Chapter 154: Yu Sheng’s Plan
A hush settled over the small chamber. Yu Sheng and Bai Li Qing were both lost in thought, their minds spinning with the weight of what they’d just uncovered. Though still uncertain about the full picture, Foxy and Irene could sense the gravity in Yu Sheng’s reaction and wisely held their tongues.
After a long silence, Yu Sheng lifted his gaze, fixing his eyes on the mysterious “identification” displayed on the screen. He studied it for several moments before turning back to the “mission record” before him.
“Can we determine exactly which one of them it was?”
“All names and crucial ID numbers have been erased,” Bai Li Qing replied, her tone cautious. “It’s unclear whether that was done intentionally. All we know is that the item belonged to one of the twelve Deep Divers from seventy years ago… Perhaps we can rule out the two who supposedly returned to the real world?”
She paused, frowning as she shook her head lightly. “No… According to the archives, the two who ‘returned’ likely only managed to bring their bodies back. Their souls remained trapped within the ‘Fairy Tale’ Otherworld—just like the other ten.”
Yu Sheng said nothing, his thoughts a tangled mess of conjectures and fragments of known facts. His mind reeled, every theory he considered unraveling under contradiction or gaping unknowns.
Eventually, he furrowed his brow, breaking the silence with hesitation. “Remember what we were discussing earlier? Those twelve Deep Divers… the place they arrived at shouldn’t have been the Black Forest. But I found this ‘paper slip’ there, and the ‘Hunter’ is a Dangerous Entity that roams the Black Forest.”
“That’s what’s been bothering me,” Bai Li Qing admitted, her confusion plain. “The Special Affairs Bureau has always concluded that the Deep Dive team never entered any known subset of the ‘Fairy Tale’ Otherworld. By that logic, even if they left behind relics within the Otherworld, such things shouldn’t be in the Black Forest… unless—”
Yu Sheng’s gaze sharpened. “Unless?”
“Unless after the incident, the Deep Divers continued to operate deeper within the ‘Fairy Tale’… and eventually discovered a path leading to the Black Forest.”
His eyes narrowed as a chilling thought crossed his mind. “And then, one of them—or maybe more—became the ‘Hunter’ that haunts the Black Forest…”
At that moment, Irene, who had been quietly listening, tugged on Yu Sheng’s sleeve. The little doll spoke hesitantly, “Um… don’t hate me for ruining the mood, but the ‘Hunter’ might not be one of the old Deep Divers. Maybe they were just killed, and the ID slip is a trophy. After all, the ‘Hunter’ is a Dangerous Entity, right…?”
Both Yu Sheng and Bai Li Qing turned toward her, prompting her to instinctively shrink back. “Hey, I said don’t blame me—just a guess.”
Bai Li Qing was silent for a moment, then nodded gently. “You’re right. We can’t rule that out either.”
Yu Sheng didn’t reply. Instead, his thoughts drifted back to his harrowing journey in the depths of the Black Forest—to the dim wooden house lined with Red Cloaks, and the moment he stood face-to-face with the shadowy, hunting-garbed figure.
That ‘Hunter’ had no face, no voice—its movements eerie, stiff, and puppet-like. Everything about it screamed of an Entity spawned by the Otherworld rather than a human being with a soul.
And yet… when Yu Sheng told it that the child swallowed by the Wolf Granny had been safely returned to reality, the empty hood had gently nodded.
A nearly imperceptible gesture—could that have been a fragment of lingering humanity?
“Is there any more detailed data on them?” Yu Sheng suddenly asked, gesturing to the list of names in the file.
“There is,” Bai Li Qing confirmed, nodding. “I’ll have it brought in.”
She lifted the phone from the table and issued a brief instruction to a subordinate.
While they waited, Yu Sheng kept an eye on the vast window across from them.
Inside the adjacent lab, technicians were still hard at work. Although they had restored the original form of the mysterious “paper slip” and confirmed its origin, it held layers of data still to be mined—chemical traces, microscopic particles of dirt, even the nature of its wear. Any tiny detail could serve as a weapon for ordinary people in their battle against the Otherworld.
In another section visible through the same window, a different lab was still attempting to decipher a curious metal device retrieved from Wutong Road No. 66. Unlike the swift analysis of the paper, this one presented stubborn challenges. The lab team had yet to report any breakthroughs.
Yet perhaps such difficulty was the norm when it came to relics from the Otherworld.
