Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Yun Tuo had yet to show up, and Chu Ya's initial anxiety and urgency had subsided, but he still climbed the Cultural Center building every day to gaze into the distance.

The Black Wolf squatted on the left side of the wheelchair, while Shen Juanjuan squatted on the right, scribbling aimlessly on the layer of dust on the ground with a small stick.

After a moment, he suddenly looked up and asked, "Brother, will our parents come to pick us up if you keep looking like this?"

Chu Ya was lost in thought and was taken aback by the question, turning his head to look at Shen Juanjuan.

Shen Juanjuan stared back with his large, bright eyes, unwavering, as if waiting for an answer.

"Yes, I am waiting for our parents to come and pick us up." Chu Ya enunciated the words "our parents" clearly and deliberately.

Satisfied, Shen Juanjuan stood up, "Then I'll watch too, just in case you can't see them."

He sat in Chu Ya's lap, and together they quietly gazed into the distance. The Black Wolf tilted its head and placed one paw on Chu Ya's leg.

A cold wind blew, and Shen Juanjuan snuggled closer to Chu Ya, who wrapped him tightly in a small blanket and then covered him with a raincoat.

"Are you cold?" Chu Ya asked.

"Not cold," Shen Juanjuan replied, though his body shivered slightly.

"The rain is getting heavier; let's go back."

The two and the wolf descended from the Cultural Center to the street below and slowly made their way home. No one noticed the black snake perched atop a distant tower, its head raised, flicking its long red tongue toward them.

Outside Mixin Town, a military vehicle was parked on the main road, partially obscured by nearby buildings. Gu Lin leaned back in the rear seat with his eyes closed, while Jin Gao whispered, "Is this the place?"

Gu Lin nodded slowly.

Jin Gao tossed the white gloves in his hand onto the seat beside him and said coldly, "Because of those two scumbags from the company, we've taken so many detours, wasted so much manpower, energy, and time. They even changed the landing time of the aircraft. If you hadn't interrogated them, we would have been deceived."

"That's enough. Just focus on finding the person."

Jin Gao bowed slightly, "Should we move now? Take him back to White Castle?"

Gu Lin didn't respond immediately, only staring silently at the rain streaking down the car window, tapping his fingers lightly on the seat cushion.

After a long pause, he finally said, "No, I've changed my mind. Let him stay here."

"Let him stay here?" Jin Gao was surprised.

Gu Lin turned to him, "If I take him back and force him to reveal the location of that thing, what do you think will happen?"

Jin Gao thought for a moment, "He's only twelve years old. With threats and persuasion, he probably won't hold out for long."

"You don't understand him or my uncle," Gu Lin shook his head slowly. "My uncle is cunning and calculating. He wouldn't directly tell Chu Ya the location of that thing and put his son in danger. But he would certainly tell Chu Ya in a very subtle way, leaving a fallback plan for his son."

Jin Gao pondered, "So you're saying he has already told Chu Ya the hiding place, but Chu Ya doesn't know it?"

"Yes. I've been with my uncle for a long time and understand his methods well. Of course, I also understand Chu Ya." Gu Lin narrowed his eyes slightly, "If we take him back to White Castle now and make him think and recall, given his stubborn nature, if he discovers any clues, he will never tell us, even if it means death."

"He's just a pampered young master. A bit of pressure, and he'll talk," Jin Gao said dismissively.

"Don't underestimate him. Despite being raised in luxury, he's actually very stubborn and obstinate, just like my uncle. We can't use conventional methods to force him to speak."

"So what do you want to do?" Jin Gao's face showed curiosity.

"Have you ever gone fishing? Years ago, before the Black Plague outbreak, there was a pond outside town where many people fished. They cast their bait, letting the fish smell and search for it, and when the fish bites, they suddenly reel it in."

Gu Lin raised his arm, mimicking the action of reeling in a fishing rod, and slowly smiled at Jin Gao, "Don't you find it interesting?"

"You mean tell him part of the truth and wait for him to seek out the thing himself?"

"Yes."

"This is indeed better than taking him away directly. We just need to monitor his movements." Jin Gao thought for a moment and added, "Once he knows about the item, we should give him some freedom and convenience, even if he needs to go to Cloud Peak to retrieve it."

"Yes." Gu Lin nodded, a smile playing on his lips as he shook his head, "I knew he was hidden somewhere, but I didn't expect him to be a child. This is quite amusing."

"Indeed, unexpected." Jin Gao laughed.

"As long as we find him, he won't escape." Gu Lin rubbed his chin with his thumb, "Let's go back first. Send someone to keep an eye on this place. The Morning Star Club president election is the day after tomorrow. After the voting, I'll handle this myself."

