Dimensional Hotel

Chapter 196: The Secret of the Stage

Seeing the unfamiliar red-clad maiden rushing into the Little House, Yu Sheng only paused for a moment before following suit and dashing in after her.

The instant he crossed the wooden door, he felt as though he passed through something thin and cold, like a mist of water vapor. Immediately, the multitude of sounds around him vanished. The incessant howls of wolves that had been trailing closely behind and the rustling winds faded into nothing. Only the faint sound of a crying baby, a noise he could hear only when he entered the Black Forest, remained. Yet it felt muffled, as though thick barriers stood between him and the source.

Yu Sheng carefully held his weapon in hand, scanning the area. His brow furrowed unconsciously.

There were no Red Cloaks hanging anywhere.

Not a single Red Cloak was visible on the walls or the floor.

The only trace of red in the room was the red-clad maiden, now sitting on the floor, panting heavily.

Yu Sheng, along with Foxy, approached her. He waved his hand in front of her face, but she showed no response.

It was then that Foxy seemed to sense something. She furrowed her brow, sniffed the air, and whispered, “Benefactor, there’s no scent.”

Yu Sheng, confused, asked, “What?”

Yu Sheng furrowed his brow again, deep in thought. Then, as though sensing something, he immediately opened the wooden box containing the angel’s Umbilical Cord.

The Umbilical Cord still lay quietly at the bottom of the box, but to his surprise, a part of it had become swollen, as though it had regained blood and vitality—this ‘revived’ part of the Umbilical Cord, though only a small fraction of the whole, was distinctly noticeable.

Irene gasped at the sight of the change in the Umbilical Cord. Grabbing Yu Sheng’s hair, she quickly turned to Foxy and urged, “Quick, quick… Get the sauce or something from your tail…”

“Stop joking,” Yu Sheng interrupted the little doll immediately, “It’s not that bad yet.”

Then he noticed Foxy had already pulled out chili powder and barbecue dipping sauce from her tail. His eyebrows twitched involuntarily. “Put that away.”

The red-clad maiden remained oblivious to what was happening around her, as though she was a projection from another time and space, merely replaying past events before Yu Sheng and his companions.

After confirming that the angel’s Umbilical Cord had shown no further signs of revival, it seemed the maiden had rested enough. She struggled to rise, likely intending to check out her surroundings in the Little House.

From her eyes, Yu Sheng could tell she was unfamiliar and wary of this Little House.

But then, in the next moment, Yu Sheng noticed something was amiss with the maiden.

She struggled to stand, but her legs and arms bent at odd angles as though they could not straighten. She muttered something, but only hoarse, eerie growls came from her throat. Stumbling forward, she took a couple of steps, only to collapse and instinctively attempt to hunch down. Fine fur started to sprout from her cheeks and wrists, her ears grew longer and sharper, and her eyes transformed into those of a wolf. Her teeth and claws began to extend.

It was as if years of buildup had reached a tipping point, and she was transforming into a wolf at an astonishing speed.

It seemed her thoughts were affected as well. Only at this moment did the maiden notice the changes in her body. In horror, she looked down at herself and saw her form distorting and twisting. She opened her mouth, but the sound that came from her throat was not a human scream of terror, but a mournful whine.

“Holy hell…” Yu Sheng could no longer hold back. Even though he had suspected that the maiden was merely a phantom, not existing in the same space-time as himself, he instinctively placed the Wolf Fang Club aside and rushed forward, trying to grab her.

But his hand passed straight through her body.

The red-clad maiden collapsed, and before Yu Sheng’s eyes, she completely morphed into a twisted, half-human, half-wolf monster.

Yet she didn’t seem to have completely lost her sanity. After a long, deep breath, she struggled to rise once more, her body now moving on all fours as she slowly crawled toward a corner of the Little House.

The sound of her claws scratching against the floor broke the silence of the Little House.

She began scratching the floor with her sharp claws, carving out words.

“This forest is alive.

“The chaotic noises have turned into clear whispers.

“There’s something massive, it’s dreaming, it’s hiding in the shared dream of all the children at the Welfare Home. I can’t see what it is, but it has already entered my mind.

“I can’t go back. I’m tired, cold, hungry, and I don’t remember how long I’ve been here…

“I found a house, but it’s so cold. If only there was a fire…

“The wolves are outside, they’re waiting for me…

“I am… ‘Little Red Riding Hood,’ the first, but I’m probably not the last. I’ve seen it, ‘it’ is selecting new targets. For those who come here after me, good luck…”

She began to convulse.

