Chapter 193

Chapter 193: An Unexpected Find Among the Relics

Yu Sheng had to admit he couldn’t keep it together.

He’d even imagined Princess Snow White showing up with forty thieves. But he hadn’t expected the phrase “Princess Snow White and her seven Thunder Titans” to be literal.

Watching those silent giants—each as tall as a two-story building—standing in front of him, he felt like he’d been struck by lightning and forced to marinate in it for two hours. After a long moment, he managed to force out, “I… what… she… what is this even supposed to be?!”

“Every subset is a warped story,” Little Red Riding Hood said, strangely calm, a faint smile tugging at her mouth. “Sometimes the warping gets this severe. The original Little Red Riding Hood story didn’t have a four- or five-meter giant wolf, either. But in my Black Forest, there are packs of shadow wolves and things that shouldn’t exist.”

She glanced toward Princess Snow White. “In the Bloodstained Court she faces, her hunt and chase with the ‘queen’ are just as brutal—and just as ridiculous.”

Yu Sheng’s brain finally caught up, and his confusion only deepened. He pointed at Princess Snow White, who still looked dazed from being pulled into a new place. “She needs that loadout to fight the queen? Then what is the queen—some kind of damn gene monster?!”

“…I don’t get that joke,” Little Red Riding Hood said flatly. “But the queen in Bloodstained Court can rotate the magnetic field.”

Yu Sheng stopped talking.

He just watched as one Thunder Titan in steel armor bent down carefully and set the skinny girl on the ground. Then, one by one, the giants faded and vanished into the air.

Only after they were gone did the exhaustion on Princess Snow White’s face ease a little.

After a long silence, Yu Sheng muttered, “All of a sudden, your Black Forest feels pretty mild. Comfortable. Livable. Finding a breakthrough there feels way more feasible than dealing with whatever nightmare she’s trapped in.”

“I think so too,” Little Red Riding Hood said. “Hers is… a bit insane.”

As they spoke, Princess Snow White walked over, eyes shining with disbelief. “So this is the Wasteland you were talking about?”

“Yes,” Yu Sheng said, snapping himself back into a normal expression and offering her a smile. “Boring, but safe. Looks like our attempt worked.”

Princess Snow White tilted her head and looked at the gray sky for a moment. Then she simply lay down where she stood.

She lay on the dark grass, tensing for a heartbeat… and then slowly relaxing.

After a long moment, she said softly, “I don’t want to move at all.”

“I get it,” Little Red Riding Hood said, and lay down beside her. “Same. I’m exhausted. Finally we can breathe.”

Yu Sheng had been about to bring up tomorrow’s plan—whether they could start a proper blood bestowal process for everyone else. But seeing the two of them like that, he swallowed the words.

He could say it later. A few minutes wouldn’t matter. They hadn’t been able to relax like this inside a nightmare in a long time.

—

Early the next morning, Yu Sheng returned to the orphanage. This time, he met with all the guardians.

The blood bestowal process didn’t need much ceremony. Everything went smoothly. But with so many people, having everyone step up and take a sip directly was clearly not ideal—mostly because the scene looked too cursed.

So Yu Sheng prepared his blood in advance, mixed it with a suitable amount of water, and handed it out.

He sat in the middle of the room, watching a dozen boys and girls—and a cat—each holding a bowl like they were swearing a blood oath. For a moment, he kept expecting them to smash the bowls on the floor and drag him off to Mount Liang.

Thankfully, none of that happened.

He maintained a stiff, solemn expression until the “ritual” ended.

“Now the people at the highest risk of losing control have all set up a barrier,” Little Red Riding Hood said, finally letting out a breath as the weight on her chest eased. “For the younger children, we’ll schedule their inoculations in batches over the next few days.”

“I have a feeling the Wasteland is going to get pretty lively from now on,” Yu Sheng said thoughtfully. “I just don’t know whether we can build anything there. Maybe add some entertainment so whoever ends up there won’t complain it’s boring.”

“We’re not that picky,” Little Red Riding Hood snorted. “If we can sleep peacefully, what more do we need?”

Yu Sheng smiled. He was about to respond when a sharp ringtone cut through the room.

He pulled out his phone and saw an unfamiliar number.

