Chapter 120: The Lure of the Forest

The squirrel looked a bit shocked. This little rodent froze on the railing like it had turned to stone, its beady black eyes fixed on Yu Sheng. For a long moment, it didn't move.

To be honest, being stared at like that by a talking squirrel was pretty creepy.

Yu Sheng couldn't help but wonder—what exactly was this squirrel's origin?

If this Black Forest was the same "fairy tale domain" that Little Red Riding Hood had mentioned, the one that cursed her, then was this squirrel an entity born within that domain? An entity with such rich emotions and rationality? And those wolves—were they also entities within the domain? Could entities with such opposing stances coexist in the same domain?

Yu Sheng felt his understanding of the domain was still far too shallow.

"Strange, strange," the squirrel finally snapped out of its daze, pacing back and forth on the railing, its thick tail flicking anxiously. "This has never happened! Never! Only Little Red Riding Hood can come here. I've never heard anything about a 'friend'... Too strange. Something unprecedented is happening in the forest! Something's going to happen, I can feel it... How did you get in? How exactly did you get in?"

The squirrel suddenly leaped onto Yu Sheng's arm, its claws grabbing his sleeve. It looked so uneasy it was almost frantic, repeating over and over, "How did you get in? How exactly did you get in?"

"...I don't know." Yu Sheng shook his head.

He didn't tell the squirrel the truth—after realizing that this seemingly rational and friendly squirrel might, in essence, just be an "entity" generated by the Black Forest, he had to maintain a degree of caution around it.

After all, he still didn't fully understand all the "rules" of this forest. Who knew whether the stance this squirrel was showing was born from genuine rationality or merely from the Black Forest's "simulation."

"You don't know... Fine, you don't know," the squirrel climbed onto Yu Sheng's shoulder. "Have you ever heard a bedtime story? Have you ever had a dream with a forest, flowers, and candy? Huh?"

Yu Sheng's heart stirred. "Little Red Riding Hood came into this forest after hearing a bedtime story and having such a dream?"

"That's how it always is, that's how it always is," the squirrel seemed increasingly agitated. "But only children—only children can do that. Adults can't. Logically, adults can't..."

Yu Sheng frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"How should I know? How should I know? I'm just a goddamn squirrel!" The squirrel grew more and more agitated, speaking rapidly while rubbing its face with its paws. "Can't chat anymore. The lights are dimming. This path is about to disappear. We need to get to the next safe spot... Go, go, hurry—before they catch up..."

As the squirrel's words fell, Yu Sheng immediately noticed that the fanciful "streetlamps" lining both sides of the path were indeed dimming at a visible rate. With each light fading, the forest path that had been so clearly illuminated also began to blur, as if the forest's own darkness was slowly devouring them—a cold, viscous malice began to encroach on this trail, and the dangerous atmosphere of the forest seeped in from all directions.

Yu Sheng instinctively started walking, asking rapidly, "Which way? Where are we going?"

"Follow the path, just follow the path," the squirrel's voice was high and tense. "As long as you keep walking along the path, you'll see other paths with streetlamps, or the light of a cabin—cabins can be dangerous sometimes, but other times they can let you rest. But be very careful, watch out for the things that tempt you on both sides of the path. When the lights dim, those things will lure you off the road, deep into the forest. Those are traps set by the wolves..."

Yu Sheng immediately thought of the warnings the squirrel had given when it first appeared—don't be lured by beautiful flowers and mushrooms.

"Don't worry, I won't be tempted by wildflowers and mushrooms on the roadside," he shook his head. "I'm not a child."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but wonder—if a child were truly trapped in this endless Black Forest, what would happen? When was the first time Little Red Riding Hood fell into this forest? How old was she then? Had she ever been lured away from the path by wildflowers and mushrooms?

After all, according to the squirrel, being hunted by the wolves could happen more than once—the "children" who fell into this forest gradually sank deeper through being devoured by the wolves again and again.

Even an "adult" like him had trouble dodging those wolves. How many times would a panicked child trapped in the forest have to be swallowed by the wolves before gaining power like Little Red Riding Hood's?

"I hope you won't be tempted," the squirrel muttered. "The darkness always brings things that confuse you. The forest has its ways, it always has its ways..."

