Chapter 66
Don’t be fooled by Zheng Xing’s quiet demeanor and soft-spoken nature—when he set his mind to something, even Lang Ze couldn’t argue against him.
“You really want to come with me?”Lang Ze asked again, just to confirm.
Zheng Xing nodded firmly.
“Alright then.”Lang Ze retrieved the bamboo flute from earlier. After a brief moment of thought, he ran back to his room and carefully placed the flute back into the cabinet. Only then did he come back out.
“We’ll go down together,”Lang Ze said to Zheng Xing. “But you have to stick close to me. If we run into danger and I tell you to run, you run as fast as you can, understand?”
Zheng Xing nodded again.
“Good. Let’s go.”Lang Ze led the way, tiptoeing carefully toward the stairwell. Despite his usual carefree nature, he moved with surprising agility, his steps so light they made no sound at all.
Once at the stairwell, he peered cautiously down the stairs, ensuring it was safe before turning back.
He’d planned to wait for Zheng Xing, but to his surprise, the boy had already crept up silently behind him, like a little ghost, without making a sound.
Lang Ze blinked in astonishment, then gave him an approving look.
Who would’ve thought? Xing Xing, who never seems to move much, is actually this fast and agile! He’s no worse than me.
“Let’s go.”
Mouthing the words, Lang Ze gestured for Zheng Xing to follow as they began their cautious descent down the stairs.
*
On the third floor, Room 303.
When the blood mist began to gather and blood-colored frost started forming on the windows, A-Yan awoke from his sleep. Opening his eyes, he glanced at the window.
Seeing the frost spreading across the glass, A-Yan immediately knew it must be bitterly cold outside. He’d experienced countless extreme weather conditions before, so he was all too familiar with how tormenting this climate could be.
Yet now, he lay bundled in a warm quilt, wrapped snugly in the caretaker’s arms. The comforting warmth enveloped him, leaving not just his body but also his heart feeling calm and content.
A-Yan squinted his eyes lazily in comfort but couldn’t help growing worried as he listened to the howling wind outside.
It’s so cold out there… Will the two little spirit sprouts and the Star-chain vine be okay? Although there was a transparent cover protecting them, he wasn’t sure if it would be enough to keep them warm.
Turning his head slightly, A-Yan looked at the sleeping Su Ci beside him.
The caretaker was deeply asleep, his breathing soft and steady. A faint golden energy swirled gently around him, rising and falling in time with his breaths, giving him an otherworldly, divine beauty even as he slept.
This golden energy was something A-Yan had only started to see after mastering his first heavenly script.
After some thought, A-Yan decided not to wake him. Instead, he reached down and touched the space button hanging around his chest, retrieving two soundproof earplugs from within.
He’d come across these when organizing his space button. Su Ci had used them before, though A-Yan wasn’t sure why he no longer wore them while sleeping.
Carefully and quietly, A-Yan slipped out of Su Ci’s arms. Half leaning over the edge of the bed, he gently placed one of the earplugs near Su Ci’s ear.
He didn’t push it into the ear canal; instead, he lightly tapped the button on the earplug.
With a soft hum, the soundproof earplug activated. A transparent protective barrier formed around Su Ci’s ear, blocking out almost all surrounding noise. The earplug adhered securely to his ear while remaining feather-light—so light that it felt like nothing at all.
After the soundproof earplug activated, A-Yan clearly saw the caretaker’s slightly furrowed brows smooth out as he sank into an even deeper sleep.
A-Yan grinned with satisfaction.
However, because Su Ci was lying on his side, with the other ear pressed against the pillow, it was tricky to fit the second earplug into place.
After considering for a moment, A-Yan put the remaining earplug away. Complete silence wasn’t a good idea either—if something dangerous happened and the caretaker couldn’t hear it, that would be bad.
Thinking this through, A-Yan quietly climbed off the bed and disappeared in a flash.
When he reappeared, he was standing in the courtyard.
Outside, the blood mist was thick, and the concentration of pollutants had clearly exceeded warning levels. However, all the surveillance devices were covered in a thick layer of blood-colored frost, rendering them nonfunctional and preventing any alarms from sounding.
The moment A-Yan entered the courtyard, he regretted it immediately.
The concentration of pollutants in the air was far too high, and the temperature was freezing. His special nursery uniform, equipped with temperature-regulating features, didn’t seem sufficient to ward off this extreme cold.
What made it worse was that the blood mist seemed to sense him. The already dense fog began to gather and flow toward him, as if it were alive.
