Chapter 77
Deep in the consciousness, in a cage wrapped in blood-red flames, the young Red Flame Tiger was burned by the red flames all over its body. It lay on the ground dying, its eyes weakly open.
Number Two had never felt so exhausted.
He was really tired. He didn't know how long he had been struggling in the flames. It was so long that he wanted to give up.
He knew that this state of frenzy was completely different from the past. He had been pushed to the edge of a cliff, and when he fell off the cliff, he would completely lose himself.
But... do you regret it?
Number Two recalled his last memory before going berserk, and suddenly felt okay again.
He saved Number Seven and the wolf cub.
This was the first time he used his own strength to fight against an enemy several times stronger than himself, and he also saved his companions. This kind of battle was what he wanted.
He no longer wanted to endure the muddled and uncontrollable life he had led before.
However, this was the only time I could indulge myself.
Using that bloodline power again allowed him to reach his limit ahead of time. His real body should have been completely transformed into a beast, turning into a real red flame tiger, right?
I don't know if I can escape successfully...
That should be possible, right?
When No. 2 just transformed into a beast, he still had some consciousness. Chi Yan was not afraid of the wind and snow outside the door, and was also the nemesis of the giant spider. As long as he successfully escaped from the door, the probability of escaping from the base was still very high.
He believed that with the strength of his Red Flame Tiger, he could definitely survive in the red fog, and even the giant spider was no match for him.
At least around Base 24, he shouldn't have to fear anything after transforming into a beast.
When he was tortured by the flames and in great pain, only this thought could give the young man some comfort.
Perhaps the biggest regret is that I was not able to actually see myself transforming into a red flame tiger, killing everyone in sight and looking majestic and awe-inspiring, right?
Although he often hated the Red Flame that tortured him, in fact, how could the young man not yearn for the powerful Red Flame Tiger...
The flames were raging, and Number Two's consciousness gradually faded.
However, just when he was about to fall into the maze, he heard that voice again...
A gentle and calm voice spoke words he could not understand, but as he listened, he felt that his consciousness, which had been extremely fragile after being burned by the red flames, had regained some strength, and he woke up briefly.
The young man, who was already strong-willed, quickly seized this slight chance after his initial disbelief.
He was indeed in pain...
He really didn't want to endure the burning of the red flames anymore...
But he wants to live!
He wants to see the outside world, fight, and do something more meaningful!
He didn't want to die like this! He didn't want to leave this world in such a frustrating way, dying at the hands of his own bloodline!
He is unwilling to accept it!
In the scorching flames, the young red flame tiger once again supported its limbs and let out an angry roar towards the red sea of fire outside the cage.
As he stood up again, and as he remained unyielding, the flames that had been eroding him finally began to retreat.
The young red-flame tiger moved forward step by step, moving the cage that imprisoned it away from the edge of the abyss. Step by step, its body gradually changed, and finally turned back into the body of a young boy wrapped in flames.
He grasped the cage tightly with both hands, and his humanity once again prevailed!
However……
"thump--"
The young man knelt on one knee, looking at the endless sea of red fire in front of him, deep despair in his eyes.
He couldn't get out... He didn't have enough strength to go on, and what's more, he couldn't tell where the right way out was.
Is it really not possible? Why...
Why did he fail in the end despite trying so hard... What did he do wrong that he had to endure such torture?
The young man, who had always relied on himself to grope his way through life, was so eager for guidance from others for the first time when he felt so helpless and vulnerable.
Can anyone help him?
Is there anyone who can help him...
In the boy's mind, figures that had appeared in his life emerged, but these figures quickly collapsed and disappeared, burned to ashes by the flames.
He has no father, no mother, no teacher, and no friends...
No one can help him, he only has himself, he can only rely on himself...
The boy, who was only a little over ten years old, was stubborn and strong-willed, but also so lonely and helpless. He could not find a way out and could only walk alone in the flames, eventually losing his way.
He slid down to sit down, feeling the breath in his heart gradually dissipate.
"Accept this power, sense it, and control it..."
At this moment, the boy vaguely heard the voice again.
Accepting this power... was it the power of the Red Flame? Sensing it, controlling it... could he really do it?
The young man, having reached a desperate situation, finally decided to give it a try! Perhaps he would face even more painful experiences, or perhaps... he would be reborn from the cocoon?
The young man closed his eyes and no longer resisted the burning of the red flames.
That kind of pain has been with him for almost his entire life, and he should have been completely numb. However, when he really opened himself up completely to accept the red flame, he still let out a terrible scream.
