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After wandering around the valley a bit more, confirming the existence of a “spatial boundary” on the other side, Yu Sheng and his small group decided it was time to return to the real world.

Stepping through the gate, the familiar living room and its warm, bright lights welcomed them back. The night outside was still deep, and Yu Sheng, standing by the window, felt a bit dazed.

“It’s still daylight over there,” Irene commented, climbing onto the windowsill to peer outside. “I almost forgot it was night here.”

“Yeah, after that ‘Dark Angel’ left, it was always daytime in the valley,” Yu Sheng nodded. “We stayed there for quite some time, and the light never changed.”

“There wasn’t even a sun over there. Where the light comes from is a complete mystery,” Irene said as she leaped down from the windowsill, using Yu Sheng as her landing pad before clambering down his leg. She spoke casually as she climbed, “If that’s the case, we should call it ‘Daylight Valley’ instead…”

Yu Sheng’s eye twitched slightly as he watched Irene’s natural climbing motion. “You know, you’re way too good at climbing.”

“Oh, really?” Irene looked up, not the least bit ashamed. “Maybe it’s just practice makes perfect?”

Yu Sheng’s lips twitched, as if he had more to say, but just then, the sudden ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts.

He took it out and saw Bai Li Qing’s name on the screen, which didn’t surprise him in the least.

“I’ll take this,” he said, waving briefly to Irene and Foxy before moving to the dining room.

The moment Yu Sheng answered the call, before he could even greet her, Bai Li Qing’s calm voice came through. “You’re back?”

Her voice was so even that for a second Yu Sheng almost thought she was sitting right there in his living room, watching him.

“Uh, yeah, I’m back,” Yu Sheng answered, feeling an inexplicable sense of awkwardness. “So, there’s something going on on your end, right?”

“Hmm, nothing unusual,” Bai Li Qing said, not bothering with small talk. “So, did you see the ‘Night Valley’? What’s the situation there now?”

“Yeah, I saw it,” Yu Sheng took a breath, refocusing himself before responding. But he couldn’t help asking first, “It sounds like you all can’t track it, though. Doesn’t the Special Affairs Bureau have ways to search or enter these Otherworld spaces?”

There was silence for a couple of seconds on the other end.

“They failed,” Bai Li Qing said, surprising Yu Sheng with her straightforward answer. “After the ‘Hunger’ incident, we tried sending investigators, but they couldn’t find the Night Valley.”

“Couldn’t find it?” Yu Sheng repeated, intrigued by the wording. “What do you mean? Not that they couldn’t enter, but they couldn’t even find it?”

“Correct. In all of our ‘standard investigation methods,’ the Night Valley seems to have simply vanished,” Bai Li Qing explained. “So when I heard not only that you found it but also entered it easily, I was surprised.”

Yu Sheng thought for a moment. He really hadn’t sensed any “surprise” from that stoic woman, but he did appreciate her honesty. “Well, let me tell you what I found. First, I think we need to change the name. Since that ‘Dark Angel’ left, the whole valley has never experienced ‘night.’ I think this might be its original state.”

“Second, as far as I can tell, Entity-Hunger is gone. Permanently.”

Yu Sheng distinctly heard a sharp intake of breath, followed by a muffled exclamation.

He finally sensed her “surprise.”

A second later, Bai Li Qing’s voice, now slightly hurried, reached his ears. “I want to confirm something—did you just say ‘permanently gone’? Do you understand the rules of Entities and Otherworld spaces? Don’t misunderstand, it’s just a genuine question.”

“I get it. Otherworlds persist as long as their Entities exist, right? But Entity-Hunger is really gone. And based on my observations, the nature of the valley has changed as well. I don’t have the kind of professional equipment you do, but I think… by a broad definition, Night Valley should also be considered ‘gone.’ Now it’s more like a…”

Yu Sheng hesitated, struggling to describe it properly. But soon enough, Bai Li Qing spoke again.

“An empty shell, left after being consumed, is that it?”

Yu Sheng blinked, not expecting such a precise explanation.

