Chapter 165

The night was deep.

Nightfall cloaked the orphanage; the corridor outside gradually fell silent. The children, exhausted from daytime play, had mostly fallen asleep. The night watchman walked the corridor with a flashlight, occasional beams flashing through the observation windows of the doors, accompanied by deliberately slowed footsteps.

Little Red Riding Hood had changed into her nightgown and leaned against the headboard, listening intently to the sounds outside.

She was alert for brief cries in the night, for unusual screams. Her wolf sniffed the shadows, detecting the scents of fear and unease, searching for anything that shouldn't exist—anything that had leaked into reality under cover of darkness.

Even on nights when she wasn't scheduled for patrol, she had already formed this habit.

After a long while, she finally let out a soft sigh and lay down on the bed.

The first hour after lights out was the most prone to trouble. It seemed tonight would be a quiet one.

A rustling came from the upper bunk. A head peeked over the edge, curiosity on its face: "Red Riding Hood, sleeping this early? You've been sleeping a lot lately."

"Mm, starting to get sleepy," Little Red Riding Hood yawned, her voice thick with drowsiness. "And I've got a date tonight."

The long-haired Princess on the upper bunk blinked, momentarily confused—then, within seconds, she remembered a name recently familiar: "... That Uncle Yu Sheng?"

"He's not that old—you should call him brother," Little Red Riding Hood rolled her eyes. "Yeah, him. He's meeting me in the Black Forest."

"Alright, big brother," the Princess's expression turned odd. "Meeting you in the Black Forest... I know what's going on, but it still sounds so weird. We're always stuck in our own 'subsets,' and your Black Forest's been getting pretty lively lately..."

Little Red Riding Hood lifted her eyelids: "Envious?"

The head on the upper bunk tilted, then pulled back: "No thoughts."

Little Red Riding Hood opened her mouth as if to say something, but swallowed the words. Instead, she picked up her phone and typed a message as drowsiness crept in—

"Goodnight. See you soon."

After an indeterminate time in drowsy haze, the girl finally sank into sleep.

Darkness. Cold. Emptiness. Then layer upon layer of shadows rose before her eyes. The forest at dusk emerged from those shadows, accompanied by distant howls of wolves.

Little Red Riding Hood opened her eyes in the dream, seeing the familiar "landscape."

"... Still this place again."

She sighed helplessly, though her nerves were already tightening.

The fear and tension rooted in her since childhood had become an instinctive appendage. No amount of mental preparation or courage training could counter it. Her calm face and teasing tone only fooled herself—she was still afraid. She knew this better than anyone.

As her nerves tightened, she summoned her wolf pack, then scanned the surroundings.

She watched for the evil wolves lurking in the dark, and searched for the figure who had promised to explore the Black Forest with her.

Almost the moment her wolf pack appeared, Little Red Riding Hood saw black threads suddenly materialize in the air, weaving and spreading—and heard a voice from nowhere:

"Hey hey, she's asleep, asleep... Don't rush, don't rush, just locating—gotta figure out how to open right next to her, this is delicate work... Got it! Ah, connected! Lock the door here, open it, open it..."

The next second, she stared in shock as the floating threads coalesced into a thorn-like "doorframe," and a shimmering, illusory portal rapidly formed at the center of the thorns. The door opened, and three familiar figures stepped out.

Yu Sheng carried Ai Lin, with the Fox Girl beside him.

"Good evening," Yu Sheng greeted the girl cheerfully as he entered. "Didn't come too late, right? Ai Lin said you just fell asleep a few minutes ago."

Hu Li and Ai Lin waved too, both beaming.

As if they hadn't entered a dangerous Black Forest, but were out for a picnic in the park.

Little Red Riding Hood suddenly felt emotionally disconnected. Her heart told her she should be tense—but the atmosphere had been shattered by these three's cheerful attitudes. She opened her mouth, then managed only: "Uh... I just came in."

