Chapter 9
Number One sat quietly in the tub, letting the caretaker’s fingers knead his scalp.
With every rub, a peculiar sensation started at the base of his spine, climbing along his vertebrae until his scalp tingled with a soothing warmth.
He couldn’t help but close his eyes in contentment.
This was an experience he’d never had before. Even among the other fosterlings in the center, he had never seen anyone receive such attentive care from a caretaker—
Of course, the other fosterlings likely didn’t care.
At the fostering center, caretakers were far from popular. The children were hostile toward them, and during fits of rage, some even harmed the caretakers. As a result, no caretaker stayed long.
In the past, Number One had been indifferent to these comings and goings, giving little thought to their departures. But now…
He liked this new caretaker.
Being near him felt comforting. He didn’t want him to leave like the others.
The hands atop his head, now slick with suds, began to move downward. Soft yet firm fingers brushed against his cheeks, gently rubbing before sliding down to his fragile neck.
Number One’s spine stiffened, and his eyes instinctively opened.
What he saw was the caretaker’s strikingly beautiful face.
His pale skin glowed faintly under the light with a jade-like luster. His lashes, dark as crow feathers, cast a soft shadow over his lowered gaze, which held a calm detachment—as though nothing in the world could truly concern him.
Number One stared at him, entranced by the warm, comforting aura surrounding the young man. Slowly, he relaxed again.
Like a kitten held by the scruff, he stayed perfectly still, quiet and docile. An inexplicable trust in the caretaker welled within him.
It was as if a voice in his heart reassured him: This caretaker is trustworthy. He won’t hurt you.
Before long, the caretaker’s hands left his neck and moved to his back, scrubbing away the stubborn grime that clung to his skin.
“Wash your own feet,” Su Ci instructed.
Number One glanced down at the water in the tub, where white foam floated atop the now-murky surface. He could faintly see his dirty feet beneath.
Blushing slightly, the boy quickly reached out, cupping his feet in his small hands, and obediently began scrubbing away the dirt.
Before long, the grime was gone, revealing the original pale softness of his skin.
The boy tilted his head back, his large eyes looking at Su Ci expectantly, almost pleading for praise.
Su Ci glanced at his work and patted the boy’s head approvingly.
Receiving praise for the first time, the boy’s eyes widened slightly, the faint glimmer in his black-red pupils growing more vibrant.
Lowering his head, he discreetly touched his own hair where the caretaker had patted him.
Splash—
Su Ci grabbed the showerhead again, rinsing the foam off the boy. Then he drained the murky water, refilled the tub with clean water, and gave him another thorough rinse.
Number One lowered his head, diligently scrubbing his feet again. He even worked out the tiniest bits of dirt from under his nails.
Focused on his task, he didn’t notice the faint golden light glowing from Su Ci’s palm. The light seeped into the boy’s skin, merging with his body.
Number One was entirely unaware. All he felt was the soothing warmth of the water, which seemed to wash away the icy pain that had tormented him day and night. For now, he felt nothing but comfort.
Perhaps it was the comfort of the warm water, but Number One’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier until his head lolled to the side, and he began to slump into the tub.
Before he could hit his head, a slender, pale hand reached out and gently supported him.
Su Ci looked down at the boy, now fast asleep in his palm. The golden glow on his hand faded, and the spiritual energy that had been coursing through his palm withdrew into his body.
However, the furrow in Su Ci’s brow did not relax.
He had just examined the boy’s condition. Not only was he severely malnourished, but his body also bore numerous internal injuries and was deeply tainted by extreme, twisted, negative energy.
That kind of negative energy…
Images of the ominous red mist and the wailing earth flashed through Su Ci’s mind, making his frown deepen further. Even so, his hands didn’t stop their work.
By the time Su Ci had washed the boy thoroughly from head to toe and lifted him out of the tub, his own clothes were drenched as well.
