A soft glow flickered at the entrance to the valley.
As Yu Sheng stepped across this boundary, the bright light of day flooded into his eyes.
He squinted, looking up into the distance and then towards the sky, which was dotted with wispy clouds.
After the giant eye that had shrouded the sky in darkness departed, the place once known as the "Nightfall Valley" had finally shed its eternal night.
Yet, Yu Sheng found it surprising that it was still daylight here, even though it was night in the real world.
Could it be that this place experienced no change from day to night? After the end of the "Dark Angel's" eternal night, had this spot now become a realm of everlasting daylight?
Thoughts bubbled in his mind, but he remained fully alert, cautiously taking in his surroundings.
He had chosen to emerge near the ruins of an old temple, the devastation caused by the Entity of Hunger still laid before him, remnants of destruction everywhere.
The once crumbling temple had now all but vanished, reduced to scattered bricks and tiles, with not a single standing wall in sight.
The wasteland around the temple seemed to have been "plowed" repeatedly, enormous trenches stretching from the ruins to the horizon, and the trees that had once stood proudly were now nothing but dried remnants.
Piles of stones lay at the valley's end, and nearby cliffs had been scraped down to bare earth.
But aside from that… there were no signs of danger.
Yu Sheng furrowed his brow, carefully navigating through the trenches until he reached a patch of ground scattered with broken bricks.
He recalled this place as the site of his grand feast—the first to be influenced by him, the Entity of Hunger, had opened its gaping maw here, beginning its insatiable feast.
Now, all traces of the entity had vanished, even the blood seemed to have evaporated without a trace.
The valley was silent, only a gentle breeze occasionally stirring at the bottom.
It felt far less cold than before, and the unpleasant stench of decay was gone… Compared to the eerie ambiance of the past, this place now held a hint of tranquility and purity, if one could overlook the trenches.
Standing amidst the ruins, Yu Sheng gazed blankly at the serene little world around him.
Was this the scene that the "Chief" wanted him to witness? Or was it possible… she was unsure of the current state of affairs herself, which was why she sent him here to confirm?
At that moment, Erin's voice suddenly broke into his thoughts from deep within: "Hey! Yu Sheng, do you hear me—are you dead or alive?"
"I can hear you," Yu Sheng immediately replied, slightly frowning.
"By the way, can't you say something more pleasant? What do you mean 'are you dead'…"
"Cut the nonsense. Haven't you died enough times? If you just walked through that door and fell silent, I would have thought you were done for again…"
Erin's tone was brash and teasing, and Yu Sheng could almost picture the little sprite standing on a table, hands on her hips, looking smug—in that moment, he had no desire to bicker with Erin.
"There are no entities."
He replied calmly.
The little doll on the other end seemed stunned for two seconds: "…huh?"
"I haven’t encountered any entities yet. The valley feels very peaceful, and I can’t sense the pervasive malice and hunger that was here before," Yu Sheng explained while stepping out of the temple ruins and bending down to grab a handful of dirt.
"The stench of rot in the soil and air… has also disappeared."
"Why don’t you walk a bit further?"
"I'm already walking out," Yu Sheng said as he moved, "Could it be that there hasn't been enough time for the Entity of Hunger to regenerate? After all, the last time I caused quite a commotion…"
Before he could finish, Erin's loud voice interrupted him: "No way! How long has it been! The regeneration speed after an entity is erased is measured in hours, some even take just a few minutes! We fled from there over twenty-four hours ago, if the Entity of Hunger was able to reproduce, we'd have a whole family by now!"
Yu Sheng sat down on a large rock at the edge of the ruins, gazing into the distance as he spoke casually.
"But truly, there’s nothing here at the moment, and to be honest… I even think the air is quite nice, and the scenery is much more pleasant."
"Huh?"
Ignoring Erin's surprise, he stepped on the loose soil around the stone.
He felt that subtle connection again; after returning to this place, that feeling had intensified once more.
Though it didn’t create a "perspective" centered on the valley like it had before, he could still clearly sense many things around him.
