Chapter 53: The Grand Feast

In a way he could not fully comprehend, Yu Sheng felt a connection form between himself and the valley. His consciousness flowed among the rocks and soil, weaving through the undulating, creeping trees, immersing in the water and wind of the place, and then, through countless twisted and malformed eyes, observing the sky above the valley.

That enormous eye, large enough to cover the entire sky, gazed calmly and indifferently upon the earth, unchanged from beginning to end, like a detached observer watching creatures in a petri dish.

Yet Yu Sheng sensed that the eye had noticed him—in the very moment he connected with the valley, its gaze fixed precisely upon him.

The eye was confused, curious. Though it showed no emotion or change in its expression, Yu Sheng almost directly “read” these thoughts—a vast and immense “mind” trembling within this space, each of its thoughts stirring tremendous waves here. Ordinary people could not perceive the roaring echoes in this alien realm; even Yu Sheng, using the domain’s perception, only vaguely sensed mental activity behind the eyeball.

Strangely, Yu Sheng felt no hostility from the eye—nor any kindness.

After a while, he noticed the eye’s focus shift away from him; it no longer watched the entire valley but concentrated on a particular spot within it.

The eye slowly scanned the land, seemingly tracking or searching for something.

Yu Sheng’s consciousness began to disperse, and over the next several minutes, he gradually grasped a truth…

The entire valley was coming alive; a strange and terrifying vitality transformed this alien realm into a hungry, living being.

Li Lin watched helplessly as rows of sharp teeth sprouted along a distant mountain ridge, gaping chasms of tearing fury between them. Those rows of jagged fangs undulated like waves, their depths roaring thunderously.

He also saw another section of the valley’s forest awaken; black tendrils replaced the trees, sprawling across the rocky riverbed like a swarm of predatory insects, overwhelming everything in their path.

All of this unfolded under the cold, unblinking gaze of the giant eye overhead—a grotesque nightmare.

The wolf pack of Little Red Riding Hood howled around them, fiercely biting and tearing the tendrils, eye stalks, and tongues sprouting from the earth, pushing them back. Yet no matter how hard the wolves fought, their ground steadily shrank.

The young special agent felt despair creeping in. Turning forward, he saw the girl with many tails carrying a doll sprinting at the front. She was hunched low but moved with agile speed like a wild mountain beast—even though she held something in her arms, her movements were swift and nimble. As a human, he was nearly unable to keep pace with that “beast.”

But then, Huli finally slowed down.

She reached a hollow near the mountain’s base, cradling Irene (and her kitchen knife), then climbed atop a large stone, craning her neck to peer around. The furry fox ears atop her head twitched in the wind, as if catching every subtle sound. She sniffed deeply, then fixed her gaze in a certain direction.

“This way! The entrance is here!”

Before finishing, she leapt down with Irene in her arms. The others hurried after her, following her to the mountain wall and finding a cave just wide enough for two to pass through.

“It’s roomy inside!”

Huli shouted back, then took the lead into the cave.

A ghostly blue fox fire ignited, floating from the tip of Huli’s tail to hover midair, illuminating the cave’s interior.

At first glance, it was an ordinary primitive cavern, seemingly part of the mountain itself. Some walls bore marks of manual excavation and widening. In a corner lay crude, rudimentary tools, evidence that someone had lived here for a time.

Xu Jiali took from her waist a palm-sized black device and carefully scanned the cave, whispering, “No toxins. Material structure stable. No signs of corrosion.”

Little Red Riding Hood waved some wolves to guard near the entrance, while others settled beside her, gradually blending into the shadows at her feet.

Huli carefully placed Irene on a stone platform near the cave’s mouth, her face etched with concern.

“Are you… alright?”

She pointed to Irene’s broken arm and the damaged right leg.

Judging by her appearance, Irene was in dire condition—second only to the recently deceased benefactor who had died with unresolved regrets.

The fox girl clearly did not understand the nature of “living dolls.”

“It’s fine,” Irene said calmly, offering reassurance to Huli. “This body is temporary anyway; some parts aren’t sturdy. Don’t worry, Yu Sheng will fix me when we get back—he made this body, though his craftsmanship is… somewhat rough.”

The fox girl’s eyes widened slightly. “Sounds like your benefactor is powerful?”

“...Maybe?” Irene hesitated. “Sometimes I think he’s not even human—he has all sorts of strange abilities and ideas…”

Mid-sentence, the doll girl suddenly sensed something and looked up toward the cave entrance.

