Chapter 83
Number Two was deep in thought when his ears twitched, catching sounds from the hallway outside.
Frowning, he turned toward the door.
Who’s out there?
He glanced at the clock on the wall. It wasn’t time for outdoor activities yet. Could it be…
Extending his mental energy, he “saw” the little wolf cub standing outside his door, talking. Alongside him was the little white deer.
Neither of them seemed to be in trouble. It appeared that the monster that invaded the nursery the other night had been successfully dealt with.
But how?
Number Two recalled the last thing he saw before being engulfed in flames—himself charging toward the giant spider with Number Seven on his back.
Could it have been his transformed Flame Tiger form that scared the spider off? That creature seemed to fear fire, so maybe it had fled?
Number Two wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could have killed the giant spider, but from what he remembered of the battle, his Flame Tiger form didn’t seem afraid of it either.
What he couldn’t understand was why he hadn’t managed to escape afterward. Not only had he failed to leave the nursery, but he also hadn’t been taken away by the researchers despite his full beastly transformation.
Questions filled his mind, but he had no immediate answers.
He planned to wait until activity hours to leave his room and find out. However, he noticed something unusual—Room 403, where the little cat Number Three stayed, had its door open as well.
As he “watched” the child slowly step out of the room, Number Two felt something was off.
It was one thing for Number Seven and Eight to be out, but even Number Three now had the freedom to leave? Had the new caretaker also touched Number Three’s tail, granting him this privilege?
The idea seemed impossible.
Knowing Number Three’s personality, how could he ever allow something like that?
He watched in shock as the little cat dawdled out of his room, met up with Number Seven and Eight, and then headed toward the elevator. Soon, they disappeared from his mental perception, leaving him utterly stunned.
How long had he been asleep? Why did it feel like the world had moved on without him?
Lu Jiao had no idea Number Two was awake. After meeting up with Lang Ze, he decided not to go into Number Two’s room for now.
Today was his first day watering and fertilizing the seedlings—a job he had volunteered for—and he didn’t want to be late and leave a bad impression on Brother A-Yan.
So, once Zheng Xing emerged from his room, the three of them headed together to the nursery’s outdoor garden.
The weather was clear today. Though the sky remained a pale red, the light was bright, and with the reduced pollution, the world appeared more vibrant.
As they stepped outside the nursery building, the little wolf cub couldn’t resist taking a deep breath of fresh air.
“Wow! This feels amazing!”
Since arriving at the nursery, this was the first time they had gone outdoors without caretakers or nanny robots watching over them.
The sense of freedom was exhilarating!
Lu Jiao nodded in agreement but kept his focus on the seedlings. When Lang Ze got distracted by the remnants of the giant spider’s corpse, Lu Jiao grabbed his arm.
“Brother A-Yan is waiting for us. We can’t be late,” he said sternly.
Lang Ze pouted, looking back and forth between the spider’s remains and Lu Jiao, but eventually gave up.
After all, they had only been allowed outside to water and fertilize the seedlings. It was their first day, and he needed to make a good impression if he wanted this freedom to continue.
The spider would still be there later. Once the seedlings were taken care of, he could come back to check it out.
“Alright, let’s go!”
After weighing the pros and cons, Lang Ze’s energy returned. He scooped up the slow-walking Zheng Xing and, laughing, sprinted toward the back of the building.
“Youyou, come and catch us!”
Lang Ze suddenly dashed off, catching Lu Jiao by surprise. The little white deer hurriedly started running after him.
“Lang Ze, wait for me!”
The two of them raced after one another, quickly arriving at their destination.
However, as they reached the plot of soil where the seedlings were planted, both of them stopped in their tracks, stunned by what they saw.
The dark brown soil, which had only sprouted tiny green tips yesterday, now bore seedlings that had grown at least as tall as a thumb!
Moreover, the 30-something ordinary seedlings each had sprouted two to three leaves, their vibrant green hues glistening as they swayed gently in the morning breeze.
This scene of vigorous growth seemed to sweep away all the lifelessness, leaving a profound impression on the two children.
Even Zheng Xing could sense the change.
After a night of rest, his mental energy had fully recovered. Although he couldn’t see, he could still observe the world in the way most familiar to him.
It was this ability that allowed him to feel an even greater sense of wonder.
After his initial daze, his attention shifted to the center of the plot, where the two small spirit buds were surrounded by all the ordinary seedlings.
Unlike the ordinary seedlings, the spirit buds hadn’t grown as fast. However, they had still shown progress—what had been just a tiny green tip yesterday now sported a small, delicate leaf.
