Chapter 3
Xun Xiaoyu was skeptical of Su Ci’s explanation, her gaze scrutinizing the new caretaker before her.
He was in his early twenties, strikingly attractive, with delicate features, bright eyes, pearly white teeth, and flawless skin that glowed with a pearlescent radiance under the corridor lights. The kind of beauty that left an indelible impression on anyone who saw him.
But he seemed…
Too delicate, too frail! He didn’t fit in at all—not with the cub-rearing facility, nor with the entire aesthetic of Prison Star.
He looked like he belonged on the capital planet, teaching well-mannered, carefully nurtured noble children in a luxurious daycare—not here, struggling in the harsh conditions of Prison Star, dealing with the unruly little monsters in the cub-rearing facility.
Xun Xiaoyu didn’t doubt Su Ci’s professional qualifications, but the needs of Base Twenty-Four’s cub-rearing facility went far beyond what a typical caretaker could provide. Had the personnel department made an irresponsible choice this time?
Su Ci ignored her appraising look and turned to enter the dining hall. Seeing this, Xun Xiaoyu hurriedly followed.
Inside, the Operations Division team was conducting medical checks on the two unconscious cubs.
The little girl from earlier had placed the battered 4583’s head down and now ran over to the team, her eyes red and teary. She stood beside one of the unconscious cubs and cried, “Big brother…”
Her voice quivered with fear and worry, on the verge of breaking into sobs.
Nanny Robot 4586 hovered beside her, speaking in a soothing tone, “Don’t cry, sweetie. Number-Four is just sleeping.”
Number-Four? Hearing the name, Su Ci recalled the lion-eared, lion-tailed boy who had been thrown into the hallway earlier.
So, this little lion cub was her brother.
After a preliminary examination, the Operations Division personnel confirmed that the two unconscious cubs were merely asleep and showed no traces of tranquilizers in their systems.
As for their injuries, while their faces were bruised and swollen, there were no fatal wounds. Compared to their usual frenzies, the injuries this time were relatively minor—and no innocent bystanders had been caught in the chaos.
Discussing the results among themselves, the team members seemed puzzled. None of them paid much attention to Su Ci as he entered.
With the cub-rearing facility going through 10 to 20 caretakers a year, the latest recruit, while undeniably attractive, didn’t look like he’d last long. Naturally, they didn’t see much need to engage with him.
Su Ci, however, was content with the quiet. His gaze shifted to a corner of the room, where a solitary child sat playing with a toy.
The child, previously absorbed in his own world, suddenly raised his head as Su Ci entered, turning toward him. His pale blue eyes were as clear and brilliant as the purest sapphires, but his gaze was unfocused, blank.
It was as if he were looking at Su Ci—or perhaps just tilting his head slightly to listen.
Su Ci studied the boy, his brows knitting slightly. This child… is blind?
After a moment, the boy slowly lowered his head again and resumed playing with his toy, oblivious to the commotion around him. Completely shut off from the world, he seemed neither to hear nor care about anything, fully immersed in his own isolated existence.
Su Ci observed him for a while before lowering his gaze, which landed on the dismantled robot in the corner.
The robot appeared to have been thrown against the wall and damaged, its components scattered across the ground. Only the main torso and its round head remained intact.
Like 4586, its surface was painted with bright flowers, but scorch marks and signs of melting were visible on its head and scattered parts.
Noticing Su Ci’s gaze, the battered robot spoke cheerfully, “Hello! I am Nanny Robot No. 4583. Pleased to meet you!”
Unlike 4586, 4583’s voice had a deeper, more masculine tone, though it carried the same warmth. Combined with its mangled state, the robot’s upbeat demeanor seemed almost comically optimistic.
“Hello,” Su Ci replied, crouching down in front of it.
“I’ve never seen you before. Are you the new caretaker, Su Ci?” the nanny robot asked.
After a brief hesitation, Su Ci gave a quiet “Mm.”
He was Su Ci, and a caretaker… well, probably?
“Su Ci, you are very beautiful. Please accept my most sincere compliment!” 4583’s lively voice was tinged with faint static, its energy infectious.
“Thank you,” Su Ci said, glancing at the melted metal on the robot’s body. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he asked, “Does it hurt?”
“Su Ci, robots don’t feel pain.”
“I see.”
Xun Xiaoyu watched Su Ci chat with the broken-headed 4583, her mouth twitching slightly. She refrained from commenting, though her expression was a mix of bewilderment and resignation.
