(.)
When Yu Sheng stepped into the Black Forest, he didn’t imdiately set off in search of the missing child. Instead, he stayed where he was, carefully tuning in to the atmosphere around him.
So far, there was no sign of any wolves. The forest felt strangely peaceful, disturbed only by the occasional whisper of leaves or a faint stir of hidden creatures. The sky still held the last light of dusk, and for now, the looming darkness of the forest did not feel hostile.
It seed the Black Forest had not fully awakened to his sudden arrival.
Yet Yu Sheng couldn’t help wondering about Xiao Xiao—the little girl who had wandered in ahead of him. Where was she? Was she lost in a different part of this enormous wood? Did the Black Forest appear differently to each “Little Red Riding Hood,” or was it separated into different zones?
All these questions spun through his mind, but before he could puzzle over them further, he caught the sound of light footsteps nearby. When he turned, he saw another figure in a deep red coat—a girl with a tense, shadowy outline.
Several black wolves erged from the surrounding shadows, creeping around her and sniffing at her uncertainly. These wolf shapes, born of the forest, looked more skittish than normal wolves. Their bodies flickered unsteadily, as if ready to co apart at the edges.
Even the girl’s shape wavered. A thin, dark mist clung to her, and sothing about her red coat blurred in the gloom, hinting at another form lurking underneath.
Yu Sheng watched her in silence, noticing how worn out she looked. “You don’t seem to be doing too well,” he said gently.
She froze for a second. Then, as though spooked by his sudden voice, she swung her head around and stared at him.
Her reaction startled Yu Sheng. “Sorry,” he added, raising his hands. “Didn’t an to scare you.”
“Oh, no…” Little Red Riding Hood said awkwardly, turning her face aside. “I’m just not used to another ‘person’ talking in here. Usually, it’s just
and the squirrel.”
“Right, I get it,” Yu Sheng replied.
“You actually followed
into the forest?” she asked, eyeing him with disbelief. “I’ve never seen anyone else make it in.”
Yu Sheng shrugged as if it were no big deal. “I told you I would. I’m not the sort to lie about these things.” Then he focused inward, calling out to Irene through their ntal link. Irene, we’re inside. Can you hear ? Are you following, or staying out?
“I’ll stay outside and keep everyone updated,” Irene answered briskly, her thoughts slipping into his mind. She seed used to the eerie psychic link the Black Forest offered. “I have to watch over you three in the real world. Last ti was an ergency. Let’s not risk it again.”
Yu Sheng agreed. “That makes sense. Also, Foxy might start tearing the place apart if anything goes wrong,” he added, half-joking.
“What are you scheming now?” Irene asked suspiciously.
“Picturing a ‘Cyber Fox Immortal’ dropping into a dark fairy tale,” Yu Sheng teased.
“I knew it,” Irene huffed. “Anyway, it’s not that simple. The Black Forest has its own rules. You and Little Red Riding Hood have a direct connection to it, and I can navigate dreams, which is why we can get inside. But for Foxy or anyone else… you’d need a specific ritual. It can’t be forced.”
She paused a beat before adding, “Besides, can you imagine the ss if Foxy did get in here? She’d blast the whole forest with rockets the second she saw a wolf.”
Yu Sheng could almost picture it—and it was quite an image. Still, he ended the link with Irene and stared thoughtfully into the air.
He held out a hand, and a faint doorfra shimred into being. When he nudged the door open, there was nothing beyond it but a thick, impenetrable darkness.
It seed possible to create a portal even here, though where it might lead was uncertain. At least it was clear that the Black Forest’s “selection” wasn’t perfect—there were cracks in its defenses. He made a ntal note, then waved a hand and let the door vanish.
Little Red Riding Hood had been watching this entire display with a mix of curiosity and confusion. At last, she couldn’t hold back. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Planning my strategy against sinister fairy tales.” Yu Sheng closed the phantom door. “But that can wait. We need to find Xiao Xiao first.”
He glanced around the murky path, frowning. “This place is completely new to . Given you’re the ‘expert,’ do you have any clue where she might have gone?”
She shook her head. “Even for , it’s a mystery. This forest changes, and I’ve never co here with another Little Red Riding Hood, let alone one who’s accompanied by a… friend,” she added, gesturing to him. “You know how the story goes: ‘She walked the path alone.’”
“Alone,” Yu Sheng echoed, recalling how that squirrel had repeated it. Then he asked, “Speaking of the squirrel, where is it? Isn’t it usually the first one to appear?”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Little Red Riding Hood muttered. The wolves around her sniffed at the ground uneasily, as if they, too, were searching for a certain scent. “Normally, the squirrel pops up pretty quickly.”
“Maybe it t Xiao Xiao first,” Yu Sheng guessed. “She’s been here longer than us, so the squirrel might be guiding her.”
Little Red Riding Hood gave a reluctant nod, as though the idea both worried and reassured her. But before she could say anything else, there was a rustling in the undergrowth.
A small creature appeared—unmistakably the squirrel. It froze when it caught sight of them, eyes going round in shock.
Then it squealed, “Gah-oh!” and toppled over into a pile of leaves.
Yu Sheng jumped. “Did it just die of fright?!”
But the squirrel sprang up in the next instant, screaming, “The squirrel’s going mad! Going mad! This can’t be—Little Red Riding Hood is here, with a friend, all at once! You scared the squirrel! You scared the squirrel!”
It tore back and forth in the bushes, shrieking in agitation. This went on for nearly two minutes before it suddenly stopped and scurried up to Yu Sheng. It stared at him for a brief mont, then dashed over to Little Red Riding Hood, gazing up at her with an almost comical look of panic.
“Ah—” Little Red Riding Hood said, blinking, then gave it a gentle nudge with her foot. “Calm down.”
With a startled squeak, the squirrel flipped backward and vanished into the foliage again.
Yu Sheng stared. “Don’t you think you were a bit rough on it?”
“It’s the only way to get it to settle down,” she explained. “If I don’t give it a good jolt, it’ll keep panicking forever.”
True to her word, the squirrel soon reappeared, looking perfectly fine—though now it clutched a thin, smoking stick in its paws. Leaning against a rock, it took a slow drag like soone savoring a cigarette. “That was crazy…” it mumbled.
Little Red Riding Hood gave Yu Sheng a sidelong glance. “See?”
He shook his head, speechless.
One thing was certain: the squirrel had composed itself. After finishing its “squirrel’s smoke,” it seed to accept the absurd idea of “Little Red Riding Hood and her friend” appearing together and settled into a more normal state of chatter.
“We’re looking for soone,” Yu Sheng told it. “A little six-year-old girl nad Xiao Xiao who ca in before us.”
“She’s probably the next ‘Little Red Riding Hood,’” Little Red Riding Hood added quickly. “But she’s definitely lost by now. We really need your help.”
The squirrel’s tiny eyes shone as it took in their words. It spat out the remains of its smoke, chewed it up with a nasty crunch, and swallowed. After a long pause, it sighed. “You might be too late. The kid already went to the deepest part of the Black Forest—the place where not even lamplight from the path or candles in the little house can reach. She walked there all on her own.”
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