Chapter 97: The Thousandth Paper Crane
The moment Shen Yu finished speaking, the courtyard fell into complete silence.
The villagers, who had been pointing shovels at him only moments ago, slowly lowered their weapons.
Their eyes were no longer filled with murderous intent.
Instead...
They were cautious.
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes.
"You..."
"You really know something."
His expression remained guarded.
"No."
"The person the village contacted definitely wasn’t you."
"So..."
"Who exactly are you?"
Shen Yu merely shrugged, looking completely at ease.
"Come on."
"We’re all businessmen here."
"If I didn’t have connections..."
"How do you think I found this village hidden in the mountains?"
He smiled confidently, as though he truly belonged there.
"Besides..."
"I’m sorry for waking everyone up in the middle of the night."
"I was only shaking the rattle drum to gather everyone."
"We’re currently running a promotion."
"Twenty percent off."
"Children."
"Wives."
"Whatever you need."
"We even provide home delivery."
"No deposit."
"Inspect the goods first."
The villagers looked at each other.
A few old bachelors immediately brightened.
"Really?"
"Your service sounds much better than those other people."
Hearing those familiar trafficking terms instantly lowered everyone’s guard.
Only the middle-aged man remained suspicious.
"Even if you’re telling the truth..."
"Before our contact arrives..."
"You’re not allowed to leave this village."
Shen Yu laughed.
"Would I even want to?"
Without waiting for permission, he casually walked into the courtyard and sat atop a mound of dirt as if he were visiting old friends.
"If I wasn’t here to do business..."
"Would I willingly stay in this cursed place?"
"If I were an ordinary outsider..."
"I would’ve run away the moment I saw all of you."
The middle-aged man watched him for several more seconds.
Finally...
He waved his hand.
"Enough."
"Everyone disperse."
One by one, the villagers left.
The courtyard gradually emptied.
Only the sound of heavy rain remained.
Splash...
Splash...
Shen Yu quietly turned his eyes toward the kitchen.
Someone was still busy inside.
Near the doorway...
Several bloodstained paper cranes lay scattered across the muddy ground.
His pupils contracted slightly.
He said nothing.
Meanwhile...
Inside the kitchen...
The furnace crackled violently.
Sizzle...
Sizzle...
Sizzle...
Half-conscious from smoke and blood loss, Mo Han slowly forced his eyes open.
Through the gaps between the firewood...
He saw Shen Yu outside.
He couldn’t move.
Couldn’t speak.
Yet Shen Yu’s earlier words echoed inside his mind.
"I’m one of you."
A bitter smile appeared on Mo Han’s blood-covered face.
"So..."
"So that’s how it happened..."
"So this..."
"...is the future I saw."
"It wasn’t because Shen Yu was destined to survive..."
"It was because..."
"I told him the future."
"And he created it."
His breathing became weaker.
"No wonder..."
"You’ve survived this long..."
"With only an E-rank talent..."
Another burst of flames swallowed his body.
Just before his consciousness faded completely...
His gaze landed on Yun Han’s severed head resting beside the furnace.
A realization flashed through his mind.
"So..."
"The true mission..."
"...was never to escape."
Darkness consumed him.
Thunder rolled across the village.
The timing felt right.
Shen Yu slowly walked toward the kitchen.
Immediately, one of the cooks blocked the doorway.
"Hey."
"What are you doing?"
Shen Yu casually patted the man’s shoulder.
"Relax."
"I already told you."
"I’m one of you."
"I know exactly what happened."
His gaze drifted toward the stack of firewood nearby.
Several paper cranes rested there.
"See those paper cranes?"
"Bring me a few."
The cook blinked.
"What?"
"You collect these?"
Shen Yu smiled.
"I’m bored."
"I figured I’d fold a few."
"You know..."
"People in the city say..."
"If you fold one thousand paper cranes..."
"Your wish will come true."
The cook snorted.
"I don’t believe that nonsense."
Still...
He bent down and casually picked up several paper cranes before tossing them toward Shen Yu.
Some even disappeared into his own pocket.
Shen Yu caught them.
The instant his fingers touched the paper—
A familiar mechanical voice echoed inside his head.
[Important Item Acquired]
[The Thousandth Paper Crane]
[It seems... it has somewhere it wishes to return.]
His breathing slowed.
Among the ordinary paper cranes...
One crimson crane immediately caught his attention.
Its wings were stained dark red with dried blood.
Carefully...
He unfolded it.
Inside...
A childish sentence had been written in blood.
"Mom..."
"Dad..."
"I want to go home."
Shen Yu silently closed his eyes.
Timeline Closure
Thunder exploded overhead.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Holding the bloodstained paper crane...
Shen Yu finally understood.
This dungeon...
Had never wanted someone to defeat ghosts.
Nor survive monsters.
It wanted someone...
To fulfill Yun Han’s final wish.
He bit through the tip of his finger.
Fresh blood dripped down his arm.
Beside the spiral-shaped curse mark...
He wrote another clue.
Long-cherished wish.
Freedom.
True liberation.
One sentence after another covered his arm.
He carefully recorded every important event from this timeline.
Only after confirming nothing had been missed...
Did he slowly lift his head.
Outside...
The sky began growing brighter.
Boom—
The world trembled.
The village blurred.
Buildings twisted.
Time accelerated once again.
A new cycle...
Had begun.
"Hey!"
"Hey!"
The familiar voices echoed once more.
Shen Yu slowly opened his eyes.
He found himself standing once again at the entrance of the Wang family’s courtyard.
Everything...
Had returned to the beginning.
For some reason...
Every time he looked at this courtyard...
His heart felt heavier.
"What the hell?"
Mo Han stared blankly around him.
"Weren’t we just getting off the bus?"
"How did we suddenly appear here?"
His memories...
Had reset again.
Everything after entering the village had vanished.
Lucian rubbed her temples before instinctively activating her ability.
A second later...
Her expression changed dramatically.
"No..."
"No!"
"My ability..."
"It’s gone!"
Mo Han hurriedly checked himself.
"My talent too!"
"It disappeared!"
Shock spread across everyone’s faces.
"This dungeon..."
"It can actually seal our abilities?"
Amid the confusion...
A sharp pain suddenly came from Shen Yu’s left arm.
He instinctively looked down.
His pupils immediately shrank.
His entire arm...
Was densely covered in blood-red handwriting.
One sentence stood out above all the others.
You are trapped inside a time loop.
Every time the timeline resets...
You will lose your memories.