Chapter 199: Your Good Friend Yu Sheng Brings You a New Job

As the illusory gate opened, Yu Sheng returned once more to the living room at 66 Wutong Road.

The faint crying of an infant that had always echoed in his ears faded away; the warm, bright lights and familiar scenes of home instantly dispelled the oppressive chill brought by the Dark Forest. Yu Sheng instinctively took a deep breath, easing his somewhat tense emotions.

Hu Li couldn't help but glance back toward the direction where the door had vanished, a bit worried: "Is it really okay to leave that squirrel there?"

"We can't exactly bring it out," Yu Sheng shook his head. "The squirrel entered the Dark Forest many, many years ago; by now, it has become entirely part of that forest. Bringing it out rashly, we wouldn't know what might happen—but there's no need to worry either. Having lived in the forest for so many years, it will be fine."

Erin also climbed down from Yu Sheng's shoulder, speaking as she climbed: "Indeed, and I feel that squirrel seems much more relaxed now. Before, I always thought it was acting crazy; now, although it doesn't seem entirely normal yet, it's far better than before."

Yu Sheng hummed in agreement and said no more, instead looking down at the Angel's Umbilical Cord (Fake) and the Hunter's Bullet he had brought back.

After leaving the Dark Forest, the umbilical cord, which had once shown signs of partial activation, returned to its withered state from the beginning; now it lay quietly in the box.

As for the Hunter's Bullet... Yu Sheng never saw the Hunter in the end.

It seems next time I must take Little Red Riding Hood into the Dark Forest. Setting aside other matters, at the very least, I must use the Dark Forest's operating mechanism to first summon the "Wolf Grandmother," so that I might have a chance to meet the Hunter.

But Yu Sheng suddenly thought of another question—

What would happen if I entered the Dark Forest with Little Red Riding Hood while carrying the "Angel's Umbilical Cord"?

Would Little Red Riding Hood also be "pulled" by me to see those "Initial Memories"? Would she also see the phantom of the First Little Red Riding Hood and the appearance of the early Dark Forest? Or would these "Reappearances of the Past" be a one-time occurrence? Or might I see "Dark Forest Memories" from other time periods?

Yu Sheng's thoughts inadvertently wandered far off; he stood there motionless for a long while. Seeing this, Erin went up and bumped his leg with her head: "Hey, hey, what are you spacing out about all of a sudden?"

Yu Sheng finally jolted awake: "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about taking Little Red Riding Hood into the Dark Forest next time. At that point, I want to test whether the 'Angel's Umbilical Cord' has any other effects."

"Let's talk about next time next time. What about now?"

Yu Sheng thought for a moment, then pulled out his phone from his pocket: "We must first inform the Special Operations Bureau about our newly discovered intelligence—and about the Angel's Umbilical Cord."

As he spoke, he flipped open his contact list. He first saw Li Lin and Xu Jiali, but thinking this matter was too significant, he looked toward Song Cheng's name. However, after hesitating for a second or two, he frowned and tapped another name: "... No, this kind of thing must be handled by Bai Liqing."

"She is a proper Bureau Director, and you call her every single day," Erin couldn't help but chatter beside him. "Your harassment frequency is enough to sell insurance—truly, it's a wonder her quality is so good that she hasn't cursed you to your face."

"This is Dark Angel-level intelligence!" Yu Sheng immediately glared at the small doll. "With intelligence like this, she probably wishes for more..."

He hadn't noticed the call had already connected; the moment the words left his mouth, he heard Bai Liqing's unusually urgent voice suddenly come through his ear: "What intelligence are you talking about?!"

"Uh, ahem," Yu Sheng coughed dryly twice, quickly organizing his thoughts. "Dark Angel, regarding Anka Ela. It's a long story; in short, my investigation has made some new progress—and by the way, I need you to help me find some data, so I'm calling you."

"... Tell me the general situation first, so I can make arrangements."

"This starts with me obtaining an 'Angel's Umbilical Cord'..."

Yu Sheng had just begun his opening sentence when he heard a soft intake of breath coming through the receiver.

"We will discuss this in person," Bai Liqing said decisively.

The next second, Bai Liqing looked up as Yu Sheng pushed open the door, walked into her office, found a seat on his own, and nodded to her: "Fine, we'll discuss it in person."

Even the Bureau Director, renowned for her steel-faced stoicism, had a slightly dazed expression on her face at that moment.

After holding back for several seconds, she finally blurted out: "... Did you file a report?"

"Filed it," Yu Sheng waved his phone. "Your phone works quite well."

"... Good that you filed it," Bai Liqing nodded with a strange expression, then glanced behind Yu Sheng. "Those two, Erin and Hu Li, didn't come with you this time? 'Just opening a door to talk' doesn't require bringing people along every single time," Yu Sheng waved his hand. "Anyway, your place is quite close now."

