Chapter 40
Number Two stared blankly at Su Ci.
The young man crouching before him was unlike any adult he had encountered before.
First of all, he was beautiful—so much so that even Number Two, who held a natural animosity toward everyone in this base, couldn’t deny it.
Beyond his looks, it was the caretaker’s nearly lazy, nonchalant posture that stood out.
Although he was clearly someone without the strength of bloodline powers or a robust physique, Number Two keenly sensed something extraordinary about him—a certain aura.
It was the kind of presence that made it feel like whatever this young man said would inevitably become reality—an air of authority belonging only to the strong.
However, Number Two’s daze didn’t last long. He quickly snapped out of it and fully regained his awareness.
Lying against the cold floor, pinned down by the oppressive weight of the guards, he looked up at the new caretaker. The bewilderment and confusion faded from his face, replaced by a sharp, mocking smirk.
“How about you tell them to let me go first?” he said coldly.
The boy’s voice, icy and hoarse, had returned to a normal human tone, free of the tiger roars that had filled the air moments before.
The guards restraining Number Two exchanged uneasy glances.
Although the boy had stopped struggling, their extensive experience made them wary of relaxing their grip. Yet, his tone… it sounded like he really had calmed down.
They couldn’t help but glance incredulously at Su Ci. This fragile-looking, pretty young man had managed to calm the nearly berserk Number Two without even using the sedative—just with a single sentence?
How had he done it?
They had been watching closely. All this caretaker had done was speak to Number Two!
Honestly, if reasoning with him had been an option, they never would have resorted to physically restraining a child barely over ten years old in the first place!
Shaken by this unprecedented development, the guards momentarily let their guard down, their grip on Number Two easing slightly.
But just as they relaxed, the previously compliant Number Two suddenly lashed out again!
His strong tiger tail whipped around one of the guards, coiling tightly around his waist before flinging him across the hall. The guard, caught off guard, crashed into a pillar with a resounding thud.
Instinctively, the guard shielded his head, but to his surprise, the impact and subsequent fall to the floor caused him little pain.
He blinked in confusion, but by then, Number Two had already seized the opportunity to free himself from the remaining guards. With a deft roll, he landed on his feet in the open space nearby.
Standing tall, he glanced at the guards and raised his chin in a clear gesture of defiance.
The guards’ faces darkened with fury and frustration.
As expected, a little monster was still a little monster—there was no way he’d obediently listen! That earlier compliance must have been an act to make them lower their guard.
As they helped their dazed and bewildered comrade to his feet, the guards prepared to charge at Number Two again. Before they could move, however, the young man in the gray-blue uniform stepped between them and the boy once more.
The caretaker? Again?
Did this caretaker seriously believe that without them holding Number Two down, the boy would calmly listen to reason? If a berserk Number Two escaped, this little monster would wreak havoc throughout the base!
The medical staff finally snapped out of their stupor and shouted anxiously, “Caretaker Su, get out of the way! If you’re burned by the Crimson Flame Tiger’s fire, even the medical pods can’t fully heal the damage!”
This was one of the reasons Number Two had become increasingly difficult to control as he grew older.
Everyone, including Gu Qingchen, who had somehow wandered over to the doorway, held their breath.
Watching the tense faces around him and hearing the tremor in the medic’s voice, Su Ci tilted his head slightly. Was this the moment when he was supposed to look scared?
But…
The violent boy with his tiger ears, far from cute, didn’t act as everyone expected. He didn’t attack.
Instead, he stood still, rolling his wrists and ankles while warily eyeing the people around him. When his gaze fell on the medic, he bared his teeth menacingly.
The medic instinctively took a step back in fear, but the boy didn’t pounce. Instead, Su Ci walked over to the medic and handed back the unused syringe.
The medic, dazed, accepted the syringe. Then he noticed the boy glaring at him even more fiercely, as if ready to leap at any moment and bite through his throat.
Seeing the medic trembling in fear, the boy smirked with a hint of mocking satisfaction. His reddish-brown eyes glinted with untamed wildness.
Su Ci, however, seemed oblivious. After returning the syringe, he turned toward Gu Qingchen at the door.
