Chapter 68
The young man stood silently in the center of the hall, yet his presence alone brought an overwhelming pressure to every living creature present.
His pale golden eyes, cold and oppressive, swept across the room like those of an ancient beast awakened after eons of slumber by the ignorance of those who had disturbed it.
No one dared to move. No one dared to make a sound.
Though his figure was slender and unassuming, even the typically carefree Number Six instinctively remained quiet, as if only silence could ensure safety.
“Screech! Screech-screech!”
At last, the tension broke with the cry of an insect.
The first to crack under the suffocating pressure was the giant spider. Driven by fear, it could no longer endure.
It didn’t remember the young man’s exact appearance, but the memory of that horrifying pressure was etched into its very being. One glance from him had previously dealt devastating damage to its spiritual form, forcing it back into its physical body.
Recalling the horrors of that rainy day of bloodshed, the spider didn’t hesitate. It withdrew its forelimbs from the metal door and severed the silk threads that had been reaching toward Number Six.
With astonishing agility for a creature of its size, the giant spider turned and fled in one swift motion.
With its eight legs propelling it, the spider moved at a blinding speed. To date, no one had ever been able to catch it when it truly wanted to escape—not even human aircraft.
Yet, the young man made no move to pursue it.
He merely tilted his head slightly, gazing coldly through the doorway at the fleeing spider.
In the blink of an eye, the giant spider reached the nursery’s main entrance. Just as it began to scale the metal frame, desperate to flee this terrifying place—
The young man’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The winds that had been howling through the air transformed into razor-sharp blades. Moving too fast to evade, the giant spider charged headlong into them.
It didn’t even have time to let out a final scream before its body was sliced into pieces. Chunks of its form fell to the frost-covered ground, oozing green liquid that was quickly frozen into icy bloodstains by the crimson frost.
The Crimson Flame Tiger, standing near the doorway with Lu Jiao clinging to its back, watched the scene unfold in shock.
Already cowering, the tiger immediately dropped to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. It didn’t dare take even a single step toward the door.
Meanwhile, Lu Jiao tightened his grip on the tiger’s fur, gulping hard as he struggled to process what he had just witnessed.
The boy stiffly turned his head to look at the black-haired youth who had appeared in the hall. His wide, deer-like eyes were filled with disbelief.
That furious roar from earlier… it had sounded familiar. And now… staring at the young man’s strikingly handsome face, Lu Jiao finally recognized the truth—
This was the caretaker!
The one who had given him chips, guided him to control his rampaging ice powers, and played a soothing flute for them… The seemingly frail, inexperienced caretaker who he thought might not survive his probation period!
Now, his golden eyes, cold and dangerous, narrowed slightly, exuding an extreme sense of peril. As if sensing Lu Jiao’s gaze, the young man, who had been staring at the doorway, shifted his attention.
Their eyes met.
Lu Jiao’s heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly lowered his head, squeezing his eyes shut in fear.
The trembling Crimson Flame Tiger, noticing the youth’s gaze fall upon it, covered its head with its front paws. The fierce defiance it had shown against the blood mist face earlier was completely gone—there wasn’t even a hint of resistance in its posture.
The other cubs, who hadn’t seen the spider’s gruesome fate, were still paralyzed by instinctual fear, unable to make a sound.
Number Five, sitting near the Crimson Flame Tiger, clutched her disc-shaped robot tightly and even covered its sound emitter, terrified it might suddenly make a noise.
The hall fell silent once more.
Only the blood mist face dared to react. After a brief, stunned silence, it began to recover.
The giant spider was dead—so quietly, so completely.
This young man who had appeared out of nowhere was unimaginably strong.
But what of it? It wasn’t as if its true body was here. Even if this projection was destroyed, the damage would be minimal. In fact…
The face hidden within the blood mist scrutinized the human standing motionless in the center of the hall. His outward appearance was deceptively harmless, but the aura he exuded was more powerful than any creature the blood mist face had ever encountered.
