Chapter 135: Found

To be honest, the moment Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood stepped toward that dark, deathly silent cottage, the squirrel went "Gah!" and fainted dead away, dropping straight down from Little Red Riding Hood's shoulder—but before it could hit the ground, Yu Sheng, quick-eyed and quick-handed, caught it by the tail and hoisted it up.

Yu Sheng's reaction speed was mainly honed through his usual battles of wits and courage with Erin—the little doll's speed when leaping up to bite was simply lightning-fast.

"You can't drag me to your death!" the squirrel opened its eyes and struggled violently in Yu Sheng's hand. "I'm just a squirrel! You're making this way too hard for me..."

"Quiet," Little Red Riding Hood said in a low, highly intimidating tone, "if you truly don't want to die."

The squirrel instantly fell silent.

By this time, Yu Sheng had already reached a spot only a few meters away from that cottage.

Although the forest was dim, he clearly saw the state of the cottage—it was exactly the same as the "Shelter Cottage" he remembered from his last visit, with the same dark-colored wooden exterior walls and dark red roof, a narrow wooden door, very small windows, and two layers of steps at the entrance that were mottled and rotting.

But this cottage held not a shred of light, and its exterior details looked even more aged; it seemed to have been abandoned for many years, maintaining a state of being on the verge of rotting away yet not collapsing. Its doors, windows, and eaves also showed those tangled red rags and strings—but those strips of cloth and loose threads were even more tattered, and their color even deeper, so deep it became somewhat unsettling.

That dark red was like bloodstains that had soaked in and then dried up.

"Have you ever seen a cottage like this?" Yu Sheng turned his head and looked at Little Red Riding Hood.

"No," the girl in red shook her head, then immediately added, "This is also my first time coming this 'deep' into the place."

"Is there any lore about this kind of cottage?" Yu Sheng looked again at the squirrel he held in his hand.

However, the squirrel did not answer; this neurotic rodent trembled, its eyes full of terror and resistance, and as Yu Sheng drew closer and closer to the cottage, its tension and even its stress response seemed to intensify.

"Stay away from here... squirrels don't like this place... squirrels don't like this place..."

It made a tiny sound, and its claws began to struggle with force.

"Calm down, calm down, we'll be fine," Yu Sheng felt the other's reaction was a bit off, so he quickly spoke to soothe it, "I have a way to transfer out of the forest at any time, and I can also send you to a safe zone—we'll just do a simple investigation and then leave..."

As he said this, he suddenly sensed something and stared into the squirrel's eyes: "Do you know something?"

"Know? No, the squirrel doesn't know, the squirrel knows nothing!" The squirrel struggled violently, as if reason was rapidly fading from its mind. "I've never seen this cottage! No one has ever seen this cottage! You also..."

It suddenly stopped, stretching its neck hard in Yu Sheng's hand, as if straining its ears to listen to something.

"Did you hear that? Did you hear what sound?"

The squirrel spoke in a neurotic manner, its body twisting and turning.

Yu Sheng frowned: "Heard what?"

But what responded to him was a sharp sting at his fingertips.

The squirrel suddenly lowered its head and bit him hard; in the instant Yu Sheng instinctively loosened his fingers, this delirious little animal shot out, letting out a string of screams even while in mid-air: "Run! Run quickly! The wolves are here! They're all here! Run with us, hurry!"

However, neither Yu Sheng nor Little Red Riding Hood moved; they watched helplessly as the squirrel went mad, watching it, in a state of lost reason, scream as it darted into the darkness far away, vanishing almost in the blink of an eye.

"It actually ran away..." Little Red Riding Hood stared at the scene in shock, clearly this was the first time she had seen such a situation too.

"When it ran, it at least remembered to tell us to run too," Yu Sheng was also a bit stunned, then he turned back to look at the silent cottage. "When we first saw this house, its reaction wasn't this strong; it only seemed to go mad as we got closer... Do you have any clues?"

"No, that squirrel is mysterious and very neurotic; my understanding of it might not be much better than yours," Little Red Riding Hood shook her head, her eyes already showing a bit more caution. She looked at the pitch-black windows of the cottage, took a light breath, and said, "Let's go inside and take a look."

Even in this situation, she had no intention of retreating.

"I'll go in first," Yu Sheng walked ahead. "Judging by that squirrel's reaction, this cottage might be more dangerous and eerie than anywhere else in the Black Forest. Your state is unstable; don't rush in."

As he spoke, his hand was already resting on the doorknob.

Little Red Riding Hood opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something, but finally swallowed it back, simply nodding calmly.

Yu Sheng took a deep breath, calming his own emotions, while at the same time paying attention to changes in the surrounding aura, and gently pushed open that wooden door which did not look very sturdy.

With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open with ease.

But the stale smell and flying dust Yu Sheng imagined did not appear.

