After sending out the message, Yu Sheng looked up at the sky outside the window.

It was just dawn, and work hours were still a way off; it might take a while before Baili Qing could respond.

So he didn't just wait around. After dispatching the message, Yu Sheng found a small box that had originally held cookies and stored the "bullet" that came from the Hunter, then went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.

Hu Li and Erin naturally followed him—the former aiming to scrounge some food, the latter clearly still had some questions unanswered.

"How did that Hunter know you could bring the bullet 'outside'?" Erin asked puzzledly as she followed Yu Sheng, "He just shoots you, and he's certain that not only will you survive, but also be able to retrieve the bullet? And to find someone to analyze its origins? Who passes on a message like that?"

Yu Sheng was busy at the stove, and upon hearing Erin's words, he didn't stop his movements, just slightly furrowed his brows, his expression contemplative.

This issue raised by the little doll was precisely what he had been pondering since a while ago.

Whether the bullet was indeed a piece of "information" was hard to say, but one fact was very clear: in the Black Forest, the Hunter did not hesitate to shoot him, aiming straight for the heart. Casting aside other motives, that shot seemed clearly intended to kill.

"So, the most likely possibility is... he didn't know." After a moment of contemplation, Yu Sheng broke the silence.

Erin blinked, "He didn't know?"

"An entity that wanders in the Black Forest couldn't possibly know about my 'Resurrection' ability," Yu Sheng said slowly, "and probably wasn't aware that I 'opened a door' directly from reality into the Black Forest. So, theoretically, the Hunter didn't know I could survive and bring the bullet back to the real world."

"So he really wanted to kill you? But Little Red Riding Hood just said, the Hunter wouldn't misjudge, he had no motive to shoot you..."

"I don't understand that part either," Yu Sheng shook his head, "But either way, the next time I enter the Black Forest, I need to bring that bullet with me."

He swiftly sliced a plate of cucumber strips, then casually handed the remaining half of the cucumber to the long-waiting Hu Li, paused for a bit and continued: "Since the Hunter 'gifted' me a bullet, I should take good care of it, see what changes it brings about later on."

Erin uttered an "oh," and just at that moment, the sound of a phone ringtone suddenly erupted from Yu Sheng's pocket.

"It's Baili Qing calling," Yu Sheng fished out his phone and glanced at it, quickly saying a word before he casually answered the call, "Waking up so early? Have you seen the message I sent you?"

Baili Qing had no small talk, her first words were straight to the point: "That's a standard Demon Exorcism Bullet used by members of the Deep Diving Team and officers of the Special Service Bureau seventy years ago; they've been updated since."

Yu Sheng wiped his hands on a towel, instructed Hu Li to keep an eye on the pot of boiling noodles, and asked Erin not to climb onto the stove again, then he moved to the side: "...well, just as I thought."

"Was the bullet from the Black Forest?" Baili Qing's voice came through the receiver, "Another 'Remnant' obtained from the 'Hunter'?"

Yu Sheng instinctively pondered, mainly considering whether the bullet was "left behind" by the other party or "gifted" to him. After two seconds, he quickly shook his head to dismiss such absurd thoughts: "You could say that. The process of acquiring it was quite convoluted, but it indeed belonged to the 'Hunter,' and was an item in use."

"Then we can almost conclude that the Hunter was from that twelve-person Deep Diving Team seventy years ago," Baili Qing's tone shifted slightly, there was a subtle gravity to it, then she took a gentle breath, "Have you made contact with him? Does this old soldier... still wish to help us?"

Yu Sheng couldn't help falling silent and after a moment, he sighed, "Regrettably, I wasn't able to successfully communicate with the 'Hunter.' I showed him that group photo, but I'm not sure if there was any response."

"Not a single word spoken?"

Yu Sheng thought for a moment: "Didn't get the chance to."

Baili Qing was silent for a beat: "...So how did you get the Hunter's bullet? Such an item is usually personal to a warrior..."

"He shot it at me."

Baili Qing's silence lasted a bit longer this time.

Clearly, Yu Sheng's words had taken hold, leading to contemplation.

"It's as it sounds." Yu Sheng added an explanation.

Finally, the Director understood, the voice from the other end hesitated slightly: "...You're okay, right?"

"I'm alive," what else could Yu Sheng say, after all, the other party didn't know about his inability to die, so he glossed it over, "Just a scratch, and I think the 'Hunter' should still be communicable, just that this time the approach might not have been right."

"You still want to try contacting the 'Hunter'?" Baili Qing sounded a bit surprised, "It could be dangerous."

