Chapter 94: The Security Guards
(This novel was once translated and hosted on bcatranslation)
Yu Sheng stood quietly in that strange corridor, and in that moment, a new understanding dawned on him. He now realized what the Spirit Realm detectives and investigators truly meant when they spoke of “peace” in the Borderland. How could anyone call such a haunting, eerie place peaceful? The very thought sent a chill along his spine.
Yet, when he remembered the valley they had passed through not long ago, he began to see how Little Red Riding Hood’s words had held some truth. The “Museum” might be strange—even downright creepy—but it at least had a set of rules. As long as one followed those rules, one could avoid unnecessary harm. Compared to that, the valley had featured an Entity that hunted people no matter what they did, and lethal dangers had been scattered throughout the Otherworld. In that sense, the Museum, however unnerving, was indeed the lesser evil.
The difference between a Danger Level Two and a Danger Level Three place was crucial. At Danger Level Two, you had a fighting chance if you stuck to the rules. At Danger Level Three and above, no amount of obedience could guarantee your survival. In those realms, terrifying threats appeared constant and unavoidable.
“Remember, the object we’re looking for is called ‘The Weeper,’” whispered Little Red Riding Hood as she carefully scanned the corridor ahead. She kept her voice low, her eyes narrowed as she searched the dimly lit halls. “It’s a small statue, somewhere between fifteen and twenty-five centimeters tall. It shows a woman crying, her face hidden by her hands. It’s just a half-figure, with a sort of hollowed-out back and lines that look a bit abstract. Usually, it’s displayed alone in a white hall, and there shouldn’t be any guards around it. Once we find that hall, it shouldn’t be hard to grab the statue.”
Yu Sheng trailed close beside her, his eyes drifting over the Museum’s odd exhibits and winding passages. He asked quietly, “I have a question. What does the Association of Strange Objects want with this statue?”
Little Red Riding Hood shrugged without turning her head, “Who knows? Maybe some wealthy collector offered them a mountain of money, and they hired people like us to fetch it. Or maybe the Association wants it for their own research purposes.” She paused, then continued, “You see, the ‘Museum’ is one of those rare Otherworlds that keep ‘producing’ new things. Many of its creations are artistic—well, I don’t really ‘get’ art, but I do know that rich collectors go crazy over harmless items from here. Besides art, you’ll find odd artifacts and strange mechanical displays that seem to hint at some imaginary civilization. Scholars think these objects are valuable for studying Otherworld logic, so they try to collect them too.”
Yu Sheng nodded thoughtfully, then glanced back over his shoulder at the path they had taken. Little Red Riding Hood noticed this and asked softly, “What’s on your mind?”
“I’m thinking about the ‘stage’ we encountered, the invisible audience applauding, and the ticket booth,” Yu Sheng said. He spoke slowly, as if choosing his words with care. “They’re all pretty strange, obviously some sort of anomalous phenomena. Shouldn’t the entire ‘Theater’ count as an Otherworld? I mean, ‘Night at the Museum’ seems to be just one part of it.”