Bai Liqing fell silent for a while, slowly taking a breath: "True. So tell me now, what is the situation with the 'Angel's Umbilical Cord'? Did you bring it?"

"The item is right here. I know you are definitely interested in this," Yu Sheng didn't refuse at all; he simply walked over and placed the wooden box on Bai Liqing's desk. "You can conduct a simple analysis; small-scale sampling is acceptable, but you must not damage its overall integrity. And when I leave, I will take it back—I still have great use for this item."

Watching Yu Sheng simply "clunk" a wooden box containing the Angel's Umbilical Cord onto her desk, Bai Liqing's eyebrows twitched slightly. Then, she carefully opened the lid of the box, observing the "contents" inside with her faded eyes cautiously.

And in the air behind her, a pair of eyes seemed to faintly appear, curiously watching the item in the box alongside her.

Hearing Yu Sheng say "I still have great use for this," Bai Liqing withdrew her gaze from the wooden box. With a slightly strange expression, she looked up at Yu Sheng. After a long while, she inexplicably blurted out, as if possessed by ghosts or spirits: "... Brew it into wine?"

Yu Sheng: "... Hey, wait, why are you all like this?!"

"All?"

Yu Sheng's eyebrows twisted together: "Erin is like this too!"

Bai Liqing: "..."

The Bureau Director fell silent for a moment, then the next second quickly adjusted her state and expression.

Please... collect_(!)

"I will have the Dispatch Center send a recovery team over immediately," she said with a serious face. "The laboratory will conduct a rapid analysis of this item. Rest assured, we will follow your requirements—afterward, you may take it away at any time."

Yu Sheng nodded in agreement.

The "Recovery Team" Bai Liqing mentioned arrived very quickly; it seemed there were many such operational teams stationed throughout the building, ready at any moment to proceed to various floors to contain and dispose of "Dangerous Objects" that appeared from who-knows-where. Only a few minutes passed before heavy, urgent footsteps echoed in the corridor. Immediately afterward, several tall figures wearing the heavy protective suits Yu Sheng had seen in the analysis laboratory last time appeared in the office.

These people, fully clad like Terminator armor with their faces hidden behind thick masks, took the Angel's Umbilical Cord away in special containers. Only after they left did Bai Liqing turn her gaze back to Yu Sheng.

"Let me first state the data I need—the conditions are somewhat vague, so searching might be very time-consuming," Yu Sheng immediately spoke up. "First, regarding the 'Orphanage' where Little Red Riding Hood was located: during the first 'Fairy Tale' Otherworld Outbreak, or even earlier, check if there are any reports similar to 'Fallen Objects,' 'Impacts,' or 'Hallucinations.' The general description is a glowing ellipsoidal object falling from the sky, falling silently, with the glowing object eventually disappearing. See if there are any eyewitness records like this.

"Additionally, during this same time period, did the orphanage and surrounding areas detect any abnormal... 'signals'? I don't know how to describe it; it's basically a sign of an Angel's arrival. Yes, what I mean is, Anka Ela might have arrived at that time—but her arrival process was interrupted then. So the Special Operations Bureau very likely recorded some clues at that time without realizing what they were."

Bai Liqing listened with a serious expression. Every item Yu Sheng mentioned made her realize the severity of the matter. She tried to speak several times but forcibly controlled the impulse until now, when she finally couldn't hold back: "Wait, you said Anka Ela had already arrived back then—only her arrival process was interrupted? Interrupted by what?"

"Interrupted by a child, using a fairy tale book. I know this sounds somewhat incredible, so I believe the main reason is that the 'Anka Ela' of that time was in a very special state itself, and the child who handed over the fairy tale book merely pushed it unintentionally at that 'critical point.'

"So this is the other part of the data I need your help to investigate: the missing children cases at that orphanage.

"The time is also before the first 'Fairy Tale' Otherworld Outbreak. At that orphanage, there should have been a child who went missing, along with a fairy tale book."

Bai Liqing opened the computer on her desk, quickly editing instructions to send to subordinate departments, but she also looked up at Yu Sheng, offering a reminder: "I must say in advance, this data is not easy to find. Especially the missing child and the fairy tale book you mentioned—the 'Adult' Operation occurred seventy years ago, the first 'Fairy Tale' Outbreak was about eighty years ago, and the events you mentioned happened even earlier.

"The technology and systems back then were not as advanced and perfect as today, and that orphanage... management was somewhat chaotic."

Yu Sheng had an expectation regarding the difficulty of this matter, but hearing Bai Liqing's words, he still couldn't help frowning: "Chaotic to the extent that even if a child went missing, a record might not necessarily be left?"

"Theoretically, it shouldn't be to that extent," Bai Liqing paused her movements slightly, then let out a soft breath. "In any case, I hope everything goes smoothly."

(End of Chapter)