异界旅馆

第9章 一点真相

The voice in his mind startled Yusheng, who had been zoning out in the cold wind of the valley—then it left him even more stunned.

It wasn't until Eileen yelled at him a second time in his head that he snapped out of it.

"...Eileen?" Yusheng blinked. He was cautiously scanning the valley while carefully inching toward the crumbling ruins of the old temple, trying to find a temporary shelter. At the same time, he attempted to respond in his mind, "How... how did you get in touch with me? I mean, how are you talking directly into my head..."

"Is that supposed to be hard?" Eileen's tone was righteous and matter-of-fact. "I'm one of Alice's dolls!"

Yusheng thought about it but couldn't connect the dots... So, all of Alice's dolls can do this? Just talk directly in people's heads?

"I already slipped into your dream once, didn't I? After that, I could just find my way back," Eileen added, sensing his confusion. But then her tone shifted, "Hey, where the heck did you go? I can't sense you at all..."

Yusheng stayed silent for two seconds, looking up at the eerie valley and dense forest around him. He had this creeping feeling that any second now, a seven- or eight-meter-tall monster might appear, with epic battle music blaring in the background. It chilled him to the bone. "...I might've gone on a little trip. Don't think I'll be able to make it back anytime soon..."

There was a brief pause on Eileen's end before her voice, delayed by a few seconds, came through again, "...Didn't you just say you were going out to take the trash? Did the garbage truck scoop you up or something?!"

Yusheng had no idea where her imagination came from...

But he had to admit, hearing Eileen's voice had calmed his nerves a bit, though just a bit. After suddenly getting tossed into this desolate wilderness, her voice at least proved that his connection to his original world hadn't been completely severed. If Eileen could reach him, then maybe—just maybe—there was still a way back. He had no real idea or logic to support this, but for now, he had to believe it.

As for the present, his priority was ensuring his safety.

The valley was eerily quiet, with only the occasional hollow whistle of the wind breaking the silence. Yet Yusheng couldn't shake off this nagging, suffocating sense that something was watching him—something cold, something void, something hungry, scanning the area, scanning him.

This growing unease made him desperately want to find some cover. He couldn't just stand out in the open like this.

The only real place for shelter in sight was that mostly collapsed old temple. While the distant forest was dense, its atmosphere felt even more unsettling and sinister. Besides, heading into a dark forest at night was a classic horror story move—the kind that would lead straight to disaster. He definitely didn't want to risk it.

But unfortunately, sneaking into a ruined temple at night was also a surefire recipe for disaster. The difference was that the forest was more likely to spawn wild beasts, while the temple was more likely to house monsters...

Either way, both options had the potential for some intense battle music.

Gritting his teeth, Yusheng decided to head for the still-intact corner of the temple ruins.

At the same time, he kept his mental link with Eileen, explaining his current situation. Though, there wasn't much to explain—he had no idea how any of this had happened. All he had done was open a door...

After a long pause on Eileen's end, she finally hesitated and said, "Sounds like you've ended up in an 'Otherworld,' or something?"

Standing amidst the ruins, Yusheng froze. "Otherworld? You call this place an Otherworld? Do you know where I am?"