“Grow, grow, grow together!”
“Grow, grow, grow together!”
The spirited one, nicknamed “Princess,” was enthusiastically waving its lone leaf, chanting its usual mantra. Although Zheng Xing couldn’t understand what it was saying, he could feel the boundless vitality radiating from it.
This vitality wasn’t just an abstract sensation; it was a tangible substance emanating from the spirit bud itself.
When this substance spread out and touched the ordinary seedlings, their energy waves became noticeably more active.
These waves carried a pure sense of joy, and even Zheng Xing couldn’t help but be affected by it.
It was this feeling that had given him the courage to ask A-Yan for permission to help. Being near these little plants made him feel at ease—more so than being alone ever could.
Zheng Xing didn’t know that the substance the spirit bud was emitting was spiritual energy. However, this didn’t stop him from recognizing the importance of these two spirit buds.
Although “Lazybones” was still sound asleep, far less spirited than its companion, the spiritual energy it emitted was no less abundant.
It was undoubtedly because of their presence that the surrounding seedlings had grown so much in a single night.
“You’re here,” a calm voice said.
As Lang Ze set Zheng Xing down and Lu Jiao crouched in amazement to observe the little green seedlings, a calm and steady “big brother” voice rang out across the clearing.
Lu Jiao quickly stood up and obediently greeted, “Good morning, Brother A-Yan.”
Seeing this, Lang Ze scrambled to his feet and mimicked him. “Good morning, Brother A-Yan!”
“…”
Zheng Xing hesitated briefly before softly adding, “G-Good morning… Brother A-Yan…”
Faced with the three distinct greeting styles, A-Yan simply nodded calmly.
“Good morning.”
He then reminded them, “Su Su is still sleeping, so don’t be noisy.”
At his words, Lang Ze instinctively clapped his hands over his mouth, his green eyes wide with alarm. The other two children also nodded hastily.
Waking Su Su was terrifying. The memory of that one night still cast a shadow over the children—it was likely to stay with them forever.
Seeing their obedience, A-Yan gave a slight nod before pointing to the seedlings on the ground. “Alright, we need to water them first.”
He handed a card to Lu Jiao. “This has the water amounts for each of the 36 seedlings. I’ve written everything down. Here’s the measuring cup.”
A-Yan began teaching them how to use the measuring cup, which came as part of the solid fertilizer kit. Since there was only one cup, the three children had to share it.
However, since Zheng Xing couldn’t see, even with the aid of his mental energy, he needed help from his companions. Lang Ze and Lu Jiao didn’t mind assisting him at all.
After learning how to use the measuring cup, the three kids huddled together and began dividing the tasks, working cooperatively.
Watching them for a while, A-Yan felt reassured.
With the two spirit plants present and the water already enriched with spiritual energy, these ordinary seedlings only required watering for now.
As for fertilizer, the three plant species Su Su had selected, along with the star-chain fruit vines themselves, had root systems with nutrient-enriching properties. Over time, they would naturally improve the soil’s fertility.
However, since the two spirit plants demanded high levels of nutrients, they might deplete the soil. In such cases, supplemental fertilization would be necessary.
Leaving the watering of the seedlings to the children, A-Yan turned his attention to the star-chain fruit vines.
Among all the plants, their growth was the most impressive.
The once-dry vines had completely regained their green hue. Every bud node had sprouted leaves, and new shoots were extending, spreading across the surrounding soil.
At this growth rate, A-Yan estimated it would only take a few more days for the vines to cover the entire patch of soil.
Recalling how star-chain fruit vines were cultivated in the plantation, A-Yan realized it was time to build a trellis for them.
He thought back to the day when the vines had grown wildly, covering entire walls in a lush green expanse. His eyes lit up with anticipation. If the starfruit vines could grow to cover the entire nursery building…
Wouldn’t that be beautiful?
Would Su Su like it?
Looking up at the nursery building’s cold metal exterior, A-Yan imagined the vibrant greenery covering it in the future. A soft smile curved his lips at the thought.
He envisioned filling this plot of land with lush greenery. By then, whenever Su Su opened the window and looked outside, he would see a vibrant, thriving view full of life.
With this thought in mind, A-Yan shifted his attention back and took out the star-chain fruit seeds he had soaked overnight.
The seeds the little monkey had delivered numbered over a hundred. After soaking for a night, about 20 to 30 of them had sprouted.
A-Yan carefully picked out the sprouted seeds.
When Lang Ze and the others finished watering the seedlings, he called them over.
“Do you want to plant with me?” he asked.
