Chapter 63
When Su Ci said this, not only did the caretaker robot’s electronic eyes turn into two question marks, but even A-Yan looked at him in confusion.
However, A-Yan quickly realized something.
He blinked—so, that golden little monkey earlier was actually Number Six?!
A-Yan was surprised.
The little monkey felt completely different from Number Six. The monkey was much cuter and better-behaved.
But now it made sense why the caretaker at the cultivation garden had given the little monkey a fruit so readily—it had already been Number Six’s share.
Still, why had Number Six turned into a little monkey, left the nursery, and traveled all the way to the cultivation garden? And then vanished afterward…
As for 4586, it was much more straightforward. It directly asked Su Ci, “Why does Number Six only get one fruit?”
Su Ci was equally blunt, “Because I already gave one earlier.”
Since it had already been given, there was no reason to hand out another.
“Oh, I see!”
The simple-minded caretaker robot quickly accepted this explanation, and its voice became cheerful again.
“Let’s deliver them with dinner then! The little ones will be so happy to have such high-quality Star-chain Fruits!”
4586 had already scanned the fruits. Not only were they completely free of pesticide residue, but their nutritional content far exceeded the previous fruits sent to the nursery. They were even classified as high-grade produce, fully on par with those cultivated on dedicated agricultural planets.
The caretaker robot’s electronic eyes transformed into two spinning flowers, and though it was just a machine, its emotions were somehow easy to sense.
Even Su Ci couldn’t help but feel a tinge of admiration. This puppet was becoming more and more like a real living being—perhaps even more human than the researchers at the institute. No wonder Number Five had developed such a strong attachment to the caretaker robots.
“Su Su, hurry up! Let’s get dinner ready for the babies!”
At the robot’s urging, Su Ci slowly followed it to the kitchen.
A-Yan trailed behind them step for step, but as he walked into the hallway, he inadvertently caught sight of something. He glanced back toward the main entrance.
A flash of golden light disappeared in an instant.
A-Yan tilted his head curiously—could Number Six have followed them back?
During Su Ci’s absence, the three little cubs in the room hadn’t caused any trouble.
Initially, when the caretaker left, the little white deer had been visibly nervous. He hadn’t expected the caretaker to leave them in a room together.
Although his relationship with Little Lang Ze had improved, they had been like fire and water until just today. Little Lang Ze had even almost strangled him earlier.
But as time passed, the little deer, Lu Jiao, gradually relaxed.
Little Lang Ze was extremely focused while teaching, and his seriousness gradually influenced Lu Jiao. It made him forget his fear and immerse himself entirely in the joy of learning to play the flute.
The song the caretaker had played for them before leaving had deeply shocked Lu Jiao.
He had never imagined that a real flute melody could create such a stunning experience, as though it transported them to a new world.
The beautiful scenery, the vivid sensations—it felt like stepping into a dream. That dream held no danger or fear, only boundless vitality that made one reluctant to leave, completely entranced.
Lu Jiao’s wish to play the dreamlike melody on the flute hadn’t changed, but now he had a new goal: he wanted to play with the same life and energy as the caretaker.
This, perhaps, was also Little Lang Ze and Little Zheng Xing’s shared aspiration.
When one focuses on learning, time always flies. The little white deer could have sworn that the caretaker had only just left, but in what seemed like a blink, dinner was already being delivered.
Was it already dinner time?
Lu Jiao felt a deep sense of reluctance. The delightful afternoon had filled him with emotions similar to those of the wolf cub—he didn’t want to go back to his room, nor did he want to be alone.
But just as Lu Jiao stood up reluctantly, ready to follow the caretaker back, he saw…
Little Lang Ze shot up happily and dashed outside. Before Lu Jiao could even blink, the wolf cub returned, carrying a food container in his hand.
“Xing Xing, this is your dinner!”
Little Lang Ze placed the container in front of Number Three before dashing out again. He came back moments later with two more food containers. “Youyou, this one’s yours.”
Lu Jiao watched as Lang Ze placed the food container in front of him, then set the other one aside. Without stopping, he darted out one more time and returned with a basket in his arms.
“Su Su said these are today’s fruits—two for each of us!”
