Chapter 20 The Leader of the Phantom Troupe in Meteor City (Main storyline unlocked...)
[Friendly reminder, host, you still have one farming task to complete.]
A cold, mechanical voice spoke up at just the right moment to remind Ayana, causing her to sway slightly and almost choke on her breath. For a moment, she didn't know how to get those three difficult children to agree to help her farm.
But running away isn't a solution either; the mission has a time limit, and she needs to grow mature potatoes as soon as possible.
With that thought in mind, Ayana closed her eyes, steeled her resolve, and confessed everything.
"Help me... plant some land."
The three of them didn't directly refuse Ayana; they just looked at her with puzzled expressions, completely confused.
This gave Ayana hope, and she smiled, her tone particularly enthusiastic.
"It won't be much trouble, and if you help me with the farming, I'll give you this!"
Ayana was clever. She bought five candies from the shop, secretly slipped two into Chrollo's hand, and placed the remaining three into the hands of Uvogin, Feitan, and Phinks. She then held up a finger to her cheek, tilted her head back, and smiled.
"Kids really love this, want to try some?"
Uvogin is a single-celled organism; he doesn't think much and trusts Ayana completely, so the moment he received the round candy, he instinctively put it in his mouth.
Seeing that Uvogin had already eaten, the remaining two exchanged a glance and then stuffed their own food into their mouths.
Their mouths were instantly enveloped by an indescribable sweetness, and the sweet and sour lemon flavor made all three of them open their eyes wide and sparkle, their brains seeming to be exploding.
Feitan unconsciously pressed his little finger against his upper lip, revealing his entire face. His expression was one of astonishment, and the sweet fruity taste left him somewhat bewildered. He stood there, stunned, with the smooth, round ball in his mouth.
It's so sweet, so incredibly sweet.
I've never eaten anything so sweet before.
"Hey, what's this?" Uvogin's cheeks were flushed, and he even breathed hot air from his nose with delight, showing a bit of childlike innocence as he asked with great interest, "What do you need our help with?"
Ayana glanced around at the other two, noticing that Feitan and Phinks both looked dazed and lost in their own sweetness. Suddenly, she felt confident, and her soft voice became stern: "It's simple, you just need to help me with the farming."
Ayana thought for a moment, then a brilliant idea flashed in her mind, and a smile appeared on her face: "Of course, I certainly won't just give you candy as payment. If you help me farm diligently, you can also make a wish for me. As long as it's within my power, I will definitely grant it."
Phinks and Feitan exchanged a glance, and this time Phinks finally took the initiative to step forward and speak.
The blond boy's features were already quite mature, with very defined facial contours. He smiled, but there was a cold, distant, and threatening aura about him, like a sharp blade emanating a chilling aura. He narrowed his eyes and said...
"If you're lying to us, we won't let you off easily."
The kids in Meteor City don't work for free.
…
The yellow sunlight streamed down from the sky, turning the boy's thin back bright red. He was only wearing a white vest, and sweat trickled down his neck and into the vest.
The boy wiped his sweat and looked around.
There were two people around him.
The large man's honey-colored skin was also soaked with sweat. He held a hoe, beads of sweat seeping from his nose and forehead, his veins bulging from tension, as he wielded the hoe to till the land.
The other boy with light blond hair initially spoke leisurely and even joked with the black-haired boy about Uvogin, teasing him. But now that leisurely mood receded like the tide. He looked exhausted, and the slit in his shirt revealed his muscles.
Suddenly, a familiar girl's voice came from not far away, causing everyone's hearts to tremble. The black-haired boy raised his head and looked in the direction of the voice.
The shifting sunlight reflected a different color in the girl's eyes. She was carrying several bottles of water in her arms, and the black-haired boy followed behind her like a shadow, also carrying water in his arms. The two of them had run over in a hurry and were covered in sweat.
The group had been working in the land for some time.
Following the steps Ayana taught them, they spread fertilizer and then tilled the land again before planting potato seeds. But it wasn't over yet; they also had to dig furrows, water the soil, and cover it with soil.
After a while, I had sweated a lot and drunk a lot of water.
Feitan took the water bottle and drank it all in one gulp, only then did he feel much less tired. He then tried to brush the dust off his body, but he couldn't get it clean no matter what he did, which made the germaphobe frown and feel even more irritable.
"Just give me the clothes when you get back."
The boy with gentle features had clear black and white eyes. Seeing Feitan like this, he had a guess in his mind. He smiled and said to Feitan, "I will help you clean it up."
Kuroro was in poor health. Although he really wanted to plant seeds in the ground with the three boys, Ayana insisted that he not do it, fearing that he would faint from exhaustion.
But Kuroro also wanted to do his part, so he took on the logistical work, taking charge of washing clothes, delivering water, and cooking for everyone.
The boy's fair face finally regained some color, and his lips were no longer almost colorless, but were tinged with red, which made him seem more real and even more adorable.
He smiled and handed Feitan a bottle of water, saying considerately.
