Chapter 212: 《Days with the Beast》

Chapter 212: Days of Walking with Beasts

Meng Siyou’s gaze was fixed on the sky as he asked, "Is there any way to enter that forest?"

"Hmm... you need an identity."

While hopping around like a bird perched on a power line, No. One explained, "Just as a shadow needs a name and identity to enter the material world—similarly, material beings entering a shadow space with specific rules, such as 'the Forest,' also require an existing identity."

Meng Siyou cautiously asked, "If one doesn’t have an identity, is it impossible to step into the shadow space?"

"Not necessarily," No. One said, "Some unfortunate souls might fall into the shadow space due to various accidents, but without an identity, they will be rejected by the entire space, chased by all shadows, and ultimately lost in the depths of the shadows, never to return."

"How pitiful, they would vanish in another world, just as shadows fade in the light of the material world, silently and without a trace..."

"Trust me, you wouldn’t want to experience that kind of pain."

The girl’s shadow, hands behind her back, sighed deeply, feigning solemnity, but her playful nature quickly took over, and she giggled a second later:

"Stepping into a world not your own comes at a cost—fair, isn’t it?"

Identity...

Recalling No. One’s previous description of the shadow space, Meng Siyou couldn’t help but think of the stage play Li Yin had participated in—the story’s setting was also in a dark forest.

Meng Siyou didn’t believe this was merely a coincidence.

A more plausible guess was that perhaps this illusory forest, growing in the gap between Li Yin’s dreams and the shadows, was based on that play.

So, to enter it, one might need to assume the identity of a character from the play?

A flash of inspiration struck Meng Siyou, reminding him that Yi Fengchu had also played a role, which should meet the condition of "having an identity."

So, he took out his phone and said to No. 1, "Sorry, I need to make a call. I have a friend who might qualify to enter the jungle."

"Oh, okay."

No. 1 obediently waited on the side, tilting her head at one point, her mind brimming with curiosity.

She thought that since Meng Siyou was willing to share the mission with this person, it must mean that the friend was trustworthy—especially in terms of strength, they must be reliable.

But according to No. 1's knowledge, Meng Siyou was already a renowned Ability user in City A... She wondered what rank his friend might be.

Curiosity piqued, No. 1 fidgeted like a child with a short attention span, hopping around on one foot and then stretching out her beak to preen her feathers, until finally, Meng Siyou hung up the phone.

Meng Siyou wore a mysterious smile. "It's all settled. He will enter the Shadow Jungle and resolve everything."

"Does that mean I'm useless now?" No. 1 raised her head alertly, her voice shrill in protest. "I've come all this way; I can't just go back! Even if your friend is strong, he probably isn't familiar with the rules of the Shadow World. I can guide him and offer a lot of help..."

"So, you're willing to work with him?"

No. 1's suggestion made sense, but Meng Siyou, thinking about Yi Fengchu's uniqueness, couldn't help but look somewhat hesitant.

He hesitated, then sighed, "You are the bravest shadow I've ever met."

"?"

Confused, No. 1 was about to ask when she saw Meng Siyou looking down. "He's here."

Immediately, a shiver ran through every tip of No. 1's feathers, causing her arms to fluff up with fine down.

She let out a scream, catching sight of the shadow that had swallowed building after building, now purposefully approaching this place!

"It"… No, based on his extensive experience, One judged that the terrifyingly abnormal shadow was most likely of "Its" rank—

In any case, the towering high-level existence, like an endless tide of pure blackness, surged towards the clock tower, creating an illusion for One that he would be engulfed in the next moment.

The instinct for survival triggered an alarm, and One abandoned maintaining a human-like form, emitting a series of low chirps like a fledgling’s “coo.”

Her neck began to elongate, her head twisting into a flat shape, and her feather-covered arms extended outward, growing more lush feathers…

Amidst a loud cry, One transformed into a shadow bird with a wingspan of over five meters, flapping its wings to create a strong wind, and sharp claws reaching down to hook Meng Siyou's shoulders, intending to carry her colleague away from the impending threat of death.

But just as she spread her wings and flew out of the wall, she froze mid-air, as if encased in amber frozen in time.

In just those few seconds of stagnation, the massive shadow had already climbed up the clock tower, coming before them.

The pressure was tangible, heavily pressing down on One’s spine, causing her feathers to bristle even more.

Just as One had run through her life in a flash and was beginning to consider how to reincarnate in the Shadow Realm, a friendly greeting came from within the black shadow: “Hello—so you are the shadow creature borrowed by the Anomalous Affairs Bureau?”