He waited two seconds at the doorway, confirming there was no movement inside and that the forest itself had not changed, before poking his head in for a look.

His vision, sharper and stronger than that of an ordinary person, allowed him to see the situation inside the cottage clearly even in the dimness.

Seeing that Yu Sheng had only glanced inside, Little Red Riding Hood quickly pulled her body back, standing at the doorway with a look of some bewilderment and complexity.

She couldn't help but step forward: "Inside..."

Yu Sheng blinked, snapping out of his brief daze. He looked at the girl in red before him, a flicker of hesitation passing over his face, but after a moment of weighing things, he still nodded lightly: "Come in with me; see for yourself."

They walked into the cottage.

In the darkness, Little Red Riding Hood finally knew what Yu Sheng had seen.

It was red cloaks.

It was countless red cloaks hanging on the walls, scattered on the floor, and hanging down from the roof.

How many? A dozen? Several dozen? Or even more?

In the dimness, the red cloaks, as if dyed with fresh blood, were of all kinds, tattered and torn; some had even become broken scraps of cloth unrecognizable in shape. They were messily spread out on the ground, making it impossible to distinguish the exact number at first glance.

The sound of footsteps on the rotten floor broke the silence of the cottage. Yu Sheng took two steps forward, then turned back to look at Little Red Riding Hood, who was still standing dumbly at the doorway.

"Come, don't stay too far from me."

Little Red Riding Hood nodded a bit dully, then followed Yu Sheng's footsteps. Unknowingly, she got a bit closer to the other person. After a moment, she spoke softly: "Here..."

"Perhaps this explains why that squirrel had such a strong reaction to this place," Yu Sheng sighed lightly, turning to look at the girl beside him. "Don't be afraid."

"I... well, yes, I'm a bit scared, but it's okay," Little Red Riding Hood hesitated, trying to force a smile but failing. She stepped carefully, stepping over a pile of red cloaks scattered on the ground, then looked at the messy, broken red fabrics on the nearby walls, and instinctively tugged at her own coat. "Here... this is probably what everything looks like after it's all over. No wonder it's in the deepest part of the forest."

"I suddenly have a question," Yu Sheng looked at the coat on Little Red Riding Hood, and a reasonable and practical doubt arose in his mind—actually, he had had this question for a long time. "You chose this outfit in the real world yourself, right? Why does it have to be a red coat too? Just to fit the 'Little Red Riding Hood' label?"

"To stabilize my own state," Little Red Riding Hood said softly. "After obtaining a red cloak in the Black Forest, one must ensure not to stray too far from the identity of 'Little Red Riding Hood'."

"Why?"

Little Red Riding Hood sighed: "Just as fairy tales dislike adults, fairy tales also dislike 'naughty children'."

Yu Sheng frowned deeply.

"This thing is really strict to the point of being unpleasant," his mood was obviously not good, but he quickly reined in the gloomy expression on his face and looked at Little Red Riding Hood with some concern. "Are you okay? If this place puts too much pressure on you, you can go out first."

"I'm fine," Little Red Riding Hood just shook her head. "This place just makes me a bit nervous, but to be honest, it's actually much better than the pitch-black forest outside."

"Hmm."

Yu Sheng nodded lightly and didn't say anything more.

They carefully searched the small hut hung with tattered red capes, yet found no trace of the child named "Xiaoxiao."

"Not here?" Yu Sheng frowned, looking at the not-so-large house, his heart growing increasingly anxious. "Logically, this should be the most likely place."

"The forest has deeper parts," Little Red Riding Hood whispered softly. "The farther from the light, the darker the place, the deeper it is."

Yu Sheng said nothing, merely scanning the surroundings once more.

No, he felt that child was right here.

Because wolves were prowling in the surrounding darkness, still eyeing some "fresh food."

A faint "feeling" transmitted through the connection established by blood; Yu Sheng frowned tightly, striving to grasp that perception not his own, attempting to observe and think as a wolf, as a shadow, even as the Black Forest itself.

Suddenly, he seemed to see... or know something.

Little Red Riding Hood watched in surprise as Yu Sheng suddenly strode to the single bed in the corner of the wooden cabin, reaching out to feel for something in mid-air above the bedding.

"What are you doing?" she asked instinctively.

Yu Sheng did not answer; instead, he pulled a small knife from his pocket.

The small knife was very sharp.

His face wore a serious and calm expression as he carefully observed and sensed something, then without hesitation sliced the knife across a certain spot.

The blade cut through the air, yet conveyed the sensation of slicing through skin and flesh; the scent of blood suddenly filled the air.

"Ah, found you..." Only then did a faint smile suddenly appear on Yu Sheng's face. He cut lightly and precisely with delight, his tone gentle. "The wolf grandmother who hid herself so well..."

(End of this chapter)