Chapter 164
As they stepped out of the logistics building, Wen Yan and her companions finally understood where the strong garlic smell inside the building had come from.
Ahead of them, Shi Yijiang led the way. As the door to the logistics building slowly opened, he decisively took a bottle of spray from his waist bag and, with lightning speed, sprayed a generous amount outside the door.
A pungent garlic smell quickly spread through the air. Wen Yan and her daughter instinctively covered their noses, while even the usually composed Li Sinian couple and their adjutant frowned tightly.
Their confusion was soon resolved. The blood mist lingering outside the building began to retreat visibly as the garlic smell wafted through the air, scattering rapidly in all directions.
So, this garlic spray was meant to repel the mysterious blood mist?
“All right, let’s go.”
Shi Yijiang put away the garlic spray and, after confirming that the outside was indeed safe, nodded at the group behind him.
Noticing the confusion on everyone’s faces except for the young man named Zhou Yan, he explained, “This garlic spray was developed by our base’s cultivation facility. It’s highly effective in dispersing pollutants.”
He then reassured them, “There’s no need to panic. Of all the bases on this prison planet, Base 24 is by far the safest.”
Perhaps it was due to the mutated garlic plant, or maybe it was the presence of Caretaker Su, but in the past half month since the resurgence of the blood mist, Base 24 had remained largely incident-free.
The only exception was the eastern perimeter of the base, where a significant gathering of mutated insects had made things somewhat unstable. However, the base’s interior had stayed peaceful.
Although the garlic smell was overwhelming, people had gradually grown accustomed to it. Nowadays, more personnel were even venturing outside to resume their duties.
It turned out that apart from the blood mist impairing visibility and subtly affecting emotions, life wasn’t all that different from normal. In fact, the quality of their meals had recently improved, with an increased supply of fruit from the cultivation facility.
Rumor had it that the facility’s improved productivity was largely thanks to Caretaker Su.
No one dared to underestimate the Caretaker from the nursery anymore. Some opportunists were even trying to get close to him.
Unfortunately for them, Caretaker Su had blocked all communication channels from strangers, and the various departments had been warned to instruct their subordinates not to disturb him.
Even the logistics department had received a private reminder about this.
As Shi Yijiang reflected on the changes in the base over the past two weeks, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.
“In any case, there’s no need for you to worry. And…” He paused briefly before continuing, “As long as you stay in the nursery and do your job well, there’s absolutely no safety issue to be concerned about.”
“Right now, there are plenty of people in the base scrambling for a chance to work in the nursery.”
Thanks to his reassurance, Wen Yan finally calmed down.
Li Sinian, however, furrowed his brows slightly, harboring some doubts about the truth of Shi Yijiang’s claims. Still, he chose not to voice them, as Shi Yijiang’s words were primarily aimed at the two new trainee caretakers.
Shortly after, Shi Yijiang led the group to the teleportation platform, transporting them to the administrative building. After handing everyone over to Guo Hui, he departed.
Guo Hui first attended to Li Sinian and his wife, while Wen Yan, her daughter, and A-Yan waited briefly in the hallway.
The young girl, with her pair of half-circle panda ears, nestled by her mother’s side. Curious, she tilted her head slightly to steal glances at A-Yan.
A-Yan, in turn, was observing her.
Looking at the fluffy ears atop her head, A-Yan pressed his lips together slightly, feeling a bit down.
From today onward, he was officially a new caretaker at the nursery. As an adult human, it wasn’t appropriate for him to wander around with animal ears and a tail anymore.
Without his ears and tail, his charm to Su Su would probably drop by half. The thought left him somewhat unenthusiastic.
And now, there was a new cub.
But this cub…
Sensing the girl’s bloodline aura, A-Yan tilted his head slightly and wondered to himself: Could it really be such a coincidence?
*
Inside the office.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Sinian got straight to the point.
The primary matter was about Xue Wei’s adoption. No matter what, their initial goal was to bring their foster daughter back.
Initially, Li Sinian believed this would be the least controversial issue. However, after he finished speaking, Guo Hui hesitated, appearing as though she had something to say but held back.
He paused and asked, “Is there a problem?”
“You can visit Xue Wei, but whether she can leave with you depends on her and the caretaker’s decision,” Guo Hui said cautiously.
“We already discussed this during the call,” Li Sinian said in a low voice.
“As long as Caretaker Su signs the agreement, you can take her,” Guo Hui replied.
Sensing that this Caretaker Su seemed to wield considerable authority, and recalling Shi Yijiang’s earlier remarks, Li Sinian decided not to press further.
At this point, Yan Ya finally couldn’t hold back and spoke up. “Excuse me, ma’am, but is there a pair of red-tailed lion siblings at the nursery?”
