Chapter 231: They

"... Final report, this is the Deep Dive Team, operation codename 'Adulthood'..."

A slightly muffled voice entered his ears, and Yu Sheng froze in place.

He looked up to see that the mysterious "Control Hall" had lost its color; Hu Li and Erin were frozen in place like two phantoms in a black-and-white world, and even the fallen bullet hung suspended in an eerie state a few centimeters above the ground. Only that low voice truly entered his own ears.

This scene was exactly the same as when he had previously conducted "Conversation with the Dead."

That voice continued to sound, seeming right before his eyes, less than a meter away. Yu Sheng saw no one there, yet he clearly heard a person speaking there—not to him, but as if talking to some recording device in a monologue—

"... Everyone in the team can no longer move. We have fallen in this hall, our bodies melting like wax, our thoughts... our thoughts are mixed with all sorts of things, entangled with each other...

"My name is... is... no, I can't remember.

"This is the final report. I don't know if this recording will ever have a chance to reach headquarters, but I must record what we have seen.

"Ankara is a ship—at least it was when it first set out. After contacting the device called the 'Umbilical Cord,' we saw many things about it.

"I... I don't understand where this ship came from. The memories the Umbilical Cord transmitted to us were mad and chaotic. It seems to have drifted for a very, very long time, a time so ancient it exceeds what reason can comprehend. It comes from a place utterly different from the real universe we know... Perhaps that is the 'Outside' scholars speculate about.

"But now, this ship has become a state... that reason cannot explain. I don't know how to describe everything I saw while connecting to the 'Umbilical Cord.' I saw steel melting in light, saw blood flowing from its fuel pipes, saw it gradually growing flesh and blood. Its engine emitted a scorching roar. It kept speaking to me, saying countless things. Those buzzing, rumbling noises almost destroyed my sanity...

"We escaped from the cabin where the 'Umbilical Cord' was located and returned to this place to await death. The effect it has had on us is irreversible. Protective gear has failed. The change is happening from the inside out. I feel a gaze, right now, this gaze is observing us right now—through the eyes of each one of us.

"I think I understand. We are all becoming part of it."

Then came a heavy panting sound. Yu Sheng heard that voice, so close at hand, suddenly become wavering, as if wandering throughout the entire hall. Then it stabilized, but not in its original place—

"We do not know what will happen next. Death, or something worse than that. We prepared for this before setting out; we do not fear these things. But we worry about the catastrophic consequences that 'It' might trigger after losing control.

"Ankara, this ark from another world that learned to think, is currently still trapped in the dream called 'Fairy Tale.' But one day it will break free. Something is growing in its depths, some... new life, gradually maturing at the other end of the Umbilical Cord. But that Umbilical Cord is damaged. We cannot determine what that thing is. Only one thing is certain: when that thing lets out its first cry after birth, many, many people in the Borderland will surely die.

"Whoever receives this recording—whether it is the Special Bureau's reinforcement team or others who come here to investigate later—must, at all costs, prevent the birth of that thing.

"Passing through this hall, there is a very short corridor. At the end of the corridor is the room housing the 'Umbilical Cord' device. There, a mortal mind can barely establish a direct connection with 'Ankara.' That might be the only way to resist—or at least expel—this Dark Angel. We failed; our spirits could not withstand its assault. But if you have lived to reach here, if you can still maintain your sanity right now and understand these voices we have left, then perhaps you can.

"Try it—there is no reward, no compensation. We have nothing left to give you, and we cannot even offer any lofty reason...

"We can only beg. Try it... before 'It' gives birth to its child in our world..."

The bullet suspended in mid-air fell to the ground, making a crisp sound. The colors around abruptly returned, and the entire world suddenly began to operate again.

Yu Sheng lowered his head and saw that bullet bounce twice before slowly rolling to his feet. Meanwhile, a dark red shadow, like a bloodstain, spread out from beside a strange machine not far away, extending all the way to his feet.

Was that the bloodstain left by "Them" seventy years ago?

Yu Sheng looked up and discovered that a figure had appeared there at some unknown time, silently staring back at him.

It was a hunting suit floating emptily in mid-air. Beneath the hood lay a faceless shadow, and the whole thing lacked a sense of reality, like an illusion.

Yu Sheng raised his arm to look, seeing that the "Hunter" outfit on his own body had disappeared at some unknown time.