He had actually withheld a lot of information—the details of triggering the “Feast,” his connection to the valley, his blood’s ability to bring about changes, and the life beginning to bloom in that valley. Bai Li Qing mostly got her information from Li Lin and Xu Jiali’s reports. But clearly, this Special Affairs Bureau chief had excellent instincts and judgment.

“About this ’empty shell,\'” Bai Li Qing’s voice broke through his thoughts, “The Bureau would like to send a team to conduct an on-site investigation, of course, with your help and permission.”

Yu Sheng hesitated for a brief moment.

He didn’t have any particular mistrust of the Bureau—so far, he’d had no unpleasant encounters with any of its members. But people have a natural instinct to keep secrets, and that valley was now closely tied to him.

Bai Li Qing, of course, picked up on his hesitation.

“Take your time to decide. We won’t push. If you do decide to open the gate, you can choose who joins the investigation, as well as how many, how long they stay, and you can supervise the entire time.” Bai Li Qing’s tone remained detached and calm, but it sounded like she was making an effort to show sincerity and friendliness. “We just need some key data. After all, this is an unprecedented situation—the first Otherworld and Entity ever truly ‘eliminated.’ I’m sure I don’t need to stress how significant that is to people like us.”

Since she’d put it like that, Yu Sheng couldn’t bring himself to refuse outright. “Alright, I’ll think it over for the next couple of days.”

As Bai Li Qing stood by the window on the phone, Song Cheng couldn’t help but whisper to the slightly balding, chubby middle-aged man beside him. “Hey, Director Wu, has the chief always been this easygoing?”

“You’re asking me? You work with her more than I do,” replied Director Wu in an even lower voice. “You know how the Information Center is—practically invisible most of the time. We only get noticed at summary meetings. Your team even calls us ‘cave dwellers’ in the server room…”

Song Cheng chuckled. “Honestly, that’s pretty accurate.”

Director Wu gave him a side glance, then carefully looked up at Bai Li Qing, still on her call. “Seriously though, it’s my first time seeing her so patient with someone. She’s actually having a long, polite conversation—is this ‘Yu Sheng’ really that important?”

“Not important—weird,” Song Cheng shrugged. “Hasn’t your whole department been working non-stop lately? You must’ve noticed by now.”

“Don’t even mention it.”

Song Cheng smirked, about to say more, when suddenly a chill ran down his spine, making him instantly straighten up.

A calm yet commanding gaze had already landed on him.

“Entity-Hunger has permanently vanished,” Bai Li Qing stated flatly.

Those words erased every stray thought from Song Cheng’s mind, leaving only an overwhelming “What?” echoing inside.

He opened his mouth, but couldn’t think of anything to say.

“When your two agents come back from their break, have them spend more time around Yu Sheng,” Bai Li Qing continued, unfazed by Song Cheng’s stunned reaction. “Yu Sheng has genuine human emotions and logic—his responses are real. We need someone to build stable trust and rapport with him. Your agents did well last time. Also, send someone to Wutong Road No. 66 tomorrow with registration forms. Choose carefully—don’t pick anyone who treats Otherworlds and Entities like sworn enemies. Find someone sharp and likable.”

Song Cheng finally recovered himself. “Yes, Chief.”

Bai Li Qing nodded, her gaze shifting to the balding, chubby middle-aged man beside her—Director Wu from the Information Center.

“How’s it going on your end?” she asked.

“We’ve eliminated all possibilities. At least from a system perspective, there’s no reason for a glitch like this,” Director Wu quickly adjusted his stance. “We even tried deleting Yu Sheng’s file and re-registering it, but none of the operations worked. The entries seem to ‘float’ in the database, not responding to any commands or edits, without triggering any errors either. Honestly… if the system doesn’t report it soon, I’m tempted to report it myself.”

“Instead of reporting, maybe bring in the professors from the Academy. Their incense for calming machine spirits and binary prayers are perfect for dealing with weird issues like this,” Song Cheng chimed in. “They even fixed that depressed transport vehicle for Squad Four last time.”

“I’ll contact Terra and ask them to send someone,” Bai Li Qing nodded slightly. “But if the Academy professors can’t help, then we’ll drop it—from now on, stop trying to alter anything related to Yu Sheng in the archive system.”

“Yes, Chief.”