Dimensional Hotel
Chapter 279: Harvest

To be honest, Yu Sheng felt quite surprised—not only at the monster’s savage intensity but also at its judgment when it decisively severed its own arm.

His curiosity about this strange enemy grew stronger by the moment.

Now, the iron Doll stood silently nearby, bathed in the gentle glow cast by streetlights through the dense fog. Its tall figure appeared like a beautiful yet grotesque statue, radiating an elusive, almost holy aura.

That metallic face still smiled quietly, watching Yu Sheng. Slowly, she raised her remaining left arm, her half-meter blade fingers clicking softly.

The biological functions of a living human were gradually collapsing. Yu Sheng swayed slightly, then raised his head and walked towards that saintly “statue,” wrapped in a cloak of death.

The iron Doll took a half-step back.

Yu Sheng reached out his hand—the hand that had been pressing on his bleeding chest. Blood droplets slipped from his fingers, floating mid-air, circling him like living creatures. A gentle smile spread across his face as he softly invited the creature:

“Come on. Don’t be afraid… it’s still warm.”

The iron Doll’s body emitted an unsettling clicking sound, and she stepped back again—this time almost leaping backward.

“So… you can feel fear. You can even think clearly,” Yu Sheng stopped moving, staring intently at the strange monster. “What… exactly are you?”

The iron Doll bent her knees slightly, appearing ready to charge, but suddenly, she changed her stance, jumping high and backward instead.

Her form was swallowed instantly by a sudden surge of shadow, vanishing into the thick mist.

Yu Sheng didn’t chase after her.

Yu Sheng had already died.

As darkness swiftly enveloped him, Yu Sheng’s mind floated in chaotic oblivion, yet he continued pondering, replaying every detail of his fight against that monster.

He had to admit—aside from the Dark Angels, this creature was undoubtedly the most challenging, pressure-inducing opponent he’d ever encountered. Its oppressive presence surpassed even those hideous and terrifying beasts, and this pressure arose not just from her sheer strength but also from the unsettling aura she emitted.

She looked human, yet wasn’t human. She seemed alive, yet her aura spoke overwhelmingly of death rather than life.

And she was indeed terrifyingly powerful.

Incredibly fast, enormously strong, and agile as a phantom—she didn’t use flashy skills, only basic cold-weapon attacks, but every strike from her ten blade-like fingers was devastating. More importantly, her combat intelligence was extremely high; she understood tactics, deception, and how to fight or flee at will.

She could even retract her self-destruction.

Her outer shell was also extraordinarily sturdy. Yu Sheng had landed blows directly upon her, yet each strike left no visible damage. Even Foxy’s fireballs—which could usually melt common steel—had only scorched her surface. Granted, Foxy’s Rapid Fire Fireball was meant primarily for suppressive fire, but still, the iron Doll’s protective capabilities were shockingly formidable.

However, the iron Doll wasn’t without weaknesses.

She could think, she felt fear, she could deceive, and she could be deceived.

Yu Sheng’s consciousness drifted through darkness, reviewing the battle repeatedly as he awaited the dissipation of his death. Eventually, after an uncertain stretch of time, he felt a sudden, intense sensation of falling.

Death faded; life returned.

Cold, hard ground pressed against his back. Chilly mist slipped into his nostrils. Yu Sheng opened his eyes, finding himself lying once more on the fog-shrouded street.

He took a deep breath. His reborn body felt pure and strong as he rolled to his feet and surveyed his surroundings.

He was still at the recent battleground. The strange iron Doll was long gone, and she had apparently not returned to inspect the scene.

A few meters away, an object caught his eye.

Yu Sheng approached slowly and saw the severed metal arm quietly lying on the ground.

He bent down and picked it up, feeling its coldness in his palm. The once-deadly weapon was now lifeless; the loose joints drooped, softly grinding together with a faint metallic whisper. The half-meter-long blade fingers reflected silvery glints under the streetlights. Although any traces of blood had vanished, Yu Sheng still sensed a subtle connection between himself and this severed limb.

And it wasn’t only the arm he felt connected to.

Yu Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling a vague guidance from within his blood.

A distant “blood trail” was swiftly moving deep within this massive city.

The iron Doll had acted decisively by severing her own arm—but it wasn’t enough.

Yet her desperate move had achieved some effect. Yu Sheng could sense a distant connection, though weak and indistinct, made even more elusive by the great distance separating them. Unlike the Entity “security guard” at the Museum, he couldn’t pinpoint the iron Doll’s exact location or observe her surroundings through her eyes.

