A thunderous explosion rocked the Black Forest, sending a burst of fire and smoke into the sky. The light and heat quickly vanished into the forest’s endless darkness, swallowed whole as if they’d never existed. But the blast’s shockwave was enough to silence the howls of wolves scattered across the forest—if only for a moment.
Yu Sheng knew the quiet wouldn’t last. Soon, the howls would resume, the forest would heal, and the Black Forest would continue its endless cycle, following its own rules and script. The dream-weaving “source” lurking behind the stage would whisper on in its nightmares. Let it whisper, Yu Sheng thought. He wasn’t interested in it at the moment.
He had already stepped through the gate with Foxy, leaving the Black Forest behind and returning to the valley.
“I saw a huge commotion through the gate just now!” Irene darted toward them, scrambling up Yu Sheng’s leg to perch on his shoulder. Her small voice chattered away as she climbed. “You didn’t set the forest on fire, did you?”
Yu Sheng chuckled as he steadied the doll. “If only it were that easy. But no, a little firepower like that isn’t nearly enough to burn the Black Forest. Don’t worry; it’s not time for a full-scale attack yet. I haven’t dragged out the thing hiding behind the stage.”
“But soon,” he added, his tone darkening. “Very soon.”
Foxy tugged on Yu Sheng’s sleeve, her expression sheepish. “Benefactor,” she murmured, “I’m a little hungry. Can we go home and eat?”
Yu Sheng had been deep in thought, planning the next stage of his “cyber fox smashes the children’s horror book” scheme. Foxy’s comment jolted him back to reality. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. “Huh, you’re right. It’s already mealtime. This place has no day-night cycle, and I completely lost track of time.”
“You’re not running any more experiments?” Irene asked, tilting her head curiously from his shoulder. “Wasn’t opening the gate just the first test?”
“Well, that’s rare,” Irene said with mock amazement. “You actually have a limit to how much you’ll mess around.”
Ignoring the doll’s jab, Yu Sheng pulled out his phone and dialed Bai Li Qing. “Yeah, it’s me. I’m done here. Thanks for covering the watch. I’ll let you know in advance next time I plan something . Oh, and you might get another signal spike or two—it’s just me opening the gate to head home. No other issues. Alright, bye.”
Irene’s tiny mouth gaped in mock shock. “Wow, look at you, so smooth now. You didn’t even give them a chance to curse at you under their breath.”
Yu Sheng tousled her head without a word before turning to Foxy. “We’ll cook something fresh tonight. Let’s start by dealing with that big gray wolf you’ve been carrying around. It’s too big to process in the kitchen at home.”
Foxy’s eyes sparkled at the idea, and her mouth practically watered. Without hesitation, she reached into her storage tail and pulled out the enormous wolf’s carcass. Along with it, she produced a kitchen knife, a cleaver, a frying pan, two soup pots, two spatulas, a cutting board, cooking wine, soy sauce, peppercorns, star anise, and a whole barrel of peanut oil.
Yu Sheng, who had been about to open a gate to fetch supplies, froze at the sight. It took him a long moment to process what he was seeing. “When… did you start carrying all this around?”
Foxy lowered her head bashfully. “I… grabbed it when we left.”
“You grabbed the whole kitchen?!” Yu Sheng exclaimed.
“No, I didn’t!” Foxy waved her hands defensively. “I didn’t take the stove!”
“Well, no kidding! It’s attached to the gas line!” Yu Sheng found himself laughing out of sheer disbelief. And then another thought struck him. “Wait a second. Every time you’ve gone out with me, have you always carried the kitchen with you?”
Foxy nodded earnestly. “Mm-hmm.”
“And when we get back home, you rush into the kitchen ahead of me… to put everything back?”
Yu Sheng’s face went blank. “Why?”
Foxy twirled a strand of her hair, mumbling, “I just thought… what if we needed it? What if we had to cook something outside, like for a picnic? See? This time, it came in handy.” ŗαꞐỖ฿ÈS
Yu Sheng opened his mouth, ready to tell her this was the wildest idea of a “picnic” he’d ever seen. But as he looked around the valley—lush green fields under a clear blue sky, gentle hills rolling into the horizon—he found himself reconsidering. It wasn’t a bad idea at all.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s do it. We’ll roast the wolf grandmother for fun.”
With that, he used his power to raise a temporary table and stove from the rocky ground. He directed Foxy to set up the portable kitchen. Taking up the knife and cleaver, Yu Sheng began butchering the oversized wolf carcass, muttering to himself, “Too bad Little Red and Xiao Xiao went home already. They’d love to try this.”
“You’re not afraid of scaring them out of their wits?” Irene called from her perch atop the makeshift stove.
“What better way to conquer fear than to face it head-on?” Yu Sheng shot her a glance. “And what’s more ‘head-on’ than eating it?”
“Whatever,” Irene huffed. “Just don’t let me fall into the pot.”
Moments later, Foxy cheerfully announced, “Don’t worry, Benefactor, I have fire!” She plucked a silver-white tail from behind her, rubbed it against the stove like striking a match, and a vibrant flame flared to life at its tip.
Yu Sheng stared. “Wait. You can use that for cooking?”
“Of course!” Foxy grinned. “Turn the power up, and it can smelt steel. Keep it low, and it’s perfect for cooking.”
“Fine. Stick it under the stove and boil some water.”
“Got it!” Foxy chirped, heading toward the pot. Then she paused, turning back with a sheepish smile. “Oh, um, should I get Irene out of the pot first?”
Yu Sheng spun around and saw the tiny doll, soaking wet, clambering out of the soup pot. He was stunned. “When did you fall in?!”
“Just now!” Irene snapped, shaking herself off. “Don’t laugh, you two! I mean it!”
It was a rare, peaceful night—a calm and restful evening that felt almost foreign.
Little Red Riding Hood hadn’t slept this well in a long time. As adulthood approached, her sleep had been dwindling. Now she barely managed two hours a night, and even those hours were haunted by the Black Forest’s horrors. She had lost track of how long this had been her reality. The forest’s erosion had warped her sense of time. Some nights, it felt like her life had always been this way.
But tonight, she fell into a deep, dream-filled sleep. For once, the dreams were light and pleasant. She wandered through familiar scenes—her old school, the orphanage’s corridors and courtyard. No looming shadows, no echoing howls. Occasionally, she spotted wolves, their forms comforting rather than threatening, walking beside her as if sharing her respite.
Then, in one dream, she entered an alley.
It was in the old city, vaguely familiar, as though she’d been there recently. She didn’t know why she had come, but she saw her wolves grow uneasy, growling low as they moved deeper into the alley.
At the end of the alley, she saw blood.
She froze, staring at the body on the ground. It was Yu Sheng, lying still, his chest torn open. The rain frog had taken his heart.
Fear and confusion gripped her. She stood there, unable to move, as the dream shifted. Now she was back in the Black Forest, watching Yu Sheng fall again, this time to the Hunger Entity. Blood spread out from him, reaching her feet.
Little Red jolted awake, gasping for breath.
Sunlight streamed through the window.
From the top bunk, the Long-Haired Princess peered down at her. “You slept all night! You haven’t done that in ages!”
Little Red didn’t reply. She stared at the ceiling, her breathing slowing but her eyes still wide with shock.
“Did you have a nightmare?” the princess asked, concern creeping into her voice. “Was it the Black Forest again?”
“No,” Little Red murmured after a long pause. “Not exactly. I just… remembered something. Something strange. Something unbelievable.”
“What do you mean?” the princess pressed.
Little Red hesitated, her voice barely a whisper. “Things are getting weird.”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation