Chapter 175
Xue Wei buried her face in the soft fur of the big cat. Memories of her parents continued to surface in her mind, but now, they were all filled with joy and happiness.
Her father always found ways to cheer her up whenever she cried, and while her mother was stricter, she would hold Xue Wei all night when she had nightmares, refusing to let go. Just like…
Just like what the lady had done for her before.
She had seen glimpses of her mother in the lady’s actions—especially after what Xue Wei had done to hurt her. Even after that, the lady had traveled a great distance to find her, making her feel like she had seen her mother again.
But Xue Wei knew deep down that the lady was not her mother. She just missed her mother so much that she unconsciously projected her longing onto the lady. Yet, this attachment often left her feeling guilty.
If she saw the lady as her mother, what about her real mother?
Now that the lady had found her own children and looked so happy and healthy, Xue Wei genuinely felt joy for her.
One of them, once unfortunate, had finally found happiness. But as for herself…
“Uh…”
A pained voice interrupted her thoughts. Xue Wei snapped back to reality, realizing something, and looked at the Crimson Flame Tiger. It looked like it was about to collapse, gasping for air. Panicked, she quickly let go.
“I—I’m so sorry! Lie Lie, please don’t die…”
Xue Wei, who had just begun to recover her emotions, felt her heart plunge again when she saw the tiger lying on the ground, coughing in pain. In her mind, the image of the lady lying in a pool of blood flashed once more…
Her panic surged.
The time she had gravely injured the lady was the first time her bloodline had gone berserk. It was also the day of her bloodline awakening, granting her a strength far beyond normal.
It was a strength she couldn’t control, one that always ended up hurting those close to her.
She didn’t want this kind of power! She didn’t want to hurt the people she cared about anymore! Why had she become such a monster…
“Enough, stop crying.”
Xue Wei blinked through her tears and saw the Crimson Flame Tiger struggling back to its feet. Its red beast eyes looked at her with clear annoyance. “I’m not going to die! Why are you crying?!”
He was the Crimson Flame Tiger, one of the Ten Great Beasts. How could he die so easily? Even crimson flames couldn’t burn him to death—what was a little choking compared to that?
Of course, it still hurt. A lot.
Xue Wei quickly wiped her tears away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I didn’t want this strength… I’m just a monster now…”
“So what if you’re a monster?” the boy’s voice rang out.
Xue Wei froze, looking at the Crimson Flame Tiger in front of her. It was as if she could see the red-haired boy speaking to her through it.
He said, “Do you think anyone in this nursery isn’t a monster?”
Xue Wei stared at him in shock. “You’re… not.”
Every young one she had met here was so kind. They each had their unique personalities, yet they were all so lovable.
Ran Lie let out a scoff.
“I’m the Crimson Flame Tiger, one of the Ten Great Beasts. I wield the power of crimson flames that can burn everything…” He trailed off, and the memory of nearly unleashing his flames on Little Li Hua—only for 4583 to intervene—flashed through his mind.
He pressed his lips together, his long lashes lowering, and the proud tone in his voice faded.
“You can ask them—whether it’s Rong Heng, Lang Ze, Youyou, or Liu Li—which of them hasn’t been gravely injured or near death and sent to the medical bay for emergency treatment?”
Xue Wei had never heard of such situations.
“How could that be…” she murmured, then suddenly thought of something. “Is it because of berserk episodes?”
Ran Lie nodded. “Exactly.”
Confusion appeared in Xue Wei’s eyes. “But why does it seem like that doesn’t happen anymore…?”
“Because of Su Su,” Ran Lie replied. “You’ve experienced it too, haven’t you? When your emotions spiraled out of control, how Su Su helped you?”
Xue Wei nodded. She vividly remembered her first day at the nursery.
Looking back now, she felt like a completely different person compared to before coming to the nursery. Her state here was even better than when she had been with the lady.
“If you had arrived at the nursery earlier, you would’ve seen us for what we were—little monsters that everyone feared. None of the adults at the base wanted us around.”
As Ran Lie spoke of their past, there was a sense of detachment, as if it belonged to another lifetime. Yet, in truth, it hadn’t been that long ago.
“Su Su changed everything. He made us live like real humans.”
He helped Ran Lie, who had once been terrified of losing his mind during full beastification, to take control of his power, truly master his own life, and choose the path he wanted to walk.
Ran Lie looked at Xue Wei, as if seeing his past self. Of course, his personality had been much tougher and colder than hers.
“You shouldn’t fear or despise your power,” he said.
Such a formidable strength was something many people would train tirelessly for and still fail to achieve. If she said she didn’t want it, she’d probably get beaten up for such a statement.
Thinking for a moment, Ran Lie spoke in a way he thought Xue Wei could understand. “Your bloodline power is a gift from your parents.”
This statement visibly shook Xue Wei.
She lowered her head, staring at her hands. Her bloodline power… a gift from her parents…
So, was that why she awakened the bloodline of the Dragon Rabbit after her parents were gone, gaining such incredible strength? Was it because her parents were worried she might be bullied or unable to survive in this world alone, and they left her this gift?
Xue Wei instinctively hugged herself, as if embracing her parents.
Even though they were gone, the power they left her was still protecting her. How could she hate this strength?
Xue Wei felt as if a heavy weight on her chest had finally loosened. Tears slid down her cheeks, but a faint smile appeared on her lips.
She lifted her gaze to Ran Lie, her red rabbit eyes full of gratitude. “Thank you, Lie Lie.”
Watching the girl cry and smile, her bright, beautiful eyes reflecting his image, Ran Lie froze slightly before continuing, “What you need to do is master this power and make it truly your own.”
Xue Wei nodded, though she hesitated, lowering her head again.
As if seeing through her thoughts, Ran Lie spoke once more. “Training doesn’t just make you stronger. More importantly, it helps you control your power, allowing you to use it freely.”
Just like his Crimson Flame power—since it was rooted in his bloodline, Xue Wei could certainly train like him and Rong Heng, and eventually truly master her bloodline power.
“What should I do?” Xue Wei asked humbly.
“Go to Su Su and ask him to teach you,” Ran Lie said solemnly. “No one else can help you.”
Xue Wei had no doubts about this.
The training methods Su Su had taught Ran Lie and the others were unlike anything she’d ever heard of. If everyone in the galaxy knew about them, there wouldn’t be so many young ones struggling with their bloodline powers.
“Okay, I’ll go find Su Su,” Xue Wei said with renewed determination. She wiped her tears away, stood up, and headed toward the door.
After taking a few steps, she noticed the Crimson Flame Tiger following her. Surprised, she asked, “Lie Lie, are you coming with me?”
Ran Lie turned his head away, pouting. “I just happen to have something to discuss with Su Su too.”
“Oh, I see.”
Xue Wei nodded, still smiling brightly. No matter what he said, she would always remember how Ran Lie had transformed into his beast form to cheer her up. Lie Lie… was truly adorable!
Hearing the amusement in her voice, Ran Lie let out a cold huff and strode ahead of her.
“Lie Lie, wait for me!” Xue Wei called, jogging to catch up and walking by his side.
After the two young ones disappeared through the door, a hidden figure in the empty corner of the dining hall slowly revealed itself—it was A-Yan, who had somehow arrived unnoticed.
With a faint smile on his face, he withdrew his gaze and vanished in a flash.
Meanwhile, Lang Ze was carrying Zheng Xing out of the nursery building. Just as he was about to run toward the green fields, he noticed two figures crouched by the main gate, peering outside.
“Youyou, Liu Li, what are you looking at?” Lang Ze asked curiously as he ran over. Zheng Xing, sensing something unusual, extended his spiritual awareness to investigate.
Lu Jiao turned around and explained, “We’re looking at the blood mist.”
“What’s so interesting about the blood mist?” Lang Ze asked, confused. “Su Su told us not to go outside. Xiang Yang almost got into trouble when he went out yesterday!”
“Uh-huh, we’re not going outside,” Lu Jiao nodded, his little head bobbing.
Lu Li added, “It looks like the blood mist is thinning. It’s not as thick as yesterday.”
“Really?”
Lang Ze’s face lit up with excitement. He hurried to the gate to look for himself and realized that the visibility outside had indeed improved significantly.
“Wow! Does that mean we’ll be able to go out and play soon?”
With the blood mist blanketing the base recently, the young ones had been confined to the nursery or the riverbank for fresh air. While this was fine compared to the past, Lang Ze’s adventurous heart had grown restless.
He didn’t just want to play by the river—he wanted to ride the hoverbus, visit Uncle Camel, and brag to the other uncles and aunties about the points he’d earned in battle.
In fact, he’d been so proud of those points that he’d barely spent any, only redeeming snacks once or twice. Last time, Uncle Camel treated them to some delicious sunflower seeds, and this time, Lang Ze wanted to return the favor.
And beyond all that, he dreamed of riding a spaceship!
If he used all his points, could he afford to ride a spaceship just once? If it wasn’t enough… well, he’d just borrow some from Lie Lie!
Lie Lie had so many points he could never use them all.
In any case, Lang Ze was dying to get outside. Hearing that the blood mist was thinning made him practically burst with excitement!
“Huh?”
Lang Ze suddenly sniffed the air, pressing his nose against the door and inhaling deeply. Then he asked curiously, “Do you smell garlic?”
“Really?” Lu Jiao leaned in. “It does smell a little like garlic.”
“Could it be… someone eating garlic outside?” Lang Ze speculated, puzzled.
