Chapter 195: The Stranger

Although the little puppet jumped high, Yu Sheng was serious.

The experience came from the process of consuming the Hunger Entity and the sensation of ingestion and fusion when directly contacting its "deep essence."

He knew that anything he "ate" would be fundamentally consumed and fused, more effective and faster than any sealing or transfer method. If the Angel's Umbilical Cord truly triggered the premature activation of "Ankaela," then opening a gate and throwing it out might not sever its connection to the "essence"—but eating it would definitely work.

Of course, there was certainly risk—after all, the Angel's Umbilical Cord was not like the Hunger Entity. Though the latter had also been greatly strengthened by the influence of the Dim Angel, that was merely "influence," while the Angel's Umbilical Cord clearly had a tighter bond with the Dim Angel named "Ankaela"—eating this thing truly…

Might cause indigestion.

But it didn't matter; Yu Sheng thought it could work—he always trusted his own thoughts.

If his thinking failed, he'd treat it as if he'd thought himself dead—he also firmly believed in his own thinking-death.

Ai Lin saw the expression on Yu Sheng's face and knew she couldn't stop his bizarre ideas; once this guy had an idea, he'd definitely carry it out, so she could only sigh resignedly, tilting her head: "Fine, people with good appetites usually aren't unlucky—when do we leave? Now?"

"Yes, now," Yu Sheng nodded, turning to Hu Li. "Get ready—come with me to the Black Forest."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something, frowning slightly toward the balcony: "Uh… your tail's still hanging out there…"

Before he finished speaking, his peripheral vision caught Hu Li's back—*whirr*—a cluster of backup tails sprouted instantly. The fox girl smiled happily: "I've got plenty more~"

"... Alright, I almost forgot that," Yu Sheng slapped his forehead. "Then let's go—Ai Lin, open the door."

A phantom door materialized out of thin air; black threads grew like thorns, twisting and entwining, opening a gate to the Black Forest.

Yu Sheng held a wooden box containing the Angel's Umbilical Cord in one hand and his terrifying tetanus staff in the other. As he crossed the threshold, the familiar chill and faint howls reached him. He steadied himself, looked up at the sky of the Black Forest, and saw twilight's glow spreading through gaps in the canopy, casting dappled light across the forest floor.

The Black Forest seemed forever caught in two cycles of time—either a prolonged twilight, or the dim state just after nightfall, when a sliver of daylight still lingered.

According to experience, the twilight phase of the Black Forest was relatively stable; after nightfall, the wolf packs would suddenly become active, and the vicious wolves appeared almost exclusively during the night phase.

Hu Li's large ears twitched, sharply turning toward every rustle and breeze. She sniffed the air, sensing the faint currents of scent.

"There's no wolf scent nearby yet," she whispered, "the sounds are chaotic, coming and going erratically."

"Before the wolf pack fully forms, these 'sounds' are basically just the Black Forest's 'background noise,'" Yu Sheng said casually.

Ai Lin watched nervously the object in Yu Sheng's hand: "Hey, is that thing showing any signs?"

Yu Sheng glanced at the wooden box holding the "Angel's Umbilical Cord," and opened it slightly.

The cord still lay quietly on the red velvet lining, as shriveled and lifeless as ever.

"No reaction for now," he shook his head. "If I have to say something… I've always heard a baby's crying—very faint, like it's coming from deep underground—but it's probably unrelated to the 'cord' itself. I've heard this sound ever since I fought that giant Wolf Grandmother last time."

"A baby's crying?" Ai Lin frowned. "Alright, neither I nor Hu Li can hear it."

Yu Sheng carefully closed the box, leaned the tetanus staff aside, and reached into his other pocket.

A bullet with a peculiar spiral tip appeared in his hand.

"This bullet's also showing no reaction," he murmured. "Let's head deeper into the forest and see if we can find the cottage—but Little Red Riding Hood hasn't entered the forest yet, so the Wolf Grandmother probably won't appear, nor will the Hunter… Anyway, let's go check first."

The group cautiously advanced into the depths of the Black Forest, searching through the dappled twilight light for the glow of the "path."

Hu Li volunteered to lead, releasing all eight of her tails except the one used for storage. Each tail, encircled by faint foxfire, emitted a soft hum, floating flexibly around the group, occasionally pointing sharply toward some direction in the forest, ready to unleash a volley at the first sign of trouble.