The marks carved by her nails became shallower and finer, eventually fading beyond recognition.

She gasped and stopped, turning onto her side. Her misshapen and contorted body lay on the floor, her gaze crossing over Yu Sheng and fixating on a corner of Little House.

“So cold… I wish there was a fire,” she murmured.

Yu Sheng sat beside her, placing his hand on her bent and deformed arm, but he could not impart any warmth. Foxy, too, approached and piled several of her tails beside the girl, who had now transformed into a wolf, but even this could not provide her with warmth.

Suddenly, the girl’s eyes brightened for a brief moment. It was as though she truly felt some warmth passing to her. A faint smile appeared on her face as she exhaled one final sigh: “It’s warm now…”

Then, she turned into a flowing shadow, gradually fading away.

A faint “crack” echoed in the Little House, breaking the oppressive silence.

Yu Sheng looked up in surprise, his gaze following the sound, and saw a spark bursting from the dark fireplace in the corner of Little House.

Then came a second crack. The spark turned into a flickering flame.

The warm hearth ignited, and the fiery blaze danced brightly in the fireplace. A candle had also appeared on the table in the middle of the room, its flame lighting up out of thin air. The cold retreated from the house, and warmth flooded the small room like a sudden miracle.

Yu Sheng stared in astonishment at the scene, and suddenly, he seemed to understand something.

Almost immediately, he heard a soft sound from the windowsill, followed by the familiar voice of Squirrel:

“The first Little Red Riding Hood has died, bringing with her the first hearth fire and candlelight of the Black Forest.”

Yu Sheng snapped his head up and saw Squirrel perched on the windowsill. He had no idea when it had gotten in—or if it had been there from the beginning.

“Just as I thought… the original Black Forest had none of these ‘shelters,’ right?” Yu Sheng mused, looking at Squirrel. “What I am seeing now are ‘records’ from long ago?”

Squirrel scratched its face with its paw, but unlike its usual twitchy, hyperactive self, it seemed unusually calm today—as if even it carried some heavy thoughts.

“That’s right,” it said slowly, “The Black Forest originally had nothing. In the beginning, it was just the Forest and the Wolves, and, of course, the little black hut…”

Yu Sheng furrowed his brow. “And then, the ‘protagonist’—Little Red Riding Hood—appeared. The stage for ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ was finally set?”

Squirrel propped itself up, but its gaze didn’t meet Yu Sheng’s. Instead, it appeared to be staring at something far off in the distance.

It spoke slowly, as if recalling distant memories:

“…The second Little Red Riding Hood died, and the red threads and fabric strips began to appear, entwining many places. These slow the process of Wolf transformation.

“The third Little Red Riding Hood died, and food and water began appearing in Little House to restore energy.

“After the fourth Little Red Riding Hood died, paths appeared in the Forest. When walking along these paths, the chance of encountering a Wolf was greatly reduced, and the protective Little House would always appear at the end of the path.

“The fifth Little Red Riding Hood lit the lampposts along the path—now, unless the lamps go out, the Wolf packs will not approach the path.

“The sixth Little Red Riding Hood died, but no new things appeared. However, after that, all ‘Wolf Grannies’ had to first ‘knock on the Door’—though it only delays things for a moment, because before that, the Wolf Grannies would directly materialize inside Little House.

“Now, all Little Red Riding Hoods, after the Wolf Granny ‘knocks on the Door,’ have about a one-tenth higher chance of escaping.

“The seventh Little Red Riding Hood… She was here for a short time, but she was very capable. After she left, the ‘Evil Wolf’ no longer appears during dusk. All dangerous times have now been compressed into the night…”

Squirrel spoke slowly, as though it was talking to Yu Sheng or perhaps just musing aloud. At last, it tugged at the red fabric strips wrapped around its body and looked up at the three people in front of it.

“I’ve always been curious,” Squirrel began, “Which Little Red Riding Hood brought ‘you’ here? You… don’t belong to this Forest.”

“Sorry, we’re uninvited adults,” Yu Sheng stepped forward and met Squirrel’s gaze. “Just like that uninvited ‘Hunter’—you deliberately ignored him earlier, didn’t you?”

Squirrel tugged at its fabric strips again but remained silent.

Yu Sheng did not press the issue further. He stood still for a moment, before abruptly asking, “Then, what about you?”

“…What do you mean?”

Yu Sheng stared at Squirrel, speaking each word with deliberation: “You, which Little Red Riding Hood are you?”