Without hesitation, all three nodded eagerly. After witnessing how much the seedlings had grown overnight, their interest in gardening was at an all-time high.
Even Lang Ze had completely forgotten about the giant spider’s remains.
After all, looking at a corpse wasn’t nearly as fun as planting seedlings.
Moreover…
He pointed at the much larger star-chain fruit vines and couldn’t help but ask, “When these bloom and bear fruit, will we get to eat the star-chain fruits?”
Hearing this, Lu Jiao’s eyes lit up as well.
That’s right! The star-chain fruit vines they were growing would eventually bear fruit! It wasn’t until Lang Ze mentioned it that he realized this obvious fact.
A-Yan nodded. “If you put in the work, you’ll naturally get to enjoy the results.”
He added, “The fruits you ate the other day were from these very starfruit vines.”
“Wow!”
The three children couldn’t help but grow even more excited at the news.
“Besides star-chain fruits, the other three plants—Jade Snow, Emerald Beans, and Golden Taro—are all edible too,” A-Yan continued, stoking their enthusiasm.
His prior experience in the cultivation garden had given him some knowledge about these plants.
“Jade Snow produces white fruits that are juicy and mildly sweet. They’re delicious whether eaten raw, stir-fried, or used in soups.”
“As for Emerald Beans and Golden Taro, they each have their own unique flavors and textures—much better than the mushy spider meat you’ve been eating.”
Although A-Yan hadn’t personally tasted them, he knew exactly how to spark the kids’ interest.
Sure enough, his words had the greatest effect on Lang Ze, who was already drooling.
“So what are we waiting for?” Lang Ze exclaimed impatiently. “Let’s plant them quickly! The sooner we plant them, the sooner we can eat them!”
A-Yan was pleased.
He then directed the three children to dig holes in the marked spots.
The new star-chain fruit seeds weren’t going to be planted near the spirit buds; that area was already too crowded. Once the seedlings grew bigger, they would need to be transplanted.
Although the new planting spots were farther from the spirit buds, with the enrichment of spiritual water and the nursery’s land no longer tainted by malice, the plants could now grow healthily.
It might grow more slowly due to the poor soil, but for now, there wasn’t much they could do.
After all, there were only two spirit plants, and not every plant could rely on them.
As Lang Ze and the others dug, A-Yan spoke to them, “These are all starfruit seeds you’re planting. Once they grow into seedlings, we’ll guide the vines to climb up the building…”
The three children imagined the scene he described and couldn’t help but feel a surge of anticipation. Motivated by the vision, they worked even harder.
Even Zheng Xing, who thought about sensing these lovely plants from his room and falling asleep with their companionship at night, couldn’t resist grabbing a small trowel and digging diligently.
“It’s a shame our rooms don’t have windows…”
After finishing his planting, covering the sprouted seeds, and watering them, Lang Ze looked up toward the fifth floor where he lived and muttered.
In the nursery building, only the second and third floors had windows. The other floors were entirely sealed, so even looking up, he couldn’t figure out which room was his.
Hearing his complaint and sensing the disappointment from the other two children, A-Yan thought for a moment and said, “If you all perform well, I can ask Su Su to approve it.”
Since the cubs were already allowed to leave their rooms freely, requesting windows shouldn’t be an issue.
Lang Ze immediately leaped up at the suggestion.
He had always dreamed of having a window in his room. The completely enclosed space often made him uncomfortable, but having a window would let him see the greenery below.
And once the star-chain fruit vines grew, could he pick the fruits directly from his window?
The thought of this possibility thrilled Lang Ze.
“What do we need to do to perform well?” he asked eagerly, wagging his big tail and looking expectantly in A-Yan’s direction. “Brother A-Yan, teach us!”
Whenever he needed something, Lang Ze’s flattery was unmatched.
“Brother A-Yan, you’re the best! Tell us what to do, and we promise to do it!” He even tugged on Lu Jiao’s sleeve.
Lu Jiao, snapping out of his amazement, quickly nodded in agreement. “Yes, Brother A-Yan, please teach us how we can do well!”
Even Zheng Xing chimed in softly, “Brother A-Yan…”
Faced with their pleading and sweetness, A-Yan suddenly realized he wasn’t entirely immune to their charm.
He also came to understand just how much a simple window meant to these children, who had spent their lives confined to enclosed rooms. To them, it was perhaps even more tempting than food.
“Alright.”
A-Yan steadied himself. Thankfully, since he spoke through the communicator, the children couldn’t detect the shift in his tone.
His voice remained as calm and reliable as ever. “I understand. First, go wash your hands.”
