Chapter 54

Chapter 54

The children at the orphanage were originally eating in the canteen when they saw two officers through the window. They immediately burst into thunderous cheers, rushing out of the canteen and onto the playground, quickly forming ranks.

Wang Chengcai stood at the end of the line, anxiously looking around. Seeing Rong Chen pass by, he hurriedly chased after him: "Chief Administrator Chen, Chief Administrator Chen."

"What is it?" Rong Chen stopped a child who was running around, "Go back to your place."

Wang Chengcai followed Rong Chen as he walked: "Cloud Peak is coming to select candidates, but my brother isn't here. I need to find him."

Rong Chen glanced at the officer in another direction and whispered harshly, "Your brother just got into a fight. I locked him in the single dormitory."

"I just went to that dormitory to bring him to the canteen for dinner, but there was no one inside," Wang Chengcai said, his face showing worry.

Rong Chen replied coldly, "If there's no one, then there's no one. He won't disappear. Go stand in line, and look for him after this is over."

"But my brother—"

"Get in line now!" Rong Chen barked sternly.

Wang Chengcai reluctantly returned to the line, kicking a pebble away with his foot. Unwilling to give up, he looked around and, seeing no one paying attention, sneaked out of the line and ran along the wall of the building.

"Psychic attack! Attack on your own! All attack the dung beetle!"

"Psychic defense! Block the first wave! Block the second wave!"

...

Shen Juanjuan was tied to a pillar but was still having a silent argument with Wang Zhusheng. The older student bound on the left suddenly said, "Did you hear that? It sounds like someone is singing outside."

The older student on the right listened carefully, "Yes! They're singing on the playground."

"... Our lives are so happy, our songs are so bright..."

As the singing grew clearer, the two older students and Wang Zhusheng all changed their expressions.

"It's Cloud Peak selecting candidates."

"But we're still tied up here; we can't go."

Shen Juanjuan no longer yearned to go to Cloud Peak, but hearing that Cloud Peak was selecting candidates still made his heart skip a beat. The other three began struggling fiercely, trying to break free from the tape.

Chen Rong had tied them securely. No matter how hard they struggled, the tape did not budge. The older student on the left was sweating profusely, "They're almost done singing, what should we do?"

The other one was already at a loss, "I don't know, they're almost done singing, I won't be able to go to Cloud Peak."

"I want to go to Cloud Peak, I want to go to Cloud Peak." Wang Zhusheng was also struggling desperately.

Among the four, only Shen Juanjuan did not struggle. He looked at each of them but did not mock Wang Zhusheng.

Suddenly, a cracking sound came from the left side of the washroom, and all four children turned to look. Outside this wall was the orphanage's fence, and beyond that was an empty field. At this moment, a small window on the wall was pushed open, and a foot in a cotton shoe stepped onto the window sill.

Wang Chengcai, drenched in sweat, climbed onto the windowsill and looked at the people inside, panting heavily.

"Brother!" Wang Zhusheng shouted in surprise and delight.

Wang Chengcai jumped down and rushed to untie the tape binding Wang Zhusheng.

"Brother, Shen Juanjuan hit me, help me get revenge," Wang Zhusheng quickly reported, "He scratched my face."

Shen Juanjuan panicked and explained to Wang Chengcai, "He hit me too, he pulled out a lot of my hair."

Wang Chengcai scolded his brother, "What time is it now? Revenge, revenge, do you still want to go to Cloud Peak?"

"Brother, I want to go to Cloud Peak." Wang Zhusheng immediately understood.

While Wang Chengcai was tearing off the tape, Wang Zhusheng smiled smugly at Shen Juanjuan, "My brother came to get me, I can leave, I will be selected for Cloud Peak, and you'll stay tied here."

Shen Juanjuan rolled his eyes at the ceiling, "I don't want to go to Cloud Peak anyway."

"Wang Chengcai, Wang Chengcai, please untie us too, please untie us too," the two older students kept pleading.

"Just wait," Wang Chengcai panted, drenched in sweat, "I'll untie you after I'm done with my brother."

Just as Wang Chengcai finished removing the tape from Wang Zhusheng, he heard faint sobs coming from the playground. He quickly rushed to the door, peeking through the crack and saw the two officers walking towards the orphanage gate accompanied by Rong Chen, while the other students watched their backs, crying sadly.

Wang Chengcai decisively turned around, dragging Wang Zhusheng, who was still gloating at Shen Juanjuan, to the wall and lifted him up to the window, "Climb up quickly."