In this human base… since when had such a powerful individual appeared? If he truly was human, the blood mist face realized it might no longer have the opportunity to capture these beast-blooded cubs in the future.
Naturally, the blood mist face was unwilling to give up so easily.
It had hidden within Base 24 for an extended period, painstakingly finding Number Five as a breakthrough point. Today was supposed to be its moment of triumph—how could it accept failure now?
Ultimately, its greed and calculation of potential losses prompted it to speak again, probing cautiously. “Who are you?”
The blood mist face had observed this human base for so long yet had never noticed the young man’s presence.
At the same time, the surrounding whispers and laughter, which had momentarily quieted, erupted again, reaching the maximum volume the blood mist face could unleash in an instant.
It had to test the young man’s strength. If he proved utterly unbeatable, then retreating from the base would be the only option, albeit a bitter one…
However, the blood mist face failed to realize how profoundly its defiance provoked the person it had awakened.
The black-haired youth’s already dark expression grew even more ferocious and terrifying as the whispers and laughter filled the air once again.
“So. It. Was. You!”
He spat out each word with venom, his tone heavy with rage.
The indiscriminate pressure he had been releasing now focused entirely on the blood mist face, crashing toward it like a tidal wave.
The blood mist face instantly regretted its decision to strike back, cursing its folly. It could only feel fortunate that the rules governing the human base prevented its true body from entering.
If not for those restrictions, it wouldn’t have needed to partner with the giant spider after its initial plan failed. That creature, while also incapable of entering the base fully, could at least destroy structures and use its silk to bind targets.
But now, that dimwitted accomplice was dead.
The blood mist face didn’t have time to mourn its partner’s fate.
The young man did not dispatch it swiftly, as he had done with the giant spider. Instead…
“Cowardly thing, hiding your true form!”
The youth growled, his voice dripping with malice. He raised a hand, and the painting that had fallen into a corner flew toward him, unfurling in midair.
Panic began to seep into the blood mist face.
It opened its gaping mouth wide and lunged toward the young man in desperation.
But the youth merely shot it a frosty glance before extending his hand toward the painting, a chaotic and ominous aura radiating from it. His hand pierced directly into the surface.
Under the stunned and horrified gaze of the cubs, the youth gripped a shadowy figure glowing faintly red within the painting and dragged it out with one hand.
The blood mist face, which had been lunging toward him, dissipated abruptly in midair.
“No! This is impossible!”
The shadow held in the young man’s grasp writhed and struggled frantically. It lacked a fixed form, resembling a slick, formless sludge. Because of its mutable nature, no human or other creature had ever managed to grasp its true essence.
Yet the youth’s grip was unyielding. No matter how the shadow’s form shifted, it couldn’t break free.
“The rules of the human base should prevent you from pulling me in! This is impossible!”
Its protests quickly turned to agonized screams.
The black-haired youth’s gaze remained icy as he ignored the shadow’s torment. Holding the writhing mass with both hands, he began squeezing it as if kneading dough, forcing it tighter and tighter between his palms.
“I hate,” he said, his tone venomous, “when someone dares to—WAKE! ME! UP!”
With every word, his hands compressed the shadow further, twisting it mercilessly.
The shadow’s anguished screams filled the nursery hall. It begged and apologized profusely, but the youth’s wrathful violence only intensified. His actions were relentless, a terrifying display of unbridled fury.
The cubs in the hall were utterly petrified, their minds blank with fear. Even Zheng Xing, who had been peeking around the hallway corner, quickly pulled back, trembling.
The Crimson Flame Tiger and Lu Jiao were no exception—their terror had reached its peak.
The black-haired youth could have easily killed the shadow outright, just as he had done with the giant spider earlier, likely without even needing to lift a finger. But instead, he chose this method—slowly, deliberately torturing the shadow to vent his fury.
So terrifying…
The caretaker was truly enraged!