When he answered, a somewhat familiar young man’s voice came through the speaker. “Uh, hello? Is this Mr. Yu?”

Yu Sheng paused, then remembered. Old Zheng’s nephew.

When he’d left after the last investigation, he’d given the young man his number.

“It’s me,” Yu Sheng said immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“I found something kind of strange while sorting my uncle’s belongings,” the young man said. “I think you might be interested.”

Yu Sheng’s expression turned serious at once. He looked up at Little Red Riding Hood as he replied into the phone, “Okay. We’re coming over right now. We’ll be there soon.”

When he hung up, Little Red Riding Hood couldn’t help asking, “What happened?”

“It’s Old Zheng’s nephew,” Yu Sheng said, already standing. “He found something while sorting through Old Zheng’s things. We’re done here anyway. Let’s go.”

Little Red Riding Hood blinked and got to her feet. “How do we get there?”

“Door opening.”

When they arrived, Old Zheng’s nephew was clearly startled.

He probably hadn’t expected we’ll be there soon to mean this soon.

Compared to the last couple of days, the exhaustion on his face had eased, and he looked steadier. He didn’t ask how two “detectives” had appeared at his door not long after he hung up. He simply stepped aside and let them in.

Yu Sheng noticed that much of the apartment had already been packed up. Large furniture and appliances were gone—sold off, perhaps, or sent back to family. In the emptied living room, only a worn coffee table and a few stools remained. A finished takeout bowl of rice noodles still sat on the table.

“Sorry,” the young man said awkwardly. “It’s messy right now. There’s more stuff than I expected. I’ve been cleaning for two days and still haven’t finished.”

He tossed the takeout packaging into the trash and wiped the table with a tissue. “The Special Operations Bureau came by. I told them about my uncle’s situation. They said this has gotten the higher-ups’ attention, and those criminals will be caught soon. Do you want something to drink?”

“No,” Little Red Riding Hood said quickly. “Just show us what you found.”

“Right—yeah.” The young man went straight to the coffee table, pulled open the drawer underneath, and took out a small wooden box. It looked old but delicate, like something made to be treasured. “It’s in here. My uncle hid it in a secret compartment in the cabinet. I think it was important to him.”

Yu Sheng took the box and opened it.

Little Red Riding Hood leaned in.

Inside was a wrinkled black strip—something that looked like dried kelp—resting on red velvet.

It was so unimpressive that Yu Sheng couldn’t immediately tell what it was. If anything, it looked like the kind of dried thing older people liked to soak in alcohol, which fit Old Zheng’s age pretty well.

Then Little Red Riding Hood let out a soft gasp.

Yu Sheng looked at her. “What is it?”

“I feel… dizzy.” Little Red Riding Hood frowned and carefully turned her eyes away from the open box. “And I’m hearing something. This thing… something’s wrong with it.”

“Right?” the young man said quickly, looking rattled. “I got dizzy too. I opened it, glanced at it, and got dizzy immediately, so I closed it right away. That’s why I suspected it was some kind of odd item my uncle collected. It’s definitely not something an ordinary person like me can handle—”

Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood both stared at him.

“…I didn’t know what it was before I opened it,” the young man said, embarrassed. “My uncle hid it so carefully. I had to check whether it was something useful.”

Little Red Riding Hood’s mouth twitched. “…Lucky you didn’t join the Special Operations Bureau. You’d be on the annual accident wall by now.”

Yu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then carefully reached a finger toward the dried strip.

The young man’s eyes widened in alarm. He looked away from the box as he blurted, “Hey—didn’t I say don’t—”

“It’s different,” Yu Sheng said without looking up. “We’re professionals.”

His fingertip touched it.

A baby’s cry stabbed straight into Yu Sheng’s mind.

It felt like the sound came from the deepest part of his soul—and also like it came from an impossibly distant place, traveling through the strip and into his awareness. The cry echoed, clear and unsettling, and for a heartbeat Yu Sheng went blank.

Then he yanked his hand back.

In that brief contact, knowledge poured into him. He understood what it was.

Little Red Riding Hood’s voice came sharp at his side. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine,” Yu Sheng said, shaking his head like he could shake the sound loose. He stared at the open box with a strange expression. “I know what it is now.”

“Huh?”

Yu Sheng swallowed. “…It’s an umbilical cord.”