Chapter 189: Thorny Shadows
Before leaving the Special Affairs Bureau, Yu Sheng shared some of the details he had gathered from Old Zheng with Bai Li Qing.
Upon hearing about Old Zheng’s ordeal, Song Cheng couldn’t contain his frustration and cursed despite the presence of the Leader. “Damn those Angel Cultists! They never do anything human…”
Bai Li Qing remained silent, thoughtfully processing the information. After a brief moment, her brows furrowed slightly. “The ‘Spirit Summoning Ritual’ that the Heretic Cultists taught Old Zheng—the pattern drawn with blood—did you record it?”
Yu Sheng hesitated, looking a bit embarrassed. “Uh… I can’t really remember. The pattern was already cleaned once, and it had faded so much that it was barely visible…”
Before he could finish, Irene suddenly perked up, waving her hand with excitement. “I remember it!”
The little doll glanced at Yu Sheng and explained cheerfully, “When you were spacing out, that pattern on the ground lit up for a brief moment. It wasn’t very long, but I memorized it.”
Bai Li Qing immediately grabbed some paper and a pen from the desk, handing them to the little doll. “Can you draw it?”
Irene struggled to hold the pen, which was almost as long as her arm. “Maybe… I’ll give it a shot.”
She bent down and began to carefully sketch a complex circular array composed of bizarre symbols and intricate patterns. At first, her movements were awkward, as if unaccustomed to the pen, but soon her strokes became smooth and fluent. Gradually, a dizzying ring-shaped array took form on the paper.
Yu Sheng watched, dumbfounded, and finally muttered, “Wait… since when did you have such a good memory? You never remember anything important!”
Irene didn’t even look up as she continued drawing, grumbling, “My memory is perfectly fine! I just forgot a lot of stuff because of the seal—it didn’t mess up my brain, okay? It’s just that my hands are too small, drawing this is exhausting… Yu Sheng, when are you going to get me a normal-sized body?”
Listening to her muttering, Yu Sheng couldn’t help but glance at the little doll’s head, silently wondering, [Does she even have a brain in that tiny head of hers?]
Just as Irene was about to finish the last part of the array, Bai Li Qing interrupted. “Don’t complete the final segment on the same paper. Draw it on a separate sheet.”
“Oh, got it.” Irene obediently moved to another sheet and continued her careful drawing. Yu Sheng glanced at Bai Li Qing, feeling genuinely impressed. [That’s why she’s the professional—taking such meticulous safety measures that I wouldn’t have even thought of.]
After a while, Irene finally put down the pen with a loud sigh. “Whew—finally done! That was exhausting.” She handed the two sheets to Bai Li Qing, her face beaming with pride. “I think I got it right.”
Bai Li Qing accepted the papers with a solemn expression, carefully examining the patterns. “It indeed contains the fundamental elements of the Spirit Summoning Technique… but the critical nodes have been altered, likely to guide the ritual towards the sleeping Dark Angels. This could be vital intelligence—thank you.”
Upon hearing that, Irene puffed out her chest proudly, her expression full of smug satisfaction.
…
Little Red Riding Hood wandered across the empty space between the East Building and the West Wing. As she passed by the outdoor activity area, she suddenly stopped, distractedly staring in a particular direction.
Near the sandbox where the Cursed Children played, a vividly colored swing set caught her eye. For some reason, it reminded her of the drawing in Old Zheng’s notebook—the one depicting a young lady smiling in front of the swing.
This should be the place Old Zheng remembered, but the current swing set wasn’t the same one from twenty years ago. The old one had been replaced a few years back due to its dangerous condition.
Hesitating for a moment, Little Red Riding Hood walked over and sat on the swing, gently rocking back and forth. Winter’s chill bit into the air, and the approaching dusk brought an unsettling breeze, making swinging at this time far from pleasant. Soon, she stopped.
Just then, something caught the corner of her eye—on the outer wall of the East Building, a shadow seemed to float against the corner of the wall. It looked like a patch of thorns clinging to the surface, spreading upward to a height of more than a meter.
Startled, she quickly pulled out her phone and snapped a photo before leaping off the swing and darting toward the shadow, moving as if flowing through the darkness. In a blink, she was at the corner, but the thorn-like shadow had vanished.
She checked the photo on her phone, only to find nothing unusual—the wall appeared completely normal, with no sign of any thorny shadows.
