Chapter 210: Isolation Plan

Yu Sheng brought Hu Li and Erin back to the orphanage and immediately found Little Red Riding Hood and Bai Xue.

Not long after, the "King" also arrived upon hearing the news.

The three from the Inn (who knows how many of them were actually human) sat opposite the three from Fairy Tales (including a cat), and the atmosphere in the reception room was exceptionally solemn.

Yu Sheng had actually figured it out by now: although the "Fairy Tales" organization had a free and loose internal atmosphere, as an organization, it did have a management structure and a backbone, and Little Red Riding Hood was obviously the most authoritative matriarch in this "orphan organization"; the other person with significant say in "Fairy Tales" was Bai Xue—one had the longest seniority, the other the strongest power, and they could be regarded as the two "leaders" of the Fairy Tales organization.

Of course, considering that the states of Bai Xue and Little Red Riding Hood had already reached the "terminal stage," they must have successors, but it was not appropriate to ask about that casually.

As for the "King," although its power was very strong, it actually did not manage affairs; when it came over to discuss major matters, it was simply because it was a cat—a creature that always went wherever it wanted.

Before the two leaders of "Fairy Tales" and the cat, Yu Sheng did not hide the new intelligence he had obtained from the Special Bureau, laying out the matters concerning the Angel Cultists and the "Vessel" completely.

"Right now, the Special Bureau is still holding the last Angel Cultist, but we dare not 'interrogate' him casually anymore, so we can only isolate him for cautious observation," Yu Sheng casually mentioned the current situation, "These Angel Cultists who follow 'Anka Ela' do have some skills; they seem to specialize in directly sacrificing their own lives to their 'Lord.' There wasn't a single wound on the bodies of those six who self-sacrificed, and the one who died right in front of me was the same. With a bunch of advanced equipment from the Special Bureau monitoring him, he still managed to kill himself and feed his soul directly to his Lord—nothing could stop him."

Little Red Riding Hood listened with a stern face, and only after a long while did she break the silence: "The 'Vessel' is among us... it seems this matter is confirmed, isn't it?"

Yu Sheng sighed and helplessly nodded.

"Right now, we are still unclear how those Angel Cultists judge when the 'Vessel' is 'mature,' nor do we know the criteria the Dark Angel used to choose the 'Vessel,' but it can be basically confirmed that Anka Ela has reached a certain critical point of awakening, and those cultists' self-sacrifices are further catalyzing this process—they might not truly be able to hear the Dark Angel's voice, but they obviously have a way to perceive the Dark Angel's 'state.'"

At this moment, Bai Xue suddenly asked from the side: "... Is it possible to catch another Angel Cultist?"

"There are definitely more hiding; with cultists like this, if you can catch one, then surely a whole group is hiding, but catching more within a short time is probably not that easy," Yu Sheng said, shaking his head, "Moreover, with Anka Ela's awakening approaching, relying on catching all its 'believers' before then to delay the Angel's descent is probably too late; furthermore, the Dark Angel's activities sometimes are like a 'natural phenomenon,' and how much impact the cultists' sacrificial activities can actually have on their Lord is also an unknown."

"Let's think about how to start from the 'Vessel' instead," Erin, sitting next to Yu Sheng, spoke up, "Do you have any ideas? Who is most likely to be this 'Vessel'?"

Bai Xue and Little Red Riding Hood looked at each other, and the expressions on both their faces were complex for a moment.

The expression on the King's face was actually quite complex too, but Yu Sheng couldn't understand what that cat face meant.

After a moment of heavy thought, Little Red Riding Hood sighed.

"The most likely ones are actually right in this room," she said while pointing a finger at herself and then at Bai Xue, "Those closest to adulthood, and with the strongest combat power; if we say who in the entire 'Fairy Tales' organization is closest to that 'Dark Angel,' it must be us two, who are the most severely eroded."

"And from another perspective, the King is also very likely." Bai Xue thought for a moment, then pointed at the tabby cat lying on the armrest of the sofa.

The King instantly widened its eyes, its cat face looking confused as it pointed at itself: "Why?"

Bai Xue's expression was serious: "A cat, yet it can become the vessel of 'Fairy Tales,' and moreover, the most special role, the 'King.' This role can be regarded as the 'unifying background' in many fairy tales; don't you think you are very special?"

"... Life has once again shown its claws to this innocent little cat," the King sighed immediately, patting the sofa armrest with its paw, "Sigh, pet the fur."

Before its words had even finished, a shadow appeared in the air, and then a court jester wearing colorful clothes and a teardrop mask materialized out of nowhere in the room. The jester bowed to the others, knelt on one knee before the King, and began to pet the latter's fur.

Yu Sheng was left staring in shock.