A-Yan was about to flash back to the dormitory when the space button hanging from his chest suddenly began to float gently—more precisely, the pale golden cord woven from Su Ci’s hair did.
Soft golden light emanated from the cord, forming a faint halo around A-Yan.
The blood mist, which had been surging toward him, suddenly seemed to lose its target. It drifted aimlessly away, no longer gathering around him. Meanwhile, the biting cold that had started to creep into his body was replaced by a warmth so soothing, it felt as though it could melt any frost or snow.
It’s the caretaker’s power…
A-Yan’s hand closed around the space button as his face lit up in a joyful smile. Then, he turned his attention to the ground.
“C-Cold… Cold…”
The tiny spirit sprouts’ voices were faint and feeble, completely lacking their usual liveliness. They sounded pitiful and wilted, while the faint energy waves from the Star-chain vine trembled as if in pain.
The only saving grace was that the blood-colored frost hadn’t penetrated the protective dome covering them. The sprouts and vine weren’t frozen stiff—yet.
Even so, the sight tugged at A-Yan’s heartstrings.
He immediately retrieved a thick cotton jacket from his space button and carefully covered the little spirit sprouts and the Star-chain vine. But a moment later, the “spoiled brat” sprout was still whining about the cold, while the “lazy one” remained silent—which only worried A-Yan more.
What should I do now?
A-Yan thought for a moment. Then, as if coming to a decision, he flashed back into the dormitory.
When he returned to the courtyard again, he was holding a small round ball in his hand.
He flipped the switch, made a few settings, and tucked the small ball beneath the cotton jacket.
This was something he had found in the bedside cabinet back in the bedroom—a warming ball. It was designed to be placed inside blankets. Once turned on, it would begin to generate heat.
When the temperature inside the blanket reached the preset value, the ball would stop working. Not only that, but it could be set to move at intervals. Every three minutes or so, the small ball would roll to a different spot, ensuring that the entire blanket maintained a consistent, comfortable warmth before finally stopping.
The caretaker, of course, didn’t need this gadget because A-Yan himself warmed the bed. But for the little spirit sprouts and Star-chain vine, this tool was just perfect.
As the warming ball began to work, it wasn’t long before the whiny sprout’s cries about being cold gradually quieted down. Soon enough, it began to snore softly in its sleep.
A-Yan didn’t blame it for being lazy—after all, it was freezing, and nighttime was meant for resting.
Even the usually silent lazy sprout began emitting faint sounds of peaceful slumber. Finally reassured, A-Yan rubbed his hands together, ready to head back to the dormitory for some sleep.
However, just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed something.
Frowning slightly, A-Yan turned his gaze toward the interior of the nursery.
What’s that strange fluctuation? It feels odd…
Curious and cautious, he flashed to the first-floor elevator area of the nursery.
Looking up, A-Yan saw the elevator display panel, where the numbers were changing steadily as the elevator descended. Confusion flickered across his expression.
What’s going on? Why is the elevator being used this late at night?
Could it be 4586? But he quickly dismissed that thought, as he could clearly sense life energy coming from above.
A-Yan retreated to the shadows of a nearby corner, carefully observing the situation.
Before long, the elevator arrived at the first floor.
As the doors began to open—barely even a crack—chaotic whispers and manic laughter poured out like a tidal wave, filling the once silent hallway with an overwhelming, nightmarish din.
A-Yan’s brow furrowed.
I know this phenomenon.
He’d seen it before—during the blood rain incident at the logistics building.
Why is it happening in the nursery now?
Then, he saw it—a figure dressed in a protective suit stepping out of the elevator. The man wore a helmet, obscuring his face, but judging by his build, it was clearly a man.
To A-Yan’s shock, the man was carrying Number Five in his arms.
Following closely behind him were Number Six, Number Seven, and lagging slightly behind them, Number Two.
They stumbled forward in a daze, as if puppets on invisible strings, trailing obediently after the man as he headed for the nursery’s main entrance.
The whispers and laughter grew louder, more frenzied, almost maddening. In the swirling blood mist, A-Yan could faintly make out a human-like face—grotesque and distorted—cackling wildly with uncontained excitement.
A-Yan’s eyes narrowed.
It’s a monster.
A-Yan recognized the situation immediately.
He pursed his lips. Having spent so many years in the nursery, A-Yan was all too aware of what fate awaited anyone taken by the monsters in the blood mist.
He took a step forward—then stopped.
In his black-red eyes, the red portion began to spread, pulsing outward. Even with Su Ci’s golden hair protecting him, A-Yan’s body had already been contaminated for years. The pollutants embedded in him stirred restlessly under the influence of the whispers and laughter, attempting to cloud his mind.