“Dr. Gu, I’m taking Number Two back to the nursery facility. Do I need a signature for that?” Su Ci asked.
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Gu Qingchen blinked in confusion.
His gaze darted nervously toward Number Two, who stood there with a cold, rebellious expression. The boy’s long tiger tail dragged along the floor, flicking restlessly as if ready to strike anyone nearby. It was unnerving to watch.
And yet, the boy wasn’t lashing out.
Gu Qingchen hesitated for a moment before forcing himself to appear calm. He shuffled closer to Su Ci and lowered his voice. “Are you really planning to take him back just like that?”
To be honest, Gu Qingchen had no idea how to handle the situation.
Although Number Two seemed to have regained his composure, even in a calm state, his temper was notoriously bad.
At the same time, the Medical Purification Department couldn’t afford to keep hosting such a troublesome figure.
Su Ci looked at Number Two and asked, “You’re coming back with me to the nursery facility, aren’t you?”
Right now, it seemed like Su Ci was the only one who could speak to Number Two in such a light, casual tone.
Number Two was still catching his breath—the earlier confrontation had drained him considerably.
When he heard the caretaker’s question, he kept a cold expression, unwilling to respond. However, when his eyes met Su Ci’s warm and deep black gaze, his heart inexplicably skipped a beat, and the fur on his tiger tail stood on end.
Instinctively, the boy let out a faint “Mm.”
The moment he realized he had actually answered, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Su Ci, however, seemed perfectly satisfied. Retracting his gaze, he turned to Gu Qingchen with a faint smile.
Gu Qingchen: “…”
It all seemed so unreliable, but as a caretaker, Su Ci did have the authority to reclaim a cub. In matters regarding their care, his decisions and jurisdiction superseded those of the Medical Purification Department.
Of course, if anything went wrong, the caretaker would also bear full responsibility and consequences.
Gu Qingchen glanced at Number Two. The boy had shaken off his astonishment, now turning his face away with a defiant and disdainful attitude.
But the tiger ear swiveling slightly in their direction betrayed his true focus.
He was clearly paying attention to their conversation.
Since Gu Qingchen had no procedural grounds to stop Su Ci, and Number Two had expressed a willingness to comply, there was no valid reason to object.
In the end, Gu Qingchen could only pull up the panel and let Su Ci sign the release form.
As they completed the handoff, Xun Xiaoyu arrived with the Operations Team.
“Dr. Gu, is everything okay?” Xun Xiaoyu’s eyes swept over the messy lobby, immediately deducing that a fight must have broken out earlier.
What surprised her, however, was that Number Two was awake. He wasn’t in a berserk state, nor had he been sedated into unconsciousness.
Could it be another cub had caused the commotion?
Seeing Su Ci present, Xun Xiaoyu wasn’t shocked. She even greeted him with a friendly smile.
“Everything’s fine now. Sorry for troubling you to come all this way,” Gu Qingchen said apologetically. Since he was the one who had called the Operations Team, he felt obligated to explain.
“You’re too kind. If anything comes up, don’t hesitate to contact us again,” Xun Xiaoyu replied politely.
Seeing there was nothing left for them to do, she led the team away.
After finalizing the handoff, Su Ci glanced at the boy and said, “Let’s go.”
He then walked outside, A-Yan following beside him.
Number Two watched Su Ci’s retreating figure, then glanced at the unfriendly gazes of those around him. His lips pressed into a thin line.
His mind was still replaying what had just happened.
Why had he, almost without realizing it, answered the caretaker’s question? It felt like he had lost somehow!
Bang!
His tiger tail slammed hard against the floor, leaving another shallow dent in the metal and startling the medical staff and guards.
Seeing their panicked expressions, Number Two smirked slightly before ultimately trailing after the caretaker out of the lobby.
For now, he would head back to the nursery facility.
The medical staff and guards stood frozen, watching them leave. Only after they were out of sight did they realize—Number Two, the little terror, was finally gone!
As he reached the doorway, Number Two heard muffled cheers of relief behind him.
The boy’s face turned scornful once more.