"Understood."

"Oh, and that child is probably from the orphanage, right? Speaking of which, we haven't selected any children entering the differentiation period these past two times. I wonder if there's something wrong... Have Captain Zhang visit the orphanage again in the next few days without prior notice."

"Alright."

Shen Juanjuan hadn't been to the orphanage for a few days and began to miss the other children, often mentioning them more frequently to Chu Ya.

After writing a row of characters, he would proudly say that Lin Duozhi definitely couldn't do it. After counting to one hundred with difficulty, he would say even the smart Tang Yuanyuan couldn't. He continued to collect treasures from the garbage dump every day, accumulating a large bag, which he counted and distributed daily.

"This ribbon is pretty, for Liu Sijin. Oh, this thick rubber band, for Chen Hongliang; he said he wants to make a slingshot. This little cup for Lin Duozhi; his cup isn't as nice as this. This for Wang Xiaoxi, this for Yu Datou, this for Tang Yuanyuan..."

The food bag sent by Director Liu was finished, so the next day, Chu Ya took Shen Juanjuan to the orphanage.

Today, the Black Wolf did not follow as usual, but Chu Ya didn't pay much attention, stopping near the orphanage alone.

"Will you wait for me here?" Shen Juanjuan asked.

Chu Ya wanted him to play with the other children for a while. Knowing that if he said he would wait, Shen Juanjuan would come out quickly, he said, "I won't wait for you today. Go back by yourself."

Hearing this, Shen Juanjuan became unhappy, his face falling.

"I'll wait for you, at the waterfall. Play for a while longer, and I'll wander around this area."

Shen Juanjuan's expression finally eased.

Chu Ya fished out a small pillow from under the wheelchair: "The punching bag can't be brought in, take this with you. If you feel uncomfortable, hit it; don't go after those kids."

"Why would I hit them? They are my friends; I wouldn't do that."

"You shouldn't hit Wang Zhusheng either." From Shen Juanjuan's usual stories, Chu Ya knew that Wang Zhusheng had also entered the differentiation period, worried about two powder kegs meeting: "If you see him, stay away. Don't confront him."

"Huh... I'm not afraid of him." Shen Juanjuan took the small pillow and stuffed it into his satchel, his face full of defiance, eyes rolling.

"It's not about being afraid, but conserving your strength. You might hurt him. After all, you're practicing boxing now, and ordinary kids can't handle it."

Shen Juanjuan instantly felt refreshed: "I won't hit him like I practice. I'll save ten points of strength."

Shen Juanjuan darted into the orphanage and hurried to the dormitory. He arrived particularly early today, and the manager was just calling everyone to wake up when he entered.

Ding ding ding.

"Everyone get up, all of you get up."

The children in the dormitory were still asleep. Shen Juanjuan quickly peeled off his raincoat and pounced on the nearest pile of blankets: "Ha! Tang Yuanyuan!"

Tang Yuanyuan pulled back the blanket, revealing her fluffy head, looking at Shen Juanjuan with sleepy eyes: "You're back."

"I'm back." Shen Juanjuan pounced on the next bed, "Chen Hongliang! Get up, get up."

"Aaaaaah, don't make noise, I'm not getting up!"

Outside the dormitory door, the manager's stern voice rang out: "Do you think I'm noisy? Do you want to visit the punishment room? It's quieter there."

"Juanjuan."

"Shen Juanjuan."

All the children in the dormitory woke up, sitting up and rubbing their eyes, greeting Shen Juanjuan. Shen Juanjuan carried a large bag to the center of the room and dumped everything on the floor.

The colorful treasures brightened the entire dormitory and lit up the children's eyes.

"So many treasures."

"How come there are so many treasures?"

Shen Juanjuan pointed grandly: "Choose for yourselves."

"Wow!" The children pounced, some still without clothes, barefoot. Shen Juanjuan was pushed to the back, repeatedly reminding them: "So many treasures, don't fight, don't fight."

But Tang Yuanyuan and Chen Hongliang still fought over a small plastic box. Lin Duozhi, holding another plastic box, shouted anxiously: "There's another one here, don't fight, don't fight."

Neither child listened, trying to pry the other's hand open, fighting over just that one.

By the time the dispute was settled, the children from other dormitories had finished washing up. They hid the remaining treasures under their beds and picked up their basins, rushing to the washroom.

"Come back to share after breakfast."

"Wang Xiaoxi took an extra one earlier, he should take one less later."

Wang Xiaoxi defended himself softly: "That's for Yu Datou."

"Mm-hmm." The usually silent Yu Datou spoke up.