Number Six, still standing frozen at the hallway entrance, had the fur on his tail puffed out in fear. A vague memory surfaced in his mind—hadn’t the caretaker asked him to keep quiet earlier?
At the time, he hadn’t taken it seriously. But now…
So scary, so scary!
Unable to hold it in, Number Six grabbed onto the nearest person—the wolf cub, who had just climbed off the floating cart. The sudden embrace caught the wolf cub off guard, but he didn’t push him away.
He was equally dumbfounded.
In his impression, the caretaker had always been gentle and fragile, someone in need of protection. Sure, he played soothing flute music, had delicious chips, and even gave them names, but he always seemed so weak!
And yet…
Watching the young man grind his teeth, his expression ferocious and violent as he compressed the shadow from a large, writhing mass into a compact sphere, Lang Ze instinctively pulled his arms tighter around Number Six, hugging him back.
The two cubs, who usually couldn’t stand each other, now clung together, shivering in fear.
Finally, after the shadow was kneaded into a small, round ball, its wails weakened, and the young man’s movements ceased.
The icy golden eyes focused on the black sphere floating in his palm. Narrowing his gaze slightly, the youth conjured a pure white light in his hand—a light brimming with a purifying aura.
The shadow, which had fallen silent, immediately began to shriek again under the influence of the light.
Its new screams were even more anguished than before, sending chills down the spines of the cubs. Covering their ears in a desperate attempt to block out the sound, Number Six and Lang Ze huddled closer together, holding each other tightly as if that were the only way to feel even a sliver of safety.
Within the purifying light sphere, the shadow dissolved into wisps of black smoke, its presence slowly vanishing amidst faint crackling sounds.
When the last tendril of darkness disappeared from Su Ci’s palm, he withdrew all his purifying power. However, his hand was not empty.
The once-dark sphere had transformed into a small, translucent orb of light.
Su Ci casually tossed the orb upward. As it reached its peak in the air, faint, translucent white spirits began emerging from it one by one.
The glowing sphere grew smaller with each release until the final spirit detached, causing the orb to vanish completely. The blood mist that had invaded the nursery recoiled as if encountering its bane, retreating rapidly through the doorway and dispersing outside.
The nursery hall now floated with dozens of translucent white spirits of varying sizes. Most were human in shape, while a few were animals. While Zheng Xing seemed faintly aware of their presence, the other cubs could not see them.
The human spirits clasped their hands in respectful bows toward Su Ci, and the animals expressed their gratitude in their own ways.
Su Ci gazed at the spirits coldly, watching as they conveyed their thanks before dissolving into tiny, glowing motes of light. Each mote seemed imbued with feelings of devotion or liberation as they floated gently into the air.
These points of light didn’t disappear immediately. Instead, they began to drift downward after dispersing, passing through the thick metallic floors of the nursery. They descended until they reached the soil below, where they finally merged into the earth as if returning to a mother’s embrace, finding rest at last.
The blood-red resentment that had seeped into the ground below also began to dissipate upon contact with the lights. Some of it scattered into nothingness, while other remnants fled in all directions. The soil beneath the nursery was gradually restored to its natural state.
Back in the hall, all traces of the unusual phenomenon had vanished.
Su Ci, now somewhat calmer, took in everything that had just transpired. Yet, he had no immediate intention of investigating it further.
Having dealt with the culprit, his gaze shifted to the cubs who remained obediently in their places.
The young man’s light golden eyes still shimmered, making his already striking features seem even more otherworldly. However, the ferocity on his face had visibly softened after his outburst.
He scanned the room, meeting each cub’s eyes in turn. Every cub who felt his gaze instinctively lowered their heads, too intimidated to meet his stare.
“Still noisy?” he asked coldly.
The six cubs, including Zheng Xing, who was hiding in the corridor, shook their heads in unison.
Number Five, still sitting on the floor, shook her head vigorously like a bobblehead. Not only did she keep her hand clamped over 4583’s voice emitter, but her other hand also covered her own mouth.