She had already reviewed the surveillance footage. Just as Su Ci claimed, he had stood in the hallway observing, and the two cubs had suddenly passed out for no apparent reason.
“Any findings?” she asked one of her team members.
“No abnormalities detected. We’ve notified the Medical Purification Center and the repair team. They’ll send people shortly,” the team member replied.
Xun Xiaoyu nodded, looking over the wrecked dining hall and the dents in the metal walls. She couldn’t help but sigh.
It seemed the base’s already meager budget was about to take another hit.
Before long, the Medical Purification team arrived. Efficient as ever, they placed the two unconscious cubs onto hovering stretchers.
One of the medics, dressed in pristine white uniforms, muttered in surprise, “Only two this time? And their injuries aren’t severe? That’s rare.”
Then one of them turned to Su Ci.
“You’re the new caretaker, right? Please sign here. We’ll take these little… these children for treatment and notify you when they’re ready to return. You’ll need to come to the Medical Purification Center to pick them up.”
The cubs at the facility all possessed powerful beast bloodlines, granting them the ability to transform into beast-like forms. However, their young age and volatile tempers made it difficult for them to suppress the negative effects of their bloodlines, often resulting in frenzies.
These frenzies not only harmed the cubs themselves but also caused extensive damage to the base—each incident left the infrastructure in varying states of disrepair.
Only the Operations Division could suppress rampaging cubs, as ordinary people couldn’t handle them.
The worst incident had involved all seven cubs going berserk simultaneously, nearly tearing the entire cub-rearing facility apart. It had taken the intervention of team leaders from every Operations Division squad to subdue the chaos.
Since then, the cubs at Base Twenty-Four’s facility had earned a nickname: “little monsters.”
Of course, this nickname was only used in private. In front of the cubs, everyone was careful to show restraint.
Recalling how Shi Yijiang had signed earlier, Su Ci wrote his name on the tablet handed to him. Though the script was unfamiliar, the motions felt natural, as if ingrained in muscle memory.
With that, the two beast-transformed children were taken away on the hovering stretchers.
The little girl who had been with them seemed reluctant to let them go, but 4586 gently stopped her.
“Number-Five, don’t wander off.”
Though the girl watched her brother being taken away with teary eyes, she didn’t throw a tantrum. Instead, she obediently let the nanny robot guide her to its side.
She appeared to be five or six years old, her features delicate and doll-like. Her long, curly, flaxen hair cascaded around her shoulders, and her round, amber eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She looked scared, as though deeply shaken.
Lowering his gaze, Su Ci noticed that her small hand resting at her side seemed red and irritated.
Xun Xiaoyu noticed it too. After seeing the medics off, she gently took the girl’s hand and scanned it with a device.
“Mild burn detected. Use K143U medical spray for immediate treatment.” A soft beep accompanied the electronic voice from the device.
Xun Xiaoyu let out a breath of relief. Taking a small spray bottle from her pouch, she skillfully applied the spray to the girl’s hand, administering first aid.
Number Two possessed the bloodline of the Blazing Flame Tiger, and Xun Xiaoyu had seen on the surveillance footage that he had unleashed his fiery abilities during his frenzy.
The flames had almost struck Number Five, but Nanny Robot 4583 had shielded her in time, taking the hit instead. It had then been flung by Number Two’s tiger tail, crashing into the wall and breaking apart.
The girl must have burned her hand while holding the robot’s damaged head.
Although it was unfortunate to lose another nanny robot, Xun Xiaoyu understood that the cubs hadn’t done it intentionally—they simply couldn’t control themselves.
“There, it’ll stop hurting soon,” she reassured the girl gently.
Xun Xiaoyu put away the medical spray and gently patted the little girl’s head, her gaze softening with rare tenderness.
Number Five was an adorable child, her chubby face still showing traces of baby fat, pink and round. She was well-behaved, and along with Number Three, was one of the few relatively manageable children in the cub-rearing facility.
Xun Xiaoyu sighed inwardly as she glanced at the other three cubs, Numbers Six, Seven, and Eight, who were on the verge of another fight before her team intervened to separate them.
At that moment, the maintenance crew from the Logistics Department arrived.
Seeing the pitted, battered dining hall, they showed no surprise. After greeting the Operations Division members, they got straight to work. The walls, floors, and even the ceiling needed repair, so the remaining five cubs could no longer stay in the area.
The Operations team acted quickly. Each member picked up a cub and carried them out, preparing to transfer them back to their respective rooms.