"Here you go. There's not much I can do, so this is all I can do for everyone. Don't worry about leaving it to me."
Feitan didn't reply, but instead snorted, awkwardly snatched the bottle of water from Kuroro's hand, and turned his head away from him.
However, this can be considered a tacit acceptance of this good intention.
Kuroro blinked twice, then suddenly broke into a bright and warm smile, like the morning dew of the rising sun, refreshing the heart.
[Congratulations, host, on completing the mission: Have [Uvogin], [Finks], and [Feitan] help you plant potatoes. Rewards are being distributed.]
Why?
Didn't she also complete a task?
[...]
[Host, I need to reiterate the objective of another mission.]
"Heal [Uvogin], [Finks], and [Feitan], and let them stay here."
Did you...forgot to treat their injuries?
Ayana's inner thoughts suddenly became exceptionally quiet, as if she had fallen into a tranquil death.
…
Ayana raised a finger to her cheek, her face serious, her voice firm and powerful, containing an irresistible force: "From today onwards, we will take every wound seriously, and treat even the smallest injury promptly!"
The girl stood in the center, hands on her hips, shaking her head, pacing back and forth, her little mouth opening and closing as she muttered to herself, like Tang Sanzang chanting sutras, babbling on and on.
Uvogin sat on one side of the sofa, while Phinks and Feitan sat on the sofa in the middle. Chrollo sat on the sofa closest to the girl, gazing longingly at her.
The group was forced to sit there listening to Tang Sanzang chant sutras, and they had no way to resist, so they sat there holding their breath.
Uvogin's face twitched repeatedly. He couldn't bear to listen anymore and was about to get up when the girl pointed at him.
"Especially you!"
Ayana suddenly turned around, pointing her index finger at Uvogin, who was listed as a "key target," her eyes becoming very sharp: "Old wounds haven't healed and new ones have been added, and you always like to cause trouble. You are the most troublesome kid here who should be closely watched!"
A brat... a brat?!
Uvogin had never heard of this word before, and was so shocked by it that he forgot to refute it for a moment, and of course, he didn't know where to begin. He swallowed hard and stared at Ayana as she berated him.
Do you know what happens once a wound becomes infected?
Ayana sneered, deliberately exaggerating the outcome: "Your body will first feel swelling and pain, then general malaise, organ failure, and finally..."
She drew out her words, gazing intently at Wojkin, deliberately pausing to keep him on the edge of his seat. Only when she saw beads of sweat forming on Wojkin's nose, his eyes widening, and his fingers beginning to tremble slightly did she speak softly.
You may need to have your leg amputated.
"Amputation...?" Uvogin had never heard of this word before, but it terrified him, making it extremely difficult for him to speak, and his breathing became heavier and heavier. "What is that?"
The girl smiled slightly, but her gaze was icy cold, like a demon from hell, as she calmly uttered terrifying words: "It's about tearing your limbs apart piece by piece."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was taken aback.
Uvogin's mind seemed to conjure up some scene, his body trembling from head to toe, so shocked that he couldn't utter a word, but he immediately denied the scene in his mind, laughed, and said as if he had seen a ghost, "How could that be?"
"It's not impossible."
Without hesitation, the girl replied, half-jokingly, "You can give it a try."
Try it...?
What are you going to do? Let him experience amputation?!
Uvogin felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, his mind reeling, and he was utterly speechless.
The room was completely silent.
Kuroro lowered his head, his fingers stroking his chin, presumably pondering what Ayana had just said.
Finks reacted much like Uvogin, his whole body trembling and shaking, his forehead covered in sweat.
Feitan stood with his hands in his pockets, his gaze unfocused, staring into the distance with a solemn and astonished expression, his face completely devoid of color.
It seems she successfully scared those little brats.
Then... things will be easier.
Ayana smiled secretly, thinking to herself with a smug look on her face.
Uvogin slowly came to his senses, but his voice was still trembling: "Then...then will I have my leg amputated?"
"Hmm...it's not impossible."
Ayana deliberately remained silent for a while, sighed, and then finally spoke: "But as long as you obediently follow the instructions for treatment, it won't happen."
Uvogin's eyes first darkened, then suddenly brightened, staring intently at Ayana as if she were some kind of hope, and blurted out.
"good!"
There's a reason why Ayana focused her attention on Uvogin first.
If it were anyone else, they would certainly question Ayana's words, and might even analyze her motives and expose her words, but Uvogin is different.
He is a typical single-celled organism, with a simple and pure mind, and he trusts Ayana completely without the slightest doubt.
In short, they are easily fooled.
By using Uvogin as a breakthrough point and taking him down first, the others will follow suit and believe what Ayana says because one of them is completely convinced first.
Kids are so easy to fool.
Ayana looked at Uvogin with satisfaction, tossed him the medicine and bandages, placed the iodine on the table, and smiled elegantly and calmly: "Then start by treating your wound properly. I've done all of that in front of you—disinfecting, applying medicine, bandaging—you should be able to do it yourself, right?"