It hurts...it really hurts...
The young man cried out, the blood flowing from the corners of his eyes quickly being burned dry by the red flames, until his entire soul seemed to be burned up by the blazing flames...
However, there was another force supporting him.
It was a very unfamiliar force, pure and powerful, carrying great vitality and healing power, helping him repair his soul damaged by the red flames.
The process was still painful, but the boy gradually stopped wailing.
A new strength grew within him, supporting him to keep going. He knew someone was helping him... No matter who that person was, he had to firmly grasp this opportunity, this only chance...
But, he still couldn't hold on until the end.
In room number two.
Watching the young man close his eyes and fall into sleep again, Su Ci slowly withdrew his soul power.
When he regains consciousness, his rationality should be back. Although the fusion with the power of red flame was not smooth, at least there has been some progress.
This process will be repeated over and over again, and the suffering that must be experienced is beyond the endurance of ordinary creatures, let alone a child in his early ten years old.
But this young man's character is unexpectedly tough. If he can withstand such hardships, his future achievements will definitely not be low, and it is worth it for him to give him a hand.
While Su Ci was touching No. 2's ear and thinking, A Yan squatted on the side and watched.
He watched Su Ci rubbing the furry ears on the red-haired boy's head, and the pointed silver-white ears on his head couldn't help but move as well.
Number Two's ears are round, and his fur isn't as fluffy as the wolf cub's, but it looks denser and thicker. I wonder what it feels like to touch it? Is it more comfortable than the wolf cub's?
A Yan was a little curious.
"Do you want to touch it?" he heard the young man ask.
A Yan paused, then nodded, so Su Ci made room for the child to come closer.
When his hand touched the red-haired boy's round ears, A Yan couldn't help but blink. This feeling...
It’s really different, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, Number Two had already transformed back into human form. Would it have been more comfortable to touch him if he had remained in the form of a red flame tiger? He still thought Number Two was cuter when he turned into a big cat.
A Yan tilted his head slightly and looked at Su Ci beside him.
The young man had a smile on his face and seemed to be in a good mood. I don’t know if it was because he touched the Red Flame Tiger’s ears... This made A Yan feel distressed.
Should he try to grow a pair of round ears?
The ears on his head were modeled after those of a wolf cub. They were pointed and had soft fur. Although they felt very comfortable to the touch, the round ears of the Red Flame Tiger were another kind of comfort...
If he could transform into two kinds of furry ears, would Su Su like him more? After carefully observing and feeling No. 2's ears, A Yan fell into deep thought.
And Su Ci, seeing him withdraw his hand, snapped his fingers lightly.
The young man who was lying on the floor appeared on the bed that had finally landed safely on the floor the next moment.
The boy lay there with his eyes closed. His cub clothes had been torn, but they were not naked. Instead, they were covered with brown fur with black and red markings.
The hair almost covered his entire body, leaving only his hands, feet and face with normal human skin. Even his neck was covered with fine hair.
This means that No. 2 still has a long way to go if he wants to completely suppress the power of his bloodline.
Su Ci glanced at the quilt that fell on the ground.
The quilt disappeared from where it was, and when it reappeared, it was carefully covering the boy's body.
After doing all this, Su Ci sent another instruction to 4586, asking it to send a new set of cub clothes to No. 2. Then he took A Yan and left No. 2's room in a flash.
Now that he has the protection of the base's intelligent computer, Su Ci no longer needs to restrain himself from using his abilities in private, which is undoubtedly much more convenient.
He and A Yan came to the nursery hall, and then he walked out slowly with him.
A Yan was wondering why they didn't appear directly on the land behind. When he walked out of the gate of the nursery and saw the members of the action team standing around the wall and observing, he finally understood.
"Keeper Su."
Yan Ping, who was checking the area near the nursery, noticed the young man, paused for a moment, and then walked towards him.
Su Ci nodded. Although he noticed the change in his address to him, he didn't care.
Even if Captain Yan Ping guessed something, so what? With the base's intelligent computer as a backup, he shouldn't have to worry about his identity being exposed for the time being.
"Nothing happened at the nursery last night, right?" Yan Ping came up to him and asked.
His eyes were fixed on Su Ci, full of inquiry.
Su Ci knew that Luo Shengfei's suspicion was probably aroused by the fact that he was suspended for investigation and then dismissed shortly afterwards. Moreover, he should have known that the surveillance footage of the nursery last night was almost impossible to view.
