the TV... and find a body for me or something...”
“All right, I’ll try to sort out a body for you when I get back,” Yu Sheng replied casually. “I’ve dabbled a bit in sculpture and modeling before. Should be able to manage something.”
This truly surprised Eileen: “Ah? You have experience as a doll maker?! Why didn’t you say so earlier! How skilled are you? What kind of dolls or models can you make?”
Yu Sheng hesitated briefly, then admitted: “About the level of following online videos of experts molding clay. After watching, my brain tells my hands I’ve learned it, but my hands aren’t convinced.”
Two seconds later, Eileen cursed terribly.
But Yu Sheng’s mood completely relaxed. Some inexplicable sense of ease stirred his confidence. He moved forward, looked up into the night, aiming to glance at a mountain nearby.
A several-meter-tall blood-and-flesh beast, as if born from countless twisted limbs of ferocious monsters fused together, stared at him from the roadside.
Yu Sheng stopped, thought for a moment, and inwardly called to the cursing doll in the painting: “Eileen.”
“What is it?”
“...Nothing. I’m about to die again.”
“Ah?”