Looking ahead at the caretaker walking in front, he was about to insist he wouldn’t take the teleportation platform when he noticed Su Ci heading straight toward the hover bus stop instead.
“…”
Number Two clamped his mouth shut, reluctantly following Su Ci to the bus stop.
The two stood side by side, though with two or three steps worth of space between them.
A-Yan stood on Su Ci’s other side and cautiously peeked around him to glance at Number Two.
The boy had a dark, sullen expression, and his long tiger tail, patterned with black and red stripes, swayed absently behind him. Though he said nothing, his displeasure was palpable.
A-Yan quickly withdrew his gaze and inched closer to Su Ci.
In his palm, he still clutched the spatial button tightly. Su Ci had told him to practice using it more…
So, taking advantage of the waiting time, A-Yan began to recall how Su Ci had guided him before. He quietly fiddled with the button, trying to figure it out.
The stop was otherwise deserted, with only the three of them waiting, giving the scene a quiet, almost lonely air.
Su Ci, one hand tucked in his pocket, stifled a yawn. The lukewarm sunlight fell on him, his every movement exuding a languid indifference tinged with inexplicable elegance.
Number Two glanced at him and frowned deeply.
In the ten years of his life, he had never encountered anyone with this kind of demeanor. So weak, yet without a trace of the tension others showed in his presence.
“Hey,” the boy suddenly spoke up.
Su Ci slid his hand back into his pocket before lazily turning his head, his half-lidded eyes giving the impression that he hadn’t fully woken up.
“You’re the new caretaker?” Number Two asked, suspicion evident in his gaze.
Su Ci nodded slightly.
“…”
“…”
A faint breeze drifted past.
When it seemed that the boy had nothing more to say, Su Ci looked away and yawned again, his sleepiness unbothered.
Number Two: “…”
Feeling ignored, the boy snorted coldly and turned his gaze away with forced nonchalance.
Just then, Gu Qingchen emerged from the Purification Department building. He paused at the doorway, only to spot Su Ci waiting for a bus with Number Two in the distance. His face betrayed his surprise.
Normally, when retrieving cubs, caretakers would use the teleportation platform. It minimized the risk of any incidents occurring en route.
Gu Qingchen hesitated for a moment before deciding to walk over.
“Caretaker Su,” he greeted.
Su Ci slowly turned to look at him but didn’t have the chance to reply before the red-haired boy, who had been keeping his distance, suddenly took two steps closer. Staring directly at Gu Qingchen, he asked sharply:
“Hey, where’s Number Four?”
Hearing Number Two speak suddenly, Gu Qingchen froze for a moment.
To be honest, he had worked at Base 24 for many years and interacted with these cubs often due to his role. Yet, this was the first time he had heard Number Two speak so calmly.
The tone wasn’t exactly friendly, but at least it was conversational. For some reason, Gu Qingchen felt a faint stir of emotion in his chest. Was he… touched?
He turned to look at Number Two and found the boy gazing back at him intently.
The boy’s tiger-like eyes and sharp brows were striking, and though he was only around ten years old, his features already hinted at a future of strong and angular handsomeness. His wild red-brown eyes, which usually brimmed with rage and violence, now carried a trace of steadiness, giving his gaze an inexplicable intensity.
Gu Qingchen blinked in surprise before remembering the boy’s earlier question.
Number Four…
He paused, the light reflecting off his gold-rimmed glasses obscuring his expression. A warm smile appeared on his face as he replied, “Number Four hasn’t fully recovered yet. He needs more time to rest before he can return to the rearing facility.”
Though his smile was gentle, the sharp-eyed Number Two squinted slightly and cut straight to the point, “You’re hiding something.”
Su Ci, previously uninterested in the conversation, turned his head at this remark and stared at Gu Qingchen. With two sets of piercing gazes now fixed on him—and a third from A-Yan peering curiously—Gu Qingchen’s smile stiffened.
“I… I have nothing to hide.”
He shook his head, adopting the air of an adult dismissing a child’s remark, and quickly shifted his attention to Su Ci.
