Snow White was the first to spot Yu Sheng. Her face lit up with delight, and she waved energetically toward him. Following her gesture, dozens of curious little faces turned in Yu Sheng’s direction. Only now did the children finally behave like ordinary kids, their faces showing surprise and excitement as they began chatting eagerly, peppering their older Brothers and Sisters with endless questions. A few who recognized Yu Sheng cheered joyfully, their voices bubbling with excitement.
Yu Sheng hurried forward, barely noticing that Snow White had just called him “Brother Door-Opener.” Brushing past the crowd of small heads, he went straight to Little Red Riding Hood, eyes serious as he quickly examined her from head to toe.
Little Red Riding Hood blinked, confused by his intense stare. “What’s wrong?” she asked instinctively.
“Where’s Xiao Xiao?” Yu Sheng demanded urgently.
“She’s in line,” Little Red Riding Hood pointed toward the queue of children. “Right at the end, see?”
Yu Sheng turned swiftly and saw the tiny, thin girl standing among a bunch of five- and six-year-olds. She wore a little backpack, with a pink water bottle hanging from her neck, waving vigorously at him.
“I saw the illusion of the Black Forest earlier,” Yu Sheng smiled gently, returning Xiao Xiao’s wave, but when he faced Little Red Riding Hood again, his expression grew grim. “I thought you or Xiao Xiao had accidentally slipped into a ‘subset’…”
Little Red Riding Hood opened her mouth in shock, unable to find words for a moment.
“It seems the conditions of the leak have changed. Even if the ‘protagonist’ isn’t entering Dream Entry, their corresponding subset is starting to spill into reality,” Yu Sheng said hastily, glancing around the hall. “Is everyone here?”
“Will that be dangerous?” Yu Sheng asked, noticing the gravity on Little Red Riding Hood’s face.
“Forcibly moving someone during a Nightmare, or shocking them awake, might destabilize their condition. The corruption from ‘Fairy Tale’ would accelerate, greatly increasing the odds they’ll meet strong enemies within their subsets—it’s like translating a shock from reality into terror inside the nightmare,” Little Red Riding Hood explained. “But we’re out of options. It’s an emergency.”
She bit her lip, swiftly weighing her choices, then took a deep breath. “We have your ‘Shelter.’ If anyone encounters strong enemies, they can retreat into the Wasteland. We’ll give everyone a shot of Sanity Blocking Agent to suppress the corruption temporarily and move them forcibly. The aftereffects of the blocker will be minor compared to the alternative.”
Yu Sheng frowned slightly, but quickly nodded. “Fine, you handle it.”
In this matter, he trusted Little Red Riding Hood’s judgment as a professional.
He turned away and approached the large Door in the main hall.
The Cursed Children watched him curiously. Dozens of gazes followed his every move, filled with tension, confusion, expectation, excitement, and uncertainty.
Yu Sheng drew a slow, deep breath, placing his hand gently upon the large Door’s handle.
“Irene,” he called silently to the Doll.
“Yes, yes! Here I am! How’s your situation?”
“Are you at the Valley construction site right now?”
“You told me to go to the Wasteland—” Irene paused, then quickly corrected herself. “Oh right! I’m at the construction site! At least, one of my bodies is here. The person in charge got frantic when they heard the children were coming early. They’re busy setting up temporary kitchens and tents. Purifiers and generators are up and running, and there’s instant noodles if anyone’s hungry—”
“Don’t worry, the children have snacks,” Yu Sheng interrupted gently. “I’m opening the Door now. Prepare to receive them, guide everyone safely toward the platform, and keep an eye out so no one gets hurt. It’s nighttime here in reality, but daylight in the Valley. The kids might get excited—just don’t let them wander off.”
“Got it! All set over here!”
Yu Sheng finally exhaled in relief, gathering his focus.
He felt the Door beneath his hand, forming a temporary connection with that distant Valley.
In the next moment, he gently pushed open the large Door, which normally would lead to the Orphanage’s East Building playground—
Bright sunlight poured forth, revealing endless grassy fields, distant mountains crowned in sunshine, a little river winding lazily at the foot of the hills, and Doll Lady standing happily at the Door’s edge, waving cheerfully at everyone.
The children exclaimed in surprise, their voices rising in excited chatter.
It was noisy, but this was how a group of kids aged from five or six to teens ought to sound. The silent discipline of just moments ago was too unnatural for their age.