"Wang Chengcai, Wang Chengcai, please untie us too, please untie us too," the two older students immediately cried out loudly, one of them even shedding tears.

"There's no time," Wang Chengcai was also climbing up the window, "They're leaving, there's no time to untie you. Wait for next time, they'll come again soon."

"Wang Chengcai, Wang Chengcai..."

Wang Chengcai climbed onto the windowsill and jumped down, then helped Wang Zhusheng, who was sitting on the window sill, before slamming the window shut and disappearing quickly outside.

Shen Juanjuan stared blankly at the closed window, then looked at the two older students who were sobbing.

"Cloud Peak is not good, there's nothing good about it, just crowded houses. If we were in Cloud Peak now, ten people would be tied to this pillar, stepping on each other's heads," Shen Juanjuan couldn't help but try to comfort them.

One of the older students sniffled, "You've never been to Cloud Peak, what do you know? You're talking nonsense."

"I haven't been to Cloud Peak, but my brother is there. He told me it's not good at all. If you go to Cloud Peak, you'll be tied to a pillar by the management there, and you won't be able to do things like this anymore. Two people will step on your head."

The older students ignored him, each crying sadly, wiping their tears on their shoulders.

The two officers stood at the entrance of the orphanage. One of them, half-smiling, looked at Rong Chen, "It's been quite some time since any child has entered the differentiation period?"

Rong Chen sighed, "Our staff are all ordinary people, without any Sentinel Guides. Even if a child enters the differentiation period, we wouldn't know. You just tested them, you know better than we do whether they have entered the differentiation period."

"That's a bit strange," the officer shook his head.

Rong Chen smiled and said, "Could we possibly find out which child has entered the differentiation phase and hide them? As the welfare home administrators, we genuinely hope these children can have a good life. Going to Cloud Peak is their blessing; we wish they all could differentiate and go to Cloud Peak."

As he spoke, the sound of a car approached on the main road ahead, and everyone looked over to see the welfare home’s minivan driving up.

A look of relief finally appeared on Rong Chen's face as he secretly sighed in relief, "It's the welfare home’s van; the director is back."

The minivan stopped behind the military vehicle, and Director Liu got out with a smile, greeting the two officers.

"Director Liu, I was just discussing this matter with Chief Administrator Chen. Why hasn't any child at the welfare home entered the differentiation phase recently?" one of the officers asked.

Director Liu waved his hand with a smile, echoing Rong Chen's words, "All of us here are ordinary people. Whether the children have entered the differentiation phase, only you know."

"Have all the children in the home been screened? Were there any who didn’t come for the assembly earlier?" the officer asked Rong Chen.

Before Rong Chen could answer, Director Liu said, "Why don't you two return to the home and have the children assemble again for inspection? You can also search every corner of each building, so everyone can be at ease."

"Director Liu, that's not necessary, I was just asking casually," the officer glanced at his watch, "It's getting late, we'll head back to Cloud Peak now."

"Take care."

Director Liu and Rong Chen watched as the two officers got into their car and drove away.

"We managed to get through it," Rong Chen whispered.

"Let's go back."

Just as they turned to walk towards the gate, they heard a shout from behind: "Are you trying to get killed? Blocking the road like that."

They stopped and turned around in confusion, seeing the military vehicle had stopped on the road, and a senior student stood in front of the car with his arms spread wide.

Wang Chengcai had stopped the military vehicle and then ran to the window with Wang Zhusheng, who was standing beside him, panting heavily, "Uncle officer, please wait, we went to the toilet—"

"Wang Chengcai!" A sharp voice suddenly came from the welfare home’s entrance, interrupting Wang Chengcai.

Wang Chengcai looked over and saw Director Liu standing at the gate, his face a mix of shock and anger.

Director Liu, usually amiable, made Wang Chengcai pause at his expression. He quickly tried to explain, "Director, when the officers were checking, my brother and I weren't there... We went to the toilet, and we just wanted to get checked now."

He had lived as a stray in Keke Town before, knowing that keeping things simple was safest, so he instinctively didn't mention that Wang Zhusheng had been locked up by Rong Chen.

Director Liu, after his initial outburst, quickly regained his composure, his tone returning to normal, "Go back, take Wang Zhusheng back inside. Don't delay their important work."

"Director, it won't take long, just a quick check, it won't take more than half a minute," Wang Chengcai pleaded, knocking on the car window again, "Uncle officer, uncle officer."