“If these cubs are taken by the monsters, the caretaker’s attention will focus even more on you!”
“The other cubs are only distractions—don’t you want the caretaker to stay by your side forever?”
“Get rid of these competitors, and the caretaker will have only you!”
“Only you…”
The laughter grew more twisted and chaotic, warping the very air around him. A-Yan clenched his eyes shut, struggling to suppress the maddening thoughts.
When Luo Shengfei passed him with the group of dazed cubs—when Number Two, dragging his feet and lagging behind, walked past—A-Yan finally opened his eyes.
The red spreading through his gaze slowly faded, replaced by clarity.
The child reached out and grabbed Number Two’s arm.
In the next instant, as the blood mist face turned toward him in alarm, A-Yan had already disappeared with Number Two.
Watching Number Two vanish before its eyes, the once-excited blood mist face twisted in rage.
“WHO?! Who took that little tiger away?!” it roared.
Its furious screams echoed through the corridors of the nursery, accompanied by the maddening whispers that filled every corner.
Upstairs, in the third-floor dormitory, Su Ci, who had been sleeping soundly, furrowed his brows again—though the blood mist face remained unaware of this. Even if it had known, it wouldn’t have cared.
The blood mist swept violently through the halls in a futile search, but finding nothing, it eventually reformed into its distorted face, though now visibly unwilling.
“Let’s go. We’re leaving!” it spat bitterly.
It could only enter the nursery by relying on Number Five’s painting, and it couldn’t stray far from it. The longer it stayed, the more its power was suppressed by the rules of the nursery.
If it lingered any longer, the losses would outweigh the gains.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have just stopped here—no, it would’ve turned the entire base upside down to drag back the cubs who dared escape.
Under the blood mist face’s control, Luo Shengfei continued walking forward with Number Five in his arms.
On the second floor, near the stairwell, A-Yan reappeared with Number Two. It was his first time transporting another person via teleportation, and this short distance was already his limit.
The next moment, A-Yan heard the furious roars echoing from downstairs. He immediately yanked Number Two down, forcing him to crouch, and clamped his hand over the boy’s mouth. Then, he looked up anxiously at the ceiling.
Did the caretaker get woken up?
Fortunately, after a moment, the angry screams subsided, leaving only the faint whispers lingering in the air. The monster carrying Number Five and the others didn’t seem to be chasing them either.
Finally letting out a breath of relief, A-Yan released Number Two.
However, something was still wrong with Number Two. His vacant eyes remained unfocused. As soon as A-Yan let go, he began shuffling toward the stairs again, muttering under his breath, “Follow… follow…”
A-Yan’s expression darkened. He swiftly grabbed Number Two by the shoulders and shook him firmly.
“Wake up! Snap out of it!” he whispered urgently.
Number Two’s body swayed under A-Yan’s grip, but his eyes remained blank and unfocused. Clearly, he was still under the monster’s mental control.
Realizing this, A-Yan bit his lip, then reached out his hand and pressed his palm firmly to Number Two’s forehead.
Golden light flickered faintly at his fingertips, carrying the same warmth as Su Ci’s power.
“Wake up! I said, wake up!”
A-Yan’s voice was sharp, his tone carrying an edge of desperation. The golden energy flowed into Number Two, intertwining with his spirit.
A few moments later, Number Two’s body trembled, and the blankness in his eyes finally began to crack.
His dazed gaze gradually sharpened, and when he blinked, clarity returned.
“What… happened?” Number Two murmured, blinking again in confusion as he stared at A-Yan.
A-Yan didn’t give him time to process. Grabbing his arm tightly, he said, “We don’t have time! Follow me!”
Number Two, still disoriented, allowed himself to be pulled along as A-Yan led him away, his movements swift and cautious.
The two disappeared into the shadows of the corridor as the faint whispers continued to echo ominously throughout the nursery.
This state… it’s just like when Number Five controls someone.
A-Yan quickly grabbed the red-haired boy’s arm. He had ignored the whispers, suppressed the darkness in his heart, and taken a risk to save him—he couldn’t let his efforts go to waste now.
But what should I do?
A-Yan tried to remember something Su Ci had taught him during one of their lessons. He recalled the caretaker saying that Number Five’s ability was related to Word Spirit, a form of Rule Power.
Rule Power…
A-Yan hesitated for a moment. Still holding onto Number Two, he reached into his spatial button and pulled out his little notebook. After some effort, he flipped to the last page, where a faintly glowing heavenly script was recorded from his previous practice sessions.
