Chapter 193

Chapter 193: An Unexpected Discovery in the Relics

Yu Sheng admitted he couldn’t hold it in.

He had even imagined Snow White showing up with forty thieves, but he had never imagined the phrase “Snow White and her seven Thunder Titans.” Seeing the silent Giants, each two stories tall, he felt like he had been struck by lightning for two hours and only managed to squeeze out a few words: “I… this… she… how does any of this make sense?!”

“Every subset is a twisted story. Sometimes the twist goes very far,” Little Red Riding Hood said calmly, even with a faint smile. “In my original story there aren’t four- or five-meter-tall Giant Wolves or a Shadow Wolf Pack in the Howling Forest. In the Bloodstained Court Snow White faces, her hunt with the ‘queen’ is even more brutal than you think.”

Yu Sheng listened, stunned, and only caught up with her explanation after a moment. He pointed at Snow White, who looked dazed from suddenly arriving in a strange place: “She needs this loadout just to fight the queen? Then what is the queen on the other side, a primarch or something?”

“…I don’t really get that reference, but the queen of the Bloodstained Court can rotate the magnetic field.”

“…?”

Yu Sheng fell quiet, then looked up. The Thunder Titan in steel armor bent down slowly and set the thin girl gently on the ground. Then the Giants vanished one by one into the air. Only after they disappeared did the worn-out look on Snow White’s face ease a little.

“I suddenly feel like your ‘Black Forest’ has a mild, comfy climate,” Yu Sheng said after a long silence to Little Red Riding Hood. “Finding a breakthrough to Fairy Tale in the Black Forest seems way more doable than in Snow White’s subset.”

“I think so too. Her side is really wild.”

Snow White came over to them. This short-haired girl, thin and harmless-looking, stared in wonder at the place, as if she still couldn’t believe she had jumped from the terrible Bloodstained Court to a safe zone: “This is the ‘wasteland’ you talked about?”

“Yeah. Boring but very safe,” Yu Sheng said with a smile, getting his face under control. “Looks like our attempt worked.”

Snow White tilted her head at the gray sky, then suddenly lay down on the spot. She stretched out on the dark grass. Her whole body tensed for a moment, then slowly loosened.

She narrowed her eyes and said softly after a long while: “I don’t want to move at all.”

“I get it. Me too,” Little Red Riding Hood said, and lay down as well beside her. “So tired. Finally, we can breathe.”

Yu Sheng had been about to bring up tomorrow’s plans and ask if they could run the formal Blood Bestowal for the others right away. Seeing the two girls like this, he swallowed the words.

He would talk later. A few minutes wouldn’t matter. They hadn’t relaxed like this in a nightmare for a long time.

…

Early the next morning, Yu Sheng went to the Orphanage. This time, he met all the “parents.”

There’s not much to say about the Blood Bestowal. Everything went as planned. But with so many people, having everyone come up for a sip wasn’t really proper, and, honestly, the scene would have been way too creepy. So Yu Sheng set aside his blood ahead of time, mixed it with a bit of water, and divided it for everyone.

He sat in the center of the room, watching a dozen teens and one cat each hold a bowl like they were making a blood oath. He felt like in the next second they would smash the bowls on the floor and then carry him up to Liangshan like sworn brothers…

Thankfully, his wild thoughts didn’t show on his face. He kept a serious look until the ritual ended.

“With this, the ones of us at highest risk are now shielded,” Little Red Riding Hood let out a slow breath, a big weight off her heart. “For the younger Cursed Children, we’ll schedule their ‘shots’ in batches over the next few days.”

“I have a feeling that wasteland is about to get lively,” Yu Sheng said, thinking aloud. “I wonder if we can build something there. Add a few fun things so you won’t hate how boring it is.”

“We’re not that picky,” Little Red Riding Hood pouted. “If we can sleep soundly, what more do we want?”

Yu Sheng laughed, but just as he was about to say something, a sharp ringtone cut him off.

He checked his phone. It was an unknown number.

When he picked up, a young voice that sounded a bit familiar came through: “Uh, hello, is this Mr. Yu?”

