The gates leading to the valley shimmered faintly as Yu Sheng stepped across the “border.” In the next instant, bright sunlight filled his eyes. He squinted, gazing into the distance and then looked up at the sky, where scattered clouds driftedzily.


    After that enormous eye, which had covered the sky, disappeared, the ce once known as “Night Valley” ended its eternal darkness. However, Yu Sheng hadn’t expected it to still be daylight here—even though, in the real world, it was already night.


    Did this ce have no day and night cycle? Had the “Dark Angel’s” influence, which caused eternal darkness, now shifted to an eternal day? A few theories swirled in his mind, and he raised his guard, cautiously watching the surroundings.


    He had chosen the gate that led him back to the area around the ruined temple. As his eyes took in the scene, he saw that the destruction caused by Entity-Hunger’s rampage was still very visible. The temple, which had already been in ruins, was now reduced to nothing but scattered bricks, with not a single wall left standing. The barrennd around the temple looked as if it had been repeatedly “plowed,” deep trenches stretching from the ruins to the horizon. The forest that once stood was reduced to mere stumps and shattered remnants, while the nearby cliffs had been stripped, exposing bare soil.


    But besides that… there were no signs of danger.


    Yu Sheng frowned, cautiously stepping over trench after trench until he reached a clearing filled with broken bricks.


    He remembered this spot well. This was where he had begun the feast—where Entity-Hunger, the first to fall under his “influence,” had opened its monstrous mouth to devour the others. But now, every trace of those entities was gone, and even the bloodstains had vanished, as if they had evaporated.


    The valley was eerily quiet, with only the asional breeze drifting through the basin. Unlike before, the wind was no longer cold, and there was no longer a sickening stench of decay. Compared to the eerie ce it had been under the dark shroud, it now held a hint of… tranquility.


    If you ignored the trenches, that is.Yu Sheng stood there, bewildered, gazing at this peaceful little world.


    Was this what the “Director” wanted him to see? Or… did she not know what was going on here either, and just wanted him to confirm it? Irene’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind, breaking his train of thought: “Hey! Yu Sheng, Yu Sheng, can you hear me? Are you dead or what?”


    “I can hear you,” Yu Sheng replied immediately, frowning slightly. “Do you have to put it like that? What do you mean, am I dead or what?”


    “Oh,e on. It’s not like it’s your first time copsing out there. You disappeared the moment you went through the door. I thought Entity-Hunger had eaten you again!”


    Her tone was so self-assured and cheeky that Yu Sheng could practically see the little doll standing on a table with her hands on her hips, looking smug. But he wasn’t in the mood to banter with Irene.


    “There are no entities,” he said tly.


    There was a moment of silence on the other end. “…Huh?”


    “I haven’t seen any entities so far. The valley is very quiet, and there’s none of that pervasive sense of malice or hunger,” Yu Sheng exined while walking away from the ruined temple. He bent down and grabbed a handful of soil. “Even the rotten stench in the air… it’s all gone.”


    “Have you tried walking further?”


    “I’m moving forward as we speak,” Yu Sheng said, stepping carefully over the uneven ground. “Could it be that not enough time has passed, and Entity-Hunger hasn’t regenerated yet? After all,st time I did cause quite a scene…”


    Before he could finish, Irene interrupted him, practically shouting: “No way! It’s been plenty of time already! Entities start regenerating in hours—sometimes it takes just minutes! We’ve been gone from there for over twenty-four hours. If Entity-Hunger could reproduce, it would have a whole family by now!”


    Yu Sheng sat down on arge rock at the edge of the ruins, casually gazing into the distance. “But there’s really nothing here. To be honest… I kind of like it. The air’s fresh, and the view’s not half bad.”


    “Huh?”


    Ignoring Irene’s confusion, Yu Sheng tapped his foot against the loose soil around the rock.


    He felt that subtle connection again. Ever since he returned, that sense of connection to the valley had grown stronger. It wasn’t as intense as the time when the valley itself had be his “vessel,” but he could still sense many things around him clearly.