Out of habit, Su Ci moved to dispel the water from their bodies, but upon sensing his limited reserves of spiritual energy, he decided against it.
Carrying the boy over to a cabinet, Su Ci opened the door. Inside were neatly arranged daily necessities, most of which seemed to have been left behind by previous caretakers.
He retrieved a clean towel, wrapped it around the boy, and headed into the drying room.
Three minutes later, they emerged completely dry, though their pale skin was now slightly flushed from the heat.
Barefoot on the warm, comfortable flooring, Su Ci carried the boy into the bedroom.
Despite the lack of attention to food in this era, their advancements in other areas were remarkable.
Su Ci lightly tapped the wall, and the ceiling light automatically switched off. Only a small nightlight by the bed remained, casting a soft, warm glow in the dim room.
After rummaging through his spatial storage, Su Ci pulled out a clean shirt and casually slipped it over the boy. Then he tucked him snugly under the covers.
The boy lay on the bed with only his small head poking out.
His freshly cut hair, though slightly yellowed, was now fluffy and soft. His clean skin, originally pale pink, glowed faintly under the light.
Su Ci couldn’t resist patting the boy’s head, appreciating the pleasant texture.
“That’s much better.”
Having settled the little one, Su Ci stood and left the bedroom. He approached the window and, with a swish, drew the curtains open.
Outside, the blood moon was obscured by red clouds. The walls of the fostering center were lined with streetlights, their bright glow providing sufficient illumination even without moonlight.
Su Ci gazed at the scenery outside, his figure gradually fading until it became translucent. When he raised a hand to touch the wall, he passed through it effortlessly.
The next moment, he appeared in the courtyard between the fostering center’s main building and its perimeter wall. However, a faint figure still remained by the window of Room 303.
Both the building and the perimeter wall were equipped with surveillance cameras, leaving no blind spots in their coverage of the center. Yet, as the scanning beams passed over Su Ci, they failed to register him, and no alarms were triggered.
Casting a glance at the cameras, Su Ci then shifted his attention to the red clouds in the sky.
At night, the red mist within the base was significantly denser than during the day. It was visible even without switching to a specialized view. However, inside the buildings, its presence was nearly nonexistent, as though some unseen rules kept it at bay.
Extending his hand, Su Ci summoned a wisp of red mist, which coalesced in his palm and floated there. He closed his eyes, carefully sensing it.
The surveillance system seemed to detect the rising concentration of red mist in the area and swept its beams over repeatedly, but it found nothing unusual.
After a while, Su Ci opened his eyes, his brow raised slightly in surprise.
This is spiritual energy.
But it was tainted with resentment, despair, and brutality, corrupted beyond recognition.
Unlike the gentle and harmless nature of pure spiritual energy, this red mist was highly aggressive, actively seeking to infect all living beings.
If a cultivator directly absorbed it, they would likely suffer mental contamination, eventually losing their sanity and succumbing to madness. Ordinary people, exposed to such mist for prolonged periods, would passively inhale it, leading to gradual corrosion and harm.
At that moment, the mist Su Ci had gathered began to condense further on its own, forming a small vortex at its center.
The vortex’s rotation intensified, and the concentration of the red mist surged silently until it became visible to the naked eye.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The nearest surveillance camera emitted a shrill alarm.
Su Ci frowned and waved his hand, dispersing the vortex of red mist. The surveillance camera’s alarm promptly silenced.
Not long after, the sound of footsteps came from beyond the perimeter wall. Moments later, several figures appeared atop the wall.
Dressed in dark red uniforms that nearly blended with the mist, they reminded Su Ci of Xun Xiaoyu from earlier in the day. He immediately realized these were operatives from the Operation Department.
It was a six-person squad.
Three remained on the wall as sentries, while the other three formed a triangle formation and leaped into the courtyard. They approached the spot where the vortex had formed to conduct their investigation.
Su Ci stayed where he was, watching as they moved around him. At one point, one of them suddenly turned and looked in his direction.