"Alright, it doesn't count as you taking an extra one."

...

Shen Juanjuan had a lot to say to them, so he followed them to the washroom with his basin.

In the washroom, there was no one else, and the manager wasn't around. The children each used a faucet to wash up, chatting while they washed.

"Wang Zhusheng always fights. Now he lives alone in a dormitory and doesn't attend classes with others."

"Yesterday he was fighting again and was taken away by Chief Administrator Chen."

"He's not the lice king; he's not good at fighting."

...

Shen Juanjuan stood behind them for a while. Seeing they hadn't finished, he carried his basin back to the dormitory. But just as he entered the corridor, he saw a younger student and suddenly stopped.

Wang Zhusheng!!

Suddenly, anger surged in Shen Juanjuan's heart, his chest and abdomen grew hot, and he became restless. When Wang Zhusheng saw him, his face also turned sour, his lips curling down.

Shen Juanjuan recognized this sudden irritability. Chu Ya had taught him that whenever he felt this way, he should punch the sandbag. But the sandbag wasn't there, so he could only hurry back to the dormitory and hit the small pillow in his satchel.

He remembered Chu Ya's advice: don't confront Wang Zhusheng, stay away if you see him. So he suppressed the urge to call him a dung beetle and pressed himself against the wall, moving slowly forward.

Wang Zhusheng seemed to be returning to his dormitory to get something and also pressed against the opposite wall, both seemingly controlling themselves, looking straight ahead, avoiding each other's gaze.

But at the moment they passed each other, both turned their eyes to glance at the other, their gazes colliding in mid-air, instantly sparking tension.

Wang Zhusheng curled his lips, and Shen Juanjuan read two words in his eyes: stinkbug.

But his own gaze was fierce, and Wang Zhusheng must have seen the word "dung beetle" in his eyes, making his face even uglier.

Shen Juanjuan held back from speaking, and Wang Zhusheng, who had probably been warned by the manager, didn't taunt Shen Juanjuan as he usually did when they met.

The two boys passed each other, pressing against the walls. After taking a few steps, Shen Juanjuan finally turned back and silently made a telekinetic attack gesture, only to see Wang Zhusheng crossing his arms over his chest.

"Are you daring to use telekinesis on me?"

"Are you not attacking me?"

"Bug!"

"Dung beetle!"

The next second, the sound of a small basin hitting the ground echoed, and the two began fighting in the corridor.

Chu Ya had not strayed far from the orphanage. As usual, he pushed his wheelchair behind a small hill and waited quietly for Shen Juanjuan.

He gazed into the distance, lost in thought, when suddenly a small black dot appeared in his field of vision. The black dot gradually grew larger, moving swiftly toward him. Without needing to see clearly, he knew it was the Black Wolf.

Seeing the Black Wolf sprinting at full speed, a sense of foreboding welled up inside Chu Ya. He slowly sat up straight, his lips pressed into a thin line.

In less than half a minute, the Black Wolf had already reached him, letting out a long howl. Even without a mental connection, Chu Ya could hear the warning and urgency in its voice.

Chu Ya thought for only a moment before immediately asking, "Someone? Coming to the orphanage? Military vehicle?"

The Black Wolf let out another short, low growl.

Chu Ya immediately understood that Cloud Peak was once again selecting children who were entering their differentiation period. The last time Cloud Peak came to select people, he was also here, witnessing the hurried chaos within the orphanage. But this time, the playground was eerily quiet, indicating that the orphanage had received no notice.

And Shen Juanjuan...

Shen Juanjuan was still inside!

Without regard for revealing himself, Chu Ya immediately wanted to head to the orphanage. However, there was still some distance between here and the orphanage. He glanced down at his wheelchair, then at the Black Wolf: "Silver Wolf, I need your help, go and bring Shen Juanjuan out."

As soon as he spoke, he realized there were other children in the orphanage besides Shen Juanjuan who were differentiating, so he quickly changed his words: "No, go and bring Director Liu out."

Rong Chen had just finished checking the breakfast to be sent to the cafeteria and stepped out of the kitchen when someone suddenly grabbed him from behind, lifting him off his feet and placing him on an invisible object. Before he could call out, he was airborne, shooting to the roof and then swiftly floating outside the compound.

Once the dizziness from the sudden weightlessness subsided, Rong Chen saw the ground rapidly receding, a vast wilderness. He wanted to shout for help but was too terrified to make a sound.

However, when he managed to lift his head and look around, he saw a young man in a wheelchair, and instantly understood something, which calmed him somewhat.