Guo Hui nodded. “You mean Rong Heng and Fu Qiu?”
Rong Heng… Fu Qiu…
Yan Ya repeated the names silently in her mind before speaking again. “Yes, them. May I see their profiles?”
She needed to figure out the truth about these two children.
Was it possible they had some sort of illness that stunted their growth, making them appear younger than their actual age? If that were the case, there was a high chance they might be her children!
However, Guo Hui did not agree to her request.
After considering the couple before her, Guo Hui asked, “Are you intending to adopt these two children?”
Yan Ya paused, while Li Sinian nodded slightly.
That wasn’t entirely incorrect…
“Apologies, but the children at the nursery are different from those in welfare homes. Their situations are special, and adoption is not permitted in principle,” Guo Hui said firmly.
If Xue Wei weren’t their former foster daughter, coupled with the couple’s exceptional qualifications, the Star Alliance wouldn’t have made an exception to allow them to take her back. As for the other children, it was naturally out of the question.
Seeing that Guo Hui remained firm, Yan Ya couldn’t help but tear up and began explaining the whole story.
“I can prove it—I did lose two children. I can provide their detailed information, and once you see it, you’ll know how similar they are…”
Yan Ya began searching through her communicator, but Guo Hui gently stopped her by placing a hand over hers.
“I’m truly sorry for your situation, but I have to follow protocol. I don’t have the authority to show you the children’s information.”
Guo Hui offered an apologetic look. “You can apply to the Star Alliance, or…”
“Or what?” Yan Ya quickly interjected, with Li Sinian’s gaze also locked onto Guo Hui.
“You could seek Caretaker Su’s opinion,” Guo Hui replied. “He has full authority over the cubs now.”
Caretaker Su again!
How could a caretaker at the nursery wield so much authority?
Li Sinian and Yan Ya exchanged glances but eventually conceded. Applying to the Star Alliance wasn’t easy, and their current approval had only been expedited thanks to their connections. However, they couldn’t rely on exceptions every time.
Since the caretaker was at Base 24, there was no need to go through unnecessary trouble.
Eventually, they left Guo Hui’s office, while A-Yan and Wen Yan, along with her daughter, entered to complete their onboarding procedures.
With the help of the base’s AI system, A-Yan’s information had already been fully recorded and processed. He was now an officially recruited trainee caretaker at Base 24, hired through standard procedures.
As for Wen Yan…
“You are…”
Guo Hui glanced at Wen Yan, pausing briefly before deciding not to bring up her painful past. Instead, she looked down at the little girl standing beside her mother.
“This is Lieutenant Colonel Laize’s child, isn’t it?” she asked.
Wen Yan nodded, her eyes slightly red, though she managed to maintain her composure.
“Yes, her name is Lai Qiqi,” Wen Yan said. “Qiqi, say hello to the lady.”
The two conversed softly, neither noticing A-Yan sitting nearby, watching them with a peculiar look in his eyes.
“You should settle down here and live well,” Guo Hui said, patting the little girl gently on the head. “The nursery’s conditions are much better now than they were before. With Caretaker Su here, Qiqi’s bloodline berserk issue will definitely not worsen.”
“Yes! I decided to bring Qiqi here after hearing about Caretaker Su,” Wen Yan said, as though clinging to her last hope. “What do I need to do to get him to agree to help us?”
In theory, as long as it was a child from the nursery, the caretaker would have no reason not to help. However, recalling Su Ci’s strength and peculiar temperament, Guo Hui couldn’t guarantee anything.
“You’ll have to ask him yourself when you meet him.”
Listening to their conversation, A-Yan’s lips curved into a smile. These humans… they’re finally recognizing Su Su’s greatness!
Su Su’s brilliance would no longer be overshadowed by anyone.
How wonderful.
A-Yan’s mood lifted.
As they moved into the hallway, the nanny robot designated as Unit 4586 happened to arrive.
The round and chubby robot was painted all over with bright yellow flowers, vibrant and cheerful, giving it a childish and adorable appearance.
The moment it appeared, Lai Qiqi couldn’t take her eyes off it.
4586’s electronic eyes scanned everyone present before finally landing squarely on Lai Qiqi.
“Hello, adorable Qiqi! I’m Nanny Robot 4586. From now on, I’ll be assisting the caretakers in taking care of you, making sure you’re happy and cheerful every single day. How does that sound?”
The robot’s soft, bubbly voice was irresistibly endearing.
At least, Lai Qiqi absolutely loved it.
“Okay~” she replied happily, then added, “The little flowers on you are so pretty! Did you paint them yourself?”
“Nope,” 4586 replied. “Our super cute Little Li Hua painted them for me. Aren’t they beautiful?”
As it spoke, the robot spun around in place.
“Little Li Hua is amazing!”