"It's a bit dangerous, but worth another try. I've made some headway on my end, I'll organize last night's events and send them over to you—your think-tank is bigger, help me analyze it, see if there are any details I missed," Yu Sheng spoke swiftly, not giving her the chance to interrupt, "Little Red Riding Hood doesn't have much time left, and there are many children at that orphanage, they don't have much time left either... you know what I mean."

"I understand. The Special Service Bureau will provide full support. Contact me anytime if you need anything."

The call ended, and Yu Sheng leaned against the cabinet, taking a deep breath.

"Savior," Hu Li's voice came from the direction of the stove, breaking into Yu Sheng's somewhat chaotic thoughts, "The noodles are ready, should I rinse them with cold water?"

"Yes, rinse them with cold water," Yu Sheng quickly shook his head, his irritation fading unconsciously as he looked at the expectant Hu Li, a smile spreading across his face involuntarily, "and then it'll be time to eat."

...

The children were lined up in front of the washbasins, obediently washing their faces and hands in turn and drying off, while those who had finished were already seated at the dining table, waiting for the "parents" to serve the food.

Little Red Riding Hood supervised the children near the washbasins, occasionally looking back to check on the order at the dining table, her expression somewhat bored.

Long-haired Princess passed by with a large bucket of vegetable soup she had just fetched from the kitchen, curiously looking up at Little Red Riding Hood as she passed by, "Hey, aren't you still angry with someone?"

"Do I look like I am?" Little Red Riding Hood was a bit perplexed.

"You look pretty serious anyway," Long-haired Princess nodded, "You had the same expression when you thought I owed you twenty bucks."

Little Red Riding Hood's mouth twitched, unsure of how to respond.

"Hey, tell me what happened," Long-haired Princess asked curiously, "I only know someone 'kicked' you out of a dream, you suddenly sat up in the middle of the night retching, and then you've been sulking ever since. What actually happened?"

"…Nothing much, just suddenly realized that I'm actually quite afraid of my birthday next month—yet also strangely looking forward to it," Little Red Riding Hood paused for a few seconds, sighed softly, and gestured, "Alright, don't waste time with me here, if you don't get that soup over there, the children will start to make a fuss."

"Oh…"

Long-haired Princess walked away with the soup bucket, and Little Red Riding Hood's gaze involuntarily followed her, looking at the long table.

Children of various sizes sat there, chatting and horsing around.

Several adults in Council employees' uniforms stood at the kitchen doorway, looking over here with complex smiles on their faces.

Xiao Xiao had completely regained her spirits; the girl, who had been very shy just two days ago in the orphanage and didn't dare to speak loudly to others, now seemed to have made her own friends. She was seriously describing a strange dream she had to the child sitting next to her—it seemed to be a dream unrelated to the Black Forest, a bit peculiar, but ordinary and peaceful.

Other children, who often had nightmares, seemed envious of the scene Xiao Xiao was describing, and several were drawn to listen.

Little Red Riding Hood raised her head, squinting slightly as she faced the gradually warming sunlight pouring in through the window.

...

The mobile phone chimed with a message notification, and Baili Qing opened it to see a message from Yu Sheng.

The message described a bold adventure in the Black Forest, a harrowing encounter with the Wolf Grandmother, and an incident that occurred during a brief interaction with the Hunter.

There were also many personal speculations from Yu Sheng and some intelligence about the current situation in the Black Forest that had not appeared in previous investigation reports.

The text was long, clearly edited on a computer before being forwarded—detailing many aspects meticulously.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, Baili Qing read this "report" that she wasn't sure could be called a report, mumbling to herself, "He really is a novelist…"

A pair of eyes quietly appeared behind her in the floor-to-ceiling window, and a mechanical, flat voice echoed in her head: "Is the wording very beautiful?"

"No, what I mean is that reading what he writes is easier to understand than listening to him talk," sighed Baili Qing, "At least it's not so... overwhelming."

The ephemeral eyes blinked, then solemnly examined the text on the mobile phone along with Baili Qing.

After a moment, Baili Qing dialed a number.

Song Cheng's voice came through the phone: "Director?"

"Arrange an additional Deep Diving Team at headquarters, no need to deploy yet, but be ready for action at any time," Baili Qing stated calmly, "Prepare the large deep-dive pool at D2 Submersion Port starting now."

"Yes," responded Song Cheng immediately, but couldn't help questioning subconsciously, "Director, what's happened?"

"Precautionary measures," said Baili Qing, "…the 'core' of the Fairy Tales, it might truly be unearthed this time."

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