Lu Jiao: “…”
Lu Li chimed in, “Maybe it’s from the crops Su Su and Brother A-Yan planted in the clean soil.”
Besides the nursery’s land, a few patches of soil were untouched by the red mist after the last battle. After removing the metal flooring, Su Ci and A-Yan had planted crops in these areas as well.
“Hahaha, not quite,” came a cheerful voice.
All four young ones turned their heads to see Wei Ming and Zhuang Shisong approaching.
“Uncle Wei, Uncle Zhuang, good morning,” Lu Jiao greeted them enthusiastically.
The other young ones quickly followed suit, and even little Zheng Xing, standing behind Lang Ze, managed a soft “morning.”
“Haha, good morning!” Wei Ming replied warmly, clearly much more at ease with the young ones now than when he first arrived.
“Uncle Wei, you’re here so early today?” Lang Ze asked.
“Nope, we stayed here last night,” Wei Ming said, leaning closer to Lang Ze with a smug grin. “We camped out on the green fields in tents!”
Sure enough, as soon as he said it, Lang Ze’s face lit up with pure envy.
“Wow! You got to sleep outside!” Lang Ze exclaimed, his face full of longing. “I want to do that too!”
The other three young ones, including Zheng Xing, couldn’t help but nod in agreement. They all thought camping out at night sounded incredibly fun.
Zhuang Shisong, standing to the side, gave a helpless smile and gently reminded, “Wei Ming…”
Realizing his mistake, Wei Ming awkwardly laughed and quickly backtracked. “Camping isn’t all that great. You can’t even see the stars at night—it’s much better to sleep indoors.”
“Stars?” Lang Ze pulled Zheng Xing closer and said, “The star is right here.”
“I meant the stars in the sky…”
Wei Ming paused briefly, realizing these kids probably hadn’t had many opportunities to see real stars. He stopped himself from saying more.
“Someday, when there’s a chance, I’ll take you all to see them!”
Lang Ze scratched his head, finally realizing his misunderstanding. Of course, he’d seen the stars in the sky before coming to the nursery, but…
He glanced at Zheng Xing, who had retreated to hide behind him again, and couldn’t help pressing his lips together thoughtfully.
Lu Jiao and Lu Li glanced at Zheng Xing, then fell silent, not responding to Wei Ming’s words.
Wei Ming felt a bit awkward, realizing he might have said something wrong again. He quickly changed the subject. “The garlic smell outside is from the mutated garlic.”
“That’s right,” Zhuang Shisong added. “The plantation has successfully cultivated mutated garlic that can disperse the blood mist, and there’s been significant progress recently.”
“Hehe, just wait and see!” Wei Ming said excitedly. “In a few days, the blood mist around the base will be completely gone!”
The mutated garlic had successfully sprouted five seedlings. One of them had already been reserved by Base 26, which was expected to pick it up in the next couple of days. The remaining seedlings were being kept at the base for now.
After the seedlings had grown, their scent was noticeably less potent than before the garlic went dormant. However, they were still stronger than when the garlic was in its resting phase.
Starting yesterday, the plantation, in collaboration with the base guards and operations team, had deployed robots carrying the four mutated garlic seedlings throughout the base. Following a carefully planned route, they worked to systematically clear the blood mist.
Of course, they encountered a small challenge while implementing this plan—
The mutated garlic didn’t release its strong scent consistently. In fact, its scent was entirely unpredictable, sometimes strong and sometimes subdued.
The challenge was figuring out how to make the five seedlings release their scent in coordination with the plan.
This issue, however, was ultimately solved by Cen Liang.
First, they discovered that the scent-release frequency of the four mutated garlic seedlings was almost synchronized. By influencing one seedling, the other four would follow and emit the same strong garlic scent.
Now, if anyone happened to encounter the robots carrying the five seedlings as they moved along the base’s main roads, they would notice one peculiar detail: one of the robots repeatedly playing a voice recording.
“Okay.”
“No problem.”
“Oh.”
“…”
The voice was unmistakably that of a young man. And if someone familiar with the nursery, like Gu Qingshen, were to listen closely, they might suddenly realize—
Wait, isn’t that Caretaker Su’s voice?
Gu Qingshen thought he must have misheard, but after listening more carefully for a while, he confirmed—
No mistake! That lazy yet cold voice was absolutely Su Ci’s!
Why use Caretaker Su’s voice? Well, it turned out that every time the robots played a snippet of Su Ci’s voice, the mutated garlic would immediately release its scent.
And it worked every single time!
Whenever the garlic’s scent began to fade, playing just one phrase from “Su Ci” would instantly invigorate the five mutated garlic seedlings, causing them to release their most potent aroma.
Because of this, Gu Qingshen ended up witnessing the bizarre scene firsthand.