Hu Li, holding Erin in his arms, and Erin, holding the squirrel in her arms, the three "people" also saw that shadow not far away and exclaimed in unison: "Hunter!"

Yu Sheng's expression did not change; he merely steadied himself and stepped forward to stand before the Hunter.

"... It has been many years."

The Hunter's vague, hollow voice entered his mind directly. "We have always been trying to find a way back to this place, even though we ourselves have forgotten why we wanted to return. Ankara made us 'Hunters' in the Black Forest. This hunting suit is like a sturdy 'shell' that trapped us in the constantly repeating script of the Angel's dream. We once tried to talk to the 'Little Red Riding Hood' who entered the forest, but except for shooting the Evil Wolf, we were not allowed to do anything superfluous. We recalled our mission and purpose again and again, but the memories always wore down during the process of recalling them..."

Ta raised a hand and pointed toward the center of the hall.

"Ten bodies lie fallen there, and twelve souls remain. At the last moment, we did everything we could to send two bodies back to the real world, hoping that the residual neural signals in the brains of those two bodies could bring what happened here back to headquarters. Since then, we have been waiting for reinforcements, but in truth, we had no hope at all. Under the circumstances at that time, the bodies sent back had already suffered severe contamination and could no longer carry any rational information.

"So when you produced that group photo, we were incredibly shocked, even waking up from the 'roles' Ankara wove for us."

"Yes, you woke up, and you even shot a bullet at me," a slight smile appeared on Yu Sheng's face, "It hurt quite a bit."

"... I apologize, but on the stage of the Black Forest, that was the only 'out-of-line' action we could take at the time. Moreover, it was only because you had absorbed the Wolf's blood that we could 'regard' you as an Evil Wolf," the Hunter's voice seemed to carry regret, "Deaths in the Black Forest are only temporary. The erosion and wolf-transformation caused by multiple deaths are far more dangerous."

Yu Sheng thought for a moment but still did not explain to the other party that he had actually entered with his physical body directly. Their shot had truly killed him. He felt that saying that now would be inappropriate...

"Anyway, reinforcements have arrived now," Yu Sheng raised a finger to point at himself, and then at Hu Li, Erin, and the squirrel beside him, "Although we are not from the Special Bureau, we did accept their commission... Just sorry, the reinforcements arrived a bit late."

The Hunter merely shook their head silently.

Then Ta raised a hand and pointed to a door on the other side of the hall.

"Going out from there leads to the room where the 'Umbilical Cord' is located."

No error, one sentence, one shot, one content, one look!

"Besides the 'Umbilical Cord,' is there anything else?" Yu Sheng's expression became serious, "What should I do?"

"That room is very small; it seems to be merely a platform for maintenance. The 'Umbilical Cord' is a connection device located at the center of the circular platform. It connects to a special area on the lower level. We were unable to find the path down to the lower level at that time, so we are not certain what the situation is down there. But we can confirm that the thing Ankara is 'gestating' is down there.

"Contacting the Umbilical Cord will allow you to establish the strongest connection with Ankara. But what happens after that..."

The Hunter stopped, and after a long silence, Ta shook their head gently.

"The dangers in this process need no emphasis. We cannot give you any promises or guarantees. In fact, there has never been a case of a human establishing a connection with the Dark Angel and remaining unharmed. From a rational standpoint, it is acceptable for you to leave right now."

"If I were truly acting from a rational standpoint, I wouldn't have come in the first place," Yu Sheng chuckled and waved his hand at the Hunter, "Alright, knowing this is enough. I'll go over and check the situation. You all just rest here. It's been so many years; you should rest for a while."

He turned around and walked in the direction the Hunter had just pointed.

Hu Li followed behind him without hesitation.

Erin and the squirrel were a bit nervous—but since one was being held by Hu Li and the other by Erin, they could only follow along.

The Hunter's voice came from behind: "Wait..."

Yu Sheng did not turn around; he merely looked back slightly, a smile on his face.

"Don't worry. I'll give it a try."

He opened the door, which was not locked, and a dimly lit corridor indeed appeared before his eyes.

At the end of the corridor, surrounding dark red lights flickered slowly in the gloom, like a silent invitation, or an ominous omen.

The cry of an infant sounded again, but this time, it no longer seemed like a distant, vague illusion; rather, it seemed truly present on the other side of that dark red light.

Yu Sheng curled the corners of his mouth and stepped forward.

(End of Chapter)