The energetic wolf cub showed no sign of tiring as he enthusiastically helped the caretaker distribute dinner. After all, this meant he could stay in Zheng Xing’s room for a little longer, at least until dinner was over.
When Lu Jiao caught sight of the vibrant, red fruits in the basket—so fragrant and sweet-smelling—his eyes widened, and he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.
These fruits must taste incredible!
Even though he really wanted to try them, Lu Jiao resisted the urge to reach out. Instead, he looked at the wolf cub and said, “Lang Ze, thank you.”
In truth, when Lang Ze had run out the third time, Lu Jiao had already realized what was happening. But the wolf cub was so quick and full of energy that by the time Lu Jiao stood up, Lang Ze had already returned again.
Lang Ze scratched his head, chuckled sheepishly, and began distributing the fruits. “One for you, one for Xing Xing, and then one for me…”
The six fruits were quickly handed out. Squeezing in next to Zheng Xing, Lang Ze started peeling the fruit’s skin and handed a piece to the little boy.
“Xing Xing, this one smells so sweet! You have to try it!” After saying that, Lang Ze grabbed his own fruit and, without even peeling it, opened his mouth wide and took a huge bite.
“Wow, it really is sweet!”
Hearing Lang Ze’s exclamation, Zheng Xing sniffed the fruit in his small hands. The rich aroma of the Star-chain Fruit was irresistible, and finally, he opened his mouth and took a small bite.
As the delightful flavor melted on his tongue, the boy’s tiny animal ears popped up uncontrollably on top of his head.
It was so delicious!
Watching the two figures—one big, one small—sitting together and eating, Lu Jiao, lowered his head to look at the food in front of him. Then, he glanced toward the metal door that had been locked again and couldn’t help but ask, “Can we stay in Xing Xing’s room for a while longer?”
As the rightful owner of the room, little Zheng Xing only flicked his ears slightly at the question and continued to focus on nibbling his fruit.
After all… even if he said no, would it make any difference?
Little Lang Ze, however, answered on his behalf, “Of course! We can have dinner together. Su Su won’t come to take us back for another half an hour!”
The fruit, bigger than an adult’s fist, had already been devoured two-thirds of the way by little Lang Ze. Juice dripped all over his hands, even smearing across his face, making him look nothing like the neat and refined Zheng Xing beside him.
Lu Jiao frowned at the mess and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, passing it to Lang Ze.
“You two like fruit as well?” he asked curiously, watching little Lang Ze wipe his face. He opened his own dinner box, eating the vegetable jelly as he spoke.
“Fruit is delicious!” little Lang Ze nodded enthusiastically and then looked over at Zheng Xing.
Noticing the expectant gazes of the other two, Zheng Xing hesitated for a moment before giving a slight nod and replying with a soft “Mm.”
Sweet and fragrant fruit—who wouldn’t like it?
Hearing this, Lu Jiao was surprised again. It seemed like his understanding of the world had been reshaped once more.
“I thought carnivores only liked eating meat…” he muttered.
Upon hearing this, the wolf cub took another big bite of his fruit and mumbled through a full mouth, “Youyou, what are you talking about? We’re not animals!”
Although little Lang Ze was proud of his Wolf bloodline, he had never considered himself an animal. He was much smarter than any animal—after all, animals couldn’t even talk!
Lu Jiao blinked in surprise, then nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. We’re not animals.”
Just like Doctor Gu had once told him—although he had the bloodline of the Silver Deer, at his core, he was still human. The same went for little Lang Ze and little Zheng Xing.
Since they were all human, they could eat anything—meat, fruits, vegetables—what mattered was their preferences.
At their core, they were all the same.
Lu Jiao felt as though a mental shackle that had bound him for so long had been unlocked by the wolf cub’s words. His thoughts became clearer, like a sudden moment of enlightenment.
Unbeknownst to him, the aura around him had also become purer and calmer.
Zheng Xing tilted his head slightly in Lu Jiao’s direction but quickly refocused on the fruit in his hands.
Sweet, so delicious.
*
Meanwhile, Su Ci arrived outside Number Six’s room, carrying a food container.