That was somewhat disappointing.

Yu Sheng felt a slight relief—at least he’d left a trace behind. If that creature appeared again, he’d sense its presence instantly and finally uncover the secret hidden behind it.

Breathing slowly, Yu Sheng reached out and opened the great door leading back into Wutong Road No. 66.

The moment he stepped through, he heard Irene and Foxy talking from the direction of the living room.

“Hey, dumb Fox! Check the time. How long has Yu Sheng been dead?”

“Thirty-something minutes now… shouldn’t he revive soon?”

“…Think he got corpse-camped by that cheap doll with the type-C buckle? Like, resurrected just to get chopped again?”

“Nah, impossible. That monster didn’t know Benefactor could revive.”

“True enough—oh, wait! I sense Yu Sheng’s mental presence! He’s revived, he’s really revived! He’s close by too, just—”

little doll looked up sharply and spotted Yu Sheng standing not far away, watching her with an amused smile.

Irene: “…Wha?!”

Foxy immediately bounded over joyfully, “Benefactor, you’re alive again~~!”

Yu Sheng casually tossed aside the iron arm he’d brought back and steadied himself in a low stance, bracing for Foxy’s enthusiastic embrace. Quickly realizing he was running out of breath, he urgently reminded her: “Enough, enough… Easy, don’t break my new body again…”

Foxy hastily released him, her tails spinning happily beside her like fiery wheels. Meanwhile, Irene ran up, curious yet cautious, and attempted to lift the arm he’d discarded. Halfway up, she let go again with a gasp. “Holy cow…this thing’s ridiculously heavy! Yu Sheng, you’re pretty good, huh? Managed to rip off an arm before you kicked it?”

“She ripped it off herself,” Yu Sheng replied, catching his breath after Foxy’s crushing hug. “Probably trying to escape my blood’s influence. Still, she left something for me to track…”

He went on, recounting everything that happened after Foxy and Irene had retreated, along with the wild thoughts he’d entertained during his brief time in death.

Irene and Foxy listened intently.

“At least there’s some good news,” Yu Sheng concluded, bending down and lifting the iron arm from the floor again. “I marked that Iron Doll. Right now, she’s still somewhere deep within the foggy city, moving constantly—probably sensing something left on her and trying to shake off pursuit. But she can’t run forever. Other than that, there’s just this arm I brought back, a trophy at least.”

He carefully placed the limb, blades and all, onto the tea table. His caution stemmed mostly from the absurd sharpness of the finger blades, each seemingly capable of easily piercing through any furniture around.

“What could you even use this for?” Irene climbed onto the tea table, poking suspiciously at the palm and blades, disdain coloring her tone. “Ew, ugly and crude.”

Yu Sheng replied casually, “Still stronger than you, though.”

Irene’s curses that followed were harsh indeed.

Ignoring her indignant jumping and waving, Yu Sheng continued thoughtfully, “I’ll take this to the Special Affairs Bureau later. Maybe they can figure out where that creature came from. But honestly, what caught my eye most were these finger blades—perfectly balanced, sharp, and sturdy. One poke and they open up a neat hole in my body…”

Irene’s tirade stopped abruptly. She stared wide-eyed at Yu Sheng before finally blurting out, “Whoa! Listen to yourself! You sound like a psycho…”

“I’ve been struggling to find a reliable Bloodletting Knife lately,” Yu Sheng answered, entirely serious. “Normal knives from shops go blunt after stabbing myself just a couple of times, and it’s not like I want to bite myself every time—I’m civilized, after all.”

Irene was speechless. “Civilized, my butt! You think using a dinner knife to cut yourself makes you refined?”

Ignoring the little doll’s complaints, Yu Sheng gently pushed the iron arm toward Foxy. “Can you try dismantling this thing? I mainly want one of those ‘fingernails.’ Cut off about ten centimeters of the blade, that’s enough. I’ll put a proper handle on it…”

The Iron Doll’s outer shell was astonishingly strong; even Foxy’s Carrot Gatling had only managed to scorch the surface. But Yu Sheng knew Foxy’s flames had many levels, though he wasn’t sure exactly how many. Thus far, he’d personally witnessed several categories: Heated Meal Level, Fox Stew Level, Fox Carrot Gatling Level, Booster Rocket Level, and, most intriguingly, a mysterious tier called “Argon Fox Welding,” rumored to intensify infinitely against stronger opponents…

Surely one of these flame tiers could handle slicing the thing currently sitting on his tea table…right?

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation