Chapter 293: Good News
The warehouse door slammed shut once again, ruthlessly shutting the moonlight outside. That bit of brightness was instantly devoured by the darkness.
The three of them leaned silently against the wall, like three frozen statues.
After a long time, the quiet night was pierced only by a sigh, full of helplessness.
Going to Jiang Che’s house for a meal, that’s something they’d do often enough.
But to change the other’s perception of seasoning—there’s absolutely no way.
Because it’s just like trying to describe color to a blind person, or telling someone without taste buds about salty, sweet, bitter, and spicy.
Wraiths have no sense of taste, but their sensitivity to texture is razor sharp.
The food they tasted today—all the ingredients’ textures were undoubtedly top-notch.
The three of them tacitly stopped dwelling on this matter.
At this moment, the night was as thick as ink, dense and unyielding, yet the people in the territory felt no urge to rest.
After reaching the next stage, sleep was no longer a necessity for everyone; their need for it dropped sharply.
Most of the time, just a brief rest was enough to recharge and keep working.
Besides, today, families were being brought over one after another, so who was in the mood for rest?
Moonlight poured down like molten silver, and under every bit of the man-made scenery, you saw families wandering, strolling together—a warmth and closeness.
This leisure and loving scene was something never seen, even before the arrival of the Dark Forest.
Back then, every night, no household dared stroll so casually; instead, they hid inside, eyes glued to their computer screens, poring over dungeon guides, racking their brains to find another chance at survival in those dangerous, unknown dungeons.
Once leaving the area near Jiang Che’s residence, the crowd seemed to surge like a tide.
Normally, when nothing was happening, they were strictly forbidden—never allowed to come near Jiang Che’s small building; it was an untouchable forbidden zone.
Now, seeing Xiong Jie and the other two, the rest of the people’s eyes lit up, excitedly waving at them, their enthusiasm nearly overwhelming.
In this territory, there were no rigid rules about rest times, nor were work hours forced on anyone, but each person worked hard of their own accord.
Earlier, they’d been full of doubt, not understanding why Jiang Che would build such a place in this dark, end-of-the-world era.
To waste precious land, spend rare resources on creating scenery that seemed useless, destined to be destroyed.
But today, with their families arriving, seeing the shock in their eyes, and the rare, peaceful relaxation, everyone suddenly understood.
All they felt towards Jiang Che was deep gratitude.
Creating a place like this—wasn’t for himself, but so those he cared for could feel at ease.
"Ahem, ahem." Xiong Jie, seeing everyone staying awake, took a deep breath, coughed twice, and stepped up onto the platform.
"Since nobody’s sleeping, I’ll give you all another good piece of news." His voice was a little hoarse, so rough it sounded as though sandpaper had scraped it.
The wounds of a Survivor heal fast, but Xiong Jie’s throat still hadn’t recovered; every word sounded as if it took all his strength.
The passing crowd heard his voice and stopped, pulling their family close, quietly gathering at the platform, all eyes focused on Xiong Jie above.
"From today on, anyone registered in our territory can freely enter and leave the Dark Forest."
As soon as he said that, the crowd below was stunned.
Every face was etched with surprise and disbelief; for a moment, there was absolute silence, only the sound of the gentle breeze.
"Alright, please everyone spread the news." Feihu stepped up as well, her expression solemn and dignified.
"Just don’t go broadcasting it outside—just go out yourselves," Feihu said seriously, sweeping her gaze across everyone below.
"It’s not like the news can’t be told, it’s just that we worry about people getting killed outside."
Feihu understood clearly; she didn’t know why Jiang Che could let people freely move through the Dark Forest. Whether he’d made some deal or connection with the Dark Forest—the choice belonged to people on Jiang Che’s level.
For them below, their fate was tied together.
If the Lord enjoyed privileges, so did they; if the Lord suffered, they couldn’t escape either.
To freely enter and leave the Dark Forest was a benefit nowadays.
"Just worried that if it gets out, and someone visits another territory, they’ll be envied and never come back again."
After she finished speaking, the noisy crowd nodded silently.
Those who had wanted to brag suddenly lost that urge, their thoughts scattered.
"Steward, can we really go into the darkness?" Someone nervously raised their hand, unable to hide their trembling and expectancy in their voice.
"My mother’s at Stage 0. Can she go in too?" Someone else clung tight to their mother, staring anxiously at the platform.
"Can we touch the forest? Or are there other taboos?"
...
Xiong Jie and his companions were now all called Steward; there were only three in the territory, so everyone recognized them easily.
The Dark Forest was, for everyone, still a place filled with unknowns and terror—a forbidden land.
Now, hearing the news that they could freely go in and out, people feared they’d do something inside that would get them lost forever.
"I haven’t tried it myself. Let’s give it a go now." Xiong Jie drew a deep breath.
Ding Ning had come back, and after dinner, the two were still sharing a quiet moment.
He couldn’t pester Jiang Che with these messy questions right now, but he trusted Jiang Che—if Jiang Che said you could go, then there should be no other problem.
He wanted to explain things to the people, so he’d have to set an example himself.
The crowd stopped walking, falling in step behind Xiong Jie as he headed towards the Dark Forest.
At the boundary.
Nighttime made the forest something else entirely.
The woods that were already deep by day, at night looked even more like a monster’s gaping maw, ready to swallow people whole.
Thick darkness, like ink that wouldn’t dissolve, swallowed everything.
The silhouettes of the trees loomed in the blackness, like ghostly claws reaching out.
Staring at the forest before him, even Xiong Jie felt unsettled.
The endless darkness seemed like a bottomless black hole, sucking in souls.
Bitter winds gusted from deep within, carrying a stench of rot and death, making him shiver.
Despite his trust in Jiang Che, he still hesitated to step into the Dark Forest.
The crowd held their breath, saying nothing, watching as Xiong Jie lifted his foot and slowly placed it on the soil of the Dark Forest.