Chapter 751: Shadows of the Tyrant

The old security guard recounted these events in a measured tone.

He seemed to be deliberately stripping away his emotions in order to be more objective.

But strangely enough, when he mentioned the second time he encountered the “Tyrant,” his words sent a shudder down the spine. Number Eight looked at Lu Xin in disbelief, finding that Lu Xin had silently bowed his head.

There was something familiar about the way the old security guard told these stories.

Yet Lu Xin had truly lost all memories of them; the events of those times and the following three years were just blank.

Only occasional fragments surfaced, all jumbled and chaotic.

……

……

“Even now, I can’t describe the shock I felt when I heard those words…”

The old security guard fell silent for a long moment before slowly continuing, “I suddenly realized that I couldn’t bring myself to act against him.”

“It wasn’t because the man before me was the ‘Tyrant’ capable of effortlessly demolishing a three-story orphanage and defeating the security measures personally designed by the Orphanage Director. It was because standing before me was a suffering, almost helpless child…”

“At that moment, I made a decision I would never regret in my life.”

“I didn’t immediately report your appearance and current state to the Director; otherwise, he might have returned at once.”

“I simply took you in, trying to…”

After a pause, he hesitantly added, “…try to provide you with some psychological counseling myself.”

There was an unmistakable note of embarrassment in his words.

It seemed that he didn’t regret taking in the ‘Tyrant,’ but even now, recalling his limited abilities at the time, attempting to counsel the ‘Tyrant’ felt like an act of overreach…

“But that was extremely difficult…”

The old security guard gave a slight shake of his head as if overcome by a wave of emotion. Feeling parched, he picked up a cup of alcohol, downed it in one gulp, and continued, “Although you did exhibit emotions you’d never shown before, your mental state had fallen into utter chaos, with bursts of intense mental power that could affect reality at any moment…”

“When you have nightmares, you can cause huge cracks to appear throughout an entire building.”

“When your emotions fluctuate, the vase on the table might suddenly transform into a venomous serpent…”

“Walking among the crowd, those around you begin to suffer a nightmare of contorted bodies and chaotic thoughts, all falling to their knees before you, trembling as if in the presence of a king. But once they snap back to reality, they remember nothing of it…”

“You can erase memories at will, even rendering all surveillance cameras useless…”

“……”

As the old security guard spoke, a trace of fear flickered in his eyes.

Not only him; even Number Eight wore an expression of disbelief.

He knew that these vivid images signified a level of power far beyond ordinary.

Meanwhile, the silent Lu Xin sat quietly, lost in thought, “So, the Tyrant from back then was really that formidable?”

……

……

“I finally realized that you were beyond my ability to care for…”

The old security guard slowly looked up at Lu Xin with weary eyes, almost self-mocking as he spoke:

“After all, how could I possibly turn the tide with matters that even the Orphanage Director couldn’t fully control, given my own limitations at the time?”

“That’s why I was prepared to call for reinforcements.”

“I didn’t report to the Old Director because I had seen his lunacy during experiments.”

“That’s why I chose to report to the Research Institute…”

“……”

At this point his voice suddenly weakened, leaving both Lu Xin and Number Eight somewhat astonished.

So, the Research Institute was involved in this matter as well?

“The people from the Institute arrived within the first hour…”

In a low voice, the old security guard said, “From the moment I reported it to the time they arrived took less than an hour.”

“I had once served as the Orphanage Director and interned at the Research Institute for many years, so I knew their every move was orchestrated by the Institute. I agreed to let them take you away, telling them that I no longer wished to follow the Old Director; I wanted to go back with them.”

“Even if that meant facing jail time for the Escaped Lab incident, I couldn’t bear staying here any longer.”

“But to my surprise, they refused, insisting that one must face the consequences of one’s own actions…”

“It wasn’t until then that I realized they weren’t really from the Institute.”

“How could the Institute simply not retrieve those related to the Escaped Lab incident?”

“Their demeanor was as if they simply didn’t care about the Escaped Lab at all.”

“……”

Reaching this point, the old security guard’s face slowly revealed a look of terror, “I realized something was terribly wrong back then.”

“I attempted to resist them, but before I knew it, they easily subdued me. In their presence, I felt as lifeless as a wooden doll. Yet, they didn’t hurt me; instead, they smiled and explained that they were indeed from the Research Institute.”

“They told me not to panic, assuring me that they would never harm you…”

“Because your mind is like a prison that holds the most terrifying things—no one in their right mind would risk breaking that prison.”

“Their goal was to better contain what resided within, not to destroy the world!”

“……”

“A prison?”

Both the old security guard, who had uttered those two words, and Number Eight, who had heard them,

found their faces profoundly affected.

Their bodies seemed to tremble as they simultaneously looked at Lu Xin.

The people described by the old security guard carried an air of mystery and strangeness from the start.

And in their words, Lu Xin was… a prison?

How could one person be a prison?

Yet in their eyes, Lu Xin remained quietly seated, his brows slightly furrowed as if trying to recall something.

……

……

In the oppressive atmosphere, Number Eight couldn’t help but interrupt, “Did you mishear, or…”

“I didn’t mishear…”

Listening, the old security guard sighed softly and said, “They laughed at me, or rather, at the Old Director, for daring to experiment on the Tyrant in such a manner. But that was their own oversight. They claimed that this prison held the most terrifying force in the world. They thought that by sealing away most of its power, it was safe.”