Having just finished digging, the children’s hands were covered in dirt. Lang Ze, in particular, had managed to get his face messy as well.
Hearing this, the three children obediently ran off to wash their hands and faces.
Once they were cleaned up, A-Yan said, “Follow me to the kitchen.”
“The kitchen?”
The three kids looked confused.
Clearly, in their limited experience, they had never encountered a kitchen before and didn’t know what it was for or where it was.
“Yes, it’s on the first floor of the nursery…”
A-Yan explained the general location before adding, “I’ll wait for you there. If you want windows in your rooms, come and find me.”
Then, with a swift movement, he vanished.
After waiting a moment and hearing nothing further from A-Yan, Lang Ze sniffed the air hesitantly and called out, “Brother A-Yan?”
“He’s gone,” Zheng Xing said.
“Wow, he’s so fast!” Lang Ze exclaimed. “Let’s hurry to the kitchen and find him!”
With that, he quickly hoisted Zheng Xing onto his back and grabbed Lu Jiao’s hand, racing toward the entrance of the nursery building.
Behind the three children, the small spirit bud continued to energetically wave its leaves.
Under the morning sunlight, the plants grew freely, responding to Princess’s rallying call, sprouting new buds, and entering an explosive phase of growth…
When Lang Ze and the others finally found the kitchen, A-Yan was already there, retrieving a large chunk of spider meat from the cold storage and placing it on the table to thaw.
Thanks to Su Ci’s authorization, the three children easily entered the kitchen.
Lang Ze immediately noticed the spider meat on the table. Realizing what was happening, he asked excitedly, “Brother A-Yan, are you making something delicious?”
“Yes,” A-Yan replied. “I’m preparing breakfast for Su Su.”
Although the addition of spider meat had made their meals more substantial, and Su Ci could now eat his fill, the process of preparing it was much more time-consuming.
The kitchen equipment at the base, limited in resources, only had basic cooking functions and couldn’t process raw ingredients. Everything had to be done manually.
With the time spent gardening and waiting for the spider meat to thaw, A-Yan felt he might not finish breakfast before Su Su woke up.
But with the help of the three children, it could be different.
“Help me cut this spider meat into small pieces,” A-Yan instructed, demonstrating the proper size for the chunks.
Lang Ze, already drooling despite having eaten breakfast earlier, eagerly rolled up his sleeves and started cutting.
“Brother A-Yan, is spider meat tasty?” he asked as he worked.
“Giant spider meat is delicious,” A-Yan replied, his knife skills swift and precise as he cut the meat into evenly sized pieces.
Lang Ze stared in awe, focusing intently so he wouldn’t fall behind. After a while, he couldn’t hold back and asked, “When it’s ready, can I try a piece?”
A-Yan didn’t respond.
Lang Ze tried again, looking pitiful as he pleaded, “Just one piece, please! Let me try it. It’s been so, so long since I’ve had real meat. Q_Q”
If it weren’t for knowing that this meat was meant for Su Su’s breakfast, and if he weren’t trying to behave well, Lang Ze might have already given in and stolen a raw piece to eat.
For cubs in their growth phase, meat was an essential source of nutrients.
While the meat paste they ate provided some nutrition, it couldn’t compare to the temptation of real meat.
Seeing how pitifully Lang Ze pleaded, and noting how well-behaved he had been today, A-Yan thought for a moment and said, “I’ll ask Su Su.”
Hearing this, Lang Ze grinned and immediately buried himself in his task with renewed effort.
Cutting the meat was still too challenging for Zheng Xing and Lu Jiao. Although they were eager to help, their little arms grew tired halfway through, and they could no longer lift the knife.
Only Lang Ze persevered, driven by the hope of tasting the meat. Not a single complaint escaped his lips.
*
Meanwhile, in Room 402, Number Two, after much deliberation, finally approached his door cautiously.
As he stood there, not yet doing anything, the metal door suddenly opened before him.
The red-haired boy’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the empty hallway outside, his face full of disbelief.
Was he… free? Just like that?
He tentatively stepped forward, one foot outside the door. Standing in the hallway, he hesitated, then called out, “Is anyone there? I’m outside now!”
He waited, but no one responded.
Still uneasy, he tried again, “I’m really outside!”
The only reply was the echo of his own voice down the corridor.
Number Two scratched his head in disbelief. What was going on? Was it a malfunction? His first instinct was to take advantage of the situation. Quietly, he began sneaking toward the stairwell—this was the perfect opportunity to escape!
But—
When he reached the third-floor landing, he stopped, hesitating.
The caretaker’s dormitory… wasn’t it on the third floor?