[A trick of the light? Or just a shadow playing tricks on my eyes at dusk?]
Little Red Riding Hood dismissed the thought almost instantly. After serving as a Spirit Realm Detective for so many years, she had learned one crucial lesson: never take fleeting feelings of discord as mere illusions. In the realm of Mysticism, even if one’s eyes truly deceive them, the mere act of perceiving a scene holds its own reality-altering significance.
Footsteps echoed from the side, prompting Little Red Riding Hood to glance in that direction. A petite girl with short, ear-length hair, looking a few years younger than herself, was passing by, carrying a stack of books. Noticing Little Red Riding Hood, she paused out of curiosity and greeted her, “Big Sis Red, what are you up to?”
At the Orphanage, members who had become Guardians were accustomed to addressing each other by their code names. Only the children still in their Awakening Phase were called by their given names—a tradition handed down from ancient times, believed to help stabilize identity post-awakening. Whether it actually worked, no one truly knew.
In the Fairy Tale Organization, countless similar customs existed—rules meant to stabilize conditions and prolong survival, even if no one knew their true effectiveness.
“I just saw some strange shadows,” Little Red Riding Hood said nonchalantly. “But they vanished the moment I turned my head. Best arrange for someone to patrol around this building tonight.” Her gaze then fell upon the stack of books the petite girl held. “Snow White? Where did those books come from?”
The girl named Snow White shifted the weight of the books in her arms and replied, “Donations, through the Sunshine Foundation’s channel. I’m taking them to the reading room.”
Little Red Riding Hood furrowed her brow and asked seriously, “Have you checked their contents?”
“Of course. No boys’ love, no girls’ love. Books for readers over fourteen are strictly heterosexual, and those for younger readers don’t involve relationships…”
“That’s not what I meant!” Little Red Riding Hood shot her a glare. “What the hell are you even paying attention to lately?”
“Just kidding. You’ve been so tense lately.” Snow White chuckled. “Seriously, I checked them. The contents are fine—no alterations, no potential triggers that could destabilize the Cursed Children’s minds.”
Relieved, Little Red Riding Hood waved her hand dismissively. Just then, her phone rang—a peculiar melody of a monkey flipping about.
Hearing the ringtone, Snow White couldn’t help but comment, “Big Sis Red, are you ever going to change that ringtone? Seriously, where did you even find that track? You’ve kept it for years.”
“I got it from an Alglade Star System noble while on a mission ages ago,” Little Red Riding Hood replied offhandedly. “It’s from the Remote Realm, apparently. I kinda like it. Plus, changing it would just feel weird.”
She answered the call, and Yu Sheng’s voice came through. “Hello, is this Miss Wang Jia Jia?”
Little Red Riding Hood’s eyebrow twitched, while Snow White smirked. “Ah, your real name’s exposed now?”
“Shoo!” Little Red Riding Hood waved Snow White away, then cleared her throat. “Ahem, I wasn’t talking to you—what’s up?”
Yu Sheng’s voice continued, “I’m back from the Special Affairs Bureau. I also informed them about Old Zheng. Plus, we caught the Angel Cultists responsible for the sacrificial ritual at the White Exhibition Hall. I dug up some information from one of their minds.”
Little Red Riding Hood’s expression changed instantly, her tone growing tense. “What did you find?”
“Are you at the Orphanage? I’ll come over to discuss it—and I need to talk to you about something else.”
“Yeah, I’m here…”
The moment she finished speaking, a nearby door suddenly swung open. Yu Sheng emerged, accompanied by Foxy, raising his phone to signal he was the caller. “Perfect timing. Same room as before?”
Irene peeked out from behind him, grinning. “Hey, hey! We’re back!”
Little Red Riding Hood was speechless for a moment, then finally muttered, “Can’t you at least knock before opening a Door?”
Yu Sheng explained sheepishly, “I reported to the Special Affairs Bureau while calling you…”
“I meant inform me!” she snapped. “What if I was showering or something?”
Yu Sheng’s face turned bright red. “That’s… unlikely. Unless it’s a random teleportation, I can only open a Door to places I’ve been before. You’ve never taken me to your bathroom—and I’m not a pervert.”
Irene headbutted his knee with a loud thud. “Stop explaining. The more you explain, the more you sound like a pervert.”
Yu Sheng fell silent, awkward and defeated.