Chapter 5 The Troupe Leader of Meteor City 05 (Ovokin has been edited...)
The coolness of early morning seeped through the cracks in the window.
Ayana pulled her clothes tighter and sniffed.
Kuroro stood in the morning light, his ivory-white shirt making him look even thinner. There was still some dust from cooking on the hem of his shirt, but he was much cleaner than yesterday.
"Good morning." His eyebrows relaxed, his smile was simple and bright, and his eyes sparkled like the rising sun, making Ayana want to rub his face.
Seeing Ayana cowering, he leaned closer with concern: "Are you cold? Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
Ayana shook her head, yawned, and glanced at the dining table.
There lay several pieces of artwork that were so charred they could almost be described as black charcoal.
Kuroro awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, his ear tips turning red: "Sorry, it seems I failed today."
The little rabbit's ears drooped limply, its tail remained still, and its eyes seemed to reflect tears. Its guilt was so palpable that it was impossible to say anything harsh to it.
"Oh dear, how could I blame you?" Ayana couldn't help but ruffle Kuroro's hair. "It's alright, there's still plenty of food."
"Besides, you didn't do it on purpose. People make mistakes, don't they?" He looked down at Ayana, his eyes shimmering with light.
Seeing that the boy was still biting his lower lip, Ayana had a sudden idea. She put her hands together and blinked, "If you really feel bad, just act cute towards me?"
Kuroro's original plan was disrupted by this sentence, and a rare look of confusion appeared on his face. He repeated the unfamiliar word, "Acting...cute?"
"Yeah!" The girl's eyes sparkled. "It's super easy! You just need to do something really cute for me!"
Before he could finish speaking, Kuroro rested his chin on his hand.
The little rabbit was very well-behaved, as if afraid that Ayana would get tired. He carefully held Ayana's wrist with one hand and gently pressed his slightly cool cheek against her palm.
He even tilted his head towards Ayana, blinked twice with a slightly puzzled look, and asked.
"is that so?"
[Congratulations, host, on completing the mission! 100 points have been awarded.]
Ayana was unable to return to reality from this powerful mental attack. She held Kuroro's chin for a while before pulling her hand back as if she had been electrocuted.
But the heart inside the chest was still beating violently.
How can there be such a cute, obedient, and sensible child in the world?!
She's going to give Kuroro a huge thumbs up!!
Ayana clutched her chest, screaming inwardly.
Kuroro clutched his stomach in embarrassment, his little face flushing pink: "Sorry, I'm a little hungry."
Ayana hurriedly emptied the charcoal from her plate and magically produced bread: "It's alright, there's nothing to apologize for being hungry, we'll eat this for breakfast!"
The boy gratefully accepted the bread, holding it in both hands and repeatedly expressing his thanks.
But his gaze lingered on Ayana for a moment.
Kuroro prepared all the ingredients last night.
He checked everything in the house this morning before Ayana woke up—the kitchen, the refrigerator, even what was in the house.
When Kuroro got up to cook this morning, he didn't see any bread pieces in the refrigerator.
[New mission issued: Raise the obedient Kuroro into a healthy baby, limited to 30 days.]
This task is also mandatory.
Ayana chewed on the bread pieces, showing little reaction.
[Also, congratulations on completing the prerequisite quest [Expelling the Outsiders]. The main quest has now been unlocked. I will now introduce the quest details to you.]
This is Meteor City, an illegal area officially designated as a no-man's-land. Countless infants are abandoned here, struggling to survive in despair.
They profited immensely from human trafficking and organ harvesting, and countless young lives were lost at their hands.
Torture, dissection... inhuman atrocities are committed day after day.
In their eyes, children are nothing more than commodities to be exchanged for money and amusement.
Every life lost tells a tragic story of this land.
Ayana paused in her chewing, her gaze hardening, and her brow furrowed.
The main quest has been activated.
You need to expel the outsiders, track down the organization's leader, and choose whether or not to kill him.
[Those children crying in the darkness are being guided by a ray of light.]
Please select whether to accept the task.
Ayana hesitated for a moment before clicking "Yes".
The system will issue a series of tasks to you.
Is there any connection between these?
Ayana's lips twitched involuntarily.
She put the half-eaten bread back on her plate, looked up at the boy opposite her: "Kuroro, do you know any places in Meteor City that are suitable for growing things?"
Kuroro was somewhat surprised, and stopped eating his bread, crumbs sticking to the corners of his lips, making him look silly.
He looked troubled: "I've never heard of it, and no one grows anything in Meteor City."
Ayana nodded thoughtfully.
Since the system has issued this task, there must be a place here where potatoes can be grown.
But it will probably be hard to find.
Seeing the expectant light in the girl's eyes fade and her whole dejected, Kuroro suddenly curled the corners of his mouth and changed the subject: "But I know two friends who might know."
The boy couldn't help but smile, his facial features appearing particularly soft in the morning sunlight. He said with a smile in his eyes, "They are the two people you met yesterday."
…
A clear call pierced the morning mist.
A boy with light blond hair ran towards the two of them.
His eyes crinkled into crescent moons as he smiled, and the missing front tooth didn't make him look disheveled; instead, it added to his endearing, goofy charm.
The oversized white T-shirt hung loosely on the boy's thin frame, the collar askew, revealing his prominent collarbone. One wonders if he was cold.
It seemed he only had this one piece of clothing; the bottom of his white T-shirt was stained gray and looked dirty, but he didn't seem to care about changing it.
If Kuroro is a rabbit, then the blond boy is a reckless hamster.
His smile was even more benevolent, and with his messy hair and a nose covered in a layer of ash, he looked exactly like a pitiful little hamster that had been abandoned by its owner and was even missing a front tooth.