Rong Chen strode over to Wang Chengcai, gritting his teeth and hissing, "Who told you to stop the government's vehicle? Your usual mischief is one thing, but do you not understand the gravity of the situation? Get back to the home right now."

"Aah!"

"Ouch."

But both Wang Chengcai and Wang Zhusheng cried out in pain simultaneously. Wang Zhusheng staggered, about to fall, while Wang Chengcai grabbed him with one hand and held his own head with the other.

Rong Chen stopped in his tracks, his face turning pale, while Director Liu remained standing straight at the gate, slowly closing his eyes, his body trembling slightly.

The door of the military vehicle slowly opened, and an officer got out.

He touched Wang Zhusheng's head, took his other hand, and smiled, "Good boy, let's go to Cloud Peak with Uncle."

Wang Zhusheng, dazed, was led to the car. Just as he was about to step into the vehicle, he came to his senses, struggling to stay out, turning to look at Wang Chengcai, "My brother? Is my brother not going?"

"He can't go yet, he needs to wait a while longer," the officer said.

"Then I won't go either, I don't want to go," Wang Zhusheng broke free from the officer's hand and rushed to Wang Chengcai, "Brother, I won't go alone, I don't want to go, I won't go."

"If he doesn't want to go, don't make him. The child is still young; he can stay at the welfare home for a while longer," Director Liu called out hoarsely, running over, almost tripping and falling due to his urgency.

Wang Chengcai, with red eyes, pulled Wang Zhusheng, hesitating to let go. But the officer quickly picked up Wang Zhusheng and put him in the car, slamming the door shut, "Drive."

"Wait—"

The military vehicle roared to life and sped off. Wang Chengcai chased after it, tears streaming down his face, shouting, "Zhusheng, if I'm chosen later, I'll come find you. Listen to the adults, don't be naughty. Live a good life. Without me, no one will protect you, so don't cause trouble..."

Wang Zhusheng's face appeared at the rear window, his hands pressing against the glass, crying out to Wang Chengcai, his mouth forming the word "brother."

The distance between Wang Chengcai and the military vehicle grew wider, and he finally had to stop, waving and crying to the black silhouette, "Don't be afraid, I'll be chosen soon, don't be afraid..."

The military vehicle disappeared at the end of the road, and Wang Chengcai continued to stare at the end of the road, tears streaming down his face, yet he couldn't help but smile. But when he slowly turned around, he saw Director Liu looking at him with a deathly pale face, his eyes so cold that the boiling blood in Wang Chengcai's body suddenly chilled.

Director Liu slowly walked forward, the road outside the welfare home soaked by the rain flowing from afar. He slipped and nearly fell, but Rong Chen reached out to support him, only to have his hand pushed away.

Supporting himself on his knees, he let out a hoarse roar, "Kneel down!"

Wang Chengcai had never seen Director Liu make a student kneel, nor had the management staff ever done so. He was taken aback and stood there motionless.

"Kneel down!" Director Liu shouted again.

Wang Chengcai's knees buckled, and he fell to the muddy ground with a thud.

Heads poked through the fence gaps, students crowding at the edge of the playground, watching them, but no one dared to speak.

Director Liu extended his hand, "Ruler!"

Rong Chen retrieved a thick wooden ruler from his waist and placed it in Director Liu's trembling hand.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Director Liu raised the ruler high and struck Wang Chengcai repeatedly. Each strike echoed, and the students behind the fence shuddered with each sound.

Wang Chengcai managed to hold on at first, only gritting his teeth and raising his chin, but eventually he couldn't bear the pain. He huddled his body to dodge the wooden ruler, crying out with his eyes closed: "Why are you hitting me? Why can't my brother have a good life? Why can others go, but not my brother? I want him to eat buns every day, chicken legs every day... Before our parents died, they told me to take good care of him... He's only three years old, and he's been starving in Keke Town with me... We never get food when it's distributed; we're never full... The government soldiers bathed us, gave us warm clothes, fed us buns, did some tests, and then sent us to the orphanage... I want him to eat buns and chicken legs every day, what's wrong with that..."

Wang Chengcai sobbed loudly, his body covered in water and mud, defending himself sorrowfully. Director Liu watched him with red eyes, breathing heavily, the raised ruler trembling in the air but not falling again.

A moment later, there was a clatter as the ruler was thrown into the mud beside them.

Wang Chengcai opened his eyes and met Director Liu's gaze. He saw that the anger had left those eyes, replaced by deep sorrow and some emotions he couldn't understand.