Still, Yu Sheng’s focus had shifted—no longer on that “metal hunk,” but rather on everything related to the ‘Fairy Tale’ Otherworld.
Less than ten minutes later, the materials Yu Sheng had requested were delivered into the small chamber.
It was a stack of personnel files, thinly printed sheets freshly extracted from the archive—a sparse dozen pages containing the basic data of that year’s Deep Dive Squad: names, ages, photos, service records, and more.
Yu Sheng flipped through the sheets one by one, silently matching names to the mission roster while examining the monochrome portraits.
Twelve individuals. Men and women alike. Some appeared to be battle-hardened veterans already entering middle age; others looked barely older than himself, mere Young Men.
At the end of the documents was a group photo. The twelve stood uniformly before a building, clad in bulky Powered Armor reminiscent of an “old-school sci-fi” aesthetic. No arms slung around shoulders, no victory signs or encouraging gestures—they stood straight and formal, visors removed, helmets tucked under arms.
“This was taken before deployment,” said Bai Li Qing from beside him. “It’s standard protocol for the Special Affairs Bureau. Every Deep Dive Squad must take a team photo before entering a mission.”
“Mn,” Yu Sheng gave a soft nod, gazing at the A4 printout for a long moment before speaking again. “Can I take this one? Just this. Leave the rest behind.”
“What for?” Bai Li Qing asked curiously.
“To show the ‘Hunter,’ if there’s a chance.”
Bai Li Qing fell silent, seemingly considering.
“By principle, none of this can leave the room. Not even a single page,” she said calmly.
Yu Sheng: “…Ah. Okay…”
“But the principle is mine to hold,” Bai Li Qing continued, pushing the paper toward him. “Take it. Don’t let it spread. Destroy it when the incident concludes.”
Yu Sheng blinked in surprise: “…?”
She looked at him. “Is there a problem?”
Only then did Yu Sheng come to his senses, folding the sheet carefully as he muttered, voice tinged with amusement, “Uh, I didn’t know you had a sense of humor.”
“I’m not a Steel Faced Expressionless Big Sister.”
Yu Sheng: “I never said those exact words…”
“I’m just used to seriousness,” Bai Li Qing maintained her neutral expression as she shifted the topic seamlessly. “Now tell me your plan. How do you intend to deal with ‘Fairy Tale’? Beyond these reports, is there anything else we can assist with? We’ll give what we can.”
Yu Sheng scratched his head, slightly embarrassed. “Uh, you guys have already done quite a lot…”
“The Special Affairs Bureau has an old score with the ‘Fairy Tale Organization,'” Bai Li Qing said, gaze steady and voice even. “Moreover, you’re the only adult so far who can enter a ‘Subset’ like the Cursed Children do without being affected. And you successfully pulled a child out from the depths of the Black Forest. We have ample reason to continue supporting you.”
Her pale, colorless eyes were calm yet resolute. Meeting her gaze, Yu Sheng let out a quiet breath.
“I’m trying to track down the ‘Storyteller’ behind the Black Forest,” he began slowly. “From my observations and my perception of the Wolf Pack, I’m now fairly certain that each Subset within the ‘Fairy Tale’ is controlled and powered by a central ‘Story Source.’ That source might be the very thing the Deep Dive Squad encountered back then. But my problem is this: I can enter the Black Forest, but I can’t find the way to the ‘Backstage.’ That might be the exact opposite of what that squad experienced.”
He paused here, eyes locked on Bai Li Qing’s. “They may have dropped straight into the Backstage.”
Bai Li Qing grasped the implication immediately: “So if the ‘Hunter’ in the Black Forest really is one of the original Deep Divers…”
“Then they would know the path to the Backstage,” Yu Sheng nodded. “That squad might’ve already shattered the deep-layer barrier of the ‘Fairy Tale’ back then—but once they did, all contact with the real world was lost.”
“But the ‘Hunter’ can’t communicate. They’re irrational.”
“Which is why I need this,” Yu Sheng tapped his pocket, where he had stashed the photograph. “This thing might just work.”
“You’re going to use a team photo to stir the soul of a now-Entity, appeal to their lost humanity?” Bai Li Qing’s look toward Yu Sheng grew subtly strange. “Do you really think something that sounds like a fictional trope could actually work?”
“If it doesn’t, I’ll think of something else,” Yu Sheng said with a laugh. “Either way, worth a shot, right?”