Dimensional Hotel

“Can you both see that house up ahead?” Yu Sheng asked, pointing towards the old manor in front of them at Wutong Road No. 66.

Beside him, Foxy and Irene, who was snuggled in Foxy’s arms, both nodded casually.

“Of course we can,” Foxy replied, her voice light and easy. “It’s right there in front of us. We saw it when we left, and we see it now as we’re back.”

Yu Sheng nodded, then looked at Little Red Riding Hood, who was tagging along. “And you? Can you see it?”

Little Red Riding Hood widened her eyes, staring hard at the empty lot ahead and the low wall at the edge of the land. She turned her head, frowning at Foxy and Irene.

“You two can really see it?”

“Looks like you can’t,” Yu Sheng said, already understanding the situation. “Even though I gave you an ‘invitation,’ you still can’t see it.” Little Red shrugged.

Yu Sheng fell into thought.

He had been curious about many things lately—about himself, about the Otherworld, about the Special Affairs Bureau, and especially about the mysterious Night Valley. But more than anything, he was curious about the strange old manor where he’d been living for the past two months. So, driven by a “necessary research spirit,” he invited Little Red Riding Hood over today to test just how peculiar the “non-existent Wutong Road No. 66” really was.

Foxy and Irene could see the manor, while Little Red Riding Hood could not. Even with the “invitation” from the “owner,” she was unable to perceive its existence. Yu Sheng thought it over and realized there was one big difference between Foxy, Irene, and Little Red Riding Hood.

“So… it must be the ‘blood,’ right?” he muttered thoughtfully, his gaze flickering between the three of them.

Both Foxy and Irene had “accepted” his blood, creating a subtle bond between them. It was through this connection that they could even sense his “revival.” Little Red Riding Hood, however, hadn’t had this experience.

This seemed like the most plausible reason to Yu Sheng.

Little Red Riding Hood didn’t notice Yu Sheng’s thoughtful expression; she was busy curiously looking around.

The sun was setting, casting long shadows along the street. She could see the faint shapes of wolves lurking in the shadows of nearby buildings, watching over the entire street, serving as her eyes and ears.

She noticed something strange—the closer they got to the empty lot at the far end of Wutong Road, the fewer people there were around. And by the time they reached the space where “Wutong Road No. 66” was supposed to be, there were no passersby at all.

It was as if some invisible force was keeping ordinary people away from the manor.

Even her wolves couldn’t figure out how this force worked. The whole environment seemed so “clean,” almost vacuum-like, to anyone who could sense supernatural energies.

Suddenly, Little Red Riding Hood felt someone’s eyes on her. She turned sharply and saw Yu Sheng staring at her, his expression serious. The girl felt awkward instantly.

“Um… what is it?”

Yu Sheng reached out his hand. “Want a bite?”

“Huh?”

“Blood. Both Irene and Foxy have had my blood before, and they underwent some changes afterward. And now, they can see Wutong Road No. 66,” Yu Sheng explained with utmost seriousness. “I was thinking—maybe you should try it too. You know, as an experiment…”

Little Red’s expression turned visibly strange. She even took a half-step back, her gaze sharp like a guard dog. Only after confirming that Yu Sheng was genuinely acting out of “pure research spirit” did she relax—but she still firmly shook her head. “No way!”

“It won’t upset your stomach,” Yu Sheng tried to reassure her, already expecting this reaction. After all, inviting someone to take a bite out of you was quite a sudden request. Still, he persisted, “Aren’t you curious about how Wutong Road No. 66 looks from the outside?”

“I’m not a cat! Why should I be that curious?!” Little Red Riding Hood protested, taking another step back. She turned to Foxy and Irene. “Why is he like this—always coming up with weird ideas out of nowhere?”

Irene, who was cradled in Foxy’s arms, finally found a chance to speak. She wiggled a bit to make sure there was no one else around. “He’s always like that. Random ideas, always saying it’s for ‘research.’ Just ignore him.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Yu Sheng protested. “Am I really that bad?”

Irene just stayed quiet, releasing a faint lotus scent while lying in Foxy’s arms.

Yu Sheng: “…”

“Fine, forget it if you don’t want to,” he said with an awkward chuckle after a few seconds of silence. He waved dismissively at Little Red Riding Hood and then stepped towards the front door of the manor. He was just about to unlock it when he paused and moved aside, gesturing for Foxy to come over.

“Hey, Foxy, come over and see if you can open the door.”