The rune shimmered faintly with a subtle, spiritual radiance.
Looking at Number Two, A-Yan recalled how he had felt when trying to “speak” with the caretaker earlier. He focused all his will on that script, trying to replicate the same sensation.
He opened his mouth, concentrating with all his might, and finally, as his heart and mind aligned, the script on the page began to glow platinum gold.
Then, at last, A-Yan uttered a single word: “Awaken!”
At the same time, he reached out and tapped Number Two on the forehead as if embedding the word directly into his mind.
The red-haired boy, who had been struggling to move toward the stairs, froze in place. The vacant, unfocused look in his reddish-brown eyes abruptly cleared, and his expression turned bewildered as he glanced around.
“How… how did I get here?” he mumbled.
“Thud—”
The notebook slipped from A-Yan’s grasp and landed on the floor, its pages fluttering before finally settling on the now dimmed heavenly script—all its spiritual energy spent.
Number Two blinked, then bent down to pick up the notebook. The moment he touched it, fragments of his memory came rushing back.
Someone had barged into his room with Number Five—and then…
Then everything went black.
Staring at the notebook and its markings, Number Two frowned. He sensed something—something faint, lingering in the air.
He looked up quickly, scanning the empty space in front of him.
“…Number One?” The red-haired boy’s voice was uncertain as he asked cautiously, “You’re Number One, aren’t you?”
A-Yan froze. He remembered Su Ci mentioning earlier—during their time in the elevator—that Number Two might have sensed him. But A-Yan never expected him to guess not only his presence but also his identity.
How did he figure that out?
Instinctively, A-Yan nodded. Then, realizing that the boy couldn’t see him, he grabbed the notebook again and used a pen to write a single word: “Yes.”
Number Two’s eyes widened as he watched the word materialize on the page before him. He hesitated, his expression turning slightly uncertain.
“If you really are Number One,” he said slowly, “then… draw a circle on the paper.”
A-Yan tilted his head, confused by the request, but he complied. He carefully drew a circle on the blank page.
When the red-haired boy saw the perfectly round shape appear, his eyes flashed with shock—and a trace of disbelief.
“So it’s true…” he murmured. “Number One really exists. There really is a Number One in the nursery…”
The boy opened his mouth, as though he wanted to ask more questions. There were so many things he didn’t understand, but in the end, he didn’t press for answers.
Instead, he settled on the most urgent concern.
“So, what’s going on right now? Why am I here? And where is Number Five?”
A-Yan picked up the pen again, about to write something on the paper.
But the red-haired boy’s expression turned a little conflicted, and he stopped A-Yan before he could finish.
“You can’t talk, can you?”
A-Yan simply drew a circle on the paper in response.
Number Two scratched his head, his expression visibly darkening. “I can’t read. Even if you write it, I won’t understand it.”
Although Number Two was over ten years old, he had spent most of his life battling the influence of his bloodline power. His mind was rarely clear, and in the environment of the nursery, there had been no chance for him to learn how to read.
In fact, aside from A-Yan and perhaps Number Seven, the other children in the nursery were all illiterate.
A-Yan suddenly realized this, too. With no way to communicate through writing, he had no choice but to let it go. He quietly retrieved the notebook and pen, storing them back into his spatial button.
At that moment, the sound of the stairwell door opening echoed through the corridor.
Number Two immediately leaped back with heightened alertness, his reddish-brown tiger eyes narrowing dangerously. The fur on his tail bristled, and his mouth opened slightly, ready to unleash flames for self-defense.
But just as he prepared to attack, the figures who appeared at the door made him freeze in place—
It was Number Three and Number Eight?
Number Two blinked, clearly surprised as he stared at them.
Lang Ze was equally shocked. He pointed at Number Two and blurted out, “It’s really you! Xing Xing, didn’t you say that Number Two was taken by the monster?”
He turned to Zheng Xing behind him for confirmation, then looked back at Number Two. “Right! Who were you talking to just now? Was it the monster?”
Lang Ze scanned the corridor warily but saw no trace of any monster. The strange, murmuring whispers and eerie laughter still echoed faintly around them, so he knew that Zhengxing hadn’t lied.
The monster really had come into the nursery!
Number Two glanced at where A-Yan had been standing moments earlier. After a brief hesitation, he decided not to expose him. Instead, he said, “I saw Number Five being carried away by someone in a protective suit. After that… I don’t remember anything.”
Lang Ze was immediately distracted. “Right! Number Five! And Youyou—they were both taken by the monster! We need to save them!”