“But now it seems that even that minor leak is more than this world can bear.”

“So, they plan to take him back and work on sealing away even more of his power, to see what happens next.”

“……”

“And that isn’t even the worst part…”

The old security guard’s brow furrowed further and his expression grew odd. “At the time, I couldn’t tell who these researchers really were, nor whether I should trust their words. I couldn’t even be sure if I should let them take the ‘Tyrant’ away, or worry that his refusal might trigger some uncontrollable consequence. Then I saw…”

He slightly looked up at Lu Xin and said, “You seem to know them…”

“……”

“Hm?”

At this, even Lu Xin furrowed his brows and looked up at the old security guard.

Number Eight, meanwhile, wore an expression that suggested he thought the old security guard was lying.

“Back then, you even chatted with them while smiling—something I had never seen before,” he remarked.

The old security guard shook his head vigorously, as if trying to assure himself that his memory was intact, “I clearly remember you were taken into the Research Institute when you were very young, and then we brought you to Qinggang. At such a tender age, you had never interacted with outsiders; yet, after meeting those people, you smiled and even asked why they had only arrived then…”

“Back then, you acted just like old friends…”

“And furthermore…”

His throat twitched, and a shadow seemed to pass over his face, “The tone of your voice…”

He struggled for a few moments before adding, “was terrifying…”

“I can’t quite describe it, but that tone wasn’t you at all—it was something far more fearsome.”

“I only caught a few syllables, and then, I had long nightmares…”

“……”

As the old security guard’s words took on a strange tone, even Number Eight abruptly turned to look at Lu Xin.

He seemed about to say something, yet couldn’t muster the courage to speak.

“Bzzzz…”

Perhaps from the strain of deep thought, Lu Xin’s head began to throb faintly once more.

He fell silent and pounded his forehead heavily.

There was nothing there—he truly had no memory of that matter.

What was this prison all about?

Could it be that his mind still harbored something else?

There’s no way… right?

……

……

The old security guard kept studying Lu Xin’s expression for a long while before, with a hint of disappointment, he withdrew his gaze.

He couldn’t find in Lu Xin’s face the answers he so desperately sought.

“Afterwards, things became very simple.”

Sighing softly, he murmured, “I don’t know where they took you, but you were indeed taken away. And I never found the strength to go after you. Perhaps, at that time, I was still terribly afraid of you…”

“Even though I knew you had changed back then and were no longer the simple ‘Tyrant,’ I was still scared…”

“But afterwards, I replayed those events in my mind countless times.”

“At first, I was completely at a loss, my mind filled with the bizarre and absurd.”

“It was only later, after recalling the events over and over, that I began to figure out the identities of those people. Their mannerisms were entirely in the style of the Research Institute—they knew everything about it, yet they couldn’t care less about what happened there…”

“So, aside from the first-generation researchers, who else could it be?”

“……”

With a slight bitter smile, he added, “It wasn’t until then that I realized their IDs were extremely old.”

“And the name on them wasn’t ‘Moon Eclipse’ but rather ‘Red Moon.’”

“But all that is meaningless now; I had long since decided not to get involved with these matters anymore.”

“I never returned to the Research Institute, and I cut all ties with the Old Director.”

“I took Little Deer from the Hospital and hid her in another place, thinking that maybe, one day, the Old Director would show up to punish me. But in the end, the Old Director never came. Time passed quietly.”

“At that time, I had no motivation for anything else—I merely cared for the little deer with the broken leg.”

“Even when Little Deer later suggested rebuilding the orphanage on its ruins—a real orphanage where stray children on the streets could have a safe haven—I only did my best to help her. Sometimes, I even fantasized that maybe, in doing so, I could somehow atone for my past sins…”

“For many years, I couldn’t even distinguish my own thoughts…”

“I once was one of the finest researchers, having entered the Moon Eclipse Research Institute, striving to heal this world.”

“Then I followed Professor Wang out and committed those heinous acts…”

“I witnessed the most desperate eyes, saw the most miserable scenes, and encountered the most terrifying power…”

“……”

“……”

At this point, his emotions spiraled as he suddenly glanced at Number Eight and said:

“I didn’t like what you said when you first came back.”

“What’s all this about achievements? In today’s world, are achievements really that important?”

“Growing up safely and living an honest life—that’s the best way of life after Red Moon, isn’t it?”

“After all, our world was cursed by knowledge from the start…”

“……”

Number Eight’s expression turned surprised, his lips moving slightly, though he ultimately said nothing.

By the time the old security guard finished speaking, he seemed much more relaxed.

He even smiled, plucked a small piece of egg yolk from his plate, swallowed it with a gulp of alcohol.

Then he said to Lu Xin, “After that, three years later, Little Deer suddenly encountered you.”

“You went with her back to the Orphanage. I was terrified—I thought retribution had finally caught up with us…”

“But it was then that I realized your state had truly changed.”

“That oppressive power inside you was gone—

“Or rather, buried even deeper. You became quiet, kind, even somewhat simple.”

“You’d repeatedly deposit money into the rebuilt Elementary School, looking like someone extremely wealthy. But later I discovered that you were just saving your money—wearing only a light shirt in the dead cold, with your nose running profusely…”

“……”

Lu Xin listened silently, rarely interrupting.

It wasn’t until this point that he awkwardly shifted in his seat and slowly rubbed his face.

Shaking his head softly, he murmured, “That part can be left unsaid.”