Yu Sheng felt that it was because he carried that "Angel Umbilical Cord" that he saw those strange phenomena when he entered the Black Forest this time—the disappearing "path," the phantom of the original Little Red Riding Hood, and the lighting of the initial fireplace and candlelight. These were like the "early memories" of the Black Forest, which should have been sealed deep in this subset, and the umbilical cord "activated" these memories.

Of course, there was another possibility: these memories were actually recorded in the Angel Umbilical Cord, and he "released" them after entering the Black Forest.

In any case, the reason he could see those things today was definitely related to the impact of the Angel Umbilical Cord.

So if the Squirrel was telling the truth, and this was just a "fake"…what kind of power and function would the real "Angel Umbilical Cord" have? What would happen if he actually found it?

Yu Sheng's expression was serious as he unconsciously fell into deep thought. He recalled all the clues related to Fairy Tales that he had learned so far, trying to find information that might be connected to the real "Angel Umbilical Cord," but in the end, he found nothing.

After an unknown amount of time, he snapped back to reality and saw the Squirrel still crouching on the windowsill, looking dejected with its head lowered, seemingly muttering something softly.

He leaned closer and finally heard what it was muttering—it was still repeatedly saying that it should have gone to bed earlier that night, repeating that it should not have given the Fairy Tale book to that voice, as if trapped in a never-ending nightmare, jumping from one dead loop into another, gradually going mad again in this incessant cycle.

Yu Sheng frowned slightly.

He certainly understood the source of the Squirrel's guilt and why it felt that way, but based on the intelligence he had gathered recently and his thoughts on the Exotic Realm of Fairy Tales, he had a different perspective.

"Do you think…it was because you gave that Fairy Tale book to 'that voice' that led to the emergence of the Exotic Realm of 'Fairy Tales'? Is that what you think?" He looked intently into the Squirrel's eyes, "Do you think it's all your responsibility?"

"If not, then whose responsibility is it?" The Squirrel sadly rubbed its paws and scratched the fur on its cheeks, "The Squirrel is not a likable child, not smart, not obedient, and even lost the Fairy Tale book... that was the worst mistake..."

Yu Sheng looked serious: "Have you ever thought that perhaps it was precisely because of your Fairy Tale book that a weakened Dark Angel was sealed—preventing it from fully entering the real dimension?"

The Squirrel's paw-rubbing action suddenly stopped, staring at Yu Sheng in astonishment.

"There's a group of lunatics called the 'Angel Sect' that has been very active recently. They claim to be the servants of 'Anka Aela' and have done many things with the sole purpose of rescuing their 'Lord'," Yu Sheng said unhurriedly, "Their 'Lord' is imprisoned in 'Fairy Tales.'

The Squirrel stood there motionlessly, its tail drooping slightly after a long time: "Is this…true?"

"Although I don't know whether the Fairy Tale book you handed over back then has a direct connection to the current situation—but if you believe that a Fairy Tale book led to the creation of the Exotic Realm of 'Fairy Tales,' then now that 'Anka Aela' is imprisoned in the Fairy Tales, it can certainly be attributed to that book," Yu Sheng spoke calmly, "This world offers countless choices, but for the facts that have already occurred, every crossroads has already become inevitable—we just can't help looking back from the results, imagining if certain things could have been changed."

Here he paused slightly before continuing: "I don't know if you've ever heard of the term 'Dark Angel,' but I need to tell you that what you saw that night was the moment the Angel punctured through the world and descended into reality—all coincidences focused on that time point: you, that Fairy Tale book, that moment, the 'Angel,' the contact…none of them could be excluded.

"According to your description, that window of time might have been less than a minute, and during that minute, you were the only child in the Boundary Land to witness the Angel's descent and had the chance to make a choice, and you chose to hand over the only Fairy Tale book within reach…do you know what could have happened if you hadn't handed the book over?"

The Squirrel hesitated and shook its head: "I... I don't know, I don't even know what you're talking about with the 'Dark Angel,' I... I'm just a..."

"The worst-case scenario could be that the Boundary Land no longer exists," Yu Sheng interrupted, "Even in the luckiest of circumstances, the order of Boundary City would have been punctured, and the number of people who died in that instant would be more than the total names you could hear in your lifetime."

The Squirrel was completely stunned, its mouth open wide, unable to utter a single word, its tail gently trembling as if frightened by the scene Yu Sheng described.