“Yes! Our Little Li Hua is the best! Once you meet her, you two will definitely become great friends.”
“Really?”
“Yep! Do you want to be friends with Little Li Hua?”
“Yes!” Qiqi nodded enthusiastically, her innocent and lively demeanor captivating.
As the cub and the robot chatted away without a care in the world, Wen Yan and the Li Sinian couple stood stunned.
They had never seen such a human-like robot before!
Even the high-end nanny robots with personality settings rarely interacted so seamlessly with children as this one did.
They couldn’t help but wonder if there was an actual person secretly operating inside this robot.
Meanwhile, Yan Ya noticed something.
She couldn’t resist asking, “Little Li Hua… does that mean Fu Qiu?”
On the way to the prison planet, she had watched several video clips Wen Yan shared, replaying them repeatedly. Naturally, she had learned that the red-tailed lion girl loved painting.
Sure enough, 4586 nodded and said, “Yes, that’s Qiuqiu’s nickname.”
The robot then greeted Wen Yan warmly. However, when it turned to A-Yan, its previously cheerful electronic voice suddenly stuttered.
A-Yan smiled. “Hello, 4586.”
The robot stared at him, scanning him for a long moment, before finally regaining its lively tone and saying, “Hello, Yanyan.”
Quickly changing the subject, it added, “Let’s head back to the nursery!”
As A-Yan watched the robot’s seemingly hasty retreat, the smile on his face remained unchanged.
Speaking of AI developing self-awareness, 4586 might have gained it even earlier than the Base 24 AI system. However, compared to the vast computational power of the base’s AI, 4586’s intelligence clearly had its limits.
It didn’t understand many things, but it had the sharp instincts of a living being. For example, it instinctively feared A-Yan, who held control over certain rules.
Wen Yan, her daughter, and Yan Ya didn’t sense anything unusual. However, Li Sinian, who possessed formidable strength and combat experience, glanced at A-Yan with a hint of suspicion. Still, he couldn’t discern anything from him.
This young man appeared gentle and harmless, especially when he smiled, with a youthful innocence that easily lowered others’ defenses.
Li Sinian shook his head and followed the nanny robot.
The group used the teleportation platform to arrive at the entrance of the nursery. As they stepped off the platform, 4586 reminded them again, “Stay close to me, okay? Don’t get lost in the blood mist.”
Then it took Qiqi’s hand and led her down from the platform.
Because the distance was short and 4586 wasn’t as cautious as Shi Yijiang, it didn’t use the garlic spray.
And so, an accident occurred.
As they stepped into the blood mist, the little girl, who had been curiously looking around, suddenly showed signs of distress.
Her expression twisted painfully, becoming more feral, and the friendliness in her eyes vanished. Her small teeth began to transform into sharp fangs.
[ALERT! ALERT! A cub is entering berserk mode. Immediate action required!]
The long-dormant alarm on 4586 activated.
“Qiqi!”
Wen Yan was the first to notice something was wrong. Her face turned pale as she lunged forward to grab her daughter, but Qiqi evaded her and broke free from 4586’s mechanical arm.
She let out an animalistic growl but didn’t attack Wen Yan or 4586. Instead, she glanced at her mother once before turning and bolting into the blood mist.
“Qiqi, come back!” Wen Yan shouted as she scrambled to chase her, but 4586 grabbed her tightly.
“The blood mist is dangerous. You cannot go,” 4586 said urgently.
At that moment, another figure shot forward like an arrow in the direction the child had disappeared. “Stay here! I’ll get her! Don’t move, and wait for me!”
Li Sinian dashed into the blood mist, pursuing the little girl who had vanished into the haze.
Yan Ya hurried to calm the frantic Wen Yan, but just as she was about to call for A-Yan’s help, she realized the young man was nowhere to be seen.
*
Inside the nursery.
Rong Heng, who was acting as a model for his sister and had a flower pinned to his head, suddenly turned his gaze toward the greenhouse’s exterior.
“A cub is going berserk?” He scanned the greenery. “Who’s outside?”
Not all the cubs were in the nursery’s open green space, so Rong Heng assumed one of them had sneaked out and gotten into trouble.
He quickly handed Little Li Hua to Xue Wei and said, “Go get Su Su to help. I’ll check outside!”
With that, he sprinted toward the nursery’s entrance.
When Rong Heng reached the gate, unable to unlock it, he climbed over the wall. As he landed on the other side, he saw a figure dashing past in the distance.
He was about to chase after it when another figure emerged from the blood mist.
The figure and aura felt unfamiliar to Rong Heng.
Recalling the humanoid monsters in the blood mist, Rong Heng warily drew a small sword from his spirit storage pouch.
“Stop!” he shouted loudly.
Ahhhh still no reunion! Next chapter for sure?
Su Su to the rescue!