Yu Sheng thought for a second and remembered why it was familiar. It was Old Zheng’s nephew.

When they finished the last investigation, Yu Sheng had left his number.

“This is he,” he answered at once. “What is it?”

“I found something strange while sorting my uncle’s things… I think you might be interested.”

Yu Sheng’s face turned serious in an instant. He looked up at Little Red Riding Hood and spoke quickly into the phone: “Got it. We’ll come right away. We’ll be there soon.”

“What is it?” Little Red Riding Hood asked as Yu Sheng hung up.

“Old Zheng’s nephew,” Yu Sheng said, standing as he spoke. “He found something while going through Old Zheng’s effects. We just finished here, so the two of us should go take a look.”

Little Red Riding Hood froze for a beat and stood up too: “How are we getting there?”

“Door Opening.”

When Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood arrived, Old Zheng’s nephew was clearly surprised.

He hadn’t expected “soon” to be this fast.

Compared with two days ago, the young man’s tired look had faded some, and his spirit seemed better. He quickly adjusted and didn’t ask how these two “detectives” could show up at his door right after hanging up. He moved aside and let the guests in.

Yu Sheng noticed that many things were already packed. Some big furniture and appliances were gone, probably sold second hand or sent back to the hometown. The empty living room still had only a slightly old coffee table and a few stools. A finished takeout rice noodle box sat on the table.

“Sorry, the place is a mess. There’s more stuff than I thought. Two days later and it’s still not done,” the young man said, embarrassed. He tossed the takeout box into the trash and wiped the table with a tissue. “People from the Special Affairs Bureau came by. I told them about my uncle. They said the case has drawn attention from above and the criminals will be caught soon… Do you want something to drink?”

“No, thanks,” Little Red Riding Hood said, quick and direct. “Show us the ‘strange thing’ first.”

“Yeah, it’s this,” the young man said, opening the drawer under the table. He took out a small Wooden Box, old but finely made. “It was in here, hidden in a secret compartment in the cabinet. I think it was important to my uncle.”

Yu Sheng took the Wooden Box and opened it, curious.

Little Red Riding Hood leaned in at once.

Inside was just a wrinkled, dark, belt-like strip that looked like dried kelp.

The plain dried strip lay quietly on red velvet. Yu Sheng couldn’t tell what it was and felt it looked like something older folks might soak in liquor. That actually fit Old Zheng’s age.

But while he was confused, Little Red Riding Hood suddenly gasped under her breath.

Yu Sheng turned quickly: “What is it?”

“A little dizzy,” Little Red Riding Hood frowned and carefully looked away from the Wooden Box. “And I hear weird static. This thing… is not normal.”

“Right? I got dizzy too. I took one look and felt the room spin, so I closed it fast,” the young man said at once, looking spooked. “That’s why I think it’s some kind of ‘oddity’ my uncle collected. It’s definitely not something a regular person like me should handle-”

Halfway through his sentence, he noticed Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood both staring at him.

“…I didn’t know what it was before I opened it,” he said, a little embarrassed. “My uncle hid it so carefully. I had to check if it was something useful.”

“Lucky you didn’t join the Special Affairs Bureau,” Little Red Riding Hood muttered. “You’d already be on the annual accident board.”

Meanwhile, after a second’s hesitation, Yu Sheng carefully reached a finger toward the strip in the box.

Seeing that, the young man panicked. He kept his eyes off the box and spoke fast: “Hey, didn’t I say don’t-”

“Not the same. We’re professionals,” Yu Sheng said without looking up.

Before he finished, his finger touched the strip.

A baby’s cry stabbed straight into his mind.

It felt like the sound came from deep in his soul, yet also from a far, far place, then traveled through the strip into his awareness. The clear, unsettling wail echoed in his head and even stunned him for a heartbeat.

He yanked his hand back the next second.

In that brief touch, the “knowledge” had already passed. He knew what it was.

“You okay?” Little Red Riding Hood asked, worried.

“I’m fine,” Yu Sheng shook his head, still a bit slow, then cleared up and looked at the box with a strange expression. “I know what this is.”

“Huh?”

“…It’s an Umbilical Cord.”