Along with the greeting, a small snake-shaped shadow wriggled out from the edge of the blackness, waving slightly, as if in a gesture of greeting.

“Ah?”

One was taken aback, hesitantly flapping one wing in response, “Y-Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Then from now on, you will guide me,” the unfamiliar high-level existence, surprisingly courteous, almost a gentlemanly divine being, added at the end, “Thank you for your trouble.”

The shadow bird’s mind went blank for a moment; she slowly folded her wings and nervously hopped in place, “Coo, it is my honor.”

At this moment, she finally understood why Meng Siyou had praised her for being brave.

This was not the script of "The Shadow World Tycoon Protecting Foreign Ability Users" that she had imagined, but rather "The Days of a Fragile Little Bird Walking with a Beast"...

At the same time, No.1 found it utterly baffling how Meng Siyou could have such a terrifying "friend."

In the concept of shadow creatures, they would only associate with equals in strength; there was no such thing as a relationship across ranks. What the weak could receive was nothing but harm, slaughter, oppression, and command.

So, No.1 thought humans were truly strange. Why could some people interact with the strong so calmly? Why would a high-ranking existence also acknowledge such a relationship?

What did "friend" even mean? Could it be that this term held a richer meaning in human language?

No.1 couldn't understand.

As a pitiful working bird, her little brain couldn't hold too many thoughts.

Her beak haphazardly preened a few times, and No.1 flattened her ruffled feathers. Negative emotions came and went quickly, and she soon perked up, becoming lively and cheerful again.

"Please follow me!"

She nodded to Yi Fengchu's shadow and flapped her wings toward the forest in the sky.

Meng Siyou, lacking "status," could only watch as the two figures moved farther away, one after the other.

Actually, No.1's true form could also be described as overshadowing the sky and blocking the sun, with those broad and powerful wings particularly intimidating, like a creature from myth and legend.

But now, the Shadow Bird, against the backdrop of Yi Fengchu's shadow, seemed like a small, helpless sparrow, quickly turning into a tiny ink dot and disappearing into the night.

They plunged into the forest that hung upside down in the sky, continuously growing toward the earth.

...

Rustle.

Li Yin opened her eyes, and the swaying tree shadows came into view. Once again, an eerie jungle appeared before her.

Rustle, rustle—the gentle sound of leaves brushing against each other echoed in the night breeze.

The tall, slender trees before her were constantly sprouting new branches, their tips splitting and re-splitting like sharp thorns pointing towards the deep sky.

Almost everything in front of her was shrouded in darkness, creating an atmosphere of sinister mystery.

Dark leaves grew from dark branches, shadows overlapping and stretching into the distance, as if endless, with no end in sight.

Only the trunks were a pale white, but even that was a dull grayish-white, with rough bark that seemed to be veiled in a faint shadow. The bark was covered in swirling patterns, resembling twisted, pale faces floating in the darkness, silently watching Li Yin, waiting for her to step forward.

Li Yin's face changed slightly, and she instinctively took a step back.

This dream... this dream again!

During the day, her memory of the dream seemed to have been erased, so she hadn't mentioned it to Yi Fengchu;

It wasn't until now that Li Yin remembered that ever since she had taken on the role of Matilda, she would be pulled into the jungle every night, forced to follow the script.

On the first night, she completed the first act of the script, [Entering the Jungle].

On the second night, she reached the second act, [Guidance of the Wild Rose]...

Following this pattern, Li Yin calculated that tonight, she would reach the final act of the script—digging out her lover's blood-soaked head and then walking into the depths of the jungle, heartbroken, to die with him.

Intuition told Li Yin that she must not come to such an end!

"Matilda" never managed to walk out; what about her, who now repeats Matilda's fate?

Would Li Yin truly be able to leave this forest when the time comes?

Perhaps sensing her resistance, black particles reassembled in the air, forming a script, as if urging Li Yin forward:

[Act One, Begin.]

[Desperately seeking the trace of her lover, Matilda paced before the jungle for a long time, finally wiping away her tears and walking into the woods alone...]

Li Yin lifted the hem of her elaborate, layered dress, stepping back one step at a time, the rustling of the skirt against the weeds barely audible.

But with each step backward, the forest before her strangely extended forward, as if it had a life of its own and was actively pursuing her.

The black text above grew larger, asserting the script’s authority:

[Act One, Begin.]

[Act One Act One Act One Act One...]

The black text nearly filled Li Yin's entire field of vision, the dense strokes like flies crawling over her eyes. Though they made no sound, Li Yin could not ignore this urging.

Cold sweat soaked through her dress, and after a moment of hesitation, Li Yin gritted her teeth and moved forward.