From this vantage, almost nothing could be seen outside.

“What is it?” Huli asked curiously.

“Can you… carry me to look outside? Just near the entrance,” Irene said hesitantly. “I can’t see anything from here, and I’m uneasy.”

Huli was puzzled but didn’t question it. She lifted Irene carefully and moved toward the mouth of the cave.

Irene stretched her neck and boldly looked up at the sky.

The gigantic eye still floated above the valley, its magnificent orb resembling a pupil etched into the very sky—a sight that seized the soul.

“I feel like… this eye has been watching us here since earlier,” Irene muttered nervously, quickly drawing back her neck. “Why hasn’t Yu Sheng come back yet…”

Huli paused, looking down at the small doll in her arms. “He’ll be fine, right?”

“He definitely will,” Irene whispered, glancing back at the three “temporary allies” inside the cave. “Don’t mention Yu Sheng’s ‘death’ to them—by now they should have forgotten about it.”

Huli tilted her head, her fluffy ears twitching twice, though whether she understood was unclear.

Li Lin looked up curiously at the fox and doll near the entrance, frowning slightly. Perhaps it was his imagination, but he felt as if he had overlooked something important during their frantic run here—something vital that had slipped from his mind.

He glanced at Xu Jiali and Little Red Riding Hood but saw no unusual expressions.

Xu Jiali was cautiously searching deeper in the cave, while Little Red Riding Hood sat hugging her arms on a stone bench, eyes fixed on the shadow wolves posted near the entrance.

Her red jacket had been torn to shreds during the forest battle—one sleeve shredded completely, leaving the entire right arm exposed. That arm was now covered with fine blood-colored patterns, as if the flesh had been torn apart but barely fused back together.

The eerie blue fox fire burned silently overhead, casting Little Red Riding Hood’s shadow onto the ground. The shadow wavered and occasionally twisted abruptly, taking on forms resembling the wolves emerging from it.

The howling, monstrous sounds from the valley outside never ceased, making the cave’s silence all the more oppressive and heavy.

Li Lin rose and stepped toward Huli and Irene guarding the entrance—feeling it was time to at least introduce himself.

But halfway there, a strange noise stopped him abruptly.

It was an irregular scraping sound, like metal teeth grinding against something.

Immediately, his spiritual intuition leapt.

Xu Jiali, still investigating deeper within the cave, and Little Red Riding Hood, struggling to calm herself on the bench, both instinctively looked up.

The valley’s “aura” had changed.

Two or three seconds later, the outside became eerily silent—so silent it felt as if the entire world had fallen into deathly stillness.

But this silence lasted only briefly before strange scraping noises returned, accompanied by wails unlike the previous chaotic roars. These sounds reached everyone’s ears, growing clearer and louder.

The fox sitting near the cave entrance stood up instantly, uneasy as she looked outward. Irene braced herself with her damaged arm on Huli’s shoulder, trying to assess the situation outside.

At that moment, the doll girl heard Yu Sheng’s voice—“Irene.”

“Yu Sheng?!” Irene’s heart jumped. “You’re alive? Where are you? Can you sense where I am? Open the door and come in quickly! We’ve found a safe hiding place; it’s not safe outside—the valley’s in serious trouble…”

Before she could finish, a voice echoed in her mind, cutting off her words: “Irene, don’t panic—it will be over soon.”

“I… what?”

The strange scraping sounds from the valley intensified.

Yu Sheng’s voice continued in her mind: “Irene, do you remember when we used dreams to contact Huli, trying to use her perception to locate the valley’s ‘frequency’?”

Irene remembered well.

“You directly touched the essence of the ‘Hunger’; it took root in your mind!” the doll girl blurted quickly. “W-what’s wrong?! Is something wrong now?! You won’t survive?”

The strange scraping filled the valley, seeming to saturate the entire alien realm. The unsettling noise echoed in the cave, tightening everyone’s nerves.

Yet within Irene’s heart, Yu Sheng’s voice was calmer than ever.

“Don’t worry, Irene, I’m fine. I just discovered something—”

Irene’s eyes widened slowly. She seemed to recognize the scraping echoing through the valley.

“The Hunger did not take root in my mind.”

She heard Yu Sheng’s voice within her heart.

She heard Yu Sheng’s voice throughout the valley.

“But I took root in its depths.”

She finally understood—it was the sound of chewing, reverberating through the entire valley.

The sublime feast began.

The entity known as Hunger, dwelling in this alien realm, was beginning to consume itself.