She had watched the shadow die—she was certain it had been killed—and yet she felt no sadness or regret.
On the contrary, with the shadow gone, Number Five felt her mind clear for the first time in a while. She finally realized that the voice guiding her all along had never intended to help her.
Its true goal had been to devour the beast-blooded cubs.
If it could consume the other cubs in the nursery, what guarantee was there that it wouldn’t turn on her and her brother afterward?
Though she remained deeply worried about her brother, the sight of the frost-covered world outside the doorway made even young Number Five understand that now was not the time to leave.
No matter how much she wanted to save him, stepping outside in this weather would likely lead to her freezing to death before she even got close.
At that moment, she heard the young man speak again:
“Then go back to your rooms and sleep.”
His cold voice carried no inflection, but it brought an immense sense of relief to the cubs.
Not a single child protested or lingered. None of them wanted to stay in the hall any longer.
Standing at the entrance to the hallway, Number Six and Number Eight snapped back to reality, only to realize they were still holding onto the person they hated most. Just as they were about to start arguing, they both stopped, suddenly aware of the situation. Simultaneously, they clamped their mouths shut and glanced toward the hall.
The young man stood there, his face slightly turned, his icy golden eyes locked onto them.
In an unprecedented display of harmony, the two cubs moved in perfect sync.
They raised their hands at the same time, covering each other’s mouths.
After exchanging a silent but meaningful glance, they released their hands simultaneously, cautiously stepping apart, taking great care not to make the slightest sound.
Lang Ze crept toward the hallway, where he saw Zheng Xing crouched in a corner. He hurried over and pulled him up.
Even then, he didn’t dare to speak. Instead, he mouthed silently: “Let’s go back to our rooms.”
Glancing back over his shoulder, Lang Ze saw the Crimson Flame Tiger carrying Lu Jiao on its back, slowly moving toward the hallway as well. As for Number Six, that pesky monkey, he had already scurried upstairs via the staircase.
Watching the Crimson Flame Tiger approach, Lang Ze marveled—it was his first time seeing Number Two in a fully beastified form, but…
How strange. Number Two had always been so fierce even in his half-beast state, yet now, in his full Crimson Flame Tiger form, he seemed more like a giant kitten.
Could he still be in control of his rationality?
Lang Ze was puzzled. Just as he was about to ask, Zheng Xing tiptoed closer, reaching up to cover his mouth.
He had almost forgotten—they weren’t allowed to talk right now!
If they disturbed the caretaker, he might erupt in anger again!
Though the caretaker was incredibly powerful when angry, and his pale golden eyes looked undeniably cool, Lang Ze, who usually admired strength, found himself fervently wishing that the caretaker would return to his usual self.
A faint worry crept into his thoughts—what if the caretaker never turned back to normal? Feeling uneasy, Lang Ze moved cautiously to the hallway corner and peeked into the hall again.
The room was in utter disarray. Cold winds blew relentlessly through the broken door, and the heating system was struggling to counter the biting chill, only managing to slightly mitigate the cold.
At that moment, the only figures left in the hall were the young man and Number Five, who was clutching her disc-shaped robot as she slowly made her way toward the hallway.
It was clear the little girl was in a hurry, but her physical strength had always been limited. After the night’s ordeal, combined with the weight of the fifteen- to twenty-pound robot she carried, it was no surprise that her pace was agonizingly slow.
“Sweetie, put me down. 4583 can walk on its own,” said the disc-shaped robot suddenly.
The voice startled Number Five, who was already on edge. Frightened, she lost her grip, and the robot slipped from her arms.
If it hit the ground like this, 4583 would be damaged again! Even if it wasn’t broken, it might upset the caretaker!
Tears immediately welled up in Number Five’s eyes.
However, the disaster she imagined didn’t happen. Just as the robot was about to hit the floor, it froze mid-air.
Number Five blinked in surprise. Just as she reached out to grab the floating robot, 4583 suddenly began to rise.