It makes one feel an irresistible tenderness towards them.
"You said you wanted to introduce a friend to us, is this the girl?"
The larger one was still wearing the same white vest from yesterday. He looked very friendly. Seeing that Ayana was having some difficulty looking up at him, he bent down and gave her a toothy smile, introducing himself in a friendly manner.
"Hello, I am Franklin."
Ayana stood on tiptoe and returned a bright smile: "It's nice to meet you. My name is Ayana."
He was a little younger and didn't understand the normal social distance between men and women. His dusty nose was almost touching Ayana's, and his innocent, pure eyes were staring straight at her.
Ayana had never been in such close contact with anyone before. She froze on the spot, like a computer that had crashed, her expression blank.
"Swordsman, you've frightened her."
A deep, warm voice sounded in his ear, and Kuroro squeezed between the two.
He slightly pushed the knight aside and stood in front of Ayana. The movement wasn't very forceful, but it conveyed a strong and unyielding sense of authority.
Kuroro turned his head, looked at Ayana gently, and asked softly, "Are you alright?"
The little boy's eyes were glistening with tears, and his words were innocent and pure. His unadorned praise touched Ayana's heart, filling her with sweetness and making her look at him with more tenderness and understanding.
“It’s okay.” Ayana smiled, her eyes crinkling into a smile. “You’re cute too, I like you very much.”
The knight-errant immediately flashed a warm smile, extended his hand enthusiastically, and revealed his pearly white teeth: "I am the knight-errant, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Ayana gently took his hand.
A fleeting emotion crossed Kuroro's brow, and his eyes dimmed considerably, but only for a moment.
He quickly returned to his usual approachable demeanor, though a hint of coldness still lingered in his eyes and brows.
"Suitable land for planting?" Franklin's face showed surprise. He stroked his chin, hesitating slightly. "I do know a place, but there..."
The knight-errant picked up where he left off, saying directly, "That's Uvogin's territory!"
Uvogin?
This name sounds familiar.
“If we go there, we’ll probably have to fight Uvogin.” Franklin looked at Kuroro questioningly. “I don’t think it’s a big deal, but Kuroro, didn’t you just get beaten up by Uvogin?”
I remember now!
It was this Uvogin who beat up her precious little boy, which is why Kuroro was squatting by the garbage dump crying yesterday!
A surge of protective anger welled up within Ayana, and she clenched her fists, determined to teach Uvogin a lesson.
Kuroro's eyelids drooped slightly, his jet-black eyes hidden by his eyelashes, making it impossible to see what he was thinking.
Ayana assumed that Kuroro was recalling the time he was beaten up, which made her even angrier.
She patted Kuroro's shoulder angrily: "Kuroro, if you're scared, then don't go. I'll go by myself."
The girl waved her fists twice: "You just wait here, and I'll beat him to a pulp so he'll never be able to show his face in public again!"
She was petite, but her voice was full of confidence in her strength, making her look quite adorable. This made Kuroro smile unconsciously. He smiled and said, "I'm not afraid, let's go together."
…
The clear blue sky, devoid of clouds, is a pristine and clean color, contrasting sharply with the chaotic scene of Meteor City on the ground, creating an almost unreal sense of disharmony.
Countless piles of garbage formed rolling hills, the stench of decay permeated the air, and there were very few walkable roads on the ground.
A muscular man, much taller than average, stood atop a hill in the garbage dump.
He was wearing a jacket, which looked to be the largest size, but it was still too small for the man, too tight on his body, with several buttons popping open.
Elastic shorts were loosely tied around his waist, and his hair was unusual, completely frizzy, which added to the man's wildness, making him look like a beast that could never be tamed.
The man crossed his arms and slowly moved his eyes around, as if he were inspecting the area.
[Friendly reminder: The probability of defeating this burly man is approximately 50%. The system strongly recommends that you use your special abilities or purchase new equipment from the shop.]
"Is it him?" Ayana asked, following behind the group.
The four hid behind a mountain of garbage, using the piles of waste to conceal themselves.
"Yes, that's him. Doesn't he look scary?" The swordsman exaggeratedly shrank his neck, half-jokingly saying, "Something terrible will happen if he catches you!"
The boy lowered his voice, his tone threatening: "Getting beaten up is the least of your worries. He might even rip your head off and stick it right at the top of here!"
His expression was very serious and earnest, and he was about to continue his intimidation, but he successfully received a blow from Franklin: "Swordsman, don't scare her."
"Don't be afraid. If there's any danger, you go first, I'll hold him off." Franklin gave a reassuring smile. "It's always like this, it's alright."
"Will you get hurt?" Ayana blinked and asked an unexpected question.
[Special Ability [Powerful Amplification] Confirmed for use, remaining uses: 0.]
The question was so sudden that Franklin was momentarily at a loss for words.
The girl patted Franklin's forearm and reassured him, "Don't worry, with me here, none of you will get hurt anymore."
Before he could even decipher the meaning behind the girl's words, she vanished from his sight in the next second.
By the time Franklin came to his senses, Ayana had already rushed towards Uvogin, leaving only her small, thin figure behind.
He rushed out from behind the garbage mountain, trying to stop Ayana, but it was too late. He could only watch helplessly as Ayana nimbly weaved through the garbage, quickly closing in on Uvogin.
Franklin turned his head in disbelief to look at the black-haired boy, his voice questioning: "What's wrong with this girl? Is she going to her death?!"
Kuroro, however, remained unusually calm. He stopped the swordsman who wanted to rush over and said thoughtfully, "It's alright, let's wait here and see."
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