Dimensional Hotel

.

Yu Sheng stood in his familiar old apartment and thought carefully about his idea. He had been considering taking all the towels, washbasins, and empty bottles from home to the Special Affairs Bureau, hoping they might appraise them as Otherworld artifacts. But, after thinking it through, he realized that was probably quite foolish. Even putting aside whether the Bureau would bother with such junk, dumping piles of household odds and ends into something called the “Rare Artifacts Market” could ruin the delicate balance of that small trading circle. Flooding the market with too many worthless items all at once could scare off collectors, and before long, no one would trust what was being sold.

Still, the spark of mischief didn’t vanish from Yu Sheng’s mind. Instead, it settled deeper and began to glow with new thoughts. Irene, looking up at him curiously, tilted her tiny doll-like face. “Are you thinking about selling that junk again?” she asked, looking utterly puzzled.

Yu Sheng waved his hand as if brushing away the thought. “Little Red Riding Hood said we at least have to sell things that look mysterious—things that feel special and have a spooky atmosphere. Many collectors are ordinary folks who know something about the supernatural world, and they collect these items for the thrill. They like bragging about owning strange objects.”

Irene let out a tired sigh. “Honestly, I don’t understand humans. There are so many people who have no magical powers at all, yet they insist on messing with things beyond their understanding. What’s wrong with just living a safe, ordinary life? They can’t see other cities or Entities, and that’s perfectly fine. Instead, they go digging for trouble, believing that a few so-called ‘safety measures’ make them untouchable. Who cares if these measures work? And who knows if these so-called Otherworld artifacts they buy won’t be dangerous?”

“Anyway,” Yu Sheng said, shrugging lightly, “even the Special Affairs Bureau allows it. Any item they let onto the market is considered safe enough. The truly dangerous stuff is locked up in their containment warehouse. At least that’s what the Borderland Communications Encyclopaedia says.”

Right then, Yu Sheng’s phone vibrated. He glanced down and saw a new message from Little Red Riding Hood. “If you’re interested in making some extra money, I’ve got a job for you. Want to help out?”

Yu Sheng raised his eyebrows and replied at once, “What kind of job?”

A moment later, another message appeared: “It’s a commission from the Association of Strange Objects. I turned it down at first because it’s a bit risky and the reward isn’t guaranteed. Also, I’m short on helpers. But if you’re willing—and you bring that tough fox of yours—it would be perfect. You’d get a real taste of what it’s like to be a Spirit Realm detective. Plus, I’ll give you half the payment. And the most important part is that if we meet something we can’t handle, you can grab me and run.”

Yu Sheng watched as another message popped up: “The job is simple. We need to enter the ‘Museum’ and bring out a certain item. If we succeed, that’s it. If you’re interested, I’ll send you all the details about the ‘Museum’ and the reward.”

He looked at Irene and then at Foxy—who was currently too busy happily gnawing on a chicken leg to realize that things were about to get exciting. Irene met his eyes, and at once they both understood something thrilling was about to begin.

They had gotten a job!

Of course, what stirred Yu Sheng’s heart wasn’t just the payment. It was the chance to step deeper into the Otherworld. He wanted to learn more about the supernatural side of this reality and gather as much knowledge as possible. To him, information about these hidden realms was worth more than any amount of money, for maybe—just maybe—there lay a clue to getting back home.

“Send everything over!” he replied quickly.

Without delay, Little Red Riding Hood forwarded a long, detailed briefing, ending with a very large sum as the promised reward. Yu Sheng’s jaw dropped when he saw the number. “That much?”

“We’ll split it fifty-fifty,” Little Red Riding Hood explained. “Going into the Otherworld is dangerous, so pay is high. But our costs are high too—think about all the gear, drugs, rationality suppressants, nebulizers, inducers. We have to pay for them ourselves. After expenses, we don’t end up with much, trust me.”

Yu Sheng blinked, confused. “What on earth are rationality suppressants, nebulizers, and inducers?” he typed back.

This time, Little Red Riding Hood didn’t reply right away. There was a long silence before a message full of exclamation marks came through: “!!!!!! You glitched out and got lucky again! I’m so jealous!!!”

Yu Sheng frowned and looked at Irene. “What does she mean by that?”

Irene scratched her head. “No idea. Maybe she’s just mad that you keep ending up in these strange situations without even trying?”

“I’m not sure that’s it,” Yu Sheng said, puzzled. But before he could think more, another message arrived. “I just talked to the Association’s client. They’re willing to re-issue the job. But we have a tight deadline—no later than midnight tomorrow. If you’re free, we should head out tonight.”