“I don’t want to go back to my room!”
“I’m hungry! I want to stay and eat!”
“Let me go!”
Although the cubs struggled, since they weren’t in a berserk state, the Operations team easily restrained them. Soon, they had all disappeared through the dining hall door.
Xun Xiaoyu picked up Number Five.
The little girl didn’t resist but looked longingly at the damaged Nanny Robot 4583 on the floor as the maintenance crew inspected it.
“Broken this badly, it’s probably beyond repair… another one bites the dust,” one of the maintenance workers muttered.
The little girl’s lips trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.
However, 4583 didn’t seem to hear the worker’s comment. It blinked its electronic eyes and said cheerfully to the girl, “Sweet baby, don’t cry. 4583 needs to take a nap now. You should go eat your meal too… beep—”
The maintenance worker switched off 4583, cutting its voice short. Its bright electronic eyes dimmed before going completely dark.
The little girl stared blankly at the now-lifeless robot.
Eventually, she sniffled and rested her head on Xun Xiaoyu’s shoulder, closing her eyes as she was carried away in silence.
Su Ci watched them leave, then crouched beside the remains of 4583.
He observed as the maintenance workers gathered its scattered parts, carefully placing its relatively intact head into a toolbox and sealing the lid.
“Is it really beyond repair?” Su Ci asked.
“Broken this badly? How could it be fixed?” one of the workers muttered in frustration, but when he looked up and saw Su Ci, he paused.
The face before him was unfamiliar, but so strikingly beautiful that the worker was certain he’d remember if he had seen it before. And Su Ci wasn’t wearing a uniform…
“Are you the new apprentice caretaker?”
“Hello, hello! I’m Luo Shengfei from the Logistics Maintenance Team. I handle most of the repairs for the cub-rearing facility. You can call me A-Fei. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”
Luo Shengfei removed his gloves and extended a hand enthusiastically.
“…Hello,” Su Ci said, loosely shaking his hand with a grip informed by the etiquette he recalled. “I’m Su Ci.”
“Su Ci? What a lovely name!” Luo Shengfei said with a hearty laugh.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Su Ci steered the conversation back to the damaged nanny robot in the toolbox.
Luo Shengfei clapped Su Ci on the shoulder with a grin. “Alright, for you, I’ll see if I can figure out another way to fix it.”
Su Ci blinked in confusion, but nodded politely and said, “Thank you.”
“A-Fei, the machine is ready,” another maintenance worker called out.
Luo Shengfei shouldered his toolbox and led Su Ci out of the dining hall.
In the corridor, an unfamiliar machine had been set up, connected to the metal walls.
As Luo Shengfei and Su Ci exited, the walls and floor of the dining hall began to ripple and shift. Slowly, the dents smoothed out, and even the holes in the walls began to mend themselves.
By the time the machine powered down, the previously damaged dining hall had been restored to nearly pristine condition, save for the scorch marks left by the flames.
Luo Shengfei clicked his tongue in amazement. “Number Two’s strength is getting out of hand. They’re powerful enough to burn through self-repairing metal now.”
Another worker, inspecting the repairs, groaned, “Yeah, it’s only going to get worse for us. Fixing this stuff is expensive and a hassle.”
The maintenance workers huddled together, discussing how best to fix the remaining damage, while Su Ci listened attentively from the side.
“Su Ci, the cubs have been sent back to their rooms,” a voice called from upstairs.
The Operations Division team had returned.
Xun Xiaoyu approached him and said, “Numbers Six, Seven, and Eight are still agitated. We don’t know if they’ll go berserk again, so keep an eye on them. If there’s any problem, contact us immediately.”
After exchanging contact information with Su Ci, she left with her team.
Su Ci was just about to examine his communicator when a notification pinged. It was a message from 4586:
[Su Su, Su Su, hurry to the kitchen! It’s time to prepare dinner!]
Su Ci had no choice but to temporarily set aside his communicator. After bidding farewell to Luo Shengfei and the other maintenance workers, he stepped into the elevator.
As the elevator doors closed, the workers glanced at his retreating figure and began whispering among themselves.
“Isn’t this caretaker way too thin?”
“Yeah, I remember the previous ones were all tall and burly, able to lift me with one hand…”
“Maybe they’re trying a new approach? This Su caretaker is really good-looking. Maybe the little monsters will like him?”