Behind the mask was a pair of sharp, piercing eyes.
“Captain Yan?”
A teammate called out to the man, who then regrouped with the others. Together, they cautiously scanned the seemingly empty courtyard.
Yan Ping stared intently in Su Ci’s direction for a long moment. Su Ci tensed, briefly suspecting he had been discovered, but Yan Ping eventually shifted his gaze and lowered his weapon.
“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “Anything on your end?”
“All clear.”
“Apart from the elevated pollutant levels, there’s nothing unusual.”
The increased concentration of pollutants at night was typical, but it was rare for it to breach the alert threshold and trigger an alarm.
Yan Ping’s eyes glinted with contemplation. “Stay on alert and keep monitoring.”
“Yes, sir!”
The squad conducted another sweep of the courtyard and surrounding areas. Finding no imminent threats, they eventually departed.
Su Ci remained motionless throughout, only shifting slightly to the side to avoid direct contact when they came too close.
Once their figures disappeared beyond the perimeter wall, Su Ci redirected his attention. Moving to the back of the fostering center’s main building, he surveyed the area before settling on a corner that would likely receive good sunlight during the day.
He made a precise hand gesture and lightly tapped the ground with his foot. A spiritual barrier, about a meter in radius, sprang up around him, effectively shielding the area from any surveillance.
Gazing down at the ground, Su Ci’s dark eyes gleamed faintly with golden light.
Hovering just above the barrier, he let the golden light in his gaze pulse. With a soft motion, he tapped his foot again, as though stepping on water, causing ripples to radiate outward.
Drip—
A faint, crisp sound echoed. Beneath the barrier, the hard, metallic surface of the ground suddenly fragmented and dissolved, revealing soil faintly tinged with a blood-red hue.
The golden glow in Su Ci’s eyes dimmed as his body descended gently through the transparent barrier. His feet touched down on the exposed earth, and the moment his soles met the ground, his frown deepened.
Crouching, Su Ci placed his palm against the soil.
The earth was dry, compacted, and utterly devoid of fertility, its surface stained with the faint red of contamination. It bore the marks of prolonged exposure to the red mist.
Compared to the vibrant, life-filled land he remembered from before his slumber, this was unrecognizable. It was hard to believe this was the same planet.
As he touched the ground, Su Ci felt the earth’s anger and sorrow even more acutely. A mix of puzzlement and pity flashed in his eyes.
He sighed softly, and a faint light glowed in his palm. With deliberate care, he infused the soil with a trace of his divine soul energy.
When he lifted his hand, the lingering deathly aura and accumulated resentment that had been festering in this small patch of earth for countless years began to dissipate at last.
The blood-red hue faded, and the compacted soil loosened, revealing a natural brownish-yellow tone with hints of dark richness—clearly ideal for planting.
Yet, Su Ci’s furrowed brow did not relax.
A single droplet in the ocean.
This method wouldn’t suffice to revive an entire planet.
Moreover, his power was intrinsically tied to the earth. The planet’s decline directly weakened him as well.
Pressing his lips into a thin line, Su Ci stood upright.
With a simple motion of his hand, a few fine particles of pollen appeared in his pale palm—residue from the handkerchief he’d given to Number Five earlier.
Tilting his hand slightly, he allowed the pollen to drift down, settling into the soil beneath his feet.
The pollen grains were so minuscule that they disappeared into the dirt, their exact location imperceptible to the naked eye.
Su Ci didn’t mind. His gaze remained fixed on the ground. His bare foot, glowing faintly with a jade-like radiance, pressed lightly against the soil. A faint golden light shimmered and rippled outward once again.
This time, he uttered a soft chant, his voice carrying the gentle warmth of a spring breeze.
“Earth, you who nurture all things—”
The ethereal, ancient quality of his voice resonated, imbued with a mysterious and unknown power. It stirred the dormant soil, coaxing it to awaken.
Beneath the protective barrier, faint glimmers began to emerge from the soil.