Looking up, she saw the caretaker extend his hand. The disc-shaped robot flew toward him and landed lightly in his palm. Despite its heavy metallic build, weighing 15 to 20 pounds, he held it effortlessly, as though it were weightless.
Su Ci weighed the robot in his hand, his eyes glinting briefly. Then, as if sensing something, he turned to glance down the hallway.
Zheng Xing, hiding behind Lang Ze, stiffened. His small ears, which he had tucked away in fear, popped up again and twitched nervously.
Thankfully, nothing bad happened.
Su Ci withdrew his gaze and turned to Number Five, who hesitated, torn between wanting to retrieve 4583 and being too afraid to approach. With a flick of his wrist, he released the robot, and it floated back toward her.
Number Five’s face lit up with joy as she reached out with both hands to hug the returning robot.
The moment she embraced it, Number Five looked up and was stunned to find herself back in her room. Not just her—every cub in the nursery, except A-Yan, had returned to their respective rooms in the blink of an eye.
Even the massive Crimson Flame Tiger was back in Number Two’s room.
What kind of miraculous ability was this?
All the children were amazed, completely awestruck by the flashy display of power.
But their amazement was short-lived. As the oppressive aura returned, none of the cubs dared to dawdle. Each scrambled onto their beds, pulling up their blankets to cover themselves.
Number Two’s small bed couldn’t accommodate his fully beastified form, so the Crimson Flame Tiger curled up on the floor instead. Stretching out its tail, it grabbed the blanket from the bed and draped it over itself, as if trying to demonstrate that it, too, was ready for sleep.
Once all the cubs were lying down, a cold, emotionless voice echoed in their ears.
“Go to sleep quietly. Understood?”
Understood, understood! The cubs nodded fervently, their heads bobbing like drum mallets. They shut their eyes tightly, some even pulling their blankets over their heads to block out everything.
And so, the once noisy nursery miraculously returned to silence within mere minutes.
After confirming that all the cubs were staying quiet, Su Ci withdrew his spiritual awareness. His eyelashes lifted slightly as his gaze fell on the metal door, now marred with scars from the giant spider’s destruction.
“Whoosh, whoosh—”
Cold wind whistled through the gaping doorway.
In a flash, Su Ci appeared before the damaged door. He raised a hand and pressed it against the metal, a faint glow emanating from his palm.
As the light flowed from Su Ci’s palm, the damaged metal began to shift. The warped edges of the scars gradually straightened, and even the hole melted by the Crimson Flame’s fire slowly mended itself.
By the time Su Ci withdrew his hand, the door was completely repaired. Apart from the patched section being slightly thinner than the surrounding metal, it looked almost identical to its original state.
Nearby, Luo Shengfei, who had been unconscious and largely ignored, let out a faint groan, signaling that he was about to wake up.
Su Ci glanced at him indifferently.
Luo Shengfei, whose eyes had just cracked open slightly, immediately squeezed them shut again and feigned sleep.
Finally, the world returned to silence.
Satisfied, Su Ci turned and looked toward a nearby spot. “A-Yan,” he called.
While the wolf cubs had been scrambling downstairs earlier, A-Yan had returned to the dormitory. Originally, he had planned to wake Su Ci in a gentle manner, going so far as to prepare roasted meat. However, the commotion from downstairs had woken the caretaker far more abruptly than anticipated.
And the events that followed were the result.
A-Yan hadn’t dared to intervene and had instead quietly stayed by Su Ci’s side, waiting for him to finish venting his anger.
Hearing Su Ci’s voice now, A-Yan finally exhaled in relief and instantly appeared before him.
Su Ci bent down, picked him up, and in a flash, both disappeared, reappearing in Su Ci’s bedroom. Without a word, Su Ci lay down on the bed, cradling A-Yan in his arms.
With his companion nestled against him, Su Ci resumed his sleep, undisturbed by the events of the evening.
As for whether the other cubs in the nursery could sleep peacefully that night—it wasn’t his concern.
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