However, soon Yu Sheng suppressed the complaints filling his stomach and looked seriously at Little Red Riding Hood. "So, we still have to consider a plan for isolation and protection," he said while thinking, "Right now, we don't know when Anka Ela will fully awaken, nor do we know who exactly has been chosen as the 'Vessel.' Although I have applied 'protection' to the minds of each of you, whether this protection is effective against the Dark Angel is also an unknown... Considering everything, I also think we should temporarily move all the children in the orphanage to a safe place; at the very least..."

He paused here, weighed his words carefully, and said as tactfully as possible: "At the very least, a place with better isolation conditions, easier to monitor, and where a quick response can be made."

He raised his head and looked around.

"I'm not saying this orphanage is bad, but here..."

"Mm, I understand what you mean," Little Red Riding Hood directly interrupted Yu Sheng's words; her reaction was calmer than the latter had imagined, "Indeed, the children need to be moved; we 'parents' will go with them; at the very least, we cannot stay in the urban area."

Yu Sheng was instantly stunned, looking at the young girl before him with some surprise: "Uh... so, you accept this plan?"

"Accept, and the other 'parents' will accept it too," Little Red Riding Hood nodded very seriously, "We just need a little time to explain the situation to the younger brothers and sisters, and we also need to pack quite a few things—including the companion toys the children are usually familiar with."

She paused, then added an explanation: "Most of the children in the orphanage lack a sense of security; if the move is too hasty, it will exacerbate their mental instability."

Yu Sheng opened his mouth, and only after a long while did he react, speaking with a strange expression: "Uh, I thought..."

"Thought what? That we would resist strongly?" Little Red Riding Hood raised her eyebrows, "Shouting 'We will defend everyone's orphanage, we will solve the problem ourselves,' and then waiting for the situation to become uncontrollable?"

Yu Sheng: "Uh..."

No mistake, one sentence, one chapter, one content, all in one read!

"That definitely won't work," Bai Xue shook her head from the side and said very seriously, "This is the city district; although there are no residents around the orphanage, just outside the isolation belt at an intersection, there are residential compounds and shopping malls. If one of us really is the 'Vessel,' even if only a small part of the Dark Angel's power descends at that time, it will be a major disaster—so at this time, we must still follow the arrangements of the management department and move the danger source as soon as possible."

Yu Sheng suddenly didn't know what to say and could only awkwardly scratch his head.

"I should have told you that the rebellious phase of the children in this orphanage ended long ago, back when they first fell into nightmares," Little Red Riding Hood gently swayed her body on the sofa, saying with a half-smile, "Don't worry so much about this and that for us; we are not those brats who are full of ideas before a disaster and cry and make a scene after it happens—just say what arrangements there are now; is it to the isolation zone in the suburbs? Or the containment facility under the Special Bureau?"

Yu Sheng finally put away all unnecessary entanglements; after realizing he had been worrying blindly, he let out a soft breath and looked into Little Red Riding Hood's eyes.

"The Special Bureau gave two plans: Plan One is to go to a place called 'Quiet Town,' which is said to be a relatively stable foreign realm with a safe zone established by the Special Bureau inside; the second plan is to go to a containment facility in the suburbs—but I have a backup plan here, which I think might be better."

Little Red Riding Hood and Bai Xue leaned forward at the same time: "Backup plan?"

Yu Sheng's expression was serious: "My 'backyard'."

Little Red Riding Hood was stunned for a moment and didn't react immediately, but the next second she connected the dots, instantly widening her eyes: "Ah—your Star Valley!?"

"To be honest, I think that place is much more suitable than the Special Bureau's containment facilities," Yu Sheng nodded cheerfully, "Just from the perspective of security level, any containment facility has the possibility of being breached, and any foreign realm has some degree of harmfulness, but my 'backyard'—don't say breached containment; if I don't open the permissions, even the Special Bureau's most advanced technology won't be able to find where its entrance is, and there is absolutely no pollution.

"Of course, I dare not guarantee that place can completely block Anka Ela's infiltration, after all, that huge eye that flew away before just left whenever it wanted—but what in this world can block the Dark Angel anyway? At least that valley seems to have some resistance. Moreover, it is directly connected to my perception; if anything really 'invades' in there, I will feel it immediately; the valley itself is very large, so if something really happens, there will be time to build a buffer..."

Yu Sheng spoke a whole string of words in one breath, but finally changed the subject: "Of course, there are drawbacks; the living conditions definitely won't compare to the containment facilities built by the Special Bureau, but I have discussed it with Bai Liqing; if you agree, the Special Bureau is also willing to cooperate; they can urgently prepare generators, mobile houses, and living supplies and such; I just need to open a door big enough—so the conditions there may not be good for long-term living, but they are more than enough for short-term stays."

(End of this chapter)