Chapter 168

Chapter 168: Safe, For Now

The forest shook under roaring artillery, and the dark, twisted fairy tale burned bright with witchfire. Wolf Pack after Wolf Pack rose from the shadows only to be shredded and smashed. Pure force ripped the land open, and the lush trees fell like fragile stalks of grain, cut down in a blink to plow a wide road.

Squirrel stared in a daze. It hid in Little Red Riding Hood’s hood, its small body shivering. The towering flames in the forest reflected in its round black eyes, as if the sky itself were melting. [It was never like this. It was never this way.]

For as long as she could remember, survival meant this: scout, hide, move, lie low, then hide again and shift to the next safe house. That was the only way Little Red Riding Hood stayed alive after falling into the Black Forest. This spiteful, malicious dense forest never allowed its prey to break the rules, and the unlucky prey never had the strength to fight back.

Nothing like this had ever happened: prey using blood and fire to tear apart a Wolf Pack and force a road open through the forest.

Squirrel stopped screaming. It just stared, as if its tiny mind had crashed and it could no longer think.

Little Red Riding Hood was smiling. It was a new smile, bright and relaxed. When the wolves howled, fear still rose from deep inside her. But then Fox Fire rained like a barrage, Fox Tail Missiles streaked across the sky, and a Spiked Mace swung hard at the edge of her vision, bringing a different feeling that hit her over and over. Strange, wild, reckless excitement mixed with fear until it turned into a trembling she couldn’t explain. [Am I scared, or happy, or just letting it all out?] Whatever it was, it felt right. Even if it only happened once in her life, it was fine.

She hated this place. She wanted to watch it burn.

Yu Sheng turned a little, catching the smile on the girl’s face and the light in her eyes: [Good. Kids should let loose sometimes. She’s not even eighteen. No need to act like an adult and look over her shoulder at every step.] [Leave the worrying to a real lord.]

He flexed his wrist and rolled the Spiked Mace made of threaded rebar welded with blades, nails, and jagged steel stubs, easing the tingling ache in his muscles. The thing worked great. When he swung it with full strength, it crushed wolf skulls with ease. The monsters that leapt from the shadows gained Entity the moment they pounced, which gave Yu Sheng all the opening he needed. Now many wolves lay on the burning road through the woods, their heads burst open.

Some of those corpses were already staggering back to their feet. They wandered blindly through the forest, snapping at other Wolf Pack crawling out of the dark.

Yu Sheng was blood-linked to them.

Through those spreading traces of blood, he could feel the changes in the Black Forest clearly.

The forest wasn’t truly blazing yet. Compared to this boundless forest, the flames Fox Fire had lit were only a small, unimportant spark.

Countless Wolf Pack were growing in the far dark, numberless and endless. The malice rose by the moment. They grew faster than he could cut them down.

The biggest Evil Wolf hadn’t been destroyed. When those sixteen Fox Carrot Missiles hit the ground, Yu Sheng had felt its gaze vanish for an instant. But only a moment later he sensed it regenerate at high speed. That creature, born from Little Red Riding Hood’s knowledge and fear, could return to the Black Forest unconditionally and without limit. Now, the reborn wolf was drifting this way.

This nightmare was too large. One fire could never burn it clean.

Little Red Riding Hood didn’t know that. Maybe when she calmed down she would think of it, but right now she was still sunk in the joy of watching the Black Forest burn.

[Let her keep being happy. Kids should be happy.]

Yu Sheng let out a quiet breath, the excited, cheerful look on his face not fading at all. [I can raise a little more hell. With this much noise, the hidden Hunter must have noticed. If they’ve got even a bit of sense, they’re interested in us now.]

A small cottage with warm light in its windows appeared at the far edge of their sight.

“Look, the Little House,” Yu Sheng said with a grin as he lifted his blood-soaked Tetanus Staff, pointing toward the fairy-tale cottage: “Let’s go have a look.”

He strode forward.

Ghostly blue Fox Fire spread under his steps. Tall, twisted trees crashed down beside him. Fox Tail Missiles screamed through the air and pierced the night; dusk had slipped away without anyone noticing, and flames lit up the dark sky. Waves of Wolf Pack rolled out of the black and charged, only to be driven back again and again by Foxy’s dense sweeping fire.