When his identity was verified and the metal door slid open, a cup came flying straight at him—again, just as he’d expected.
Su Ci caught the cup effortlessly and stepped into the room.
“Why is it you again? Where’s 4587?”
The golden-haired boy stood with a chair raised high, clearly preparing to throw it at the doorway. However, upon seeing Su Ci enter, he paused, momentarily stunned.
Su Ci studied him carefully. He hadn’t paid much attention before, but this time, upon closer inspection, he noticed something unusual about the child.
Number Six’s soul was incomplete.
The little monkey he’d seen in the cultivation garden—the one that had asked him for a fruit—was indeed a missing part of his soul.
However, it was clear that after the monkey returned to the nursery, it hadn’t re-entered either the boy’s room or his body.
Su Ci had never encountered such a situation before. Despite missing a piece of his soul, Number Six didn’t seem affected. He was not only full of energy but also surprisingly strong.
If there was an impact, it was likely on his personality and mental state.
Though he was about the same age as the wolf cub, Number Six was much harder to communicate with. He seemed carefree, apathetic toward his companions and the world around him, showing almost no empathy.
While Su Ci pondered this, the boy casually dropped the chair. It crashed to the floor with a loud bang, shattering into pieces.
Number Six clapped the dust off his hands indifferently, though at least he hadn’t thrown the chair at Su Ci.
Perhaps it was due to the missing part of his soul, but the boy’s senses seemed sharper than usual. From the moment they first met, Number Six had never shown any aggression toward Su Ci.
It was as if his instincts kept warning him that attacking this caretaker would lead to something very bad.
After discarding the chair, Number Six suddenly sniffed the air. “What’s that smell? It’s so fragrant!”
He quickly located the source of the aroma.
“Is that my dinner?”
In one leap, he landed beside Su Ci. His long tail curled around the food container Su Ci was holding, snatching it away. He plopped himself down on the spot, opened the lid skillfully, and began inspecting the contents.
When he spotted the Star-chain Fruit placed beside the meal tray, his eyes lit up with excitement.
“Hahaha, it’s weekly fruit time!”
The boy grabbed the Star-chain Fruit and took a large bite. As the sweet juice burst onto his tongue, his face lit up with pure enjoyment.
“This is so good!” he exclaimed. Looking up at Su Ci, he grinned as though he’d already forgotten any previous unpleasantness that had occurred in the activity room. “This fruit tastes even better than before!”
“Mm,” Su Ci replied noncommittally.
He crouched down beside the boy and quietly scanned him with his spiritual sense, letting his awareness sweep through Number Six’s body.
The child’s soul showed no signs of damage. In fact, the missing part of his soul seemed to exhibit faint signs of regeneration, which was why Su Ci hadn’t immediately noticed anything unusual about him.
How fascinating… Could this be Number Six’s unique ability?
Su Ci rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Even under Su Ci’s intense gaze, the boy showed no discomfort at all. He simply clutched the sweet fruit and devoured it, bite after bite, without the slightest refinement—he was even less graceful than the little monkey.
Behind Su Ci, A-Yan followed suit and used his spiritual sense to observe Number Six. Although he could sense that something was off, he couldn’t explain exactly what was happening.
As Number Six quickly finished off the fruit, A-Yan suddenly thought of something. He tugged urgently on Su Ci’s sleeve.
Su Ci finally remembered to remind him, “Don’t eat the whole thing. Save the pit for me…”
However, his warning came a moment too late. Before he had even finished speaking, the golden-haired boy had already shoved the last of the fruit—pit and all—into his mouth.
It was obvious that swallowing the pit was a struggle, but in the end, he managed it with visible effort. Letting out a satisfied burp, the boy shot Su Ci a mischievous and slightly provocative grin.
“…”
Watching the smug look on the child’s face, Su Ci sighed softly and reminded himself that there was no point getting upset with a kid whose soul was incomplete.
Still, he couldn’t resist raising his hand and flicking the boy’s forehead lightly.
“Ow!”
The golden-haired boy glared at him indignantly. For a moment, a hint of violence flickered in his pale red eyes. But when his gaze met Su Ci’s, his body stiffened slightly, and the fierceness in his expression quickly faded.