Yu Sheng smiled, quickened his pace, and hurried along the forest path where the streetlamps were growing dimmer and the road was becoming fuzzier, while keeping a sharp eye on the surroundings with his peripheral vision.

Then he froze.

In the dim shadows by the roadside, Yu Sheng caught a glint of light. He focused and saw a brand-new RTX 090 graphics card lying quietly in the grass.

Then he looked again and saw a brand-new laptop resting quietly in the grass, along with an Elite Six Gen Smart Feedback Game Controller co-branded with RGB light kit and carrying case.

Yu Sheng rubbed his eyes and then saw, hanging from a tree nearby, an Electrician Pro Kit limited edition 18-piece set with box, a case of wild iced tea, and a carbon fiber fishing rod set...

On the other side of the path came the sound of running water. Yu Sheng turned and saw a wide pond. Beside the pond, there was a rocky alcove that could just barely provide shelter from the wind and rain. In it were a folding chair, a tackle box, half a case of beer, a sun umbrella, and a fishing fanatic who seemed to be packing up and about to leave.

The squirrel on Yu Sheng's shoulder was dumbfounded, its beady eyes nearly popping out. "...What the hell are all these?!"

"Those are an adult's 'wildflowers and mushrooms,'" Yu Sheng's mind shook violently. He nearly had to slap himself to tear his gaze away, then lowered his head and gritted his teeth as he pushed forward. "Too dangerous. This forest is way too damn dangerous..."

He walked for who knows how long. Countless insidious and vicious tempting traps emerged from both sides of the path. Finally, the illusions stopped appearing—but by then, the light from the streetlamps had dimmed to almost nothing, leaving only a few blurry specks like fireflies floating in the air, barely outlining the path.

Deep in the dense forest ahead, Yu Sheng spotted a faint light.

"There, there! It's a resting spot!" The squirrel immediately bounced up on his shoulder, letting out an excited squeak. "Quick, quick! Hopefully there's a warm fire and hot vegetable soup there."

Yu Sheng unconsciously quickened his pace.

The "streetlamps" beside him had gone completely dark. Darkness once again enveloped the surroundings. The malice of the forest whispered in the wind, and the howl of wolves came from far away, faint and blurry.

The howling was getting closer. After the path disappeared, the invisible wolves once again caught the scent of prey. A new encirclement was gradually closing in around the uninvited visitor in the forest.

But Yu Sheng had already reached the vicinity of that warm light—he saw a cabin.

A wooden cabin, looking somewhat old, stood quietly deep in the forest.

Warm light spilled from the cabin's windows, so incredibly cozy in the dark, cold forest.

Yu Sheng arrived at the cabin door. He saw a piece of red cloth hanging on the door, along with many red strings wrapped around the doorframe, window frames, and the wooden beams under the eaves. He didn't know if they had any special meaning or were just decorations.

"Don't go inside just yet," the squirrel warned quickly. "Look at the door—there's a crack, see? Lean in close, and you can see the bed inside. Check if there's anyone lying there. If the bed is empty, the cabin is safe to rest in. But if 'Grandma' is inside, we'll have to keep going deeper into the forest."

Yu Sheng frowned. Following the squirrel's advice, he went to the door and peered through the crack into the cabin.

A warm fire crackled in the hearth. On the simple wooden table sat bread, a bouquet, and a candle. The bed was deeper in the room, and it was empty.

"No one's in the cabin," Yu Sheng said to the squirrel.

"Great, we can go in then," the squirrel cheered up. "Lucky! We can rest here for a long time, even until you wake up!"

Yu Sheng nodded. As the wolf howls in the distance grew clearer and closer, he reached out and pushed open the wooden door.

Almost instantly, the howling faded away.

Yu Sheng and the squirrel walked into the cabin and closed the door behind them.

The welcoming light and the heat from the fireplace drove away the unease and oppression of the forest with an incredible power. The crackling fire brought a warmth that felt almost unreal, and Yu Sheng's always-tense heart unconsciously relaxed a bit.

"Relax, just relax. A cabin without Grandma is the only place in the forest where you can fully let your guard down," the squirrel noticed Yu Sheng's expression change and nimbly jumped onto the table. "Let's hope there's no sudden footsteps or a knock at the door..."