Yu Sheng considered it. He had nothing pressing to do at home. Foxy could probably use a bit of action, too, after all that eating. He nodded to himself and wrote back, “Alright, tonight works.”

“Great. I’ll send you the address. Come as soon as you can.”

After pocketing his phone, Yu Sheng took a deep breath. He glanced at Foxy, who had just finished licking the grease off her fingers after her chicken feast. Reaching over, he patted her tail. “Foxy, get dressed. We’re going out.”

Foxy blinked at him, surprised. “Huh? Benefactor, where are we going?”

Yu Sheng grinned, a spark of excitement in his eyes. “The Hotel’s got a job for us. We’re going on an adventure.”

“Alright!” Foxy replied eagerly.

A short while later, Yu Sheng stepped outside, followed by Foxy, who was carrying Irene like a small plush toy. The three of them stood in the open space before Wutong Road No. 66, feeling the cool night air on their faces. The city stretched out before them under a dark, starless sky. After a quiet moment, Irene blurted out, “How are we getting there?” �

Foxy’s tail swished, and she looked at Yu Sheng hopefully. “I can carry you, Benefactor. Just point the way!”

A sudden image flashed through Yu Sheng’s mind—Foxy racing rocket-fast across the city at midnight. He shook his head quickly. “No way. If the news caught wind of a giant fox sprinting through the streets at this hour… I can’t even imagine tomorrow’s headlines. Let’s just call a taxi.”

Irene wriggled a bit in Foxy’s arms. “Our first real supernatural mission and we’re going by rideshare? That’s so… normal.”

Yu Sheng coughed awkwardly. “Well, we’re just starting out. Once we have more money, we’ll get our own car. Besides, with the three of us, it’s not too cramped. And you, Irene—your whole body is tiny, you hardly take up space.”

Irene narrowed her eyes and shot back, “You’re always picking on my size, aren’t you?”

Yu Sheng had grown quite good at ignoring Irene’s little jabs. He simply turned, walking toward the street corner with Foxy by his side as he pulled out his phone to order a car. He wanted to put a bit of distance between them and the house before the ride came, just in case they encountered another unexpected visitor like that “locksmith” from before.

Foxy watched Yu Sheng’s actions closely. After a moment, she pointed at his phone. “Benefactor, that magic tool of yours seems so handy. It does everything!”

Yu Sheng paused, thinking. “Don’t you have anything like this where you come from?” He assumed the fox tribe’s civilization must be advanced too.

Foxy nodded. “We do. But children aren’t allowed to use it freely. My mother only let me use it for half an hour a day, and most of its features were locked so I wouldn’t waste time when I was supposed to be training.”

Yu Sheng sighed. Even a cyber-cultivation fox had to deal with parental controls! “I can reset one of my old phones for you,” he offered. “It won’t be as good as what you had back home, but it’ll help you understand this world and keep you entertained.”

Foxy’s eyes lit up happily. “Really? Thank you, Benefactor!”

“Hey, what about me?” Irene piped in at once. “I want one too!”

Yu Sheng glanced down at her. “You’re so small you’d need both hands just to hold it to your ear.”

“Rude! I can use a laptop just fine,” Irene argued. “I’ll just hold the phone with both hands, too.”

The mention of his laptop made Yu Sheng twitch. “Don’t even talk to me about the laptop. I still remember how you messed up my gaming account.”

Irene’s voice turned soft and wheedling. “Didn’t you hang me on the clothesline for half an hour to punish me? We’re even now. Besides, that ban is only seventy-two hours…”

Yu Sheng was about to remind her how annoyed he still was, but just then, a pair of headlights flickered at the far end of the street. Their ride had arrived. He shut his mouth and watched the car approach.

Irene tilted her head. “That car looks like it should’ve been scrapped ages ago. Are you sure this is our ride?”

Yu Sheng checked the license plate on his phone, frowning a bit at how the vehicle rattled over a speed bump. “It matches the one on my phone,” he said hesitantly. “It’s old, but not everything has to be fancy.”

At last, the car shuddered to a stop right in front of them. The way it stopped made Yu Sheng wonder if the driver had braked or if the car had just coughed and died. Then, the driver’s window rolled down, and a familiar face appeared.

Xu Jiali—over two meters tall and barely fitting behind the wheel—stared at them in surprise. “Oh, it’s you guys?”