But what does that have to do with Su Ci?
Su Ci said calmly, "I went to bed early last night and don't remember much. Did something happen?"
Yan Ping sneered. He felt strange because nothing had gone wrong.
Luo Shengfei rushed from the dormitory to the nursery at such a dangerous moment when the blood frost flowers were falling. This in itself was a very suspicious thing. What's more, he received a notice from the base's intelligent computer this morning to investigate Luo Shengfei.
Although the notice was later withdrawn, this was the first time Yan Ping encountered such a situation.
So after chatting with Luo Shengfei, Yan Ping brought people to the nursery to investigate. Although he did find something, it was a little different from what he had imagined...
He pointed to the back of the nursery building and asked, "That piece of land... was it you who created it?"
Su Ci said calmly, "Yes, Xiao Luo helped me with it."
Yan Ping frowned, "This doesn't comply with safety regulations. Exposing the soil will greatly increase the concentration of pollutants..."
"Oh? So you detected an increase in pollutant levels?"
Yan Ping paused.
This is where things get weird.
It was obvious that the land behind the entire nursery building had been developed, and the area was not small, at least hundreds of square meters.
According to past experience, the pollutants in the soil of these prison planets will evaporate quickly, raising the concentration of pollutants in the air to a certain level in a short period of time.
However, they had been there for so long but had not heard any alarm from the monitor. They thought the monitor was faulty, but after calling someone to repair it, they found that this was not the case.
Although some of these monitors were damaged by the blood-red frost flowers, some were still able to function normally.
Moreover, Yan Ping himself also felt that he did not feel the concentration of pollutants in the nursery increased. On the contrary, being in this yard, he felt physically and mentally comfortable.
This was a feeling he rarely had on Prison Star, and the last time he experienced this was when he went to the plantation yesterday...
Moreover, Yan Ping also consulted the base's intelligent computer and understood that Su Ci's operation was in compliance with regulations. Although he did not have the authority to know who approved it, he could not make any further accusations.
Yan Ping looked at Su Ci and finally could only sigh: "I hope you can really bring some changes to the nursery..."
Su Ci shrugged slightly, pretending not to understand what he was saying.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go get busy first." After saying that, he walked towards the land behind the nursery building.
Yan Ping did not leave, but followed him.
He whispered, "Last night, the surveillance footage at the nursery showed the same mumbling as during the Blood Rain incident, as well as those strange laughs..."
"We can confirm that this is a monster we've never encountered before. The ineffectiveness of the surveillance footage is likely due to interference from this monster..."
"Captain Yan Ping, what do you want to say?" Su Ci stopped and asked.
"I've already asked the nanny robot. Except for cub number four, the other cubs who stayed in the nursery were all fine last night. But..."
"Where's number one?"
Yan Ping said with some concern, "That child cannot be seen by others. If he gets into danger..."
A Yan, who was following Su Ci, couldn't help but look up at Yan Ping, and Su Ci also smiled slightly.
"It's okay, he's right here with me," he said.
Yan Ping was stunned and couldn't help but lower his head. This time he accurately found A Yan's position - because they had come to the muddy ground, and a shallow footprint appeared where A Yan was standing.
"That's good." Yan Ping breathed a sigh of relief.
"Also..." Su Ci said, "His name is A Yan, not Number One."
Yan Ping was stunned again. He thought of the cub whom he had only met once, and then looked at the unique breeder in front of him, and couldn't help feeling a lot of emotion in his heart.
"Did you give it to him?" Yan Ping asked.
"Yes." Su Ci nodded.
"That's a good name." Yan Ping's serious expression finally relaxed a little. He said, "You're thoughtful."
Su Ci looked at the lingering solemnity between his brows. Seeing that he actually cared so much about A Yan, he said softly, "Captain Yan Ping, you don't have to worry about that monster anymore."
Upon hearing this, Yan Ping's eyebrows jumped.
"What do you mean?" he demanded.
However, the slender young man in front of him, who was so handsome that it seemed as if all the bright light was focused on him, just curled the corners of his lips slightly, did not give him any extra explanation, and turned and walked away with lazy steps.
His attitude is very clear - no need to ask, he won't tell even if you ask.
However, Yan Ping's special ability told him that the breeder in front of him... he was not lying.
So something really happened at the nursery last night, right?
But, it has been settled?
Yan Ping looked at the young man's back as he walked away, and finally took back his steps. He was somewhat relieved that he had not had any conflict with Su Ci before.