Yet their noise lasted only briefly. Soon they quieted down, regrouping around older kids, quickly reforming into orderly lines. They all looked expectantly toward their nearest Guardians.
It was an emergency; they knew clearly that they must wait for further instructions.
“It’s like going on a field trip,” Yu Sheng broke the silence with a warm smile directed at the children. “Go ahead, it’s a wonderful place.”
“Come on, everyone—follow me! Those behind, stay close to your older Brothers and Sisters!” Princess Long Haired Girl called out clearly, leading the first group towards the large Door to the Valley. “Everyone listen carefully! Once you cross, don’t wander off! Follow your Brothers and Sisters straight to the gathering spot!”
The Cursed Children lined up neatly, each team carefully guided by a Guardian placed in the middle. Older kids, around fourteen, walked along the edges, checking on their younger Brothers and Sisters, making sure everyone was accounted for and safe.
Minutes later, the Knights summoned by King arrived in the hall. These towering, silent figures carried the still-sleeping Cursed Children swiftly and gently through the great Door.
Yet, Yu Sheng’s ears caught eerie noises drifting from underground corridors, from outside the East Building, from hidden corners above:
Off-key melodies, Knights shouting orders, singing voices, and distant gunfire.
Through a nearby window, bright lights illuminated a feast. There, a Prince prepared to marry a mysterious Princess said to have slumbered for a century beneath the ruins. Their wedding banquet would soon begin in the castle square; bonfires would blaze until the entire city turned to ash.
Bells chimed as a grand ship docked against the night sky. Sailors whispered of secrets beneath the waves—a half-human, half-fish creature was among them. The scent of the sea rose from below deck. Soldiers lit whale-oil lamps on the shore; the hunt would begin as the ship touched land.
Overhead, troops marched upside-down across the ceiling, their uniforms as strange as playing cards. They disappeared silently into corners and shadows.
Small hands clasped tightly, the children walked through these illusions—singing nursery rhymes led by older kids. Their off-key voices blended with royal ballads, trumpets, whistles, and cannon fire. Together, they passed ghostly dancers, sailors, soldiers, speaking lions, and creeping flames that twisted across the floor, onward toward that sunny Valley beyond.
They walked and walked, small hands gripping big hands.
“Don’t look around! Hold tightly onto each other! Follow your Brothers and Sisters—don’t let go until you cross the Door!”
They walked and walked, big hands guiding small hands.
“The last group—Jack, join Long Haired Girl. Help maintain order. Irene will give you further instructions once you’re there.”
Gradually, the phantoms faded. The unworldly sounds grew faint.
“King, take your Knights and do a final sweep through all the floors. Hurry back.” Little Red Riding Hood’s voice echoed gently as quiet returned to the hall. All the smallest Cursed Children had passed safely through the Door, leaving only a handful of Guardians behind.
With the crowd gone, Yu Sheng noticed something had finally settled within the Orphanage—an unrest he hadn’t realized was constant, now stilled.
He didn’t know how to describe the sensation, only that his Spiritual Intuition was calming.
It seemed tonight’s leak had finally ceased.
“It’s quiet now…” Snow White glanced carefully around, listening closely. “Has it stopped?”
Yu Sheng relaxed slightly, reaching out mentally. [Irene, how are things there? Any anomalies in the Valley or the wasteland?]
“Everything’s fine here,” Irene replied quickly. “The children arrived in good spirits. No leaks detected inside the Valley. Those still sleeping, along with the Guardians, are safely resting in temporary tents. The wasteland is calm, too—sounds like all the Subsets are quieting down rapidly.”
Yu Sheng’s expression softened as he turned toward the tense Little Red Riding Hood. A slight smile crossed his face. “Good news—the Valley’s isolation is holding.”
Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White exhaled in relief.
“Should we head out, then?” Snow White urged softly. “Let’s not linger and risk anything else happening.”
“We checked upstairs and downstairs,” King’s voice called from the stairway. “All clear. No one’s left behind.”
Little Red Riding Hood nodded decisively. “Alright, let’s move.”
The two Guardians and one Cat quickly passed through the big Door into the Valley.
Yu Sheng stayed behind, of course—it was his responsibility to close the Door.
Only when Little Red Riding Hood was safely through did he breathe a sigh of relief. Before stepping across himself, Yu Sheng glanced one final time at the now empty and silent hall.
A hollow figure dressed in hunter’s garb stood quietly watching.
And with that blink, “Hunter” vanished into thin air.
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation