Chapter 18
Facing the gaze of this pair of vertical pupils, Su Ci felt a little oppressive. Of course, this oppression did not cause him any discomfort.
He looked into Yan Ping's eyes with interest.
[Eye of Truth: It is said that it can see all truths, and falsehood will be exposed in front of it.]
The explanation of these eyes emerged in Su Ci's mind.
He raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling that things seemed to be becoming more and more interesting - the man in front of him, who did not look very powerful, actually possessed such a rare ability.
Unfortunately, his ability is just a fake, and "it is said"... is just a rumor.
Sure enough, Yan Ping couldn't see through Su Ci's true identity. After some investigation, he couldn't get any useful information, and his eyes soon returned to normal.
He stared at Su Ci with a strange look for several times, and finally looked away and whispered to Guan Zhishu to continue playing the video.
Yan Ping focused on observing Su Ci's reaction.
Although the subsequent filming was unstable, it can still be seen that even when the alarm was damaged by the silk thread and made an unusually sharp sound, Su Ci watched quietly without any fear.
Watching the video go black again, Sun Si from the Administration Office couldn't help but ask, "Captain Yan, why did the giant spider only attack Luo Shengfei and not Su Ci?"
She wasn't targeting Su Ci, but she couldn't help but feel confused. It couldn't be that the giant spider attacked Luo Shengfei just because he looked tastier, right?
According to the hunting habits of animals, this keeper is so thin, so it should be easier to hunt and more vulnerable to the monster's attack, right?
Yan Ping didn't answer her, but looked at Luo Shengfei and said, "Xiao Luo, answer this question yourself."
Luo Shengfei was stunned when he heard his name being called. He was a wounded person now!
"Because of the characteristics of the giant spider."
Luo Shengfei answered weakly. Although he was a member of the maintenance team and did not participate in the battle, he often worked outdoors, so these monster characteristics were information that he needed to remember carefully, as they could save his life at critical moments.
It’s just…looking at my performance in the video, it’s really a bit embarrassing.
But before he finished speaking, Sun Si had already recited it. It was obvious that she had also seriously followed the regulations of the base safety manual, but it was only at the theoretical level.
"Giant spider, loves to eat blood, its silk can harden and bind its prey, and can... sense sound?"
She suddenly stopped, looked up at the image of Luo Shengfei lying on the ground crying bitterly, and then looked at Su Ci who seemed to be mentally retarded and quiet, and felt that she understood the truth.
Yan Ping shrugged.
When facing a giant spider, try to stay quiet. This is indeed the key point of combat summarized by the Operations Department. However, I didn't expect that the new trainee breeder would be so brave.
So that's why HR hired him?
Yan Ping stared at the darkening light curtain, frowning as he pondered, and continued his analysis: "Later, we arrived and engaged the giant spider... That's probably how we forced it to retreat, forcing it to abandon Xiao Luo and escape..."
"There may be some discrepancies in the details, but this is the general outline of the matter." He looked at Luo Shengfei, "You're pretty lucky, kid."
Su Ci next to him couldn't help but nod and couldn't help but applaud Captain Yan. This analysis was reasonable and perfectly eliminated him.
Number One, who was standing next to him, curled his lips, feeling somewhat indignant for Su Ci.
Luo Shengfei looked at his wounded body, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He gave Su Ci a strange look, then thought of something and asked, "Who is controlling me then? Is he a monster too?"
Yan Ping seemed to have a clue about this. He looked at the light screen, asked Guan Zhishu to return to the homepage, and then entered another camera.
That was the scene at the entrance of the hall. The four of them rushed in from outside, and then Luo Shengfei and the other two took off their raincoats and threw them into the pollutant treatment device.
Yan Ping suddenly spoke up and asked Guan Zhishu to pause the image and then zoom in.
In the screen, Su Ci's image was adjusted to the center, and after slightly rewinding, it continued to play. Everyone was confused, but Su Ci frowned slightly.
"Captain Yan, is there something wrong with breeder Su?" Luo Shengfei asked doubtfully.
Yan Ping shook his head, rewound the image again, and then circled the floor near Su Ci's feet with his fingers. Everyone was attracted by his movements and stared at him.
Then, under such careful observation, everyone finally saw the light red shoe print that appeared at Su Ci's feet when he put down the work manual he was holding high.
A very small pair of shoes, like a child's, appeared out of thin air and followed Su Ci.
Everyone couldn't help but feel horrified.
Yan Ping continued to gather other camera footage, and in several of them, the child's shoe prints could be seen. Then, as time passed, the shoe prints gradually faded until they disappeared.
Su Ci couldn't help but lower his head. Others thought he was looking at the shoe prints, but in fact he was looking at number one.
The child is very calm.
Even if he was discovered, it would not have any impact on him. What's more, the water stains on the soles of his shoes had dried up long ago, and there were no footprints when he stood next to Su Ci.
Shi Yjiang and others were sorting out the messy shoe prints on the ground. Sure enough, among a pile of adult footprints, they found several complete children's shoe prints.
Guan Zhishu immediately stepped forward and took pictures of the shoe prints.
"Captain Yan, I remember now!" Luo Shengfei suddenly said, "I remember hearing a child's laughter. Su Ci, you heard it too, right?"
Su Ci paused, then nodded, "Yeah."
"These shoe prints look like the ones from the nursery." Shi Yjiang, observing the footprints of the children nearby, also said, "They should be the smallest size. I saw them before when I was sorting supplies."
He is in the Materials Management Group of the Logistics Department and has an impression of everything he has handled.
"Could it be..."
Xia Jingming spoke, and when he saw everyone looking at him, he swallowed and whispered his own judgment, "Is it that little monster from the nursery... the legend?"
Everyone was a little confused at first, but soon they remembered something and their faces changed.
"You mean..." Sun Si also lowered his voice unconsciously, "Number one?"
Number One is the most mysterious existence in Base 24. Rumor has it that this cub has been assimilated like the monster, and his figure can only be seen when the red fog is full.
Luo Shengfei was puzzled, "Number One? But why would he want to harm me?"
Luo Shengfei, who often goes to the nursery, is one of the few people who has seen the "child in the red fog". He didn't think that No. 1 had been assimilated into a monster before, because he always saw the child's figure inside the nursery building.
but……
Luo Shengfei looked at the child's footprints. If he had not fallen into the illusion at that time, he might have escaped to the underground warehouse with Su Ci. Even if he had not run away, he did not think that he would be as miserable as he showed in the video and was almost kidnapped by the giant spider.
If he was really kidnapped... His face turned pale, and he felt both relieved and scared at having survived the disaster again.
Number One listened to their discussion about himself.
When Su Ci's contribution was erased, he was indignant. Now it was his turn to be wronged, but the child was unusually calm, as if he was not surprised.
He is the "ghost" of the 24th Base. Others cannot see him and he cannot defend himself, so some things that he did not do at all will be blamed on him. He has become accustomed to it.
"Not him."
However, at this moment, a gentle and peaceful voice sounded, and Number One's head, which had been lowered, suddenly raised up.
Because of the height difference, from his angle he could only see the young man's delicate and beautiful chin and graceful jawline, but he couldn't see the expression on the young man's face very well.
Number One blinked, and for some reason his nose suddenly felt sore. He lowered his head again and quietly moved closer to the breeder.
Just as he thought, the breeder's words were not taken seriously.
"Su Ci, you've just started working here, so you might not understand some of the details of the nursery. You'll understand later."
The others didn't believe it, so Su Ci didn't continue to argue.
Number One is too weak now, and continuing to be invisible is actually the best protection for him. Of course, he cannot tolerate the child he is looking after being misunderstood and wronged like this.
He looked at Captain Yan Ping.
The captain frowned tightly and did not participate in the discussion from beginning to end. No one knew what he was thinking.
Yan Ping noticed Su Ci's gaze.
Now things have been preliminarily sorted out. At least there is nothing suspicious about this breeder Su - even if it is really Number One who followed him to the logistics building, as a breeder of the nursery, this is not surprising.
"This matter has become clear."
Yan Ping then said, "Keeper Su, I'm sorry. This was just a routine matter. I will record the details of this incident in the report and mention your performance as well."
"Those mumblings and laughter are probably a form of mental attack. It could be a new characteristic of the giant spider, or it could be an unknown monster that has never been recorded."
"Being able to withstand such a mental attack proves that you have good mental resistance."
At least better than Luo Shengfei.
"Furthermore, you're so brave even when facing a giant spider for the first time. You're better than many new recruits in our department. In the future...if you can't pass the probation period at the nursery, you can try to apply for other positions at the base."
Number One, who had originally had no reaction, suddenly looked up and glared at him after hearing this, his expression fierce and alert. Su Ci also felt that his hand hanging by his side was tightly grasped by the child.
He sensed the child's increasingly unstable aura, thought for a moment, then looked at Yan Ping and said, "Captain Yan, I want to talk to you alone."
When they heard Yan Ping apologize to Su Ci and express his appreciation for him, Xia Jingming and others who had just doubted Su Ci looked a little embarrassed.
But then, when they heard Su Ci say that he wanted to talk to Yan Ping alone, their expressions became strange.
Yan Ping didn't say anything special. He nodded and walked away with Su Ci, finally stopping beside a pillar in the corner of the hall to talk.
Watching this scene, the few who stayed behind couldn't help but wonder. What was it that he had to say alone? Was he trying to complain? Aside from suspecting him of something wrong, they shouldn't have done anything wrong, right?
Yan Ping was also thinking about whether there was anything he needed to talk to the new trainee breeder about in private.
"What do you want to say to me?" he asked.
Captain Yan Ping has black hair and brown eyes, and is about thirty-five or thirty-six years old. Although his facial features are not handsome, he has an unusually calm temperament that makes people trust him.
Su Ci looked at the pure and upright aura lingering around him - to possess the ability of "Eye of Truth", even if it was a fake, his character could not be too bad.
Thinking of this, he glanced at Luo Shengfei in the distance and said directly, "The child's footprints that appeared in the video just now are indeed Number One's, but it was not him who controlled Luo Shengfei and almost got him captured by the giant spider."
Number One, who was walking with Su Ci, couldn't help but look up at him when he heard his words, his eyes becoming bright.
Yan Ping raised his eyebrows, a little surprised.
"Xiao Su, is it okay for me to call you that?"
Su Ci didn't respond.
Yan Ping continued, "You've just arrived at the nursery, so there's a lot you don't understand. You'll get to know them over time, so you don't need to worry about this."
Even if they determined that Number One was responsible for this incident, they couldn't take any action against this cub...
Number One's information is a top secret file, and few people in the base have the authority to view it. Moreover, this cub has special abilities, and no one has ever seen his true appearance.
Many people in the base, including the action team, speculated that this cub might have long been assimilated by the red fog, becoming a creature similar to the monsters in the red fog...
However, there was no need to let Su Ci, who was still in his apprenticeship period, know this.
Yan Ping had his own thoughts in mind, but then he heard the incredibly beautiful breeder in front of him say softly, "Perhaps there's still a lot I don't understand, but I know much more about Number One than you do."
Yan Ping had just frowned when he heard Su Ci say something earth-shattering.
"Because this child is standing next to me now."
In the corner of the hall, as Su Ci finished speaking, the atmosphere became stagnant.
Yan Ping suspected that he had heard it wrong. He subconsciously lowered his head and looked around at the place next to Su Ci, but he didn't see anything wrong.
Thinking of the bloody footprints that had always followed Su Ci when the traces of rain had not yet disappeared in the video, and looking at the expression on Su Ci's face, Yan Ping had a feeling that this new breeder was not lying.
He took a step back, his hands instinctively tightening around the gun.
"You don't have to be afraid." Facing Yan Ping's vigilance, Su Ci said calmly, "At present, apart from invisibility, he doesn't have any special abilities."
Looking at Su Ci's unusually calm expression, Yan Ping couldn't help but sigh that this breeder Su really had a strong psychological quality. With this kind of mentality, even if he was not physically fit, he might have a good future on Prison Star.
Su Ci, under the cover of the pillar, took Number One's hand and gestured to Yan Ping.
In fact, Su Ci also felt strange. Spirits are born and raised by nature, so they should not have parents. Then why is there No. 1 in the nursery used by Prison Star to house the offspring of criminals?
Su Ci hasn't figured it out yet, but the soul is the crystallization between heaven and earth, and is the most special kind of living creature. Newly born souls have not yet been determined. If they suffer from malice and injustice for a long time, they can easily go astray and eventually bring disaster to the world.
It was fine before, everything in the world has its destiny, and Su Ci would not interfere too much, but now...
He would not allow the child to become an evil spirit.