Although he still didn't know the identity of this young man or why he came to Prison Star disguised as a breeder, he was sure of one thing.
At least they won't be enemies.
This wasn't just intuition, it was also the result of the changes that the young man had brought to the cubs in just a few days...
When "interrogating" Luo Shengfei, the boy told him all his thoughts, including his changed opinion of the little monsters in the nursery.
Yan Ping was a little surprised, so as soon as he arrived at the nursery, he went to the activity room to check. After seeing the cubs getting along with each other, he was also shocked.
As the captain of the action team, he had to deal with the mess in the nursery almost every day in the past few years, so he was no stranger to the cubs in the nursery.
Even though the charge was later handed over to Xun Xiaoyu from the second team, he always paid attention to the situation in the nursery.
He was not afraid of these cubs like the others, nor did he hate them. He felt more sympathy and annoyance, and now... he seemed to see hope that they would get better.
This is truly a gratifying thing!
The one who brought about such a huge change was this seemingly weak, but actually difficult to talk to breeder...
How could such a person be an enemy?
Yan Ping stood for a while, then turned and left, then summoned all the team members who were still searching for clues around the nursery and asked them to patrol elsewhere.
"Captain, I..."
Guan Zhishu seemed to have made a discovery—she was standing very close to the giant spider's corpse. If she got any closer...
However, Yan Ping waved her away.
"Let's go." He switched the communicator to privacy mode and whispered to her, "All surveillance and investigations of the nursery will be canceled. The anomalies discovered previously... should also be destroyed."
"From now on, apart from routine patrols, there will be no need to send more personnel to monitor the nursery."
Guan Zhishu was very puzzled. "Captain, why? According to our investigation, this breeder Su must really have some problems..."
"Even if he really has some problems, it's not our place to get involved."
Yan Ping said with a serious expression, "He has opened up a piece of land in the nursery, and it was approved by the base's intelligent computer, but... there is one thing you may not know."
He was very secretive. "Before we arrived, he had just gone to the research institute and successfully brought Number Four back from Dr. Ren."
Guan Zhishu couldn't help but gasp, and instantly felt as if he understood something.
It seems that this breeder Su really has some great background! Otherwise, how could he dare to snatch someone from a senior researcher when he was still in the trainee period, and the key is to snatch him away?
She quickly calmed down and nodded, "Captain, you're right. The affairs of the nursery are no longer something we can interfere with."
The action team's duty is to protect the safety of the base. As long as this trainee breeder does not bring any harm to the base, who is he, what is abnormal about him, and what is his relationship with their action team?
"Well, come with me to the plantation."
After leaving the nursery, Yan Ping stepped onto the flying saucer, called Guan Zhishu, and headed towards the breeding garden together.
Judging from what happened last night, the small garlic sprout in the plantation that has been emitting a strong and increasingly foul smell will probably be the key for them to resist monsters when the next extreme weather comes!
Behind the nursery building.
A Yan was digging a hole with a shovel.
Su Ci glanced at Yan Ping and Guan Zhishu as they walked away, then turned back to look at the child squatting beside him and asked, "How does it feel to be cared for?"
Hearing this, A Yan couldn't help but pause. He thought about it and shook his head.
He didn't know how to describe his mood. Of course he was happy, but not that much. However... his impression of Captain Yan Ping became quite good now.
Su Ci just asked casually. He looked at the child and couldn't help but reach out and rub his furry ears.
A Yan grinned, then continued to lower his head and dig the soil to bury the seeds.
Without any hesitation, he buried the seeds in the can of spiritual water into the soil according to his own wishes.
However, when he buried the seeds in the soil, those seeds all released waves of joyful emotions.
They almost surround the two small spiritual buds.
The lazy little one was unaware of the presence of so many friends around him, but the spoiled little one became more motivated. Moreover, A Yan could clearly feel that some pure energy seemed to be released from the buds and leaves of the little spiritual buds.
Whenever this energy comes out, the star chain vines will become noticeably more energetic.
As for the seeds he had just planted, they were probably still adapting to the new environment, so there was no special performance for the time being.
A Yan worked diligently in the fields. After burying the seeds, he began to water and fertilize.
Su Ci looked for a while, then stretched, stood up, and slowly walked to the front yard. With a wave of his hand, he removed the illusion cast on the giant spider corpse.
He looked at the giant spiders scattered on the ground, cut into pieces by the wind blades, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Charcoal grilled spider...is it time to try it?
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