With a pout, he grabbed his tray, shuffled to the side, and turned his back to Su Ci to continue eating.
Su Ci looked at him and said softly, “Be quiet tonight.”
Although the little troublemaker didn’t dare retaliate, he let out a loud, defiant huff, making it clear that he had no intention of complying.
Su Ci didn’t particularly care. He had his own ways of making the cubs behave when needed.
With that, Su Ci turned and left the room, A-Yan following closely behind.
Dinner for Number Two and Number Five had already been delivered by 4586. The caretaker robot was now in Number Five’s room, coaxing the little girl to eat.
Su Ci headed straight toward little Zheng Xing’s room.
As he passed by Number Two’s room, however, he paused briefly.
Inside the room, a red-haired boy was using his spiritual power to observe Su Ci, and the moment Su Ci paused, his eyes lit up with anticipation.
Was the caretaker about to come in to collect his dinner tray?
Number Two stared at the young man, his rare sense of nervousness betraying him.
If the caretaker came in, he had to seize the chance to propose a deal. Opportunities for one-on-one interaction like this were far too rare, and if he missed this chance, it would be much harder to bring it up again.
At the thought of this, Number Two’s palms started to sweat slightly.
For a boy who had never bowed his head to anyone—and who harbored such deep resentment toward this facility—the very idea of making a request felt like a violation of his pride. Despite all the mental preparation he’d done, now that the moment had arrived, he was overcome by an intense mix of conflict and humiliation.
How could that little wolf cub be so shameless?
Just as Number Two convinced himself to take the plunge and go all out, he suddenly saw—
The caretaker’s footsteps paused for just a moment, and then… he walked straight past his room!
“Wait!”
The red-haired boy blurted out instinctively. When he opened his eyes and tried to chase after the caretaker, he quickly realized that he was still trapped inside his room. The caretaker hadn’t heard him at all.
Why didn’t he come in? Did he really have to wait until tomorrow’s activity time to approach him in front of the other cubs?
Number Two felt utterly frustrated, both angry and helpless.
Why wouldn’t he just come in? Was it on purpose? The boy fumed silently, though he had no proof.
As for Su Ci…
Yes, he had done it on purpose.
With how close Number Two’s room was, there was no way the commotion inside could escape Su Ci’s notice. He simply chose to ignore it for now.
Su Ci understood his own role well. He wasn’t a real nursery caretaker, and his watch over the cubs stemmed more from the instinct of the Earth Spirit.
The Earth’s recovery indeed relied on these young lives, so he couldn’t bear to watch them suffer or stray down the wrong path. However, expecting him to be like a doting mother, constantly hovering over them, was out of the question.
So, after briefly pausing his steps, Su Ci continued onward, entering little Zhengxing’s room.
A-Yan did not follow him inside.
The room was too crowded; he would be noticed immediately. So, he obediently stayed out in the hallway. After all, he could still hear everything happening inside.
Still, the thought of Number Three, Number Seven, and Number Eight all getting along in one room was astonishing to him.
They weren’t fighting, nor were they arguing!
And now they even had names: Zheng Xing, Lu Jiao, and Lang Ze… all such pleasant-sounding names.
As for who had given them these names? It wasn’t hard to guess—who else but the caretaker? The same person who had given him his name as well.
A-Yan didn’t feel upset about this.
No matter what, he was still the first cub to receive a name from the caretaker. Not only that, but he lived with the caretaker now, and the caretaker always brought him along when going out.
The caretaker’s favorite was still him! Just thinking about this filled A-Yan’s heart with satisfaction.
As he waited patiently in the hallway, the caretaker soon came out, leading the little wolf cub and the white deer with him. Together, they took the elevator up to the fifth floor.
Inside Room 402, Number Two—still brooding and annoyed—suddenly froze in place when he noticed the little white deer emerging from Number Three’s room.
He stared blankly as he watched them enter the elevator together, keeping his spiritual power focused on them until his head began to ache slightly. Only then did he withdraw it.
So…
Even Number Seven had allowed the caretaker to touch his tail? No wonder the relationship between Number Seven and Number Eight had seemed somewhat unusual in the activity room earlier. It all made sense now!
