Chapter 173

Chapter 173: Early Morning

After sending the message, Yu Sheng looked out the window.

Dawn was just breaking. It was still early, and it might be a while before Bai Li Qing replied.

He didn’t wait around. He found a small box that used to hold cookies, put the “bullet” from the Hunter inside, and went to the kitchen to make some food.

Foxy and Irene followed like it was natural-the first to mooch a bite, the second because she still had questions.

“How did the Hunter know you could bring the bullet ‘outside’?” Irene trailed him, puzzled, as she said: “They shot you like that and were sure you’d still live, spit it out, and even get a chance to find someone to study it? Who passes notes like that?”

Yu Sheng kept working at the stove. He frowned slightly but didn’t stop moving his hands.

This was exactly what he had been thinking about ever since: whether that bullet counted as “information” or not, one fact was clear. In the Black Forest, the Hunter had fired without hesitation, aiming right at his heart. Stripping away other motives, that shot sure looked like it was meant to kill him.

“So the most likely answer is… they didn’t know,” Yu Sheng said after a short silence.

“They didn’t know?” Irene asked, blinking.

“An entity wandering the Black Forest can’t know I have a resurrection ability,” Yu Sheng said slowly. “They also shouldn’t know I went into the Black Forest by opening a Door straight from reality. So, in theory, when they fired, the Hunter didn’t know I could survive and carry the bullet back to the real world.”

“Then they really did mean to kill you? But Little Red Riding Hood just said the Hunter doesn’t misjudge. They had no reason to shoot you…”

“I can’t figure that part out either,” Yu Sheng said, shaking his head. “But no matter what, next time I enter the Black Forest, I’m taking that bullet with me.”

He quickly sliced a plate of cucumber shreds, then handed the rest of the half cucumber to the waiting Foxy. After a brief pause, he said: “Since the Hunter ‘gave’ me a bullet, I should keep it and see what changes it causes later.”

Irene made a small “oh,” and just then his phone started ringing in his pocket.

“It’s Bai Li Qing,” Yu Sheng said, glancing at the screen. He answered right away and said, “Awake so early? You saw what I sent?”

Bai Li Qing skipped small talk and went straight in as she said: “It’s a standard Exorcist Bullet once used by members of a deep dive team and by Special Affairs Bureau officers seventy years ago. It has been replaced since then.”

Yu Sheng wiped his hands on a towel, told Foxy to watch the pot of noodles, told Irene not to climb on the stove, and stepped aside as he said: “…Right. That’s what I guessed.”

“The round came from the Black Forest?” Bai Li Qing asked over the line. “Another ‘leftover’ taken from the Hunter?”

Yu Sheng hesitated a moment, mostly to consider whether a bullet fired into his chest counted as “left behind” or “gifted,” then shook his head to kill that silly thought as he said: “Sort of. Getting it was complicated, but it is definitely the Hunter’s, and it’s something they actively use.”

“Then we can be fairly sure the Hunter comes from that twelve-person Deep Dive Team of seventy years ago,” Bai Li Qing said, her tone turning a shade more solemn. She drew a quiet breath and asked: “Did you establish a link with them? Is this veteran still willing to help us?”

Yu Sheng fell silent, then sighed and said: “Sadly, I didn’t manage to communicate with the Hunter. I showed them the group photo, but I’m not sure they reacted.”

“Not even a word?”

“Didn’t have time,” he said after thinking.

“…Then how did you get the Hunter’s bullet? Something like that is a fighter’s personal item,” she said.

“They shot it into me.”

This time, the silence on her end lasted longer.

“I mean that literally,” Yu Sheng added.

At last, Madam Director seemed to get it. Her voice turned a bit unsure as she asked: “…Are you okay?”

“Not deceased,” Yu Sheng said. He couldn’t very well explain he couldn’t stay dead, so he brushed it off as he added, “Just a scratch. And I still think we can talk to them. Maybe our method was wrong this time.”

“You still want to approach the Hunter?” Bai Li Qing sounded surprised as she said: “That could be dangerous.”