After a while, its body moved again, and it muttered subconsciously: "But... but Little Red Riding Hood..."

"Yes, Little Red Riding Hood, many Little Red Riding Hoods, and their friends, those children who lived no longer than eighteen, are all the price of it, courtesy of the 'Fairy Tales,'" Yu Sheng said calmly, "Suffering is suffering, and we cannot say that because they avoided the 'Descent Impact' that could have led to large-scale death, living only a few years can already be considered 'fortunate'—they themselves can think so, but at least you and I aren't qualified to say that for them.

"But this is no longer a problem you can solve, or even something you should consider.

"This matter, it's up to me to handle."

The Squirrel stared fixedly at Yu Sheng, its mind seemingly filled with countless thoughts, its expression appearing somewhat bewildered.

Erin suddenly patted Yu Sheng's head: "Hey, Hu Li and I are still here!"

Yu Sheng quickly nodded and added: "Oh, right, and them too."

"Shouldn't we also count Little Red Riding Hood and her group?" Hu Li reminded after some thought, "They have been trying to find a solution too."

"Yes, we should count the 'Fairy Tales' organization as well."

"The Special Service Bureau should also be included," Erin counted with her fingers, "Li Lin, Xu Jiali, Song Cheng, that Baili Qing… they've had a lot of help, and that task force from seventy years ago that might still be holding on, and..."

Yu Sheng couldn't hold back: "That's enough, I think we have enough people."

He felt that if he didn't stop this puppet on his shoulder, she might produce over a hundred more assistants for him—he was just saying it as the mood called for it!

The Squirrel, however, seemed to have finally come to a realization, although it was unclear what it had thought during those moments of confusion. It suddenly grabbed its face forcefully, mumbling: "…Thank you."

Then it quickly and quietly added: "These secrets, I've never dared to tell anyone before..."

"I understand," Yu Sheng nodded gently, "But after today, these secrets will be told to many people—to combat the threat deep within the 'Fairy Tales,' we must first find a way to deal with 'Anka Aela,' and this will require the help of many people."

The Squirrel was silent for two or three seconds before slowly nodding.

Yu Sheng looked up and gazed out the window.

The twilight over the Black Forest was about to end, and night was gradually descending—he originally planned to wait here until the hunters appeared, but now he changed his mind.

He needed to first deliver the new intelligence about "Anka Aela" and ask the Special Service Bureau to quickly investigate the early records of that orphanage. Perhaps the resourceful Director Baili Qing could even uncover some traces left behind from that Dark Angel's descent.

Later, he would also share the intelligence with the 'Fairy Tales' organization, asking Little Red Riding Hood and her group to thoroughly check the orphanage—although many years had passed since the "incomplete descent," and the entire orphanage had been repaired or even rebuilt more than once, they might still find some clues.

With that in mind, Yu Sheng turned his gaze back to the Squirrel and thoughtfully asked, "What was your original name?"

Such a simple question, yet the Squirrel froze, taking a long time before speaking hesitantly and confusedly: "...Name?"

Its puzzled expression looked as though it was suddenly facing an entirely foreign concept.

After a long pause, Yu Sheng finally heard it mutter tentatively: "I am…Squirrel."

Standing on the windowsill, it began to rub its face vigorously, scratching the fur on its cheeks over and over again.

"I am Squirrel, I am Squirrel, I am…" it muttered, but suddenly stopped, looking up at Yu Sheng, "I'm sorry, I've forgotten, I had a name, but I forgot, Squirrels have poor memories, I... I'm just a Squirrel, I'm sorry... waa—"

Only palm-sized, the little animal finally burst into tears.

It seemed that only upon recognizing that it once had a name and now completely forgetting it, did it slowly realize it was now "just a Squirrel," becoming aware of everything that had happened to it—aware of how long it had actually spent in the Black Forest.

Yu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then finally slowly extended a hand, carefully picking up the Squirrel, letting it rest in his palm.

It cried this way, its body slowly curling into a small ball, warmth coming from all directions, seeped through the fur, soaking into this never-ending dream.

It's good to be hugged by someone again.

Since it lost that Fairy Tale book, the teacher never hugged it again, and ever since it turned into a Squirrel in a dream, no one hugged it anymore.

It's good to be hugged by someone again.

Even if it was just a palm.

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