“Caretaker Su, I’ll accompany you back to the nursery facility. The cubs need purification,” Gu Qingchen said, attempting to change the subject.
After all, in Base 24, apart from the diseased plants in the plantation, only the cubs at the nursery facility warranted Gu Qingchen’s personal purification efforts.
However, his attempt at steering the conversation felt awkwardly forced.
Su Ci studied Gu Qingchen’s less-than-natural smile, his mind recalling the image of a small boy with lion ears and a lion tail. So, Number Four really was still recovering at the Medical Purification Department?
“Alright then, let’s take the teleportation platform. It’ll be faster,” Gu Qingchen suggested, avoiding the trio’s—especially Su Ci’s—gaze.
He grabbed Su Ci’s arm and began leading him toward the teleportation platform. But after just two steps, he realized Number Two wasn’t following. The boy stood stubbornly in place.
“Number Two?” Gu Qingchen called hesitantly.
“I’m not going!” the boy answered firmly.
Gu Qingchen stared, dumbfounded. “Weren’t you just saying you wanted to go back to the nursery facility?”
Has he changed his mind already?
At that moment, the hover bus appeared in the distance and slowly pulled up to the stop.
When the doors opened, Gu Qingchen felt a blur of motion flash past him. He looked up to find that Number Two had already boarded the bus, selecting a window seat for himself.
So when he said he wasn’t going, he meant he didn’t want to use the teleportation platform?
“Let’s go,” Su Ci said from behind, patting Gu Qingchen on the shoulder. Resigned, Gu Qingchen climbed aboard.
Walking ahead, he didn’t notice Su Ci casually grabbing A-Yan by the back of his cub uniform and lifting him onto the bus.
The bus was nearly empty. Number Two sat alone on the left side, mid-bus, staring out the window. Gu Qingchen took a seat on the right side, across from him.
As for Su Ci? He ignored Gu Qingchen entirely and settled in the row behind him.
This time, Su Ci paid a little more attention. He let the child climb into the seat first before sitting down on the aisle side.
A-Yan happily scrambled onto the chair and sat obediently.
The hover bus started.
Seeing Su Ci close his eyes for another light nap, Gu Qingchen let out a small sigh of relief. Thankfully, Su Ci hadn’t pursued the topic of Number Four. Gu Qingchen genuinely didn’t know how he would have responded if he had.
Unconsciously, his gaze shifted toward Number Two. Did the boy already know something?
But Number Two wasn’t paying attention to either of the adults, nor did he notice the unseen presence of A-Yan.
His entire focus was on the scenery outside the window.
With Su Ci’s soul power suppressing his bloodline, Number Two’s chaotic mind had cleared to an unprecedented degree. His thoughts were sharper than they’d ever been.
For the first time, he felt… normal.
Number Two had been sent to the nursery facility on Prison Star when he was just four years old.
His bloodline had erupted uncontrollably, and he had smashed the nanny robot caring for him into pieces. As a result, his adoptive family returned him.
Later, his frequent bloodline outbursts led to rejection from every welfare home. After being shuffled around for months, he was finally placed at the rearing facility on Prison Star.
To be honest, Number Two’s memories before the age of four were hazy. He barely remembered the time when he had first been sent to Prison Star either.
His earliest coherent memories were of the constant torment of his bloodline eruptions.
The physical agony drove him to emotional outbursts, which he could only release through extreme behavior. That’s why he had such a volatile temper and loved to fight.
Initially, it might have been a childish attempt to gain attention from the adults around him. Over time, however, he had become dependent on his berserk state.
Because when he was berserk, he lost all consciousness. Even if his body was injured, he couldn’t feel any pain. The constant burning sensation that tormented him day and night would vanish along with his awareness.
He craved that pain-free state.
But as he grew older, Number Two began to realize that the more he relied on his berserk state, the less time he spent lucid.
The power of his bloodline was consuming him.
Number Two had once eavesdropped on the medical staff’s conversations.
He knew that once he completely lost himself—once he entered a berserk state and could no longer regain consciousness—he would become nothing more than a wild beast. A creature stripped of all control over its own body, left vulnerable to slaughter like livestock.