The solid stones, the gentle breeze, the soil beneath his feet, the hidden pond at the valley's foot, and…
Yu Sheng suddenly paused and turned to his side.
A tender green shoot was poking through the soil, as if a tiny creature was experiencing the world for the first time, trembling gently in the wind.
Life, unwavering and hearty.
Yu Sheng stared at the sprout in astonishment.
For some reason, when he saw it emerging from the dirt, his heart quickened slightly, a strange stirring dancing within him.
Perhaps it was due to his connection with the valley at that moment, or perhaps for more emotional reasons—he unconsciously reached out towards the earth.
As if in response, the ground began to stir.
Deep trenches started to mend, and delicate sprouts broke through the soil.
Life was blossoming, as if reborn from death.
Yu Sheng watched this spectacle, finally unable to restrain himself from exclaiming, "Wow?!"
Erin immediately chimed in: "Huh? What? What's happening? Did you get hurt?!"
Yu Sheng sprang to his feet and threw open the illusory door: "I can’t explain it right now; you and Hu Li should also come and have a look!"
In the next moment, he found himself back in the living room, staring at Erin standing on a chair, wide-eyed.
"Hu Li is still washing dishes," Erin paused for a moment and pointed towards the kitchen.
"Should I go get her now?"
Yu Sheng nodded, but just as he was about to speak, he felt a series of vibrations from his pocket.
Pulling out his phone, he noticed several missed calls popping up on the screen—two from Li Lin, two from Xu Jiali, and a few from the same unknown number.
Yu Sheng’s expression turned slightly awkward as he pondered who to call back when that unfamiliar number rang again.
He answered before the first ring completed, bringing the phone to his ear to hear a somewhat familiar female voice: "It's me, Bai Li Qing."
Yu Sheng's lips twitched, confirming his suspicions, but it was hard to hide his embarrassment: "Ahem, I just… went out for a bit. Should I have let you all know?"
"That’s fine, as long as we can confirm that the 'tremor' was caused by you opening the door," Bai Li Qing's voice came through somewhat cold, with no hint of emotional change.
"We will strive to record more sample parameters, so we can identify your 'characteristics' as soon as the alarm goes off again."
Her calm, nonchalant attitude made Yu Sheng feel even more uneasy.
He didn’t know if this was the character of the "Chief," and could only offer an awkward smile: "Ahem, sorry for the trouble…"
Bai Li Qing seemed uninterested in his apology: "Are you going to 'go out' again soon?"
"…I might need to," Yu Sheng replied, then remembering something, he quickly added, "I’m checking on the situation in Nightfall Valley."
He was sure he heard a faint gasp on the other end.
Bai Li Qing's tone did indeed shift: "You made it in? Is it still there?"
Yu Sheng keenly noted the word she used: still.
So Bai Li Qing had thought Nightfall Valley had become "nonexistent"? Why did she think that?
His mind raced as he responded, "Of course it exists, but I just took a quick look and I'm not sure what the situation is inside. I’ll be going back with a team."
As he spoke, he glanced at the small doll sitting on the chair—that was his "team," along with one still in the kitchen.
Bai Li Qing didn't press further, and after a moment of silence, she said, "Alright, if you need support from the Special Operations Bureau, you can contact me directly. This number is always available."
After the call ended, he heard the phone beep with an empty tone.
"That was the chief of the Special Operations Bureau," Yu Sheng said to Erin, "Nothing serious."
With that, he turned and headed to the kitchen, ready to call Hu Li.
As he pushed the door open, he saw the fox girl busily wiping dishes with her tail—and sneaking a taste of sesame sauce from the cupboard.
At that moment, he didn’t know whether to laugh or scold her first.
"Ah, Benefactor…" The fox girl's ears perked up and twitched as she heard Yu Sheng enter.
She turned her head in a guilty panic, "I… couldn't resist the smell. I’m sorry."
Yu Sheng looked at Hu Li, incredulous, a smudge of sesame sauce on her cheeks.
"Clean up quickly; we’re going out for a bit."
(End of Chapter)