Chu Ya had originally expected the Black Wolf to bring either Shen Juanjuan or Director Liu, but instead, it was Rong Chen. It seemed Director Liu was not there, so the Black Wolf had brought the Chief Administrator.

But he trusted that Rong Chen was someone Director Liu trusted and was aware of his existence, so telling him wasn't a problem.

The Black Wolf carried Rong Chen to Chu Ya and gave a slight shudder.

"Slow down—"

Bang!

Rong Chen was already sprawled on the ground, and Chu Ya had to retract his outstretched hand.

The ground was soft, and Rong Chen didn't get hurt. Standing up, he sized up Chu Ya, as if wanting to greet him, but his lips moved uncertainly, unsure of what to say.

Chu Ya, however, was straightforward: "Chief Administrator Chen, I asked my quantum beast to bring you here. Someone from Cloud Peak is on their way to the orphanage. My quantum beast spotted military vehicles ahead; they should be arriving soon."

"Again, again to select people? But we haven't received any notification. What, what should we do? The director isn't here, but besides Shen Juanjuan and Wang Zhusheng, two more children have entered the differentiation period." Rong Chen's face turned pale, and he became flustered.

Chu Ya said, "Don't panic. Go back quickly and prepare. Hide Shen Juanjuan and the other differentiating children."

Rong Chen nodded hastily, "Okay, okay, I understand. I'll go back and arrange it now."

Lifting the hem of his gray robe, he was about to run back to the orphanage. Seeing that he would waste time running back, Chu Ya looked at the Black Wolf beside him. The Black Wolf immediately rushed forward, picked up the stiffened Rong Chen, and dashed toward the orphanage like the wind.

"Bring him in and then come out; don't stay inside," Chu Ya shouted after the Black Wolf's retreating figure.

If the sentinels and guides from Cloud Peak discovered the Black Wolf, it would complicate matters.

Watching the Black Wolf carry Rong Chen over the fence, Chu Ya turned and saw a small black dot of military vehicles appearing on the distant road. He pushed his wheelchair deeper into the wilderness to hide.

Shen Juanjuan and Wang Zhusheng were rolling on the ground, with Lin Duozhi and the others cheering them on.

"Shen Juanjuan is so strong."

"Shen Juanjuan is so strong."

"Shen Juanjuan has him pinned down."

Wang Zhusheng, grabbing a tuft of hair on Shen Juanjuan's head, his face red with effort, argued, "I, I, I did, did turn over."

"You didn't, the one on top is, is my foot!" Shen Juanjuan pulled Wang Zhusheng's face with both hands.

Just as they were fighting fiercely, a furious voice boomed, "What are you doing?"

The children's noise abruptly stopped. Shen Juanjuan was lifted by the back of his shirt. Hanging in mid-air, he bent forward, still holding onto Wang Zhusheng's face. Only after a hard slap on his hand did he yelp and let go.

Rong Chen, holding one child in each hand, walked briskly out while shouting at Tang Yuanyuan and the other children, "Quickly to the cafeteria, go, go!"

Shen Juanjuan and Wang Zhusheng were thrown into the warehouse, but this time, they weren't alone; two older students were already inside.

Rong Chen tossed them in and hurried out, but upon seeing the four children with scratched faces, he returned, fetching a roll of tape from an iron box by the wall.

After all, these children were in their differentiation period, each more combative than the last. They might start fighting again at any moment.

"You four, I'm going to punish you by tying you up to prevent you from fighting again," Rong Chen bound them to a machine with tape, "You'll stay tied up for an hour. If you fight again, the punishment will double. No arguing, no making any noise, or the punishment will increase."

The door to the warehouse closed with a click, plunging the room into darkness.

Shen Juanjuan's chest and limbs were wrapped in several layers of tape, fixed to a metal cylinder. Across from him, Wang Zhusheng was similarly bound. The two older students were tied to opposite sides of the room.

The older students remained silent and indifferent, but Shen Juanjuan and Wang Zhusheng started arguing, silently mouthing words.

"Bug."

"Dung beetle."

"Bug."

"Dung beetle."

"Phew!"

"Phew!"

...

A military vehicle stopped outside the welfare home, and Rong Chen hurried over to greet the two officers who had just stepped out. "Are you here to select candidates today? Director Liu isn't around, and we didn't receive any notice."

The officer smiled. "Do we need to report to the home in advance when we come to select candidates?"

"Not exactly, it's just that with Director Liu not being here, I'm afraid I might not be able to attend to you properly," Rong Chen replied with a smile.

The officer strode toward the compound. "Chief Administrator Chen, have all the children gather on the playground."

"Sure, I'll do that right away. I'll get them to gather immediately."