Number Two frowned. “Who’s Youyou?”
Lang Ze glanced at Zheng Xing and quickly clarified. “Youyou is Number Seven!”
Then, puffing out his chest proudly, he added, “We all have names now. Number Three is Zheng Xing, but his nickname is Xing Xing. And I’m Lang Ze!”
Seeing Number Two’s baffled expression, Lang Ze grinned smugly. He looked as though he was about to go on, but Zheng Xing gently tugged on his clothes from behind, pulling him back to reality.
Now isn’t the time for this! Saving the others comes first!
Realizing this, Lang Ze’s expression turned serious again.
“If they aren’t on the second, third, or fourth floors, then they must have gone to the first floor!” Lang Ze said firmly. “We have to hurry downstairs. We can’t let the monster take Number Five and Youyou!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed Zheng Xing’s hand and sprinted toward the stairs again.
Number Two hesitated for a moment. He still felt confused about how Lang Ze had become so close to Number Three and Number Seven. But in the end, watching their determined backs, he quickly made up his mind and followed after them.
As for Number One…
He glanced back. The corridor was empty, and he didn’t know whether Number One was still there or not.
“I’m going down with them. You… take care of yourself.”
After saying that, Number Two turned without looking back and followed the little wolf cub and the others down the stairs.
Although Number Five didn’t have much to do with him, Number Seven… his bloodline power might complement his own, and he needed Number Seven’s help. Even without considering that, as allies, he couldn’t stand by and watch him get taken away and eaten by a monster.
The three children arrived at the first-floor corridor, where the whispers and laughter became clearer.
They cautiously moved in the direction of the sound. When they reached the end of the corridor, the three stopped and quietly peered toward the entrance of the hall.
Floating in the air, the blood mist face urged impatiently, “Hurry up, faster! When will it be done?”
Meanwhile, Luo Shengfei was squatting on the ground. The toolbox on his back was already laid open on the floor, with many tools scattered around—
Apparently, opening the door to the nursery hall wasn’t so simple without proper authorization. It seemed Luo Shengfei was planning to dismantle the door directly.
Not far behind him stood Number Five, with Numbers Six and Seven quietly standing behind her.
The little wolf cub grew anxious and turned to look at Number Two, his eyes questioning: Why aren’t they running?
Number Two shook his head. He hadn’t expected that, apart from Number Seven, even Number Six had been taken by the monster. His expression grew even more serious.
It was clear that Numbers Six and Seven were under some kind of control. Otherwise, with their personalities, they would never remain so quiet. The repairman working on the door was likely under the same control.
If they rushed out now to save them, would they end up being controlled as well? At that point, it wouldn’t be a rescue—it would be sending themselves to their deaths.
The little wolf cub, though not thinking that far ahead, had a fighting instinct that told him now was not the time to act. Besides, looking at the state of Numbers Six and Seven, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Only Zheng Xing knew that Numbers Six and Seven were being controlled by Number Five. He had overheard the blood mist face speaking to Number Five outside the door.
However, now wasn’t the right time to speak up. Any noise could expose them.
Unlike the others, Zheng Xing wasn’t anxious. The world he saw was different from theirs; the information he could “see” was far more than what they could perceive.
After a moment of sensing, he felt as though he had found the key to breaking the current deadlock.
Zheng Xing squatted down on the spot, still tightly holding his metal toy ball. At this moment, a faint bluish light appeared in the palm of his hand holding the metal ball, and then…
“Click—”
The metal ball made a barely audible rotation.
The blood mist face in mid-air stopped its impatient urging. It seemed to have sensed something.
Both the little wolf cub and Number Two noticed this and immediately tensed up.
Had they been exposed?
Just as the two were preparing to retreat, and the face hidden in the red mist was about to turn its gaze toward the little wolf cub and his group, an unexpected event occurred—
Suddenly, Luo Shengfei’s open toolbox emitted a sound. A seemingly ordinary metal disc wobbled and floated out of it, landing on the floor with a soft thud.
All eyes in the hall were instantly drawn to this suddenly airborne metal disc.
At the moment it touched the ground, the white sensor light on top of the metal disc flickered to life. Simultaneously, four mechanical legs extended from beneath the disc, propping it up.
Then, a slightly clumsy yet particularly warm and gentle voice emerged from the metal disc:
“Hey! Good evening, little darlings! I am Nanny Robot No. 4583 (Heavy Duty Version), and I’m so happy to continue serving you!”
Plop—
At the sound of that voice, the painting that Number Five had been holding fell to the ground with a soft noise.
Number 3 can manipulate machines?