“It is a little dangerous, but worth another try. I’ve already made some progress. I’ll write up last night’s events and send them to you,” Yu Sheng said quickly, not leaving room for her to cut in. “You’ve got a bigger brain trust. Help me analyze it and see what details I missed. Little Red Riding Hood doesn’t have much time. That orphanage has many kids. Their time is short… you know what I mean.”

“…I understand. The Special Affairs Bureau will fully assist. If you need anything, contact me anytime.”

When the call ended, Yu Sheng leaned on the counter and let out a long breath.

“Benefactor,” Foxy called from the stove, breaking up his messy thoughts as she asked: “The noodles are done. Should I rinse them in cold water?”

“Yes, rinse them,” Yu Sheng said, giving his head a quick shake. As he looked at Foxy’s hopeful face, his irritation faded without him noticing, and a smile crept over his face as he said, “Then we can eat.”

…

The Cursed Children lined up at the sink to wash hands and faces, following the order one by one. The kids who had finished sat at the table early, waiting for the “parents” to serve the food.

Little Red Riding Hood stood by the sink watching over the dollheads. From time to time she looked back to check the order at the tables. Her face looked a little bored.

Rapunzel walked by carrying a big bucket of vegetable soup from the kitchen. As she passed, she lifted her head to look at Little Red Riding Hood and asked, curious: “Hey, are you still mad at him?”

“Do I look like I’m mad?” Little Red Riding Hood asked, puzzled.

“You look pretty serious,” Rapunzel said with a nod. “You looked like that when I owed you twenty bucks.”

Little Red Riding Hood’s mouth twitched. She didn’t even know how to answer that.

“Come on, tell me what happened,” Rapunzel pressed, curious, as she said: “All I know is you got ‘kicked’ out of a dream, sat up in the middle of the night and puked, then sulked. What actually happened?”

“…Nothing. I just realized I’m kind of scared of my birthday next month, but I’m also weirdly looking forward to it,” Little Red Riding Hood said after a few seconds, letting out a small breath. She waved her off and said, “Alright, stop wasting time with me. If you don’t bring the soup over, the Cursed Children will start making a fuss.”

“Oh…”

Rapunzel carried the soup away, and Little Red Riding Hood’s eyes followed her path to the long table.

Kids of all ages sat there, chatting and laughing.

A few council staffers in uniform stood by the kitchen doorway. They looked this way with small, complicated smiles.

Xiao Xiao had fully recovered her spirit. A few days ago she had been shy and even afraid to speak up in the orphanage, but now she seemed to have friends. With a serious face, she told the kid next to her about a strange dream she had. It didn’t seem related to the Black Forest. It was odd, but plain and peaceful.

The other kids, who often had nightmares, seemed a little jealous of her dream. Several of them scooted closer to listen.

Little Red Riding Hood lifted her face and squinted into the sunlight warming through the windows.

…

A message tone chimed. Bai Li Qing opened it and saw Yu Sheng’s text.

It told of a bold dive into the Black Forest, a risky head-on fight with “Wolf Granny,” and the brief contact with the Hunter.

It also included many of Yu Sheng’s personal guesses and several pieces of new intel about the Black Forest that had never appeared in the investigation reports.

The text was long, clearly written on a computer and then sent over-many details were laid out clearly.

Standing at the floor-to-ceiling windows, Bai Li Qing read the not-quite-a-report “report” carefully, then couldn’t help muttering: “No wonder he writes novels…”

A pair of eyes drifted up outside the glass without a sound, and a mechanical voice sounded in her mind as it asked: “Beautiful wording?”

“No. I mean it’s easier to understand what he writes than what he says,” Bai Li Qing sighed as she said, “At least it doesn’t leave people… unable to keep up.”

The phantom eyes blinked, then watched the screen with her.

A moment later, Bai Li Qing dialed a number.

Song Cheng’s voice came through the phone as he said: “Director?”

“Arrange an extra Deep Dive Squad at headquarters. They don’t need to deploy yet, but they must be ready to act at any time,” Bai Li Qing said evenly. “Have the large Deep Dive pool at D2 Dive Port ready starting now.”

“Yes,” Song Cheng answered at once, then asked with a hint of doubt as he said: “Director, what happened?”

“Just in case,” Bai Li Qing said. “The core of ‘Fairy Tale’ might really be dug out this time.”