    The hard rocks, the gentle wind, the soil beneath his feet, the pond hidden at the base of the valley, and…


    Yu Sheng suddenly paused, turning his head.


    A tiny green sprout was poking out of the soil, like a small creature just seeing daylight for the first time, trembling slightly in the breeze. Such tenacious life. ?


    Yu Sheng stared at the sprout, taken aback. For some reason, seeing it push its way out of the earth made his heart skip a beat. A strange excitement fluttered in his chest. Maybe it was his connection with the valley, or maybe something more sentimental—without thinking, he reached toward the patch of soil.


    And then, the earth began to move.


    The deep trenches started to close, and more small sprouts broke through the soil. Life was growing, as if rebirth was taking ce after death.


    Yu Sheng stared at the scene, wide-eyed, and couldn’t help but exim: “Whoa, what the?!”


    Irene’s panicked voice immediately rang out: “Huh?! What happened? Are you hurt?!”


    Yu Sheng jumped up, throwing open an illusory door. “I can’t exin it right now—you and Foxy bettere over here!” In the next instant, he was back in the living room, staring wide-eyed at Irene standing on the chair.


    “Foxy’s still doing the dishes,” Irene said, pointing to the kitchen, looking a bit dazed. “Should I get her now?”


    Yu Sheng nodded. He was about to speak when he felt his pocket vibrating continuously.


    He pulled out his phone, seeing several missed calls on the screen—two from Li Lin, two from Xu Jiali, and several from an unknown number.


    Yu Sheng’s expression turned a bitplicated. He was wondering who to call back when that unknown number called again.


    He answered before the ringtone even started, putting the phone to his ear. A familiar female voice came through: “It’s me, Bai Li Qing.”


    Yu Sheng sighed, his mouth twitching awkwardly. “Uh, I was just… out for a bit. Should I have told you?”


    “It’s fine. We just needed to confirm that the ‘disturbance’ was caused by you,” Bai Li Qing replied calmly, her voice even and devoid of emotion. “We’ll work on recording more sample data so that we can identify your ‘signature’ during future alerts.”


    Her indifferent, unconcerned tone made Yu Sheng feel a bit awkward. He wasn’t sure if this was just her personality, but he could onlyugh awkwardly. “Uh, sorry for the trouble…”


    Bai Li Qing didn’t seem to pay much attention to his apology. After a moment of silence, she said, “Are you nning to ‘go out’ again soon?”


    “…I might,” Yu Sheng replied, then quickly added, “I’m inspecting Night Valley’s condition.”


    He was certain he heard a soft intake of breath.


    Bai Li Qing’s tone did change slightly. “You managed to get in? It still exists?”


    Yu Sheng noted her choice of words: “exists.”


    Did Bai Li Qing think that Night Valley no longer “existed”? Why?


    Thoughts shed through his mind, and Yu Sheng spoke up. “Of course, it exists. But I’ve only just taken a look. I don’t know the situation inside yet, and I’m nning to gather my team before I go back in.”


    As he spoke, he nced at the little doll standing on the chair. That was his “team,” along with another member still in the kitchen washing dishes.


    Bai Li Qing didn’t press further. After a brief pause, she said, “If you need assistance from the Special Affairs Bureau, you can contact me directly. This number will always be avable.”


    The call ended, and a series of beeps sounded through the receiver.


    “It was the ‘Director’ from the Special Affairs Bureau,” Yu Sheng told Irene. “Nothing major.” With that, he turned and headed to the kitchen to get Foxy.


    When he pushed the door open, he saw the fox girl wiping dishes with her tail—while sneaking a taste of the sesame paste that was meant for the cab.


    For a moment, he didn’t even know which toment on first.


    “Oh, Benefactor…” Foxy’s ears twitched twice atop her head as she heard Yu Sheng walk in. She turned around, a bit flustered. “I… it smelled too good. I couldn’t resist. I’m sorry.”


    Yu Sheng couldn’t help butugh at the sight of Foxy, her mouth covered in sesame paste. “Clean up first. We’re heading out.”


    <em></em>