“Tch, remember the caretaker from two hires ago? They were pretty good-looking too, but they ended up in the medical center every other day and quit in less than a week.”
“Alright, enough gossiping. Get back to work,” Luo Shengfei cut in, silencing the group.
*
Downstairs, Su Ci stepped out of the elevator, tilting his head slightly. The workers’ conversation had carried clearly to his ears.
Little monsters… caretaker?
His eyes held a thoughtful look as he made his way to the kitchen. By the time he arrived, 4586 had already prepared the food. It was as energetic as ever, just like when Su Ci first met it.
Upon seeing him, 4586 chirped, “Su Su, all the babies are back in their rooms now! They must be starving. We need to deliver their dinner!”
It pushed the food cart toward the door, turning back to call, “Su Su, hurry up! We’re already past their meal time—they’ll be so hungry!”
Amused by its urgency, Su Ci followed with a faint smile.
The puppet-like robot was so lifelike, its voice brimming with emotion, yet it showed no concern over the loss of its companion. All its focus was on the cubs, as if… they were its entire world.
Since waking, Su Ci had found the world vastly changed.
It wasn’t the first time he’d slept for millennia, only to awaken to find an old civilization fallen and a new one rising. But this time felt different.
The sky had turned red, the earth had fractured, and even he himself had inexplicably gained a new identity as an apprentice caretaker in a human territory.
This new human civilization was unlike any he had encountered before. Their bloodlines, too, seemed to have undergone significant changes.
Why had the earth become what it was? Until he understood the situation, Su Ci had no intention of blaming the humans in this base.
“Su Su!”
4586’s voice echoed down the corridor, urging him onward. Su Ci sighed lightly and stepped out.
The elevator ascended steadily and soon stopped on the fourth floor.
“Number-Two, Number-Three, Number-Four, and Number-Five live on this floor. With Number-Two and Number-Four gone, you only need to deliver dinner to Number-Three and Number-Five,” 4586 explained, its cheerful tone unchanged.
Su Ci took the two meal boxes from the nanny robot, each labeled with a number. After a moment of thought, he asked, “Don’t they have names?”
“Numbers Two, Three, Four, and Five are the babies’ names!” 4586 replied matter-of-factly.
Su Ci glanced at the robot.
Though he didn’t fully understand the rules of this new world, even he could tell these were serial numbers, not names.
But perhaps this wasn’t a question for 4586. After all, its own name was merely a longer string of numbers.
“Then why isn’t there a Number One?” Su Ci asked instead.
“Because Baby Number One doesn’t need feeding,” 4586 answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It then pushed Su Ci out of the elevator. “Su Su, the babies will starve if you keep dawdling!”
The elevator doors closed before Su Ci could respond.
Watching the elevator ascend further, Su Ci stood still for a moment with the two meal boxes in hand. Suddenly, he turned his head, gazing toward the end of the corridor.
It was empty—nothing but a barren stretch.
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Su Ci turned back and began walking down the opposite corridor.
The doors to the rooms were nearly indistinguishable from the walls, blending seamlessly except for the numbers marking them.
Passing by the rooms labeled “Number 1” and “Number 2,” Su Ci stopped at the door to Number 3’s room.
The two meal boxes bore corresponding numbers. Placing the box labeled for Number 5 by its door, Su Ci tapped lightly on the door to Number 3’s room.
The door didn’t open, but a screen lit up in its center.
[Identity verification in progress…]
A familiar white light scanned across Su Ci’s face.
[Beep—Identity Verified]
[Welcome, Apprentice Caretaker Su Ci. Emotional stability of Cub Number Three has been confirmed. Would you like to open Room 403 of the Cub-Rearing Facility now?]
Su Ci selected “Confirm.”
The metal door silently slid apart, merging seamlessly into the walls on either side and revealing an opening just wide enough for one person to pass through.
Su Ci peered inside.
The room was neither too large nor too small, roughly a quarter the size of the dining hall. Its style matched the facility’s overall aesthetic—cold, metallic, and unadorned. The walls rose high without a single window.
The entire room was visible at a glance: aside from a bed, a small set of children’s table and chairs, and a cabinet, there was little furniture or decoration.
Su Ci scanned the room briefly but saw no sign of the child.
Number Three…
The image of pale blue, unfocused eyes surfaced in his mind.
“Is anyone here?” he called softly. With no door to knock on, Su Ci rapped lightly on the wall. He knocked twice, but there was no response.
After a brief pause, he stepped inside with the meal box in hand.