Then she saw Yu Sheng reach again into the still-open door, bend down, and pull something in from the other side—she stared. It was a threaded steel rod over a meter long, its thick thumb-sized end bent into loops, with rusty nails, blade fragments, and jagged steel stubs welded haphazardly across them. In the deepening dusk of the Black Forest, it gleamed with a chilling light—just looking at it made one fear tetanus. Little Red Riding Hood stared, dumbfounded, as Yu Sheng swung the tetanus staff—nearly two meters long—in his hand as effortlessly as a plastic stick. She finally couldn't help asking: "What... is this?"

"Weapon," Yu Sheng explained cheerfully, though slightly embarrassed. "I don't have any proper gear, no combat experience or skills. Besides brute strength and selling blood, I've got nothing. Unlike Hu Li with her fox-carrot set or Ai Lin with all her magic stuff... I just had to make do with this."

As he spoke, he swung the vicious rod—something that could cause massive bleeding and tetanus to any ordinary person—twice, sighing: "Even if it's useless against the evil wolves, having a stick is better than going in bare-handed or swinging rocks."

Little Red Riding Hood listened, stunned. Only after recovering from the shock of the weapon's aesthetic did she catch up to Yu Sheng's logic—and her expression turned one of awe. Not because the stick had real power.

Frankly, over the years as a Spirit Realm detective, she'd seen countless dangerous weapons. Strange, lethal artifacts from other realms were countless. A threaded steel rod welded with blade fragments was nothing special. But its power lay in its aesthetic: the glittering spikes, barbs, and blades clearly bore the full weight of the maker's subjective malice and ruthlessness—the sheer aura of killing intent radiating from it surpassed its actual lethality.

And for some reason, every time she looked at it, she felt wave after wave of... dread. The tension grew more obvious until Little Red Riding Hood realized something was off.

Suddenly, she sniffed. Amid the glint of the blades, she sensed the source of the unease.

"... This is soaked in blood?" The girl's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Yu Sheng, who was turning to close the door earnestly.

"Yes," Yu Sheng smiled. "A lot."

In the shadows of the Black Forest, that smile glowed with pure, joyful radiance.

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Little Red Riding Hood stood frozen. She felt she should say something—but her limited life experience and worldview offered no suitable words. After a long pause, she finally blurted: "This... your blood? Isn't that a bit..."

"Don't worry about it," Yu Sheng cut her off, waving dismissively. "This whole rod's just scrap leftover from making dolls. Consider it a byproduct of doll-making."

Little Red Riding Hood: "...?"

Yu Sheng didn't elaborate further. He slung the tetanus staff over his shoulder and looked toward the depths of the Black Forest.

"Let's not linger in this dense shadow. According to that squirrel, we should head toward the light. I see some ahead—let's go. See who shows up first—the squirrel or the wolves..."

As he spoke, he walked off on his own. Little Red Riding Hood, catching up, hurried after him. After a few steps, she noticed the claw marks on his arm and the tiny tooth marks on his forehead (she had no idea how teeth could bite the forehead) and asked curiously: "How'd you get these wounds? Like cat scratches..."

Yu Sheng's steps slowed. His face twitched awkwardly: "Uh... also a byproduct of doll-making. Don't worry, it'll be fine soon."

Ai Lin, perched on his other shoulder, huffed, trying to look angry—but had zero intimidation. Instead, she reached out and patted the tooth marks on his forehead, looking oddly conflicted.

Little Red Riding Hood: "...?"

At that moment, a rustling suddenly came from the nearby bushes, freezing everyone in place.

The next second, under several pairs of eyes, a small figure leapt out of the bushes—

A squirrel with a fluffy tail, wrapped in a scrap of red cloth, clutching an acorn it had clearly picked up somewhere. It sprang onto a thin branch atop the bushes and chirped shrilly: "Ah—Dusk! The forest has grown dark. Good children must control their curiosity—never be lured by wildflowers or mushrooms by the roadside..."

The squirrel suddenly stopped mid-sentence, staring wide-eyed at the group before it.

Yu Sheng, carrying the tetanus staff, grinning broadly.

Ai Lin, only 66 centimeters tall but inexplicably full of pride.

Behind them, a fox with multiple tails and floating foxfire.

Little Red Riding Hood, looking awkward—and not sure why.

The squirrel stared blankly at this scene; after a few seconds, the acorn in its paw dropped with a plop to the ground.

"... This is getting weird!!!"

(End of Chapter)