The light was weak, like an old, forgotten bulb flickering faintly as it gave its last spark of life before the filament broke and the glow dimmed into nothingness.
The soil returned to silence.
What had been restored to some degree of fertility through Su Ci’s soul power now began to darken again. Thankfully, the protective barrier prevented the encroachment of the blood-red deathly aura.
With proper care, this patch of land might one day regain its former vitality.
Su Ci crouched and sifted through the dirt with his fingers. Soon, he unearthed two dark brown seeds.
The seeds were teardrop-shaped, full, and smooth to the touch—clearly of excellent quality.
Staring at the two seeds, Su Ci let out a quiet sigh.
So much pollen. In the past, a single use of this spell would have yielded far more than two seeds.
Back then, the pollen would transform into seeds within moments, which would then sprout, grow into a small grove, blossom, and bear the sweetest fruits, inviting him to partake.
Now, all he had were two meager tree seeds.
As Su Ci mused, the soil beneath his feet seemed to dim further, as though retreating into itself, wounded by his silent disdain.
He paused, then patted the ground gently, almost as if offering comfort.
Next, he dug a small hole in the dirt and planted one of the seeds.
This seed, infused with his soul power and the earth’s vitality, was a spiritual seed imbued with abundant life force. As it grew, it would draw nutrients from the soil while simultaneously returning spiritual energy to it.
A cycle of mutual sustenance and symbiosis.
However, getting the seed to take root and sprout was no simple task.
Su Ci had never farmed before, but he tried to recall what he knew. Standing up, he returned to the dormitory and fetched a bucket of water, which he then poured evenly over the soil beneath the protective barrier.
The dry earth drank in the water, releasing a faintly pleasant aura. The dormant spiritual seed seemed to stir, slowly awakening.
Sensing the subtle vitality, Su Ci felt his mood lift slightly.
He retrieved a can from his spatial storage, ate its contents, and placed the second seed inside the empty can. Covering it with some soil, he picked up the water bucket and slipped back into the room.
The figure by the window came to life, its once-vacant eyes regaining focus. In one hand was a water bucket, and in the other, a can filled with soil.
Su Ci casually set the can on the coffee table, then returned the bucket to the bathroom and took a shower.
While looking for clothes for the boy earlier, Su Ci had noticed a box in his spatial storage filled with various outfits. Selecting a set of pajamas for himself, he changed and then lazily wandered to the bedroom doorway to check on the child.
The boy’s breathing was steady, and he was still sound asleep.
Satisfied, Su Ci retreated to the living room, sat on the sofa, and glanced at the communicator on his wrist. An idea crossed his mind, and he delved into his spatial storage, quickly retrieving a spherical device called a “light brain.”
Cradling the orb, he examined it briefly before pressing the power button.
The previously dormant metal sphere lit up instantly, emitting dazzling light effects as it floated midair. A transparent holographic screen expanded outward from its surface.
Su Ci leaned back on the sofa.
The sphere adjusted itself so the holographic screen remained directly in his line of sight.
“Beep—Face recognition successful. Light brain initializing.”
“Initialization complete. Time taken: 3.22 seconds.”
“Good evening, Su Ci. I am your AI assistant, Xiao Qiu.”
The voice was that of an adorable child, gender-neutral and lively.
“Beep—Detecting network signal. Attempting to connect… Connection successful.”
“Reminder: This signal is under official monitoring. Please use it cautiously.”
“Paired communicator detected. Synchronizing data… Synchronization complete.”
After a flurry of notifications, the light brain finally quieted down.
Since it was connected to the communicator, its interface appeared automatically on the screen. Curious, Su Ci clicked into it.
There were several chat windows in the messaging interface. At the top was a group chat titled Base 24, but no one had spoken recently. The last message, timestamped around 6:00 PM, read:
“You have been added to the group by the Administration Department – Guo Hui. The base’s central AI has updated your ID to ‘Fostering Center – Su Ci (Trainee).’”