Number Two’s expression remained dazed for a moment. Perhaps because he had always felt closer to Number Seven—though he didn’t truly consider him his subordinate—seeing Number Seven “sacrifice” himself like that stirred an unexpected discomfort in his heart.
The red-haired boy gritted his teeth, his previously wavering gaze turning resolute.
Tomorrow, no matter what, he would have to negotiate with the caretaker!
And Number Seven… Did he agree to make a deal with the caretaker as part of a plan to escape the facility? Otherwise, given his personality, how could he make such a choice?
Perhaps he could actually approach Number Seven to discuss escaping the facility…
While Number Two’s thoughts churned endlessly, Su Ci remained unaware of the turmoil. He successfully escorted the two children back to their rooms and then returned to his own dormitory.
The seeds he had left soaking in the spirit water earlier that morning had all sprouted tender green shoots. The strongest seed had even grown a sprout as long as his index finger.
Su Ci was quite satisfied with this progress.
He replaced the old spirit water with a fresh batch, deciding to let the seeds soak for one more night. By tomorrow, they would be ready for transplantation into the soil.
However, with nearly twenty seeds—including the Star-chain Fruit seeds—the small plot of land he had cultivated in the yard wouldn’t be enough.
Tomorrow, he would have to expand the soil to make more room for planting.
After putting the spirit water container back in its place, Su Ci stepped out into the courtyard to check on the plants. He watered and fertilized them as needed.
The two small spirit sprouts had grown about the same as they had earlier in the day. The lazy one remained fast asleep, while the delicate, finicky sprout that had initially seemed wilting perked up again after receiving the nourishing spirit water and fertilizer.
“Grow—grow—grow!”
It seemed as if its enthusiasm had spread, because within the span of just one day, several new sprouts had emerged from the revived Star-chain Fruit vines. The vine that had first sprouted even bore its very first tiny leaf.
The soft green color of the leaf was vibrant and uplifting, bringing a sense of joy just by looking at it.
Seeing this progress, Su Ci’s opinion of the finicky sprout improved slightly.
He extended a fingertip and gently touched the small spirit sprout.
The already energetic sprout instantly radiated waves of pure joy and excitement. It chanted even louder, as if cheering for its own growth. Surprisingly, even the lazy sprout, still half-asleep, murmured softly:
“Grow… grow… grow…”
Although it sounded half-hearted, it was a huge improvement compared to before!
A-Yan’s eyes lit up with admiration, his black-and-red gaze filled with anticipation.
The little spirit sprouts were sure to grow better and better!
Su Ci placed his palm flat on the ground, channeling a faint stream of golden soul energy into the soil. The energy seeped in, replenishing the earth’s vitality and preparing it for more plants to grow.
After finishing everything, Su Ci returned to his dormitory with A-Yan. Just as he finished tidying up and preparing for sleep, something suddenly occurred to him.
His gaze shifted toward the book spirit’s nascent form on the wall.
After being repeatedly ignored and thwarted, the book spirit’s nascent form had become unusually well-behaved. It hardly emitted any emotional fluctuations anymore. Especially when Su Ci was around, it remained completely quiet, desperately trying to minimize its presence.
But no matter how much it tried, it still failed to escape Su Ci’s notice.
The young man waved his hand lightly, and the work manual detached itself from the wall, flying over to hover in front of him.
Su Ci couldn’t be bothered to flip through the pages, so he asked directly, “According to the base’s regulations, can the research institute take the cubs for experiments without the caretaker’s consent?”
The book spirit’s nascent form wanted to rebel, to simply collapse and give up, but in the face of the powerful figure who could easily obliterate it, it ultimately chose to comply.
The entire manual began to glow faintly red, and its pages flipped rapidly on their own. After a flurry of movement, it stopped on one particular page.
The original black text on the page now appeared in large, bolded red letters in front of Su Ci and A-Yan.
Su Ci glanced at it briefly before losing interest.
“Just give me a yes or no,” he said lazily.
The manual froze for a moment, clearly reluctant, but in the end, the text on the page vanished and reappeared in three large, begrudging, bold red letters:
NO!!!
I love the sassy book hahahah