Uvogin immediately nodded three times and began to take action.
Seeing Ayana turn her gaze towards him, Kuroro, being very sensible, picked up the other medicines and bandages and said with a smile, "I'll help, I'll teach them!"
With Kuroro's help, bandaging and treatment were much easier, but there were still obstacles.
Phinks is alright, but Feitan can definitely not be called "obedient".
He was very rebellious. When Ayana approached him with the medicine, Feitan's eyes widened, his gaze seemingly poisonous, as if he wanted to kill Ayana with his vicious and cold stare.
Feitan was reluctant to let others get close, but he was also afraid of the situation Ayana had just described, and he didn't know how to bandage himself, so his expression became very distorted.
He snatched the medicine and bandages, intending to try bandaging himself, but the bandages grew longer and longer, eventually wrapping around his body, making him look like a playful kitten—both disheveled and adorable.
Ayana couldn't help but laugh out loud, and as expected, she received a jealous look from the cat.
Seeing how angry the cat was, she thought Feitan was about to attack her with venomous words again.
But to everyone's surprise, Feitan just silently stuffed the bandage back into Ayana's arms, his cheeks puffed out, his ears red with anger, and he hung his head without saying a word.
He's still just a child.
No matter how tough the exterior, no matter how many thorns it erects, its heart remains soft.
Ayana sighed inwardly.
The boy, not receiving a response, assumed he hadn't expressed himself clearly. He turned his head and secretly glanced at Ayana, then awkwardly muttered something under his breath, but Ayana didn't hear him.
Without thinking twice, she opened her mouth and asked, "What did you just say?"
To everyone's surprise, the boy reacted like a cat whose sore spot had been stepped on, his eyes widening as he excitedly replied, "He didn't say anything!"
"He didn't say anything!"
You misheard me!
The boy's icy demeanor completely crumbled, and his cheeks flushed slightly. Only then did Ayana realize why the boy was acting this way.
A black cat popped into her head without her even realizing it.
The cat resisted Ayana's approach. Once she got close, it would glare fiercely, arch its back and belly, ready to attack at any moment, as if it regarded her as a vengeful enemy.
But the cat would also reach out its paws to probe Ayana, wanting to get closer to her warmth, and if its intentions were seen through, it would jump up in shame.
Actually... kind of cute?
Ayana's heart skipped a beat, and she changed her attitude towards Feitan.
Worried that Feitan might be pushed to the limit again, Ayana picked up the bandages and wounds, looked at Feitan with a smile, and asked, "Let me help you."
The latter remained silent, which was probably an admission of agreement.
Ayana sat down at her desk in her room, tapping her fingers lightly on the surface.
In fact, she did those things not just to complete the task.
Based on her interactions with the children of Meteor City over the past few days, Ayana discovered that they didn't care about their bodies, nor did they care about whether they were injured or had wounds.
But this is not a good sign.
If a person doesn't even care about their own body, how can they possibly care about their own health, mental well-being, and... the lives of others?
Ayana pushed her eyelids up and down with her hand.
Meteor City is indeed not a normal place. She rarely sees adults here, and mostly sees children, who live in garbage dumps, suffering from severe malnutrition, and struggling to survive.
Now she's here.
Ayana gently pulled out a book, but not completely. She simply held the handle with her fingertips, swaying it back and forth, her gaze blank.
Through the tasks issued by the system and some investigations she conducted, Ayana was able to piece together some clues.
Meteor City is officially designated as a no-man's land, where all kinds of trash can be thrown in. Therefore, the "humans" who stay here are probably also considered "trash," as are the children.
Since it is garbage, it has no human rights, so it can be treated and disposed of arbitrarily.
That organization targeted children's organs, so they would kill them indiscriminately to obtain intact organs, and even torture and kill them out of some special fetish.
Thinking of this, Ayana's heart clenched suddenly, and an uncontrollable anger swept over her.
She narrowed her eyes.
We need to find a way to protect these children and help them grow up healthily.
Children are innocent. Life has no distinction of importance, and they should not be included in the "garbage" category. Every life is extremely precious.
They should have the most basic human rights, as well as the opportunity to live, cherish themselves, and choose their own lives.
They should not be treated like this, but should be gently taught and raised to adulthood.
[Do you finally understand my good intentions? I'm so touched!]
[Waaaaaah!!]
The cold, mechanical voice suddenly became passionate, chattering away in Ayana's mind, which surprised her slightly.
[Host, let's work together!]
Let's work hard to transform this place from a garbage dump into a farm, so that the children here can grow up strong and healthy!
The system paused for a moment, then continued.
The fate of your children is in your hands, the fate of your good kids is in your hands!
Let's move towards a bright future together, leading our children to happy lives and nurturing our little ones into healthy, strong, and adorable gods!
[This task requires your expertise; who else would you be left out?]
…Although, it sounds a lot like a sales pitch.
Ayana couldn't help but silently complain in her heart, but her eyes became more and more determined, her heart in her throat, and she agreed.
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