Intrigued, Su Ci scrolled up and saw that before taking him to the Administration Department for onboarding, Shi Yijiang had informed the group about his arrival.
It seemed communication here was efficient.
Guo Hui…
Su Ci’s mind conjured the image of the stern woman with black-framed glasses and a tightly coiled bun. The name on the badge pinned to her chest had indeed been Guo Hui.
At that moment, a notification popped up on the interface.
“You have a new message.”
Su Ci opened it, and a new window appeared.
“Medical Purification Department – Gu Qingchen” has sent you a friend request. Origin: Group Chat ‘Base 24.’
[Accept] [Decline]
Gu Qingchen?
Su Ci tapped “Accept,” approving the request. Almost immediately, a private chat window with Gu Qingchen opened. His avatar was a cartoon figure with gold-rimmed glasses, slightly tilting his head and pushing the glasses up with a finger.
Medical Purification Department – Gu Qingchen:
[Good evening, Caretaker Su.]
[I am Gu Qingchen, a resident physician with the Medical Purification Department.]
Su Ci, unfamiliar with typing, used the light brain’s voice input feature to reply:
[Good evening.]
He glanced at his own avatar and saw it was a pure white, long-haired cat with one golden and one green eye—striking heterochromatic eyes.
A new message arrived almost instantly.
Medical Purification Department – Gu Qingchen:
[Caretaker Su, the treatments for Number Two and Four have been completed. Please arrive at the Medical Purification Department at 10:00 AM tomorrow to bring them back to the fostering center.]
Su Ci recalled the reminder he had received earlier when Number Two and Four were taken away in the afternoon.
Su Ci:
[Understood.]
*
Meanwhile, at the Medical Purification Department…
Gu Qingchen stared at Su Ci’s reply. Seeing that Su Ci didn’t seem to have any urgent questions, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully and reopened the small group chat.
Gu Qingchen:
[There doesn’t seem to be any issues at the cub center.]
As soon as Gu Qingchen sent his message, the already lively group chat exploded again.
Jiang Zhong Little Stone:
[How do you know, Old Gu? I heard the alarms went off there, and Captain Yan led a team to investigate.]
Old Chen:
[If it were anything serious, the entire base would be on high alert by now. Since everything’s calm, it means there’s no problem. You youngsters are just scaring yourselves.]
Gu Qingchen rolled his eyes. The incident had indeed occurred late in the evening, right when most people were getting ready for bed. It was understandable that nerves were frayed.
Still…
Since the base’s central AI only notified the Operation Department to investigate, and the new caretaker seemed so unfazed, it probably wasn’t anything major.
Just as Gu Qingchen was reassuring himself, Su Ci’s private chat notification popped up. His heart skipped a beat.
Could something really be wrong?
When he opened the message, he was stunned.
Su Ci:
[Dr. Gu, do you know where I can get fertilizer?]
Gu Qingchen blinked. In all his years, he’d never been asked such a question—especially by a newly appointed caretaker.
Su Ci must have interacted with the fosterlings by now, Gu Qingchen thought. Wasn’t he even slightly alarmed by the chaos on his first day?
Although the injuries from the recent fight were minor, the fostering center’s dining hall had reportedly been severely damaged. Earlier, he’d seen the maintenance team complaining in the group chat about Fosterling Two’s newfound fire-controlling ability, which was sure to make future repairs even more challenging.
Besides, judging by their comments, Su Ci’s physical fitness wasn’t particularly great, either.
Questions flooded Gu Qingchen’s mind, but he kept his composure and responded calmly:
[Caretaker Su, what do you need fertilizer for?]
Su Ci:
[To grow flowers.]
Gu Qingchen: “…”
This caretaker sure has leisure on his mind… Gu Qingchen thought. But does he even understand the state of Prison Star?
He hesitated briefly before typing:
[Prison Star’s environment is unique. Planting anything here isn’t feasible.]