The small boy felt a deep fear and helplessness, but there was no one to help him.
They were the little monsters of Base 24, feared by the adults there. Even the caretakers tasked with caring for them showed no genuine concern.
Number Two couldn’t trust anyone, nor could he reveal any weakness. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as his condition deteriorated with no means of improvement.
He had tried to resist and fight back, but the results were minimal.
This time, after waking from his berserk state, his fear deepened. He could sense it—he was on the brink.
Another one or two berserk episodes, and he might completely lose himself, transforming into a beast forever…
The bus window reflected the boy’s pale face. The tiger cub, usually so tough and ferocious, now displayed a rare vulnerability.
However, he quickly masked those emotions.
At this moment, Number Two felt an unusual clarity of mind. The constant burning of his bloodline had, for now, been quelled under Su Ci’s influence.
It hadn’t disappeared entirely; he could still sense the power of the Crimson Flame Tiger’s bloodline within him. But now, it felt tamed—calm and mild.
That power still radiated heat, but it no longer brought searing pain. Instead, it gave him a sense of strength.
Number Two clenched his fists, marveling at how remarkably good he felt.
But he didn’t allow himself to relax or naively believe he had mastered his bloodline.
He knew his own abilities too well to think that was possible.
This unprecedented state felt strange, and his heart remained heavy.
He knew the next berserk episode would come. When it did, he might never wake up again.
Staring out the window, the boy committed the passing scenery and routes to memory, absorbing every detail his eyes could catch.
Number Two had rarely, if ever, ridden a hover bus. At least, not that he could remember. However, he had gathered intelligence about them and knew they connected every part of Base 24—including the exits.
Now, he was focused on memorizing the terrain, preparing for a possible escape.
In the limited time he had while lucid, Number Two had carefully devised a plan—
If he couldn’t control his bloodline and retain his self-awareness, and if he was destined to become a mindless beast, then he would escape Base 24 before that happened.
Though the outside was shrouded in eerie red mist and filled with dangerous creatures, he would rather face those monsters than be taken by the research institute for experimentation.
Number Two firmly believed that with the strength of a fully transformed Crimson Flame Tiger, he could carve out a place for himself in the red mist. Whether the monsters ate him or he ate them—well, that remained to be seen.
Determination hardened his gaze, a mix of calm madness and an intense longing for freedom glinting in his tiger-like eyes.
Su Ci, who had been napping, opened his eyes at that moment. He turned slightly, glancing at the boy nearly pressed against the window, his tiger tail swishing behind him.
The hover bus stopped at a station outside the Logistics Department building, and a few maintenance workers boarded.
They were laughing and chatting but immediately went quiet upon noticing the three passengers, particularly the tiger-eared boy in the left-side seat.
“Whoa,” one muttered before clamming up entirely.
With unspoken agreement, the workers choose seats on the right side, avoiding the boy. Though silent now, their busy fingers fiddling with communicators hinted at lively discussions in a group chat.
Sensing the unfamiliar presence, Number Two tensed and eyed the maintenance workers warily.
A moment later, he snorted softly, dismissively looked away, and returned his gaze to the window.
Gu Qingchen was also observing the boy’s reactions. It was his first time escorting a cub via hover bus back to the rearing facility, and he couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Turning his head, he noticed Su Ci, the “proper” trainee caretaker, napping again, utterly at ease. Gu Qingchen found himself both impressed and exasperated by the caretaker’s calm demeanor.
There was no way he could sleep under these circumstances.
Finally, the bus arrived at the rearing facility, and it was time to disembark. Number Two seemed on the verge of making trouble but hesitated and, for once, chose to comply.
If he wanted to escape Base 24, he first had to get away from the nursery facility, which meant avoiding the caretakers’ attention.
For now, he decided to bide his time, choosing temporary submission in exchange for future freedom.
Yawning, Su Ci stood and began to step off the bus, only to see the red-haired boy suddenly leap out of his seat, shoving his way in front.
The little boy straightened his back, puffed out his chest, and, with his round, fuzzy tiger ears twitching, gave Su Ci a brief, cool glance before striding toward the door.