Director Liu slowly turned around, his back hunched, walking into the courtyard. He said to Rong Chen, who followed him, "I'll go to Cloud Peak immediately to get someone. Have all the administrators gather in the meeting room for a meeting. The children all yearn to go to Cloud Peak, partly because everyone keeps praising it. From now on, no one is allowed to say anything good about Cloud Peak in front of the children, or they'll be kicked out of the orphanage."

"Understood," Rong Chen responded softly.

After taking a few steps, Director Liu paused: "Also, keep it from him forever, don't let him know the truth."

Rong Chen glanced at Wang Chengcai, still kneeling on the ground: "Understood."

"Good." After responding, Rong Chen tentatively asked, "What about Wang Zhusheng..."

Director Liu sighed deeply: "I'll go see Chief Executive Meng and Chairman Jiang right away, and find a way to bring him back."

"Bring him back..." Rong Chen hesitated, "You've been seeing Chief Executive Meng and Chairman Jiang recently, and whenever you mention the children who were sent away, they start making excuses. Doesn't this mean they don't really want to let them go?"

"I was hesitant before, afraid to push too hard," Director Liu said wearily. "But now, the orphanage has become meat on a chopping block. What else is there to worry about?"

Rong Chen looked at the students crowded behind the fence, his face full of concern: "All the children in our orphanage have been screened for genes and will mostly become Sentinels or Guides. Can we hide them for a while, but can we hide them forever? Today, Wang Zhusheng was taken away, who knows what will happen next? And, Director, each time you go to them, you're putting yourself in greater danger—"

"I'm old, whether I'm in danger or not doesn't matter much. Even if I lose my life, it would be worth it to save a child."

Director Liu interrupted Rong Chen, turning to look at Wang Chengcai, who was standing up with a grimace, and then at the children behind the fence, their innocent faces passing through his gaze.

"We must find a way, we must act. This can't continue, we can't let them take another child." Director Liu murmured.

In the washroom, the two older students had stopped crying but remained silent, their faces filled with despair. Shen Juanjuan, still tied up, hung his head in boredom, using his free foot to scrape the dirt on the ground into a small mound.

He didn't know how long he would be confined, only wishing to get his food quickly, play a bit with Lin Duozhi, and then leave the orphanage to find his brother.

The sound of keys turning at the door echoed, and it opened. Rong Chen walked in, holding a pair of scissors, cutting the tape off the three boys one by one.

"Chief Administrator Chen, am I done with my punishment? Am I really done?" Shen Juanjuan asked.

"Yes, you're done."

"Can I go get breakfast now?"

"Go get your bag and wait in my office," Rong Chen replied.

Shen Juanjuan knew this meant he could get food, and he beamed with joy: "Chief Administrator Chen, you're so nice, you're really nice."

Rong Chen removed the tape from his body, then turned to an older student. As he passed the spot where Wang Zhusheng had been tied, he paused, looking at the scattered tape on the ground, sighing almost imperceptibly.

When Shen Juanjuan returned to the dormitory, several children had just entered.

"Shen Juanjuan, people from Cloud Peak came to select candidates, but you were locked up. We asked the administrator to let you out after the selection, but they refused and told us to leave," Tang Yuanyuan said regretfully.

Lin Duozhi's face still bore traces of tears, clearly upset about not being selected. He held Shen Juanjuan's hand and said, "Juanjuan, Wang Zhusheng was chosen."

Chen Hongliang corrected, "He wasn't chosen; his brother blocked the car, and the director hit the officer, so they took Wang Zhusheng."

"That's not right, his brother was beaten."

"Look, he's on the playground."

They crowded around the window, and Shen Juanjuan saw Wang Zhusheng's brother walking from the storage area, having changed out of his muddy coat into a new one. He occasionally looked up at the sky and smiled, then wiped his eyes as if crying.

"Wang Zhusheng's brother is crying."

"He's smiling."

"He's both crying and laughing."

"He's wearing new clothes, he's happy."

"He's crying because he didn't get on the car."

"No, he's crying because the director beat him."

...

Shen Juanjuan kept watching Wang Zhusheng's brother, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

He felt that Wang Zhusheng's brother wasn't crying because he was beaten by the director, as others said. It was because Wang Zhusheng went to Cloud Peak alone, so he was both happy and sad.

If Shen Miaomiao went to Cloud Peak alone, I would feel the same way.