“Huh? Alright.” Foxy blinked, but she nodded and approached, grabbing the doorknob.

With a click, the already-unlocked door opened easily.

From Little Red Riding Hood’s point of view, it looked like a door appeared out of thin air, floating near the wall covered in abstract graffiti.

“Great! At least now, you and Irene can come and go freely without me having to open the door every time,” Yu Sheng said, visibly relieved. Since learning that Wutong Road No. 66 was an “Otherworld” that outsiders couldn’t see or enter, he’d had many worries about the place. These worries included, but were not limited to, not being able to order food deliveries, appliances not being able to be delivered, online shopping being impossible, and the two residents of the house not being able to come and go freely. Now, he felt at least one problem had been solved.

“Come on in and have a seat,” Yu Sheng said, smiling at Little Red Riding Hood. “I’ll cook dinner soon. Stay for dinner as a thank-you for accompanying Foxy and Irene all day today.”

“No problem. You’ve helped me with half of my homework anyway,” Little Red Riding Hood replied, stepping into the house that didn’t exist in the real world.

Yu Sheng switched on the living room lights, brightening the dim space and instantly warming up the previously cold atmosphere of the room. He quickly put away the groceries, pulling out ingredients for that evening’s meal.

“Go ahead, find yourself a spot to sit,” he said, disappearing into the kitchen.

Little Red Riding Hood looked around the house cautiously, her curiosity mixed with unease.

It was her second time here, and this time, she was a “guest.” She rarely visited other people’s homes; she had visited more Otherworlds than ordinary homes. Yet, this seemingly normal house was an “Otherworld.” So, today’s visit was, in essence, another Otherworld adventure.

It was the strangest “adventure” she had ever had since becoming a Spirit Realm Detective—no eerie and twisted landscapes, no pervasive corruption, no illusions pretending to be her allies. There were just bright lights, a warm environment, a friendly fox spirit nearby, a cheerful doll running to turn on the TV, and the Entity of the Otherworld—a powerful being capable of devouring “Hunger”—cooking dinner in the kitchen.

She could even sit at the dining table and finish her homework while waiting for dinner.

It all felt too out of place. She wasn’t even sure where to begin pointing out the oddities.

But Irene, with her noisy cheerfulness, soon distracted her from her thoughts. The little doll called out from the living room, “Come watch TV! The one in the living room is bigger than the one in the dining room!”

“I still need to finish my homework,” Little Red Riding Hood replied, shaking her head while heading to the table. “Half of it is still left.”

“You humans are so exhausting,” Irene sighed dramatically from her perch on the couch. “Hey Foxy, wanna watch?”

Foxy waved her hand dismissively and headed towards the kitchen. “I’ll go see if the Benefactor needs any help.”

She disappeared into the kitchen, but barely two minutes later, she reemerged with a braised chicken leg in hand, munching on it as she walked.

Little Red Riding Hood, who had just started her homework, looked up, startled. “You’re back already?”

“I got kicked out. Benefactor said I was eating up all the seasoning and that there’d be nothing left to cook the meat with.” Foxy spoke with a completely innocent expression, then raised the chicken leg in her hand with a grin. “But Benefactor gave me this chicken leg. Want some?”

Little Red hesitated. “Uh… I guess…”

Before she could finish, Foxy pulled the chicken leg back. “If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it all myself.”

Little Red Riding Hood: “…”

The smell of stir-fried vegetables wafted out from the kitchen, making everyone’s mouth water.

Little Red thought for a moment, then pulled her phone out of her bag and dialed a number.

“Hey, it’s me. I’m not coming home for dinner tonight—I’ll eat at a friend’s place. Yeah, new friend. Safe, safe. I’ll explain when I get home. I’ll be back before ten, okay, bye.” She hung up and turned, only to find Foxy staring at her, still munching on the chicken leg.

“You can’t eat this,” Little Red said reflexively, covering her phone, though she didn’t quite know why.

Foxy didn’t mind, only asking curiously, “Were you talking to your family just now?”

“Yeah.”

“Your mom and dad?”

Little Red’s expression grew uncomfortable. “Uh… My parents passed away when I was young. I was talking to other family members.”

“Oh.” Foxy nodded, and for a few seconds, Little Red wondered what the fox spirit girl was thinking. Then Foxy suddenly extended the nearly-finished chicken leg towards her again. “Want a bite? Just a little one.”

Little Red Riding Hood: “…”

She realized she would never fully understand these… “strange people” living in the Otherworld.