Yu Sheng found this sight amusing and asked casually: "I've always wanted to ask—does this trick of yours have a name? 'Fox Carrot Drone'?"

The fox girl replied seriously: "It's called Fox Cannon—Ai Lin named it."

Ai Lin immediately tilted her head up triumphantly—though Yu Sheng had no idea why she was so proud.

They walked deeper into the forest for an unknown length of time when Yu Sheng suddenly stopped.

Ai Lin, perched on his shoulder, immediately asked curiously: "Hey? Why stop?" "Something's wrong," Yu Sheng's brow furrowed. "How long have we been walking here?"

"Uh… pretty long? I wasn't paying attention," Ai Lin scratched her head. "What's wrong?"

"... We haven't seen the 'path' or the shelter cabin," Yu Sheng said gravely. "But according to the Black Forest's rules, once you enter, you should quickly spot the first path."

"Now that you mention it… yeah," Hu Li realized, scanning the surroundings warily, her faintly golden eyes sweeping the forest shadows. "And I don't know if it's my imagination, but today's Black Forest feels different from before… can't quite say how—maybe the atmosphere?"

Yu Sheng's heart tightened, and he instinctively glanced at the wooden box in his left hand.

Was it because of the "Angel's Umbilical Cord" inside? Was it interfering with the Black Forest's operation? Or some other reason…

"The squirrel hasn't shown up either. Normally, as the 'guide,' it should appear first."

Yu Sheng muttered, slinging the tetanus staff over his shoulder.

Ai Lin instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, swung backward in a full rotation, and climbed onto his other shoulder.

The puppet grumbled: "I knew you'd pull this move. Lucky I reacted fast—if I don't end up getting crushed by your staff one day…"

Yu Sheng turned in shock to look at the puppet on his shoulder, wondering when this thing had learned such agile moves—but before he could speak, a faint rustling suddenly came from the nearby bushes.

In one look—

Was it the squirrel?

Yu Sheng and the others instantly turned toward the sound—but moments later, what appeared before them was not the familiar squirrel, but a red-clad girl, thin, tense, as if fleeing from something unseen.

Long hair, frail, fifteen or sixteen, unfamiliar face—not the "Little Red Riding Hood" Yu Sheng knew.

Yu Sheng's group froze instantly.

Another "Little Red Riding Hood"?!

Yu Sheng stared in bewilderment at the unfamiliar girl emerging from the bushes. After two seconds, he stepped forward half a pace and cautiously greeted her: "Uh, hi—are you also from the 'Fairy Tale' organization…?"

He stopped mid-sentence, frowning.

Because the red-clad girl wasn't looking at him at all—she didn't seem to have heard him at all.

She merely crouched cautiously, her eyes scanning the forest warily, as if evading invisible wolf packs, completely oblivious to the three strangers right before her.

Hu Li realized and tugged Yu Sheng's sleeve: "Master, she can't see us?"

Yu Sheng frowned: "Seems so."

At that moment, the unfamiliar "Little Red Riding Hood" suddenly moved again.

She seemed to sense a dangerous aura, glanced sharply in one direction, then bolted away!

Yu Sheng reacted instantly, shouldering Ai Lin and sprinting after her: "Follow her!"

Thus, the unfamiliar "Little Red Riding Hood" ran through the forest, with Yu Sheng, Ai Lin, and Hu Li closely behind—while simultaneously, wolf howls rose and fell around them, filling every direction, as if terrifyingly close—when the sound was nearest, Yu Sheng even felt he had smelled the wolf pack's scent, sensed the blood-tinged, deeply hostile aura, and felt the wolves' fangs and claws brushing past him.

However, as he looked around, his gaze revealed only shadows within the forest.

The wolf pack had gathered, chasing the strange little Red Riding Hood ahead—but Yu Sheng could not see them.

The girl in red fleeing ahead gradually slowed; her stamina seemed exhausted, and visibly, her steps soon stumbled.

But just then, a clearing suddenly appeared in the direction she was fleeing.

A small wooden cabin, slightly incongruous with its surroundings, stood quietly in the clearing.

The moment he saw that wooden cabin, Yu Sheng's expression froze.

Inside that cabin... there was no light.

Yet the girl in red, nearly out of strength, seemed to have no choice—after seeing the cabin, she paused only for an instant before rushing inside without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)