The man in front of him, named Yan Ping, has a sense of righteousness and is a rare upright person. It would be good for the child to have more contact with such people.
Looking at Su Ci's actions, Yan Ping's body froze, but after a slight pause, he put down the gun in his hand and stretched out his left hand.
Of course, the other hand did not let up.
In the lobby on the first floor of the Logistics Department, under the dim light next to the stone pillar, Su Ci took Number One's hand and gently but irresistibly placed his palm on Yan Ping's hand.
The moment the little hand fell into Yan Ping's palm, Yan Ping's pupils shrank, and he seemed to see a young child standing in front of him.
He had a pair of black-red eyes and looked only three or four years old. He was very thin and small, and even the smallest cub clothes he wore still looked loose. He was smaller than any other cub of his age he had seen.
Yan Ping never imagined that Number One would be like this...
He couldn't help but tremble in his heart, and then the child suddenly disappeared before his eyes.
Yan Ping blinked hard, but there was still nothing in front of him. He subconsciously closed his palms, and then he clearly felt the small hand he was holding.
It was so delicate and fragile, so bony, as if he could break it with just a little force.
Before Yan Ping could react, the little hand had quickly retracted. He seemed to see a child, like a cub sensing danger, who retracted his hand, hid behind the keeper, and looked at him with vigilant eyes.
When he looked closely, the child had disappeared again.
Yan Ping took a deep breath. Such a child... It was really hard for him to connect the rumored little monster with the cub in front of him.
However, this does not clear him of suspicion in this incident.
Yan Ping knew that the cubs in the nursery were very special and their abilities could not be measured by appearance. The child in front of him was someone that even his true eyes could not see through.
The captain of the action team pursed his lips slightly, glanced in the direction of Luo Shengfei and the others, and then said, "Keeper Su, thank you for your trust and willingness to tell me such an important matter."
He lowered his voice and asked, "Besides me, have you told anyone else about your ability to see Number One?"
Su Ci shook his head, "No."
Number One is still too weak to be known by too many people.
Yan Ping breathed a sigh of relief. He lowered his voice and said, "Don't tell anyone about this for now, especially those at the research institute."
So he was just looking at Xia Jingming? Su Ci thought of the tranquilizer that the base had used on Number Eight. That must have been made by the research institute.
Su Ci nodded, "I understand."
"Well, as for what you just said..."
Yan Ping glanced at Su Ci's empty feet and continued, "You and Luo Shengfei did hear the child's laughter. The one who controlled Luo Shengfei wasn't Number One, it could have been another cub in the nursery."
Of course, it's also possible that a monster with cub characteristics appeared. "No matter what, I will continue to investigate and restore the truth."
"Okay." Su Ci nodded, having no objection.
Number One stood obediently beside Su Ci, with the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.
He didn't really think it was a big deal, since he had been wronged before. But he found that it felt really good to have someone defend him and help him out...
"So, did you find anything else?"
Yan Ping lowered his head and looked towards Su Ci's side again, probably at Number One. Su Ci didn't have the heart to tell him that Number One was actually standing on the other side of him.
"That child's laughter...have you ever heard it anywhere?" Yan Ping continued to ask.
"No." Su Ci shook his head. He had indeed never heard such laughter. After all, it had been less than a day and a night since he woke up and arrived at Base 24.
Seeing Yan Ping staring at his feet, he had to explain: "Number One can't speak yet."
After a pause, he added, "He probably can't write either."
Yan Ping suddenly realized something and asked, "So, his invisibility is also uncontrollable?"
"Um."
"No wonder..." If that's the case, then many things that he couldn't understand before now have a reasonable explanation.
Yan Ping recalled the thin appearance of No. 1 and couldn't help but look at Su Ci. He was about to remind him, but swallowed the words back.
This keeper, who had just started working yesterday, had already discovered Number One's existence. Not only had she gained the child's affection and trust, she was also willing to stand up for him at a time like this...
He probably didn't need reminding.
Yan Ping looked at Su Ci and admired him more and more. The breeder recruited by the Human Resources Department this time was quite something.
"In that case, there's nothing I can do. If you find anything else in the future, please feel free to contact me."
Yan Ping exchanged contact numbers with Su Ci. Seeing the young man's calm demeanor, he couldn't help but say, "I now think you might be qualified for the job of breeder."
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