“Benefactor, they don’t end!” Foxy called, strain creeping into her voice. “And the new ones are harder to kill: several shots won’t drop them!”

“It’s fine. We’re here,” Yu Sheng said without looking back. Before the words were done, he stepped into the warm glow spilling from the Little House window.

In a blink, the howling around them faded.

The Wolf Pack began to retreat at speed. Even the wolves that had taken on Entity and rushed close turned back into shadows the instant they crossed into the Little House’s light and then melted away.

Foxy panted softly, hugging one big tail in each hand, a ring of floating Fox Fire still circling behind her as she stared in surprise.

Squirrel poked out from Little Red Riding Hood’s shoulder. It stared back the way they had come, then turned to the cottage that stood quiet at the end of the fiery road, and squeaked in a frightened, unsteady voice: “What’s going to happen next?”

Yu Sheng came to the door and peered inside, then smiled and knocked: “Is Wolf Granny home?”

The cottage stayed quiet. No reply.

Yu Sheng knocked again: “A guest is here.”

Still no sound inside.

“Looks like Wolf Granny really isn’t in,” Yu Sheng said with a shake of his head to Foxy and Irene, then pushed the door open.

With a creak the door swung wide. Warm light washed over them, along with a strange calm, as if some power were sheltering this place.

Carrying the still-dripping Tetanus Staff, Yu Sheng stepped in, careful but not tense.

A thump sounded from above.

“What was that?” He snapped alert, whipping the “battle stick” around to guard.

Then a furious little voice came from his shoulder. Irene, the small doll, snapped: “I smacked my head on the doorframe! Maybe look where you’re going?”

Only then did Yu Sheng glance back. Irene was pressing her head and grumbling: “Ow… seriously, this doorframe is way too low… I even ducked and still hit it… Yu Sheng, you eldest master…”

The doll’s bad luck blew away the leftover tension. Everyone smiled. Foxy went the farthest: she actually laughed out loud.

Irene’s cursing was pretty sharp.

“Let’s rest here for a bit,” Yu Sheng said as he propped the “battle stick” against the door and turned to Foxy.

“Okay,” Foxy answered, finally letting her nerves loosen a little. She walked to the table in the middle of the room, sat, and pulled a big handful of jerky from her tails, crunching away.

Fox Carrot Auto-Launch System was restocking her ammo.jpg.

Little Red Riding Hood followed them in and sat on the empty little bed, staring off.

Squirrel crawled out of her hood, stood on her shoulder, and spaced out with her.

Yu Sheng glanced at the items set on the wooden table. He rummaged through a wooden bowl, fished out an acorn, and walked it over to the dazed Squirrel: “Here. You dropped your acorn earlier. Take a new one.”

Squirrel took it, unsure, but didn’t eat. It just looked up at Yu Sheng, and after a long moment squeaked: “Thank you…”

Yu Sheng found its reaction funny and decided to tease it: “And the classic line after that?”

Squirrel blinked: “What line?”

“The one that goes, ‘X is Squirrel’s best friend.’ I gave you an acorn. Am I your best friend?”

Squirrel froze, totally still, like it had crashed again.

Yu Sheng didn’t care about its answer. He’d only been teasing this odd little one. He pulled his gaze back and looked out the window at the night that seemed to have calmed.

The Wolf Pack had withdrawn. The Black Forest was quiet again. Only the stubborn, ghost-blue Fox Fire still burned slowly among the trees, but the surrounding darkness was swallowing it, snuffing it out bit by bit.

The blasted, burned land was slowly returning to the way it was.

“The Evil Wolf is prowling nearby,” Yu Sheng said suddenly, “but it isn’t moving in yet.”

Little Red Riding Hood raised her head and stared at him.

“It’s not dead. We only made a big mess. We’re a long way from breaking this place,” Yu Sheng told her with a smile, then shook his head. “It’s okay. If it comes, I’ll hit it. You don’t have to be scared.”

“I’m not scared,” Little Red Riding Hood said, lowering her head. Her voice sounded thick.

Right after she spoke, like she was afraid he’d see the truth of her nerves, she rushed to change the subject, pointing at Foxy happily chewing jerky: “What is she eating? It looks good.”

“Good meat,” Yu Sheng said as he took a strip from Foxy and put it in Little Red Riding Hood’s hand: “Want to try?”